Parodius

Scale looked up and straightened his glasses. "Heh... one would think I'd learn to watch where I'm going one of these days." Gathering his hooves, he stands. "Sorry for taking so long. Got distracted helping straighten out those records. ...might help smooth over sour memories." He shrugs, then opens one of his saddlebags. "As for the book... they said it's kinda starting to get fragile since it's so old, so they don't lend it out very often." He floats out a thick packet of papers tied with a string and smiles. "Also, usually, they don't like to lend out magic books to those not in the magic program, apparently. ...but since I helped 'em out, they were willing to bend the rules a little." He offers the packet of papers. "After all, copies aren't lending, right? Not as cheap as lending, though. They could only do black and white copies, unfortunately. Kinda a shame, since the book was pretty nice. Fancy lookin'." He gives a slight smile and rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "...heh. Guess I'll be eating bargain bin instant noodles for a few days."

Scale Model scuffed his hoof against the street, looking around awkwardly. "Well... ah... things... seem to be pretty well under control. I suppose I'll leave things in the royal guard's capable hooves." He bows, casting a slightly nervous glance over at the guards. "Um... By your leave, your majesty. I hope the tour is pleasant." He gives a slight smile and starts backing away. After a while, he turns and starts strolling off. After a glance over a shoulder, he lets out a sigh. He couldn't shake the feeling such a tour wasn't what was in mind, but it wasn't like he could do anything about it. There were expectations on both sides of the 'royalty' thing, he guessed. Must be a lonely life. ((Unless somepony still wants me about, exit. Just think up something to keep Scale around if you'd like him here.))

With a nod, Swift started up the stairs. "Swift is fine." He pauses as he hears a *crack* from one of the stairs as he starts to step on it. "Hm... So it seems. I'll be careful. I can be a bit nimble when I need to be." Carefully, he steps over the suspicious step. He continues upward, carefully testing each step before putting his weight on it and continuing upward. "Who knows? We might find mementos left behind by the previous owner for you to enjoy." Eventually, he reaches the top of the stairs and heads for a door. He reaches to push it open, then freezes and watches wide-eyed as the door tips and falls into the room, kicking up a cloud of dust with a *whumpf*. He stands in the doorway, waiting for the dust to clear, letting out a cough.

GURPS. Dungeons and Dragons. Rifts. BESM. ...oh. Were we talking about video game RPGs? I'm sorry. Um... Those are fun too... I guess... *squeak*

Time dragged on and on. Ponies went into the library, ponies came out. Eventually, one of those ponies was even Scale Model. He waves to somepony inside as he strolls out the door. Eventually, he finds out an important lesson about new places. Watch where you're going, because there might be stairs. His eyes widen as his hoof suddenly finds air, turning his head as he sees the ground suddenly start coming up to give a great, big, friendly hug to his face as he tumbles down the short set of steps. His eyes roll about in his head, and he could swear he heard birds chirping somewhere. He pushes himself up with a bit of effort, then tries shaking some sense back into his head.

With a hmmmmm, the grey earth pony eyed the display case some more. "Thieves, eh? Sounds serious." She adjusts her hat, then rubs her chin. "... Looks like just a normal display case to me." She shrugs. "But a case is a case, even if it's a case hired just in case about a case, until I rest my case." She grins. "If you've got the bits, I can help ya get it there safely. If somepony tries starting something, I'm sure we can either get it away or fight 'em off. What do ya say? My rates are awfully affordable~" Her tummy voices its concerns, which she ignores.

Perking an ear, Mystery turned to look at the dark grey earth pony. At the mention of the word 'case', Mystery was at the other pony's side in an instant! "Case??" she eagerly repeated. "I'd be more than happy to help! What sort of case can Mystery Chaser Investigations help you with? Troublesome thugs? Jealous coltfriend? Jealous thugs and a troublesome coltfriend?" She puts on her best smile, then remembers she's supposed to be a detective and tones it back to a more 'professional' smile. "Whatever your need, I'm sure Mystery Chaser Investigations can help at a fraction of the cost of the competition!" ...what competition, you silly pony? "I'm Mystery Chaser. How can I help?" She pauses for a few moments, looking at the large piece of furnature. Slightly worried tinge comes into her smile. It was... almost a... 'case' one might say. Though, she doesn't voice her thoughts.

Apparently my car scares the *beep* out of little monkeys, and is found dark and disturbing by tiny pink winged unicorns. It's also apparently protected from fairy magic.

It was yet another day on the docks. Sailor ponies move about, loading and unloading cargo in their usual routine. As per her usual routine, Mystery Chaser wandered about on her self-appointed 'patrol' route. Pausing for a while, she leans against a dock piling, watching the other ponies as they work. Pushing her hat up a bit, she let out a sigh. "No shadowy goons shaking down helpless old ponies, once again..." she mumbles. She glances over at a seagull perched a little ways away, picking at some bit of food that it found. "At least business is going well for one of us," she comments to the bird. It looks at her for a few moments, then flies off with its tasty morsel, letting out a seagull-ish caw. Sticking her tounge out at the bird, Mystery blows a raspberry as it goes. "Same to you, pal!" she shouts at it before resting her chin on her dock piling resting spot. "Gotta find something... Something to do... some case. Something... something..." she muttered under her breath as her eyes scanned the docks for somepony she might be able to offer her services to. Heck. Even just being an errand pony was starting to look tempting to her. Her tummy voiced its opinions on the matter. "Quiet, you. We already had something to eat," she chided her stomach. She nibbled on the edge of her lower lip, recalling the sparse breakfast she'd had. Shaking the thoughts of food from her head, she nudged her hat back down and let her eyes scan the docks some more. She'd just have to use the tummy rumble as more motivation to find a client.

Looking around, Swift Breeze tisked quietly. "Certainly quite a bit of work ahead. Perhaps a list of what needs doing in each area could be made to keep track of things and know what is needed." He steps on a loose floorboard, earning a creeeaaaak for his efforts. "At least the spiders keep insects under control." He peeked into the kitchen for a few moments, then looked up at the ceiling. "Might as well check upstairs. Perhaps the attic as well. Most likely some shingles will be needed for the roof at some point." He starts heading for the stairs, wondering what surprises await.

Scale Model groaned as the Ponyville library came into sight. "Ugh... finally. I'm never going to get used to these back and forth trips between home and Canterlot..." he muttered. "My hooves are killin' me." Seeing the library apparently open even this early in the morning, the unicorn decided it might be okay to take a look inside before checking in to see if his ma and pa were doing okay. Besides... they might be asleep still. Peering in, he winced at the book avalanche aftermath scene. "Er... bad time?" he asks, nudging his glasses back into place. "Need a helping hoof?"

Stepping into the Canterlot University Library, Scale Model's eyes widened slightly. "...you could probably fit several of the Ponyville library in here..." he murmured quietly as he strolled toward the reception desk. Things sure looked busy there. Lots of fuss. "...probably due to that record thing she did..." he pondered under his breath. With a smile, he steps up toward the desk. "Hello! I was wondering if I could borrow a book. Or get some pages copied from a book if it's not allowed to be lent out." He pauses to think. "Advanced Pyroclastic Pneuma, I think it was. Shady Oak. If you've got more than one version, maybe the first and the most recent, so I can compare the two? It's for a research project, and I'm not sure how I'd do if I didn't get those books..." he murmured. It wasn't exactly a fib, he told himself. It was a research project. Just not his. ...and he didn't know how he'd do if he didn't come back with those books. He wasn't exactly sure how that mare outside would react. He settled into idly talking with the librarian pony that was helping him, wondering if he should offer help straightening out those messed up records.

[i Don't Want Any Trouble] Get in a fight with Swift Breeze [Everypony Was Kung-Fu Fighting] Get in a fight with Swift Breeze and five other ponies. [Wise Pony Say...] Get confused by something Swift Breeze says. [Elementary, My Dear] Solve a crime before Mystery Chaser [...And You Call Yourself a Hardboiled Detective.] Get Mystery Chaser drunk/salted. [it was a dark and stormy night] Hire Mystery Chaser for a case

Swift bowed his head as he was introduced. "Well, it would be most kind of you. At least until everything gets fixed." He glances over at the other pegasus, then back to Strawberry fields. "Perhaps twelve hooves would be better than eight? There is much work to be done, after all. While I would be of some help, higher places would be just as tricky, due to my temple's command for my training." He shifts his wings about beneath the blanket around his middle. Looking back to Cherry, Swift added, "...though I do not intend to volunteer somepony else if they are unwilling." He gives a calm smile, accompanied by a slightly inquisitive tilt of his head.

Scale nodded a bit. "Okay. Think I've got it. Meh. I'll probably have to learn these terms if I try getting into the magic-oriented classes." He thinks some more. "But then, I'd probably have to take that magic entry exam to take magic classes. Haven't heard much about that exam, really. Don't know if I want to get into that stuff or not yet. Just picking up on stuff like material stresses, newtons of force, torsion, elements of design and that sort of stuff is enough of a headache." He starts heading in. "Be back in a jiffy, hopefully." He repeats the title to himself as he goes.

Nodding he turned toward the library. "Yeah, it would take some pretty fancy magic to make a glass eye you could see with. Uh... and I suppose it's good you dealt with it." He nods some more. "So, the pyromaniac advanced neuroses thing is basically just a fancy way of sayin' 'magic that deals with your talent'. Dunno why ponies gotta make words more complicated than they need to be. Just call a horseshoe a horseshoe, right?" He shrugs. "I suppose I can see if they'll lend it to me, or if they've got somepony that knows a copying spell. Fancy library like this, I'd be surprised if they DIDN'T have somepony on staff that knew one." He pauses for a moment. "...I wonder if they'd charge for copies. ... If they can make them. Anyplace I should drop it off if you've gotta head off or something?" He pauses and tilts his head. "Unless you'd care to come along inside. Photograph New Moms Advanced, by Shady Oak, right?"

Scale winces a bit at the mention of torching records. "...Yeah, I can imagine burning stuff in a library full of paper wouldn't be looked kindly upon," he mumbles. "Huh. Advanced... pyto...something. By Shady Oak. First edition? ...how many editions are there? If it's rare, it might be one of those books they don't let anypony take out of the library even if they are a student." He rubs his chin. "I suppose I could copy down the bits about that spell if so. Then, you wouldn't even have to worry about not having enough time to study it." He pauses. "...don't think I'm followin' on the magic lingo, though. Fairly new in the University. Had to flog my flanks just to make it in, so to speak." He blinks at being compared to a kickable puppy. At the offer of helping out, he opens his mouth for a moment, then wonders... did that mean 'help out by kicking around' or 'help not look so fragile' or something. He closes his mouth, blinking a bit as the hair was nudged aside. "... That... must have hurt," he quietly states. "Not to be... um... nosy... but have you ever considered a glass eye? Might make things..." He trails off, then shakes his head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned it."

She's constantly casting epic level magic. All day erry day. She's moving the sun and moon, after all. If we look at Boast Busters, we can see that Twilight's mane billows much like Celestia's as she's fixing the problem Snips and Snails made and showing up Trixie at the same time.

Nodding a bit, he stood. "Yeah. Fairly recently, but I suppose I fit the bill." Looking over at the library, he tilts his head. "Well... I can kinda understand their viewpoint on it, but that is pretty crummy. If somepony wants to read and learn, what's the harm in letting them?" He looks back over. "Guess I can take a look. What was the book? Would they not even let you just sit there in the library and read it at a table in there or something?" He pauses, then coughs. "Err... where's my manners? Sorry. I'm Scale Model. Nice to meet you, miss." He pauses. "Wait. What do you mean I look it?" He looks himself over. "... I suppose I do, scrawny as I am."

Scale shifted about. Things seemed to rapidly be getting... awkward... to understate things. He moved over and sat beside Granola, offering a reassuring pat and a slight smile. He wasn't quite sure what he could do for the situation, but at least he might be able to cheer somepony up. "You holdin' up okay?" he quietly asks before turning to watch the Princess, the guard, and... some other pegasus. "Never a dull moment in Canterlot, it seems." If nothing else, he thought to himself, at least he got to meet one of the princesses. What a letter this would make! He wasn't sure if they'd believe, but it would make quite a tale, whichever way things went with the situation.

Tempting to app for getting into this. ... I'll sleep on it.

Blinking, Scale looked around for a few moments, spotting nary another pony around. He then turned to look at the grumpy-looking mare. "...Maybe. Depends on the favor." He offers a smile, trying to hide a tinge of nervousness at seeing the scars. "Not usually a good plan t' start off with name calling, though." He shifts to a more upright sitting posture, adjusting his glasses with a hoof. "...but we all have bad days, I guess. What's the favor, miss? 'Don't cost nothing to listen,' as my ma used to say." If nothing else, figured the cream unicorn, helping somepony else would take his mind off his own troubles. He hoped the task wasn't anything too tough, but no sense in actually SAYING that. He looked the mare over again, trying to ignore his mind popping up possibilities for causes.

Scale Model nodded. "I've seen it before. Just haven't... y'know. Had it. Pumpkin pie's good, yeah. Pumpkin bread, too. Had pumpkin soup, once. Pretty good, but kinda different. Still tasted pumpkin-like." He smiled and nodded his thanks as the peppers and cheesecake arrived. Floating a piece of a pepper up, he popped it in his mouth. He stifled a cough as he chewed, wincing slightly. "...a mite spicy, that one..." he murmured. He glances over at the offer. "Well, I suppose I could trade a pepper for a bite. Though... you seemed to be enjoying that quite a bit." He grins. "Are you sure you can bear to part with one you hold so dear?" he lightly teases.

Scale Model shuffled his way out of one of the University's buildings, head held low. "...my brain hurts..." he mumbles to himself as he strolled to an open area with a few trees around. Flopping down beneath one, he puts his forehooves over his eyes. "What was I thinking, enrolling here? ...At least I've got a few moments of peace. I think I'll just... lay here for a bit..." As he lay beneath the shade of the tree, his mind drifted back toward home in Ponyville. He hoped his parents were doing okay and not worrying about him. "...I'll just have to stick with it. Don't wanna disappoint everypony." He uncovered his eyes, then looked around the plaza area.

If anypony would like to play around with the 'stereotypical chinaman in the old west' trope, Swift Breeze wanders all over and can be put in a thread upon request. Think I should put up a 'wandering into Appleoosa' post somewhere?