Parodius

Carrying a plate of food piled high from the dining hall, Mystery wandered out into the gardens. She figured it would be less hustle and bustle out here than with all those ponies at the buffet. She looked around for where would be a good place to sit. With that plate in her mouth, loaded up as it is, she couldn't really pay much attention to what was happening above. "Hm. Looksh like a good plashe," she comments to herself around her plate. She leans down carefully so she doesn't drop anything or spill on herself or something. It looks a bit close to the race course, though... Even if the two pegasi were flying above.

Rubbing his hoof on his chin, he started looking at the menu again. "I take it that's a no on the chocolate cake not being too sweet. ... Back home, ma made an awesome chocolate cake. More... savory than sweet, I'd say. Sure, there's a bit, but not that sort that's nothing but sweet. ... Secret recipe she'd always say before chasing dad and I outta the house for the afternoon. And she had a few of those." He nods, then hmmms. "Maybe just an appetizer or something instead of an actual dessert." He starts looking over the appetizer section.

The night sky shone like a thousand diamonds spread on an ebony table. Canterlot itself shone with just as much splendor, with the fellow Gala attendees marching toward the castle. The general hubbub and chaos of so many ponies struck Mystery Chaser as somewhat musical in an odd way. She shifted from hoof to hoof, not that fond of formal things. However, it never hurt to rub hooves with the high class to make some new contacts. "...who knows? Maybe I'll get lucky and some mysterious and dashing thief will try and crash the party and I can nab him and haul him to the guards... or something..." For all her... noble... intentions on such, that certainly doesn't look like a noble expression, with the grin and the blush. Her daydreams were broken as her belly announced its displeasure. "Er. I suppose sampling the catering might be good. ... I hope they don't expect me to do the dainty nibble thing." She adjusted her usual 'formal' red dress. She'd spruced it up a bit with a belt, some cheap jewelry that was still pretty nice looking, and a nice set of shoes. She'd even gotten her brown mane and tail spruced up a bit. Step by step, she cantered into the castle, drinking in the spectacle. The Princess... the tapestries... the carpet... the decorations... everything seemed to demand its equal share of the grey earth pony's attention. Her mind drifted back to how she'd gotten the ticket. Some client was expecting an extra ticket. However, they didn't have the bits to pay for services rendered. They'd offered. After some internal debate, she reluctantly accepted it as payment. After all... tickets don't pay bills or fill bellies, but it was a good opportunity that probably wouldn't pop up again. And it was a decent journey to Canterlot. And it was just a promise for something not yet recieved. Yet sure enough, the Hoofington mail pony dropped off an official-looking envelope addressed to her. Within... one ticket, looking like just the raw materials could keep her comfy for a while. ...but still. It seemed that things were starting to look up for once in a good while. She cantered further into the castle. "I've got a good feeling about tonight."

Mystery Chaser At the Gala! I will solve it! I will catch a mysterious thieving pony! Out the window he would flee and across rooftops I would chase! The moon will shine and he'll be mine and I'll finally be a world renowned detective... at! the! Gala! Scale Model Are you certain? To the Gala? I'm just from Ponyville! I can do it... I can blend in... ain't a bumpkin Just don't freak out. Just don't flip out. At least I won't have to worry about the bill... for the Gala... (closing stuff) Mystery Chaser: Into the Gala, solve a theft Scale Model: Into the Gala, just be myself Mystery Chaser: to catch Scale Model: to show Into the gala!

...this thread is making me want to see a Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha-styled pony. You gonna get befriended.

"About dark chocolate? it's pretty good. Not for everypony, but still good. ... Oh. You meant about dessert. Ummmmmm... let's see." He set to looking at the menu, rubbing his chin. "It all looks tasty and sounds tasty... but... how's the level of sweet around here? This one here is sounding kinda good." He points a hoof at an entry. Chocolate layer cake, cherry middle filling, hot fudge, and walnuts. "If it's not too sweet, it would be pretty good, I think. Most cherry filling is a bit sweet, but if the chocolate cake's not to sweet, it'd balance it out. And the fudge and walnuts would kinda help the two keep from arguing. Any others look good to you?"

Nodding, he relaxes a bit. At least he wouldn't have to worry about suddenly bumping into royalty around every corner, Scale figured. "The pleasure's mine, Princess. Heh... suppose we're pullin' the same plow so to speak, when it comes to not knowing what Canterlot's like." He pauses. Should he offer to go with? ... Would that be awkward? Are things already awkward? Forget it. Treating everypony the same seemed awfully sensible to him at the moment. "Want company for exploring? If ya asked, I'm sure somepony might lend a hoof with that," he quips with a smile. He floats that book and map to tuck it in a saddlebag... only for the two items to fall to the ground again. An annoyed frown escapes him. "...oh yeah. Left the saddlebags at home. Whoops." He floats the book up and settles it on his back, picking the map up with his mouth.

Status is currently stuck. Having a writer's block regarding his Cutie Mark story. Still trying to think it up, but... progress isn't happening, no matter how much I try.

Nodding, Scale finished off his meal, looking at the glaring ponies and shrinking in his seat a bit. "So, I guess ponies are ponies, wherever one goes." He smirks. "At least I got a laugh out of it." He thinks for a few moments. "Dessert sounds great. ... But hopefully not too sweet. Not that big on eating pure sugar, personally." He sticks out his tongue. "A few ponies back home seemed to practically live off of sugar. No idea how."

Scale nodded along during the conversation until the expounding on the ranch. "Oh. I see. Um.. sorry. Just seemed like many of the fillies that I'd been around, that was usually their concern. Guess I guessed wrong. Sorry. Again." With a bit of thought, he added some of the ranch to a corner of his food, taking a bite. "... I guess I'm weird. Tastes okay to me. Not great, but okay." He raises a brow. "...well, at least you realize your habits aren't the best. If you ever wanted to change something, it'd make things e-" He pauses, blinking. "...bigger? Weird. ...I guess he liked more cushion for the pushin'?" He then pauses. "... Um. Sorry. That was a bit crass of me." He looks around. "...or was it? City life is different, I understand. No idea what's what, comparitavely." His hooves tap the table a few times as he wondered if he should just extricate himself from this generous pony's mane for the moment or not. He nibbled on his meal a bit more.

With a coughing fit, Scale backed away from his food at the 'easy on the eyes' comment. "Wouldn't know anything.. *cough cough* about that. Though I suppose there's nothing wrong with a filly enjoying the scenery, so to speak..." "Ahhh. I was probably on the road by the time he got into Ponyville. I might see him around when I go back to Ponyville sometime. Gotta check up on Ma and Pa and their shop every now and then." He smirks at the bite and comment. "Too rich tasting? Or worried about the pudge?" He makes a jiggling motion with his hooves. "Never did get that. Fussing over like... five pounds. I usually can't tell the difference at all. No clue how many girls asked if I noticed something different, only for them to get fed up with guesses and say it was lost weight." He scratches his head a tad. "...I guess Mares and Stallions are just cut from different woods. ... or cloths. Whichever makes more sense."

Scale model rose as he was bidden, checking his mane briefly. He blinked as his book and map were lifted, taking control once the shock wore off. "Err... ahh... thank, you, Princess. I... uh... do the princesses USUALLY wander around outside the castle? I'm somewhat new in town... so I'm not familiar with those things. ...Ma'am." His mind drifted a little as he thanked and explained. Wow. One of the princesses... he'd have a heck of a story to tell his parents when he got back home. ... though he wasn't sure if they'd believe it or not. He coughed into a hoof again. "Err... not that... I mind bowing or anything. We're supposed to bow and be nice and everything, right? That's what I read in books and see in plays and stuff." He scuffs at the ground. "Err... Hello. I'm Scale Model," he greets the other pony and Luna, not noticing the approaching pony just yet. "It's nice to meet you. I'm... ah... looking around the city, so I don't get lost in between classes at the university or anything." ... Did he need to add that explanation to them? His nervousness must be getting to him. He took a deep breath to calm down, then smiled.

Scale Model walked along the streets, a map and a textbook floating alongside him as he explored. If he was going to be spending quite a bit of time in Canterlot, he might as well get the sightseeing out of the way so he wouldn't be tripping over his own hooves and bumping into things. "... Do I want to look at the castle gates? Or should I go look at this fountain here? ...though, there's lots of neat little nooks and alleys..." he murmured as he strolled along. He looked up and around from his map. Noting a couple of ponies, he gave a cheerful smile and a wave of a hoof. He then blinked and lowered his hoof self-consciously. This was the big city, he reminded himself. And the capitol at that! He wasn't sure if ponies around here bothered polite greetings or not, but he'd gotten quite a few odd looks his first week here. His nose goes back to his map and his ponderings before a thought tickled his mind. ... Was there something up with one of those ponies? He looked over once again. "Hmm... wings and a horn. Don't see that very often." ... Wait a minute. Wings AND a horn?? "HOLEY MOLEY, IT'S-" Scale plugged his mouth with a hoof to stop his surprised shout of realization as his map and book fell to the ground. He looked around, then knelt. That was what one was supposed to do, right? Was he kneeling properly? Did he need to say something? How long was one supposed to kneel? Did his mane look okay?

Edited to include parentage memory question, schooling question, and journal vs. memory question. Most of the other questions, I omitted so that I might explore those during roleplay sessions. By omitting the where is he now question, I can insert him into more scenes in different parts of Equestria. By omitting the past and what he has seen, I can come up with anecdotes on the fly, as long as I don't include specific ponies. It would be more interesting for him to have learned about the world through events in roleplay than in understood history, in my opinion. Creatures that weren't other ponies... there are several factors that might change that. Have they visited the temple when he was there? Were they in a town he visited in the past? If they were in the town, did he interact with them while in said town? If it becomes an issue, I would most likely flip a coin for each race anyways. Inconsequential, as every creature is an individual. "The past is a meal that was eaten earlier today. It may have been either good or bad, but we cannot eat it again. Though, if we are careless in life, it can still affect us later."

Scale coughed into a hoof, starting to regain his composure. "...sorry... Mom always taught me to try an' be a gentlecolt." He nibbles on his food. "Hm. Small world, I guess," he comments at the brother mention. "Don't know if I'd know him. Didn't get out much sometimes. Nose in a book or helping mom and dad in their shop." He shrugs. "Suppose I knew my way around decently enough there, though. Could point out a few things if ya ever drop in on humble little Ponyville." He pauses, then sighs. "Not lookin' forward to the journey back. The walk up here was brutal. And tedious." He starts properly eating. "Hm. This stuff isn't too bad. Might have to remember this place and try more of their stuff."

Scale model nodded. "Maybe so. Then again, maybe not. Recent products are sometimes hard to come by where I'm from." He nods a bit. "Trottingham, eh? I'm just a bumpkin from Ponyville, myself. I haven't really been t--" He freezes, mid-sentence. His mouth opens and closes a few times, somewhat like a fish, as his mind tries to formulate a reply. His face starts getting redder... and redder... and redder... "I-I-I didn't mean... I never... um.. I wouldn't... uhh...I c-..." He eventually decides to cut his losses once he can't even manage to get single-syllable words out. He settles into nibbling at his salad, his face about as red as a tomato even through his light pelt. He practically tries hiding behind his salad bowl. A faint squeak escapes him in thanks for the salad, but he otherwise falls silent.

Probably because you've seen cheesy kung-fu movies. Or that TV show.

Scale hms, thinking. "Never heard of 'em. Though, I don't read much more than technical manuals, usually. Sometimes a bit of fiction if it seems interesting or gets recommended to me. But not usually." He takes another drink, thinking on what else he might idly chat about. "So... uh..." He taps his hoof on the table as he thinks. "... Have you lived in Canterlot for very long?" Safe enough topic, he supposes, looking in the direction Rose glances. He takes another drink, soon resulting in that distinctive slurrrrrrrrrrrrrrk of a straw in an almost empty glass. "...errh... whoops. Guess I was thirstier than I thought." He glances around with an apologetic smile.

Name: Swift Breeze Gender: Male Age: Stallion, but looks older Species: Pegasus Pelt Color: Celadon ---> ######## Mane/Tail Color & Style: creamy white. His mane is kept extremely short except for a long braid in the back. His tail is also braided. Both braids have a large, red bead at the end. Eye Color: Blue Cutie Mark: A circle made of a blue arrow and a creamy white arrow spiraling in toward the center Cutie Mark Story (short version): It was the summer when the temple's roof was being re-shingled. Swift Breeze had been given a brief reprieve from his daily training to help ferry clay tiles along with the few other pegasi from where the earth pony monks left them when they brought the shipments up from the valley below, so the also sparse unicorn monks could guide them into their proper place. As they worked through the day, Swift noticed a group of ponies approaching the temple that weren't fellow monks. As they arrived, the masters at the temple asked why they had come. Before Swift knew what happenned, the group was attacking and fighting was all over the temple. Swift Breeze helped to deal with the attackers, then rushed down the mountain to check on the monks that were at the bottom to gather tiles. Sitting the attacking group down and the monks, Swift helped to sort out the stories of the two groups. The monks said they paid for the tiles, the group said they had not. Eventually, it was found that the one that had taken the money had stolen it for personal use and lied to cover their tracks. Satisfied with the explaination, the would-be attackers left to find the thief and get their money. Swift watched as they made their way down the mountain, not even noticing as his cutie mark appeared on his flanks with a flash of light. Physique: lean, yet strong and muscular. He keeps his wings bound against his body as part of his training. Residence: Equestria. He wanders around, mostly living off the land and the occasional generosity of his fellow pony. His 'home' could be considered to be a temple high atop a mountain in Roughrider Ridge. Occupation: Wandering Monk. Motivation: In the process of training, he found that things in life are mixed and muddled, but the more one struggles, the better things can get sorted out. ... Plus, he really liked the flowing, smooth, fast punches and kicks and stuff that he was taught. Likes: Simple things. Harmony. Dislikes: Trouble. Suffering. That stupid binding on his wings. Character Summary: Left at the doorstep of the Mylit Elpo Nis temple when he was just a young, newborn foal, the monks took him in and trained him in their ways, including their martial arts. As he grew older, he soaked in the wisdom in their koans and proverbs, confusing as they were to him at first, as well as training hard every day. They also taught him in more mundane things, such as reading, writing, arithmetic, and so on. Seeing his boundless energy, the monks sent him out to view the troubles of the world and to investigate the cause of the sun's late rising one day. They also charged him to help those in need, and to share their wisdom. They bound his wings to help teach him humility, and to appreciate the hardships of his fellow pony, though advised him if a situation were dire enough, the bindings could be removed. Well, and for baths and stuff, because as the elder stated, "Nobody wants a smelly pony. Seriously. You would develop some serious funk, and nobody wants a nose full of that." With this final wisdom and a journal to record his journeys, Swift Breeze climbed down the mountain and into the rest of Equestria. ((OOC Note: After a bit of discussion with a fellow player and comparing apps, Zephyr Burst and Swift Breeze are long-lost, fellow abandonee brothers. Hasn't come up yet, though. They haven't even met.))

Scale hesitantly nods in agreement at the thanks, taking a sip as he listens. He thinks about mentioning a few of the monsters lurking in that particular forest, but... he doesn't want to interrupt. "Yeah, I think everypony starts going on about things when it has to do with what they do. We like it, so it's like cranking up a faucet full blast and words come tumbling out." He smirks. "...though, heartbeats and eyes aren't my forte, I'm afraid." He thinks. a bit more. "I suppose tunnels would be creepy." He tilts his head, sipping his drink a bit more. "Probably creepier if it's not known just what carved them out." He sips his drink again. "...but I don't quite know how to put the thought into words rightly. Guess that's why you're the writer, eh?"

"Ahhhh... a thriller, huh?" He nods a bit. "Back home, if we wanted a good scare, we could just get a bit too close to the forest." He shudders, recalling going in there on a dare when he was younger. "...that... that forest just ain't natural." He shakes his head. "Guess I can skim through it sometime in the store until they yell that it's not a library or something." He grins. "I'm sure it'll do well enough. Gotta keep your hopes up." He blinks as a glass is set in front of him, straw sticking out of it. "Oh.. uh... erh... thank you."

Scale hms, rubbing his chin. "That's a good question." He thinks for a while. "...maybe imported from griffin lands? ... Or there's that dragon-egg-hatching test. Maybe they were designed for dragons to use for somepony." He shrugs. "I don't know. ...but not everypony's lucky enough to have a dragon." He pauses, looking a tad nervous. "... I really hope they don't require me to take one of those magic-based entrance exams even for mostly non-magic courses... I've heard they can get kinda tough." He shakes his head, trying to forget the worries. "Err... yeah. So! What's this book you got published about?" he asks.

Scale Model nodded at the description. "It does sound kinda good." He blinks as the waiter asks for his order. "Uhhh... I guess... same thing. ...and a little salad on the side. ... And some tea." Scale looked over a menu, swallowing a lump in his throat at seeing a whole section of teas. "... er... on second thought, make that lemonade. Nice, simple lemonade." As the waiter heads off, Scale continues looking at all the teas on the menu. What was all that stuff? Earl Grey, Cha... chamo... He wasn't sure how to even pronounce some of those things! Tea was tea, he thought. He looks up, snapping out of his confusion. "Huh? Oh! Right. Yeah, gotta pay the bills somehow. And thanks. I'll return the favor first chance I get." He closes the menu and floats it back over to join its brethren. "Well... I guess you could say that," he replies to Rose's questions. "Though, more on the production and design side of things than the documentation side of things. I want to make things easier for everypony to use. Sure, most unicorns can use telekinesis in a pinch... but some things are horribly designed for earth ponies and pegasi to use. Like..." Scale paused for a moment, tilting his head in thought. "...like scissors. Lots of scissors seem pretty awkwardly designed for use by anypony other than a unicorn. Sure, they're functional, but it's awkward." He shakes his head with a frown. "Somepony's got to try and make things easier to use. That's why I'm going to the university here in Canterlot."

Scale nodded. "Well, I suppose that's needed. ...but yeah. Instructions to put things together don't offer much variation. Some I've seen are nothing but pictures. I can understand wanting to get away from that." He blinks at the talk of food. "...uhhhh... potato salad's good. I've never heard of In... Ins... that second thing you said. Maybe some tea or lemonade or somethin' to drink." He rubs his chin. "Spot me a few bits? I'll pay ya back tomorrow if ya like." He looks around. "I'd imagine instructions on how to use things would be a smidgen more interesting, but still be a chore to write." He blinks, then shakes his head. "Ehh... sorry 'bout that. Kinda close to what I'm tryin' to go to school for. ...but only in a non-related kinda related way. I'll shut my trap about boring, dull, technical manuals, lest I prod you into yanking out your mane or something." He grins good-naturedly.

Scale nodded his thanks, taking the offered seat. "Great to hear! Congratulations!" He smiles. "Just make sure to put away some of that money in case of hard times, right?" He thinks for a while. "Technical writer, eh? I guess it's a necessary job, but not that glamorous. What sorts of tools and stuff?" He rests his hooves on the table. He pauses. "Oh. Right. Manners again. Sorry." He extends a hoof with a grin. "Name's Scale Model. Nice to meet ya, miss future famous writerpony."