SteelEagle

"I wonder what my father might think if he could see me now," Snow started, her voice becoming solemn for a moment. "Well, if it was right in this moment, I know he would scold me. There's nothing about this particular scene he would approve of. Me, away from Stalliongrad, away from my work, with a mare and one like you, 'wasting time'..." Snowy sighed and shook her head, "But just last week I cut what could be the biggest deal since I took the reigns. Maybe he'd be proud of that part? I don't really even know for sure anymore."

Why was Snowy's voice sort of down and out, solemn, as she talked about her dad? No answer could be a good one, and as Pathfinder retraced her part in the conversation, all she could come up with were poor answers. And even at its most positive, the results weren't buoyed by her description of her father. Pathfinder completely understood and respected anypony who worked hard to support his or her family, but at what cost had her father built his empire of wealth? He seemed like a pony given to extreme opposition to anything exciting. Such a drag! And he wouldn't approve of what was happening now? His daughter was having fun with a nice pony, or at least Pathfinder thought she was a nice pony. In what mindset was this bad? Such a poor mare was this Snowy- for all of her wealth, she had been denied so much more. Pathfinder's ears drooped to a low point, streamlined against her head.

"But a superhero, huh? If only it was so glamorous. I do wish I could be myself more often, but running a business isn't about having fun. Sure, there are moments where even in my public persona I can insert a little lightness, but generally it calls for me to be as firm and strong as I can be," the mare continued

Pathfinder almost felt a desire to correct her, as superheroes could be as firm and strong as anything else. But in light of the realization that their childhoods were so different, Pathfinder decided to just be happy she at least knew of Daring Do.

"As for technology, it is a little more prevalent in Stalliongrad than in other parts of Equestria, but technology is poised to garner more of a hold in other areas, which means profits for NSI. Technology offers practical solutions and ones that aren't so exclusive as magic can be. But indeed, at NSI, we endeavor to only put for the finest products"

Part of Pathfinder felt an incessant desire to throw bits at Snowy, for reasons she couldn't grasp. The other part of her not given to concerns over her father agreed emphatically with her company's statement. The only thing stopping Equestria from becoming more and more advanced was resistance from unicorns who feared their place in the world would be replaced by technology. Pathfinder subscribed to this belief, even if others called it conspiratorial nonsense.

"Twelve bits though? I suppose your last few adventures didn't offer up much in the way of treasures then?"

Pathfinder's ears perked up a bit, though more due to a nervous twitch than any relief. It was accompanied by a nervous chuckle.

"Haha, well adventuring can be really stressful on a pony financially, ya know. Most of the time, you end up spending all your time, energy, and resources only to find out that the tiny silver jewel you found buried at the end of the cave is worth a total of five bits. Between most quests costing you and having to visit the hospital a lot- I've been hit by arrows, boulders, poison darts, been bitten by all sorts of creatures and put under a whole host of spells- you end up in alot of debt. I've hit the jackpot a few times, relatively speaking, but what I make gets spent quickly. I make payments on hospital bills, send the majority of what's left to the orphanage, and then restock my supplies. After that, I can honestly say I've never had more than twenty bits on me. I usually end up broke for weeks, a few times a few months, at a time." Pathfinder began slowly before gaining steam. By the end, there was a glint in her eye and she leaned forward.

"BUT, I don't think that's a bad thing. No, if anything, I'd rather have no money on hoof in my adventures than too much. It forces me to be awesome at everything I do. If I don't take care of myself and stay sharp in a ruin, I'm in serious trouble. If I'm out of food and I'm not searching well enough, I'm in trouble. If I'm lazy and don't pull my weight doing some odd job to get by, I'm in trouble. Rationing what I've got, planning my routes and explorations, stocking and packing my provisions- I have to be razor sharp. If I'm not, I'm in trouble. And that's the essence of an adventure, because danger creates excitement and if you aren't excited, you aren't alive and the only way to know you're alive is if you're excited!

Besides, I'll only be a young mare once. Better to get all my poor adventurer days over with now. I'll be a rich adventurer when I'm older and I'll own my own business that makes survival gear. I'll bankrupt the thing outfitting an expedition of explorers and adventurers to go beyond the badlands, to the land of Equunus. Some say its just a myth, a conspiracy theory. And if it is, the adventure will be worth the expense anyway and I'll just have to be an older poor adventurer, which is fine by me. But I'll be the one to know for real- and if it is real, I'll bring back the treasures of the old Pony Tribes and everything I've ever done will be worth it. I'll have changed how we view history and I'll have done so in the fashion of Daring-Do- by adventuring!!!!" Pathfinder screeched with glee, her excitement completely overtaking her as her mind ran with it. She was hovering above the table, striking a pose with the hoof pointed off to the distance and eyes closed. After a few seconds, she opened them up and blushed, a little embarrassed by her suddenness. She took her seat just as the daisy sandwiches arrived.

She coughed in order to regain herself.

"So, how much was that deal for? And...if you don't mind me asking, why are you sounding so sad about your dad?" Pathfinder whispered.

"Well, that's certainly a lot of questions. Let me see if I can answer them all..."

Pathfinder blushed. Had she perhaps been a little excitable? She imagined that was likely the case. Then again, Pathfinder deciding the difference between being normal Pathfinder and over-excitable Pathfinder was a mite unfair since to her the difference became apparent only when others pointed it out.

"CEO stands for chief executive officer; it's pretty much just a formal way of saying I'm the boss of the company. NSI produces machine parts and technology. We don't actually make airships themselves, but we do make parts used in them, and yeah, I could probably get you a discount on an airship from one of our contractors if you'd like."

Chief Executive Officer? Sounded like a rank in the Royal Equestrian Army. Pathfinder briefly wondered whether Northern Storm Industries had started off as some sort of military outfit- it would certainly be a much cooler origin story than, say, some business loan. And it was pretty cool that Snowy was, of all ponies, the absolute boss at Northern Storm. No one above, everypony below- a common feeling for a pegasus in flight but not normally anywhere else.

When she mentioned getting that discount, Pathfinder gave a big laugh. She had been mostly kidding- mostly- since she had so few bits and even getting into an airship airshow cost more or less her entire account of twelve bits. But it was still cool and somewhat flattering that she had taken the offer so sincerely. What was even cooler was that her company didn't make plates or something like that, but machine parts and technology. You didn't see a lot of either anywhere in Equestria, so whatever she helped with- Airships included- had to be awesome.

Then she stopped for a moment as if in thought, a blush appearing. She was even cuter in color.

"As for the last point, I guess you could say there's a bit of a gap between who I am publicly and who I am privately. I'm more than capable of being the strong, confident leader NSI needs; I can be considerably more strict and business like when my job calls for it-- but right now, with somepony like you, I just don't think I need to be that kind of pony. I'm free to be more myself. That said, you're right. I didn't found the company, my father did. I merely inherited my current role."

So she was like a superhero and it was a secret identity? Okay, so it wasn't a perfect fit, but Pathfinder decided to use it as the basis for future plotting. It was a little sad that her business life and personal life had to be seperate. For Pathfinder, the two were one and the same- business was pleasure was personal was business! But she guessed that it couldn't be the same for everypony else. The fact she could be strong was something Pathfinder doubted not and very much approved of for reasons ranging from practical to personal and in ways she couldn't quite place her finger on.

Then Snowy revealed her father had started the company and it was inheritance: It made so much sense now!

"Well, I bet your dad's really proud of you! You're probably the best CEO of all time, and a really nice mare to boot. No father could ask for any more. It's a little sad that you have to hide who you are because of your position, though. I guess you can kind of pretend to be a superhero, what with secret identities and all, BUUUT wouldn't it be more fun to be this way all the time? It'd certainly make business more entertaining if you did!" Pathfinder said with glee, imagining Snowy leaping out of a boardroom and flying around Stalliongrad in a daredevil fashion, her peons trying to catch up behind her while shouting monatery information. It was an excellent, excellent image.

"I think it's really cool that your company does what it does. How many machines and high technology things do you see? Not much! I bet that everything your company works on has to be absolutely spectacular, right? As for the airship offer..." Pathfinder said, giving a hearty, if nervous, chuckle, "I was just kidding around...unless you want to give me one for free, that is. I only have...twelve bits to my name, right now. I couldn't even afford to get into Trottingham's airshow last month." She said, the waiter nearby seeing what they had ordered on the sheet and swiftly bringing the orders to the cook. Daisy sandwiches were the simplest items on the menu; only a few minutes until Pathfinder would eat the deliciousness.

I'm in the opposite camp in regards to when I want a show I like to end. I understand the thought process behind, "End it while it's still kicking butt". I get it. I, however, prefer to see something I like go on and on until they hit a wall and produce a bad season. Why? Because while I may not enjoy the end, I'll get whatever awesomeness is between when I thought it might end(S3) and whenever it does end. I know that the show ended only because it exhausted itself and that the creative minds behind it did their damndest and just couldn't work with it anymore. No 'what-ifs' or mysteries about who, what, where, why, when regarding its cancellation. No discussion if it had anything left in the tank. Keep going until it isn't good anymore.

Valen was somewhat taken aback by the offer of no payment. While it was certainly a kind thing to do, he had no intent of getting free services such as this. Professionals needed to be paid for their work, or that was how he had been raised. Whether it was service, medical, or retail of some sort, all ponies needed to be paid for their work or else somewhere down the line somepony was getting the short end of the stock. Ethics told him it was wrong, even if the morality of it from the professional's point of view was perfectly reasonable. Secondly, he was using a business' resources. His Manehattanite mannerisms and Upper Crust way of thinking would not abide by that for free. For him, it was a relatively simple and straight forward manner of thought. Without bits, one goes out of business and without that business, who is there to do the job? No, Sunrise's offer was very, very kind, but she would find herself financially emboldened by her work on the foal. Whether it happened now or later was the only debate.

He was about to give voice to these thoughts as the superbly kind dentist placed on him a muzzle linked to the canister of gas, the same his dentist back in the big city had used.

"I am going to turn it on and you are going to Start to feel giddy as it takes effect, reducing the pain you will feel as I perform the surgery." Sunrise said gently, telling the foal nothing he didn't already know but her re-assurance effective nonetheless.

It took effect quickly, and within a few brief moments the featherweight foal was drifting off. Only as he started to disconnect slightly from himself did he take stock of just how bruised he was. Every muscle ached. Every part of him felt tenderized and raw, beaten, dragged, defeated and disgusting. But this gas played its game on him and soon afterwards, just as she began to start her work, gas-induced serenity was the state he was in. Such joy, joy, joy, joy to disconnect, if only for a brief while and even if the mind realized what falsehoods it currently believed. But sometimes, the lie was better than the truth and this was a pleasant fiction he would gladly live as the dentist did her work.

"Two daisy sandwiches it is then!"

Great! So she loved them as much as Pathfinder? It was kind of odd, but nice- ponies tended to love those delicious flower-based sandwiches less and less as they grew old. She had never understood it, however- deliciousness was deliciousness!

"Right, I am born and raised in Stalliongrad. As for my accent, well, you see, my mother is from Cloudsdale and most of my tutors were from either Manehattan or Canterlot. My father was the only one I grew up with who really had the Stalliongrad accent, and as a filly I really didn't want to talk like him,"

Her mom was from Cloudsdale? That was cool! She guessed that she shouldn't be that surprised by it, though. It seemed as though most pegasi did come from there, Pathfinder as well. But Pathfinder had sort of assumed that her entire line and life originated in Stalliongrad, due to her roots. Nice surprises rolled in. Tutors from Canterlot and Manehattan? Pathfinder had already known she was well off, but that sealed the deal. Not only did she have tutors, but tutors from Manehattan and Canterlot? That took some serious bits right there. Her dad was Stalliongrad born and bred and as she continued, Pathfinder pegged him as the start of all this.

A pause on Snowy's part.

"Well, actually... you see," Snowy said slowly and near breathlessly, a whisper if anything as if saddened or ashamed "I'm actually the head of my company. Acting CEO of Northern Storm Industries."

That sounded pretty cool. Pathfinder couldn't claim to be an expert on businesses at any level and as such the name didn't really strike a chord with her at first. The more she ruminated on it however, it rang a bell- sorta. Kinda. Maybe. Still, it was really cool that she ran her own company! That would mean she just wasn't anypony, she was an important somepony. Her personality didn't strike Pathfinder as the type to have started the business, and her upbringing gave some clues. It didn't take a genius to put the pieces together.

"That's really cool! What's a CEO?"

But then again, Pathfinder wasn't a genius.

"What does your company make? It sorta sounds familiar. Do you make magitech airships? If you do, can I buy one at a discounted rate or rent one? I've always wanted one! It's really, really cool that you have your own company, Snowy. Was it your dad's? You don't seem the type to have started a business- oh gosh, no offense intended! I just mean that most company starter-uppers tend to be all strict and formal and you just aren't all stuffy like that, you're really cute and nice and fun to be around," Pathfinder said in a stream of consciousness, eyes glittering and showing the range of emotions as she expressed them swiftly.

"I quite agree. I might actually try and thank her personally next time I'm in Fillydelphia," Snowfall nodded while Pathfinder said "I haven't had this much fun in a long time."

Well, that was a little sad to hear. Wasn't there much to do up in the big city of Stalliongrad that a well-off mare like her could take advantage of? I mean, maybe she didn't have all this fun flying room in the cold north, but as it was, wouldn't she find something? Or was there something more?

"I wonder what we should get to eat..." Snowy asked as they leafed through the menus. It wasn't anything special; nothing high class nor anything to write home about. But the daisy sandwiches looked great and that was all she needed to see!

"Daisy sandwiches are just the best!" Pathfinder squeed loudly, closing her menu. Daisy sandwiches were a favorite of fillies and stallions everywhere and for good reason; daisies had a wonderful after taste after all. Of course, they were devoid of much nutritional value and were decidedly a somewhat silly food item. But they tasted good.

"So...Snowy, you're from Stalliongrad, right? You don't have MUCH of an accent, but I can detect a tiny bit of Stalliongrad in your voice. And you're a businessmare? What's your bit, Snowy?" Pathfinder asked, hoping to learn a bit more about the businessmare in front of her.

Pathfinder was independent and had been so for most of her life- even back as a filly, she had flown to the beat of her own wings, nopony else's. Still, the offer of payment by the well-off businessmare wasn't something she would say no- she had only twelve bits in her bit-purse. She was proud, but pride was only as useful as it was valuable and here it wasn't worth anything. Especially not around Snowy, who was nice enough to deserve the honest truth and not some prideful snark.

"That'd be fine, Snowy! Really nice of you, too. Why, I need to start on my thank-you letter to Matchie, between setting me up with such a fine mare to picking our this awesome location, she certainly did her job," Pathfinder said excitedly, laughing garishly as she flapped her wings as a sign of joy.

They walked towards the eatery, Snowy being the larger and more imposing of the two. She may not have had that adventurer's edge, but she had a more built form. Pathfinder studied it for reasons both scientific and personal, of course. Pathfinder was far less physically imposing, though her eyes were a bit sharper. That was owing to her lifestyle- not only was she by birth a tad shorter and smaller than average, but her uneven diet had left her wiry.

Pathfinder looked on in breathless excitement as Snowy raced ahead, finally seemingly giving in to the abandon that was free flight. She didn't fly in as acutely experienced a manner as Pathfinder did, but she didn't need to be. Speed, agility, and awareness were all she needed. Then they hot the final formation. Snowy shot through a tight crevasse at high speeds, followed by a break-neck turn upwards, not perfectly straight but she did the job well enough to fire herself over the rock formation on the other side of the crevasse, high as it was.

Pathfinder followed right behind. Snowy was noticeably larger and had a harder time with the crevasse than Pathfinder, which had made Snowy's excellent shot through it all the more impressive. Pathfinder moved through it smoothly and followed Snowy upwards. Here, Pathfinder could feel the sheer power she had. Snowy might not have known it, but she was an impressive physical specimen, her wings holding a great reserve of power. She then flew down towards the platform and Pathfinder was in swift pursuit, landing a few moments after her.

"Great job, Snowy! And here I thought you businessmares were supposed to faint at the first sign of trouble...it must be the hat!" Pathfinder said before she gave Snowy a big hug, squeezing the larger and better fed mare for a few seconds before quickly pilfering the hat back and putting it back on. A large sigh of relief followed, her features serene. It was like a mama bear had found her cub. She then shook her head and looked around the platform. Even fewer ponies were here than had been on the last platform, but at least it was the end of the pure flying segment...and they had a small outside eatery.

"Good a time as any to eat, right? Boy-howdy, I've sure worked up an appetite! Those mutants didn't give me any time last night or this morning to eat, which was a shame because I had just made a fresh daisy sandwich! Those things go bad so fast, ya know?" Pathfinder rambled on as she trotted towards the eatery, taking out her small bit purse, ready to pay for both of them.

"Hehe. Right! Here I go!" Snowy said right before she did her best Pathfinder imitation and shot around and ahead of the adventurer, her confidence growing swiftly as she powered down the course. It was natural to a pegasi- that was why Pathfinder had always counted her wings among her greatest advantages- to move with such confidence in the air. Just as an Earth pony felt a sacred connection to the ground beneath their hooves and the unicorns used their horns with abandon, once a Pegasus learned to fly, it became as natural an action as a trot down the street. And Snowy was fit- she moved mighty well between obstacles, though rust and natural instincts did her no favors. It was pure physicality, and that was fun enough for Pathfinder to watch.

"Gah!" Snowy exclaimed as she almost crashed into a formation. Pathfinder was briefly thrown for a loop by this and her concentration broke, and she very nearly hit the same formation. Pathfinder recovered fast and moved right behind Snowy as they neared the end of the second part of the course. Only two more formations left, then they'd have a platform to land on.

"You're doing great, Snowy! Tell them Stalliongrad ponies of yours that ya didn't disappoint!" Pathfinder shouted with a hearty chuckle, revealing that she knew Snowy was from Stalliongrad, as if the slight accent wasn't enough.

"Alright! Let's see what I can do!" Snowy stated, excitement evident. Her nod and smile were infectious as she kicked off and soon took the lead, Pathfinder eager to follow. It was nice having somepony else in front for a change. Well, it was nice having anypony at all, since she was often alone. Could Snowy handle that pressure? Probably, seeing as she was some high-functioning businesspony. But could she handle something even worse- being left alone? Pathfinder had no intention of allowing her the room to test it out.

Snowy moved well enough through the course, only routinely challenged by ariticial obstacles. They weren't anything too intense of a challenge, but were at least a step up from what they had seen before. Perhaps too much, as Snowy seemed to have made a mild error and was knocked silly for a brief second by an impact against a wall. pathfinder thought for the briefest of moments that she was going to lose herself, but her poise showed through and soon she was over the wall. Pathfinder took the route above, and she saw Snowy look back for her. Pathfinder moved out in front and hovered just a few feet from her face.

"You're doing great, Snowy! Why, here I thought all you businessponies were supposed to be weak fly-" Pathfinder began before a moving rock nearly clipped her winds, forcing her back from Snowy. She gave a giggle.

"This is fun! C'mon, I'm not supposed to be ahead of you!"

Valen nodded at the dentist, happy to have this pain draw to a close. It was one thing to have a pain you couldn't do anything about but when you could, it sometimes made the pain worse as you knew that every moment in pain was just one more that was unrequired. Within a few moments, he followed Sunrise into the operating theater. She seemed to enjoy her job, something that definitely made Valen relieved. The only thing worse than a bad dentist was a dentist who hated his or her job and Valen was more than a little pleased to see that neither was the case here.

As he hopped onto the chair, though, that familiar foalish fear kicked in. He wouldn't say he was afraid of the dentist, but any foal who sharp objects poking around one's mouth was the least bit concerning was a liar.

"Howth muth will thith costh, ma'am?" The foal asked as he leaned back.

Pathfinder took only a few shallow breaths as Snowy landed next to her. The course wasn't all that difficult so far, but she had just had to basically fight for her life against mutated creatures. That wasn't exactly a relaxing experience, but she figured that it was likely to be more memorable than the course would be. She would likely relate the adventure and snowy closer than she would Snowy and some weak course, but it had little to do with the quality of the course. It was all about the mutants, foal.

Snowy was with her, and now Pathfinder could appreciate that she knew what she was doing. Well, that was a stretch, but she wasn't afraid and had some level of confidence. That was enough for Pathfinder. She nodded ahead towards the next series of obstacles.

"Hey, Snowy, I think it's your turn to lead the way." Pathfinder said with a smile, taking off her hat and plopping it on Snowy. She strapped it on the businessmare a little bit tighter than she would on her own head. Whoever was in the lead had to have the hat was the unspoken law of adventuring, and woe be to thee who broke it! or something like that.

Applejack had once told her that eating frozen Zap Apples was one of the worst things you could do. Not only was it plain dumb to freeze one, but Zap Apples knew when they were being misused out of season. If you had any left over, you had to wait until the new season for them to work. If you tried to eat them out of season, you would get sick. Really sick. But...Zap Apples tasted too good to say no!

Now, she knew to say no. Ever since breakfast, she had felt as though a war had been going on in her stomach. She hadn't let on at home because she didn't want to be left out of the cool meeting with the Wonderbolts, but as she walked to school she felt as though she was going to break inside. The only viable course of action was, the moment she got to the school, duck inside of the bathroom.

There, she had done the only thing her body allowed her to do for what seemed like forever. She had missed the Wonderbolts showing up and all the foolishness of her fellow classmates that surrounded their arrival. Luckily, she felt as though the worst was over by the time everypony started working their way outside. She left the bathroom, a sickly green still, and saw her fellow classmates filtering outside.

"Wha' happened? Thay already left, huh?" She asked, eyes wobbling in her head as she followed her classmates out of habit, asking nonpony in particular.

Apple Bloom could never be accused of being lazy, but being forgetful was a more accurate term. Having forgotten to repair a plow that had been used by Big Mac, it had nearly caused...trouble for both of her older sibling.

And so, she was punished with a full morning of weed hunting in the south orchard. The sheer thought of it was daunting- it was the largest orchard and since weeds presented less of a problem to trees than it would present in other areas of farming, it was rarely a priority. The result was a mess of weeds that overran large portions of the orchard. One by one, Apple Bloom had attacked them, digging around them to get room and then using her mouth to bite them at the root and pull them out. It was hard work. It was disgusting work. It was tedious. It was, in short, farm labor and Apple Bloom had gotten so accustomed to it that the harshness of it droned on in the background. What was at the forefront was her over-active mind.

Yeah, she felt awful about nearly hurting her big brother and sister. That was a given, ya know? And she definitely didn't like it when she saw she had more or less destroyed the barn door, and when She deserved this punishment. She wasn't gonna deny that. But none of this mattered because the real story was that she had failed to get her cutie mark again. It always got her down when she failed again, and everypony getting angry with her didn't help matters. Sometimes she wondered if her big sister and brother remembered what it was like to be a filly that couldn't ever do anything right to get her cutie mark. She then gave a giggle- well of course Big Mac wouldn't know, he was a never filly.

After that giggle, her mind righted itself and sailed smoothly. She had failed this time, but she'd get it eventually. One of these times she was bound to get her cutie mark and by Celestia, it would be awesome! Everypony would be so proud of her. This thought was in her head as she finished up the first section of the orchard. How many weeds had she uprooted? Ten dozen? It sure felt like it and the way her jaw hung rigidly told her that she was within a few more of having it lock into place. While it would be a funny face, she figured it'd be hard to eat with her jaw that way. Best to take a rest- even Applejack would have to agree.

She trotted to the farmhouse, completely aware that there was a chance Applejack would send her right back out. When she got there though, the farmhouse was silent. Food was layin' about, almost as if-

"Oh no! I'was today! Gosh darnit, I'm late!" Apple Bloom screeched sadly. Today was the day they were due to visit their neighbors, the Carrots, and here she was being not very neighbor like. She ran into the kitchen and got into the family's stockpile of apple pies- because everypony could agree having a stockpile was important. She fished one out and ran upstairs to get her saddlebag, stuffed the pie, and with an excited squeal, started off towards the farm.

Apple Bloom always loved meeting new ponies, and having farmers nearby would make her life so much more fun. Maybe they had a filly 'bout her age there that she could play with? New friends were always fun to make, and if she found one here, she could discuss all sorts of stuff that only farm ponies would know. It would be nice to be like Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon in just one way, that being the ability to have some topics that only one good friend could relish. After just a few minutes of hard trotting, Apple Bloom saw the neighbors' farm and approached in the best way she thought possible: Loudly.

"HOWDY, Y'ALL! AH BROUGHT SOME APPLE PIE!"

Valen launched himself towards the merry go round with greater vigor than he had any right to exude at that moment. he was, after all, a pony of class and education, not some ruffian given to extreme displays of emotion. Proper responses were in order and as the foals around him descended into, well, foalish behavior, the well-heeled Valen Orange thought it wise to try and bring them under control. However, the well-heeled Valen Orange was momentarily overcome by the sheer excitement of Merry Go-Round! He jumped on what looked like to be a kelpie and waited impatiently for the thing to start.

"Let's go! Go go go, GO!" Valen said with a smile from ear to ear.

"How kind of you, Princess Pinchy!" The small foal behind him spouted playfully, imitating the voice of her toy. How young was she? Valen at least had some validation as a foal on the verge of being a colt, but the small one behind him- Pinchy- was...well, a foal, really. It was unnerving.

Unnerving.

But Merry Go-Round!

Pathfinder had slowed down in an effort to allow her date to catch up, and it was successful. Snowy caught up, and the look of excitement and nervousness was one Pathfinder had expected. The fact she had been as fast as she was had already bucked off all those stereotypes about businessmares. Yeah, it was clear she was rusty and just as clear that she was not the most gifted of all pegasi, but this wasn't a life and death scenario and her keen attention to detail had allowed her to navigate the course without near the problems someone less detail oriented may have. It was good to see she wasn't some weak-winged flier, scared of heights and tight spaces.

"Yeah, it's a lot of fun!" Pathfinder said as she resumed flying, this time at a slower pace so she remained close to snowy. It was nice to have a fly session that didn't start and end with her heart in her throat. It was nice and leisurely, something she could rarely say as an adventurer. Most of the time she was flying away from something or towards something important. Nice to just be able to fly for once and share it with somepony else. She hated being alone, which she more often than not was. That was the life of an adventurer, though- exciting, alone, and dangerous. More often than not she was more than fine with the companionship of her Daring Do plushies but once in a while she wanted something more, and this was a fine example of that.

She flew, the formations getting crazier and tighter as they went along. After the tenth formation, which had ended with just space wide enough for a single Pegasus, Pathfinder found herself in open sky once more, a single platform waiting for them. She landed and looked back, eagerly awaiting Snowy's arrival. After all, this was just teh first part of the five part course!

"Just like anything else, the secret is lots and lots of practice," Snowy's infectious giggle continued, "I've been rigorously trained to endure the most dreadfully dull and stupefyingly tedious since I was but a young filly. You could almost say that's my truest talent!"

Snowy smiled and joked, and this helped Pathfinder grow even more fond of the beautiful mare. Humor and the ability to both take and dish out gentle, friendly jokes was perhaps one of the key factors Pathfinder looked for in a friend. It told of someone who took themselves seriously enough to value their faults and foibles as strongly as their great strengths. That and adventuring, of course, but she thought with a sly grin that perhaps for others the topsy-turvy world of business was as adventurous as any ruin was for Pathfinder.

It made Pathfinder more than a bit relieved to see that this businessmare really went against the grain of the stereotype of the businesspony. Stuffy. Uptight. Snooty. And the ones from Stalliongrad- everypony has an accent, especially those who grow up in one place- were no exception. If anything, they were thought to be worse since Stalliongrad was so isolated and therefore more 'self-sufficient'. But not Snowy. She was beautiful, warm(which was an excellent contrast to the stereotype of Stalliongrad as being so cold), funny, and all other good things. Pathfinder didn't have a long list of desires.

"Well, I believe Miss Matchie wanted us to fly through this obstacle course," Snowy nodded. "So, we should probably give it a try, that is whenever you're ready, Pathfinder."

Pathfinder returned the nod and smiled.

"Got it!" She giggled before she shot out through the course, hitting the portion with the rock formation first. It was entirely too simple for a Pegasus such as Pathfinder- it wouldn't behoove a tourist attraction to be dangerous and kill those who partook in it- who was used to the more earnest ans spastic designs in nature. She took to the formations with speed and with cutting agility- she wasn't the fastest nor the most agile, but few had the experience of 'danger flying' she had. She flew at times close to the rocks just as a matter of taunting them before making cuts that were too wide just to feel the thrill of nearly rubbing against the other side during a turn. She smiled the whole time- it was too easy and simple and as she passed the sixth rock formation, she slowed down.

Gotta let the businessmare catch up.

Snow had a nice lilting laugh, and Pathfinder blush was small but noticeable. It was a better response than she had any reasonable chance to hope for, but truth be told she was more embarrassed by someone who wasn't looking to mock taking the time to give her a physical look-over. She wasn't some attention starved mare, but anypony that tried to say they didn't feel even a little bit...imbalanced, even if positively, by being chedked out was a liar liar whose tail was on fire. Besides, her laugh and smile told Pathfinder her joy wasn't just played for politeness, which definitely gave Pathfinder a sense of some security. She had gotten good at telling those who were real from the fakers, and while she was sometimes accused of being too optimistic, she had a good feeling about Snow. But as Pathfinder looked at Snowy's reaction after she had revealed where she had just come from, her positive attitude dimmed somewhat.

"Wow... er... you must live an exciting life, Miss Pathfinder," Snowy said, her voice fluctuating and wavy, "The scariest thing I have to put up with on a regular basis is dull business meetings going on too long..."

Had Pathfinder been too much, too soon? She had never understood that thought process, but she had been accused of such a crime once or twice. Personally, she preferred to be as open as possible as quickly as she could and allow the fakers and the true friends be told from that point on, but she did understand that perhaps revealing too much too soon could be a problem for some ponies. But Snowy had taken it at least somewhat well- she even mentioned something worse than any arrow or explosion, boring meetings!

Uggh, she had been in a few meetings. Well, maybe less meetings and more classrooms and hospital beds, but they were all the same: They lacked excitement and that drive to keep on keepin' on! Solving mysteries and fighting the good fight was better, even at its worse, than any stuffy room anywhere could ever be.

Pathfinder blanched.

"Oh my, that DOES sound horrible! I don't know if I could ever stand to be in a boring meeting for too long, I'd fly right outta the window! Wizbang! Like that! Like I did when I was in the hospital for my wing," She started, flexing out her wings to reveal a rather nasty scar on her left wing before retracting them, "and they tried telling I would need a full week of rest. A WEEK?! Oh geez, no way I could do that, and that's with all sorts of entertainment at a hospital. I'd probably crack after only an hour at a business meeting, Snowy. How do you do it?" Pathfinder asked, truly and deeply concerned for the welfare of any pony that had to contend with such a fate.

She seemed to have adjusted well enough, Pathfinder guessed. She had grown up with some degree of wealth and likely had been exposed to the horror of boredom at an early stage in her development, promoting tolerance for the greatest Equestrian flaw. Pathfinder couldn't stand to imagine that existence and wondered what cruel fate had to befall such a beautiful and kind-hearted creature such as Snowy. Pathfinder gave her a compassionate, caring hug and then turned to the obstacle course.

"What do you wanna do, Snowy?"

Link, pretty please?

Thank you!

For my Pathfinder banner, I found a sample image y'all can work with:

http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120224121740/mlp/images/thumb/c/c4/Daring_got_through_S2E16.png/731px-Daring_got_through_S2E16.png

Snow took the resemblance well. Most ponies were a little taken aback by it, and a smaller number were outright freaked out. She guessed that some ponies didn't appreciate the effort it took to look so awesome. Thankfully, Snow seemed to both recognize the character and not give her a strange look afterwards. It was even better when she seemed to have an understanding of the series, something she was more than happy to see. Plus, she used to do what every good Daring Do fan needed to have done a few times- used her as a vessel for escapist adventures, such as sneaking out of a manor. And she lived in a manor? She wasn't just some businessmare, she came from power. That was cool too- a small subsection of adventurers were wealthy, after all.

She ended her story somewhat abruptly, and her face shrunk as she trailed off. That wasn't a good sign- what had unnerved her?

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to ramble," Snow said in a vain attempt to regain herself entirely, which made sense when combined with the end of her speech, "I'm a little out of my element."

Pathfinder chuckled.

"Nah, I was enjoying it! I remember when I first read Daring Do back in the orphanage. World changer! Helped me become the mare I am today-" She began before the length of rope tied to her hoof snagged on a passing pony and nearly tripped the stallion. She gave an annoyed sigh and pulled the rope up to her mouth and sat down. After a few minutes, she ripped the rope off of her hoof. She gave a happy, contended sigh as she put the rope in her saddlebag. Rope always comes in handy.

"Of course, it sometimes leads to getting stuck in traps by a tribe of mutant carnivore hippogrifs in abandoned mines."

Snowfall examined Pathfinder, something that Pathfinder took notice of. She might have been an adventurer, but that didn't mean she didn't appreciate it when someone soaked her up- and she was quite sure that is what Snowfall was doing. Of course, if Snowfall hadn't been as pretty as she was, Pathfinder may have been upset. She may still have been a little upset, but it could wait.

"Hmm..." Snowfall said as she took Pathfinder in. What was a good nickname for her? Snowy McSnowy? Nah, too much. Snowflake? Nah, maybe if they got closer.

"Do I perhaps know you from somewhere? I feel like I've seen you somewhere before..."

Snow would have to work. Pathfinder blushed as she realized that Snow had been confused by her appearance, which in turned confused Pathfinder. She motioned to her coat and mane for a second, as if confused. Then it dawned on her- she looked like Daring-Do, duh!

"Oh, I apologize. Ever read the Daring-Do books?!" Pathfinder asked excitedly, posing briefly. If Snow had read the books and liked them, then Pathfinder already loved her. If not, Pathfinder would make her see the light. It was a win-win! Well, except for anypony who tried telling Pathfinder that the books weren't good, them was fightin' words. As she posed, she kept on shaking her back hoof in an attempt to get that darn rope off- she would have to solve the mystery of that abandoned mine some other day, it seemed.

Thank you for the link! I am going to look through it and see what I need to catch up on. I have already PMed Sweetie and Scoots.

Hello! I see lots of nifty-cool banners out there, and I thought maybe some hip cats with skills could help a fellow out. I am the new Apple Bloom player, and I'd like to have a banner for her posts. I'd also like banners for my two OCs- Pathfinder is easy, she basically just looks like Daring Do, and Valen should be simple.

You may find the ponies here:

The style I would prefer is something like this:

But I'm open to any and all designs.

The winner gets one free internet.

Thanks for your time and efforts!

I'm pretty excited! Yay! Yay! Yay!

Alison had a really great app and Lux gave it his all, so really, the winner is Apple Bloom because no matter who won, she was gonna get a good 'home' as it were.