tacobob

“Ah 'ave no idea.”, the cow-mare shrugged her shoulders as the pair watched the unicorn finish off her slight panic attack. “Awf course this is Rarity wer talk’n about.” To say Rarity was over-dramatic would be the understatement of the century! The farmer paused to blow her nose into an apple-adorned handkerchief.  Something in her costume was messing with her sinuses!

 

Once the unicorn was ready to communicate beyond gasps, she cleared her throat, “Valen...Your cousin...He is...”Sans vêtement....à poil...”, she wheezed in Prench.

 

This did not impress the red nosed mare, “What now? Rarity, please use words the rest of use can understand.” Applejack could never stand for her old friend when she stated talking ‘fancy’.

 

“Fine.”, the fashion horse sighed, “Valen is not wearing a costume. On a night we all get to wear costumes. This I cannot allow..”, she decreed.

 

The farmer glanced back at her cousin, “Well, now that ya mention it, ah jus' thought Valen was goin' as a nudist.”

 

It was now time for Rarity to roll her eyes up, “Seriously? There is only one thing we must do....And that’s to get to the Boutique before it's too late...Come...Quickly!"

 

Would they make it in time? Would there be a costume there that would be just right for Valen? Or was he doomed to celebrate the beloved holiday, Unshucked?

 

 

“Well, hopefully not too dirty.”, the cat groaned, “Thankfully I have one of those Jachoovski™ type tubs in my room.", Hopefully once they snatched their thief, they could go back and soak for a bit in the nice, hot water. This also caused her to wonder about another thing. Once they pounced on their hoot-hooved hooligan, what could they do to him? They were not the police. Maybe this was an international super-crook? Wanted in five countries! They catch this pony perpetrator and end up with not only her necklace back, but an great big reward! Which would be split down the middle.

 

Thrilly let out a chuckle, "If my brother heard that, he'd probably bust a gut laughing....Says I'm a dumb kit.....", she paused as the pony gave her a friendly petting. The flying acrobat turned a dark shade of red, that she hoped the Pegasus would not see with her light. As she was given the quick pet, she let out a purr. Thrilly was a cat after all and she really enjoyed a little affection. Before she could thank her friend, the rushing sound of water caught up with them.

 

Once again, the cat was saved by her hero. "I think...", her red cheeks shifted to green, "Someone might have flushed.." Thankfully, this was an Canterlot sewer, so there was some room to fly, but not all the time. "You can fly, but please be careful and not too quick, as it appears the 'ceiling' drops...Our thief took a bad turn when he first entered the sewer and got caught on a pipe...He probably injured himself in the process."

 

Would they be able to catch up with their crook before it was too late?

 

 

 

Then what one would consider a terrifying growl could be heard. A growl that actually sounded like somepony was clearing out her throat. This was followed by a rather familiar voice.

 

“Ah said peaches ahr here! So ope-yn uhp that bag eend let me put thayse cans in!”, Valen knew that pony! It was Applejack! Although, he couldn’t help but notice her accent was a little on the thick side. She probably had a cold.

 

“Why didn’t you just say you found more of those cans Rainbow Dash dropped....Applejack....I swear...”, the other voice was from another pony the colt knew very well. It was Rarity. “This should be the last of the....Erm...”, there was a slight hint of fear in the mare’s voice, “Did you hear something?"

 

The unicorn poked her head out from the large statue of Nightmare Moon. “I believe that is your cousin Valen...”

 

 

Sure enough, it was Rarity, who was dressed to impress as an rather simplified, but glorified mer-pony. A rather heavy looking bag floated behind her. It appeared she and Applejack were collecting food for a drive. A Nightmare Night food drive.

 

Applejack followed after the fashion mare. “Poor little fella looks like he  bee-yn dragged through a hedge backwards.”

 

The farmer wore an lion costume.

 

 

“Goodness, Valen..” a rather comfortable looking scarf floated from her bag and wrapped itself around the trembling colt. “My cashmere & silk wrap will warm you up....You look like you've seen a ghost.."

 

Applejack could not help but chuckle at this statement. "Well, it is Nightmare Naahyt.  So 'es goin' ta see-yn his share awf ghosts.."

 

The unicorn rolled her eyes up, "You know what I mean....er...", she finally took a good look at the little pony, "Valen....", she let out a loud gasp. ""Of all the worst things that could happen, this is the! Worst! Possible! Thing!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Our thief must really think my necklace is something special to go through all this.”, normally, a thief would simply toss away his prize when it wasn’t deemed to be ‘worth it’, if his victims were this persistent. This would allow the horrible ne'er-do-well to get away while the others look for their item. Oh, if he dared to toss her grandmother’s necklace into the sewer. That would be horrible! She decided not to think of such things. The crook had it in his little white bag. Probably marked with an Canterlot  Bit symbol.

 

Thrilly smiled back at the adorable pony as she posed with her new helmet. “You look like you’re ready to go crawling through a nasty old sewer like a pro.”, she glanced down at the ground. If she had planned to visiting the famous Canterlot underground, she would have at least brought some boots. Oh, how she hated how her big feline nose could pick up every single scent down here. And from where she was standing, she was pretty sure they were not that far from an Mexicolt restaurant.

 

“If I were you, I’d try my best to not get wet.”, she muttered as she checked for clues. “You sure have a lot of bandages on and if you get any nasty water in there....Oooh...” speaking of nasty, there was a bit of cloth....red cloth...Attached to the side of a rusty pipe...And an dent.. “I think our thief must have slipped into this pipe..Or maybe even clipped it and got snagged on this rusty pipe....nail...hatch thing...” No coin needed!

 

“Let’s go this way!”, she pointed to one direction and quickly made her way down into the darkness.....

 

"Thank you sir." What was worse then hoofing out free water? A tip from free water!  Still, the stallion meant well and her shift would be over in....Oh crap. Four more hours.

 

Still, she her other customers to work with. Fire Walker's was simple. Lime juice. Ginger beer. Vodka and lime...and ice....All served in an copper cup. While the kid just got an assortment of juices all in a plastic sippy-cup that was covered with a picture of 'Mister Balderdash' who was a cartoon alligator who wore an monocle and top hat. He would go on adventures with his friend, Mister Dinsdale who was an angry badger that solved all his problems by biting them. The pair appeared on kid's place-mats either trying to navigate easy mazes or as part of a world jumble. She just thought up of one. 'I thae ym lief'. Kids, could you solve that?

 

 

 

The red mare smiled back at Grey Shield. Had he been part of the R.E.A? She wanted to ask, but he turned his attention to the mare's sister. She had brought the filly for this experience. Wind could finally hear some interesting stories for a change. After her own adventures slowed to a crawl, she was a full time employee for Ponyville. Training residents to watch out for danger. Maintaining her station at the castle, and sometimes picking up lunch at the local café.

 

 

The little filly scooped up her cup and made her way over to the now sitting stallion, "Well, I usually like dad's stories..But mom tends to get a little mad when he goes into his little rants. So far, our swear jar this year has already netted us enough bits for a trip to Whinny World.", she paused for a moment, "Fire use....", that was probably not the best word to use, "Is on a story-hiatus." That sounded better. Sometimes she had a decent story or two to tell. But not recently.

 

"I like true stories...But a little fiction splashed in doesn't hurt.", she added with a wink. She knew 100% true stories could be a bit dry. That's why most movies and books that SCREAMED BASED OFF A TRUE STORY were usually full of bumpus!

 

"How about one you enjoy telling?", usually those were either the more popular stories a storyteller would tell, or a very special one they only told on special occasions.

 

 

The stallion let out a chuckle, "If that's what you consider unskilled, I could only imagine what you could do once you've mastered your shape-shifting abilities."  All of his forms were utter masterpieces. From the wolf, to the dog, and even his pony form. And while his earth pony form was a bit rough and almost reminded him of an rather nasty fella who prefers to himself as 'king', he probably would not have any problems hitting the old 'Pony' Jazz pub in Canterlot and finding more than a few mares that wouldn't mind following him home.

 

"Please feel free to use whatever form you are most comfortable with...Although, would you be able to shorten your tail a bit when we enter this temple?", Pocket Change could only imagine what sort of nasty traps his fuzzy end would set off.  The stallion nodded his head. Cantrips were awesome. Where would he be without his favorite 'phantom stirring' cantrip'?  Was it just a very simple Air Manipulation spell, or was there a real spirit stirring his beverage? Might be for the best if he never found out.

 

"Great. We should be able to....er...", the unicorn's ears perked up. "I hear something...." Were they already to face an epic battle for the first time? Would they face ancient undead temple guardians? Deadly Cipactlis? Timbersnakes?

 

 

Smolder smiled to herself as she walked along the pony. She was rather surprised how much she liked this Valen. She originally had felt some ‘weird nerd’ vibes coming from him when they first met. And that might be slightly true as he was a bit of a nerd, but weird he was not. Just a talented little earth pony with big dreams.  And she would soon have a fellow ‘knit-wit’* at her school.

 

“Yeah. We recently learned our resident Yak really could have done without an low hanging skirt as their kind tend to be a bit...er...” Nice word. Nice word. Think of one. “Ungainly.." 'Word A Day' Calendar for the win! Spike's Hearth Warming gift actually wasn't so horrible after all. Hopefully she'll be able to use today's word, which was tergiversation. "And our school auditorium suffered for it."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Silence and darkness.

 

It sure was much colder than it was just a moment ago.

 

The young earth pony was also now outside and very alone.

 

An very old statue of Nightmare Night stood in the background.

 

A word could be heard in the background as if the statue was speaking in a hushed tone.

 

It spoke

 

'Peaches'. Peaches is here.'

 

With the exception of ponies with an birch-pollen allergy, this word would not be considered very 'scary', well, maybe to a certain orange coated colt, it was absolutely horrifying!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thrilly really thought things should have gone the other way. She had planned to enjoy the air-show. This she missed. She hoped to experience the best Canterlot had to offer her. But now she was heading into the sewers. Ugh.

 

“For whatever reason you have Daze..If you want to give up on finding my necklace...Just ask.”, she glanced over at the Pegasus pony with a smile, “I won’t mind...You’ve done so much for me...” She let out a chuckle at the mare’s ‘super rich’ comment. Considering she was being lead by a small army of bellhops while wearing her little stretch top and sandals....Maybe the thief thought she was one of those eccentric rich types. “I don’t see him getting much out of an little silver necklace with a bell....”, that might be his downfall, as the cat’s very sensitive ears could pick up the ringing sound it would make.

 

“I can see in the darkness.”, the cat slowly made her way down the ladder.. “And if he Is near, I probably will also hear the bell..And still.”, she whispered, “Oooh...This is handy!”, There was an helmet topped with an small glowing white orb that hung from the wall. This was most likely to help a sewer work get about the darken sewers. Apparently there had been a second, but that had been most likely snatched up by their thief.  “Here, put this on...It will help you see!”, she handed over the helmet. The poor pony might end up with helmet hair, but she would at least know where she was going...

 

“Now we just need to know where to go...”, there was a path going left and one going right. Which one would they pick?

 

“Water is free....”, the bar-mare realized she did not have anyone to talk to at the moment, beside the stallion, so she might as well make the best of it. “Old Canterlot law. If you serve alcohol, water has to be free. Mind you, it’s tap water.” They were not hoofing out the bottled stuff for free. That would be crazy. Of course the bottled stuff came from the same source. But the bottled stuff has fancy names like ‘C’est Juste De L’eau’ or ‘Wasser Aus Dem Wasserhahn’. Put that free water into a fancy looking bottle and give it a foreign name and the bits will come.

 

“Eh. We could be busier.", she shrugged her shoulders, "We don't have a story-teller tonight, but both the ‘Uyanazi Room’ and 'The Library' are booked, but I'm not seeing the usual group of drun...er..officers...", she glanced up at two ponies who were now waiting at the bar. "Wow.", she gasped, "Haven't seen you since that whole Blueblood thing..."

 

 

"Hey Carrot Bun.", an cheerful looking red mare greeted the bar-mare with a smile. She stood next to a filly who also seemed to be enjoying her stay so far. "Give me my usual and give the kid here an 'Balderdash'. Extra Balder.", as the mare turned to work on the drinks, the red mare turned to Grey Shield, "I heard her mention there wasn't a story-teller tonight. Which is a shame....Always loved coming here and listening to the old adventurers tell their stories...Was hoping my sister here could get the full 'Explorers Society' experience.'.", feeling a little on the rude side, the mare quickly added, "The name's Fire Walker..Captain Fire Walker of the Twilight Guard, and this little blue squirt is named Wind Walker."

 

 

"You look like you've got some stories to tell.", the filly paused to size the older pony up. "My sister says if you wanna tell them, you need to sit by the fireplace."

 

 

 

"Since there were no griffons in the 'Empire' after it was returned to the erm. Present time, I can probably assume those who lived there might have left before it was conquered.." There was another bump. This put an quick end to her sketching. Still, she would have plenty of time for her art. For now, she would enjoy the new company.. "I hope we all manage to learn a few things while here...The art...history...And even your racing event..", she returned her pat and sketch pencil back into her pack.  "As for the settlement, he said it was just some random tower, so it was probably really hard to find..."

 

Brrr. It was starting to feel a little colder. Did their cabin's heater break? Zelda scooped up her jacket and slid it on. Much better. With her gloves on, she was fully dressed to be outside. Combined with her natural fur coat, she should be able to handle the outside, even away from the kingdom itself. But this was something she had no desire to try out.

 

She let out a painful squawk as a rather heavy bag fell upon her. "Yow!" Was someone attending a bowling competition? Was someone studying to become a blacksmith and brought their anvil along? She could almost see stars. Oh, there was Songbird Serenade....Sapphire Shores....Baby Snooks...And now a word from our sponsor...Terrible Headache.

 

"Thank you...", She smiled weakly as the heavy bags were removed. Nothing worse than starting a vacation with an bruised beak and an damaged head. She slowly got up from her seat and followed the others. "I may have some brain damage, but I'm pretty sure our train consisted of more than two cabins."

 

While the next cabin was still barely connected, the griffon pointed out that there was no cabin connected to that one! And they were slowly starting to go backwards......

 

 

 

Oh right, her dumb knee was still hurting. How embarrassing! The cat that mastered the dreaded 'Deadly Leap' or triple somersault before her tenth birthday was now some helpless kitty riding on the back of a pony.

 

Still, this felt kind of fun. She was actually flying! No trapeze required. Wow! She believed she could fly! Even touch the sky, and here comes an garbage can. Oh fuzz.

 

The whole thing about 'cats always landing on their feet' might be an old mare's tale, or it could counted for those cats who had four feet. Thrilly only had two, and while she was able to break her own fall by simply curling up into a fuzzy little ball and roll out of the impact. When she opened her eyes, she found herself staring directly at a feral cat. For some reason, she always felt rather uncomfortable with 'normal' cats. They always smelled kind of funny and....they licked themselves clean. Yuck.

 

She only had a moment to think before she was snatched up again. "I'm mostly fine....I think I bruised my er, butt." Once they found themselves on solid ground once more, the embarrassed feline paused to make sure she didn't break anything. "Don't feel bad...You were incredible.", after she was sure there wasn't anything wrong back there, she gave her 'brave steed' a hug. "This thief probably saw me when I was being lead up to my room, as I had my necklace on..And since I was going to one of the fancier rooms, this crook probably I was super rich..And if I was super rich, that necklace was probably worth a ton...Which it's not...It's just super sentimental to me.."

 

With the trail lost, the cat slowly made her way towards a maintenance hole...Its cover appeared to be slightly open..."Oh fuzz.", she groaned. "I think our thief might have gone below..."

 

Yikes! That was a bit too loud! The dragon glanced around the hallway. Thankfully, the few that were hanging around did not seem to hear the pony's declaration, or they simply did not care. Yes, Smolder was a fashion enthusiast, but still had to keep up appearances of being an tough dragon. Of course this was one of the school's worst secrets. The shared dream her friends  recently had, did not help either. Still, it could have been worse, as that was her tamest of recent dreams. And one that did not involve Gallus! At least she was free to show her love of teas. Black. Green. Oolong. And whatever the heck they make over at Sugarcube Corner. Almost tasted like cotton candy crossed with those pop rocks. Nothing weak about enjoying a nice cup of tea!

 

"Thankfully we have students of all shapes and colors, so Miss Rarity will point out some creature and ask to design clothing that would be suitable for said student. Taking in account their body, coloring, and even if they walk on four legs...Or can switch to two...Or just walk on two like myself. If you like a challenge, I'm sure figuring out an circle ruffle dress for a Yak would be enough for anyone..."

 

After a quick look, the dragon deemed the library to be safe.

 

"Not sure intense is the right word." While the pair were the only creatures in the large room, Smolder still felt the need to whisper, "There's usually a good place to read or study when there's too much going on in the dorm.." If the colt took a moment to watch his host's eyes, he would see she was checking out what appeared to be floor grates. "Er, they also normally have a librarian who is super helpful at er, library stuff. Oh..." Something caught her eye. "Could you wait here..I think I see something..", she quickly made her way towards the light...

 

 

 

 

 

A rather bored looking bartender slowly made a virgin Kawaiolanonapukanileo for her current ‘guest’. This was not a good night for tips. She made lots of foal-friendly drinks while pony parents pinched their pennies. She had hoped the usual lot of R.E.A officers would be stopping by. Those guys could drink like horses and tipped rather well. But nope! Not today! No wonder ‘Top Shelf’ was more than happy to trade her shift.

 

"Here you go...", she tried her very best to push out a smile as she passed her newly minted abomination to an very happy filly. Her next customer held great promise. He looked like a drinker. But one who would not even consider ordering something as silly as an Kungaloosh or Bongo’s Jungle Juice. This was a fella that was going to order something simple. Whiskey neat. Or even an Old Fashioned. She always enjoyed making those. Made her not regret the small fortune she hoofed over to attend the 'Flim & Flam Brothers Bartender College'.

 

Her smile quickly vanished as she heard the words every bartender loathed to hear. 'I'll have a glass of water, please'. UGH. Free water. Usually no tip.

 

A small glow formed around her horn as she levitated a glass that soon was filled up with cold and very clean, filtered Canterlot water. Her puffy pink brain commanded her to say something snarky, but she had already been written up twice this week. Need to play it cool.

 

"Here you go...", the glass found its way near the stallion. Her eyes shifted towards the fireplace. It appeared there would be no story-teller tonight. What a shame.

 

Welcome to the Explorers Society!

 

The pub was founded many years ago by an adventurer named Bounder O’ Adventure and his fearless group of like-minded friends. They wanted a place they could hang out and talk about the adventures they had either been on or were about to start. They hoped to create a place they could hang photos and paintings of their adventures and friends. And where they could display mementos of their epic feats. The actual society held monthly meetings in an hidden room on property, but with the disbandment of the actual Society, the room had been unopened for decades. For all intent and purposes, the ‘ES’ was now basically a well themed pub. This pub still allowed story-tellers to sit by the fire and spin their tall-tales. Grateful pub-patrons had been know to send a few drinks towards the narrator, as long as he or she had a good yarn to spin.

 

 

Two ponies slowly made their way through the pub, only stopping to admire the many paintings of adventurers of the past. The older pony, a red Pegasus coated mare let out a sigh as her eyes fell upon a particular painting. This one  consisted of a rather heavy looking stallion adorned with an oversized white mustache that look up nearly half of his face and made him look like an elderly walrus. An neat little monocle and pith helmet completed the scarlet cheeked earth pony's 'uniform'. "This is grandpa and dad's old friend. Merry old 'Colonel Critchlow.", her voice was filled with respect and awe. "Once in a blue moon, we would pop over here and I would listen to the good Colonel's stories while dad would play cards or darts with his officer friends...And while I was told some of his stories were real, he generally liked to 'enhance' his tales....For the listener's sake."

 

The younger pony nodded her head. Hopefully somepony would have a tale of their own to tell.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Huh?”, the dragon was curious to see what the young pony considered fun. Was it gorge surfing classes? Or maybe buckball? Those both were fun. But it wasn't sports Valen was interested in, but fashion! "I learned how to cross-stich last year. And even how to do Prench knots and  three-quarter stitch for detail...It's probably a little easier for me considering I got these.", she waved her claws about. Unicorns could easily manipulate material and needles with their telekinesis magic and Smolder watched as an Pegasus pony was able to use the tips of their wings to make a shirt. Earth ponies had their teeth to work with. Ouch. She also agreed with the stallion. Uniforms would have been nice.  Maybe not blue. She preferred the traditional black uniforms she had seen up in Canterlot. Nice skirt to enhance her already awesome hips. Dark jacket. And maybe a little color in an bow that would match her fin. And Valen was interested in Roaman wear? Wasn't that mostly togas? There would be a chance to wear one of those when in collage. Smolder could not wait till she was old enough for that! The sports were better, and the parties were longer and far more involved. As for clothes? She rather preferred Prench rural clothing. Easy, breezy and utterly gorgeous.

 

"Yeah, I have a feeling half of us would get 'em drenched trying to cross the little path to the school." Smolder usually took the flyer's entrance located over the front doors, but sometimes she would use the regular doors when she was with an non-flyer. And that path could be a pain especially when it rained.

 

The crash really bothered her. But could she say anything? Would Valen make a run for the hills if she told him the truth? That the "Tree Of Harmony' while killed by Sombra was not actually really dead and was now a tree house? And it also projected illusions, usually that of Headmare Twilight? "Er, we had a problem with rabbits....raccoons....Rabbits and raccoons..Sneaking in the library and making a mess of things." If one of the grates had opened up, she would simply fix it. Unless the tree had something to say. Maybe she was going to welcome Valen? How would he react to such a thing? Hopefully it would not involve another test. The dragon still had dreams about those creepy mares and their tea kind of sucked. Herbal always tasted too much like medicine for her.

 

It only took a moment before the pair were at the library's door. The dragon tried her VERY best not to look nervous, but something obviously was bothering her. "Just going to poke my head in the doorway..."

 

 

 

 

 

The cat was already doing a rather decent job at swinging herself up...Just one more try and she could reach the rope and untie it and then....That part would come.. Oh. Quicker.

 

She was quickly untied and let down rather softly thanks to her new friend. "Oh, thanks.." she managed to blush even harder. While she would have been able to reach her rope and even untie herself as it was rather similar to an old trick she learned a few years ago, she did not dare mention this. Even the fall would have been nothing as her kind always land on their feet.

Her keys! She quickly grabbed them, along with an rather convenient stretchy key-chain and coin purse combo that fit around her arm. And while she could run rather fast on four like a pony, there was no way she could move like the mare. "If you can get close....Maybe I could leap at our thief and tackle him!" She was nowhere near as quick as the Pegasus pony, but the combination of the pony's speed, plus the cat's incredible leaping abilities would be more than a match for their necklace thief! Still maybe others could help.

 

"STOP!", she called out. "Thief! Thief!", maybe somepony could get in the way, or even a nearby member of the local police or guard. The shout alone might be enough to startle their running rogue into doing something foolish.

 

 

 

 

“I am rather surprised you stuck with an Diamond Dog form...As they’re not...Er, I mean they are a bit...” The unicorn tried his very best to find an proper and polite word to use. “Addlepated....You might want to act a little less refined, educated and well spoken around strangers as the first time I met you, I was pretty sure something was a bit odd about you...But I understand your need to conserve magic..” He could see why the poor creature needed to hide away as his real form was rather intense. "Thankfully Equestria has become a bit more open nowadays, so you should be safe...safer to show your true self." Someone wanted to kill and skin him so they could have his coat? That sounded like something from the very old and very bad days. One would simply have to be cruel beyond belief to do such a thing. And while the pup's coat was beautiful, nowadays, clothing makers could make a fur coat that matched his companion's and was also dry clean safe.

 

"The hearts? Oh.", let loose a chuckle, "It's just all very silly. When I think of my beloved...My Moony.....Her beauty....mind....body...everything...I instantly cast little heart illusions....They're not even proper spells. Just what we call 'cantrips'. Probably the same thing a unicorn does when he or she is attacked...They would quickly throw up a shield....Or even teleport...Which I have finally mastered, thanks to my Moony...", he let out a sigh. Thankfully no hearts appeared. "They tend to be released if I don't think about them." Curse was a good word! He hoped this would be one of those life-time curses. Forever in love with his sweet matchless marvelous mare.

 

Pocket Change levitated the map from the dog's bag and let it float over into view. "Since vegetation is usually drastically changed near a temple while its occupied, the sudden change in flora will be a good sign of previous civilization...The nearby trees will also be shorter and younger than those that surround them." The pony waited patiently as his partner checked out his map.

 

 

Pocket Change watched as his new partner broke out into a bit of magic. Was he an changeling? Considering those creatures could turn into a new form in the blink of an eye and not require any unique special effects, that was probably not the case.  At first it looked like Hogo-Sha simply ditched his jacket and decided to walk around on all four. But his tail was considerably longer..And he appeared more like a feral wolf than Diamond Dog. There were also magic globes. Hurray! This means there would be no terribly awkward conversation where the unicorn would try to ask why his partner was a good deal smarter than all the other Diamond Dogs he had encountered in the past. No casual racism for their little adventure!

 

"You are an Yōkai...Particularly an Bakemono...", he gasped. He had encountered such creatures before. Thankfully, all were positive encounters. "We can walk and talk..If you wish..", he slowly started to follow after the rather large wolf-ish creature. "So, why the disguise?" They had just left an city where all forms of creatures walked the streets. Dragons. Horses. Ponies. Yaks. Griffons. Changelings. Diamond Dogs. Hippogriffs. Minotaurs. There were probably more that he left out. A large dog was probably the more mundane of the bunch.

 

 

"Um." The unicorn took a sip from his cup as he imagined other ways they could get into an temple in the sky. There was an catapult. Ouch. Maybe an balloon? The Basin was known to be rather windy. How about a telekinesis spell on himself? He could make himself fly. But there was always a chance a spell can be disrupted. Splat. Maybe befriend a giant bird and have him fly them up? Nope. He wasn't friendly. He was hungry. GULP!

 

"Please just ignore these.", Pocket Change grinned back as he waved away the last of the hard-light magic, "I sometimes get little heart illusions when I think of my marefriend." Thankfully he had yet to suffer from the heart-eyes syndrome. This could call blindness in some cases. "Till then." Once tea was over and the bill had been settled along with a doggy-bag of tarts. The pony left to stock up on supplies.

 

 

 

 

Pocket Change was always prepared, but knowing the hazards of having too much stuff, he packed accordingly. He wore the outfit Javasun had purchased for him awhile back. The light enchantment made the journey a little less steamy. Still, the unicorn DREADED Griffonstone. While things were slowly starting to get just a little better, the adventurer was keen not to stay there too long. Although the perky little 'welcome' griffon with the grey coat was an welcome site. Gal enjoyed chatting and hugging. Pocket's partner seemed to be rather allergic to cats. Gabby's constant need to hug did not help the poor pup. Unlike her fellow griffons, she did not ask for coin when he needed information. If only the dog wasn't so allergic, she would be an idea third companion. She was incredibly gorgeous with her freckles and little pony-tail and sweet Celestia he missed Moony so much.

 

Once they were free of griffons and civilization, the Diamond Dog had something to tell him. Oh no. What could it be?

 

"Yes?", he squeaked as he tried not to let his imagination get the better of him.

 

 

"Wellll..", the cat could not help but grin just a little. "Before the P.T. Barn-Um Circus comes to town, we first hire some creatures to put up signs all over the town..So you know we're coming!", she gave the pony a wink, "And then when the time comes, and after the train is unloaded, there's a free parade where everyone can watch us ride through whatever is considered a 'main street'. There's lots of wagons with animals and clowns...Usually they have my brother and I on top of one of the wagons, and we'll do some simple tricks and moves...Like flips...And leaps...And ol' P.T. will be marching in the front while holding a megaphone thing and he'll be shouting about all the shows to get everyone all excited.", the cat hopped onto the bed and pretended to march...."Then everyone will follow us to where the circus had actually been already set up the previous night and once they purchased their tickets and assortment of food, it's entertainment time! Wooh!", she bounced into the air before quickly regretting it as her knee was still hurting. "Ouch!"

 

"We usually stay for at least a week...Depending on the agreement we have with the town...city..village or whatever.", she paused to massage her lightly injured bit. "And yeah. You're free to stay here...If you want...I really don't know anyone in Canterlot and my parents had convinced me to go...Even if nobody else was able to come along..", her fuzzy ears drooped down even lower. "As for my brother Achille...Well...." again with as sigh. "He was feeling rather cranky the other day when mom got extra naggy...But instead of doing what she said, he got really really snarky. And said something he probably should have not said. Which I can't repeat. Cause the words were really bad. Rhymes with Crumb Witch. Total neva forgive action. And my bro was super-grounded...And even my begging and fake tears didn't fix everything...Like usual."

 

"Since the season was over....My friends had all gone their separate ways...So I couldn't bring one of them along....And even the folks couldn't come...They convinced me that I should still go....Be refreshed...Get out...And also none of the tickets could be refunded. The train. The special hotel voucher. Nothing.... Thank goodness I ran into you..." she felt like she had started to sound just a tad needy. Hopefully Daze didn't mind...And zounds she was so dang adorable. And being the fuzzy type, she also could go au natural. But where the heck would she put her hotel key? Or her camera?

 

The madness with the cloaked stranger really put an end to their happy little day. "Seriously!", she growled at the thief. "It's not worth anything! Well, in bits, but in sentimental it's worth a million!" That probably was not the right word. But nerveless, she charged the sneak thief!

 

 

Unfortunately the thief had set up a trap for the young cat. A simple rope trap sent the fuzzy little creature up and into the ceiling. "WAAAGH!", she yelped. "Don't worry about me! Please catch that crook! I'll get myself down."

 

"And also turn off the ceiling fan before you leave....", she was not having a very good day.

 

Smolder glanced away from her notebook to enjoy the beauty of an mostly empty lobby. Normally the area would be crowded with students and staff during school hours, but with class out of session, things were rather calm. An occasional student could be seen darting towards the exit. A young filly carefully sketched an image of a rather unique bust of Starswill the Bearded that stood near the entrance. And one of her fellow 'original class' students lead a rather hyper blue coated filly further down the hallway. After the craziness of the last few months, it was nice to have some peace, but knowing how things went, Smolder knew events would start to get 'interesting' again.

 

While dragons lacked organized education, most learned the most basics from a parent before being punted from the nest. This was more of an necessity than an gateway to further education. Dragons should at least be smart enough so they wouldn't be taken advantage of by the other creatures out there. Some ventured out to better themselves, but most preferred the solitude, going out only when the call to join the migration was called. "Completely understandable." Since moving to Ponyville, Smolder gained an appreciation for non-dragon things. From the assortment of fine Equestrian teas, Sudoku and even what mascara looks best on orange scales. She was brave enough to experience such things, but not enough to share her unique hobbies with her friends. At least not yet.

 

"The food is good...I've learned to enjoy some unique little meals that normally I would have never tried in the dragon-lands." Cherry tarts with clotted cream. Lemon bars. Mmm. "There are a few after school after-school activities or programs...Some are extensions of popular classes...As if you like say....building a particular thing, here's a special class to learn more...Some of the older students like myself for example gain extra credit by teaching the first year students...Some simply tutor those who need a little extra help, but I do an defensive flying class of sorts. We also have game night, which we're supposed to be doing...I think tomorrow...And if there's something you enjoy personally and believe others might like it as well.", she lead the young pony to an large bulletin board covered in an assortment of advertisements. "Pin it up here.". There were papers asking everything from models to try out 'exciting new masterpieces of fashion' to a card game that took place every Saturday night. There was something for every creature.

 

Once Valen got a good look at the board, they moved on. "As for the classes, don't think you'll just be sitting around all day holding hooves and singing pretty little friendship songs...Nope..The teachers here usually will teach something useful like for example, Miss Applejack might teach you how to fix a fence or show you how to maintain an apple tree, but she'll then slip in an lesson about honestly....Or Miss Fluttershy, who you will absolutely really like, will bring in something adorable and just by watching say a pack of puppies playing together, you'll learn kindness..Ugh.", she groaned, "It's hard to explain, but they do a good job integrating lessons with real life...And it's just not some pony droning on while pointing to an chalkboard." Well, it was when they first opened the school. Principal Twilight had been so obsessed with gaining an special school certification, she followed a strict set of learning rules that were probably outdated when Princess Celestia was a foal. Once this idea was scrapped, the teachers were free to have a little fun with their students.

 

As the pair moved on, a crashing sound came from one of the rooms. "Oh oh.", the dragon groaned, "Let's take a trip to the library....I wonder what that sound came from....."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Yes, he flew in with a horde of mindless beasts and attacked Canterlot." Pocket could never understand how quickly Equestria was taken over. Some of the most powerful spell-casters in the world lived here and to be humbled so quickly. "I believe he was some sort of elevated yeti monster, probably enhanced by his magic staff. One of my old friends was at a concert the day the attack happened, and he referred to the 'king' as a crazy goat monster. But whatever he was, our local heroes put an stop to his plans and his army.." The unicorn could still not believe sweet little, shy Twilight Sparkle was now a hero. And a princess. And ran a school. A wrote books. And did a million other exciting things.

 

The unicorn smiled as their sever arrived and started work on their tea. A second sever brought a small tray of snacks. There was some strawberry tarts along with a few pieces of lemon cake. Yum!

 

"Thankfully some of these so-called sky temples had other ways of entrance besides flying to the top...I'm aware of flight spells, which are still beyond my reach...And I can cast a walk-on-cloud spell, which is a tricky transmutation spell, which I simply cast on my horse-shoes..And I guess we would need something for you..If we needed the spell. Which I'm hoping we will not.". Pocket's eyes fell upon the book the Diamond Dog kept on the table. "Tenochtitlan Basin....Looks like you know where our first stop will be." There was a reason writer A.K. Yearling used the 'TB' as a setting in more than a few of her books. It had everything an adventure needed! Ancient temples of all sizes. Unique monsters of all kinds. And all kinds of bizarre places to get lost it.

 

Once the tea was ready, the unicorn added a little bit of honey and milk to his cup. "We could meet at the train station....I'll need to stop at home first and gather some suitable supplies...And also make sure my sister waters the plants and looks after my pet." He would also need to send a note to his mare-friend, Moony to make sure she knows he would be away. He really hated how busy she was as of lately. Of course she would be a distraction....Her beauty was supreme....And he would just cover the area in little pink and purple heavy light hearts...And being as clever she is, the mare would probably figure out and find the Diamond Dog's artifact in record time. And where would the fun be in that? Just the thought of the unicorn caused a few hearts to appear from his horn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ho-Boy. This was one of Applejack’s cousins. Which considering where she was, the young dragon just needed to be next to say ten random ponies, and there was a really good chance at least two of them would be related to the farmer. She also needed to be careful how she acted and what she said in front of this squirt. If she wasn’t the most gracious of hosts, everything she said and did would go right to the cow-pony and then the rest of the professors. Smolder would need to dial back the sass for this one.  He also really wanted to know more about her and her ‘kind’. For some reason, she didn’t like how that sounded.

 

“Well, most ponies haven’t either.”, she gave the pony a wink in response to the colt’s remark on not spending time with dragons before. “Let’s get inside.” There were just too many waterfalls and fountains outside! Ponies loved them! And while she found the sound of falling water to be somewhat relaxing, for the most part, it just made her need to use the little fledgling’s room.

 

Smolder lead the young pony into a long hallway with high ceilings. Whoever built the school spared no expenses as there was beauty everywhere. From the marble floors and pillars, to the impressive busts of famous ponies from Equestrian history. Her eyes quickly fell upon her notebook. She welcomed to the student-to-be into the school. Let him into lobby. Going to skip the welcoming joke. Might offend. Oh. Questions!

 

"One thing I get to ask..", she quickly stashed her notepad back into one of her pockets, "What made you want to attend this school, over say, the private schools you have over in Manehattan?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smolder glanced into a nearby mirror for the sixth time. Scales were shiny. Her letter-jacket was crisp and unwrinkled. Horns were nice and pointy. Teeth. Nice and white. Breath? Ugh. Could be better.

 

She pulled out a small packet of mints from her pocket and tossed one in her mouth. Gallus was right. She needed one. Badly. How she HATED when he was right. And he would KNOW she took his advice later on. Maybe if she was lucky, this new kid was actually a dragon eating monster and would quickly gobble her up the second the door was open. Then she would not need to see the 'look' the scruffy griffon would give her when he knew she took his advice. After letting out a sigh, she returned to her mirror.

 

"Welcome to the School Of Friendship!", she spoke into the mirror. This was not her. She sounded stiff and her smile way to fake. Oh, how did she manage to get forced into this? She knew all of the original students had to serve on 'welcoming committee' at least once, and it was now her turn to step up and to welcome a new student into the fold. Normally, there would be a group of students, and a couple of 'greeters', but for some reason, it was just going to be an 'one on one' tour. How odd.

 

"Yo....Welcome to the school...of higher friend-u-cation!" she sneered back. Nope. Not good at all. She knew she was a very cool dragon, but if you try to fake it, you end up being chilly. And chilly is never cool! And now she was getting a little on the worried side. Overthinking things. She would just open the door and welcome the new student.. The dragon pulled out her clipboard. Valen Orange. Was his full name Valencia Orange? Oh, how ponies had such odd names. She remembered this orange from one of Professor Applejack's field-trips. Valencia was an sweet orange that was perfect for juice. Since pony names usually reflected the personality or skills of a pony, this would be a sweet sort of fella. Her eyes fell back onto her notes. He was kind of young. Did not even have one of those butt marks, which mean he had to be really young. The last time they let a lil' kid wander around the school, she nearly got rid of magic throughout Equestria.  He was also from the 'Manehattan Academy for Foals, Colts, and Fillies'. This was a well respected private school. One thing bothered her. They sent babies to school? What sort of classes did they take? How to properly say 'Goo-goo'? The art and science of the pacifier? Annoying your siblings. Oh, how Smolder would have aced that class!

 

After a knock could be heard, Smolder quickly scurried over and slowly opened the door. There was a little pony behind the door with an orange, yellowish type coat and an well kept, teal mane. This was the part Smolder needed to be careful. Since dragons were still very new to pony society, they could be seen as rather intimidating to your regular Joe-Pony. She needed to look friendly. Smile, but not show off the fangs. Speak with a direct tone, but try not to sound menacing. And also watch out with the sneezes. One does not want to be welcomed with third-degree burns.

 

"Welcome to the 'School Of Friendship'" That sounded friendly enough. "I'm Smolder. I'll be your guide for this little tour." Yep. Smile. Good. Not too deep. You're welcoming, not eating him! "If you follow me, I'll show you around the place.." She kept the door open to allow the pony to enter.

 

 

"Yeah, I wasn't too keen on the idea of eating old worms and maggots...", she let out a shudder, "Although during my tour at the SBLOUNSKCHED! Candy Factory in Coltafornia, they mentioned that they use a very tiny bug to make red food coloring for certain candies, so there's probably a good chance you might have nibbled on a bug or two and not known it." Thrilly was a silly kitty. They were in probably what was the fanciest hotel in all of Equestria and she was talking about insects! Yeash! And even worse, she now had that dumb song in her head. '

'I've got nobody to hug,I'm such an ugly bug.'

 

"The Sisters are really sweet and their dancing is really popular...They do two shows...On in the early day and a later one only the older folk are allowed to see..Not sure what's so special about the other one..", the cat smiled as her new friend mentioned a desire to see the dancers, "Our show will be going through Equestria pretty soon...The circus managed to hire the very Ponyacci to get out clowns into shape and work out a few new routines...Our strong-guy managed to convince the higher ups to get his girl-friend to join his show...My brother and I finished working on a few routines of our own...One is really scary, but I think we got it down...Will have to send you and your friends and family tickets when we're near you.."

 

She -liked- the hotel they were in. She just didn't understand the need for it to be so fancy. Most guests didn't hang around the place for too long, and most were happy to sleep, wake up and leave to go to wherever they were supposed to go. "If you wan to save money, you're free to stay at the hotel here..There are two beds in my room and I'm not too keen to sleep by myself..", there was a slight bit of red under her eyes, "My brother was supposed to come with me to Canterlot, but things happened....eh-heh. Hope I don't sound weird."

 

After she pushed open the door and was met with both light and a bit of extra 'oomph' from the air-conditioner, Thrilly started to make her way towards one of the beds, oblivious to whatever might be in the room with them. "I probably should dress a little better for this place..It's not fancy, but I probably should wear something nicer than what I'm wearing now..", she muttered as she quickly removed her simple red wraps and placed them on the bed. "Erm.", she gaped. Something should have been within her claws. "I think my necklace must have fallen...maybe under the bed.", she scooted down and glanced under her bed. Not even a single bit of dust! Did she leave her necklace at the train? That would not be possible! Her grandmother had given her it to her...It was a silver necklace with a cute little bell. The cat could not lose an item as important as it! She had left it in her room before she left for the regional flight meeting.  So there was no way she left it at the train. It had to be here!

 

"I'm missing a necklace..If you see something silver-y on the floor with an bell attached...Just say...", There was a light panic in her voice. Would there be even more once the cat spotted whatever was quickly rushing around her room?