ThatWhichIs

As the alicorn-dressed pony spoke to her in a joking, but regal tone, Radiant smiled. So this is what a convent is like? she thought to her self. I think I'm going to like it here "A fashion designer who's difficult to work with? Perish the thought!" she replied jokingly. "But I shall most certainly have to check out this Carousel Boutique that you speak of. Price isn't really the issue... but if I could work with a designer who wasn't a Canterlot-class prima dona, I'd love it." Before she finished her sentence, a gust of wind blew past her. Blinking twice, she looked around to see what could have caused it, given that they were already indoors, only to notice that that extremely excited Pegasus mare, Pathfinder, was missing. Looking in the direction of the mare-sized path left in the crowd, she saw the Pegasus already on the other side of the still-rising gates. It took a moment for Radiant to realize what must have happened, and then she shook her head slowly. "Is she always like this?" she asked, turning to face Snowfall once more. As the gate rolled out of sight, she shook her head again. "We should probably go catch up to her, shouldn't we?" she asked, though it wasn't really a question. "I hope you wouldn't mind if tagged along for a little while, at least until I find a schedule or some such. Your friend seems very knowledgeable about this convention."

Wandering into the island's post office one day, Cinnamon Love saw a stack of these fliers sitting on a table. Picking one up, she read it out of idle curiosity, and then thought about it. With a shrug, a quill and ink pot floated out of her saddle bag, and she began answering the questionnaire. If it went poorly, maybe it would be inspiration for a new poem. If it went well... well then, that would be something else entirely, wouldn't it? Name : Cinnamon Love Gender : Mare Gender preference (Optional) : None Location : Gallopacos Islands Age : Mare Species : Unicorn Species preference (Optional) : None Cutie-Mark (Optional) : An ink pot with a quill pen in it How would you describe yourself, physically? Slim and fit, with a soft, rust red coat fading into a black as dark as Luna's night around my muzzle and hooves.___ My main and tail match my coat color, with streaks of cinnamon brown mixed in. Both are kept in a tight braid,_ but my hair seems to have a mind of it's own, a few strands always managing to get loose and fall in my face._____ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How would you describe your personality? I'm passionate about everything I do, and in all that I feel. Sometimes I come off as a bit 'extreme', or__ so some of my friends tell me. Honestly, I can't see how, but it's what they say.______________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ What things in life are important to you? Creativity, fun, and the willingness to try things that might be out-of-the-ordinary for yourself.________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ What's your idea of the ideal first date? Something a bit subdued, I think. Perhaps a walk through the jungle on my island home, or going to___ a play or an art show. This would be followed by a romantic walk along the beach at sunset, as we____ talked about whatever we felt like. After the sun goes down we'd retire to my house, or a nice hotel,_ where we'd talk, or maybe cuddle, until the sun came up again._____________________________________ What are you looking for? I'm looking for somepony who's interesting, perhaps a bit on the extreme edge in some way. A pony___ who wouldn't mind it when I space out, ignoring them to write a poem down before I forget it. And___ one who would be willing to put up with my alleged emotional extremes._____________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Anything else you think we should know? Pineapple. Take this as you will.__________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ You're done! Just mail this to Matchie at One Plus Another, 413 Saltyhoof lane, Fillydelphia, EQ, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can! Have a wonderful day!

Shade had been about to reply when she caught site of the Ostrov district. She fell silent for a few moments, before seeming to realize Verity was next to her once more. "Ja, flying ist indeed fun," she agreed, eyes drinking in the sight before her. "Ich haff alvays envied pegasi for der vings. But ein train... Ich vuld like to ride one, some time." Turning to look at Verity, she thought she caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye, but it could have been just a shadow. "Dis ist die Ostrov district, ja? It ist very... beautiful. Reminds me a lot ov meine Stadt."

Radiant Chord simply stood there, stunned for a few moments. What had just happened to her? Blinking a few times and awkwardly putting her hoof down, she looked around the convention space for the mare that had surprised her in a whirlwind of speech and hoof-shaking. Finally spotting extremely excited mare, standing next to that beautifully done Princess Veil pony, she spent another moment or two looking for her handlers. It wasn't hard to spot them, hovering near the edges of the crowd of convention-going ponies and looking very... stern. Radiant glared at them, and shook her head 'no', as they were clearly rather... upset about that experience just now. Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Radiant trotted on over to the Daring Do and Princess Veil ponies, having to thread her way around others, wings held tight to her body so she didn't accidentally hit any pony. "Hello there," she said when she reached the two of them, speaking louder than normal to be heard over the crowd. "I don't believe I caught your name just now." The speed at which the mare had said everything had made it hard for her to understand half of it, other than that she was excited to see Radiant at the convention. "And I wanted to tell you how amazing your costume is." Turning to face the Princess Veil pony, she gave them a friendly smile. "And yours too. You must tell me where you found that dress... I'd love to hire them for some of my concert designs." Her eyes widened a bit, as she realized she hadn't introduced herself to this other pony. Yes, every pony wore badges with their names on them, or at least carried them somewhere, but it was still polite to introduce yourself to a stranger. And having not been able to hear the excited mare's words over the crowd, she had no idea she was probably making a fool of herself. "Oh, please forgive me, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Radiant Chord."

Mkay! Thank you very much. Truth be told, I was a bit nervous posting this. And, honestly, I was uncertain on the whole entrance exam thing. Also, a note: You may want to edit the lore post for Dragons then, as it mentions eggs being given to unicorn to hatch as entrance exams, which is why I included it. Edit: I changed the 'Entrance exam' bit. Also, I may have misread the post on dragons, as is different than "All unicorns attending this school were tested by seeing if they could hatch a dragon egg to get in." Just for future knowledge, hatching a dragon egg (for any reason) will grant a unicorn entrance into the school, but is not necessary for entrance into the school?

Having taken a Meyers-Briggs in college (about a year ago now), I got INTJ. Which is, interestingly enough, Celestia. I am completely fine with this. My zodiac pony (because I didn't know this existed before and find it mildly entertaining) is Twilight Sparkle. I am fine with this as well. All in all, I think it came out well for me, though I don't put much stock in zodiac signs.

Shade didn't notice the footsteps, hadn't been trained to look for or pay attention to such small things. All of her ability with stealth was natural, and she had only ever had to use it against those bigger than herself, and not necessarily as intelligent. "Die flight vas gut," she answered, oblivious to their shadow. "Ve hit ein snow storm, und many of die passengers ver terrified ov it. But die captain managed to calm dem down vell." She tilted her head to the side for a short moment, her equivalent of a shrug. "It felt vonderful, to be out on die deck in dat storm." Turning her head to look at Verity, she gave the zebra a brief smile. "It vas ein novel experience," she stated. "Quite enjoyable. I vill admit, not taking die airships vill be less fun. Though I haff never been on ein train before. I vuld imagine dey are more stable den ein airship, vat vith being on die ground und all?"

Radiant Chord landed a little ways off from a side entrance to the convention, a burly Pegasus on either side of her. Her mane had been done up in a pile on her head, and her tail had been braided, so that all in all she looked like a bit like a fashion model waiting for the rest of her attendants to finish preparing her for a run, but it was a small price to pay to be able to go to the Daring Do convention. Convention. That word still had the power to fill her with excitement. Radiant wouldn't classify herself as a fan-filly of Daring Do, but she had enjoyed the books. No, what excited her more was being able to get off of the family estate and do something she wanted to do. "Now, puh-lease try to blend in?" she asked the two black-suited guards-ponies who had accompanied her to the convention. "I know this may sound strange to you, but I don't want you herding me around, or keeping me from talking to other ponies or anything like that." One of the stallions went to say something, but quickly closed his mouth as Radiant glared at him. "Yes, I know I have the concert later. I'll be back stage plenty early for the make-up ponies to work on me, don't worry. And if I'm not... well, then you can bother me. But not before, alright? Unless it's something really important." Giving the stallions another glare, she turned and trotted into the convention, a badge already around her neck, reading 'Guest: Radiant Chord'. It was just starting to fill up with ponies, as the badge line began to move, the sound from outside the convention a veritable muted roar of excitement. Trotting off to one side, where hopefully no pony would see her, she did her best to slip into the influx of ponies unnoticed. After all, she didn't want to draw too much attention to herself. If she had, she would've asked her father for more handlers, and wouldn't have told them to leave her be. Taking a few moments to look around at all the stands set up, and all of the various costumes that her fellow convention-going-ponies were wearing, Radiant was amazed by how detailed, elaborate, and true to the books everything was. The pony in front of her made her do a double-take, even, and she had to convince herself that it was not, in fact, Daring Do. And the pony next to them! She had to remember to find out who had made that Princess Coruscate Veil costume, because that was a pony she would like to hire for her costume design for other performances.

Shade tilted her head to one side, thinking the issue over. While bits weren't a real concern for her, she didn't like spending more than she had to for something like this, and the idea of a more homey inn was definitely appealing. The coffee had helped warm her back up, and the brownie had given her a nice spring to her step. Nodding to herself, she flashed a quick smile. "I dink Rasya vuld be gut," she replied, apparently not noticing anything different. "Und besides... ein nice valk vuld be gut. Meine legs are still stiff from dat airship. Vuld du care to lead die vay?"

Roleplay Type: Equestria Main Rp Name: Jade Gemforge Sex: Female Age: Teenager Species: Earth Dragon Coat Color: Her scales are a uniform dark green color. Markings Color/Style: Veins of pale-green, almost white, run over her body, giving her a marbled look. A small ridge of pale-green horns run above both eyes, with a matching ridge running down the center of her back halfway down her tail. Eye Color: A startling, deep blue. Cutie Mark: None, she's a dragon. Physique: Jade is a large, though low-slung, dragon. Measuring ten feet long from the tip of her snout to the end of her tail, she's only roughly three feet tall. If she stretches her legs as much as she can, she can reach roughly four and a half feet in height, but there's no real reason for her to do such a thing. A large, triangular head sits at the end of a short neck, only allowing a limited arc of side-to-side movement. Her front shoulders, and fore-limbs, are massive and heavily muscled, her back legs smaller in size though still powerful. Her tail makes up six feet of that imposing length, starting off as large as the rest of her but narrowing down into a surprisingly whip-like tip. Each of her legs end in five claws, and on her front legs one of these claws is positioned, and capable of being used, much like a thumb. Origin: A small cave system to the east of Dodge Junction. Occupation: Gem and jewelry merchant. Motivation: To make intricate, beautiful jewelry, eat delicious gems, and generally not be bothered. Likes: Gold, gems (specifically fire opals and jade), books, and showing off her creations to others. Dislikes: The rain, high places, and crowds. Character Summary: Discovered as an egg in the mountains surrounding Canterlot, the pony who found it was a young Unicorn foal, who stumbled upon the egg as it was about to hatch. Her first waking moment saw her face to face with the startled, and somewhat frightened, Unicorn, and because she didn't know any better, Jade decided that this Unicorn must be related to her. In time, she would learn she was a different species, but in the early days she didn't care. Jade's early life was like that of any other young dragon raised by ponies. Given the name Jade at birth for her hide color and markings, she followed the unicorn that had hatched her, one she often thought of as 'her' unicorn instead of the other way around, exploring Canterlot with them and even helped her with her studies from time to time. However, as the years passed she realized that a life spent mostly in a library or the big city wasn't a life for her, and began to explore outside of Canterlot, in the mountains surrounding the shining city. Every day she would go out and explore, and every day she would bring back some gems, her prizes of that adventure, until it soon got to the point where the room she and her unicorn shared was filled with them. Realizing that the gems were being wasted by sitting there, and that she was starting to drive her unicorn up the wall due to the lack of space, Jade went out into Canterlot, searching for something to use her gems for. Eventually, she found it, a purpose she could eagerly devote her 'prizes' towards. Jade had discovered a small, custom jewelry shop, the "Silvyr Smyth", where she found two ponies who were willing to teach her the art of jewelry making, and she spent many a happy day there, learning the craft. Then came the fateful day, graduation at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. As they had grown apart, after graduation Jade and the pony she would always think of as 'her unicorn' went their separate ways, Jade off to find a location she could set up a shop of her own, and the unicorn to the alabaster towers and scholars of Canterlot to continue their quest for knowledge. Jade spent many months searching for a place to settle down, until she finally found the perfect cavern, located between Dodge Junction and a nearby Diamond Dog settlement. Carving a home for herself in the caves, Jade settled into a comfortable, if somewhat unusual, relationship with the nearby ponies and the Diamond Dogs. Given her size and species, the Dogs wouldn't bother her, and thanks to her innate desire to wander, she would often trade them rare and exotic gems for some of the more common local ones, which she would craft into jewelry and the occasional sculpture to sell to ponies across Equestria. Personality Being raised primarily among pony-kind, Jade has a friendly and cheerful exterior, often able to slip right in to pony society thanks to this. However, beneath this exterior facade is a temper to match any dragon, and a mind that doesn't forget past slights easily. It takes a bit to break through her facade, but when it happens she often ends up doing things she regrets, such as yelling at a friend or breaking something she cared about. While she doesn't find it hard to apologize, she doesn't often do so, believing that apologizing often dilutes the sincerity of any apologies.

Shade smiled at the advice Verity's mother had given her. It sounded a lot like something her mother would say. "Vell den, shall ve be off, looking for ein inn?" The dull glow around her horn faded away, and color seemed to leak back into the room around her. Getting to her hooves, she stretched her legs a bit, lifting up the coffee cup with her magic so she could carry it with her, since she still wasn't done with it. "Might du know ov one near by?" she asked. One of the ponies in the small cafe looked at her strangely, before shaking his head.

Hmm... I have some minor experience with conventions... would a concert be out of the question for one such as this?

Cinnamon Love trotted through the streets of Ponyville, taking a moment to stretch her legs and enjoy the sunny day. She was supposed to catch a train in a little while, one that would take her to Canterlot for a conference, but she was several days early and had decided to take it easy on her trip. And what better place to take a break than Ponyville? It had been years since she had set hoof in Ponyville, her last trip a weekend excursion with some boarding-school friends, and my how the place had grown. True, it still had that small town feel that she rather enjoyed, but it was much larger than she had remembered. As she trotted down the street, Cinnamon's eyes were drawn to a large, bright sign, reading "Grand Opening". Interested, she headed over, trying to make out the name of the store as she did so. Narrowing her eyes on the name, a smile curled up her mouth, and she nearly walked right into a grey-maned pony before she realized how close she had gotten. "Oh, do pardon me," she apologized, bowing her head at the grey-maned pony before looking at the other. "I was just passing through when I saw the sign, and I'm afraid I got so wrapped up in it I didn't look where I was going." Giving her head a light toss to get an errant strand of mane out of her face, she gave both ponies a bright smile. "I hope I haven't interrupted anything?"

"Ein griffon ist smaller dan ein dragon," Shade replied with a chuckle. "I vuld not vorry too much about dat. Und du... du are too kind." She gave Verity a friendly smile, even dipping her head lightly. "Dat du vuld help eine random pony so much... it ist much appreciated." Horn still glowing dully, she finished off her brownie and had another sip of coffee. "I vuld imagine dat it vuld be too late for either die bakery or dis 'REIN' du speak ov?"

That was... surprisingly entertaining, actually. WhiteSlash, I applaud you for finding this.

Shade followed Verity's example, taking a moment to eat a bit more of that delicious brownie, and drink a sip of coffee, thinking it over. "As dangerous as ein dragon attack?" she asked, before taking another sip of coffee. "I think... I can deal vith danger. Und using meine talents... no matter how 'dangerous' it may be... would be far more enjoyable den simply verking as ein baker's assistant." "Consider meine interested."

Shade took it all in, listening patiently, hiding her growing excitement. She even nodded her head once or twice, at the end of one of Verity's sentences. "Ja, I know," she said as Verity finished, making no effort to lower her voice from normal conversation levels. "I haff alvays vondered vat I vuld do vith meine 'special talent'." "Und to verk with those who know vat du can do, und are not... concerned by it..." she trailed off, looking directly at Verity, her gaze calculating. "It vuld be a nice... change of pace." Taking a drink of coffee, the corner of her lips curled up from the taste. "I vuld enjoy travel. Stalliongard ist nice... but it reminds me ein bit much of home. Und dere vas danger enuff in die hills about dat Stadt. Sneaking I am good at..." There were a few other ponies in the coffee house, one of them sitting rather close to Shade and Verity, but no pony seemed to even realize they were there. Come to think of it, the area around Shade and the table did look a bit... grayed out. "Und pay... ist eine small vorry. As long as it ist enuff to live comfortably."

"Non-military government organization..." Shade echoed, tilting her head to one side ever so slightly, her eyes narrowing a bit. "Dat... zounds interesting." A smile curled up the corners of her lips, and her horn glowed dully. "Nein, I haff nevar heard of such an organization. But it does zound interesting." Watching Verity's reaction, she chuckled softly. She had noticed the clear drop in volume from the zebra, and had decided to play upon a hunch. "Und du don't haff to talk so quietly, Verity. Ve vont be overheard." "Now... vould du be able to tell me more?" Picking up the brownie with a hoof, she took a bite of it, watching the zebra.

"Gut," Shade replied, giving a small nod of her head. She thought she could make out the coffee shop ahead, but it could have been just another pool of light from some random building in the darkness for all she knew. Grey Shade was rather happy that she had run into the zebra, when she thought about it. "Eine pastry sounds vonderful." As they approached the pool of light, she could see that it was in fact the coffee shop. Or at least a coffee shop. Opening the door with her magic, she let Verity in first before following, the door closing with a small chime. Approaching the counter, she ordered a coffee, as strong as they made it, and after a moment of browsing the small selection of baked goods, also bought a brownie. Paying for the food, Shade walked over to a table near the front window of the shop, her purchases floating behind her. "I hope I do not sound rude, but I am curious," she said as Verity sat down after her own purchases. "Vut do you do here in Stalliongard?"

Hmm... that can be viewed several ways. None offending (at least to me), but I may have written something similar to this a while ago. I must go see if I can find it anymore...

Also, thank you CrescentBlaze. I fear I focused a bit much on European history in general for that one, but it's what I know best.

Pony related is not a requirement by a long-shot. If you want to post it, or a synopsis of it or some such, I won't stop you. After all, this thread is really supposed to be for me getting new ideas for poems.

So, this is a semi-rough-draft. It's gone through a few revisions, but I still don't think it's really complete yet. Lady History - Idea thanks to CrescentBlaze A loud cry wailing in the dawn, small, tender hand reaching pulls herself into the light, Child kneeling on the rocky shore, the twig in their hand scrapes and drags through wet sand, forming pictures, symbols They rise and the world rises with them giants of stone brick, shouldering aside the raw sand and dirt forming graceful larches grand halls sweeping colonnades A great wind howling like a thousand caged demons blasts those halls, those pillars of enforced might Sends them crashing down Sends the girl running, mindless into caves, to huddle venturing outside only briefly, only for the smallest amount fearing retribution from above She carves into those damp walls carving mockeries of the palace that once was the palace from dreams, and memory Digging deeper always deeper cavern floor stained red by the sharp rocks And deep within, enclosed by long-dead stone, the growing child rediscovers wonder rediscovers faith in the gleaming metal she finds the black, bubbling liquid covering herself, helps her to ignore the pain from digging as she slowly, meticulously bends the metal to her will Silence had descended upon the surface rain drips into the roughly carved, red floor from deep within comes a scratch and another, and another and the girl, now a young woman, returns metal clinging to her sealing old wounds and causing new as she hauls machine after machine out from the depths, burning gaze fixed upon the sky Upon the stars she claims as her own.

"I vould be in your debt," Shade replied, the hint of a smile on her face. "Und I must admit, the idea of being in ein bakery vonce more... it does sound appealing." The look on her face grew wistful for a moment. "Dere ist nothing nicer than die smell ov fresh brot in die morgen." Grey Shade fell silent for a few moments, looking around the street they were walking down. She could tell of a difference in the style of building, less like industrial warehouses and factories and more like shops, though still with a utilitarian look to them. "Vould ve be getting closer to die... vut vas it... Veya District?"

"Nein," Shade replied with a shake of her head. "I had planned on finding ein inn, or some such... und paying for meine stay vith either bits or verk. Ist not meine special talent, but I am decent at baking." 'Guard ponies,' she thought, giving a little internal nod. It made sense, but she still had no desire to go near them, much less be seen by them. As she had learned during her youth, sometimes it was just better to not be seen at all. "Might du know ov sum place such as that?"