Andifferous

Things were looking bad. Of all the ponies who could still fight, he was the only one unarmed. He kept toward the back, closer toward Winter. Dusty knew at this point their best bet was going to be to try and negotiate, or at the very least wait for a proper opportunity to escape. In his mind he poured over memories of various adventure stories that he had read, hoping for some sort of inspiration, some sort of similar scenario. The diamond dogs were definitely a threat, but they could be quickly outpaced, and at least in his and winter's case, outflown. The gryphons however were a very different story, skilled flyers and far too coordinated to simply try and fly away from. Chances were they could probably outperform the pegasus in the air if it came to straight up maneuvering, and in his current state he doubted Winter would last very long in the air. The only hope he could see was in waiting for the right moment and using as much trickery as they could possibly muster to escape the gryphons.

Dusty grimaced a bit. "They'll be down in a minute Winter." he said, The other pegasus was definitely out of it. He nodded to the others as they joined the two pegasi on the ground, "Does Dunder need a lift down?" he asked, before their leader landed a couple paces away. "guess not." he said. Then suddenly things began to happen, first the rope fell, then orders to get in formation. The next thing he knew the whole place was lit up, and absolutely filled with armed diamond dogs. The gryphons were the icing on the cake, and for a few moments he just looked around, taking all of this in. "Well this is certainly something." he said, feeling definitely worried, but at the same time, more than a little excited, a voice in the back of his mind reminding him that this was the sort of adventure he fantasized about. Nevertheless, this was real and not some daydream, and thus far more dangerous.

Semolina practically beamed at the compliments from the older mare; sure she got plenty of smiles and thanks from other customers, but it was rare for anyone to say so many nice things about her store like this. Pleased that Gray had everything that she needed for now she started trot back to the counter, a bit more of a spring in her step than usual, Her ears perked up a bit at the chime of the door again, turning to deliver a warm smile to the mare who had just walked in, this one another earth pony, with a vibrantly colored coat and mane. Quickly Semolina made her way behind the counter, standing ready for whatever her new guest wanted to have. With two customers in such quick succession she started to get hopeful; maybe it would turn into a busy day after all. She saw that this new customer seemed a bit unsure of what to do, so she stepped back a little bit, allowing a better view of the rack that ran along the wall behind the counter, each item on her menu clearly labeled and priced.

"Dusty, thats right." Dusty said in relief as Winter began to speak. "Just take it easy. You uh, found a secret passage and decided to explore it with your face, from what I could tell." he said. helping support the other pegasus. "Right now we're at the bottom of this hole you found, passage goes straight down. Others are on the way." He said, hearing Muggo and Dunder shouting back and forth. It was another moment or two before Muggo' touched down, and Dusty waved him over. "Think you might have a bit of a concussion too Winter. Are you hurt anywhere else?" he asked, "Good to stand at least?"

Dusty could make out winter down below, laying on a gravel patch just under a ledge in the dark depths. He flared out his wings fully to slow his descent, landing next to the injured pegasus. He started to speak before remembering there was a torch in his mouth; quickly he dug the base of it into the gravel so it would stand upright. "Still with us Winter?" he asked, looking over the pegasus. "Hey stay with it now." He said, nudging his injured comrade, urging him to try and stay conscious. Gently he coaxed Winter to stand up, holding most of the pony's weight. "Dunder!" He shouted back up the tunnel above. "I think he's got a concussion!" He called. "I can't really tell how hurt he is otherwise!"

That odd cracking sound made Dusty's ears perk straight up, and he turned around just in time to see his fellow pegasus disappear into the dark hole. At Dunder's order, Dusty was off in an instant, scooping up the torch and jumping into the hole. This was probably the worst possible way to discover such an entrance, especially since from the yelling Winter was probably injured. The gray pegasus descended with his wings half folded, hopefully he'd be able to catch up to Winter faster this way. Hopefully the light from the torch would allow him to get a clear idea of just how far it was yet for him to fall.

Dusty nodded a bit, taking a deep breath before starting to look around the ledge, occasionally glancing back in the direction he had seen that red glint earlier. He started poking at any rocks that stood out, or lifting ones that were loose, searching for any sort of opening or trigger. He wasn't entirely sure what he would find, and if their attackers were able to fly this might be a pointless search.

The young mare couldn't help but smile broadly at the compliments, a slight blush tinging her cheeks. Cozy and welcoming was exactly what she had wanted the little bakery to be, and it always pleased her to know she was accomplishing just that. She finished ringing up the order, letting her visitor find herself a seat. It was a few more minutes before the coffee was finished brewing, the machine giving a quiet -ting!- as its timer ran out. Carefully she brought over a small tray with the pot and an empty mug for Gray, and set them gently on the table. It was clear from her focus on the actions that she'd learned the hard way not to move to fast with hot coffee.

Semolina nodded at Gray's request, smiling at the compliments toward her baking as she quickly putting on a pot of coffee. It would be a few minutes, but she'd bring it over to her customer when it was ready. In the mean time she rang up the price, coming out to about five bits. Thankfully she'd gotten her hands on a register with nice clear numbers and labels, so it was easy to understand exactly what was being rung up. Flipping through her notepad she turned back toward the front, -I'm Semolina Flour, Its a pleasure to meet you!- Was written on the page. It seemed like the first half of the notepad was filled with phrases she would end up using on a regular basis. She was a little surprised to have somepony with such a prestigious occupation in her little store, but then everypony could use a break once in a while.

Dusty shook his head a bit, trying to clear the dizziness from the lack of fresh air in that narrow tunnel. Out into the open air he took a couple of deep breaths, blinking a few times to let his vision clear. Huh.. Well what do you make of that?" he asked to nobody in particular, looking around. The map in his mind made sense enough, although it was still strange that the cave would lead up here like this. What would they have found had they gone further down? That seemed like it would be a question for later though. At the moment it was good to be able to stretch his wings and look around.

The sound of the little bell over the bakery door stirred Semolina from her bored reverie, causing her to let out a surprised gasp. Quickly she sat up, offering her customer a broad smile. She was an older mare that Semolina hadn't seen before; probably someone who was just visiting Trottingham. It was a little surprising to see someone visiting the vacation town this late in the year, but then she probably wished to avoid the crowds that could develop during the summer months. The brown-maned earth pony nodded at her customer's request, quickly taking the loaf that she had indicated and cutting a few thick slices. Setting them on a wooden tray, she slid them into the oven for a few moments to get them good and warm. While the bread was being heated, she pulled out a little notepad from under the counter, and flipped through it, before setting it down in front of her customer; -Anything else that I can get for you today?- Was written in neat clean writing on the open page. Turning back to the oven she carefully withdrew the warmed up slices from the oven with a large wood spatula, before setting them on a simple china plate, along with some butter and jam. Picking up the plate she brought it over to the counter next to her customer, giving a warm, if slightly shy smile. (also sorry for the delay, didn't have this watched for some reason.)

Dusty walked along quietly, his attention focused on keeping track of where they were. As they walked along he looked along his side of the cave, although he regularly looked around, eyes playing over the interior of the tunnel. To an unobservant pony it might seem like he wasn't paying attention, simply looking around like an inattentive child, but in his head he was piecing together a mental map of the cave, every rock that stuck out, every unusual shaped crack in the stone, anything that could be used as a navigational cue was noted.

Looking for a pony or two to join the thread I just started here: Welcome to just about anypony, just post here first!

The weather was nice and sunny on this crisp cool day in Trottingham; one of the first days in fall, the town was already considerably quieter than it had been only a week ago, as most of the seasonal residents and vacationing ponies had started to leave for the coming winter. Nevertheless, it was a welcome change, transforming Trottingham from bustling vacation hotspot to sleepy lakeside town, and residents who stayed here year round enjoyed the more relaxed pace. It had been a good summer for Semolina, and her little bakery had proven itself quite prosperous in its first season; many ponies both visiting and living in Trottingham seemed to enjoy stopping in every morning for a few slices of warm bread, or a fresh bagel. This morning was a quiet one though, the usual morning rush of ponies who wanted something to eat was greatly diminished, and regular business itself was rather slow. The slow day as beginning to take its toll on the baker mare. The shop was small; the kitchen area took up about half of the front of the shop, divided from the rest by the large oak countertop. She hadn't bothered to put up a wall or divider to hide the kitchen, since the ability to watch the baking take place seemed to draw in more customers. The rest of the shop was occupied by a handful of small tables, for customers who wanted to sit and relax while they ate or waited for their orders. A few baskets sat in the front window, displaying some goods, while the rest of the breads neatly organized in a rack next to the kitchen area, on clear display for any customers. Decorations in the shop were sparse, but tasteful, and the warm aroma of baking bread hung perpetually in the air. Semolina stretched a bit, looking around the empty shop as the clock struck noon. The shop was completely empty, all her orders were ready to go, and the regular stock of bread was finished, leaving her with nothing to do. With a bored sigh she sat behind the counter, resting her chin on the heavy oak, a bored look across her face. With a frown she blew a stray lock of hair that had chosen to settle in front of her eyes. She sat there for what seemed like hours, the dull ticking of the clock in the corner lulling her into an almost trance-like state. Of course all of that was forgotten the instant the door was opened, the little bell on it jarring her back to reality. Happily she quickly sat up to greet her visitor with a broad smile. (would like for this to be something simple; making friends, simple dayto-day adventure/shennanigans, ect)

Dusty was about to take off, but seeing Winter was already off he held back, opting to continue looking around, He stayed close though, well within reach of the torchlight. He was pleased when Winter brought his vest back, quickly shrugging into it, although it took him a minute to get his wings through the crudely cut slits he had made for them. "Thats better." he said, adjusting the vest a little bit, He chuckled softly at the banter between Dunder and Muggo'; it seemed like the fall hadn't really damaged the larger pony's spirits.

Dusty nodded. He wasn't having nearly as much trouble with Midnight as he had holding up Dunder, but then Dunder was also at least as big as he was. The cave was a good sign and as soon as Dunder gave the word he flew in, setting down Midnight. Curiously he began to look around, although in the dim light provided by the torch he couldn't really see too much of his surroundings. Once they were all in the cave he came over to see if he could help out at all with Muggo's injuries, although beyond bandaging it up he wasn't really sure what he would be able to provide.

Dusty frowned a little as he was blocked, but didn't argue. Dunder was probably right, better to not rush in blindly in a situation like this. Thankfully It seemed that Muggo wasn't too far down there, and still conscious. Still, an injured leg would make travel rather Nodding a bit in response to Dunder's order, he walked over to midnight, "Ready when you are Miss Midnight." he said. Once she was ready with a light, he took a deep breath before taking flight, scooping her up under the forelegs and beginning a descent into the hole. "Alright lets see what the situation is down here." he said, wings beating at a slow steady rate to keep the descent easy and slow.

I might be interested, depends on what could be worked out story-wise.

"Just hold still Dunder, I'll make this fast." he said, before gritting his teeth as he guided the injured wing into the proper folded position and bound it tight to Dunder's body. He did his best to make sure the bone was lined up properly under the bindings; at the very least it would help make the job of healing the wing much easier when they got to a doctor. Muggo's sudden disappearance left Dusty in a state of shock, He hadn't even been paying much attention to the older stallion, and suddenly he was gone. "Oh Celestia..." he breathed, looking around. Impulsive at the best of times, it would be obvious to any of his friends what he was going to do next. Peering over the edge for a moment he took a step back, bracing to dive down after Muggo.

Semolina was already up and at work; the store would open in a little while, and she was getting everything ready, setting up the display in the window, and finishing up the last of the breads to bake for the morning. Stepping out of the kitchen area she gave a wave to the gryphon, before stifling a yawn. The only thing she didn't enjoy about being a baker was getting up so early. But it paid off in the end.

(go for it, just assume semolina moved him to the guest bed at some point)

Semolina gave a silent giggle, but nodded, leading across the hall to a small bathroom. It wasn't huge but it included a small bathtub and all the necessities. From the looks of things it would be a shared bathroom; there were already towels in here hanging by the door, and several soaps by the bathtub. She smiled a little bit and let the filly take care of herself, deciding to go downstairs to check on the sleeping colt.

Semolina shook her head at the question, before gesturing for Sigma to follow. She led the way upstairs, and opened a door near the end of the hallway, revealing a small but furnished bedroom, although it looked like nobody used it, the closet and dresser were both empty and the bed looked like nobody had slept in it. She gave a slight smile, nodding slightly toward the room. If they needed to use the extra bedroom she had up here, then it was fine by her. She wasn't sure why the gryphon had gone off on her own but if she didn't mind sharing she was welcome to stay in here as well.

Semolina was a little surprised when Sigma joined in the hug, but she knew it was well meaning. Holding him tight she simply let the young colt work out his tears. If they didn't have anywhere to stay she intended to offer them the guest bedroom in her home upstairs. It wasn't much but the room wasn't being used for anything otherwise. (and I gotta go for a little bit, family get-together)