Blueblood

"That's what I'm counting on!" Earth Writer called out after his marefriend as he waved goodbye. Already, the sorrow of parting was mingled with the anticipation of the next meeting, and vague but exciting plans were buzzing around his head. All in all, though, his dominant feeling was happiness, and he whistled a happy tune as he walked home, half-oblivious to his surroundings. *When and where will we meet again?* The stallion thought to himself as he let himself into his flat. *Anywhere will do, and anytime as long as it's soon.* There might have been the makings of a poem in there, but he drifted off into a happy dream before he thought to write it out. (Thread Concluded)

Earth Writer enthusiastically returned Sugar Apple's hug, unaware that theirs was only one of several farewells happening on the station. He had no desire to take his attention off her, even for a moment, especially now. "Mmm, it's certainly been my best ever Hearts and Hooves day, for sure." Like the pegasus mare, this was the first time he'd had anything like a special somepony to spend this day, or for that matter, any other day, with. *Oh yes, I could definitely get used to this.* He pulled back, to get a look into her eyes, before leaning in to give her a kiss goodbye. It the most deliberate kiss of the evening, not sudden or pushing, but unmistakably sincere. He pulled away as the first whistle of the train pierced their ears. "Thank you," Earth Writer said to her, "For a most wonderful day."

All right, then. Hope things come together soon!

Earth Writer didn't care enough of his idle theory to give it another thought. After all, it wasn't all that important, not near so important as the fact that he was with Sugar Apple, or that she would shortly have to depart. "Well, yes," he agreed hesitantly, "I hadn't thought of that, but... if you did fly away, I shouldn't be able to see you off." He blushed in the streetlight glow. It was such a small point, he knew, but he would like to at least give her a good send-off at the station. That was a thing you did, when your date came to visit you by train, right? "It's not so far." He hastened to assure her. "Just a few minutes's walk, really." Indeed, a low shriek of a whistle could just be heard over the rooftops, though getting there was a roundabout affair, which involved at least one cut through an alley, though not a long or dirty one. And then, turning a corner, the couple were just in the blazing lights near the platform. "There you are, see? And it's only 6:50, too, plenty of time to catch the train." He stepped back with a flourish, as if he had just conjured the entire station from his hat.

Ignition was quick to answer his questions, and though her spitfire nature had a way of taking him aback, he had to admit it did put him at his ease to know he was in the hooves of a professional. Seemed that he was late in the set, which was alright with him. It was even something of a relief to know he wasn't the only non-rock act; his more dreamy electronica might have not been received well if the audience was expecting something high-energy all night. "[colour=#40E0D0]All right. It's not just keyboards though.[/colour]" He gestured one of the roadies over to his case where his stuff was packed, where he drew out a flight breathing mask and a microphone. "[colour=#40E0D0]It took me a while to figure out how to connect them so they got the right sound. Not too muffled or distorted, but more out of the mind than the mouth, you know?[/colour]" Truth be told, the sound wasn't that different from a more-or-less simple production effect, but done on the performance rather than the recording end, which gave it a subtle air of authenticity that it might not have otherwise had. He'd heard the sound before on the radio, but had to re-create it in his workshop without knowing how it was really done. He put it together, and showed it to the room as he spoke through it. [colour=#40E0D0]"My dad had a lot of things laying around in his workshop; I built most of my gear out of his leftovers.[/colour]"

Advice noted. I try not to take cross-country buses in any case, unless they've been privately commissioned.

(BTW, here's the street from Belgrade I based the scene on. The restaurant's real too, and was very good) The pair stayed to listen, as the strains could be heard through the open doors of the restaurant. [colour=#8b4513]*One day, I'm going to take her to dinner here... maybe.* [/colour]Earth Writer[colour=#000000] didn't want to sound too arrogant, even to himself, but it was exactly the sort of place he could picture her enjoying.[/colour] [colour=#000000]For more reasons than one, as it turned out. He raised an interested eyebrow as Sugar Apple recognized the old song, and recalled the old legend behind it. "[/colour][colour=#8b4513]I've heard something of it, though more about how they spread those seeds all over Equestria. One of my professors, the one that actually got me interested in Geography in the first place, actually, suggested that the Zap Apple trees were descended from an old orchard seeded in ancient times that the forest swallowed and changed magically.[/colour][colour=#000000]" He shrugged. "[/colour][colour=#8b4513]I don't know myself, but it makes for a good story, don't you think?[/colour][colour=#000000]"[/colour] [colour=#000000]The last chorus floated out the door into the night, and the unicorn nudged his date to follow. "[/colour][colour=#8b4513]I don't want you to have to rush for the last train. These streets can be a little treacherous if you take them too quickly.[/colour][colour=#000000]" [/colour]

They say you never forget your first big gig, and Fetrock certainly was leaving it's impression on Sky Sailing. Up until now, all he'd done was make a few EP's in his basement, and played at a few small shows for his friends. Apparently, he'd impressed them, since they all chipped in to pay his travel expenses to come here. He re-adjusted the black cap and goggles that were part of his stage gear, rubbing the road dust off them. As a starting act, he'd had to carry all his own stuff up until now, and he gazed with no small amount of awe at the roadies as Ignition made her introduction. Other acts were around him, some he recognized, which the whole experience that much more surreal. [colour=#40e0d0]*Well, my songs fit the occasion, at least.*[/colour] He was one of the first that had a question, and he put it after taking a few deep breaths. "[colour=#40e0d0]Um, what order are we going in? My setup's kind of elaborate, and it's hard to move when it's fully put together. Is there a place where it can be set up out of sight so that you don't have to haul it all the way from backstage?[/colour]" He wasn't sure how naive the question sounded; the pegasus was obviously quite new to the concert scene, at least from this side of the stage.

It was true, Earth Writer had to admit. If he hadn't tried to get an apple during the race, there wouldn't have been that first meeting, from which came everything else. "[colour=#8b4513]From such small beginnings do great things grow. Much like a seed, now that I think about it.[/colour]" He ended his musings with a grin, reflecting the light of the lamps. "[colour=#8b4513]I don't what what fruit this is going to bear, but I'll love finding out![/colour]" As he led Sugar Apple through the less-traveled thoroughfares, he paused at each street sign to check his bearings. "[colour=#8b4513]There's one more thing I want you to see before you go. It really takes a local to know how remarkable it is- ah![/colour]" The pair had arrived at a quaint and uneven street, roughly paved with cobbles, but cheerily lit, with strains of music coming from a lighted restaurant further down. "[colour=#8b4513]This is the Appia, the oldest street in Canterlot. Most of the others, especially near the aristocratic quarter, have been torn up or renovated or remade, but most of these stones were the same as they were when first laid[/colour]." He pointed a hoof at the restaurant, whose sign had not words, only a picture of three hats. "[colour=#8b4513]I don't know if that's the oldest restaurant, but it's one of the best. Not an everyday sort of thing, and I couldn't have afforded it, save that the paper treated us all to New Year's Dinner there, but it's not snobby in any way, and the food is both good and plentiful. There's even live music most nights, as you can hear.[/colour]" He stopped for a moment to listen to the strains of a fiddle and guitar, playing out an old folk song of the mountains, possibly older than the city itself.

"[colour=#8b4513]Hm...[/colour]" Earth Writer stood for a while with Sugar Apple, waiting for the University crowds to pass by. Memories of his own student days came back to him, and he had to chuckle at the contrast. "[colour=#8b4513]I wasn't much part of the party crowd myself; my floormates would usually have to drag me out to whatever was going on, if they could get me away from whatever I was studying at the time.[/colour]" The stallion shrugged, his face thoughtful. "[colour=#8b4513]I have to wonder, would we have looked at each other twice if we'd met back then? Life sure is full of surprises.[/colour]" The streets had begun to thin out when Earth Writer offered a hoof to his date, and began to escort her across the street. The setting sun had thrown the narrow passageways into shadow, and already the streetlights were illuminated, reflecting light onto the cobblestones from the many windows facing the street. "[colour=#8b4513]Now, if I remember, there's a shortcut through these streets back to the station. The plaza can get crowded at night, and we might not get through the press if we take the main thoroughfare."[/colour]

I can contribute a couple: Might Batsman and Wordsworth Psmith

Hm, I've been looking for a thread I could bring Sky Sailing into as a musician, and this seems to fit the bill very nicely! I may contribute a character or two to the audience as well, but I'm not sure which ones at present.

That's very interesting! I don't have much in specific in the way of commentary; most of my character development tends to happen in RP's; a lot of the time simply interacting with other players will bring out facets of a character that I hadn't considered much in profile writing, or suggest routes of development that I would never have thought of on my own. What sort of things Virtue's travel companions would bring out of him might prove interesting. Perhaps a nakama would give him guidance towards operating in a family?

Earth Writer grinned. "[colour=#8b4513]That's one of the joys of travel, isn't it? Finding the things we didn't expect. Have to admit, it did take me by surprise when I saw it, too. Comes from growing up in a small town, I guess.[/colour]" His date's comment about coffee table books caused him to take a closer look at the selection. "[colour=#8b4513]Hm, not much here today on that. But yeah, I know what you mean. I have an atlas at home; I really like maps myself, especially the old hoof-drawn ones. I could spend an hour taking in the details.[/colour]" He smiled in reminiscence as the pair moved slowly along. "[colour=#8b4513]Kind of takes me back; when I was school, I'd finish work before most of the students, and spend the minutes between assignments staring at the world map, just thinking about all the different places it showed.[/colour]" A few more blocks brought them to the University Boulevard, a wide street cutting through the smaller neighborhoods, linking the colleges to the Plaza. A lot of students were streaming down towards Downtown Canterlot, as classes had mostly let off for the evening. Many of them had dates, and were taking them to such places as they could afford on an undergraduate's budget. Earth Writer thought he recognized a professor or two in the crowd as well. "[colour=#8b4513]Did you bring a camera with you? This would make a fine picture.[/colour]"

All righty then!

I might bring in Earth Writer to this, if there's still room in the venue.