Blueblood

Earth Writer shrugged as Greenshot returned. "[colour=#8b4513]I suppose it can't hurt to ask, but it feels presumptuous, somehow...[/colour]" The journalist turned as the green unicorn arrived. "[colour=#8b4513]You're very welcome; thank you for having us, it was truly excellent. I should like to know the cupcake recipe someday, it was superb![/colour]" Directly asking somepony for a secret recipe was gauche, no doubt, but surely admitting interest was only honest, right? Certainly, he couldn't think of any other group of ponies who would value honesty more than the Apple family.

Earth would have picked up the bill, only that everything was marked free. He decided to leave a generous tip, in any case. "[colour=#8b4513]I shall certainly return, and Sugar may come if she likes.[/colour]" He laughed again as they exited.

Evening was just beginning as the pair stepped outside. The sky was still bright, but the buildings and streets seemed darker against it as the sun hit them from an ever-increasing angle. "[colour=#8b4513]The thoroughfares can get crowded at this time, but that's part of the charm in some cities. Still, if you'd like to find a more out-of-the-way spot, I know a few I can show you...[/colour]"

So long Hinata, best of luck in your elsewhere RP's!

Also, I've got Internet back! Hopefully I'll be all caught up here in a few days or so.

We're packing up and moving this week, so I'll be out of contact for a little while, until we get Internet set up in out new place.

(Sounds like we have a plan for the sequel thread!)

Earth Writer laughed. "[colour=#8b4513]I wouldn't take advantage of my poor editors like that! I was just saying that I would be able to help defray any of your travel costs, not having to pay my own.[/colour]" Upon reflection, he supposed that being a factory manager actually gave Sugar Apple a higher salary than he enjoyed currently, it was only chivalrous to offer.

He finished the last bites of his cupcake, licking the crumbs off his lips. "[colour=#8b4513]Mm! That's quite good. I think Canterlot has some of the best specialty cupcakes in Equestria. At least, I've never seen the variety and quality anywhere else than the capital region. I don't know why, but there you are.[/colour]" He shrugged, smiling. "[colour=#8b4513]Just one of those details that show that Canterlot is more than a city of snobs. Ponies ask me sometimes how I can stand living here. If I knew why the cupcakes were so good here, I'd have an answer."[/colour]

Alright, glad to see it's all settled! Flying Brick will be waiting for your arrival.

"[colour=#8b4513]Hm,[/colour]" Earth Writer mused, after Greenshot had given his tale of customer service and left, "[colour=#8b4513]Today has given me a new respect for food service professionals. One has to admire those ponies who work so that others have holidays, especially with all they have to do and deal with.[/colour]" Indeed, a hefty tip seemed hardly sufficient for one so dedicated to making a good Hearts and Hooves day for him and Sugar Apple.

Returning to the main consideration, Earth Writer nodded in agreement to Sugar's Ambitions. "[colour=#8b4513]I'd like to get out there myself, for sure. One of the advantages of being a journalist is that I can take the travels as a business expense, so if you want to see them together...[/colour]" He trailed off, leaving the offer hanging.

"[colour=#8b4513]In fact,[/colour]" The stallion said, lowering his voice, "[colour=#8b4513]Did you know that they've just completed a high-speed rail from here to the Crystal Empire? The paper's looking for a pony to put on the spot, and I think my name may be on the short list. It's not confirmed yet, but if I am sent out on assignment, would you like to come for a visit?[/colour]"

At Heart Healer's answer, Earth Writer nodded. He hadn't expected that answer, but upon reflection, it made perfect sense. "[colour=#8b4513]I suppose, ah, recent events have made for a lot of work for you?" [/colour]If the reply of their tour guide was in any way typical, however, not a lot of Crystal Ponies would be willing to relive those traumatic days.

As the psychologist turned her attention to the most obviously... eccentric pony among them, Earth turned his attention to the tour guide, noting what she said about the fields, and responding with his own questions. "[colour=#8b4513]How is the cropland allocated, or is it all held in common? Is the soil uniform, or are certain regions better for certain crops? Is there any tradition of fermentation?[/colour]" The last question was more personal than professional; a nice bottle of something would make a good gift for some ponies back home...

(Do you have any plans for where you want to take this?)

Might looked inquiringly at Psmith at Long Drive's account of their meeting. "[colour=#996699]It is true, that such destinations are not usual for the sightseer in Manehattan, but what of that? Is it not the company that makes the place worth staying at? Even a waiting room is preferable to being lost and alone, and I rather enjoyed the spark he added to the conversation.[/colour]"

"[colour=#0000cd]Another pair of ears for you, eh?[/colour]" The cricketer looked sympathetically at the golfer. "[colour=#0000cd]He jaws a lot, but he's a good sort. Helped me ought of a couple of tight jams when I first arrived. Good colt to have with you in a crisis[/colour]."

The supervisor's answer was satisfying enough to Sky Sailing, until he realized that he didn't really know what were "normal" winds for this part of town. The turbulence probably wouldn't help either, but since he was in the delivery task force, the light blue stallion would probably have to "wing it" anyway.

However, another suspicion was beginning to trouble Sky. It began when the cyan mare began going on about the dire situation, and was only reinforced by the fact that Princess Luna herself had come in person. As he looked at the alicorn, half listening, the doubt in his mind grew. [colour=#40e0d0]*Am I awake? Maybe I'm dreaming; it can't really be that serious... would they trust me if it was?*[/colour]

There was an ever-present kind of dreamy fog between Sky's ears, derived mostly from his trouble sleeping. The waking world was made a little more surreal, and the sleeping world more prosaic, so that he could hardly tell the difference sometimes. [colour=#40e0d0]*But either way, I don't want to disappoint the Princess.*[/colour]

With that thought, he gave a wave towards the platform at the end of Luna's speech. "[colour=#40e0d0]Will do!"[/colour] He said, probably summing up the feelings of everypony present. [colour=#40e0d0]*If this is a dream, let's make it a good one!*[/colour]

@ Kodokuna: Thanks for giving them a listen! I've always felt HoH needed more people to give them a try.

@ ivi: Fun fact, I actually based one of my OC's, Sky Sailing, on Adam (the name probably was a little obvious...)

I'm always interested in seeing how these things impact different people. Thanks for all your responses!

We all have that one album, right? The one that doesn't just shape our musical tastes, but our opinions and attitudes towards life. I'd like to hear about yours, so I suppose I'll start with mine.

For me, this was that album:

Oh boy, where do I start with this? Well, to start with, it is an absolutely awesome Rock album, and the band House of Heroes is most certainly the real deal as far that goes. No digital manipulation or auto-tune, the studio recordings are a one-mic affair, with as much time spent as is needed to get the harmonies right. The lyrics are creative, thoughtful, and all are put together to serve a thematic unity, which is not something that you often see these days. And the lead vocalist, Tim Skipper, is amazing. I'm not going to do an in-depth review right now (as that's not the point of the topic), but if you've never given this band a try before, go and pick this one up. You will not regret it.

So why was this so influential to me? Well, I had just turned 17 when it came out. I don't think I was really aware of it at the time, but that was when I really started thinking about my attitude towards life, and my own identity, for that matter. I was really starting to become aware of the greater political world, as well, and since I would be eligible to vote the year after, there was room for development there as well.

I first heard this when a friend of mine played it in his car stereo, but I didn't really listen in any in-depth fashion until I picked it up for myself. "The End is Not the End" is more or less based around the concept "Love and War in the 20th century." I hadn't heard either love or war songs like this before. "Baby's a Red" may be the only love song written about a Christian and a Communist, for one thing; and it was impressive how well the band can do two things so thematically separated as hope and joy in the midst of oppression in "Leave You Now," and a joyless dissipation in the pursuit of mere pleasure in "Faces."

But the heart of the album is in three tracks: "In the Valley of the Dying Sun," "Code Name: Raven," and "By Your Side." Each of them deal with a man who has to face the guilt, terror, and losses incurred in war, respectively. All are set in WWII, or near that era. Having wrestled with my attitudes on war itself, why it exists and why people are moved to fight in spite of all the horrors it incurs, I can say that these songs played no small role in that.

I still look up to this band as musical and spiritual role models; I've bought and enjoyed both their subsequent albums, and hope to see them live some day.

"[colour=#8b4513]Oh, thank you.[/colour]" Earth Writer made a mental note to tip Greenshot extra. As far as food service went, this was going above and beyond the call of duty. He couldn't blame the unicorn for being concerned for his cousin, either, though his enquiries were getting a little repetitive. "[colour=#8b4513]Don't get too stressed out over us. We didn't come here to make your day difficult.[/colour]"

Having smoothed over the situation, more or less, it seemed that Sugar Apple was in a contemplative mood, so the stallion decided not to break the silence until she did. Earth had to smile when she did, the pegasus certainly had a way of brightening the mood. "[colour=#8b4513]Sounds like a plan to me. I'll be sure to hold you to that, next time my shirt gets caught in the printing press. Not that Newspapers let us freelancing peons into the inner temple...[/colour]" He chuckled, finishing the last bite of his strudel.

"[colour=#8b4513]But we'll see. I hope someday to be a full-fledged writer, of books and not just articles. I'm just not sure in what, exactly, though I've always admired the great travel writers, Chestercolt, Bridleson, and the rest.[/colour]" He took another drink of his smoothie, inclining his head towards his date. "[colour=#8b4513]How about you? Got any ambitions?[/colour]"

(The names are references to G.K. Chesterton and Bill Bryson, two of my personal favorites.)

"[colour=#996699]Now that, comrade, is what we call 'the spirit'! Ambition plus dedication, that is the key for excellence in the arena.[/colour]" Psmith smiled at Long Drive, offering a choice of snacks on a levitated tray. "[colour=#996699]Talent without practice amounts to the worth of an uneaten snack; it grows stale. Whatever we are given, it is no less than our solemn duty to cultivate.[/colour]" The unicorn looked up to see a rather large Earth Pony come towards the pavilion. "[colour=#996699]Hark! One such approaches. You could do no better than to follow this fine fellow's example in achieving sporting worth. All well on the pitch, comrade Batsman?[/colour]"

Might Batsman was breathing heavily, having made a long stand at the wicket. Psmith levitated him a bottle of Ginger Ale, which was gratefully received and drunk. "[colour=#0000cd]Phew! The bowling's not so tough, but the fielding's crack. I was caught out for 121; too bad you missed the century. Your leg alright?[/colour]" When Psmith nodded, the large colt set down the bottle and nodded towards Long Drive. "[colour=#0000cd]Who's the kid?[/colour]"

"[colour=#996699]Allow me,[/colour]" The unicorn began with stately gravity, "[colour=#996699]To introduce Comrade Long Drive, a fellow newcomer to this city, and the latest in the family golfing dynasty. Comrade Drive, this is Comrade Might Batsman, an eminent member of the St. Mareson's Cricket Team, a ruck of common sense among the fashionable flyweights, and as stout a batter as ever stepped foot upon the turf. One could do no better for company in this school.[/colour]"

"[colour=#0000cd]Oh, come off it.[/colour]" Might replied with slight embarrassment at the effusive praise, but without too much emphasis. They'd been friends long enough for him to have gotten used to Psmith's quirks. "[colour=#0000cd]So, where'd you pop in from? I come from Trottingham, myself.[/colour]"

Thanks!

If there's still a slot open, would you mind doing a pic of Flying Brick? I don't know if the profile made it obvious or not, but she's sort of a pony parkourist/freerunner in Stalliongrad. I'd like a pic of her in action in her home city, but other that that, you've got creative freedom.

Before long, Sky was kitted up in his protective gear, and he tested his flight capabilities with the jacket. He could hover just fine, after a few adjustments for the wingholes. After getting comfortable, he surveyed the scene as he drifted over towards the crowd. The weather factory, being an indoor environment, had practically no wind, which made it a bit of an effort for the stallion to get over there. Normally, he minimized effort by using wind currents; the cold storage warehouse always had a current running towards any open door. This part of the weather factory didn't.

He yawned. He didn't know why he felt so tired today, he got a full three hours of sleep last night! At least the signs were clear on where he, as a pony in delivery, needed to go. When Sugar Apple asked for questions, he raised a hoof. "[colour=#00ffff]Um, yeah, how's the wind gonna be today?"[/colour] He didn't want to tire himself out too much, he needed that energy for his music, later.

As the crew he was to be working with separated itself, he looked for any familiar faces. No one seemed to be from his side of town, but he thought he recognized one, a package deliverer that dropped by the warehouse sometime. Sky Sailing hummed a little tune as he went over to him, still hovering. "[colour=#00ffff]Are you new here, too? I hope this goes alright.[/colour]" He kept close to Care Package, clearly not comfortable in the crowd of strangers.

The customer who'd received Earth Writer's cushion in the back of his neck looked for a minute as if he were about to take offense at the situation, but after taking a view of the circumstances, he merely sniffed and muttered something about "The unwashed classes" to his tablemate.

Earth Writer gave a huge sigh after Sugar confirmed the effectiveness of his intervention. "[colour=#8b4513]Oh, good, I'd been a little worried I hadn't done it right. That's the first time I'd had to use the Heimlich for real.[/colour]" He levitated the bit of pastry out of his smoothie, depositing it on a napkin. He wondered briefly if the five-second rule applied to hunks of pre-chewed food dropping into your drink before Greenshot showed up.

Sugar Apple's quick shift to annoyance caused her date to start laughing again. "[colour=#8b4513]Right, of course! We already did the whole rescue bit, remember? Twice is just over-doing it.[/colour]" Still chuckling, the stallion retrieved his cushion and took his seat. He was about to sip from his drink when he thought better of it. "[colour=#8b4513]Er... I don't suppose I could ask for a second one?[/colour]"

Simple observation told Earth Writer that Pathfinder did not have immunity to the effects of concussions; more like she'd gotten all the effects, and had no room in her skull left for more. [colour=#8b4513]*Really, threatening berries?* [/colour]

The Crystal guard, fortunately, seemed to fulfill her function as a bastion of common sense. The reporter gave her a polite bow. "[colour=#8b4513]We are indebted, Miss Tilt.[/colour]" A few years in Canterlot had given him a grasp of manners he suspected would serve him well in the more traditional Crystal Empire.

Meanwhile, there were the other members of the group. Earth nodded politely to Heart Healer, "[colour=#8b4513]Well, I don't make a secret of it. Actually, if you wouldn't mind me asking, what do you do? I'm trying to get a picture of what life is like here, and I'm pretty sure that not everyone's an artist or a guard, though not many back at home know about any other kinds of crystal ponies.[/colour]"

As for the colonel, his remarks were a little puzzling to the unicorn. How did the chain of command work, when one factored in ceremonial titles like "Captain of the Guard" with the more standardized ranks? Leaving aside Shining Armor's recent "promotion"... [colour=#8b4513]*Glad I'm not enlisted. And what sort of inspector blabs to all and sundry about a 'surprise inspection?*[/colour]

He kept silent on that note, shifting into listening mode.

A sky-blue pegasus came to a slow and drifting landing towards the back of the crowd, looking around with silent interest at the weather factory. He'd never been to this side of the massive complex before; his family lived near the snow-production facilities, which also doubled as the Cloudsdale cold-storage facility, whose uniform the stallion was still dressed in.

He'd arrived a little late, and so hadn't caught most of Sugar Apple's talk, but he did hear the part about jackets and hard hats. "[colour=#00ffff]Hm, oh![/colour]" He looked around, finding the mare handing out the proper attire. "[colour=#00ffff]My name is Sky Sailing, do you know where I'm supposed to be?" [/colour]The cold storage foreman had drawn straws to see which employee would be volunteering at the factory, and his name came up.

"[colour=#8b4513]Mmm... true...[/colour]" Earth Writer mused as Sugar Apple spoke of places he'd found that she'd probably never been. He was a local, but he'd only really begun to explore the city beyond the University and Student's neighborhood a few months ago. Still, there was a couple of places he'd like to show off-

The first sound of choking brought him to attention like the crack of a whip. He was scrambling to his hooves even before she'd finished pleading for help, though in his haste he kicked the cushion into the back of another customer's head. "[colour=#8b4513]Hold on![/colour]" He called out, as he got behind her and wrapped his hooves right below Sugar Apple's diaphragm. Fortunately, the stallion had learned what to do for a choking pony, and a quick heave soon launched the offending chunk of strudel from her throat. Earth could hear it land with a splash somewhere, but right now he really didn't care about that.

"[colour=#8b4513]Alright,[/colour]" He said, breathing heavily, "[colour=#8b4513]Are you OK?[/colour]" Concern and relief mixed in his voice. Today was certainly turning out eventful...

Earth Writer couldn't think of any academians off the top of his head that would dedicate any effort to tracing the etymology of the word 'hooey,' but he didn't mention it. There wasn't time, in any case, before Greenshot returned with their order.

The stallion very nearly got a sugar rush by proxy looking at the load of treats set before them. "[colour=#8b4513]I certainly plan to enjoy them![/colour]" He replied to the unicorn. He decided to try the smoothie first, it seemed to be derived from spiced cider, giving it a strong flavour that complimented light pastries surprisingly well. Earth was a little more delicate in his manners by default, but since there wasn't any silverware on the table, he just levitated the entire strudel up to his mouth to take a bite. "[colour=#8b4513]Mmm![/colour]" It was the perfect temperature, warm, but not so hot that the filling burned the roof of his mouth.

He washed down the bite, "[colour=#8b4513]Most delicious! I regret now that I haven't visited the place sooner![/colour]"

Well, given that my characters will be in the various locations that will be visited, I'd vote for emphasizing the stops, but there's an obvious bias there.

In any case, I'll be dropping in at Stalliongrad/Cloudsdale for certain, if those are in the itinerary.

Psmith magicked open the pavilion door, indicating by a grand and sweeping gesture that Long Drive was to precede him. "[colour=#996699]If you wish to restore your tissues, there are bottles of ginger-beer and biscuits available for public consumption.[/colour]" The leisurely way in which the colt moved, the particularity with which he dusted his seat, and the overall easy and languid posture he affected may well have made anypony despair of making him be 'short and to the point.'

As nothing much was currently happening on the field, Psmith renewed his commentary. "[colour=#996699]You do not plan to play professionally? It is a rarified career, to be sure, but fit for a rare talent. My talents, as you may observe,[/colour]" He nodded back towards the empty speech balloon that was his cutie mark, "[colour=#996699]Lie in talking, and I plan to make a career out of it as a barrister. Hence, I must devote my youth to endurance training of the lungs. Practice, my lad! The champion's foundation, and the sluggard's anathema. One sees so little dedication these days, it would be a pity to spoil any youthful reserve of it.[/colour]"

This kind of mutual teasing had always looked a little odd whenever Earth Writer had seen it crop up, either in fiction or real life. Mind, a lot about having a special somepony couldn't be really understood until one had one. With a half-lidded smile, the stallion responded to Sugar Apple joking tone with a mock-serious one, which made it even funnier. "[colour=#8b4513]Your logic has a failure in argumentative consistency! Your premise is based upon a claim you had just dismissed as, quote, 'A load of hooey.' What exactly is 'hooey,' anyway? I heard that term a lot growing up, but no one ever defined it-[/colour]"

Realizing that he had veered into a tangent just like the legendary chancellor, he cracked up, waving a hoof. "[colour=#8b4513]Alright, alright, we concede the Puddinghead point...[/colour]"

He had to recover from his laughter, which gave him time to consider his date's question of titles. "[colour=#8b4513]I don't see why you wouldn't hold the title, but then I'm not exactly a member of Herald's College myself; I went to University for a more practical education.[/colour]" Earth's eye twinkled as he continued the jest. "[colour=#8b4513]But I shall be sure to have the answer to your question by the next time we meet, your grace![/colour]"

Hello! And don't worry too much; it's a pretty diverse group here from what I've seen.