Tempest Rime

"Oh..." Tempest vaguely recalled swords from the old mare's tales and fairy stories she'd heard when she was little, but she didn't really think about such nonsense anymore. "So... they actually used to use these? It seems terribly impractical. I mean, I suppose a unicorn could float it around with their magic, but for a pegasus..." Suddenly she realized that she had no idea who this was. "Oh! I'm sorry, I should introduce myself. I'm Tempest. Tempest Rime, I'm, uh, I'm on the weather team. It's an honor to meet you mister...?" She paused, prompting him for his name.

The thought of food snapped Pinkie Pie from her party-planning reverie. "Ooh, Mocha makes the best mocha lattes, they are delicious, though they make me a little hyper. Mocha's runs this place, she's really nice, though I don't tend to come here that often, mostly I hang out at Sugarcube Corner when I want snacks. Hmmm... a cream cheese danish sounds good..." Her mouth started to water just thinking about the treats they had here. "So you grow things too, Bluebelle? I could never get the hang of growing things, even though I grew up on a farm, though we didn't really grow things there, rocks don't really grow anyway." She turned to Knightly. "That's a good idea, you never know what could happen on the way, like a buffalo train hijacking! Or dragon desperadoes! Or maybe even ninja outlaw bandito diamond dogs!" She got more and more excited the more she considered the possibilities.

Just from the photos the art looks absolutely gorgeous.

"Ooooh, right, I think you mentioned that before," said Pinkie, shortly before she forgot it again. "I dunno, though, I didn't get sick or anything, but if I'm gonna cook with it I need to know for sure that it's absotively posilutely safe. Especially if I manage to make something that isn't so ouchie, 'cause it'd be easy to eat a whole lot of it that way. I only had a teensy little lick." She frowned. "Sorry, Cake, I think I'll have to hold off on the rainbows for now, at least until I can look up the toxicology of rainbows. I bet Twilight would have a book I on that. I'll get back to you, ok?" There was a ding from the back room and she snapped back to normal from the serious face she'd been making. "Ooo! Time to check the cake, I'll be right back." She zipped into the back room for a few moments, and there was a loud crash, provoking Mrs. Cake to check up on Pinkie apprehensively. Before long, however, Pinkie came zipping back out. "It's cooling, then Mrs. Cake said she was gonna take over frosting it, so I gotta watch the counter now. It should be ready in just a few minutes now."

"One piece of chocolatey chocolate chocolate cakey choco... wait..." Pinkie paused, counting in her head for a moment. "Well, whatever, one piece of the special coming riiiiiight up!" She zipped to the counter and was quickly shooed away my Mrs. Cake, who cut the piece for the unicorn herself. "Uh, well, I guess Mrs. Cake will get it, she's protective of her special cakes. It takes a lot of work to make all those layers. Anyway, I can wrap up a slice or two of the cake for you when it finishes, but it won't keep too long, so I dunno about taking it all the way back to... where are you from anyway?" "Oh, and I know rainbows aren't know for their flavor, I tried some when I went to Cloudsdale with my friends, they're really really extra super spicy and hurt a whooole lot, and my friends said my face even turned colors, which is kinda nifty. But I wanna experiment with them, cause I couldn't really taste the actual flavor, and I bet there's something good hidden under there if I can just tone down the burn." She paused, a worried expression suddenly overtaking her. "You don't think they're poisonous if you eat too much of them do you? That would just like totally ruin ALL my plans!"

The glint of the sun off metal snapped Tempest painfully back to reality from her bleary-eyed daze. She squinted across the street at the pegasus with the sword. She had never actually seen a sword before, and she was perplexed trying to figure out what Knightly was actually doing. She stared at him curiously for a good minute before she finally decided she should just ask him about it. She walked over to him and paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts as best she could with the hangover clouding her mind. "Uh... excuse me, sir, but... what are you doing? What is that thing? A gigantic knife? I, er, that is, if you don't mind me asking." She squinted at him to minimize the chance of the painful, painful light glinting into her eyes.

"Hiya Cakey!" Pinkie said, recognizing the delivery pony and greeting him with her usual smile. "Actually, I'm making a special order jalapeño frosted cake for someone who wanted to try it! We don't get to make those everyday, 'cause they don't sell well for some reason, but a few ponies were interested, so I went ahead and started one. Oh, but it's not ready yet, it's still baking." She jumped back to the kitchen door to peek at the timer. "It'll be a little while if you wanted to try it. Oh! But I almost forgot, Mrs. Cake baked one of her special, super secret recipe, chocolatey chocolicious double-chocolate chocolate frosted chocalate chip chocolate cake cakes, too! She hasn't made one of those since the Princess came by! Also, I've got a secret project I'm working on, but it's still secrety secret still." She grinned proudly at... whatever it was she was babbling about. Suddenly a thought occured to her. "Oh hey! You wouldn't happen to know somepony who could get me some of that liquid rainbow stuff they had in Cloudsdale, would you? I just know I can make it taste good somehow! And just think how cool it would be to flavor candy with ACTUAL RAINBOWS!" She lowered her voice to a loud whisper. "Also I need it for my secret project."

"Hm, I didn't actually think to ask if he had. I hope he hasn't wandered off, we can't afford to wait too long for him. Well, flying by wing is much faster than by balloon, if worst comes to worst I'll leave him a message and he can catch up with us along the way." She shrugged off Ashton's gratefulness over the room. "It simply seemed more efficient to get all the rooms at once. Besides, forcing my companions to fend for themselves in the wilderness is not something I wish to be known for, and the money was barely a pittance. Think nothing of it." "As for Ponyville... well, we'll have to see how much time we have left when we reach it. If it's still early enough that we can make it to Canterlot, that would be nice, but there's no real rush to push ourselves too long. Especially for yourself, it must be quite trying to remain in that basket all day long without at least being able to stretch your wings like we can." Unicorns, she reminded herself, in spite of having access to the mysterious arcane energies she coveted, were still tragically limited in the scope of their abilities most of the time, and as land-bound creatures they were all the more pitiable.

In one of the lower tiers of Canterlot, under the ever-present shadow of the higher buildings sits a run-down little house, in stark contrast to the glamor of most of the city. A sign hanging over the door says simply "Locksmith." Inside there is a small, bare front room with a few counters stocked with locks. The walls, floor, and furnishings are all unadorned wood, and only the desk in the back seems to have sanded down to a point where one wouldn't risk splinters from touching it. It's at this desk that Malediction sat, casually leafing through a book of unusual magic spells. She'd been hoping that this book might, just this once, have something she could master, but it was just as futile as it usual. As she hit the last page, she scowled and lifted the book with her magic, throwing it violently into the corner of the room in disgust. Then again, she shouldn't be surprised. She'd never seen her own signature spell documented anywhere, so there was no reason to think other magic she might have a talent for would be either. She bet that tyrant princess probably had some kind of secret police who hunted down any librams of black magic. Mal sighed and slouched at her desk. Maybe she'd actually get some customers to take her mind off the disappointment. Canterlot was an orderly city with a ton of guards, and a lot of ponies didn't even feel the need to lock their houses, which meant there wasn't much business here, but that also meant she didn't have any competition, so she got enough business to get by, and she didn't particularly care about earning more than that.

"Fascinating," Lola whipped out a small memo pad and took down notes. There wasn't a whole lot of space in the pad, but her full-sized notebooks were still in the balloon, so she made do with very a succinct shorthand. "But where does the power itself come from? I've heard that magic can lead to exhaustion, but that still doesn't account for where all the energy involved actually comes from. The laws of physics clearly state that energy cannot be created or destroyed, so there must be some wellspring of magical energy that you draw upon. But then again, not all Unicorns have the same capacity to channel that power, it's a most perplexing inequity." "Oh, and as for shaping that power, when you create an effect, how do you envision it? Is it like a scientific formula, or is it more intuitive?" She noted Trixie's mention of applauding crowds. A performer of some kind, that would explain the theatrical introduction. Someone who knew how to put a theatrical spin on her magic could prove extremely useful in the future as well.

"Dashiiiiiieeeeee!" Pinkie called out, sitting below Rainbow's house. "Hey Rainbow Dash, are you home?" She had been calling for a few minutes now. She sighed. "I guess she's not," she said to herself, "and she would have loved my prank idea. Oh well, I can tell her later. I wonder if I can find someone else to help me get ahold of some of those Cloudsdale rainbows. At least I got all the jelly I should need." She bounded off back to Sugarcube Corner, barely noticing the load of supplies she'd picked up on her shopping trip. "I'm baaaaack!" she announced to the Cakes happily as she hopped into the back to put everything away. "Oh, and I got a special order for some of my jalapeño frosted cake from a couple of ponies at the market, so I'm gonna start makin' it." She hummed a little tune as she mixed up the recipe and put it into the oven. She set the timer and bounced back into the front room to see if there was anyone who needed help, or if any of her new friends from the market had shown up yet.

Flattery was always effective against these sorts. Lola gave an ever-so-subtle smirk at Trixie's reaction. "Well then, Lady Trixie, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Lola Silverbeak, heiress to the great house Silverbeak, though I suppose my title wouldn't mean much in these parts." "So tell me, is it the horn that give you the ability to work your magic? I've heard tales of Unicorns who have lost their horns in accidents, but they are so rare where I come from that such tales are little more than hearsay. Certainly the horn does glow when you use your powers. And what does using magic feel like? Oh, and it seems to create its effects from nothing, do you draw upon some arcane power source?" Lola plunged immediately into just a few of the questions she'd been wondering about for years. If she could only puzzle out how to access the seemingly limitless energy of magic, her company could make unimaginable profits.

Updated with more detail on her past and family, as well as how she got her cutie mark.

Pinkie smiled at Strawberry. "Really!? You actually want to try it? Most ponies just think I'm crazy for putting hot peppers in sweets. I'll bake up a special order as soon as I get back! Don't worry, you can just buy a slice, and if you decide you don't like it, I'd be happy to eat whatever you don't want." Her attention wandered back to Cynic. "Hey, you know what I bet would cheer you up? Some sweet treats! You should stop by Sugarcube Corner too!" To Inkwell she replied, "Yup, it's my favoritest place in all of Ponyville! I'm even there a lot when I'm not working, and Mr. and Mrs. Cake rent me the upstairs room, so I even get to live there!" She turned a comically serious gaze back to Sugar Orange and salutes him. "Thanks Sugar Orange. Anyway, I've got to go find more jellies and fruit, and then I gotta get back to work. I'll see you all later, 'kay?" With that, she bounced off into the busy marketplace again, looking around for the next items on her list. (Exit)

ITT, we tweak the lyrics of some of our favorite songs to fit ponies. I'll start with Juke Box Hero by Foreigner. Standing in the rain, with her head hung low Couldn't crack a smile, it was a world of woe Heard the roar of the rainboom, she could feel the dream She looked up to the sky, then like a distant scream She saw one rainbow, just blew her away She felt joy in her smile, and the very next day Bought a bunch of party supplies, in a secondhand store Didn't know how to throw it, but she knew for sure That one party, with music from a brass band, didn't take long, to understand Just one party, held in a silo Was a one way ticket, only one way to go So she started partyin', ain't never gonna stop Gotta keep on partyin', someday gonna make it to the top And be a Pinkie Pie hero, got rainbows in her eyes, she's a Pinkie Pie hero She threw one party, Pinkie Pie hero, rainbows in her eyes Pinkie Pie hero, (rainbows in her eyes) She'll come alive tonight In a town without a name, in a heavy downpour Thought she passed her own shadow, by the party hall door Like a trip through the past, to that day in the rain And that one party, made her whole life change Now she needs to keep on partyin', she just can't stop Gotta keep on partyin', that filly's got to stay on top And be a Pinkie Pie hero, got rainbows in her eyes She's a Pinkie Pie hero, got rainbows in her eyes Yeah, Pinkie Pie hero, rainbows in her eyes With that one party, (rainbowws in her eyes) She'll come alive, come alive tonight...Woah Yeah, she's gotta keep on partyin', just can't stop Gotta keep on partyin', that filly's got to stay on top And be a Pinkie Pie hero, got rainbows in her eyes She's a Pinkie Pie hero, got rainbows in her eyes (Just one party) Pinkie Pie hero, (aah aah aaah) got rainbows in her eyes She's just a Pinkie Pie hero, aah aah aaah Pinkie Pie (rainbows) hero, (rainbows, rainbows) Pinkie Pie hero, (rainbows, rainbows) She's got rainbows in her eyes, rainbows in her eyes

Lola blinked, rather taken aback by the pony's demeanor. All the ponies in Rockwington had always been fairly meek, she'd assumed that was simply a common trait of their species. This pony almost seemed to be aggrandizing herself. "I..." she paused for a moment, gathering her composure. Dealing with this sort of thing was not outside her expertise, as there were plenty of eccentric nobles in griffin society, but she had not been expecting it. "You have my thanks, Lady... Trixie was it?" She pretended not to have heard it yet as she followed behind the strange unicorn. "I can only assume that your title is a reference to your magical abilities, as a unicorn. Is that correct? As it happens, I am actually conducting research on the magics of your kind. I wonder if you might be willing to tell me a bit about your superlative powers. It would be most enlightening, and I would of course reference your insight in any works I should happen to publish."

Lola fussed and preened as she made her way back to the balloon. The accommodations had not been what she was used to, and while that was no surprise given the luxury she had been raised in, it was a little inconvenient. Washing up was much more of a chore without a proper shower, though at least the bath had both hot and cold running water, more than she had expected of pony technology. Still, she did not complain about it, as that would have been rather rude. "Ah, Ashton, good to see you're up and about already. What's our status so far? Have you heard from Delios yet this morning? Not a bad little wind we've got going, with any luck it'll be stronger further up and we can make it to Canterlot by tonight." She took a second glance and noticed the water problem. "Hmm, filling the balloon seems slow this way. I wonder what could be done to speed that up..." She retrieved a notebook and began to brainstorm a few things while she waited for the balloon to fill. There wasn't much to be done right now, but in the future she would be prepared.

"Yes, if the rivers fill up with too much silt it can cause all kinds of problems..." Tempest paused, considering Aqua's proposal. "You know, it is a major project whenever it comes up to dig out all that muck, I bet the nature bureau could make room to hire you on full time if you're interested. Some preventative maintenance of the rivers could save us a lot of time and money, not to mention the ecological benefits." She smiled. "Of course, it's not just up to me, but I can definitely put in a word for you. You'll still need to do an interview with the bureau, but I don't foresee any issues." When Aqua started working on whatever it was she was doing, Tempest took the opportunity to finish up the last of her measurements and pack up her tools, showing Bolt how all the measurements were taken in the process. Once everything was packed and ready, she turned her attention back to the hippocamp. She made a confused expression. "What are you making?"

"Uh, oh, no, I didn't mean to imply that Miss Dash... I mean, it's... um..." She stammered a bit as she backpedaled, until introductions finally brought out her formal composure. "I am Tempest Rime, Miss Orange, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Are you new to town? I don't believe I have seen you before, though I can hardly keep track of who's who when the Ponyville is relatively calm, and lately it seems like we've attracted a host of new ponies. Probably because that ordeal with the summer sun celebration garnered a large amount of attention from around Equestria." She scowled as Rainbow snapped at them. "Well good. Thank you, Miss Dash. Though you can hardly blame me for asking, what with your somewhat casual attitude to getting things done. Just because you're fast enough to finish quickly you do tend to procrastinate." Tempest realized that she was nagging again. "Ah, but this is not a conversation we should be having in front of bystanders, I apologize, Miss Orange, don't let me give you the wrong impression of Miss Dash, she is a very capable and dependable weather pony. We simply disagree on matters of attitude."

[ Pony Related Character ] Name: Malediction (born Copper Key) Gender: Female Age: Young Mare (equivalent to around 19) Species: Unicorn Pelt Color: Blue, faintly blotchy Mane/Tail Color & Style: Mane long and straight, combed to cover the scarred left side of her face, tail cropped short, both copper-colored with a metallic sheen. Eye Color: Red Cutie Mark: A black heart wreathed in green flame Physique: A bit taller than average, lanky, and physically weak Residence: Canterlot Occupation: Locksmith Motivation: Take vengeance on the world for every misfortune she has suffered Likes: Scars, piercings, violence, waltzes, curses, laughing at other ponies' suffering Dislikes: Almost everything, with a particular hatred for candy, dragons, foals, artists, and anypony with more magical talent than her Tricks: Telekinesis - Decently skilled Lockpicking - Drilled into her by her father, this is essentially just a skilled application of telekinesis Hatefire - Her signature trick, she can conjure and manipulate ghastly green flames that burn cold and smokeless, reducing even metals into ash if they burn long enough. Character Summary: Copper Key was born to a locksmith in Hoofington. Her father always wanted her to succeed him and take over the family business, a desire made stronger by her parent's inability to have further foals. Copper, however, was more interested in learning magic in Canterlot. She managed to make it as far as the entrance exam due to her potential, but the only sort of magic she showed such potential in was purely destructive. When asked to use her magic to hatch a dragon egg, she had no idea what to do. She used the only magic she knew, blasting the egg with green flame that burned cold. The hatchling inside died in agony, and Copper was unanimously denied entrance by the horrified judges. Never had a trial gone so poorly as to kill a dragonling before, and the news of her spectacular failure spread even to Hoofington. Her family was ashamed, and set out to move to Fillydelphia to escape the scandal. On the train to Fillydelphia, Copper had a heated argument with her father, and in a fit of pique, she let loose her magic, setting the train ablaze with her unnatural flame. Almost everypony aboard was killed in the wreck, including both her parents. She got out alive, but rather than face responsibility for her actions, she fled into the Everfree forest. There, she encountered a hungry manticore, which was just desperate enough to consider her food. The fight was vicious, the manticore took her left eye with a swipe of its claws, and a large chunk of her ear was torn off, but she called upon her rage and frustration to empower her natural talent for destruction. She blasted the creature with a lance of baleful flame that charred a hole straight through its heart. That was the day she got her cutie mark. After that, she fled to Trottingham, where she was eventually taken in by an orphanage, where she earned a reputation as a bully and a problem foal. She refused to tell anypony her former name for fear of bringing the authorities investigating the wrecked train, so she began to go by the name Malediction, a word she had learned in her search for workable curse magic, something she felt she might actually have a talent for before her disastrous entrance exam. Once she was old enough, she moved to Canterlot, setting up a small locksmithing business, as its the only marketable skill she has. She drives away enough customers that she's always got free time, but not quite enough to put her out of business. In her spare time she strives to increase her magical power, and she still keeps an eye out for anything that mentions the possibility of actual curse magic. She blames the world around her for her own failings, and her contempt for everything only serves to sharpen her skill with her flames. Though she wears her hair over the more scarred half of her face, it's not as much out of shame for her appearance. Indeed, she's quite proud of her battlescars. It's much more enjoyable, however, to let ponies get close to her before flicking back her hair for just a moment, giving them the slightest glimpse of the claw-mark scars and lidless, empty eye socket. Let their imaginations do the rest. Her missing eye does serve to hinder her aim at range with her flames, but she generally compensates by applying it liberally, regardless of incidental damage she may deal. Relationships: Skye - "He claims he's got friends in high places, and he seems to be a good pony. That makes him the worst kind of dangerous." Kira Darkclaw - "She's all talk and no action, but I wouldn't turn my back on her, just in case." Champ - "This little twerp cracks me up. He's got some potential, if the social pressure of that cesspool of a town doesn't get to him and turn him into another worthless drone." Tenderbloom - "She puts on an air of niceness, but she lives out in the Everfree and trains killer plants to do her bidding. She's somepony to keep your guard up around." Dark Core - "I thought he was ok, but he sure turned out to be a nopony. I hope something awful happens to him." Radiant Steel - "It's not every day that you find a guard who's so entertainingly easy to agitate." Bonfire - "Regular fire? What a tool." Zephyr Burst - "Why can't I stop thinking about him? It's driving me crazy!" Scale Model - "Not quite sure what to think of him. He doesn't seem as intimidated as he should, but he's still helpful." Dixie - "I can tolerate her, which is more than I can say for most ponies." Saw Dust - "Naive. He's gonna get eaten alive out there." Doctor Whooves - "What an irritating, arrogant, blowhard." Trixie - "Kinda annoying, but she's got some power in her." Lyra - "She's more capable than she looks, though with the way she acts, she probably doesn't even know it."

"Miss Dash," a reproachful voice came from above. A small, green, blue-maned pegasus flitted down towards the other two. Traces of ice had formed in her mane while she was flying, and a small icicle was hanging right in front of her face. Without missing a beat, she launched straight into a tirade of nagging. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you! I need to file the monthly reports today! Did you take care of the leftover clouds from the last rainshower yet? I can't send these off until those are dealt with!" Suddenly noticing the unfamiliar pegasus, Tempest's tone immediately softened, and she self-consciously plucked the icicle from her mane. "Oh! Uh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, madam, I just, uh... Well, nevermind. But, I, uh, I do need to know if those clouds are still floating around... n-not that I doubt Miss Dash's ability to remove them, it's just protocol." She turned red in embarrassment. She didn't know this other pegasus, and the first impression she was going to make was that she was some kind of uptight nag. Worse still, it occurred to Tempest that that might not be all that inaccurate.

Is it this one by The Rabbit Joint? DqKHGMQGP8Y Anyway, lets see what I get... "Last Time I Tried To Rock Your World" by Mindless Self Indulgence "Bed of Dead Leaves" by For My Pain "Maneater" by The Bird & The Bee "Breathe In" by Frou Frou "Kakusei Heroism ~The Hero Without A Name~" by An Cafe

((OOC: I hope you don't mind me jumping in before Dub or Willow get a chance to respond, but Trixie is definitely Lola's kind of people, so I had to seize the opportunity for them to meet.)) Lola skimmed the forest canopy irritably. She'd gotten separated from the balloon, and was getting increasingly lost over this fuddlesome forest. Flying around looking for the balloon had gotten her nowhere, and her compass was packed away in her missing bags. Frustrated, she landed on a tree branch momentarily and let out an angry squawk, taking some small satisfaction at the hush that fell over the area as the local birds were terrorized by her cry. She scanned the horizon once more. Trees trees and more trees. But there, was that dip a clearing perhaps. A clearing was her best bet to find shelter for the evening, and it was already getting dark. This awful place had already claimed most of her day. Just this morning she'd been thinking she might be able to get all the way to Canterlot, and here she was, not even to Ponyville, and missing her companions and gear. She could only hope that they had made their way to the city without her, and that she would be able to meet up with them there. She soared toward the clearing at the fastest speed she could manage without ruffling her feathers too badly. She loomed over the clearing, coming in from the west and casting a fearsome shadow over the clearing. When she landed, she gave an altogether more refined impression, as she reached up to brush a wayward feather back into place. A pony was a good sign, though from the looks of it this one lived out in this squalid little treehouse. Still, with any luck, she would know the way to Ponyville. This unicorn didn't seem particularly threatening, but Lola readied her parasol just in case. "Excuse me, madam, but would you happen to know the way to Ponyville? I seem to have gotten a bit lost in these infernal woods. I don't suppose I could bother you for directions or guidance out of here?"

Pinkie beamed with pride at the mostly favorable responses from the group. It was more than she usually got from the local ponies, most of whom had long since gotten used to Pinkie's tendency to burst into song without warning. "Gibberkins, Martians, and Nightmares?" Pinkie queried of Rook and Cinnamon. "Are those all the same things? I met a Nightmare once. Her name was Black Snooty, and she went and did all kinds of mean things, but my friend Twilight showed her who's boss and totally shot beams of light out of her eyes like 'PEW PEW PEW PEW', and Black Snooty was all like 'Noooooooooooo' and we all got shiney necklaces, except Twilight, who got a crown. Then Black Snooty turned back into a cute princess, so I guess that would mean that Nightmares aren't really bad ponies deep down, they're just sad, so you shouldn't be afraid of them, or they'll just be sadder." She plopped down at the table and began to make a mental list of all the things she'd need to get ready in order to throw a party tonight. As she thought about it, her face twisted into odd expressions as each thing occurred to her. She wasn't actually doing it on purpose, it was just that her thought played over her face as soon as they popped into her mind.

Oh man, Brawler, I totally forgot about Pheonix Wright and Professor Layton, too. Awesome games.