Fire Knows No Allegiance (SoF Team 4; Closed)

[SteelEagle]

The wind whips through the concrete jungle of Stalliongrad, a city teetering on the brink of base civility as the most northern realm of Equestria sits isolated by the sharp weather around it. The residents are hardy, stalwart friends and lovers and given to great ats of community, as within that realm is where they can make a living in a city that stands alone against the harsh north. Here, ponies of all stripes make hearth and home, the rich and poor within eyesight- and perhaps rather than make them close, this is what led a certain mare to have been taught a firm distance between classes. But she was a mare of Stalliongrad, and Stalliongrad was community incarnate and love personified against hardship. What started as a dream turned to hope, hope to desire, desire to long-shot, and finally reality as love started a fire that melted the chilly depths of the Equestrian north away.

But as quickly as it came, as brilliantly as it struck her, something beyond her took it away. The cold threatened to return but the fire that rose from within now burned bright with the desire for that desire to become a long-shot, and from that long-shot reality. With her massive funding, she has hired a crack team to find the mare that stole her heart and now they think they have closed in on a potential spot. What they don't know is they have become caught up in the Staff of Fate. Now can they adapt to this new reality and succeed, or will that fire be turned against them and their hopes and dreams turn to ash?

Only one thing is for certain- Stalliongrad holds its own secrets, and tonight, they will be unlocked.

[RarityDash]

There was a deep resolve hidden in Snowfall's bright blue eyes as she sat waiting. She was in a more unsure place than she had been in quite some time. The ticks of the clock hanging in the wall of the meeting room seemed slow and protracted. Northern Storm Manor seemed even more hollow and lonely than usual. Snow felt wronged, moreover she felt angry. She had become a mare on a mission and soon the intrepid team she had decided to assemble would arrive. She could hardly wait until they did.

Snowfall's troubles had started what seemed like ages ago, when her fillyfriend, the adventurer extraordinaire Pathfinder, departed for Aquelia on a quest to recover a priceless Equestrian relic. The quest for helm of Commander Hurricane had proven fruitful in the end... but it came with heavy costs. It had not been easy for Pathfinder, who had been captured, imprisoned and subjected to harmful chemicals. Months had passed and when she did return, Pathfinder had looked initially rather like a shell of herself. Still, she did return, putting an end to Snow's restless months and for a while, things looked on their way back to normal... or as normal as things ever got for as oddly matched a pair as an intrepid adventurer and a highly successful businessmare.

Then it happened. The ruby claw had been a gift Pathfinder brought back with her from Aquelia. A strange piece, shaped like a weapon of some sort yet emblazoned with priceless gems. It was a thing of beauty, that put to shame any single piece in the showcase of Snowfall's mother, a famed collector of jewels. Snowfall had displayed the claw with pride, delighted both with the chance it gave her to gloat and with the fact that it was a precious and beautiful gift from the mare she adored. She had treasured it... and then, suddenly, it was stolen.

That was not the worst of it though. No, not only had the ruby claw vanished, but Snowfall could no longer get into contact with Pathfinder. The two of them perpetually exchanged letters. Even while imprisoned Pathfinder had not been deterred from writing Snowfall with updates. Pathfinder always told her where she would be. Yet no replies came to the letters wrote. No one knew where Pathfinder was. Snowfall was worried. She didn't like it at all. After almost losing Pathfinder once, she wasn't going to go through it again.

Considering the proximity of the two instances, of the burglary and of losing contact with Pathfinder, Snowfall couldn't help but assume the instances were connected. At the very least it was the claw and the claw only that the burglar had been interested in. Her mother's priceless jewels a hall over, the fineries lining every corner of the expansive manor, all of them were untouched. It was only Pathfinder's curious gift to her that was gone. Snowfall wanted to know why.

Using the connections that come from being a mare of wealth and influence, Snowfall decided to assemble a team to get to the bottom of this. A respected private investigator was a must and so she had found and contacted one willing to travel. Added security and protections was equally imperative, and so she had been recommended a pony with REA experience as well. Another adventuring pony specializing in traveling was likewise called upon to help with the hunt. Finally, Snowfall had made the odd decision to allow an employee of hers, a young but brilliant engineer named Sparks sit in on her meeting. She had a lot of faith in his ingenuity, and just felt right about including him; he had tools he could provide, and would be an asset for helping them travel with minimal difficulties from technology.

While she of course knew Sparks and knew he would go out of his way for hers, she didn't know the other three and was eager to meet them. She hoped they were the sort she could depend on. They all came to her recommended, and she had promised each of them healthy compensation for assisting her. She didn't know what to expect, but the time she had put on the letters, which had indicated the address of the manor, was now at hand. Right on the dot, her well trained butler, Sure Regard gave a knock at the door and opened it.

[colour=#000000]"Your guests have arrived, Ms. Snowfall,"[/colour] he said, stiff and immaculate as ever.

[colour=#99ccff]"Excellent. Please, everyone, do make yourselves comfortable,"[/colour] Snowfall said as she looked toward the doorway. "[colour=#99ccff]We can start things off with introductions. Then we will proceed with the meeting that has brought you all here."[/colour]

​

[tacobob]

The young Pegasus pony waited patiently in the small, but rather sumptuous vestibule she had just been lead to after a short cab ride had taken her from the train station to the fabled 'Northern Storm Manor'. As she admired the assortment of art and fine furniture that dotted the small room, she could not help but think of her own home, her equally sprawling family home back in Canterlot. The old manor had been a part of the family for generations. Manor homes filled to the brim with generation of ponies had been an all to common sight in the past, but after many years of peace throughout Equestria, many ponies no longer needed to be all huddled together behind solid stone walls to keep them safe from the elements and outside forces that dared to drag them away. Powerful magics had long mastered the weather, and who were considered foes in the past, were now either long gone, or trusted allies. With all the dangers cast away, many ponies left the homes of the ancestors and were free to start new communities of their own. Stalliongrad was one of these cities, which was founded by Pegasi, but was settled by nearly every intelligent race that could be found in Equestria. The mare was pleasantly surprised to see dragons of all sizes and shapes as they dotted both the skies and the streets, along with an assortment of other hoofed races she was not used to seeing. Upon exciting the old station and for the brief moment she was able to stand and admire and beauty of the old city, she had decided she would have put aside future time for a vacation in the old city for at least a week and take her time exploring the old haunts. Maybe even take her current beau, Sir Swift Squall of Manehatten along with her, as long as he promised not to get involved in any silly adventures.

She was not sure what she was even doing here though. During the last few months, she had managed to stay away from the 'Royal Exploration Society' in Canterlot and had avoided any contact with most of her 'adventuring buddies'. She had spent nearly a week in Ponyville helping her good friend Dunder move into his new home with his very new wife. What they couldn't get into his new home, they had managed to sell in one of the town's open-air market. Once she was finished in Ponyville, the mare had spent nearly a month at the R.E.A. training new recruits. During this time, she received an invite from a 'Miss Snowfall' on urgent business. She wondered who had suggested her 'services', was it Prince Bluebood, or even Spellbound's father? There were many others out there that she had helped in the past, so anyone could have sent their recommendations. She just hoped it was a worthy quest, and not some silly quest to find a rare treasure or bauble. Ever since she and her friends stumbled upon the 'right eye of King Kungaloosh', she had been branded as a treasure hunter. While the idea of going through old maps and making her way through dark and dense jungles sounded good on paper, she rarely enjoyed these types of jobs as they involved a good deal of walking, and a good amount of exposure to harsh and unfriendly environments, and the only thing that seemed to be accomplished, was the movement of gaudy treasures, from one cabinet to the next.

Still, she was finished with R.E.A's boot-camp, and nearly all of her friends and family were scattered through Equestria giving her a good deal of free time to contend with, and the offer for a free trip to Stalliongrad was rather difficult to pass up. She just prayed that this would be a worthy job that she was about to take. She turned and nodded her head politely as the manor's butler announced to the small group that his Mistress was ready for them. She quickly got up and followed the stallion, along with the others to the following room.

"Excellent. Please, everyone, do make yourselves comfortable," Snowfall said as she looked toward the doorway. "We can start things off with introductions. Then we will proceed with the meeting that has brought you all here."

She was back on her hooves, almost as quickly as she had gotten off of them. Standing firm, she looked to both Snowfall and the others with a kind look on her face. Before addressing the group, she turned to the snow white coated mare , "I do thank you for the invitation. I only hope I am suitable for your mission.", she then turned to address the others,"I am Fire Walker of Canterlot, First Lieutenant of the Royal Equestrian Army and occasional adventurer.", she couldn't help but smile as the last word left her mouth. "I do apologize for my dress.", she was wearing a fine suit of Griffon steel armor, and those who could 'see' magic would note the metal itself was inscribed with several enchantments, from a simple comport spell that kept the wearer comfortable during harsh weather to a spell that aided in her flying abilities. She also wore a stylish blue scarf which matched the gold trim on her armor. "Wasn't sure what our plans would be, so I prefer to be well prepared at all times. Still, I look forward to hearing from all of you, and getting a chance to work beside each and everyone of you." She glanced over at the small group of ponies that had followed her into the room and realized she didn't know a single one of them, which was a good thing, as many of her adventures usually involved the same group of ponies and griffons. Finished with her introduction, she took a seat and waited for the other to speak.

[HarringtonSleuth]

(I know it's been a while since I said I'd post. Lots came up this week. I had to be the masochist and decide to do the harder AP Calculus exam.)

It had taken Harrington a good while to finally make it to Stalliongrad, but he found his way to the city in due time. This was his first time to Stalliongrad, so he had to rely on a map to get him there. Once in the city, the letter he got from one Miss Snowfall also contained directions to meet her and the rest of the team she assembled in her manor.

He had heard news of the ruby claw's disappearance from its storage, but he found it odd that the thief had only swiped that from the manor. There must have been many other valuables ripe for the taking where the burglar had gone into, but something was definitely up. He had a hunch the moment he read in the Baltimare news:

"The claw was the only item not accounted for when the estate's owner, Miss Snowfall of Stalliongrad, returned after the thief left. The acting CEO of Northern Storm Industries would not speak with this news outlet about the incident in question and we are only left to guess at what this silence implies about the crime."

[colour=#ff0000]So that begs the question...why does she need my help? What's so special about this thing? It was the only item stolen from her manor. It struck me as odd as well, but she also mentioned there will be two others involved. Must be extremely important to get this back from whoever stole it.[/colour]

Several more thoughts ran through his mind as he wondered about the case. He had looked into how the claw originally fell into Snowfall's hooves, which lined up several possibilities involving griffons or other Aquellian nationals. It was an ancient treasure that was forged in their dominion, but it had also been lost for a while. It would take some personal or national vendetta to want it back to the extreme of stealing it from somepony in the cold north of Equestria.

Whatever the reason, his thoughts would organize into questions for Snowfall and the others she invited to the meeting at her onion-domed manor. He made sure to dress warm for the weather, with a gray coat, red snow shoes yellow scarf, red wool hat with what looked like a white, three-pronged crown at the front and black visor for whiteout blizzards along the way. He made his way to the mansion with the directions in the letter and arrived at the massive doorway. He was not long behind Fire Walker and entered alongside her and the rest of the team when Snowfall's butler opened up for them.

[colour=#99CCFF]"Excellent. Please, everyone, do make yourselves comfortable.[/colour] [colour=#99CCFF]We can start things off with introductions. Then we will proceed with the meeting that has brought you all here."[/colour]

[colour=#ff0000]This must be her...[/colour]

He paused until Fire Walker spoke to introduce himself.

[colour=#ff0000]"Thank you for the invite out here, miss. I am Harrington Sleuth, the wandering private investigator...which leaves me to wonder...why me? Why have me out here to help you with this? I'm sure the local authorities...or even the national authorities...would be of greater help to you than one wayfaring stallion..."[/colour]

[starswirlthebearded]

Trekker had traveled to the northern city of Stalliongrad before. As she grew closer to the northern city, she donned her winter coat, and goggles in case she met any inclement weather on the way. She was answering the call for an experienced adventurer from a wealthy mare named "Snowfall." Apparently there was a rare and priceless lost treasure and a pony to be found. To be specific, the ad stated that the trinket was a priceless Aquellian relic that was stolen, and the pony was missing for unknown reasons. Though Trekker normally didn't travel in groups, a positive experience to Unyasi had helped Trekker grow more accustomed to the idea. And besides, if it was tracking, that was something she could do very well with the help of her pet fox Chrome.

The city of Stalliongrad came into view and she knew her journey to meet this employer would be coming to an end, and the real adventure was soon to follow. Trekker levitated the letter she had received from Snowfall from her saddle bag and read it for the location. After asking a pony where she could find the place of residence of Miss Snowfall, they laughed and pointed to a rather large mansion. "[colour=#336633]Well I should have expected that[/colour]" Trekker thought to herself.

Trekker walked up to the large doors and before she could even knock, they opened wide and she was shown in.

There was a few other ponies there already.

[colour=#99CCFF]"Excellent. Please, everyone, do make yourselves comfortable. [/colour][colour=#99CCFF]We can start things off with introductions. Then we will proceed with the meeting that has brought you all here." [/colour]

A REA pony wearing some armour and a wandering detective made their introductions. Trekker wasn't sure what to make of either. The pegasus pony in the armour Fire Walker, seemed a capable adventurer and prepared for anything and very confident. Hopefully she and Trekker wouldn't but heads on what to do, after all formal training and experience based training are rather different. Trekker was competent but had little classical survival training, everything she learned was from Canterlot in the ways of magic. The detective seemed less so. Wondering what good a single detective can do.

"[colour=#336633]Um... Hello, you must be Miss Snowfall. My name is Trekker, I'm the adventurer who answered your ad. Thanks for inviting me on this adventure.[/colour]" As Trekker said that Chrome yelped and jumped as if to announce himself. "[colour=#336633]Oh right, and this is my pet silver fox Chrome, I'm sure he'll be of some great assistance if you are searching for somepony, providing you have a scent sample. But I must ask, your letter and ad were both vague, who and what are we looking for. Unfortunately for me, I've been out of the social loop while I've been on my travels. I heard there was some trinket stolen from some other ponies on the way here, some sort of ruby claw they called it. If it is the Aquellian "ruby claw," I'd be curious how you came across such a trinket. It isn't something that is easily found or acquired with money alone. In any case, my knowledge and abilities are at your disposal... As well as Chrome's.[/colour]" Curious at what she was getting herself into, she asked a few questions of her host. Not that it mattered. She had already agreed to join the expedition, so she would do her best to keep everyone safe and on the right track, as she was employed to.