A Perilous Expedition into the Caverns of Mystery (closed)

[Pretzelparty]

"It is not that its commonplace but rather that it is fundamentally not interesting," she said blankly. "Magic works in such a way that the effects are apparent to anyone. it is used and it brings a change to the world immediately. Everything is observable. It's simple and there is nothing to say about it. It is just so... boring..."

Maud went then from walking at a crawl to stopping. She unearthed a medium sized sedimentary rock and brought it up into view. "This rock is ordinary--commonplace--too, but the history of it is so rich and beautiful. Just looking at it you can see a millenia of slow, deliberate movements of the earth that could not have been predicted. Sediments, collected by the blizzard winds, carried by great glaciers, broken off from older rocks, and finally pressed into something wholly unique that exists for us to see..." She closed her eyes and put the rock down. "Isn't that more interesting than simple magic?"

​

Presteza could kind of see where Maud was coming from on the topic of magic. One thing that drew her to art in the first place was the more subtle effects on how it could effect ponies or even non ponies. Art could take a long time to produce (although not for her) and could often leave powerful impressions on those that viewed it. Maud's words about the formation of rocks was... actually fairly fascinating. She could almost imagine the forces of nature being formed into the shape of a pony as countless ages rolled by while the ponification of nature sculpted the small stone in Maud's hoof into it's current form.

"Maud, Ya seem ta have a way with words... in a way I guess ya could say that the earth itself is a slow and exceptionally detailed artist.", the mare suddenly had a nostalgic look on her face as she recalled her days as a filly in her family's manor in Trottingham ,"I remember once when my teachers back home taught me about those rocks called Geodes. that're formed from the bubbles in volcanic rock and over time minerals seep into the hollow area and then harden into a rough outer shell. My teachers said they can be formed in soil and animal burrows too." Looking to Maud once more the artist fished up a pebble from under the snow with her hoof and chuckled,"I guess The forces o' nature are the most patient group of artists in history, eh Maud?"

“I would consider wind to be worthy of discussion as it not only moves around the very oxygen that we breathe, it's also needed to carry pollen so plants may reproduce. Without that, there is no life. Magically, it's also very important because it's of the elements of magic, along with fire, water and earth.”

"Okay... well I guess yer a bit different then myself then." the mare said to pocket with a shrug and a twitch of her nose at the mention of pollen. "...And as much as I love breathin' the pollen part is somethin' I could live without." she said with a playful chuckle. As the mare trudged on through the snow she heard the approaching sound of another pony behind her, in the few moments before Dunder arrived she turned to pocket and asked,"By the way, how's Moondancer been?"

"Thank you, Pressy." He said then paused, "But when it gets colder you are getting this back. I can't have you freezing your tail off."

"Don't worry, Dunder. I'm tougher than I look. I take after my Dad after all!" said the freckled painter proudly. Presteza assumed that Dunder would know who her father was, mostly because of his history with Fire. In Fire's days in the R.E.A. she surely would have known about the high ranking Brigadier general, Brougham Trundlehoof. Pressy's father was also a friend of the Walker family for some time, in fact her dad was the reason Pressy and fire had met as fillies. Despite Presteza's insistence that she was fine, one could tell she was already shivering a bit. She may be a tough young mare but the cold weather was always a bit of a weakness for her.

[RarityDash]

"Your rock is nice Miss Maud, for ten bits, we could buy a tumbler for it and make it even prettier. But I'd rather control the very winds themselves to make my own density as opposed to just standing there and letting the elements make me into what they want me to be. Magic permits you to control reality itself, and I just find it utterly fascinating one can harness the very life-force of the universe and control it in a way to make things better for pony-kind. You don't, but I guess that's life."

Maud closed her eyes and took a deeper than usual breath. Yes, this was the sort who would never understand the world as she saw it. There were many sorts of ponies in the world, almost as many as there were rocks. Some could find an understanding, some never would be able to. It just didn't match their worldview.

"Why would one ever pay to have the imperfections polished away from a rock? Perfection is such a dull thing. When smoothed and rounded rocks are robbed of their details and become barely distinguishable from one another," Maud said blankly.

"That is what your magic is," she continued, her drone staying completely level. "It is a rock tumbler for you to take to the natural world. With it you control the shape of things, you smooth them, you round them out, make them 'better', as you say, because you think you have a greater understanding of what is right and beautiful than nature does."

"There is beauty in the rough edges, in the imperfections. When one seeks to polish them away, that is when things become dull as true perfection is," she concluded blankly.

​

"Maud, Ya seem ta have a way with words... in a way I guess ya could say that the earth itself is a slow and exceptionally detailed artist."

"it is important to be careful with them when one prefers not to use many," Maud said, glancing upward slightly. She typically was a mare of few words, even if this archaeologist had been extracting quite a few from her.

​

,"I remember once when my teachers back home taught me about those rocks called Geodes. that're formed from the bubbles in volcanic rock and over time minerals seep into the hollow area and then harden into a rough outer shell. My teachers said they can be formed in soil and animal burrows too. I guess The forces o' nature are the most patient group of artists in history, eh Maud?

Maud nodded. "At times, but nature doesn't always take its time. Some extrusive igneous rocks, such as obsidian can form in just hours from cooling magma. Nature simply does as it sees fit," she said.

​

"Hey! Maud, how far are we going anyway. I'm sorry, but the briefing wasn't really much of a briefing, but as long as you know where we are going..."

As the pegasus called Dunder approached Maud then, she looked at him. She had thought they'd have been all given the same information, but she supposed she had no way of knowing what everyone had heard. Her professor back at the university had gone over the path they were to take from the empire and she even had a little map prepared. She supposed some of them might not be as informed as her, however, though if that was the case, would they not have had more questions for the alicorn? No matter, Maud could explain what she knew.

She removed her map from her things and unfolded. "The map is marked..." she said as she let any who wanted see it.

"The cave is north west from here, still hours away," she said simply.​

((ooc: enjoy a little teaser of the new, expanded RP world map currently in the works. ))

[CaptainMcDerp]

Brooke listened carefully at the profound magic vs nature debate. Both sides made such well worded and intellectual arguments that the doe gawked as each pony spoke their opinions. She was greatly intrigued at this point and felt like she might as well add a little input herself.

"I believe both magic and nature provide something valuable to the world in it's own way. It simply comes down to a matter of personal taste, really. As for me, I sort of like both."

When the subject veered to the matters of their destination. Maud pulled out a map and unfolded it. Brooke trotted to the earth pony's side and peered down at the image. In the mountains, lying quite a ways from the Crystal Spire was an X displaying their goal.

"The cave is north west from here, still hours away,"

The doe slumped a bit at the idea of their trek lasting for even more hours then it already has. It wasn't that much of a bother, though. More like a minor annoyance. She was eager to explore those caverns after all. Even so, she did enjoy the landscape as cold and harsh as it was.

When things became quiet for a moment, Brooke started humming a catchy tune she's heard during her travels. The melody had an epic ring to it, and matched the current surroundings quite well, making everything seem, well, epic! Her voice picked up in volume as she fully remembered the song. She felt like a true explorer of sorts, traversing the harsh landscape alongside her fellow comrades to explore a series of mysterious caverns. It was like something from an adventure story. With a light smile on her face, she stepped to the rhythm of the song, unconcerned with what anyone thought of her actions. With the cave being hours away, she was going to enjoy herself in the meantime at least.

[RainbowFoxxy]

"I'd certainly look forward to that."

Jani turned to the doe and smiled. "Yes, I am as well miss Brooke. I'm glad to have you on this venture with us! Have you done much traveling in your years?"

"But that's nothing to worry about. I've survived far worse, we'll be fine."

That was good to hear indeed! Jani was tough but he had never been on a venture like this before! it was a far cry from his times back home and much of his other travels in Equestria.

"Yes, we will be! I wonder how much longer until we reach those caves..." The zebra speculated as he continued to walk.

Soon he noticed Brooke walking a bit oddly, it appeared almost as if she were dancing. He came alongside her and smiled. "You have a song in your head eh?"

[tacobob]

“Using your logic Miss Maud, you’ve also disrupted nature by simply picking up a rock or pebble. Nature had meant the rock to be there, but you’ve gone and moved it, thus stopping and affecting the slow and meticulous journey had begun all those years ago. And while these are not as sensitive as say, stalagmites which can be completely ruined by a simple touch, you've still made a change to its very being with a simple pat of your hoove. Even if you return the stone to its right exact spot, you've still managed to change its destiny.", he added as they trudged along, "Please note, I do actually agree with most you've said...I just thought having a little chat might speed things up a little, and maybe get a little emotion stirring in you." He glanced at the mare for a moment and frowned a little. At least he had a nice little chat, "As for my magic, most good unicorns tend to respect nature as best as they can."

He glanced at the map as it was pulled out, "Oh. Yow.", his jaw dropped a little, "We've still got a bit of a journey ahead. I do hope you've all packed well.", he turned to his own saddlebags and sighed, “I’ve brought a few extra ‘M.R.E’s’ that I snagged from the little R.E.A store near the college park where I live. I’m not sure what they are, or how they taste, but the girl behind the counter said they were nutritionally balanced meals that did not require any cooking whatsoever. Just open and eat.”, he muttered to those who were also looking at the map, “Also said something about powdered water. I wonder what you add to make water?”

The unicorn’s face lit up as he beloved’s name was mentioned. Thankfully. he managed to avoid spraying multicolored hearts this time around, “Moon is fine...I mean..”, his cheeks turned crimson rather quickly, “You know, fine feeling, as well as fine looking, and she’s also very busy, both with school, our guild and her own dancing lessons. Gal has got to dance, or she wouldn’t be allowed to keep her name. Oh. Singing?”, he turned his attention to the pretty deer who had broken out in song. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on what you think of the stallion’s singing) Pocket did not know the song.

Once the map was properly peeped at and returned to Maud’s bags, Pocket will continue their very lengthy trek.

[Dunder]

Dunder would have spoken up, but he didn't have much to say. All he could do was look at the map and nod, noting how far the march was and that they hadn't gotten as far as he'd liked. The scenery was beautiful and peaceful. Maybe for once he could appreciate it all and not have to worry about the food supply or getting attacked.

Speaking of food, Pocket seemed excited about having bought some MRE's. The thought of pocket forcing himself to choke down the tasteless MRE's while the rest of the group enjoyed freshly baked beans and steamed rice made the pegasus stallion chuckle. In fact, he couldn't wait for them to set up a camp so that he could cook and have everypony/deer enjoy his culinary skills.

In fact he could look forward to getting to know this group at camp. It seemed like right now, the talk was nothing but boring to Dunder. And even Brooke had seemed to enjoy her humming and rhythmic hoofbeats.

[Pretzelparty]

"The map is marked...The cave is north west from here, still hours away,"

The young painter let out a whistle of astonishment,"That's quite a walk... well on the bright side. At least we'll all get a nice workout from the walking, right?" The mare shivered a bit at the cold weather, seemed that her body was already missing her cloak... but for Dunder's sake she decided to put a lid on it. Instead she kept her mind off of the cold by continuing to trudge onward with the group. It seemed that at least one topic was able to draw her friend pocket from his 'heated' conversation with Maud; that of his marefriend.

“Moon is fine...I mean..”, his cheeks turned crimson rather quickly, “You know, fine feeling, as well as fine looking, and she’s also very busy, both with school, our guild and her own dancing lessons. Gal has got to dance, or she wouldn’t be allowed to keep her name. Oh. Singing?”,

Presteza chuckled as the stallion seemed to get himself flustered just thinking about Moondancer... was a shame Presteza couldn't get such an adorable reaction from her own coltfriend. Her own significant other was far more reserved and classy and probably would consider such an act below him. "Oh yeah, She's pretty proud of her teleport dancin' isn't she...? " the freckled painter's voice trailed off as she also took notice of the singing from Brooke. That melody seemed very familiar... once the deer began to proudly sing out the lyrics matching the melody Presteza smiled brightly and joined in at a great moment, providing a lovely duet for the group to listen to on their travels. Soon enough the unicorn was more or less synced up to her deer friend, their combined hoofsteps in the snow matching the beat of the song they both sang...

[RarityDash]

“Using your logic Miss Maud, you’ve also disrupted nature by simply picking up a rock or pebble. Nature had meant the rock to be there, but you’ve gone and moved it, thus stopping and affecting the slow and meticulous journey had begun all those years ago. And while these are not as sensitive as say, stalagmites which can be completely ruined by a simple touch, you've still made a change to its very being with a simple pat of your hoove. Even if you return the stone to its right exact spot, you've still managed to change its destiny. Please note, I do actually agree with most you've said...I just thought having a little chat might speed things up a little, and maybe get a little emotion stirring in you. As for my magic, most good unicorns tend to respect nature as best as they can."

Maud looked blankly back at the stallion a moment before finding words to reply with. "Hyperbole," she said impassively as ever. "Life is nature. We are a part of the process because we exist within it and do indeed effect it, even just in living. I only mean to say that we should not become arrogant and pretend we know better than nature itself does. To sand away the rough edges of the natural world in pursuit of some ideal of what perfection is or should be is a far different thing than simply interacting with that which is around us."

Following this, most of the group said little or talked about things that did not involve Maud. She focused instead on walking ahead over the snowy landscape at a steady pace. Though her face was as blank and dull of expression as it ever was, she had to admit to herself that the cold was the sort that would get to anypony. Their surroundings held danger just in the extremes of its cold. it was important they paid attention to their health and well being if they wanted to survive the trek. They could not overexert themselves, or they were doomed to lose their battle with nature and get overtaken by the snow.

Maud was sturdy and strong from the rigors of rock farming, but after the first few hours of trotting across the snow capped lands, even she began to feel worn. Knowing the others must be feeling worse even than she, she looked back toward the group and tilted her head.

"We should make camp and rest a while..." she suggested. They would be more sure to reach the cave if they took the time to eat and warm themselves before continuing the rest of the way.

​

[CaptainMcDerp]

As Brooke persisted in her own little world, a new voice united with hers, singing along with her as if everything was planned ahead of time. The doe glanced over and saw Pesteza stepping along with the beat as she provided a rather nice upgrade to the song. She didn't expect someone else to join in, but she certainly wasn't complaining. Maud and Pocket Change's debate was compelling and all, but she was starting to get a little bored with the subject, especially since her stance on the matter was neutral at best.

When the song reach it's end, Brooke chuckled and grinned at Presteza. "You have quite a pleasant voice, miss Presteza." She cleared her throat "Though I think that's enough singing for one day, especially in this harsh weather."

In fact, she was so caught up in the moment that she hadn't grasp just how worn out she's become. Her bones ached and her muscles were growing weary. But if her team needed to press on, that's what she would do. She was a travel writer, after all. Her endurance was one of her strong suits. If she had to walk for double of even triple the time she already had, then that's what she would do.

"We should make camp and rest a while.."

Oh, thank Celestia.

Brooke scanned the landscape, searching for a decent camping spot. Her eyes fell upon a large, half-burred rock sticking up from the ground. One side was rather flat while the other side was round and rigid, blocking a good amount of wind. It's size was equal to, if not taller, than an average cottage. She walked ahead of the team a few steps and pointed to the rock.

"How about over there? That rock's shape is pretty ideal for blocking the wind, I think."

[RainbowFoxxy]

The zebra followed the direction of the deer's pointing hoof. The rocky area did look like it would work as a shelter for the night. Jani was more than a little relieved that Maud had called the halt. He didn't want to have the party be all hoof sore before they finished their first day on the trek. They had covered a fair amount of distance. Since he was on the trek to be somewhat of a naturalist Jani trotted forward to get a closer speculation at the possible shelter.

It did look like a fine place to rest. If wind did spring up the rock was at such a location that it would shelter them from the cold blasts. Sleeping on a flat rock sounded uncomfortable but as he cast his gaze around he noticed some think tufts of grass growing nearby.

"This location looks like a good fit for us for the night. There's even some grass for those who don't want to sleep right on the rock. I can make us a fire here if that's alright with you Ms. Pie?"

He waited for his leader's say before starting with the preparations for the evening. It would be good to get a fire going soon. The temperature was dropping and it was starting to get darker...

[tacobob]

"And so is mag..Oh nevermind.", the stallion didn't want to admit that she was probably right, but he was getting tired and thus slightly cranky, so he kept close to his fellow magic guild member. "Yeah, she's really something. I wish I could muster up the...er..?", he was caught off guard as the unicorn joined the Brooke and the solo became a duet. Pocket Change wisely avoided making it into an trio, since he was still ignorant of the song, and he wasn't that good of a singer to begin with. But he could at least follow their beat as they all marched down the path. The merry little song did wonders to list his spirits for the moment.

Once the song was over, the unicorn had to throw a few complaints their way, "Miss Presteza, you continue to surprise me with all your talents, and thank you Miss Brooke for making this rather dreary little stretch of land a bit more cheery. He nodded as head as the group called for rest. While he felt rather foolish for not bring along some sort of sleeping gear, he knew his comfortable jacket would keep him warm for the trip. "Not sure anyone would want to sleep on a rock as it would just absolutely murder your body. The grass looks rather comfortable. Hardly the Canterlot-Carlton hotel, but it will do.", he was caught off guard by something the zebra had said, "Miss Pie?", was that the last of name of the rather unimpassioned petrologist named 'Maud Pie'? Almost sounded like 'Mud Pie'. How amusing!

Once the group found their spot, Pocket spoke up, "We should have someone keep watch while the rest of us sleep, so nothing can sneak up on us.", he glanced at his weary little group before adding, "I'll keep first watch, unless someone else wishes to volunteer."

[Dunder]

The cold Dunder could feel biting his face and ears more and more as the trek went on. The cloak that Pressy gave him insulated enough heat to nearly cook the coat off of Dunder's back. Deep inside Dunder knew he wanted to keep the heat, but the thought of Pressy freezing her tail off after she was so kind to give up the cloak in the first place couldn't sit with Dunder.

Not only that but he couldn't wait to get to the first base camp. nor did he want to suggest a stop. In his eyes, the least the others saw him as weak the better. And borrowing a mare's cloak wasn't a good first impression anyway.

This and a few other items kept Dunder's mind occupied as they ascended the mountain. After a while, the deer started to sing, then Pressy joined in. If Dunder's mind wasn't stressed from the cold he would have thought the song more beautiful. And , of course, the ending of an argument he had little interest in was always welcome.

The pegasus didn't know if Jani was tired or excited, but he suggested sleeping on a flat rock. "That doesn't seem like a good idea, Jani." Dunder called out over the whipping wind, as he approached to also inspect the rock, "There is no roof to keep us warm from the fire. If the temperature drops too low down here, we'll be gone before we can wake up." He looked back to the trail, "We'd be better off looking for a cave, or at least a flat enough area with good snow so that we can build a shelter. I know it's hard, but we can't sell ourselves short out here." He said as he got back onto the trail. After a few steps, he approached Pressy, "By the way, thank you for the cloak. I got warmer after we got moving and your cloak really helped." The pegasus flexed his wings, and with a precision only a pegasus could have, he used his wings to toss the cloak from his back back onto Pressy's with accuracy.

[Pretzelparty]

When the song reach it's end, Brooke chuckled and grinned at Presteza. "You have quite a pleasant voice, miss Presteza." She cleared her throat "Though I think that's enough singing for one day, especially in this harsh weather."

"Miss Presteza, you continue to surprise me with all your talents, and thank you Miss Brooke for making this rather dreary little stretch of land a bit more cheery."

Upon hearing the words of appreciation from her white tailed friend and Pocket, Presteza practically glowed with pride. "Why thank you, Brooke! Your vocals are quite exceptional yourself." Singing had always been a fun pastime for the young artist of noble bearing. Since her travels begun, one of her favorite things to do when on those longer walks down the world's many roads had been breaking into song... she'd even made sure to buy her little pet some tiny earmuffs so he cold sleep through her vocals. Speaking of her little traveling companion, Fresco was currently being taken care of by her friend, Rarity back in Ponyville... Celestia only know what kind of shenanigans he would be getting into back there.

When her friend Pocket joined in the singing of her praises (apparently now done with his heated discussion with Miss Maud) a slight blush appeared upon her cheeks,"Well if I ever wanna get in the history books as Equestria's greatest artist, I feel I shouldn't limit myself to a single type of artistic expression, don't you agree?"

As the group continued on their arduous journey through these frozen wastes, the cold winds was getting to even a hardy little mare such as Presteza. The frigid biting winds that metaphorically pummeled her face making her wish she'd brought along a face mask. Only adding to the harshness was the usual effect of the cold climate on a pony not used to it; a slightly runny nose and the usual sniffling that would try to remedy that. She'd never admit, but she was actually starting to miss that cloak of hers but seeing as she thought Dunder still needed the shelter of the warm article of clothing, it'd be kind of mean to suddenly ask for it back. The cream colored pony tried to keep herself from shivering but it was a losing battle as she did show the occasional tremor until...

"We should make camp and rest a while.."

"How about over there? That rock's shape is pretty ideal for blocking the wind, I think."

"Not sure anyone would want to sleep on a rock as it would just absolutely murder your body. The grass looks rather comfortable. Hardly the Canterlot-Carlton hotel, but it will do."

Once the group found their spot, Pocket spoke up, "We should have someone keep watch while the rest of us sleep, so nothing can sneak up on us.", he glanced at his weary little group before adding, "I'll keep first watch, unless someone else wishes to volunteer."

"By the way, thank you for the cloak. I got warmer after we got moving and your cloak really helped." The pegasus flexed his wings, and with a precision only a pegasus could have, he used his wings to toss the cloak from his back back onto Pressy's with accuracy.

Finally! A break from their long trek. The large half buried rock that Brooke had pointed out, seemed like a pretty decent choice. "I think it can work... the only potential problem I see with it might be if the wind shifted. If possible I'd go with a cave o' somekind... maybe we should check the map to see if there's anything like that nearby?" The mare walked over to their pale purple maned de facto leader and outstretched a hoof,"May I see the map a moment? If there's no other option available to us... I'd be happy to take first watch. I've got some very sharp eyes."

Presteza could have suddenly pulled Dunder into a hug for the return of her cloak, but thankfully she kept her professional tone. Clearing her throat for a moment she smiled at the grey coated pegasus,"Thanks... ya sure ya won't be needin' it?" She looked over Dunder a moment and he did indeed seem to be looking less cold but she couldn't help but worry... he was supposed to be their protection after all and they couldn't have such an important member of their crew getting a chill.