[Ponyville] First Time Visit [closed]

[Bannhammer]

The train car was silent, and the solitary pony inside liked it that way; that’s why he reserved it for himself. Normally he’d get the whole train, but he didn’t feel like over doing it. A white Unicorn dressed in an expensive tuxuedo was seated in the only chair the car had, with a small desk placed right in front of him.Maximilian Rockefilly jr. was performing his daily ritual of reading the latest financial news and memorizing the latest business stats.

As the train rolled across the countryside Max would look up from his work for a few moments to appreciate the landscape, it was much different than the busy streets and alleys of Manehattan. His busy schedule kept him in that large city, single hoofedly running his financial empire, and he was finally able to find an opportunity to take a break.

Of all the places to visit, he had chosen Ponyville; mainly because it had been host to a recent summer sun celebration. A town that Celestia had chosen couldn’t be that bad. It was barely visible from Manehattan, and Max had never taken the time to learn anything about it. Max’s curiosity grew as the train kept rolling, he was told that the trip would only be an hour at the most and it seemed like he should be arriving at any moment. He knew that Ponyville was a small town, but Max’s idea of a town was akin to Fillydelphia... how small could Ponyville be?

A uniformed pony entered the car to inform Max that the train would be arriving soon. Maximilian said nothing and slowly began to gather his things. As the train gently began to decelerate, Max took one last look in a mirror to check on his appearance. He quickly fixed his dyed blond mane and with a deep breath he prepared to venture out into this strange new town. With a screech the train stopped, and Max found himself staring out at the sight before him.

Small buildings, open roads, trees? This was a park, not a city! Max stepped down from the train and began to trot down something that passed for a road. The Manehattanite gaped at everything as he passed by, this was not what he had expected. He had pictured Ponyville as some sort of miniature Trottingham, but this was a collection of houses with a building or two thrown in! The ponies he passed only added to his confusion, they seemed so eccentric, so strange! They did art out in the park and they sang in the streets!

Max had other things to worry about, though. Within a few minutes Maximilian had lost his bearings and he found himself in the middle of a strange town. And, of course, he left his suitcase on the train. With a disgruntled sigh, Max summed up his predicament.

“I already hate this town...â€Â

[CherryRie]

One of the key virtues needed in any qualified parent is patience. Not just any old patience, but the kind that you could forge horse shoes on. True, the journey to the great city of Manehatten had been something of an adventure for young Peanut Butter and her brother, captivated as they were by the experience of their first train ride. Sadly the same could not be said of the three day return venture.

With the holiday over and the initial dizziness out of the way, boredom had cut its teeth and the foal’s attention span had been reduced to that of a hyperactive gerbil. There were only so many games of eye spy she could take before the inevitable ‘where are we now?’ ‘s and ‘are we there yet’ ‘s began in earnest. In contrast her brother was acting far more respectably, quietly laid out on his bunk with his nose in a copy of ‘Harvey Trotter and the Stable of Ambiguity’. While the book was at least interesting, the colt’s present quietus had more to do with the filly’s constant attention seeking and less to do with literary pursuits. His own energy supply having caved about ten minutes after lunch.

“Honeynut,†Remarked a large auburn stallion from behind a paper and smoking pipe “Your mother told you only two minutes ago, it’s still another day to Trottin’ham. Now please, settle down.â€Â

Though his tone sounded final, it didn’t seem to have all the much effect on the paint pony’s restlessness, the filly shuffling her hooves and twitching wings irritably. It had been a short but hectic holiday, with so much to see and little time to spare. By the time they had boarded the train the leave the little filly had been utterly shattered. But with a whole day of rest under her belt, PeaBee’s head was ablaze with the amazing memories she’d accumulated over the past week. Subsequently the Filly was basically a small fuzzy ball of perpetual energy that not even her enduring brother could keep up too.

Letting out a resolutely dramatic groan, the pony tussled on her bunk a little before swinging herself out onto the floor and approaching the sliding door to their cabin.

“Peanut.†Came her mother’s warning voice, eyes in the back of her head watchful as always “Where are you going, young lady?â€Â

With a smile as thick as school custard, PeaBee looked back as the door retreated from her path "To see a pony about a dog?â€Â

Giggling profusely at her mother’s expression, the filly skipped off into the corridor, just as the squeal of brakes announced the their arrival in Ponyvill.

Seemingly sensing his wife’s gaze attempting to penetrate his morning broad sheet, the work horse shrugged and casually took a draw on his pipe. “Don’t look at me. It’s your father she gets it from.â€Â

--

Conveniences visited, the filly was stood patiently waiting out the throng of disembarking ponies. She didn’t pay much attention to the other passengers, though one did warrant her consideration. Smartly dressed in a trim suit, a very ‘proper’ unicorn wandered on past at the back of the crowd. While she didn’t know the stallion in person, the Pegasus foal recognised him from earlier in the day, when she had thought his cabin a suitable spot to hide from her pursuing brother. Suffice to say the pony had not taken kindly to the giggling filly interrupting his peaceful solitude and had ‘escorted’ her back to her parent’s compartment with more than a few firm words.

Briefly, as she started wandering back to the shared room, the filly wondered why the unicorn seemed to be so bad tempered. Grandpa would say ‘he had a stick up his rump’ but she hadn’t noticed one when he walked past. The cabin the solitary traveller had occupied was now empty bar a suitcase and lay open to the rest of the world.

Suitcase?

The stranger had left his stuff behind! Somewhere in the back of her mind, a wheezy old voice insinuated that the upmarket stallion was likely used to having others carry them for him. Ignoring her grandpa’s mutterings, PeaBee ran up to the window that overlooked the station platform. Seeing the unicorn’s flank disappearing down the far stairs the filly’s heart leapt as the obvious opportunity presented itself. A chance for her to make up for her earlier shenanigans and a good deed all rolled into one! Daddy would be so proud of her.

Without pausing to think, the foal butted the large case onto the floor, grabbed its handle in her teeth and began to drag it towards the exit. Little wheels on the base made pulling the case allot easier as she found a good purchase and cantered down the corridor, a conductor pony stepping aside to let her off. With a series of cringe worthy bumps to the expensive luggage, PeaBee rattled her way down the stairs where she’d last seen the unicorn and dragged the heavy case out into the grass covered courtyard beyond. There were a lot of ponies out here but none of them looked like the stallion she was seeking. Surely he couldn’t have gone that far? Maybe if she could ask somepony to give the case to him?

The little filly was right in the middle of deciphering the complicated name on the case tag when a loud whistle made her look up suddenly. Dread like she had never experienced swept her small form. Before she could think her legs were propelling her like a rocket back into the station. Through the ticket stall, barging past ponies, belting up the stairs and running right to the end of the platform... just as the back of the train disappeared from sight around a bend.

Peanut butter, a Pegasus foal barely of school age, sat back on her haunches with mouth agape and pupils shrinking to dots of horror.... she’d been left behind. The train ponies had gone without her. She was alone, on a cold platform, in the middle of a strange town with only her coat for company.

She...

Was...

LOST!

A conductor pony was walking back to his booth on the platform when he noticed the small filly sat alone at the far fence, staring dejectedly up the empty tracks.

“Everything okay there, young miss?†He called over, concerned that the filly seemed to be without accompaniment.

“Yes.†PeaBee croaked in reply without turning around “Umm, when’s the next train to Trottingham?â€Â

The conductor stroked his wispy beard with a hoof “Ahh well, their doing some work on the line this week, so there’s not going to be another along this line for at least another few days. Sometime next week she’ll open up again.â€Â

Silence followed his statement, broken by the filly’s oversized wings hitting the paved station floor with a sorry slap. Stepping closer the stallion tired to get a look at the foals face, seeing that it was a picture of terror punctuated by her saucer like eyes now brimming with tears.

“What’s wrong? Are you alright?†He asked in genuine concern.

“Ah-Ah-A’m... Ah gota go!†blurted the filly before suddenly turning on hoof and galloping full out down the platform back into the courtyard. Eyes burred by tears franticly searched the unfamiliar faces of the ponies outside, her tummy gurgled with threatening nausea and her chest was tight with barely contained sobs. Familiar colours of a square box caught her panicked attention; the case was laying a few feet away having been knocked on its side.

Quickly she gripped the handle in her teeth again and began to pull it along, ignorant to the stains the grass would likely cause. Whoever this case belonged too, they were better than asking a total stranger in a strange town for help. Asking for help though was exactly what the filly ended up doing, queering several passersby if they’d seen where the smartly dressed unicorn had been going.

Thankfully a couple on a bench had spotted her quarry and within a few minutes PeaBee was staring down a main street of the town. The unicorn was stood looking around confusedly, as though not entirely sure where he was. Rubbing the tears from her face with a fore hoof, the foal looked back down at the tag attached to her precious cargo, squinting to carefully read the long words.

“Mister...Rokaa... Rokaaahhfilljer? Mister Rocky-filljar?†She shouted, hoping for a reaction from the smartly dressed town pony. Clamping her jaws back around the thick handle, Peabee started dragging the cumbersome baggage towards the unicorn again, calling out from around the bit. “Mif-tu Ruukyrullga’! Ou’ ‘orgot ourr ‘ace!"

[Tempest Rime]

Meanwhile, in the town hall some distance away, Tempest Rime was busy filling out some forms detailing the local water tables, and writing up a rather glowing performance review on how much the river water had improved since hiring her friend Aqua Drop. By multi-tasking, she improved performance, and also ensured that the relevant information was right at hand, since the reports were closely related.

She set down her pen and stretched her neck for a moment, and chanced to look out the window. She noticed a collection of storm clouds rolling in, which were most definitely NOT on the schedule. "Oh no..." She set aside her paperwork and irritably stormed out of the building.

A few minutes of flight took her high above the train station, where the weather ponies on duty were pushing the storm in. "What is going on here!?" Tempest shouted at them.

"Uh... well, the scheduled downpour..." The poor young pegasus looked quite intimidated by Tempest's ire, in spite of being significantly bigger than she.

"The scheduled downpour? You mean the one for 10:00 PM!? It's 10:00 AM right now! Did you even read the schedule, it's not hard to tell what's assigned to your shift, is it? By Celestia, I don't believe this, you're about to set this storm down right on top of a busy train station, somepony could get hurt! Do you even think about what you are doing?" The weather pony looked like he was about to cry, but Tempest had no patience for it. "Turn this storm around right now, I'm going to go down there and warn everypony to take cover," she said sharply before flying down to the station.

She swooped down to a conductor, and procured a bullhorn. She then flitted into the center of the station, took a deep breath, and made her announcement. "ATTENTION EVERYPONY. THERE HAS BEEN A BIT OF A MIX UP WITH THE WEATHER SCHEDULING, AND A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS STORM IS CURRENTLY OVERHEAD. PLEASE TAKE SHELTER WHILE WE CLEAR THIS UP." Satisfied that nopony there would be getting hurt in the station itself, she flew up again, and checked on the progress.

The storm itself was still moving over the town. They'd put too much wind into it, there'd be no stopping it now. "Stop! Stop trying to send it back, you'll only stall it out at this rate," she snapped at the weather pony. "Just give it some more wind, and send it straight over the town, that's the quickest way to get it out from settled areas."

She started to help move the storm for a moment before glancing down. She spotted a pair of ponies directly in the path of the storm, and she did a reckless five to get down to them. She arrived accompanied by a deafening boom, as the storm angrilly discharged a bolt of lightning dangerously close by, though it hadn't yet started to rain or hail.

"Get inside!" She screeched, barely able to hear her own voice over the ringing left by the thunderclap. She pointed a hoof at the town hall doors, as there was plenty of public space in the hall itself, and she shooed the well-dressed businesspony and the little filly towards it.

[CherryRie]

Max cursed his luck, stuck in some hick town without his luggage. He couldn't wear the same clothes more than once, much less two days in a row! His internal ranting continued, until a small Pegasus managed to snatch his attention away from himself.

He narrowed his eyes and looked at her quizzically. She massacred his name, probably due to the large object she held in her mouth.

"It's Rockefilly. Maximilian Rockefilly jr. Don't speak with your mouth full..."

Max would've continued to correct the pint sized Pegasus, but he had finally recognized the large object in the excitable equine's grasp.

"My suitcase!"

Joy surged through his body, but quickly dissipated when he noted its condition. Dented, scuffed, dirty, covered in Pegasus spittle; it was NOT pristine. "How did you get that? And what did you DO to it?"

Ever hopeful, Peabee lifted the heavy luggage onto its wheals and massaged her jaw. She was an odd little thing. Not much taller than the case she had been dragging, with paint coat and pigtailed mane that spoke volumes about her country upbringing. Most peculiar were her wings. Young Pegasus foals generally had small fluffy ones, unsuited for flying long distance but more than enough to get airborne until they fledged. In contrast, Maxx could see fully formed flight feathers poking out from under her droll hoof-knitted coat and out over her rump, easily twice the size of any normal foal her age, if not more.

“Well I saw you get’in off the train an’ your bag was still there in the room, an’, so I thought I’d bring it to you... T’make up for before?†She answered, with a worried smile that, while genuine enough, did nothing to hide the look of desperation in her drying eyes.

"Well, you certainly did..." Max trailed off, more curious than upset. His eyes stopped when he noticed her wings, and a few silent moments of contemplation followed; much to the chagrin of the filly. When he finally did speak, it was about something different. "Didn't your train leave?"

Sympathy or concern wasn't in his nature, and he spoke nonchalantly to the desperate young Pegasus.

“I...when I could’n find you, I when outside an’... ah’didn’ know it would go that quick, an’â€Â

Choking back a sob, Peabee rubbed her eyes again as a familiar blurriness heralded the return of tears.

“So - so I brought you’re case cus’ I didn’t know what else to do.†Gradually filly seemed to be descending into an all out rambling-panic, glancing about the unfamiliar street as though the world were darkening around her... Which oddly enough appeared to be the case. Thunder heads were gathering beyond the station, casting a long all engulfing shadow that crept slowly towards the heart of the small town.

“An’ I’m gona be in so much trouble when Mama notices I’m gone, an’ Daddy will get angry, an’ with Mama’s Mitherin’ they’ll end up threpin’ ag’in cus’ they’ll think ah’v done this on purpose but it was an Accident, I swear!â€Â

At this last statement the foal’s frantic eyes snapped back to the well dressed unicorn, leaning forwards in search of some iota of reassurance or understanding.

“Please Mister Rockyfelly, I don’t know what to do.â€Â

Maximilian sighed, not only was his luggage ruined, but he now had a filly to look after. She got lost trying to help him out, and his first inclination was to grab his bags and leave; but even the hardened business pony couldn't refuse to help the poor Pegasus. Max noticed the panic on her face, and he knew that the oncoming storm wouldn't help her nerves.

Max looked down and tried his best to sound reassuring. He had to be gentle, so he made sure not to correct the young pony for once again mispronouncing his name.

"Well, you have my thanks. I'll make sure you get back to your parents safe and sound. But first,†Continued the businesspony, eyeing the chaotic scene rapidly developing behind the small Pegasus “let's get inside like that nice weather Pegasus' is telling us to."

Relief gave way to confusion. Peabee turned around to face the oncoming thunderheads, ears flattening as a flash of lighting arched over the roof tops and filled the world with the resonating thunder. From out of the tempest, a lone Pegasus was plunging towards the pair in a frantic headlong dive, yelling at the top of her commanding voice.

Shrinking back, fear gripped the filly’s jelly like legs and rooted her to the spot. She could bearly make out what the newcomer was yelling, only turning to move when the Pegasus started to push her towards the buildings. Maximilon was already well ahead of them, walking with a calm sense of purpose with his dishevelled suitcase bobbing along close behind. Braking into a gallop, the filly ran up beside him and all three climbed the stairs of the hall just as a sheet of hail began to bounce across the grass covered street.

Trembling, Peabee stared disbelievingly out of the door “Chuff me fish an’ chips where did tha’ come from??â€Â

--Combination post by Bannhammer and CherryRie--

[Tempest Rime]

"Blithering idiot!" Tempest shouted as she slammed shut the doors against the hail. She'd have to wait it out, the hail would pummel her before she could get back up to help move the storm. "I suppose I'll get blamed for this one, too! 'Oh there's Tempest, she schedules the rain,' 'oh like that storm they missed last spring, or this freak storm blowing through town now?'" She let a frustrated whinny. "Rainbow Dash would never have let it get this far."

She faced the other ponies and paused, looking embarrassed at her outburst. "Um... my apologies. There was a bit of a mix-up in the weather, this storm wasn't supposed to be here until tonight, when everypony would have had plenty of warning. But some ponies can't read the schedule, apparently. It should blow through before too long."

She slumped down and groaned. "Ugh, and today was going so well up until this."

[Bannhammer]

       The weather outside was foul, and almost rivaled Maximilian's mood. He had arrived in some hick town and what was the first thing that happened? His suitcase was ruined and now he was stuck inside with an excitable filly and a few other strangers.

       The complaining Pegasus only served to annoy him further. This is why Max ran his business by himself, no underlings to screw things up. With a flick of his tail he turned around and faced the Pegasus. 

    He spoke plainly, hoping to get his point across. With a dismissive snort, he started to speak. "Some mix up this is. I'm stuck in this dumb town that shouldn't be able to call itself part of civilization. You're telling me that even the weather ponies in this town are screwed up as well?" He paused. "THIS is why I don't take vacations."

     With an audible sigh the rich unicorn headed towards the door. He didn't want to be stuck here any longer.

 

     "And as much as I love being surrounded by ponies who don't know what they're doing, I've got places to go and business to do. So, Young lady, If you'd be so kind as to do your job, I'll be on my way."The Rockefilly faced the young filly who had followed him in. "You're coming too."

[CherryRie]

Still visibly shaken by the storm and now worried that the older Pegasus’s outburst was aimed at her, Peabee seemed to curl inwards while the rant played out. However when it became clear that the weather maiden’s quarrel was not with the foal herself, she trotted up to the wide window of the store and looked out into the street. Outside an ocean of tiny white balls were bouncing off the glass panes, covering swathes of ground in odd little patterns as it quickly melted.

A breath of wonder passed the young fillies lips, thankful for the shelter the grand village hall was providing. Thoughts of her parents’ immanent discovery resurfaced among the hollow pink of frozen rain beyond the glass.

“Excuse me, miss weather pony?†The foal asked, shooting the irate Rockefilly a worried glance while trying to sound polite as she addressed the despairing Pegasus “Umm this is gona sound strange, but do you know how to get a message to a train?â€Â

[Tempest Rime]

Tempest was already in a foul mood, and she was not about to let the insult to her home go unanswered. "How dare you! Without rural settlements like Ponyville your precious 'civilization' would be starving to death. Hmph, I know your type. Just because you're some kind of big-city big-shot you think you can treat other ponies like dirt."

She stepped between the rich pony and the filly as a flash of lightning lit up the room. "You're welcome to venture out into that storm if you really wish, but I'm not about to let you drag a child out into that. There is a great deal of hail and lightning out there, it's far too dangerous." She turned to Peabee and gave a frown of concern. "About the only way you're going to get a message to the train would be to find one of the fast-flying pegasus ponies in town and get them to chase it down. By the time the storm passes us by, even that will take some time. Did you miss your train?"

[Bannhammer]

Max lifted his head. "Big city type? I am Maximilian Rockefilly jr., and my left hoof is worth more than this pathetic dump!" He paused, and scoffed. "And news flash, you know why I treat ponies like dirt? Because I CAN. Because I'm BETTER than them! Besides, do you know who FUNDS these 'rural settlements'? Us big shots who know what the hay we're doing!" 

He could've continued arguing, but he didn't see it a a good use of his precious time. Max could brave the storm, leaving this small time Pegasus behind, but he couldn't just drag the  young PeaBea along. As much as he hated to admit it, he felt sorry for her.

"If I must wait it out for HER sake, I shall."

With no other options, the rich unicorn defaulted to his favorite method of killing time, counting bits. He nonchalantly pulled bit after bit from his magic pouch and began to count a stack worth more than most pony's salaries. 

[CherryRie]

Gawping at the retreating unicorn, Peanut Butter seemed to bristle with impotent wrath. Initially she had put down his harshness on the train down to irritation at the filly’s unwelcome interruption, but now she was genuinely regretting her decision to find the Manehattenite. The young foal recognised a 'real' insult when she heard one despite her age.

As Maximilian sat down and began to count out a pile of bits, the filly trotted over and stood in front of the mound.

“...That really wasn’t very nice Mister Rockyfilly.â€Â

Peabee stared at the brash business pony with an expression that was difficult to read. Lacking any sort of childish pout or glower, it wasn’t a look of contempt so much as disappointment, as though the older unicorn had failed some sort of unspoken test. The filly's brother, Cashew, had faced this look many times before; it was that ‘you crossed the line, mister’ look that scared the hay out of big brothers everywhere.

“I think you should apologise to her. Right now.â€Â

[Tempest Rime]

"Hah!" Tempest exclaimed haughtily. "Ponyville got along just fine on its own for a long time. I may not be a native, but I made a point to read up on the history of my own home. Most of the land is owned by farmers who've held it for generations, and the rest is designated wilderness. You may own own the towns around Manehattan, Mr. Rockefilly, but you do not own us."

She smiled a cold, thin smile. "Oh yes, I've heard of your family. 'Ruthless extortionists' I believe was the exact words used to describe them. Well, don't feel the need to stay here on her account, I'll see to it that she gets back to her train. I don't believe I'd feel comfortable leaving her in your care anyway, now that I know who you are."

She almost left it at that, but it suddenly occurred to her that she was pushing him to venture out into the dangerous storm, and while she held nothing but contempt for him, she still didn't want him getting hurt because of her. She quickly changed the subject in an attempt to keep him talking. "So, what brings you to our 'dump' anyway then? If there's nothing great here, then why bother coming here at all, hmm? Looking for new ponies to exploit?"

She glanced to the little filly, still smiling without a trace of actual amusement. "It's quite all right, dear, I can take an insult, I'm tougher than I look. Oh, by the way, my name is Tempest Rime, I handle much of bureaucratic work for the weather division. You can call me Tempest." She turned to glare back at Max and added "and you may call me Miss Rime."

[Bannhammer]

Maximilian looked up at the small filly facing him. He gave her a look, not a glare or a scowl, but a look of apathy. His calm expression clearly showing that he was not the type of pony to take orders, especially not from a little filly. 

He simply sat in silence, counting and reflecting on Tempest's words. Once again his family name came to bite him in the rump. Without even knowing who he was the young Pegasus didn't trust him. It didn't help that he insulted her and her town. Maximilian sighed, accepting the fact that traveling was a big mistake. When he finally did speak, it was slow and deliberate. 

"That's me, the ruthless extortionist. You know what they say, better a manticore than a Rockefilly, the manticore won't take your bits when it kills you!" Max chuckled, emphasizing the laugh to get his point across. 

When he resumed speaking it was at a dizzying pace and with a hint of anger. "Of course I only pretended to help this filly out so that I could swindle her for every non existent bit she has!" Max stopped and glared at the weather pony before returning to his business. He finally spoke again after further thought. 

"In retrospect, insulting you and your town isn't a great way to make a first impression..." Max looked Tempest right in the eyes and lowered his voice. 

"I'm sorry. I don't know how much it's worth; coming from a 'ruthless extortionist', but I mean it."

"I came here because I heard that it's a nice town. And since I only have a few days off a year from running my business, I decided to go somewhere new, someplace that wouldn't know about my family's actions..."

"Although I guess no matter how much you want to, you can never really run away from your family..."

Max froze, realizing that he had just shared an emotional moment with complete strangers. Blushing heavily he turned away and continued counting. 

[CherryRie]

At the unicorn’s apology, Peabee’s face seemed to light up like a miniature sun. True, the filly was somewhat confused that Max was trying to run away from his family, given how desperate she was to return to hers. But he had apologised for being mean and that was the important thing. “See, I knew you couldn’ be that bad, Mister Rockefilly! You’re just a lil’ grumpy that’s all.â€Â

Satisfied that all was once again right in the world, the Pegasus foal turned her bright smile back to Tempest, prancing over to the weather pony with an air of achievement.

“Umm, so who could take the message? Only, the sooner I can get it too them the less time they’ll have for threppin’. OH! I’m Peanut Butter by the way. But my friends call me Peabee.â€Â

[Tempest Rime]

As Max started to appologize, Tempest's glare softened slightly, but his final words were what really shattered her angry mien. She knew all too well about running away from family. She glanced down, ashamed at her behavior. "I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up something so... um, well, I accept your apology. And really, this storm is a poor way to give you a good impression of this town, really, this sort of thing is highly uncommon, you just caught us on a bad day, I suppose."

She turned back to Peabee, forcing a smile while actually looking rather sad. "Well, then, Peabee," she said, absent her usual air of formality. Children were easier to talk to, since she didn't feel the need to maintain her strict etiquette around them. "We have a number of talented fliers in town, actually. Miss Strawberry Orange is supposed to be an excellent flier, though I can't say I've seen her in action, and Miss Ditsy Doo always seems to be quite punctual in spite of... the occasional mishap."

"But really, your first choice of fast fliers would be Miss Rainbow Dash, have you heard of her? She won the most recent Best Young Flier competition in Cloudsdale by pulling off a sonic rainboom. I doubt any pegasus in Equestria could match her for speed, not even the Wonderbolts can pull off a rainboom."

[CherryRie]

“Oooo nifty.â€Â

At first the filly seemed suitably impressed, ears pricking up at the name of the high flying aerial daredevils. There was something else there though, a recognition in the eyes at the strained counterfeit smile.

“I haven’ heard of her an’ I didn’ understand any of that last bit, but it sounded ‘fast’!â€Â

Oddly, Peabee’s smile seemed to stretch even further, almost as though she were trying to out-grin the other Pegasus. Quiet suddenly, the foal burst into laughter, apparently tickled by something Tempest couldn’t see.

“You look like you’ve got a sour bean under your tong! So where do they live normaly? Maybe I can go find them after the storm clears.â€Â

[Tempest Rime]

"Sour bean?" Tempest looked cofused, but shrugged it off. "Anyway, Miss Dash lives on a cloud towards the edge of town. Rather ostentatious if you ask me, but she does seem to have her own sense of style. Anyway, once this storm blows by, I'll have to check in the weather pony on duty and find a place where we can let the storm finish up, but after that I can look for Miss Dash for you."

"I almost wish I had gone to see Miss Dash compete, I hear the sonic rainboom was quite the spectacle. I don't really like to go to Cloudsdale, though..." The sadness in her eyes returned briefly. "Uh, well anyway, if we find her, don't tell her I said anything nice about her, she would never let me live it down. She doesn't have weather duty this week, though, so she may be off on another of her adventures with her friends."

[Bannhammer]

Maximilian was back to counting bits, and he did his best to think of other things. Why had he shared something like that with a pony he didn't even know? Max shook his head and tried not to think about it, there were far more pressing concerns to worry about. Like the storm that was currently battering the shelter they currently took refuge in. It wasn't getting any lighter. After a few more minutes of counting his money, he was left with a giant pile of coins in front of him. It was all an attempt to ignore the others, a very ineffective method. He couldn't help but think about them.

The green Pegasus isn't too bad, I started the whole thing anyway. And the smaller one, um... Peanut Brittle, is just a lost foal, nothing to be upset at. I'm just doing the opposite of what I want, the Rockefilly name was sullied enough, why make it worse by acting like a jerk?

Without a sound he continued the task at hoof, arranging the bits into equal piles and setting them aside. Max sighed, this wasn't getting him anywhere, if he was going to be stuck with these ponies, he might as well try to get along. He wouldn't do anything sappy, just try to start a conversation.

"Excuse me..." He paused."Miss Tempest..." Max turned to face the two ponies, ignoring the large stack of bits behind him. "What exactly is there to do in Ponyville? I should know some basics before I start my vacation..."

[CherryRie]

Sitting back on her hunches, the filly looked up at the older Pegasus with head tilted in confusion. “What's wrong with Cloudsdale? An' why wouldn’t you want to be nice to her?†PeaBee queried. It didn’t sound like Tempest was talking about ‘being mean’, but something about her whole demeanour seemed off.

Something tweaked in the back of her mind and the filly’s nose wrinkled a little, a lesson about ‘sticking your muzzle where it don’t belong’ resurfacing. It had been preceded by a friendly tap on the snout from her grandfather and had since become a family tradition as a method of informing the curious foal when she was ‘prying’.

“Ohh, sorry.†The pegasus filly nodded conspiratorially, quickly changing the conversation “Well, I’ve never been to CloudsDale either, Ma’ says the balloon trips are too expensive. It looks pretty enough from below though, especially with all those waterfalls.â€Â

"Excuse me, Miss Tempest..." Max interjected, turning to face the two ponies and ignoring the large stack of bits behind him. Peabee noted it was leaning slightly, like the Wonky Tower of Pinto "What exactly is there to do in Ponyville? I should know some basics before I start my vacation..."

“Oh yeah! I've never been here before either!†Infused the small Pegasus at the business pony’s suggestion “Hay, maybe you could give us a tour!â€Â

[Tempest Rime]

"Miss Dash and I have... professional differences. Suffice to say, our personalities are quite diametrically opposed. Uh, that is to say, we just tend to get on each others nerves. And as for Cloudsdale... well..." Tempest hesitated, unsure if she ought to admit to her family problems in front of the child, but the rich unicorn already had, so she figured she might as well. "I'm from Cloudsdale, and my family is still there. We don't really get long anymore. It's complicated." It wasn't actually all that complicated, but it was a subject Tempest was loathe to dwell on long enough to actually explain.

She sighed. "I suppose I could show you around. I'm not really the best at tours, most of my own recreational time is spent at home, or out by the lakes. Uh, but I do know some of the more notable structures, and I know the landscape itsel quite well, as I do a lot of surveying for the weather team." She forced an uncertain smile.

"I'm not really sure what you rich ponies do for fun actually. If the Gala was any indication it's just a lot of social maneuvering and eating expensive foods that aren't actually much tastier than what we 'common' ponies make do with."

[Bannhammer]

Max was a little stung by her words. She still considered him to be a rich pony who considered them all common, and nothing more. He shrugged it off, however, remembering that he had to earn respect from those around him. Maximilian didn't like what she said, but he acknowledged that she was at least trying to be nice to him. He could understand her family issues, maybe not to the full extent, but he knew how she felt.

"Well, If that was all that I wanted I could have just stayed in Manehattan. And while it might be hard to understand, I desperately wanted to leave that town the first chance I got. It's fine to work all the time, only taking breaks to eat expensive foods and have strained small talk with ponies you can't trust..."

Max sighed, he didn't want to act like his life was hard, but he couldn't help complaining a bit. "...but I wanted a break. I guess you could say I wanted a taste of the 'common' life. No business to weigh me down." He chuckled a bit, using the phrase that she herself used not even a moment ago.

"I didn't know what I was in for, I thought this would be a small town, but not this small. I was thinking along the lines of Hoofington, and I was caught off guard." Max looks at his hooves, still feeling guilty for what he said earlier. "In retrospect, a small town like this it's... It's better for every pony. There's no rat-race, no hustle and bustle to get lost in, no fancy food that costs too much, no social maneuvering, and..."

Max thought for a moment, considering what Tempest had said earlier."...and nopony like me." He paused only for a moment, before continuing.

"Nopony to swindle, to cheat, to steal from others. Nopony to lie, to hurt, to destroy; just a bunch of pleasant ponies..."

Maximilian looked up at Tempest, with a serious look in his eyes."Honestly better for every pony, don't you think?"

He shifted his tone and his focus to PeaBea. "Well, what do you say we tour Ponyville when this nasty storm blows through?"

[CherryRie]

Pea bee blinked in brief unease, unused to such a show of vulnerability by grownups around her. To a foal, most adults were towering infallible giants and yet both of them seemed deeply troubled for reasons she couldn’t understand.

However, at Max’s suggestion the filly seemed brighten again “Sure, that'd be great mister Rockyfilly!”

Curious blue eyes turned back to the long window that overlooked the courtyard and the Pegasus trotted back to her perch on the windowsill, watching the now gentle rain falling lazily through a gradually opening sky.

“Hay, the rain’s slowing down! Think the storm’s gone?”

OOC; sorry, thats all I’ve got

[Tempest Rime]

Tempest considered giving a tour. It might be helpful to expand her own knowledge of the town, and she could places of interest. "I suppose I could show you around, though mind you my expertise is far from comprehensive. I tend to spend most of my time either on the outskirts of town surveying the climate or locked away in an office, filing paperwork. Still, I know most of the big places around town. The library, the tea shop, the spa. Perhaps that last one might interest you, Mr. Rockefilly, that's sort of an upper-class way to relax isn't it?" She sounded honestly unsure of the idea.

She looked out the window, wincing at the damage the storm had done to the unprepared town square. Still, it could have been worse, the short duration of the storm had reduced its impact. Most of the damage was from hail tearing up plant leaves, and there weren't any indications of lightning strikes nearby. A full assessment would be necessary at some point, but not immediately.

"First thing's first, however. If the young lady has become separated from her family, we should waste no time in getting word to them. The dangerous parts of the storm have passed by, so it's safe to fly. I'll head over to Miss Dash's abode and see if I can get her to take a message. You may stay here or step out as you wish, but don't go so far that I can't find you. I'll be back in a jiffy."

With that, she stepped out into the rain and flew off toward Rainbow's house, enjoying the cool rain now that the hail and lightning had moved off.

[Bannhammer]

Max was left alone with the enthusiastic young filly, whom he had to keep occupied for a while. He turned to look at PeaBea.

"Well, you heard Miss Tempest, time for us to stay put for a while..."

What do ponies do for fun? He had never had friends to play with as a foal, and he was completely lost. His father had never even bought him toys to have fun with. 

He looked around, trying to find something to do, but all he saw was his stack of bits sitting off to the side. Surely the young pony wouldn't want to play with those, but what the heck was there to do?

"Well, what do you want to do?" Max gave a puzzled look, trying to think of something jovial to pass the time. 

[CherryRie]

[tab=30]Silence answered the business stallion’s question, perhaps he wouldn’t be required to do anything after all. Somewhere towards the back of the room a door to the outside opened briefly, though no one seemed to enter the room, still devoid of life besides him and the clerk at the front desk. Turning his puzzled gaze back the quiet filly, Max’s attention suddenly became riveted to the empty windowsill where Peabee had stood moments before.

Trotting over in bemusement, the unicorn briefly glanced around the room, checking under a long seat in case the foal was hiding. A high pitch giggle filtered into the room from the outside, causing the aristocrat’s head to jerk towards the source beyond the window.

[tab=30]The trouble with asking any child what they 'want to do' (especially while not paying attention to them) is that they are likely to misinterpret this question as a licence to ‘Do whatever you want’.

As it turned out, what Peabee wanted to do most, was run through the puddles left by the storm. From the look of things the foal was having the time of her life... much to the detriment of her hooves and tail, both of which were gradually accruing a healthy coating of mud. Then, quite abruptly, the foal stopped in her tracks.

Some way in front of her, a frog had just landed.

Lying reasonably still in a shallow puddle, the green water critter wore the expression of confusion usually reserved for the recently terrified.

Up until several minutes ago, it had led the perfectly normal dreary life of fly catching and sunbathing, when a lot of very interesting and most unwelcome things had happened to it all at once. It had just been sat on a lily pad, minding its own froggy business, when suddenly a plethora of Pegasi had descended upon it from on high, their vacuous wake sucking up water and frog alike.

The subsiquent events had been something of an unnerving blur, culminating with an astoundingly beautiful view of the world above the clouds, something never before seen by amphibian eyes. This had, of course, been shortly replaced by a view of the boring world below rushing up to greet it. Now it was once again on terra firma, left with a brief experience that it was not entirely equipped to deal with.

‘Ourk’ it said. Which roughly translated to; “Blimyâ€Â

Somewhere beyond the haze of waning terror, a torrent of delighted giggles was now approaching the confused amphibian. Attached to the noise were four hooves and a grinning muddy face that seemed to be screaming;

“FROG!â€Â

Comprehension, it seemed, would have to wait. Honed instincts barged their way past confusion and propelled the critter towards a large shadow of relative safety.

Peabee gave chase, diving head first under the low porch that surrounded the circular town hall. It was a tight squeeze at first, but with a pop she made it past the heap of earth around the lumber and into the crawl space underneath. Now with just enough room to stand, the filly’s curious blue eyes fixed on the small terrified frog as it bounded off into the gloom. Ever one to jump on a passing band wagon, the small Pegasus followed suit, bouncing after the amphibian, each hop followed by a giggling “Ribbit, Ribbit, Ribbit.â€Â

[Bannhammer]

Maximilian found himself bounding outside into the mud, not out of any genuine concern for safety, but out of the fear of being blamed for this. The rich unicorn tried to catch up to the excitable young foal, but he ended up gently stepping through the muck, trying not to ruin his fine, white pelt.

"Listen here, Peanut Brittle! Miss tempest said that we should stay put." Max stopped and called out in annoyance."This is NOT staying put! This is the opposite of staying put!"

Max was glad when she finally stopped, hopefully she had decided to listen to him. His confusion was only compounded when she yelled out the word 'Frog'. Before he had a chance to question her completely non sequitur comment, she was off. Maximilian rolled his eyes and grunted in frustration before timidly giving chase. His anger turned to despair as she managed to squeeze under the town hall, there was no way he could fit under there as well.

If that Pegasus finds out I lost her...

Max didn't want to finish that though, and he instead put his face close to the opening and yelled, "Peanut Brittle! That's not a place for young fillies! Get out of there this instant!" All he heard in response was 'ribbit ribbit'.

He spent a few more moments yelling into the dark space under the building before giving up. "Horsefeathers!" He took a step back and paced around, trying to think of a solution. Something caught Max's eye, and in a flash he ran up to a window looking into the Town hall. A small, dirty pony was bounding around the interior, chasing a terrified amphibian.

"How... when... what?!" Max was dumbfounded for the moment, trying to comprehend how the young pony had managed to get herself inside of the building. The feeling passed quickly, and he forced his way inside to confront her.

"Peanut Brittle! Stop this instant! Until that weather pony gets back, we have to stay put!"