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Post by Wilgrove on Mar 19, 2016 3:11:14 GMT
The sun was shining, birds were chirping and the mountains glowed with green hues, Summer has finally arrived in Equestria. Stores had their Summer products all in full display and farmer ponies were busy tending to their crops. The local malt shop was selling ice creams and iced bottled drinks. At the local lake, ponies were swimming, running around and having fun. In one corner of the lake a small unicorn was setting up a folded chair next to a black bag that was resting on the ground. Chiselle then laid down onto the chair, put on a pair of thick square sunglasses, she placed her headset radio on her ears and then started to lounge by the lake, soaking in the sun and rocking out to the tunes.
Today was going to be a great and relaxing day.
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Post by ameriganastan on Mar 19, 2016 10:03:48 GMT
"You perverted little menace! Where are you hiding!?"
The relaxed atmosphere around the lake was interrupted by a furious mare scanning the area. From a nearby bush, local Lothario Page Turner poked his head out.
"Heh. Good luck finding me. I know every good hiding spot in this town."
He retreated back into the bush like a ninja.
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Post by Autumn Storm on Mar 19, 2016 17:26:52 GMT
If anyone had been unlucky enough to pass by Autumn's house on the outskirts of town, they would have heard what sounded like an approaching thunderstorm. Or maybe a freight train. In reality, it was just Autumn's snores that were shaking the windowpanes. Last night's work had kept her up way too long, and the charcoal-colored peagsus had fallen asleep on a stack of weather schedules next to her bed. As the minutes passed, a beam of light from one of the windows crept closer and closer to her face. Autumn's sleep became more and more uneasy as it did, and the second it touched her face, her eyes snapped open and she bolted upright with a small gasp.
"Shoot, I'm late!" she cried, leaping up and sending the stack of papers flying every which way. Doing some quick stretches to loosen up, Autumn started the water for her shower before pouring a bowl of oat bran and promptly devouring it in a storm of crunching and munching. Setting the bowl in the sink, the mare shot into the shower, emerging sopping wet just a couple minutes later. Shaking herself dry, she detoured back into her room, shoving the weather schedules into her saddlebags before slinging them over her back and darting out the door.
As her eyes adjusted to the brightness outside, she was greeted by a neighbor doing some cleanup around their house. Autumn returned the greeting with a cheery smile before leaping into the air and catching a slight north wind that gently lifted her up above the rooftops.
Banking slightly to head towards the lake, Autumn was looking forward to her days off. Her next job was in six days, preparing for a light drizzle over Winter Haven, but until then she could relax and enjoy the cloudless sky like everypony else.
Today was going to be a great day.
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Post by optineigh on Mar 20, 2016 5:27:53 GMT
For Willow Burr, the start of summer meant inventory time. She descended the staircase just before sunrise to her basement to count the fourteen varieties of cider, from the golden, sweet, and only slightly alcoholic kind from Sweet Apple Acres to the reddish-brown, sharp, and very dry kind from the Croupin Farm near San Flankcisco. She had a pencil in her teeth and a paper weakly grasped by her right hoof, jotting down jagged tallies of each barrel.
"Two of Pomme Sournoise, three of Greenleaf Five-Year Delight, one of Quince's Quality Presses... better get another one of that..."
When she was done she looked over the paper. She could barely read out which mark went with what cider. She would have to go through it again. So much for not being a unicorn like her father. She decided to put the paper down on a table and count from there.
The second count was much cleaner. Now it was onto the liquors... but the light from the rising sun from an overhead window attracted her. She looked up and realized it truly a gorgeous day. It was too beautiful to miss cooped up in a basement slaving away at tallies. And in any event she was in no rush. That was one good thing about small towns--the pace of life allowed for more time to just enjoy the scenery. And having finished two contracts for clients at her law practice a couple days before and two more not expected until a week from now, she could afford to take a small day off.
She came out of her home (as well as office and bar) carrying a couple of saddlebags. One was filled with a towel, a book, sunglasses, a small bundle of hay, and an orange. The other had a pint of milk, a vial of cinnamon, a vial of sugar, a vial of mint, small bottles of whiskey, rum, lime juice, and sparkling water, a cloth napkin, a small bar of soap, and a couple of shot glasses, all safely contained in a wooden box. She thought it a good idea to offer free samples of her craft at the lake.
It was before noon when she got there--not the typical time ponies would be thinking of a cocktail. So she simply opened her right saddlebag, took out the towel and laid it on the ground facing the lake, and settled down on it. The promotion could wait an hour or two.
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Post by Quandarm on Mar 20, 2016 21:49:18 GMT
For Flux, Summer meant he could finally hang up his coats and scarves, crack open the windows of his shop, and let the sun shine in. He preferred Spring on general principle, but a Summer breeze would work nearly as well. At this moment however, he was spreading a thin layer of kitty litter on a small section of his shop where one of his apprentices had spilled a can of axle grease. For business, Summer meant an uptick in repair work on carriages and other travel related items as families prepared for the Summer holidays. Currently, there were three carriages in the garage in different states of repair. One in particular was going to take a while.
"How's it going Scrap," Flux called. "Any luck on that front end?"
Scrap Iron wedged himself out from under the carriage, holding a wrench in his teeth. "Honestly Flux, I've half a mind to just put in for an entire new suspension up here." The giant wall of pony wheeled the rest of himself free from the wreckage and followed Flux to the water cooler. "How does a little old widow do this much damage to an old wagon like this?"
"Grandson took it out on a date," Flux grinned. "Picture it won't you? Hormones racing, grandson racing, carriage also racing, but not quite as well as it used to. Then, hairpin turn, patch of ice, sky, road, sky, road, ditch. Luckily nopony hurt anything other than their pride."
Scrap Iron too was amused. "Ahh me. Amore." He laughed. "If it wasn't for young bucks showing off, I guess I'd be out of a job."
"If we can't get that bucket of bolts repaired, you still might be. Ol' mare Josie keeps dropping by, claiming I'm not working hard enough." He shook his head with a grin. "I might have to close up shop and go into hiding! Ahh well. One way or the other, I'm heading into town for a bit. Got some parts to pick up. Hold down the fort for me would you?"
"Also," Flux added, leaning in conspiratorially, "Keep the new kid away from anything else that stains. I'm running out of kitty litter."
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Post by Ximea on Mar 22, 2016 0:27:50 GMT
The sun was shining, birds were chirping and the mountains glowed with green hues, Summer has finally arrived in Equestria. Stores had their Summer products all in full display and farmer ponies were busy tending to their crops. The local malt shop was selling ice creams and iced bottled drinks. At the local lake, ponies were swimming, running around and having fun. In one corner of the lake a small unicorn was setting up a folded chair next to a black bag that was resting on the ground. Chiselle then laid down onto the chair, put on a pair of thick square sunglasses, she placed her headset radio on her ears and then started to lounge by the lake, soaking in the sun and rocking out to the tunes. Today was going to be a great and relaxing day. Nearby, a gray unicorn with a white mane wandered back and forth across the beach, muttering to himself. In his magic, he carried a small device with an elaborate antenna emerging from the end, and a dial that wavered back and forth. "Thirty-one point twenty four, thirty-six point oh eight..." Steel Glint muttered. "Adequate signal here...not great, but pretty good considering the mountain..." His wandering eventually ran him into a folding chair. "Oh, Chiselle," Steel said, startled. "I didn't see you there. I was monitoring AM reception strength across town." He glanced at her radio. "Speaking of which...if you're interested, I could probably modify that radio to pick up signals from all across Equestria." His eyes lit up. "Or beyond Equestria! You could be the first mare to hear talk radio from another galaxy!" |
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Post by Wilgrove on Mar 22, 2016 0:37:32 GMT
The sun was shining, birds were chirping and the mountains glowed with green hues, Summer has finally arrived in Equestria. Stores had their Summer products all in full display and farmer ponies were busy tending to their crops. The local malt shop was selling ice creams and iced bottled drinks. At the local lake, ponies were swimming, running around and having fun. In one corner of the lake a small unicorn was setting up a folded chair next to a black bag that was resting on the ground. Chiselle then laid down onto the chair, put on a pair of thick square sunglasses, she placed her headset radio on her ears and then started to lounge by the lake, soaking in the sun and rocking out to the tunes. Today was going to be a great and relaxing day. Nearby, a gray unicorn with a white mane wandered back and forth across the beach, muttering to himself. In his magic, he carried a small device with an elaborate antenna emerging from the end, and a dial that wavered back and forth. "Thirty-one point twenty four, thirty-six point oh eight..." Steel Glint muttered. "Adequate signal here...not great, but pretty good considering the mountain..." His wandering eventually ran him into a folding chair. "Oh, Chiselle," Steel said, startled. "I didn't see you there. I was monitoring AM reception strength across town." He glanced at her radio. "Speaking of which...if you're interested, I could probably modify that radio to pick up signals from all across Equestria." His eyes lit up. "Or beyond Equestria! You could be the first mare to hear talk radio from another galaxy!" Chiselle looked at Dr. Steel and lifted up her sunglasses to her forehead. She magically lifted the headset radio from her head to around her neck. "Dr. Steel, remember when you offered to fix my kiln because of the weird heat variance? You turned it into a crematorium. As cool as that was, and it was really cool. It still cost me a pretty bit to have it fixed by Flux." |
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Post by optineigh on Mar 23, 2016 4:36:58 GMT
After an hour reading a Girtham crime thriller, Willow decided to set up the booth. The box had been in her family for years, as her great-grandfather (on her mother's side) was a travelling salespony of patent medicines who always was looking for an opportunity to hawk his wares wherever he was. His descendants had little use for it, preferring brick-and-mortar stores, but it still represented the entrepreneurial spirit that ran in the family. Having moved more often than any of her parents or grandparents, first leaving Tall Tale, the family home, to San Flankcisco and then to Vanhoofer, she appreciated the opportunism of her great-grandfather a bit more, and decided to take the box with her before settling in Winter Haven.
She took out the box's contents, pulled out the hidden legs, and then turned it leg side down with the faded words "'Barnstorm' Burr's Potent Patents" facing the west. She then put up the shot glasses in a neat row. Then came the tricky part--the measuring. She carefully filled two of the glasses two-thirds of the way with milk, a little less than the remaining third with whiskey, poured in a couple pinches of sugar, shook the glasses with a cover, and sprinkled a little cinnamon on top. For the other two she filled a little over a third of each with rum, a third with lime juice, added a few pinches of sugar, filled the rest with sparkling water, and dipped in a couple of mint leaves. Not having her measures with her, she felt a little less confident in her work, but she had done well enough without years before while working in her mother's restaurant.
She looked around and smiled at all the potential customers. "Anypony care for a sample?" she called out. "20% off your next drink at Burr's Legal Bar if you try one."
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Post by Ximea on Mar 24, 2016 0:32:03 GMT
Nearby, a gray unicorn with a white mane wandered back and forth across the beach, muttering to himself. In his magic, he carried a small device with an elaborate antenna emerging from the end, and a dial that wavered back and forth. "Thirty-one point twenty four, thirty-six point oh eight..." Steel Glint muttered. "Adequate signal here...not great, but pretty good considering the mountain..." His wandering eventually ran him into a folding chair. "Oh, Chiselle," Steel said, startled. "I didn't see you there. I was monitoring AM reception strength across town." He glanced at her radio. "Speaking of which...if you're interested, I could probably modify that radio to pick up signals from all across Equestria." His eyes lit up. "Or beyond Equestria! You could be the first mare to hear talk radio from another galaxy!" Chiselle looked at Dr. Steel and lifted up her sunglasses to her forehead. She magically lifted the headset radio from her head to around her neck. "Dr. Steel, remember when you offered to fix my kiln because of the weird heat variance? You turned it into a crematorium. As cool as that was, and it was really cool. It still cost me a pretty bit to have it fixed by Flux." "It was still a perfectly serviceable kiln," Steel grumbled. "You would just have to remember to sweep out the ash when switching between uses." He shrugged. "If you didn't want a crematorium, you should have said something. I thought it would be best to be prepared. What if some sexually curious stallion's wife finally catches Page tomorrow?" |
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Post by Wilgrove on Mar 24, 2016 2:14:49 GMT
Chiselle looked at Dr. Steel and lifted up her sunglasses to her forehead. She magically lifted the headset radio from her head to around her neck. "Dr. Steel, remember when you offered to fix my kiln because of the weird heat variance? You turned it into a crematorium. As cool as that was, and it was really cool. It still cost me a pretty bit to have it fixed by Flux." "It was still a perfectly serviceable kiln," Steel grumbled. "You would just have to remember to sweep out the ash when switching between uses." He shrugged. "If you didn't want a crematorium, you should have said something. I thought it would be best to be prepared. What if some sexually curious stallion's wife finally catches Page tomorrow?" "When I put my clay sculptures in the kiln, they are usually wet and cold. If you apply too much heat too quickly, the sculpture just explodes. I've learned that back in High School. Anyways, I doubt any of the wives are ever going to catch Page, that colt seem to always evade trouble." Chiselle looked up at the sun which was starting on it's downward trajectory. "I guess I should go back to the shop, gotta catch the mail, see if I can get anything but junk mail and bills." The mare collected her stuff and started to trot her way back into town. |
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Post by optineigh on Mar 24, 2016 17:30:42 GMT
Willow stood behind the box for five minutes without anypony coming by. She sighed. The drinks were not going to be cold for long, especially without ice, and she was not going to rush back to her house to get some lest somepony grab a glass without knowing who she would have to give the discount to. It was an serious oversight to go without ice, but it would have been practically useless to bring by this time.
"If I have too..." she mumbled to herself, and rearranged the box as to be strapped around her neck and carefully placed the drinks inside. She walked about a hundred meters to find a charcoal-coated pegasus mare lying down near the lake. "Hi there, Miss. Care for a Willow Burr or a mojito? I'll offer you 20% on your next drink at my bar if you try a sample."
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Post by Quandarm on Mar 26, 2016 16:34:00 GMT
The workshop was a ways out in the woods. He'd done that partly on purpose, to keep the noise levels down, and partly because the cave system that the main body of the shop was a part of, was just too inviting. He was still always excited whenever he came back to his shop in a cave. Partly natural, partly pony-made, and all his own realm.
He was half way into town, along the well worn path he always took, when he was stopped my a strange buzzing in his ears. Glancing around, Flux listened for the sound again, and quietly followed it to its source.
"Hello Steel," he said. "What brings you out this way?"
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Post by Ximea on Mar 26, 2016 21:48:32 GMT
"Eighteen point two-four," Steel mumbled as he walked along, holding a device in his magic. "Sixteen point nine one." A small gauge on the device registered a spike. "Ninety-four point eight six...that can't be right," Steel grumbled, just before he collided with Flux.
"Oh, Flux," Steel said, backing up. "It's you. Have you been recently magnetized? I'm reading massive field fluctuations in your vicinity." Steel fiddled with the device. As he backed away a few feet, the readings returned to normal. "I'm just mapping the radio signal strength throughout town. These mountains make it a real pain to transmit."
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Post by Quandarm on Mar 26, 2016 23:41:03 GMT
"Oh, Flux," Steel said, backing up. "It's you. Have you been recently magnetized? I'm reading massive field fluctuations in your vicinity." Steel fiddled with the device. As he backed away a few feet, the readings returned to normal. "I'm just mapping the radio signal strength throughout town. These mountains make it a real pain to transmit." "I don't think so," Flux said, backing away from Steel a bit. "I don't get to deal with magnets much. Just odds, ends, and the occasional wagon." He laughed. "Celestia knows we've got some of the best road workers in Equestria here in winter Haven, but the things they do to our ice wagons is... Anyway, what is it you're trying to transmit?" |
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Post by Ximea on Mar 28, 2016 4:20:05 GMT
"Oh, nothing special," Steel said. "Just binding incantations for Belphegor. I upgraded the de-winterizer by putting it under the control of a demon ritually bound to my will. I figure if he ever gets out of line, it'll be nice to have a way to remind him who's boss."
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