(This is the casual thread for Age of Exploration. If you wish to join the Canon, please visit the Character Sheet thread and leave a post there with your characters description. I will look it over and get back to you. Any arcs within the RP will take precedent over this thread.)
Located below the beautiful country of Canterlot sat Ponyville, a small town which had become increasingly important in the last few years. The small town had become a central point in the defense of Equestria from recent threats, due to the fact that the Elements of Harmony made their homes around this area. Because of this, and the fact that it was so close to the heavily guarded capital city of Canterlot, Ponyville had seen an influx of ponies joining its population lately. While not a city, barely even a large town, it was growing quickly.
Within the bustling heart of Ponyville sat the famed Inn of the Broken Blade, where weary travelers, citizens and any other creature was welcome to stay. A sign on the front door read, ‘No fighting inside the inn’. The inside of the inn was quite beautiful, with the glow of several lanterns casting a comfortable warm light over the wooden interior of the place. The smell of delicious food drifted out from the back of the tavern, where the owner was hard at work serving up meals for her hungry patrons. Behind the counter of the bar sat a large stallion who served drinks with a smile to those who wanted them and otherwise kept the place tidy when there were no customers talking to him.
Dumbledoof
It was nearing midnight as the two mischievous children had eluded their parents grasps, and the watch of the guard. The whole city was looking for them, but there was no point in going back now! They'd just get in trouble for being out too late. At the moment Silva had hid them in the royal gardens... specifically under a tree. She had made a small entrance in the ground under it, and had quickly excavated a massive cave inside using her magic. She even made some glowy flowers pop out of the cave walls, to give it light!
The ground underneath them was just rock, not that either of them would mind. Silva didn't care, and Asa was a dragon, so... caves were kind of her thing.
It was quite pretty. And also boring. But it was late and Silva was tired, and they had done enough craziness today anyway. They'd been evading the guards for nearly 2 hours and had pretty much robbed a candy store of its entire supply, which was now stashed in their cave.
Silva was busy munching on some chocolate, and tossed a few to Asa. "... That was fun! And totally scary! Mommy is gonna be real mad."
Dreamweaver
Asa wasn't too sure about it at first, but in the end, it had turned out to be pretty fun! Dodging around the guards, somehow staying out of sight, staying up way later than they were supposed to... there was a certain thrill to it. They were going to be in some serious trouble by the time that they were caught, however, and a new cave in the royal gardens would catch some attention sooner or later. Well, actually, of course it did. Gunnolf lived in the gardens.
Asa snapped up the chocolates, giggling madly, when a big pink eye was staring at them from the entrance. It was obviously Gunnolf from the shaking of the ground before. He was a pretty big guy and caused small tremors in the ground as he walked. Instead of reprimanding them, he just shook his head and rose back up, heading for the castle. Busted!
Not that Asa cared. She grinned, splayed out on her back. "You know Luna is gonna tear into us when she finds out we stole candy from a store, right?" Yet she didn't sound too ashamed about that, her eyes being bright. "Y'think Gunny will tattle on us?"
Dumbledoof
Silva locked eyes with Gunnolf's big eye at the entrance, and just narrowed her eyes as he turned and left. She then turned to answer Asa's question with a grin, "... It ain't stealin', silly. Stealin' is for the peasants. Imma deyaty and you are a princess too, so it ain't stealin'. It's more like... borrowing, for a while!" She said with a little wink at her best friend.
Silva reached out with her magic and proceeded to locate a precious gem nearby in the earth, and pulled it towards herself. It was a ruby about the size of her hoof, and she held it out to Asa with a smile. "I 'unno if you eat these. I knowin' some dragons do tho. You like gems more than chocolate? I can grab some!" She said excitedly, more than happy to give her magic a workout if it meant treating Asa to some rare candy.
Dreamweaver
Borrowing for a while did make it seem a bit better, though she would never use her position like that herself. Why just take stuff when you could simply ask and they'll give it to you freely? Besides, Shining once said that too many sweets would make her teeth go bad. She liked her teeth being good!
At the prospect of a gem being offered to her, Asa's eyes widened and she scrambled up to her paws, reaching forward and clasping the ruby in her talons and immediately snapping it up. That should more than answer Silva's question when the suddenly blissed out expression came across Asa's face. "Gems are so gooooood." She moaned... and then flopped over, chewing noisily, crunching the chem up before swallowing. "Gems are way better than chocolate, and they taste different depending on the gem, too! I like sapphires the best."
Dumbledoof
If it had been anyone else snatching something from her like that, Silvanus would have been pretty mad. But when Asa did it, it was just cute. She had never seen the dragoness get so excited over anything before! That just made Silvanus want to feed her even more!
"... A sapphire? Hmm, one sec Asa..." Silvanus said, while her horn once again took on a light green glow. Her magic appeared to creep along the walls, searching for something in particular... before focusing on one spot. "There's a lotta gems and stuff, but I only sense one sapphire nearby..." Silva said, while closing her eyes and seeming to concentrate really hard on it.
"This one is... being a bit... difficult..." she panted out, squinting her eyes shut... before a giant sapphire came flying from the ceiling and landed at Asa's feet. It had to weigh over 20 pounds!
Dreamweaver
Asa was very happy with just one gem, but at the idea of getting a sapphire, she straightened back up. Sitting on her hands, her talons clicked together noisily with excitement. Sapphires were the best, and unfortunately, she didn't get all that many of them! Since they were considered a precious stone that meant they weren't just handed out as food. She considered herself lucky to get even one as a snack every once in a blue moon.
The dragoness jumped backwards when the sapphire suddenly came shooting from the ceiling and landing on the ground. Silva wouldn't hurt her but when a big ass blue rock suddenly is rocketing your way, that tended to cause quite a bit of surprise. However, the surprise was replaced with shock and she crept closer, which was then replaced with glee. Hell yeah!
"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Asa squealed, leaping over it and hugging Silva tightly, even planting a kiss on her muzzle, before jumping back over to the sapphire and marveling at the beauty... and then took a big chomp out of the crystal as easily as one might eat bread. She was only chewing for a few moments before swallowing and turning her head back to Silva. "Have you ever tried a gem before, Silv?"
Dumbledoof
Silvanus paused momentarily as Asa kissed her on the muzzle, but otherwise didn't really think much of it! Honestly Silva was more shocked at what she had just pulled out of the surrounding cave. That was a once in a lifetime find and would have easily sold for two hundred million bits if it was properly cut. And she just fed it to a dragon.
Oh well, it's not like Silvanus had money problems! And the mortals would never even know it existed, so who cared? Seeing Asa so happy made it totally worth it in Silva's eyes! "Have I ever... tried a gem?" Silvanus mimicked, before shaking her head a bit. "Uhm... no. That seems like a dragon thing, right? But I can... try..." Silvanus seemed a bit unsure about it, but leaned in to take a little bite of the gem.
It came off with a crunch and she chewed on it a bit, before her eyes widened and she nodded. "It taste like blueberry to me! But like super good blueberry."
Dreamweaver
Asa nodded eagerly. "Seeeee? Gems are amazing, it only sucks that they're considered so precious!" When she thought about it now... perhaps it would be better to save this big hunk for eating at a later time. Or even to use it for something else, who knows what she might come up with later down the road. Besides, eating this much was sure to give her a stomach ache.
So, instead of taking another bite, she pushed it away slightly with a longing look and came to sit down next to Silva. "Probably would be better to save the rest of it for another time. Don't wanna make myself sick by eating too much, especially with all of this candy." She reached up and picked at her teeth. "Plus it's not too good for my teeth..."
She rather liked her teeth. So, not feeling like eating anything else, she leaned against Silva. "Today was really fun. Probably gonna regret it when they find us later, but... this wasn't bad." She grinned at Silva.
AssailantAvedonCyan HideGeneralTyrusDumbledoof This thread takes place after the Hollow Shades adventure but before the 10 year timeskip.
The mood within Canterlot today was ecstatic. Today was Hearth's Warming Eve, which meant that the main districts of Canterlot had been turned into the main stage for the Hearth's Warming Gala! Unlike the Grand Galloping Gala, which was once-upon-a-time a celebration of Canterlot's construction but now was really used to make rich ponies feel happy, the Hearth's Warming Gala was for all the ponies of Equestria. Canterlot's trade district, entertainment district, and residential districts had been overturned to appear much more seasonally friendly. The royal gardens were even open to the public right now, and were bustling with ponies.
Torches glowed all around these districts, enchanted to flicker between green and red colors. The sky above Canterlot was clear as could be, with a full moon shining brightly on the city below. Shops were all decorated with Hearth's Warming cheer, such as green and red ribbons, silver tinsel, and other such things. The fountains in the center of each district had been replaced with chocolate rather than water! That was the best part honestly. A lot of ponies gathered around those fountains just to eat the endless supply of chocolate.
------- Characters to interact with
Princess Luna was currently hogging part of a chocolate fountain.
Silvanus was showing ponies around the royal gardens, of course. She was very proud of her work.
Aurelia was shopping for some flowers to help decorate her house with!
Assailant
Spitfire was currently relaxing by one of the various candy stores in the trade district, with a bag of candy corn. Some ponies hated candy corn, but she certainly wasn't one of them! She was mostly just happy because the Wonderbolts didn't have to do a show today. At the Grand Galloping Gala, they always did a show... which meant she rarely got to enjoy herself at the party. But they never did a show at the Hearth's Warming Gala, so she was free to relax and sign autographs!
There was a line up.
Avedon
Fleur de Lis was currently shopping for a new dress in one of the various tailoring stores in the trade district. She just couldn't find anything to fit her needs! Money was no problem, but none of these really spoke to her. She wanted something that could convey her immense beauty, intelligence and charisma! But all these dresses screamed 'stuck up snob', which she completely was not!
Cyan HideDumbledoof
Shining Armor was currently with Cadence, Flurry Heart and Asa! They were looking around the trade district for anywhere that Asa may want to go. Flurry Heart was a little to young to actually make up her mind on things, so Asa had to take the lead! Shining Armor was more than happy to just follow, and by his daughters anything that they wanted, within reason of course. One of the perks to being a prince! Totally rich.
Cyan Hide
Trixie was putting on a magic show in the middle of the entertainment district. Not one that was licensed of course; she just dragged her stage coach to the center of the district and started performing magic for the crowd. Despite this being illegal, none of the guards actually did anything about it and many of them were watching... along with many other ponies! There was actually like 100 ponies watching right now, and many more stopping by every minute.
Oh course, with it being Hearths Warming, Leper would be walking around, enjoying the cool breeze washing over her skin. The cold was much nicer than heat on her face, the heat making her swelter, and the sweat would face her face. She'd be walking through, really just looking around, enjoying the sights. Of course, she didn't enjoy the looks that some people were giving her; it was strange to see a pony with a mask and sword in the shadows of the night after all!
Soon, she'd come across one of the major fountains located in the Canterlot proper, and she'd sit on a bench next to it. Thankfully, magic was cast over the fountains, so they wouldn't freeze up, and they even kept the space around it warm! Leper would sigh happily, looking down at the ground, wishing she could smile a bit.
Celestia would be walking through out the Canterlot Castle, following her sense of where Luna was, curious as to what she was doing. Soon enough, she'd be outside the door, and realised it was the Sister's Kitchen, and would raise a brow, before slowly stepping inside, looking around, "Excuse me, Lulu, are you here?" She'd ask, before spotting Luna in the dining area, eating chocolate from the Fountain.
She felt betrayed! She wanted to eat from the fountain! She'd trot in further, "Lulu! I wanted us to share that!" She'd say, trotting over quickly, wanting to see just how much Luna had already eaten, taking a seat beside her, before opening her mouth, letting the chocolate flow into her open maw. She'd pull back, and swallow the chocolate, before giggling, bumping Luna with her shoulder, "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to go spend time with Salacia?" She'd ask, before shaking her head, "She's off playing isn't she?" She'd ask, smiling before looking at the fountain.
"This is really good..." She'd mumble, looking at the Fountain, smiling faintly.
Tyrus would be trotting along towards Ponyville, wanting to finally get back to his house and flower shop. It was honestly really nice that war had ended... And the princesses were so understanding of him! They even let him continue living in the country, despite his obvious... Problems. Well, not really obvious, actually.
He'd make to to the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres, and look in at all the trees. There were no leaves or apples, but he could still remember the first time he'd had that sweet cider the family could make. He'd smile before continuing down the path. Soon enough, he'd be at Ponyville, noticing that there were still ponies out, despite the later hours, and was happy to see them having a little shin dig! He'd walk through the town, looking around, smiling, before noticing Applejack was here, selling apples and baked goods for everypony.
He never really got to formally meet her, and he only vaguely remembered meeting her brother at one point. He'd trot over to the stand, and wave polite, before nodding his head, "Hey there, Ms. Applejack, I just wanted to say hi... And uh..." And now he felt terribly awkward, getting more nervous. He was even wearing his leather jacket, which was probably really distasteful, even if it was manticore leather, "Um... You sell... really good apples." He'd say, chuckling nervously now.
GeneralTyrus
There was some annoyed mutters from the ponies in line that Celestia had just butted in front of, and a few more mutters about how long Luna was taken. "Oh my goodness I've only been here for 3 minutes, give it a rest!" She said to the crowd, though the sign above the fountain clearly said 'one mouthful only'. Luna didn't really care though. "Salacia is off doing... something. I dunno. I had her here and said I was going to eat chocolate, then she ran off. I'm sure she's fine, probably just getting in a fight or something."
After a few more mouthfuls and more moaning from the ponies in line, Luna decided that enough was enough and she stepped to the side and left the building with Celestia in tow. Once they were outside she looked around and scratched her head. "... We should probably find Salacia before she gets kidnapped again."
Celestia would get a few more moutfulls of chocolate, before maving aside, waving at the Ponies in line, smiling warmly to them, before following quickly after Luna, "She's just... Left?" She'd ask, raising a brow, before looking around outside.
"I can really only imagine that she would have gone off too play at the barracks maybe? You know how she is." She'd say, giggling with a shake of her head, before looking up to the night sky, "Happy Hearths Warming, Lulu." She'd say, brushing up against Luna's side, smiling at her, "I wanted to say that your night sky tonight is absolutely gorgeous." She'd point out, nuzzling Luna's cheek, before looking around the place.
It was pretty busy in canterlot, with all the Carolers, but she still wanted to know exactly what Salacia was upto, before hearing her yelling about war. She'd quickly lead Luna towards where she'd heard the call, before looking around a corner, spotting Salacia and some other kids having a snowball fight. They were considerably outclassed, as Salacia dodged the snowballs with ease, and continued to absolutely pelt them to snow!
A resplendent mare as white as the virgin snow lining the castle -or perhaps some manner of suburban youth-program that taught children how to avoid drugs through dancing - walked in with a beautiful cyan-colored dress, white egret feathers lining the left shoulder and tucked in a circlet behind her ears, while a shawl of mink-fur was tucked around her neck...the mink occasionally shifting to a more comfortable position. She could hardly KILL such a cute little thing so she had just gotten one to agree to wrap around her neck for the evening. That wasn't normal no, but she was special.
"Luna!~"
Shuffle shuffle shuffle with her large sparkling blue eyes during her favorite holiday and heading to the two princess's
"Happy holidays Princess's"
>She made a polite bow to Celestia as well
"Bah humkitten."
Said a colder but still refined voice as a rather disgruntled looking cat wearing a large witch-hat rested a paw on her cheek, lounging near the chocolate-fountain and using her tail to scoop some of the sweets up before licking it off and repeating
GeneralTyrusAvedon
Luna blushed a bit at the night sky compliment and nodded. "Thank you. Once the night is a bit more in full swing, I figured I'd light up the Aurora Borealis for all the ponies to see. It would probably go well with the green and red torches around Canterlot... but right now it's still a bit too light out for that." She said with a little shrug of her shoulders. Honestly Luna was just glad that Hearth's Warming was still around once she came back from her banishment. Nightmare Night was a whole new thing she had to get used too.
When they found Salacia, Luna just sighed and rubbed at her eyes a bit. "... Of course she's actually having a fight." She said, before promptly getting pelted with a snowball as one of the children missed his throw pretty badly. Or maybe he did that on purpose. Luckily Luna wasn't totally crazy and decided to only kill him and none of the other children in retribution not throw any snow back. Because it might have ice which could hurt the kid!
... And also Luna was to distracted by Rarity's appearance to actually throw a snowball at the foal. That was the real reason.
"Rarity!~" Luna echoed out while leaning in to nuzzle her friends cheek and lift up the little marshmallow mortal in a hug! She then set Rarity back down and looked at her shawl around her neck, only now just realizing that it was alive. Luna gasped in surprise and pulled a knife out of her mane which she kept stored there for occasions just like this one!
"Rarity, you forgot to kill your scarf! Hold it still!" She said while raising the knife up into the air, fully intent on stabbing that mink to death. It might, uh... scratch Rarity or something! And Luna couldn't have that happening.
Celestia would smile as she saw Salacia having fun, before Luna was pelted by a snowball, making her reach up, covering her mouth with a hoof, giggling softly behind said hoof. She'd then look up, hearing Rarity's voice calling out, her eyes widening a bit, "Oh, Rarity! I wasn't expecting to see you!" She'd say, smiling warmly at the mare, nodding her head thankfully.
"I must say! That dress you're wearing is absolutely loving!" She'd say, tilting her head, getting a better look at the side of the dress, admiring the stitch work that went into it, "I can only imagine how long that might have taken. Not long with your skill I'd imagine!" She'd say, smiling at Rarity, leaning against Luna a little bit, "I'm glad that I could get to see you tonight! Happy Hearths Warming!" She'd say, smiling warmly at Rarity.
Salacia would come running over, carrying a few snowballs, before launching too at both Celestia and Luna. before coming to a stop in front of them, "Hey Sunmom! Hey Mommy!" She'd say, looking at Luna, before then looking at Rarity, beaming happily, before pelting at Snowball against her chest too.
Dreamweaver
"LUNA NO!"
Rarity looked horrified, her little marshmallow face scrunching up in terror
"Are you MAD darling?! How could you even think of stabbing this mink to death around my NECK?! The blood would get eeeeeeverywhere. You'd ruin my dress."
Her eyes teared up and she brought a hoof up to under her eyes, turning away, lip quivering as her voice cracked
"Your love of killing is greater than your love of not seeing me covered in rodent entrails...My love of seeing you not covered in rodent entrails is at least four loves higher than my love of killing. UNREQUITED FRIENDSHIP!!!"
She bawled and cried into her mink like it was a napkin, blowing her nose between bawls
GeneralTyrus
Rarity instantly stopped her sobbing to accept the compliment
"Why thaaank you darling. I must say the castle is looking lovelly. Did you handle the decorations? It simply does have far too much class to have been Luna's doing alone. She is a magnificent artist with the stars but she is so strangely barbaric when it comes to gallas of this magnitude. How are you and the foals doing tonight?~"
She dove back into her mink crying
AvedonGeneralTyrus
Luna was totally okay with a snowball being thrown at herself and even smiled at Salacia when she threw them. But she was not okay with Salacia throwing snowballs at Rarity. She smacked the snowball aimed at Rarity right out of the air, and shot Salacia a death glare. "Do not. Do that. Again. You're going to hit the mink." She said quite seriously, before turning to Rarity again.
She utterly ignored Rarity's insane ramblings, like usual, and just shook her head. "No Rarity, my love of not seeing you hurt by that mink is at least five loves greater than my love of killing! REQUITED FRIENDSHIP!" Luna yelled right back, though she wasn't even sure if that was a real word or not...
Once Rarity started absolutely slamming her with those insults, she scoffed and shook her head. "Excuse me? I'll have you know that the chocolate fountains are all my idea! And, as it turns out, I only filled one of those fountains with the blood of my enemies! I am the best at planning galas! Better than Ms. Perfect Princess over here." She said while pointing at Celestia.
Salacia would shrink away from Luna when she suddenly smacked away the snowball headed for Rarity, looking down at the ground, "Sorry mommy..." She'd then look at Rarity, scuffing her hooves against the ground, "Sorry missus Rarity." She'd say, looking up at her, feeling bad about the snowball now.
Celestia would look between Luna and Rarity, before just smiling softly, shaking her head, "Salacia, why don't you go and play with your friends again?" She'd ask, before leaning down, nuzzling Salacia's ear, before blowing out air, making Salacia jump in shock, "Mom!" She'd say, grumping over it, before rushing away, picking up more snow to pelt the other foals and kids with. Because she was the champion here! The other ponies were weak against her onslaught!
DreamweaverGeneralTyrus
"Oh it's just children being children. I hold no ill-will. Certainly she crafted a very beautiful snowball I'd be honor to be hit with~"
Rarity took down the mink and set it on the floor where it scurried off to dwell under the snak table and bite people who came near unawares
"Well....here, now she can throw snowballs at me whenever she wants. Perhaps I could help teach her? Maybe not snowballs but snowflake shurikens at the least..."
AvedonGeneralTyrus
"... A snowflake shuriken? You've got my interest, Rarity, but also my fear. This sounds like it could hurt." Luna said with a little roll of her eyes and a chuckle. "SALACIA GET OVER HERE!" She called out to the little filly who had only just gotten back to her friends. "Rarity wants to teach you how to make a, uh... snowflake shuriken." She said with a little smile.
She then leaned down and whispered right in Salacia's ear, but loud enough for Rarity to hear, "Just play along, Rarity is a little screwed in the head and thinks she can turn snowflakes into weapons. Just nod along and hope she doesn't murder you in one of her crazy outbursts." Luna whispered, though really that didn't sound any different than living with Luna!
With that being said, Luna just turned to watch... whatever would unfold.
Celestia would just watch on with rapt attention, noticing how Salacia jumped when Luna yelled for her to come back. Which she did! With remarkable speed too, kicking up snow in some poor filly's face, who sniffled, but only ended up getting laughed at by the other foals.
Salacia would slide to a stop in front of Rarity, blinking her eyes a few times, looking very excited, "Really?! That sounds so cool!" She'd say, before Luna suddenly whispered to her, "Oh... Um... Yes! Please show me these... Snow Shuriken.." She'd say, nodding her head slowly, backing up a step. Seemed she assumed from what Luna said that Rarity was either insane, or a dumby person. Who knew! Things were weird at her age.
DreamweaverGeneralTyrus
"Well, they are a far more beautiful form of snowball to play with and ice is your specialty isn't it? It's only proper you learn how to craft beautiful with it. Here..."
Her horn shimmered bright and clear as she gathered up some of the snow, freezing it together into ice that spiraled out in elegant forms creating a complex lattice of intertwined lines and grooves in a beautiful pattern.
"Snowflake shuriken. But you must be certain to hollow it out with this filigrees, they are not just for decorations, they also ruin the structural integrity of the star so-"
She threw one of the Shurikens into Luna's face where it just broke harmlessly into dusty powder
"As long as you don't hit an eye no one will get hurt!"
AvedonGeneralTyrus
Luna just... sighed. "... I really should have seen that coming." She said with an arched eyebrow, before picking up a pile of snow with her magic. She then grabbed the collar of Rarity's dress at her neck, pulled it open, and deposited the snow inside of her dress. Because that was a completely even form of revenge, right? "Don't worry, Celestia can dry you off. If she wants to, I suppose!"
She looked over at Celestia and just asked, "... Do you want to dry her off, or just let her suffer and freeze? I'm kind of leaning towards watching her freeze. She's cute when she's shivering!" Luna said with a smile, before promptly blushing and clearing her throat. She shouldn't have called Rarity cute, that was awkward. Especially in front of Celestia. Ugh.
"... Yeah anyway, I want something to drink. Salacia can have some mead too, since she did so well with her snowflake shuriken!"
Salacia would stare in absolute fasination at the sightof the snow weapons. She'd follow Rarity's instructions on how to make it, an dlook it over, before hurling it at the wall. It still turned to dust against the wall, but it was fun! She'd make a ton more, before hollowing them all, rushing to go fight the other kids, hurling them from long range, "Fall before my wrath!" She'd yell, grinning withe excitement.
"Ow! My eye!" A foal would yell, to which Salacia said, "Oops." Before continuing onward.
Celestia's eyes would widen, and she'd go after Salacia, "Wait, Salacia! You need to not do that!" She'd call after her, before looking to Luna and Rarity, "I'll be right back!" She'd say, before vanishing, rushing after Salacia, trying to catch her.