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Post by sonofifrit on Nov 25, 2011 22:19:29 GMT -5
Home.
Home was all that Gear Grinder could think of, after a long and tiresome journey from Fillydelphia he saw his new home in the horizon, Hoofington. He looked the town and was glad of how peaceful it looked. With two tan bags strapped to him and not wanting to wait much longer he galloped his way towards town to get a better sense of how it looked and how the ponies were like.
After ten minutes of running he made it into town, he looked at the buildings and other ponies around the area he was in and gave a small smile as he pulled out a piece of paper from the left tan bag.
"Ah...I think I'm gonna like it here." He said as he began looking at the paper.
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Post by Mortar Retort on Dec 2, 2011 16:20:55 GMT -5
On the same road into Hoofington, coming from a merging fork that lead to Canterlot and Ponyville some distance away, was a pony-drawn carriage with one grey-blue pony wearing a fez riding inside. It zipped quickly past a grey earth pony, the gust of wind ripped the paper he was looking at from his hooves as the carriage passed.
”STOP!” A few hoofsteps away, the carriage came to a screeching stop, the earth-pony driver dug his hoofs into the ground as he skidded to an unexpected stop. The door of the carriage swung wildly open and out stepped its unicorn rider. Almost immediately upon stepping into Hoofington, the paper that was in Gear Grinder’s grasp slammed into unicorn’s face, his horn piercing the paper like a pin. His head turned to where Gear stood, ”Hello! Believe this is yours?” The unicorn asked. ”Mind being a good pony and taking it from my face, I’m terribly blind with it on.”
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Post by sonofifrit on Dec 2, 2011 18:53:46 GMT -5
Gear was looking for the piece of paper when he got asked to get it off of the ponies face. He looked overcast him and gave a chuckle. "I don't know, I think it looks good on you." he gave another laugh as he walked over and grabbed the paper from his face and checked it over. Luckily their was no serious damage towards it, he sighed and placed it in one of the bags for safe keeping. "that was close. If I lost that then I'd be lost around here."
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Post by Mortar Retort on Dec 2, 2011 20:24:46 GMT -5
”New!? Imagine that, so am I! We’re practically brothers, in a strange distant sort-of not at all way.” Retort wiggled his nose after the tickle of the paper left it itching. He looked back to his driver, ”This is good for now, head over to Bottles and Corks for me, the pallet is waiting.” Grudgingly, the carriage driver meanders down the road toward a row of shops off in the distance. Retort watches happily as the despondent carriage driving pony departed. Once he was gone, Retort turned back to the new pony before him.
”Name’s Mortar, Mortar Retort. What brings you to this quaint little town?” He adjusts his fez with a hoof as it tried to slide down his head. ”I’m on important scientific business myself! Well, not so much scientific, but still business none the less. By the way, do you happen to need any sort of potion? Maybe a bomb? Anything of that nature at all, I’m your pony!” With his magic, Retort raised his fez, under which set a stack of cards. He grabbed one in the blanket of telekinesis and flung it over to Gear. The card read: ”Mortar Retort. Alchemist extraordinaire, collector of fezs and all things unusual. Owner: The Mane Ingredient, Canterlot – across from Pony Joe’s.” Retort shot the same smile and profile as what was on the card. ”Present that card for 10% off all expired potions – while supplies last. So what’s there to do around here – oh right… new. Oh, haven’t caught your name and do you happen to make maps like the one that was adhered to my face only moments ago?”
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Post by sonofifrit on Dec 2, 2011 21:54:03 GMT -5
He got a good look at the card and placed it in one of the bags. "Well pleased to make your aquaintance Mortar, names Gear Grinder, repair pony, and inventor of Fillydelphia. I dont make maps, it leads to some area near the edge of town." He began to walk off towards where he assumed the other edge of town to be. He looked over at Mortar. "You wanna follow or are you too busy?"
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Post by Mortar Retort on Dec 2, 2011 23:35:18 GMT -5
”An inventor?! How delightful!” Retort’s eyes immediately lit up, ”I’m an inventor too! Well, of sorts – invent formulas and recipes. What do you invent?” Retort then joined the Gear on the road towards the edge of town. ”You know what, don’t tell me, surprise me!”
He turned back around, just for a moment and whistled to his carriage driver in the distance. When the earth-pony stallion looked up, Retort yelled he would be gone for a short while and to bring around the carriage when he was done putting the supplies on board. The driver snorted in annoyance and went back his business. Mortar then caught up with Gear.
”It’s so wonderful to find another pony interested in science. So many are all about magic or magic applications but fail to appreciate the subtle complexity of scientific endeavors. It’s a lost art, especially among the unicorns. We’ve grown so jaded with our magic, we’ve lost touch with the nature around us. Why I adore you earth ponies, your magic handicap has forced your hooves to find such creative means to do things we unicorns take for granted and then, even more! So where we going?”
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Post by sonofifrit on Dec 3, 2011 0:57:41 GMT -5
"I may show you some of my plans for the future." He said while looking around.
While Mortar was talking about science and magic he was thinking about his family. How his sister was doing, and how his friends were. He was in deep thought about his future endevores around these parts hoping maybe he can make his dream of flight come true. As he was thinking he heard Mortar ask where they were going.
"I have no clue, I'm just going where the map says."
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Post by Mortar Retort on Dec 3, 2011 1:13:08 GMT -5
”You’re blindly following a map?” Mortar asked more perplexedly. ”With no idea where it will lead? Why on Equestria would you do that, always thought maps were to take you to an intended destination, not to just follow all willy-nilly. Unless… Is it a treasure map!?” Retort curiously popped his head before Gear’s, blocking his path momentarily. ”What’s the treasure, or is that a unknown too? Tell me your secrets.” He furled his brow, then sighed and stepped a hoof back. ”You’re a very secret pony, anypony ever tell you that?”
Retort slipped a few more hoof steps away, whistling to himself as he gave a gander around the area. ”So is this the place… or perhaps it is over there?” He pointed a hoof towards a tree in the distance. ”Or perhaps over yonder!” He turned the hoof to a bunny on a little hill just right of the tree. He then let out a giddy little sequel, like a foal. ”This is so exciting!
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Post by sonofifrit on Dec 3, 2011 1:36:21 GMT -5
"Ok here's the story. A month ago my grandpa died, his old age finally got to him. In his will their was a part of it that said, if I should die before I make a trip to see the family I present this box to my grandson Gear Grinder, it is to only be opened when he thinks the time is right. So a couple of weeks passed and I decided to open it, it contained a map, a letter, and a set of keys. The letter said to go to Hoofington and follow the map to it's destination. It said it would help me with my dream. So now I'm here trying to figure out what it is." Gear said as he stopped walking and pulled out the map again. He looked around and saw some familiar looking structures. "Good, at least I'm on the right track."
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Post by Mortar Retort on Dec 3, 2011 2:56:43 GMT -5
Retort nodded every few sentences Gear spoke, listening intently to the colt’s every word. His eyes welled up, growing teary. ”That is so sad but so beautiful! Your grandfather must have been quite a pony – he was a pony right?” Retort contemplated for a moment if cross-pony breeding was possible. ”Why of course he must have been, to think otherwise is completely silly. You knew him," Directing the statement to Gear Grinder; "why would you question that? Silly pony.”
Retort stole a glance at the map, scanning it over quickly. He took a gander past the map, then back to it, then back at the landscape. He noticed the few buildings that related to some as seen on the map, to the trees and the hills, all plainly drawn and laid out squarely on the paper. He then pointed his hoof to the hole in the map.
”What about the hole? What does that represent – Oh right... my horn. Hey maybe I pierced the exact spot where this treasure or destiny is. That would be quite the coincidence. Also, sure it’s not upside down, without the compass rose – oh wait, no now I see it. Yup, seem to be on the right track. I’d say fifty steps north, circle twice around that well there, and then another thirty paces towards that large… tree thing, there, that spot on the paper. What is that spot?”
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Post by sonofifrit on Dec 3, 2011 11:49:06 GMT -5
"Yeah, grandpa Cirrus was quite the card. One of the best weather ponies in Cloudsdale." Gear continued looking at the map to get it implanted into his memory. "Kind of sad really, he wanted to build a weather control machine to make the job of a Weather pegasus easier." as he looked at what the map was showing he overheard what Mortar was saying. "I don't think that-" he looked At the tree he was talking about and on top of it was a small light drawing of a cloud. "What the? Never noticed that before, maybe it's some sort of clue." He put the map back up and walked to where the tree was at. "So tell me bait about yourself?"
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Post by Mortar Retort on Dec 3, 2011 16:21:27 GMT -5
Retort thought intently about Gear’s request, no pony had ever asked about him before. It was always pretty self explanatory, he was a alchemist pony and aside from other’s thinking him strange or funny for his tastes in head-wear and heavy-hoofed store policies, what more was there to say?
”Why… no pony has ever really asked about me before. I don’t know what to say. I-well, I am alchemist of course, self taught. Run a store in Canterlot where I grew up. But!” Reeling back, ”I’m not one of those giant hat wearing ponies Canterlot is known for, Celestia no, I prefer fezzes. Also, I’m busy enough as it were, no time for fancy garden parties – I digress. I’m a follower of the teachings of The Alchemist, some ponies will tell you he’s just a legend, well I disagree. His teachings and formulas brought alchemy into its own, made it more than just a curiosity. He’s the proverbial Philosopher’s Stone, as it were. He’s my idol… even tried making my own version of Ambrosia! It didn’t go so well… that poor pony…” His voice trailed off, as if recollecting a traumatic event he won’t even forget. ”I digress! All in all, I just wish to be a fraction as amazing as he was. Already have a few quite amazing formulas if I do say so myself – and I do! If you ever get to Canterlot, don’t hesitate to stop in my shop. Even if it is inundated with cider bubbles at the time!” He smiled a very awkward smile.
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Post by sonofifrit on Dec 3, 2011 16:50:50 GMT -5
"Well I've been thinking of going to Canterlot but I've just always lacked the bits to get there." as they were walking he looked around the area to see if the tree was anywhere nearby. "I don't really follow any teachings. If it counts then I've read alot of engineering books by Bolt nut the strange, he had many ideas that most ponies considered impossible. one was a simple flyer to make traveling easier and faster. He built a flyer, tested it, and it killed him. He crashed near the everfree forest, sad actually." After looking at the trees he kept walking through town.
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Post by Mortar Retort on Dec 3, 2011 18:57:23 GMT -5
”I’ve been blown up a few times, guess I should count myself lucky I didn’t go the way of The Strange. What would happen to my shop, what would happen to my fezzes!?” Retort said as he stopped dead cold in his tracks, the horrible thought running a tirade through his mind. A cold tingle went up his spine that caused him to shiver and his fur to stand on end. Such horrible, horrible thoughts.
Retort was becoming anxious, glancing around at all the ponies going about their daily lives. Unaware and unassuming. If they only knew about this treasure hunt, surely they’d be in an uproar of curiosity. It was a secret but fun.
”So we there yet? Any idea what we’ll find? Perhaps a treasure chest or a cupcake. Oh I know, a death threat written on the back of a griffin concubine!”
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Post by sonofifrit on Dec 3, 2011 19:20:42 GMT -5
Gear kept walking just thinking to himself. He heard Mortar about if they were there yet, he pulled out the map again to get a view of their location. "hmm...according to this..." he looked around and saw a tree next to one of the buildings he looked back at the map and saw the cloud next to a building, he placed the map back in one of the bags and walked over to it. "Well we're about to find out what it is."He went over to the tree and saw a hole in the tree. It looked like a place where a birds nest would be. He put a hoof into the hole and pulled out a small box. Their were two birds on the box and they looked rather annoyed. They pecked qt his head and flew off, he groaned as he rubbed his head. "Blasted birds."
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