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Post by Lucky Charm on Oct 15, 2013 23:29:39 GMT -5
A lot of ponies wouldn't figure Lucky Charm for a big reader, or at least somepony to do research. That was partly true; given his choice, he'd always prefer to experience things firsthoof rather than just read about them. But he didn't see why he had to make the choice. While he made a point not to read travel guides (they spoiled the fun) reading up on the society and culture of a race before he actually dealt with them was basically SOP by now, ever since the 'incident' in Neighrobi. He smoothed that over in the end, but he was pretty sure there was a tribe of zebras who wouldn't be inviting him to any birthdays anytime soon.
Thus it was that, as the first step in his brilliant plan, Lucky stepped out of the early afternoon sun and into the Royal Rocks library to see about finding some books on Hippocampi. The library was still in one piece despite the Rust Phoenix affair (which he was still disappointed about having missed, like every great event he missed, good or ill) and it seemed the books had survived, which was nice. The city didn't need to lose knowledge on top of everything else. He strolled on up to the lobby desk and smiled up at the librarian. "Afternoon," he said in greeting. "Where can I find the books about Hippocampus society, etiquette and culture?"
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Post by King Tidal Wave on Oct 16, 2013 15:22:40 GMT -5
"Hippocampi, mmm?" the librarian answered in what was possibly the most uninterested tone imaginable. "Sounds like someone's fancying a vacation to Bay Lachance." The griffon set down the book she was reading, turning to a larger book filled with lines upon lines of text. After flipping through several pages, she came to a halt, dragging her index talon down the page until she found what she was looking for. "Second floor, Section 83B, Foreign Kingdoms and Cultures. Let us know if you need anything." The librarian then went back to her book, picking up where she had left off.
"Oh, and please don't hold the books in your mouth," she spoke a moment after Lucky had turned around. "I know ponies tend to do that but it's rather unsanitary."
On the second floor Lucky would find several bookshelves labeled with letters and numbers. Above a few of them hung a sign reading "Foreign Kingdoms and Cultures". One of the bookshelves beneath it was labeled 83B-83D.
There was a surprisingly plentiful amount of books on hippocampi covering a wide range of topics. Everything from history and culture to anatomy and trade. Titles included
A Basic Overview of Hippocampus Anatomy A Brief History of the Hippocampus Settlement at Bay Lachance: From Beginnings to the Modern Day Famous Figures in Hippocampus Culture Hippocampus Patronage and its Impact on Culture The Impact of Hippocampus Trade on the Griffon Economy The Kraken, Leviathan, and Megalodon The Known History of the Hippocampus Kingdom and What Does a Kelpie Eat?
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Post by Lucky Charm on Oct 16, 2013 16:04:12 GMT -5
"Vacation, adventure, journey of self-discovery, if there's any real difference you're not trying hard enough." Lucky grinned, but it seemed the librarian wasn't very interested in his personal philosophy, as she simply attended to the request with minimal chitchat, aside from the note about hygiene. Fair enough, he thought. "Okay, no mouth. Got it." He trotted away, then paused to look down at his hooves. "This may be challenging," he muttered. But hey, not like he didn't like a challenge now and again.
After flying up to the second floor and finding the section indicated, he picked out a few books that looked like they related to the immediate subject, i.e. basic cultural norms and niceties. Generally how not to offend and to understand what was said without trouble. He also grabbed the book on the local settlement, since that's where he was going, and the one on giant sea monsters, because sea monsters. After stumbling and tottering around on his hind legs, trying to carry the books in his forelegs alone and falling over a couple of times, he set tbe books down on a reading table, settles in and opened the one titled "A Brief History of the Hippocampus Settlement at Bay Lachance."
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Post by King Tidal Wave on Oct 24, 2013 15:00:11 GMT -5
The book was a fairly short paperback with only about a hundred or so pages divided into several chapters. These were headed by an introduction which read as follows:
The Hippocampus settlement beneath the waters of Bay Lachance has long been known as the gateway between the Hippocampus Kingdom and the surface world. Through it, many hippocampi have passed on their way to the Griffon Kingdom and Trottingham, as well as the goods they bring with them. The small town remains the closest Hippocampus settlement to our kingdom (let alone the rest of the surface world), granting us a glimpse at the world beneath the waves. The settlement's proximity to the Trottingham and the mainland is a direct result of its unique history, and as a key to Griffon understanding of the Hippocampus Kingdom it is important that we familiarize ourselves with not just the town itself but also the very essence of how it came to be.
Though hippocampus residence within the bay can be traced to scattered agricultural communities, the modern Bay Lachance settlement was founded as a passage for trade between the surface world and the Hippocampus Kingdom. Bay Lachance continues to serve this purpose today, acting as a hub for Hippocampus goods before they are lifted to the shores of Trottingham and the Griffon Kingdom. As time passed, however, the settlement began to accrue a larger permanent population, and over the decades it has evolved to serve the needs of its residents, slowly changing into the town we know today.
This book will provide a brief overview of Bay Lachance's history as a Hippocampus settlement, starting with its beginnings as a series of farming communities up until its transformation into a modern settlement. Important individuals and events in the town's history will be highlighted as well as other items of note. After having read this book, you will have obtained a general understanding of the Bay Lachance settlement's history, and be all the more perceptive and prepared when discovering more about the rest of the Hippocampus Kingdom.
The next page had an index of the book's chapters: one or two on the bay's years as farming communities, three or so on its founding and the creation of an official settlement, a few on its development into a town, and two more on a more modern Bay Lachance. Flipping through the pages, Lucky would see the book did indeed highlight important individuals and events. Large, light-gray boxes were sprinkled throughout the pages, each one half a page or longer and dedicated to a specific person or event.
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Post by Lucky Charm on Oct 24, 2013 17:35:02 GMT -5
Lucky read through the introduction with mounting interest. That did explain the origins of the settlement, at least in general, but how the hay did one farm underwater? Did they have seaweed farms down there? Lucky tried to imagine Sweet Apple Acres if it were underwater and covered in kelp instead of trees. He chuckled lightly at the idea, then stopped abruptly. His thoughts had turned from there to Ponyville itself, and those thoughts were... not something he wanted to face right now.
Returning to the task at hoof, the Pegasus decided to skim the history chapters, focusing on important individuals and events, modern affairs and practical knowledge - so mainly the gray stuff and the last two chapters. It wasn't that the history wasn't interesting, he'd be fascinated to learn it, but he wasn't totally sure when he ought to be in Trottingham. Probably sometime in the next few days, meaning he didn't have as long as he'd like to read through all the books. Instead Lucky promised himself he'd learn more once he got to the bay. He could ask the locals for the better stories and check their own library either before or after the expedition, depending on when he had time.
Wow, having a schedule really cuts down on the fact-finding time, he thought sullenly. No wonder I usually just do stuff my own way. Well, I guess that's part of working with others; can't always have things just the way you like. Okay, enough sulking, better make the best of the time I've got. With that in mind he started flipping through the paperback for the light-gray boxes with the information he figured would probably come in handy.
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Post by King Tidal Wave on Oct 25, 2013 16:40:56 GMT -5
But as he was flipping through the book, the unassuming pegasus was shoved through the banister separating the second floor from the first floor below. Lucky's body hit the edge of a tall bookshelf on the way down, sending him landing with a 'thud' onto the unforgiving floor. His books and assailant remained on the floor above.
After recovering enough from his unexpected journey to look upwards, Lucky could see a griffon with slicked back head-feathers and a black leather jacket peering down at him. The pony didn't have much time to analyze this, as a new development soon accosted his senses. A high frequency ringing could be heard all throughout the walls of the library, followed by the sight and smell of smoke. The building was on fire.
A nearby griffon pulled Lucky up, leading him out the front door (whether he wanted to go or not) as the other griffons in the library followed suit. The griffon leading Lucky took him out into the street, not stopping until they were a good distance away from the now-smoking building. "You okay? What happened? Did the fire break out upstairs? Is that why you jumped?"
During the onslaught of questions, Lucky could see the jacket-wearing griffon swoop out of the library door, regaining altitude and flying over the city street in plain sight.
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Post by Lucky Charm on Oct 25, 2013 22:12:29 GMT -5
And wouldn't you know it, just as he was getting to a really good story about the town's founder and a school of clownfish, that was the moment adventure chose to knock him over the banister. He liked adventure, the two of them went way back, but its sense of timing left much to be desired. All of this would, of course, go through his head at a later date, because at that moment all he could think was Ow! Ah- Oww!
Once the initial shock wore off and the pain settled in, Lucky chanced to gaze up through the haze of smoke and possible concussion and see (with remarkable clarity given the circumstances) a Griffon standing where he had just been. The light behind him/her made details hard to spot, but the slicked-back feathers and leather jacket registered after only a moment's adjustment. Ponies didn't like leather. Then another thought interrupted his observations: Wait, why is there smoke?
No sooner had that thought registered than the sound of bells reached him. Stumbling to his hooves, Lucky saw that the whole library seemed to be on fire. The few Griffons who had been in the building were crowding to escape, and before he knew it one of them had grabbed him and started pulling him out too. Not that he struggled - he didn't like burning alive any more than they did - but after the fall he was still disoriented and had trouble keeping up.
Once outside he was soon bombarded with questions. At least now he'd met a more talkative Griffon. "I didn't jump," he answered, frowning. "I don't think the fire had even started..." Spotting the Griffon from before, he pointed up into the sky. "That Griffon there, in the jacket. You know who that is?"
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Post by King Tidal Wave on Oct 29, 2013 16:37:23 GMT -5
The griffon with Lucky looked over towards the jacket-wearing catbird, who aside from his choice of clothing was blending in well with the other griffons in the city. His casual speed and flight pattern certainly didn't make it seem like he was trying to hide or run away from something.
"It's just some griffon," the cat-bird said as he turned back to Lucky. He gave the pegasus a semi-concerned look from head to hoof. "Did you hit your head on the way down? I can take you to a hospital if you need me to."
Meanwhile, the distance between the arsonist and Lucky was continuing to grow. Even at the relaxed speed he was traveling, eventually Lucky would lose track of him if he got too far away.
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Post by Lucky Charm on Oct 29, 2013 17:04:21 GMT -5
"Just some griffon who knocked me off a bannister," Lucky muttered to himself, though it might have been too low to make out properly. He could see the Griffon putting distance between himself and the burning library. His first instinct was to chase after him immediately, but whether it was the bump he had in fact taken to the head or just a moment of clarity, he remembered there was a burning building behind him. He looked back at the library, still aflame.
In response to the question about his head, Lucky shook it and answered "Not on anything important. Listen, that fire - is it contained? You think the fire department can handle it?" Though it was by no means a great talent, Lucky frequently part-timed with the weather patrol in smaller towns and villages and knew a thing or two about making it rain. It probably wouldn't be hard for him to gather up some clouds and help put out that fire if needed, but by the time he finished that Griffon would almost certainly have vanished. Decisions, decisions.
The Pegasus crouched down on his hooves. The moment he got an answer to his question he would spring up and take to the skies - whether to gather clouds for the rain or to chase after the Griffon would depend on the answer. For now, he kept his eyes trained on his assailant just in case.
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Post by King Tidal Wave on Oct 29, 2013 17:18:08 GMT -5
"What?" the griffon asked, giving Lucky a confused look. "Oh, right. The pony thing, with the clouds. No, I'd just... just leave it to the fire department. Looks like everyone got out okay."
The arsonist was now even further away, not to mention that other passerby crossing his trail was starting to make it difficult to keep a clear line of sight. It was now or never.
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Post by Lucky Charm on Oct 29, 2013 17:31:20 GMT -5
"Good." And that was the only thing Lucky had time to say, launching himself immediately into the air and into the chase. He'd wasted too much time worrying already, now the Griffon was almost out of sight. Luckily he was going at a pretty relaxed pace, so catching up shouldn't be too hard. Lucky was no athlete, but he wasn't slow either and he could be pretty agile when he got going. Dodging around the other Griffons flying around today was probably kind of rude, but a lot easier than dodging falling rocks in that cave-in a few years back.
He had to close the distance as quickly as possible. Once the probable arsonist realized he was being tailed he would undoubtedly pick up speed and then it would be a lot harder to catch him. Cursing himself for not just going with his first instinct, Lucky pushed his wings harder to catch up...
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Post by King Tidal Wave on Oct 31, 2013 18:51:54 GMT -5
The griffon descended shortly before Lucky was able to catch up with him, landing on a narrow side-street a good distance from the library. The arsonist had lead Lucky to one of the poorer sections of Royal Rocks, at least if the size and condition of the buildings were of any indication. The griffon looked casually up and down the street as he continued on foot, turning a corner and disappearing from Lucky's view.
By the time the pegasus had reoriented his position, all that was left to see was a door shutting behind the griffon. He had entered a derelict cote with boarded-up windows, tucked away between other buildings and easily overlooked.
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Post by Lucky Charm on Oct 31, 2013 19:10:43 GMT -5
Lucky's initial plan had been, to summarize, "He knocked me down, so I'll knock him down." Okay, so one action didn't really qualify as a plan per se, but that was his intention. But when the Griffon dove down to street level the Pegasus found himself having to come up with another, fast. Lacking any good ideas, he decided instead to see if learning more would bring them.
That in mind Lucky landed by the boarded-up windows, creeping low and silent to avoid detection, and peeked through a gap in between two boards that should let him see inside. Assuming it wasn't pitch dark, in which case he could find another window with another gap or, failing that, sneak in the door.
Luckily he had some mad run-and-hide skills, one of the few things he did better than just 'average.' He'd honed these skills running and hiding from wild animals, undead ponies, timberwolves, manticores, drakes, giant centipedes, winter wolves, pirates, bandits and even dragons! Well, teenage dragons. Kinda scrawny at that. But still dragons! He could hide from one measly Griffon.
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Post by King Tidal Wave on Nov 2, 2013 22:56:09 GMT -5
The inside of the cote looked as run-down as the outside. The walls were cracked with paint chipped in several locations. Furniture was sparse, with one of the highlights including a painting of an imperial-looking griffon stuck with several throwing darts. An old sofa across the room was being laid upon by another griffon, smaller than the other but with the same jacket and slicked back head-feathers.
The griffon Lucky had been chasing was in the room as well, his back to the window. Now that Lucky was closer, he could see that the griffon had a large emblem stitched onto the back of his jacket. Some sort of greenish snake-thing coiled around a branch.
"Ya do it?" the griffon on the sofa asked.
"No," the other answered as he approached one of the walls. "I flew down to the valley and took a dip in the lake. Of course I did it." There he pulled off one of several photos and newspaper clippings pinned to the wall, tearing it up and stuffing the shreds into his pocket.
"What crawled up your tail?"
"Nothing. I'm just hungry. When's Bolo gettin' back?"
"Soon. Left before you."
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Post by Lucky Charm on Nov 2, 2013 23:56:53 GMT -5
Alarm bells went off in Lucky's head at that last part. Soon? Whoever Bolo was, he could be back any minute - any second! He could be behind Lucky right- Lucky turned around. No Griffon. Well, he could have been. More importantly, he was probably on his way back right now. And finding some Pegasus loitering suspiciously outside their hideout would likely not make Bolo happy. And Bolo sounded like the name of a big Griffon. There was absolutely nothing to support this, but he didn't like the idea. Time to find cover.
Years of hiding had taught Lucky Charm that hiding is very environmentally dependant. He could hardly be expected to hide in the middle of an empty street. But he got lucky - the street wasn't totally empty. There was a barrel nearby full of trash and probably due to be taken out. He'd stink to Luna's stars when this was over, but he knew what he had to do: He dragged the barrel to a tiny, little alley, tipped it over so all the trash fell out, dragged it back into place and, holding his breath and praying to the Princesses he could keep holding it, hopped inside.
Celestia's shining sun, it was worse than he thought. He could taste the smell. Even holding his breath, it made his eyes water. But the despite the assault on two of his senses, he found his hearing worked just fine. He'd shifted the barrel a little - hopefully not enough to be noticed - so that it was up against another boarded-up window with a gap between two of the boards. The hole in the barrel faced that gap, but unfortunately neither was very big, and they weren't perfectly aligned.
In other words he couldn't see a thing, even if there was light on the other side. Instead he pressed his ear up against the hole and strained to hear what was being said. At least there was one bright side to this horrible, horrible situation: It was dark enough in the barrel that he doubted he could be seen, even from above, should Bolo chance to pass over on his way to the door.
As he waited for the Griffons to start talking again, he promised himself that once this was over, he would buy a bag of soap, find a waterfall - no matter how far he had to fly to do it - and use up every single scrap. He probably still wouldn't feel clean, but it might at least disguise the ungodly stench.
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