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Post by portiabuckworth on Nov 6, 2011 22:00:47 GMT -5
Black warmth encompassed Portia and she snuggled deeper into oblivion. Somehow, it wasn't as satisfying as before, though and she struggled to stay in the warm spot as she became colder and colder, falling into a mound of brown fur and ice. Something clogged her throat and she heaved, ice crawling everywhere around her as she coughed up water. She started to tremble and- ow! Why did her hoof hurt? A voice was talking somewhere... That voice! The bridge! She was supposed to be hiding! Portia felt a surge of adrenaline course through her, but it was only enough to get her to open her eyes and cough some more. What was that warm thing behind her? Ooh, warmth was nice. She snuggled in until she saw a hoof around her waist. What in the name of Celestia?? Portia tried to yelp, but it came out another series of hacking coughs and it was all she could do to stiffen up and try not to poke someone with her horn. Ugh, and her stomach... Portia groaned and retched again on the snow. There goes dinner.
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Post by delavegaprimo on Nov 6, 2011 22:46:12 GMT -5
Thud. He and his unicorn companion seemed to hit the ground with a hard impact. Action had fallen unconscious as well thanks to it and all he could feel was the wetness of Portia's coat against his chest and the cold snow on his back. Sea Swell's cries of pain and agony snapped Action's eyes awake.
The pain had been intense all over Action's body. Oww, maybe that wasn't a good idea in hindsight. As he tried to move around, he noticed the unicorn had begun to squirm. She had snuggled momentarily -- which caused Action to yelp out of shock -- before letting go of her. The unicorn had begun to hack and cough, causing water to spill out her mouth.
Action noticed she had a look of confusing disgust, as she had just burped up water and whatever else that stained the white snow. Action got up and a searing pain shot through his legs as he fell down again.
"Son of a Smoogleberry...that--was--grueling. I've never exerted my passion so far to save somepony before..." Action panted as he looked over to the unicorn. His eyes met with hers and he jumped up again in shock. OH-my-Celestia! I REALLY hope she doesn't find me some sort of creep for being so close to her. He let out a hoof and offered to help her up.
"Are--are you okay, Miss?" Action's words were shaky, as was his hoof. He was still coming off his adrenaline rush as well, however, the cold contributed to his shaking. He suddenly remembered Sea Swell had called out to him during his entire recovery.
"Yeah, she seems okay now...we're both...fine. Are you okay? You seem to be in pain. Do you want any help over there Sea?" as he turned his head in Sea Swell's direction, his voice still not up to par.
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Post by mafipulater on Nov 7, 2011 16:33:09 GMT -5
Sea was relieved to hear Action’s voice. So it turns out that she didn’t inadvertently kill anyone. That was good.
”Dude, don’t worry about me. I’m not the one who jumped headfirst into freezing-cold water,” said Sea as she began to carefully pick herself up. A hint of her usual light-hearted self was returning to her voice. ”I’m okay, just gimme a minute. Just make sure neither of you get sick from the cold and die, or anything.”
After managing to stand up on all four of her hooves, Sea inspected the damage on her wings. Her right wing felt like it was on fire and she was afraid that she might have torn a muscle, but the pain was nothing compared to her left wing. If it wasn’t broken in at least a couple of places, it sure felt like it. The feathers on both were ruffled and a snowy mess. Tenderly, she folded her wings back in so they could rest at her side, grimacing a bit as she did so. Whatever, it’s probably nothing.
Walking over to Action and the mare lying in the snow, Sea spotted the bits of sick that staining the ground and frowned. ”Aww, jeez, that’s really gross.” Looking again at Action and the mare on the ground, they both looked like they had better days. ”Heh, sorry, I guess I should be takin' this more seriously, huh? If you can move at all, we should prob’ly get to a place dry and warm before ya freeze to death.”
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Post by portiabuckworth on Nov 7, 2011 17:33:38 GMT -5
Smoogleberry...passion... This pony would make Portia smile if she didn't hurt so much. She looked at his extended hoof, shaking like a leaf in front of her. Jumped headfirst into freezing-cold water... This stallion had just saved her life! And there was a mare somewhere. Portia looked about before gingerly taking the pony's hoof. Yes, a pegasus mare, and her wings didn't look too good. Oh Celestia, what kind of trouble had she caused? "I'm-I'm so sorry... wasn't thinking... so STUPID!" Portia tried standing on her own. She wobbled a bit and was shaking all over, but she'd be okay as long as she didn't put any pressure on her back left hoof. She wasn't about to be more of a burden on these two than she'd been already. Prob'ly get to a place dry and warm before ya freeze to death. Yes, of course. But the mare had said that at least ten minutes ago and they were already moving. Portia tried to focus, blinking to help her mind register information faster. Well, first things first. These ponies had sacrificed a lot. A thanks and an introduction were in order. "Th-thank you. You saved me from my own stupidity..." Portia grinned. "Not many ponies can say that, I suppose. I'm Portia, by the way, Portia Buckworth. My theatre just opened a mile or two from here. What are your names, so I know who gets free tickets for the rest of their lives?" Another hacking cough came, but nothing spewed, thank Celestia. Portia also realized her nose was a bit sniffly and she sneezed. Oy, some night of inspiration this turned out to be.
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Post by delavegaprimo on Nov 7, 2011 20:19:26 GMT -5
As Sea Swell trotted over to them, Action took note of her injuries. One of her wings looked a little swollen, but otherwise she looked fine.
"er, Sea, I still feel responsible despite that, roping you into a plan that could have cost all three of us our lives. I didn't factor in your landing...I'm so sorry...I-I would also advise on stretching those wings a bit before you rest. I don't want you to cramp up and injure yourself further." He said in an apologetic tone...he had still been nervous thanks to the whole ordeal.
With Action still shaking, he looked back over to the dark-brown unicorn. She had a look of intrigue at him and it caused him to cock his head sideways in interest. However, this was abruptly cut short as she spoke.
"I'm-I'm so sorry... wasn't thinking... so STUPID!"
Action smiled a bit as she took his hoof and got up, and a chilling sensation was sent throughout his entire body. Not from the cold, but from her touch. She had a regal aura about her...a familiar air about her. Then, as the unicorn introduced herself as Portia Buckworth, a pony who recently opened up a theatre here in Manehattan, it all hit him so suddenly. He stumbled over a bit from the realization. She had even offered free tickets.
"Fr--free tickets??? Th-th-eatr--e? I-you're-theatre, opened..." He stumbled over his words, stupified. Did she just say that? Oh Celestia, who art in the Heavens above, please don't let her know about my status as the Manehattan Mule, I thought it all went away! Action's eye twitched as he shook examined her. She was certainly new in town, as she had a friendly look. But Action still couldn't believe it...however, she was still waiting on an introduction:
"Ahh--Yes!--Right, um...I'm, uh...Action Shot, of...Revelations Primo. I'm a director-at-a f-f-fiilll-m--film studio here in Manehattan too. Its--nice-to-meet you, ma'am." Action...you just saved this lady's life! There's no need to be jumpy just because she's a theatre major. Action socked himself in the face and fell to the ground. He immediately got up, a red hoof print on his cheek. He smiled greatly, causing his cheek to throb slightly.
"Ahem, I apologize. I'm a little 'jumpy' when it comes that. Anyway, its nice to meet you. Let's get out of the cold, first. We can talk more once we get somewhere warm. You said your theatre his a couple of miles away? I can dig that. Shall we head there?" Action's tone transitioned from professional to nervous all the way to shaky again as he tried to speak normally. Before Portia had a chance to speak, however, he ran to grab his peacoat and the remains of his broken glasses. One of the ear pieces had snapped off, and as Action put them back on, they fell lopsided on his face.
He ran back towards Portia and Swell, his coat rested on his back.
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Post by mafipulater on Nov 8, 2011 17:42:49 GMT -5
Sea smiled at hearing Action’s apology for her wings. His nervousness might have gotten on her nerves before, but considering the circumstances, it was more than understandable. Besides, it’s not as if she could really get annoyed with someone who just risked his life to save another’s. Though her wings were in pain, Sea’s pride refused to let it get to her. Not that Sea blamed Action nor Portia for what happened to her wings anyway – as far as she was concerned, that was all her own fault.
”Dude, don’t apologize. It was my fault, not yours. Heh, but you know, there was a reason why I moved to Manehattan and not Cloudsdale. Considering my landing, you can prob’ly figure out why,” she said with a chuckle. ”Anyway, I’m sure it’s just a little strain, but thanks for worryin’.”
Sea was also surprised about Action’s sudden impulse to punch himself in the face, but she didn’t say anything.
Turning to the long-maned unicorn mare who introduced herself as Portia, Sea said in a light manner, ”Name’s Sea Swell. And hey, don’t sweat it, it looks like we’re alive, so it’s all good, right?”
”Anyway, I’m so ready to get out of here, if you are,” Sea continued, as she began picking up her discarded coat, scarf, and hat. She frowned with disappointment when she saw her clothes had gotten wet, probably from the splashing of the water. Aw, seriously?!... And I just got these, too!
She rung out the water as best as she could and placed her hat back on her head, and draped the rest on her back. They were still wet and freezing, though, but at least the cold numbed her wings a little. ”I’d offer you my coat and all, Portia, since you prob’ly need it way more than I do... Buuut it’s sorta completely soaking wet and cold, so I think it’d prob’ly hurt more than it’d help,” Sea said with a joking grin.
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Post by portiabuckworth on Nov 8, 2011 18:26:42 GMT -5
Portia laughed at Action's introduction. "You're name certainly suits you. You took Action and Shot off to save me, if I understand right." His stuttering threw Portia off-guard. At first she thought it was from the cold, but no, he looked nervous. Strange, that a film director who had just saved her life should be nervous. Well, that was certainly no problem with Portia. After all, she dealt with nervous ponies for a living. She jumped with he slapped himself in the face and took on a look of mock-reproach at his apology. "Now see here. Apology or not, I cannot allow the abuse of one of the ponies whom I owe so much to." She grinned to show she was joking and turned to Sea Swell."Oh yes, my theatre is just down this road. Only a moment's walk, I believe. It, uh, isn't much, currently, since I'm still somewhat moving in. Must arrange my cast, backstage, music, videography, etcetra before I can put on the first production, but it's warm and large enough to accommodate, well, a theatre." Portia grinned at Sea Swell's offer. "Thank you for the thought, but I believe I'm covered." Portia turned to show her sopping wet fuchsia cloak and laughed. "Thank Celestia I didn't bring my equipment. Although this would have made a legendary scene!" With a sigh of semi-regret, Portia began to lead the way through the park to her theatre. She moved at a brisk, limping walk, not wanting to lose her new friends or hurt her hoof further, but looking forward to a warm blanket and perhaps some nice cocoa or wassail. As she walked, she began to mutter to herself, running through the events of the night. "Clueless mare...ice skating...handsome stallion leaps to rescue...heroic mare sacrifices her wings...Oh! This is BRILLIANT!!" Portia added a bit of a skip to the last word, squeaking as she landed on her hurt hoof and recomposing herself.
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Post by delavegaprimo on Nov 8, 2011 20:04:07 GMT -5
Action smiled at Sea Swell's joke. She always had the ability to fill his heart with joy. She was a brave pony. Not just brave, but one who knew how to lighten up in after a tense situation. As Action reflected on this, Portia began to speak with him, and his attention was directed at her.
"I, I thank you for those kind words Miss Buckworth. And don't worry about me hitting myself...that was out of poor decision making..." Action said this as he began to rub his cheek. Wow, I'm making a lot of crazy choices tonight. Well...even after all these injuries, I can say that my luck looks like its finally turning around. He smiled back as she gave a comment about her coat and as she explained to Sea Swell about the various pieces of equipment she had to arrange, Action began to get lost in thought once more.
I seem to have made a couple of friends tonight. The night's still not over yet, I don't what else could happen, but with them around it shouldn't be anything else bad. I mean, this Portia's pretty cool...she really reminds me of So-- He stopped thinking and blushed, but turned his face away from the mares, hoping to hide it. However, he turned his attention back to them as Portia mentioned "videography." Action's ears perked and as he was about to ask, Portia had already begun to walk towards the theatre.
Action ran to catch up to her and as he did, she jumped a tad. This startled Action and as he fully caught up to her, she had regained her hoofing. Action stopped her and put the hurt hoof into his own, slightly massaging it to ease further ease the pain.
"Are you okay Miss Buckworth? I-I hope I didn't do anything to hurt you when I broke out of the ice," Action's tone was a bit worrisome.
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Post by mafipulater on Nov 9, 2011 16:39:00 GMT -5
Sea chuckled at the pun Portia made with Action’s name. How she loved a pony with a sense of humor! And humor was the best way to keep things positive. Portia seemed pretty cool, and, though Sea obviously wished they had met under better circumstances, the pegasus was glad they met.
And Action, too. At first, Sea was worried that trying to become friends with him may have been a mistake. To her, he initially seemed nervous and kind of a dork, but when things became serious, it took no time at all for him to take charge of the situation. He even risked his own life to save someone else’s. It made little sense to her how he managed it, but she was incredibly impressed. And because of him, she managed to help too. She doubted it was something she would have been able to do by herself – not just because of her physical limitations, but also because she wasn’t sure if she would have been able to think without panicking if it weren’t for Action taking control.
I should probably apologize to him, she thought. I probably came off as kind of a cold jerk earlier...
But as she was having these thoughts, Portia mentioned something about her theatre’s production, and needing... did she say, music? And this suddenly reminded Sea that she needed something too: money.
I... suppose it might be bad form to start talking business right after she nearly drowned and everything... oh, well, whatever! I need work if I want to be able to pay rent!
”Portia, you said you needed music for your production? Uh, do you happen to need an emcee by any chance?” said Sea. Wait, do theatres even employ emcees? What kind of shows do they have anyway? Why don’t I know anything about theatre productions? ”Or, uh, maybe a piano player? I can sing too...” Sea’s voice started to lose a lot of her initial enthusiasm when she realized she knew absolutely nothing about theatre shows.
Well, I’m certainly doing a horrible job of making myself sound employable. I probably should have thought this through a little bit more thoroughly.
When Portia squeaked as she landed from her skip, Action placed her injured hoof into his own and began to massage it. ”Ya alright? Maybe we should tone down on the skipping a little bit, huh?”
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Post by portiabuckworth on Nov 9, 2011 21:08:12 GMT -5
"No, no, don't fret over it. It's just a sprain. Don't know which point I got it, but- Did you say MC?" Portia looked up at Sea Swell and noted her clothes. She grinned. "Oh good, not Master of Ceremonies. You're a rapper, aren't you? Did you know I'm on a mission to revive William Shakespony? A modern touch might be just what I need." She giggled at the thought. "This is a story 'bout a colt named Othello/He loved a pretty mare and he liked green jello!" Portia couldn't contain her laughter. It was just all so perfect! To think that such a catastrophe could end in the perfect arrangement made it difficult to focus on her hoof's pain. Of course, the excitement added on to the cold and her wet cloak made her shiver all the worse, but she couldn't stop now. "Do please join me at home, both of you. I'll need a proper audition from you, of course, Sea Swell, just to see what you can do. I'll also need to rewrite some of my scripts, but that's to be expected." She started laughing again. "An emcee MC! Bahaha! It's so perfect I could cry! Oh! Action!" Portia looked at Action Shot, hoping she didn't seem too eager. "I know it takes a lot to direct a production, perhaps more so on screen than on stage, but I couldn't persuade you to, you know, between projects, film a few productions, could I?" Portia looked across the park. She could see her porchlight from here. "We really should discuss this someplace warm." She grinned at Action. "Thank you for your concern, but that hoof's been sprained more than once before. I had three rather rough cousins I was close to. They're in the army now. It was bound to happen again, although perhaps from something a bit more mundane, such as falling off the stage or some such other."
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Post by delavegaprimo on Nov 9, 2011 23:16:01 GMT -5
Action let go of her hoof and felt relief sink into his bones. He finally began to relax after this whole time as Portia had mentioned the sprain was nothing new to her. As she whisked herself into conversation about modernizing Shakespony by having Othello be a rapper, she laughed at the prospect entirely. Acton could help but bring himself to look up and smile at the moon as he muttered to himself:
"Looks like all this time you had this all planned out after all, huh Princess? I thank you for these incredible individuals I've met. I am proud to call them my 'friends.'" The radiant glow of the moon seemed to dance off his glasses, almost as if Luna herself had heard his thanks.
"Oh, Action!" Portia had turned her attention back to him and he steadily set his deep-set brown eyes on her. Her voice was bouncy and her demeanor jovial, as observed by Action. She offered if some of her productions could be filmed between his own. This sparked his interest.
"....Film your productions, you say? Of course Miss Buckworth! I would be honored to. Directors should stick together and I can attest this. I'll be available anytime you need me!" Action spoke with an upbeat tonality and he continued to smile as she grinned at him. He also chuckled at the mention of falling off stage.
"Ha ha, yeah. I've done that a couple times, myself back in the day. Mostly the orchestra pit. But, hey, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger! ...Three cousins you say? No kidding. I'm only child and a majority of my extended family live in Hoofington. However, Miss Buckworth, you look like you're starting to freeze a little, so I guess you should lead the way to your glorious theatre!" Action bowed his head slightly and gestured with one hoof forward, being humorous by adding an over-the-top aristocratic butler mannerism to it.
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Post by mafipulater on Nov 11, 2011 0:21:04 GMT -5
Sea giggled at Portia’s Shakespony freestyle, though she didn’t actually really know much about Othello. He’s some kind of general, right? And like, his wife’s handkerchief gets stolen or something? And then bad stuff happens? At any rate, she wasn’t going to pass up a chance to make a name for herself, even if it theatre was unfamiliar ground for her. Anything if it could help her music career!
”Yep, rapper, emcee, spitter, lyricist, whatever ya wanna call me. And absolutely, just put a mic in my hoof and drop me a beat, and I’ll show you I’ll be perfect for your modern Shakespony production thingy!” Sea had no idea what any of this was going to entail but she was up for the challenge.
Sea grinned at Action’s over-the-top formality. ”Butler dude over here’s got the right idea. Let’s go get gone.”
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Post by portiabuckworth on Nov 11, 2011 15:50:23 GMT -5
Portia laughed at Sea Swell and Action's antics as she started to walk again, taking the lead to her new home. Geez, it was freezing! "I actually have four cousins, but the youngest is a bit gentler and not quite as... big... as his brothers. And yes, I've fallen off stage multiple times, usually when backing up to see my cast from the audience's point of view. I must say I'm overly excited to start working with you two. Now I just need fifteen or so students. But listen to me ramble. I want to know everything about you both. What brought you to Manehatten? What are your favorite things to do? Why'd you pick your occupations?" Portia continued asking questions until they arrived at her theatre. She opened the door and the warmth immediately hit her. Letting her horn glow fuchsia, she turned on the lights and summoned a number of blankets from their boxes. The audience seats were nice and plush and the splash of color from the stage lighting gave the theatre an air of anticipation. Back in the kitchen, Portia commanded the stove to turn on and heat up water for hot cocoa. All of these were simple spells she'd used repeatedly for her students. She turned to Sea Swell and Action Shot. "Do please make yourselves comfortable. It would not do to send my rescuers home with the sniffles, now, would it?" With that, she exchanged her wet cloak for a dry one of the same color and wrapped her mane up in a towel before settling into one of the blankets on a seat. "Help yourselves to anything you like and do be sure to answer a few questions. I'm still dying to know everything."
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Post by splatterpaint on Nov 13, 2011 11:04:26 GMT -5
Splatterpaint trotted down the empty streets, looking around desperately for at least one pony that would be interested in her work. She had a ton of paintings with her; some on her back, in her bag, and one she was carrying in her mouth. Several of the painting were pretty, still-life pictures of apples or flowers, but most of them were her signature splatter-paint pictures.
She began to grow more discouraged as she continued walking. There's nopony out here! How am I supposed to make enough money! Business has been so slow lately, I need to earn some money! The wind picked up, and Splatter snuggled deeper into her paint-covered scarf, hoping to gain some more warmth into her tiny body.
Just then, she spotted the theater; lights were on, maybe somepony would buy a painting there! She scrambled over to the building, trying not to trip since the ground was so slippery. Once she finally slid over to the door, she knocked, hoping someone would answer. "Hello? Is anyone in here who would like to buy a painting?" Splatterpaint called, desperation creeping into her voice. She hoped that she wasn't interrupting something important.
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Post by delavegaprimo on Nov 13, 2011 15:04:34 GMT -5
Action laughed at the fact that Portia's passion had been so in-depth, she would actually fall off just to get a better view. It reminded Action of the times he had filmed many productions trying to get things right by stunt himself, only to fail moments later. Portia's antics were truly a breath of fresh air. Especially when she mentioned her family, he thought of Sun Stroke, Soul Serenade, and Stray. They had given him such joy and Portia and Sea Swell had given him this feeling once more. Bonding.
She began to get excited at the fact that he and Sea Swell were going to be helping her around the theatre. It was a prospect worth commending since work was on/off for him at the moment. Working with Portia would allow him not only to keep Revelations Primo going, but it would give him a chance to get closer with his new friends. Portia's subject transitioned to the desire to know about Action and Sea Swell. Absolutely Everything. She was definitely eager and good director who wants to become close to her cast, treating them like a family. She was indeed an ideal director.
As she opened the door and let herself into the theatre, Action followed. She used her magic to turn on the lights, get blankets, and ran into the kitchen as she began to warm up hot cocoa on the stove. The warmth gave him a sense of a relaxation and when Portia came back with her mane wrapped into a towel as she settled into one of the seats, she looked with intent eyes as they warranted the desire to know about him and Sea Swell. Her gaze was met with with slight blush from Action, as something about her look was hypnotizing.
However, he shook it off by clearing his throat and sitting in a nearby seat that wasn't too close to her, making sure he would respect her personal space -- when in reality he just wanted to make sure he didn't want to do anything he would regret.
"Uh, everything, you say? Well, I'll keep my details important, unless you want to know more..." His words began to get a little shaky again as "everything" up until this moment was a bumpy ride, but talking about it was a healthy thing to do. However, Sea Swell was there too and he didn't say too much. But hey, there's no time like the present, now is there? Action inhaled as and he was about to voice the first audible word of his sentence, a knock was suddenly heard at the door. Action closed his mouth and looked over at it, his head cocked to the side.
"Hello? Is anyone in here who would like to buy a painting?" What kind of door-to-door salespony would be out this late? Let alone, with paintings. In the snow. He turned his head back to Portia.
"Should we see what the hay this all about?" asked Action as he gave a baffled look.
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