Champions of New Equestria

Tick-Tock nods and pulls out a leader that she took with her as well.

Smoke Screen sees a number of ponies start taking out letters. He looks at the ponies also at the bar. Assuming that the bartender was not one of the other five mentioned in the letter, which would kinda be silly seeing as she had been paid for the drinks in advance (which was either a kind gesture, or a trap to get Smoke drunk), the five were the ones in a small group. On one hoof, some of the ponies in the group seemed too friendly to be criminals like him, so it couldn't be a trap for everyone who got the letter, so that put his mind at rest. On the other hoof, one of the ponies in the group was a bat pony, which usually meant they were either in the cops or the guards, and one pony had fake wings, which could mean that they were in on the trap and had made, or was given, wings in order to try to catch him. Still, Smoke still hopes that this was an actual job, and not a trap, so he finishes his drink and watches the group carefully, waiting to see how things develop...

"Oh, well that makes sense I suppose. Nice to meet you, Tick-Tock. Or is your first name Tick? No I can't call you that, that's the name of an awful arachnid. Tictoc?"

Aquilah sipped her water from a straw as the pegasus that had just come in mentioned the letter. She coughed. She didn't know why she hadn't assumed that the other ponies were here for the same reason as her. Seeing the others pulling out their letters, she pulled hers out from where it was folded inside her notebook. She looked around, mentally counting the people there. Onetwothreefour, her, and the barkeep. So... six total. The note said there were five others, but the barkeep seemed to if anything know even less than them. And she wasn't sure the pegasus with the red scarf sitting to the side was with them or not.

"I wonder how long we should wait for the others to get here? It's already one." she observed out loud. "While we wait, I would suppose introductions are in order. I don't know if you all heard me just now talking to Tictoc, but my name is Aquilah Jazari. I'm a clockmaker. Currently. I do all sorts of other things though."

"I'm Chocolate Flurry. Just graduated from military academy. My specialty is weather but, I'm great at plenty of things." Chocolate said a bit boastfully.

Ramsus wrote:"I'm Chocolate Flurry. Just graduated from military academy. My specialty is weather but, I'm great at plenty of things." Chocolate said a bit boastfully.

Smoke knew it. This was a trap, set up by the guards to catch him! Or was it? Why would they send a recent graduate? Obviously they wouldn't be able to catch him, and they clearly can't stay in character if it was a trap. So does it mean it wasn't a trap? Maybe the use of a novice guard to trick him into feeling confident in his escape? Or was this not the trap, but actually a set-up to the actual trap in the castle? Or maybe it was the real deal, but why would they send a novice? I mean, if it was real, it makes sense that he would be chosen. After all, Smoke considered himself one of the best thieves out there. Maybe the bat pony is a cunning criminal as well, and saying that she was a guard was a lie? Was everyone here a crook like him? Are they all guards? Was he a guard? No, wait, he was over thinking this. Smoke Screen rubs his face and reached for his glass, before remembering it was empty, and sighing...

"Hey," the filly called out to the brooding stallion in the corner. "Y'want a refill? What'd ya have?"

elfowlgirl wrote:"Hey," the filly called out to the brooding stallion in the corner. "Y'want a refill? What'd ya have?"

"No need, ma'am," Smoke replies in gravelly voice, "I got things to do." He hovers to the small group in the bar and pulls out his own letter, which was in a crumpled and ripped condition, from out of his scarf, showing it to the other letter-holders, before stashing it back into his scarf. "C'mon, we've waited long enough," the pegasus tells the group as he hovers towards the exit of The Cube. He didn't care if it was a trap or not any more, figuring that, f it was, it was poorly made, and he was confident that he could escape...

"Easy, turbo. By my count we've got 5 out of 6. If my experiences on the matter mean anything, it will behoove us to wait, because we won't be able to do anything without that last guy." Between the Bearers and that other... adventure... groups of 6 were turning into a regular theme. "We've only been here for a few minutes, at least give the rest of us time to have a seat. Or some lunch." Turning to the bartender. "Do you have any real food back there? Or just snacks?"

"Maybe we should get to know one another? Given that it seems we'll be working with eachother." Tick-Tock suggests.

"Mostly snacks, but 'm sure I could rustle somethin' together," she offered. "New shipment just came in this mornin'. We gotta load o' food anyhow." She trotted off into the back room. "I'll be right back."

Bronymous wrote:"Easy, turbo. By my count we've got 5 out of 6. If my experiences on the matter mean anything, it will behoove us to wait, because we won't be able to do anything without that last guy." Between the Bearers and that other... adventure... groups of 6 were turning into a regular theme. "We've only been here for a few minutes, at least give the rest of us time to have a seat. Or some lunch." Turning to the bartender. "Do you have any real food back there? Or just snacks?"

Waiting until the bartender had left the room, the thief retorts; "Look, if this letter is the real deal, then this ain't a pony you want to keep waiting. We should at least be looking into how we gonna get to Canterlot."

Xel Unknown wrote:"Maybe we should get to know one another? Given that it seems we'll be working with eachother." Tick-Tock suggests.

Smoke sighs. "You're right. Name's Smoke Screen, that's all you need to know." If it was a trap, then it would be all they needed to know, but seeing he was next to the door now, he was certain that he won't be caught...

"Why, are you shy with new people?" Tick-Tock asked without any awareness of how dumb that sounded.

Smoke Screen gives the alicorn a dirty look, thinking its comment was a snide remark, as opposed to a genuine, although dumb, question. "No," he continues, "I don't tell much to people I don't trust, and, no offence, but I don't trust you yet."

It takes the Clockwork Alicorn a few ticks before she fully understood that comment. "...Ah... Sorry I asked."

"Oh relax, Smokey. No one's going to betray anyone they just met, that's ridiculous. Settle down and join the group." Phoenix smirks, putting 2 and 2 and 2 together. He watches the cautious pony edging towards the door, and smirks.

---

Prepping forcefield.

Chocolate shrugged at Smoke Screen's response as if to say, "Your choice."

Bronymous wrote:"Oh relax, Smokey. No one's going to betray anyone they just met, that's ridiculous. Settle down and join the group." Phoenix smirks, putting 2 and 2 and 2 together. He watches the cautious pony edging towards the door, and smirks.

"Look, you're either bein' pretty naive, or you're flat out lying to me now!" replied Smoke Screen, getting increasingly frustrated. "You can't trust anypony, especially ones you've just met. I ain't even being paranoid about this, I've been tricked and betrayed enough times to know this. Now listen, if we are truly on the same team, then ya gotta trust me when I say that we need to spend our time wisely and start looking into how we get to Canterlot, even if we wait for this sixth pony afterwards."

"And don't call me Smokey!"

Paper Shadow wrote:Now listen, if we are truly on the same team, then ya gotta trust me when I say that we need to spend our time wisely and start looking into how we get to Canterlot, even if we wait for this sixth pony afterwards."[/color]

"Now just a second, why would we trust you if you so plainly don't trust us? Can't trust anyone, except you? I think you're the naive one." Phoenix says this casually, sitting back with a small smirk. "I actually have some decent experience with trust, and the miracles it can bequeath on those who use it." Phoenix looks back to check on his food. "But, if you're set in your ways so solidly, then come take a seat anyway, because plans need to be made. If we all just run out the door and go see... Lumina? If we just head out, without discussing things first, then we're bound to end up running headlong into a problem, with no plan B to get us out. Understand yet? instead of being so cautious about us, who are in the same boat, you should focus your worry on the one steering it."

The filly comes back into the room, carefully balancing on her back hooves with three platters on her nose and forehooves. They fall, quite gracelessly (but face-up), onto the counter. "Here ya go!" she announces after she's picked herself up from the floor. "A plate o' fries, some salad-slash-vegetables, and then whatever else I could find!" She waved her hoof at the trays. "Enjoy!"

Smoke rubbed his face slowly and calmed himself down. The pegasus had a point, but Smoke Screen doesn't feel like it was a good one. While he had a perfectly good Plan B (running away and hiding is the best Plan B), he doubted that the other ponies here could keep up with him if he had to resort to that, and the letter asked for six ponies, so it would be hard to explain if only he showed up, so he had to stay with the group. And as far as he was concerned, him coming here and showing his letter was a mutual sign of trust, even if it was hypercritical of him not to trust the others even when they did the same. These guys were obviously not thieves themselves...

As soon as the thief felt somewhat relaxed, he continues slowly and calmly. "As much as I like a good plan, what are you even going to plan for? Do you know what Canterlot Castle looks like on the inside? On the outside? The layout? 'Cause I have no idea in the slightest, and you aren't gonna figure out anything by sitting around an old bar. I already have a good plan for everything; get in, do the job, get out. In this business, you gotta plan for the moment, and right now, that moment is figuring the best way to get to Canterlot, be it train, or carriage, or whatever. I don't know what you do for a livin', but I doubt you're gonna go far any time soon if you spend all your time planning for every single scenario, kid."

(Streetwise Check on Canterlot Castle: 1 + 10 = 11 oooh boooy)

"I've been in and out of a dozen Canterlot castles, and they have all been more or less the same. Some of the rooms were different, and occasionally all of the Suns and Moons were swapped around... but the layout is usually the same, and I'll be surprised if this one is any different." Phoenix pauses for a second. "And the only reason we'd need to know that is if we were planning on a marathon game of Hide and seek, which we aren't. If this so-called princess summoned us, then I don't think breaking in will be a factor. I'm planning on what to do if the regent turns out to be hostile, or at least treacherous. Tends to happen more than it should. But, point taken about the planning. We still shouldn't go without our last guy- I'll give him til the end of these fries to get here. Then we can run off and join in the epic quest." He eats a few fries, and then mutters to himself, "... again."

"And don't call me kid. I'm so very much older than you. Kid."

"Pard'n me," the filly interrupted. "What's a 'sun'? ...Or a 'moon', fer that matter?"

(OOC: Ignore this post)

Aquilah immediately started eating some of the fries and salad plopped down in front of the group by the barkeep, glad to have a distraction from the conversation and give her some time to think. She rifled through her pack and read some of the letters again while listening to the continuing discussion. She continued to get more concerned and fed up by the tone of the conversation.

"ENOUGH! Everypony, what's all this talk of mistrust and betrayal and planning? You're sure not inspiring me to trust you- which is not even something I would have concerned myself with until you were acting all suspicious." She was mostly glaring at Smoke Screen and the pegasus who had still not introduced himself. "I don't know what sorts of experiences you've had before, but there's no reason we should need to plan or sneak around or worry about anypony betraying us. This is the princess we're talking about. If there's some reason she should wish you ill, I'm sure there'd be a better way of getting at you. And you!" Aquilah looks directly at the pegasus. "I think you of all of us have some explaining to do. You still haven't given us a name. You claim strange knowledge of the layout of Canterlot castle... and something about there being dozens? As far as I know there's only the one. You make strange references to "sons" and whatever "moons" are. And claim to be an elder of our scarfy companion here ."

She took a deep breath, and scarfed up some more food, downing it with her remaining water.

"Now that I got that out, as concerning what we should do, as far as I can tell we should wait for our sixth member, or some word as to what's keeping them. What was the point of meeting here instead of arriving directly in Canterlot if not to meet each other and ensure we all show up? Other than the time set for our meeting, I don't see any other times specified in the letters. As for getting to Canterlot, I would imagine that shouldn't be too difficult, perhaps the train goes there?"

Roll:

Chocolate Flurry froze with a fry on the way to her mouth at the madness of whatever those two were on about. She nodded in agreement to the Aquila but said nothing, feeling she'd said what needed to be said well enough. Then she resumed eating, figuring maybe if she didn't make any sudden movements the madponies wouldn't notice her. Like a T-Rex or something. Or at least they'd stab each other with sporks they carried around with them for stabbing ponies.