Wanderlust: Equestrian Nights

Bubbling Spring pushes down several possible answers and opts for another technical truth. "...Meditating? I needed someplace quiet."

"WAAAAAIIIIT!!"

Quite unexpectedly, a small, yellow coated filly comes bursting through the crowd, gasping for breath as she stumbles towards you, carrying a pair of saddlebags, a small cauldron, and a pink bow keeping her equally pink mane in check. She makes the last few steps and collapses in a tired heap at Bubbling Spring's feet.

Bubbling Spring sighs, lifting the filly up with is magic. "What are you doing here, kid?" He asks, hesitating to glance at Lavender. "Way to make my life complicated, kid." He pauses for a moment trying to remember the filly's name. "...Apple Bloom! right. Apple Bloom, what are you doing here?"

The filly doesn't resist Spring's magic. She does reach into the saddlebag to pull out a book, dropping it on the ground.

"Ah thought... You'd want that," she says in a country drawl in between gasps. "Wha' with... you an'... an' all..."

The book lands title-side up, turning out to be "Quick Tick's Thesaurus for Poets and Songwriters".

Bubbling Spring looks blankly at Applebloom. "I am neither a poet nor a songwriter. I set things on fire. Why do I want this book?"

Apple Bloom appears to have regained her breath by now. "To set Zecora on fire, of course," she said, as if it was obvious. "If ya know what Ah mean."

((This why solos are done over PM. I'm just loving how this conversation makes sense to me and sunbeam, but is a complete non-sequitor to everyone else.))

Bubbling Spring is suddenly very thankful for how well his blue coat covers crimson blush. "I am...moderately surprised that you know what you mean." He looks at the book awkwardly for a moment before stowing it in his saddlebag, hoping he doesn't crush any vegetables. "I'll hold onto the book." He says, abruptly setting Applebloom back down and pushing her towards the end of the station. "Off you go, now." How did she know where I was? Discord is partially behind this. He decides with a sigh.

OOC:

Apple Bloom flops over, refusing to be pushed. "Nope. It's nahce an' warm here..."

At that moment a pony on the engine starts shouting. "ALL ABOARD WHO'S COMIN' ABOARD!"

Bubbling Spring looks around, then hastily lifts Apple Bloom up to the top of the stairs leading into the ticket office. "Try not to get crushed!" He calls to her, before moving towards the train. "C'mon, everyone! It's travel time."

Skill Check:

Wandering Eye notes the blush, and that combined with a bit of thought on how a book of poetry might set a mare on fire, he smiled slightly, trying his best to hide it. He proceeded onto the train, checking on the Twins as he did so.

"Yay! Let's go!" Lavender had been on trains before, but never with the tickets and the seats and not having to hide!

ooc:

Spoiler:

During the brief meeting with the farm filly, the Twins keep their attention on them. Once its done though, Soft watches where this 'Applebloom' goes next, wondering where she came from, and then has her attention stolen by Wandering as they board the train. Meanwhile, Water comes up along Bubbling spring and shoot shim a look. "So what was all that about? Who's 'Zuh Korra?'?" She asks wryly, mimicking Applebloom's tone.

Bubbling Spring turns a still deeper shade of crimson. "Um, she's a zebra...who lives in the Everfree." He pauses awkwardly trying to decide what to say about her. He eventually decides to just say "She makes good soup."

((Let's get moving, then.))

With that, the group of friends boarded the train with Taffy Stretch to see Fillydelphia...

The next morning

Fillydelphia proved to be a bustling city, much larger than Ponyville (If, proportionately, much less busy). One significant difference, however, was that the outskirts seemed to be covered in a thick, green stuff, including the tracks leading in; as such, getting through took a while as the train slowed down. Nevertheless, the train pulled in without further incident, permitting the party to debark.

"I need to pick some things up at home before we go," Taffy Stretch says upon leaving the station. "You guys can come if you want, or you can go do your thing, I guess."

"Hey, wait!" Bubbling Spring calls out, stretching his legs and almost collapsing when he waves a hoof at Taffy Stretch. "What was that green gunk on the rails?"

"I don't know," Taffy says with a shrug. "It wasn't here when I left. Ask around, I guess: I'm going to, but I'm going home first."

"Either option works for me, though with unknown variables present - like this green stuff - I suggest we stay together." Wandering Eye looks around curiously at the green stuff. "But first, I need to find a bathroom." He goes off to find a nearby lavatory...

"Ok..." The twins watch him leave, then nod to each other. "We'll go with you," Soft says to Taffy, "We can find out more about whats going on along the way." "Yeah, besides I don't think we'll all get eaten if we're apart for a little bit." They start to follow Taffy away from the train.

"It'd probably scare the life out of him if he came back and we were all gone." Bubbling Spring says casually to Lavender. "Want to try it?"

Wandering Eye manages to find a bathroom nearby. ((He's going to be a bit, IC. There are reasons for this.))

The Steam Twins, meanwhile, follow Taffy Stretch down several streets. At one point, while waiting on a train to cross the road, they see a tan mare in a red vest, busily scraping the green stuff off a wall into a plastic bucket: a perfect oppurtunity to ask a question...

Lavender giggled. "Sure!"

Bubbling Spring looks around. "Well. I was planning on following Taffy Stretch, but we already seem to have lost her. I say we go down...this road, and keep going until we see something interest." He says, walking in the general direction he was already facing and looking around. "Like more of that green gunk."

Bubbling Spring and Lavender Rain

The direction Bubbling Spring picked seems to lead towards the edge of the city: as the two of you walk, there's more green gook, and more ponies cleaning it: most of them do not seem worried about the dangers of the gook, wearing only red vests (Marking them as clean-up ponies) and the occasional rubber boots. The clean-up seems to consist of scraping it off of walls and streets and into plastic buckets...

---

Wandering Eye

As you leave the bathroom, Wandering Eye comes face-to-face with another stallion. He has a red mane and coat, and his Cutie Mark consists of the Tragedy/Comedy masks. He is also wearing an orange scarf, and has a nasty scar over one eye.

"Whoops! Excuse me," he says in a mildly Transatlantic accent, backing off quickly. "Just off to the loo... Although. I don't suppose you've seen a little filly around here? Purple coat, turquoise mane? No doubt carrying a stuffed bear?"

Lavender was still a bit groggy from the train ride, but seeing the goop caught her interest. She had seen a lot of goop when he was working as Master's "assistant" SOmetimes he was using the goop in experiments, and sometimes the failed experiments turned into goop. This goop was probably nothing like them, but still... Lavender repressed a shiver, and Teddy hugged her silently.

She turned to Bubbling, and said, a bit too cheerfully, "What do you think it is?"

"A stuffed bear?" Wandering Eye repeats, the description reminding him of Lavender. "Come to think of it, I think I have. ...Out of curiosity, why do you ask?"