[IC] Equestrian Radio Show's Adventure Variety Hour: Explorers of STOMP

CoffeeHorse

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The more Night Cap explained, the less Scarlet understood. Brow furrowing, he looked from Night Cap, to Snowy, to Misty, and back again.

"Protect the...valuables? why not simply stop the robbers before they get to the Vault, then go see what they were after. Why did this Rhapsody send you to open it?

I mean, its not like the money is going anywhere."


Sunbeam:
Snowy blinks three times. "The robbery was at this vault, I assume."


"Yeah. We kinda got split up... Maplejack went to watch over Mayor Grape Vine, I went to help stop the tornado, and everypony else went to the bank. Oh! And the Mayor actually helped us with the tornado with her wand!"


Snowy was immediately interested. "She had a wand? Like, a force of nature wand? What was it?"


"I think she called it 'The Wand of Double Doubles'... no, wait, was it Doubling... Doubled... Doubles... it was something like that!" She gives a sheepish look. "Anyways, I didn't realize it at the time, but she was using it to double the size of the Petrichor Falls weather team. With the extra ponies helping out, we stopped the tornado before it could reach the city."


Snowy nods, smiling at the garbled doubling of words. "Sounds suitably grand for one of the magic wands. That makes 3 wands taken care of."

 

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"Why didn't you say you were sent to rescue the bank staff in the first olace?"

Scarlet felt a twinge in the back of his head that promised--or should that be threatened--a headache was brewing as he tried valiantly to wrap his head around Night Caps oddly backwards explanation of events.

"Honestly Night Cap. The way you tell it makes it sound like you were sent to bust open a bank vault so the STOMP team could 'protect' some endangered jewellry. And on this Rhapsodys orders too!" Scarlet shook his head and sighed heavily. Then winced and made a mental note not to do that again.

"Ifyou'd said you were on a rescue mission cause the bad ponies had locked the bankers in their own vault...

Hang on. Did you just say you might've just left them to it. How do you know that vault wasn't airtight? Based on the overly elaborate security that wouldn't've surprise me in the least," Scarlet said sharply, without realising how it might sound.

"I'm sorry, that came out wrong. But, and i'm not trying to question your methods after the fact, did you not think about that possibility?"


"Yeah, at the time- someponies... weren't sure who to trust, since everything seemed to happen all at once. Maybe the team just wasn't thinking fast after such a big breakfast and Dinner the night before... but I didn't seem to think we should abandon Boss Vine outright... when she could have -> and was, a target of take and coin." Maple shrugged, "That's partly why I wanted to go with you Mr. Night cap... to save time since I might have been next on the list. Sometimes we need to be a little looser with the team structure then I think Miss Rhapsody would like.&! #160; When I took off to help the Mayor... everypony was sanding around deciding a course of action... and we we loosing time. In you situation Mr. Night Cap, it seems to me that a moment to debate options didn't happen..and maybe it should have. " Maple grinned, as she ruffled her feathers a little.

"We're a team made of a number of very different ponies after all. It makes sense that our experiences and skill sets might lead to differences in tactics and how we prioritize."



Snowy nods, smiling at the garbled doubling of words. "Sounds suitably grand for one of the magic wands. That makes 3 wands taken care of."

"Really? I've heard about the wand they brought back from the base up north, and there's Mayor Grape Vine's wand, but isn't the third one..." She let the sentence hang in the air, looking around nervously.


Night Cap saw Brisk Iron walk up to him and say, "Come with me, we need to talk." They walked to her office with Zig Zag silently slipping in behind them. "There have been concerns about conduct on several expeditions. I will be conducting a peer mediation session so that both sides can air their thoughts and so that hopefully this can be resolved. Zig Zag, I believe this is where you come in." Zig Zag nodded and stepped forward.

"Just relax your minds.
An office may be too stiff,
So let's go elsewhere..."

Rhapsody and Night Cap fell asleep to find themselves in a snow white room that was softly lit but lacked any actual lights, doors, or windows. Each sat on comfortable pillows across from each other with a pastel green coffee table between the two of them as the only object of color other than themselves. The table and wall corners were all subtly rounded and slightly soft despite their firmness. All this was punctuated with a very subtle scent of chamomile. Brisk Iron's voice projected into the room though she was unseen. "Now we can begin. Rhapsody, please explain to Night Cap your grievances with his actions during the trip to Petrichor Falls. Night Cap, allow her to finish, then respond with your reasoning. We will start with this first and then move to broader concerns. Honesty, cooperation, and understanding are of the utmost importance. I am here if needed."


Night Cap deflates a little. He almost made it all the way through a field mission without this happening.

"I'll be fine, Maple. ... Thanks."

He addresses the newcomer.

"Scarlet, I'm Night Cap. And this is my life."

He doesn't even feel like giving his full introduction.


"Is he always like this?" Splash Flaunt asked the team after Brisk Iron led Night Cap away.


"No, sometimes he doesn't let you see that he needs a hug."

 

CoffeeHorse

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Snowy nods, smiling at the garbled doubling of words. "Sounds suitably grand for one of the magic wands. That makes 3 wands taken care of."
"Really? I've heard about the wand they brought back from the base up north, and there's Mayor Grape Vine's wand, but isn't the third one..." She let the sentence hang in the air, looking around nervously.


Snowy is keeping an ear on the Night Cap situation, but tries to give Misty as much of his attention as possible. He lets a small smile of pride shine through on his face. "Barometz is taken care of. All contracts are terminated, and the wand is safely in the care of the ponies of Nightmare Heights."


"That is very true Maplejack. STOMP is, and has always been, a mixed bag of skills and personalities. Its how well you understand each other that makes the difference between 'group of individuals' and 'team'. So while i can see how Rhapsody, who i'm assuming was team leade for the mission, would want the hostages rescued A S A P, and perhaps led out a back exit maybe. I can also see Night Caps point about leaving tyem where you know they are safe until the rough stuff with the robbers is dealt with.

But thats just it, when you're the squad leader, you're the one giving the orders, you're the one in charge. You have to trust your team as mu! ch as they have to trust you. So as much as Night Cap is right that the hostages could have been safer in the vault. Even i would have ordered him to get them out and away from the back."

He cut off as Brisk Iron approached. But as Night Cap headed off, he thought back to Rhapsodys 'replacement' line, so couldn't help adding.

"Just be honest and up front about things, and you will be ok Night. Trust me, i know. I've been there."

Turning to Maplejack, Scarlet cocked his head at the little redhead.

"My mane? i...don't actually do anything with. It just tends to fall like this. Mum keeps trying to get me to style it differently, but my mane just won't have it." Grinning, he added. "I've judt accepted that its naturally weird. Like me."

Hearing Splash Flaunt, Scarlet chuckled. Then winced again.

Ooh, ow. Thank you brain. I need some Asparin.

"Bet you a fortune in jewels the answer is, 'Yes'."


Misty jumps into the air in surprise. "What... but... how... you... did... wah!"


Turning as Misty took to the air... Maple's eyebrow went up in quizzical-ness... "Maybe we aren't the only ponies with an adventure to talk about?"


"Oh hey, that reminds me, Skivey." Static looked around himself looking for something he soon figured out he wouldn't be able to retrieve, even if it was there.

"Gah! I must've packed it with my other stuff. But while I've been traveling I've had the chance to sample quite a few things. I've been working on changing them up a bit. Don't want to outright steal someone else's recipe after all. Besides, I've noticed ingredients tend to taste different when they're fresh than when they have to be shipped somewhere. So I've been working on a few things."

"I just had some penne pasta with pesto sauce I'd like to start working with. But I think I've just about nailed down a swamp pepper stew you may want to try. I had to replace the swamp peppers with something a bit more regional to Caballuston...but the ingredients are cheap. A little makes a lot. And it's healthy. I'll bring you the recipe whenever I get out of here and see what you think."


 

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Skivey Dives thought for a moment before asking, "Can you deep fry it?"


"Uh...no," Static replies cautiously. "Actually...just as an outside observer...you may...want to...consider...getting-away-from-so-much-deep-fried-food."

Static winces at having said that out loud to Skivey. "Not to say you should get rid of it completely," he adds quickly. "Some ponies are always going to have a taste for things that are less than healthy for them. It's just..."

"You know, I'm just trying to think of ways to not have you get shut down by the health board...again. Plus I think with a few menu changes...not to get rid of anything necessarily, but add on a few more healthier choices...eventually...maybe...you could even expand. You know, like how Semolina has a kiosk at the museum?"



"Kiosks in that fancy museum..." A grin slowly crept across Skivey Dives' face as he contemplated his options. "Yeah...gettin' ideas already. Like a new slogan, 'The best part of waking up is butter in your cup' or offering salad to go with the triple fried squash. I'll catch you later Stasi. Next time you stop by, I found some Quintuple Peanut Butter Oat Surprise in the back of the freezer if you want some." He rushed out the door, mumbling various recipe ideas as he left.


"That isn't quite what I had in m..." Static sighed and dropped his head back deep into the pillow. Pony Feathers! He was getting used to this bed thing. He may have to start making more use out of his own.

Static turned his head back to Flairvoyant. "Uhh...yeeeeeah. I wish I could say 'it's not as bad as it sounds'...but...yeeeeeah." Static sighed. "If he's serious about the Quintuple Peanut Butter Oat Surprise...I'll share it if you want some. Kinda scared to think how far past expiration it could be though...fair warning."


Turning as Misty took to the air... Maple's eyebrow went up in quizzical-ness... "Maybe we aren't the only ponies with an adventure to talk about?"

Snowy's smile faltered a little. In the flurry of activity surrounding their departure, he hadn't put the slightest thought into what he was going to tell everypony. "Barometz is dead. I fed him to the Wendigoes." He suspected they wouldn't be satisfied by anything less than that...

 

CoffeeHorse

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Flairvoyant shook her head. "Oh no, that ice cream is for you to enjoy...or avoid...on your own. To Skivey's credit, at least his food seems more interesting than the hospital food at Petrichor Falls."


"I'd probably be okay with it. I used to eat at Skivey's all the time even before he started getting the place cleaned up. I'd bet I've built up quite the immunity to some of the lesser pathogens: salmonella, e-coli, sepsis...bubonic...

...

"That was a joke...I hope..."



"Hmph, youngsters don't know their history," Splash Flaunt remarked at Maplejack and Misty Monsoon's non reaction. The group had arrived at Acquisitions to find Steel Flint unpacking a box. "Oh. Hello, Ms. Flaunt. Brisk has alerted me to your situation and hopefully things will go better than last time." "Yes, Ms. Flint."

"And it's good to see you Scarlet. Are you returning to us?"



"Be glad you aren't a teacher Ms. Flaunt--oh hey, Steel Flint. Hello Ms. Flint."

Smiling as he nodded at her question, Scarlet unhooked himself from one of the trolleys.

"Yes, i'm back. I got the Chiefs letter a little while back. Once i realised it was a call back to the Keep, i took off. Although i kind of, uh, got lost on the way here and had to make a landing in Nightmare Heights. Which is where i ran into the her, Snowy Skies, and Splash Flaunt.

It was a complete accident," he said innocently, "and totally not because i had the map upside down."


Misty racked her brain, trying to remember if she'd ever heard about, or read anything about, wendigoes.

Spoiler


Misty Monsoon realized that the windigoes were from the Hearths Warming Eve story. She didn't immediately pick up on it since back home they accented the vowels differently and that those frozen spirits that fed off of negative emotion had never been seen in the present day.

 

CoffeeHorse

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Steel Flint looked over all of the carts. "I guess it's safe to assume all of this is from Petrichor Falls? I didn't expect it to be so much. This might fill an entire exhibit hall. The Marketing Department will certainly be busy for a while."


Flairvoyant chuckled.
"Just chalk it up to earth pony strength."


Static chuckled. "It's gotten cleaned up quite a bit recently. But to have seen it before...it could put even an earth pony's strength to the test."

"I really don't want to say anything too negative about his diner though. Like I said, he's turning it around. Plus, he was the first friend I made when I first moved to Caballuston. That's why I'm trying to help him with some new recipe's."



"All from Petrichor? These boxes are, yes..." Scarlet trailed iff with an 'am i forgetting something' expression.

"Er, um. Oh!" Light suddenly dawned. "We do have a few finds from Nightmare Heights to log in too."

Scarlet fished the red and gold puzzle piece from his pack.

"During our trip through the caves and swamp of Nightmare. Snowy, Splash and i found this puzzle piece to add to the Keeps growing collection. The third in a set of puzzle boxes. And we found the old, abandoned home of Moonbeam Writ."


"Wendi... wind... oh, windigoes! Misty suddenly exclaims. "Wow, um, Snowy, um... that's kinda scary... you're not pulling my leg, are you?"



She's suddenly distracted by the puzzle piece Scarlet is holding. "Oh, another one of those? I wonder how they keep ending up all the way over here."


Steel Flint looked over the square. "Most curious indeed. I wonder what will happen when we find them all.

Wait a minute. Misty, what do you mean by 'over here'?"


 

CoffeeHorse

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"I try to do what I can. I mean, like you said, Skivey was my first friend when I was new in town. Amber was the first team mate I got to know when I first join STOMP. Tangerine Sands and even Ms. Iron were far more lenient on me than I deserved in probably the worst night of my life. Night Cap helped me face Dazzling Midnight when there was nopony else around. And Snowy...Snowy's a hard one to pin down. But he has a habit of telling me exactly what I need to hear when I need to hear it."

"It seems I owe a lot of ponies."

...

"Not complaining. Just making an observation. Not sure what I'd do without any one of them."



"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you guys. I was thinking for a while about where I'd seen those squares, and then I finally remembered! You see, when I was little, I saw my father putting some things into a chest one night. Some of those squares, some other things. Then he shut the lid and pushed the whole chest out into the sea. For a long time I thought it was just a weird dream or something, but seeing those squares again made me remember."

"It's kinda strange how they keep turning up around this area, but then I think about how I made it here..."
She shrugs.


Maple just smiled ..stories were fun!


"Interesting," Scarlet said thoughtfully. "Another piece to the 'hehe' Puzzle of Moonbeams Puzzle Pieces."

Holding up the newest piece, he added. "We found this buried in the roof of the Nightmare swamp caverns."


"Well, it seems you owe those ponies for the right reasons, Mr. Signal."

Somehow, a stallion was in the far corner of the hospital room. An older earth pony stallion with pale green coat and a greying mane that was probably some shade of yellow in his younger years. His shirt was heavily starched and pressed as if he had never seen a day of field work in his life. He had a droll, almost apathetic look on his face and at that moment Static Signal realized this was the pony who originally interviewed him when he was about to join STOMP.


Static was startled as he saw the stallion. Where did he come from? Static remembered having a really hard time reading this pony. He thought he'd totally blown the interview and yet here he was, a full member of STOMP. Should this pony's appearance be taken as a good omen? A bad omen? How should he start up a conversation with him? Should he start up a conversation with him? Should he wait to be spoken to before speaking?

"Umm...hello!"

[What are you doing here?] [Have my injuries gotten me dropped from the team?] [What's your name?] [How do you like your pancakes?]

"Long time no see!"

[Really? That's what you're going with?]
cleardot.gif


 

CoffeeHorse

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He nodded. "I try to keep out of the limelight."


Static grinned in spite of himself. "A useful skill in this walk of life."


Patchouli Knowledge:
"Wendi... wind... oh, windigoes! Misty suddenly exclaims. "Wow, um, Snowy, um... that's kinda scary... you're not pulling my leg, are you?"

Snowy simply flashes Misty a knowing smile, though it's a little shaky.

"There were also some scorch marks in Moonbeam Writ's cottage that were the right shape to be puzzle squares. They had a similar magical signature, too."


Scarlet nodded.

"Yes. The marks of something seemingly connected to Moonbeam Writ and Manorspace. That strange pocket dimension thingy you mentioned. What i'm still trying to figure out is whether somebodies trying to lead to the solution of the puzzle pieces. Or whether sombodies been scattering them, and we're just now catching up.

Misty? Nice to meet you by the way. After you saw your dad push that chest into the Ocean. Did anybody come calling to ask after it?"


"I wonder if the whole 'to the moon!' story is true too... I traveled a ways once with an old pony named Bindle, he told me once about the windigoes when the snow drifts were so high we couldn't get past and had to camp out around a fire barrel." Maple says, as the memory drifts by... completely muttering along - oblivious to the change in topic.

 

CoffeeHorse

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Spoiler

"Perhaps, though you and I aren't in the same line of work. I was hired to be Brisk Iron's...bodyguard?...'guardian' is probably more accurate, by her father. While she's long since outgrew such a direct need, I still give my opinion on various matters when requested and I try to watch over those in her employ when possible. Case in point, I was here on a regular check up and heard what happened to the two of you from a nurse, so I decided to stop by."


Scarlet nodded.

"Yes. The marks of something seemingly connected to Moonbeam Writ and Manorspace. That strange pocket dimension thingy you mentioned. What i'm still trying to figure out is whether somebodies trying to lead to the solution of the puzzle pieces. Or whether sombodies been scattering them, and we're just now catching up.

Misty? Nice to meet you by the way. After you saw your dad push that chest into the Ocean. Did anybody come calling to ask after it?"

Misty shakes her head. "No one ever brought it up, which I why I wasn't sure it even really happened..."


"Yeeeeah, something tells me I'm going to need more practice before trying out for the Wonderbolts. I think I'm really close though," Static says with a grin. "Thanks for visiting. I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again after that interview. But now that you're here, I did want to say thanks for granting me the opportunity. I was...actually pretty sure I bombed the interview."


"Confidence in one's self is as much of a part of success as any physical feat or magical spell. If there's anything a pony should emulate from Ms. Iron, it's that.

And you're welcome. I felt you were on the edge of going either way and I felt you would fare well if pushed towards your positive side. STOMP needs intelligence but there's times it needs more than just intellectuals."


Static nods stiffly. "In that case, I think I owe you more than any of the others put together. I...don't think I realized myself just how on the edge I really was until that first night. Ms. Iron does have a way of inspiring ponies."


"Ah well. At least that means nobody was actively hunting the puzzle squares at that point. Or a pt least they didn't know your father had Misty.

Butterlfly Island, Nightmare Heights, Caballuston..." Trailing off as he stared at yhe puzzle piece, Scarlet wondered just how long this mystery had been going. And how long it would take before STOMP cracked it.

"Curiouser and curiouser," was all Scarlet could say.

 

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"Umm...one thing before you go?" Static said hesitantly. "On the subject of watching over those in Ms. Iron's employee...Night Cap could be in a bit of trouble right now. I just...I don't know if I'll have a chance to talk with Ms. Iron before a decision is made. But if you see her, could you just tell her for me that what he did, he did to save my life and that even though he did technically break some rules...so did I at one point and with a heck of a lot less defense?"


"We need a map." Snowy comments. "My apartment isn't big enough for a case room, sadly. Scarlet, do you know where you're living yet?"


"Well, we certainly have maps. I'll look into trying to get a dedicated room for this. And I'm sure living arrangements can be arranged for Scarlet."


"Night Cap is a curious sort. If this meeting is going on right now, there's no way I can get over there during it. However, I will speak with Ms. Iron later on.

As far as my name," the stallion said in the same even voice he maintained throughout the conversation. "it is a matter of security that too much information about me is not shared but I will divulge that it's Sunny Smiles."


[Sunny Smiles? That's...fitting!]

Static grinned.

"Nopony will hear it from me. Thanks...sir!"


Night Cap saw Brisk Iron walk up to him and say, "Come with me, we need to talk." They walked to her office with Zig Zag silently slipping in behind them. "There have been concerns about conduct on several expeditions. I will be conducting a peer mediation session so that both sides can air their thoughts and so that hopefully this can be resolved. Zig Zag, I believe this is where you come in." Zig Zag nodded and stepped forward.

"Just relax your minds.
An office may be too stiff,
So let's go elsewhere..."

Rhapsody and Night Cap fell asleep to find themselves in a snow white room that was softly lit but lacked any actual lights, doors, or windows. Each sat on comfortable pillows across from each other with a pastel green coffee table between the two of them as the only object of color other than themselves. The table and wall corners were all subtly rounded and slightly soft despite their firmness. All this was punctuated with a very subtle scent of chamomile. Brisk Iron's voice projected into the room though she was unseen.
"Now we can begin. Rhapsody, please explain to Night Cap your grievances with his actions during the trip to Petrichor Falls. Night Cap, allow her to finish, then respond with your reasoning. We will start with this first and then move to broader concerns. Honesty, cooperation, and understanding are of the utmost importance. I am here if needed."

"Just Petrichor Falls?" Rhapsody asks with a huff and shakes her head a bit, her grievances extending way further then that... "Fine. Night Cap. I have no bucking clue why you are on this team. You can't follow orders and you contributes are nearly in the negatives. Just this past mission, I tell you to free the Hostages, you kept saying you would, but you never did. You kept pushing the into the fight, when that wasn't the important thing. Hostages are more important then criminals. Even if TAKE escaped, and they did; as long as they were freed, that was have been fine. They thought the Hostages were an ace in the hole, and we would just give them an easy win; I wanted to show them that we could handle both. A display to make them know they couldn't underestimate us as a team... and you undermine that completely. You have a bucking key on your flank, so I thought surely you could manage such a simple bucking task. But no. You couldn't. You have to do whatever the buck you want to do, because that's what makes sense in Night Cap Land! The ONE time I actually try to put a little faith and trust in your supposed abilities, because everypony else on this team somehow thinks the world of you, and you prove to me that I CAN NOT trust you in the least bit."


Really sorry about how long this has taken to do, between Rl stuff, and depression just kicking my ass this past week, I also have had issue as a Storyteller of once more retreading stuff in great detail. I think there is also a bit that maybe the Bank scene was so long ago that I'm emotionally distant from it also making this hard as I'm finding it hard to connect with Rhapsody's feelings on the matter. Also, apparently listening to Queen helps. You really realize how diverse they were when listening to their greatest hits and just about every song is a like different genre.


Scarlet looked surpised at Snowys question.

"Where i'll be living? I...haven'y given it much thought actually. Stopping off at Nightmare, running into the Chief, and not really reading the letter i got calling me to the Keep. It just got pushed aside. I know i used to have a place in Caballuston somewhere, but thats probably long gone. Sleeping on clouds is fun when you're travelling, but you don't get tea or coffee up there.

Whose the best pony to talk to about finding somewhere to stay Ms. Flint?"

with a knowing smile, Scarlet added.

"Or i could just sleep in the office like i used to."

 

CoffeeHorse

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"I sleep on the roof!"


"Really...? You don't get to cold at night? ..oh my gosh and here I am small as a Breezy with a big bed and nice soft blankets, there's plenty of room ...if it gets to cold you can come for a Sleep over any time Misty."

Maple's wings strum her sides with a rippling shuffle of feathers .. such a fun idea.


"On the... Really? You must be good with the weather then. A little nudge here, a little push there, and that chilly downpour misses you."


"Actually..." Steel Flint thought for a moment. "I was recently told about something that just might solve your housing problem. The address is in my office so let us finish with this first."

After making sure everything was stored and noted in Acquisitions, Steel Flint left and then returned with a folded piece of paper. Scarlet Spectrum, Snowy Skies, Splash Flaunt, Misty Monsoon, and Maplejack all headed to a fairly unassuming warehouse near the docks. Outside they saw a teal unicorn carrying a box with her magic, though she hadn't spotted the group just yet. While many didn't know who she was, those in the group who did recognized her as Pendulumnae.


Static Signal and Flairvoyant heard a knock on the door to their room and an earth pony nurse stepped in. In that short of a distraction, Sunny Smiles was already gone. The nurse was a green so dark that it was almost black with a slightly lighter green mane. She shut the door, locked it, then blocked it with a chair. Looking the two over slowly, she then spoke with the sort of strained weariness you'd hear from a pony without a week's sleep.
"First up, I know. I handle Keep injuries for their special expeditions. Next, I will see if I can do something to help you. It may be unpleasant so do I have your permission?"

Spoiler


Spoiler

Rhapsody huffs and shakes her head. "I'm not sure if you're lying, or stupid. 'Oh it doesn't feel good to think I go through with just the barest amount of work.' Well you certainly go out of your way to convince ponies otherwise on that point. Always just happily failing through life." Shouldn't that be flailing? No, Not with Nightcap. "Every mission, every time I see you. You're doing whatever the buck you want, and completely oblivious to the world around you; and now you want me to believe that its all some kind of elaborate act? Or is this just another attempt to dodge responsibility and consequences, because you go 'Oh look at me. Poor little thing, can't do anything right.'" She says with mock sympathy. cocking her had and batting her eyebrows dolefully, before returning to her normal stern expression. "Well, it's not working. If you've ever had concern for how minimal an effort you have in these mission, you've never voiced it, somehow waiting to pull this card til JUST NOW when you're in front of the Chief Director with you're job on the line. Even when I have brought it up in the past, you still remained oblivious. You've never been a team player, and you certainly don't try." She says and hehs before actually chuckling faintly. "You can't even do a bucking singalong right!" She says with brief laughter and shaking her head.

She takes a moment to recompose herself, as she addresses the next bit. "There is a big difference between playing in the snow when your teammates are getting beaten up by hordes of enemy agents, and being told to ignore the battle. The former is just you being you, the latter is actually being given a mission that is considered more important then the battle. Yes, we getting hammered, and the fight could have gone better; but I told you multiple times; that it wasn't your priority. The one time I actually give you a valid excuse to miss the fight, and you suddenly decide that you want to actually fight? Or is it more likely, you just refuse to take any sort of orders but what you yourself decide? As for Static..." She shakes her head. "He did more damage to himself then any of the TAKE ponies did, with him deciding that maybe Earth Ponies CAN fly..." She says in such a way that makes it sound like Night Cap gave Static that idea. "And then leaps to his doom to try and save Flairvoyent, rather then letting the actual flyer attempt the death defying stunt."


"A pony can understand you not being there, when you have a more important task to do. Static would have understood. Ponies were trapped in a vault, with a limited air supply that grows smaller each passing minute. The needs of the many out weight the needs of the few, or the one." She states firmly and shakes her head once more. "They're the ones that needed your help more immediately, so you should have be apologizing to them." She says and turns away from Night Cap, just tired of looking at him at this point. "I had half a mind to ban you from even trying to help them after the fight was over, and probably would if not for other pressing concerns because you already proved you didn't care about helping them and I really didn't want you anywhere near them, in hopes that some pony actually competent could free them."

 

CoffeeHorse

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Static looked the pony over somewhat suspicious. If all she was here to do was help heal, why did she have to block the door? Still...if she wasn't from the Keep and was here in any hostile capacity, there wasn't much either he or Flairvoyant could do to stop her. So the fact that they were even given a choice...

"I...doubt there's much you could do that would put me in much more pain than I've already had. I suppose whatever you gotta do. What...is it you're planning on doing?"


"There are a multitude of pressure points on a pony's body that can cause a variety of reactions. Some can relieve aches and pains but it's not an A to B process. There are detours that may cause more pain on the way to relieving it."


"Ah! Deep tissue message. Gotcha! Never tried it before. I hear it hurts like Tartarus." Static sighs. "Well, guess there's always a first time." Static looks over to Flairvoyant. "Don't tell Anchors!"


Misty waves to Pendulumnae. "Hiiiiii!"


Pendulumnae happily waved to the group. "Hiiiiii yourself! What brings all of you here?"


"Anchors is trained in basic first aid and she's a fully accredited lifeguard. She's not going to have problems with a medical procedure...especially not if Nurse Nightheart here is giving it." Nurse Nightheart rolled Static Signal onto his stomach and began to massage his sides. So far, nothing hurt outside of the aches and pains he already had from the fall.

 

CoffeeHorse

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Staff member
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Citizen
It was a jo*oomph*! No pain! All he could see now was the white of the pillow his face was buried in. "Well this is different!" His voice comes out muffled through the pillow.


cleardot.gif

"We got a new employee at the Keep, his name is Scarlet Spectrum!" She points a wing at Scarlet. "We're trying to find him a place to stay so he doesn't have to sleep in the office."


Pedulumnae stood with a very serious posture and asked with a very serious voice, "Mr. Spectrum, are you able to keep a secret?"


I'm going to need you to stay awake for this, Nurse Nightheart said as she kneaded her hooves down Static Signal's spine.

Spoiler


Spoiler


"Shouldn't be too much of a problem. This is kinda relaxing but i'm not about to fall asWEET BUCKING MOTHER OF LUNA!!!!" Static grits his teeth and presses his head down hard into the pillow. He wouldn't be surprised if he managed to force his head through the bed and out the other side.


Scarlet was tempted to affact a similarly serious tone in reply to Pendulumnaes question. Very tempted.

However, common sense won out since she might not see the funny side of his response. So he merely smiled, and nodded to her.

"Yes. I've got plenty of secrets tucked away in my head Ms. Pendulumnae. Whats one more?"

 

CoffeeHorse

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Snowy leans a little closer to Steel Flint. "Is this mare an operative of the Keep?"


Pedulumnae bounced back to her usually bubbly mood. "Well, that's all you need. Don't want things to get too crowded. I'll need to grab a key but before I do, are you the only one who needs a place to stay?"


"Exhale." Nurse Nightheart lightly massaged Static Signal's forehead before swiftly stretching and rotating each of his limbs.

Spoiler


Static breathed out. He hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath. Exhaling actually wasn't as easy as he though it would be.

Roll(1d20)+9:
20,+9
Total:29

Hey! Crit!

Static winced before realizing the sudden stretch and rotating didn't hurt. Every single joint snapping and popping wasn't too reassuring, but at least he wasn't sent into a whirl storm of tourette's "Well, that wasn't too bad."

[And you're about to regret saying that in 3...2...1]


Zamuel:
Pedulumnae bounced back to her usually bubbly mood. "Well, that's all you need. Don't want things to get too crowded. I'll need to grab a key but before I do, are you the only one who needs a place to stay?"

"I don't need a place to stay but I could use some answers." Snowy says cheerfully. "What is this place?" His 'who are you?' is implicit.


Pedulumnae waved towards the building in response to Snowy Skies' question. "The pony who owns this warehouse converted it to an apartment. It's a minor secret to prevent things from getting too nuts since the prices are low. I help out with heavy lifting from time to time so I room free or sometimes lend it out.

So what do you do at the museum? You look like you might be in marketing or something."


 

CoffeeHorse

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Staff member
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Citizen
Static's ears perked in surprise as he cautiously tested out his mobility. "Wow! Thanks. You're a miracle worker."


Pedulumnae waved towards the building in response to Snowy Skies' question. "The pony who owns this warehouse converted it to an apartment. It's a minor secret to prevent things from getting too nuts since the prices are low. I help out with heavy lifting from time to time so I room free or sometimes lend it out.

So what do you do at the museum? You look like you might be in marketing or something

"Do I really?" A few days ago, Snowy might have been frosty at a supposed insult! , but now he just giggled. "I'm a tour guide, and an amateur historian." He wasn't certain what else to call his late nights at the Keep without telling this unknown mare outright that he worked for STOMP. "I also moonlight as a janitor with delusions of grandeur, I suppose. Snowy Skies." He extends a forehoof.


Pedulumnae met Snowy Skies' outstretched hoof with a hoofbump and said, "And my name is Pendulumnae and pleased to meet you. Well, with names and introductions out of the way, let me go grab those keys." Teleporting off as fast as a pony could wink, she soon reappeared with a key that she gave to Scarlet Spectrum. "Follow me and I'll show you your apartment."


"Just don't get injured like that too often. There is a threshold for this treatment."


"Aha, i knew there was more to you then meets the eye. Plus, if you're going to have delusiions, they might as well be grand."

Looking back to Pendulumnae, he grinned.

"I'm a historical linguistics professor, more or less. Trust me, i'm very good at keeping secrets Ms. Penulumnae.

Amateur historian, eh Snowy?"


"I'm about to be." Snowy says with a grand sigh. "The only reason I'm not considering moving in next to you is because my home is the Caballuston Historic Archives, for the next few days at least. Tour guide training. I never knew half the stuff we housed had this many stories to learn!"

 

CoffeeHorse

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Staff member
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Citizen
Static smiled sheepishly. "I try to not make a habit of these things. If something like this happens too often, I think there'd be even more of a threshold for my continued existence." He turns his sheepish look to Flairvoyant. "What do you think...parachutes next time?"

He turns a more serious look back to Nurse Nightheart. "Don't worry. I may be thick-headed. But the lessons I buy at great cost I usually only have to be taught once. Thank you."


"The Archives. I'll most likely wind up there too i think. I need to brush up on the history of the items the Keep displays, along with reading on the things i've missed since last i was here."

Laughing softly, Scarlet added.

"You would, and most likely will, discover that everything tends to have far more complicated stories attached to them than the might first appear.

Looking over his shoulder at Misty and Maple, Scarlet tried to think of something to ask.

"So, uh, what do you two do at the Keep?"


Maple smiled at Misty.

"You go first Misty, what You do Is Much more Awesome!"


Misty blushes. "Gosh, really? I don't know... I'm just a regular ol' weather pony, that's all."


"REGULAR!... oh my gosh, Misty YOU USE MAGIC to control some of the fundamental elements of natures... I just walk around and point at things and tell ponies stories about those things... that's a regular Job. ...What you do is Beautiful."

 

CoffeeHorse

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Citizen
Scarlet looked around and nodded. Pleased with the room, and the opportunity to gloss over his embarrassment.

"This will do nicely. It gives me the basics. Somwhere to store my stuff, and somewhere to lay my head. Thank you Ms. Pendulumnae."

Turning to the rest of the group, he grinned.

"Welcome to my new home."


Rhapsody looks to Brisk Iron as she speaks, and once she is finished speaks up. “I have been trying to get better on the whole 'teamwork' bit ever since the first expedition, ma'am. After it was done and I had time to think, I felt that certain things would have gone better if we'd been more of a team, rather then a group of individuals; but there understandably wasn't time for any team building beforehoof. I feel I have made some progress with Amber, Static, Snowy and maybe Maple. As for the Gym issue happened before Nightmare Heights, which seems so much longer ago then it really has been, so it doesn't feel like such a 'recent' thing and even while the desire for Night Cap was Negative, the fact that he proved my expectations wrong is what helped win him some respect. It is certainly not something that will happen again; as I have since then, been trying to either ignore him when he frustrates me, or try and give him tasks I felt he could handle.”

She then turns to look to Night Cap. "I can not say that I noticed, but... in your defense... there was a lot going on and you and I were separated for quite a bit of that, and when I returned... I was too busy trying to not get us all killed to notice your actions. So... if you had shown a desire to do differently... that mission just wasn't the right place for it to get noticed." She explains casually, clearly trying to make him feel better about the idea that he tried and maybe no one noticed, just due to how badly that whole expedition went.


"Nice place you got here!"


"OoooooooOOOoo" Maple says, thoroughly impressed. While making a note on her mental map of the city.

 

CoffeeHorse

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*static crackle*

Do you ever find yourself lacking in friendship? Try hugs, the perfect solution for all of your needs.



*static crackle*

Good evening folks! Hope you all enjoyed that stunning drama because now it's time for another exciting Saturday night with the Equestrian Radio Show's Adventure Variety Hour! This week we once again bring you to the riotous ramshackle of the Explorers of STOMP!

Previously, the Specialized Team for Obtaining Museum Pieces was split across two different locations. One group returned to Nightmare Heights where an evil was vanquished, a former employee returned, and more mysteries were uncovered. The other visit the infamous town of Petrichor Falls. While the locals had cleaned up their act, vile villains attempted dirty deeds that the team soon thwarted. Now, two weeks later, the employees of the Equestrian Expedition Keep are trying to get settled back in before a new crisis arose.


It was a beautiful morning in Equestria and Misty Monsoon woke up with one of those feelings. Call it a hunch or a premonition, something big was going to happen and she'd need to be ready to greet it. Setting out for work, she found that she was initially assigned to cloud duty on the coast. While a light rain wasn't scheduled until later in the morning, it was always best to have things prepared ahead of time.


Spoiler




Waiting at her greeting desk, Maplejack could see a teacher and numerous foals lining up for a tour. They were here for a field trip on local history and their little minds were abuzz with excitement.


Elsewhere, Rhapsody was also preparing for an incoming field trip but she had more time. Thankfully, Snowy Skies just walked in. He was assigned to assist so this would allow them to collaborate before the class arrived.


Spoiler




Static Signal found that he had been given a different task for the day than his usual. Happily greeting him was a large box full of mechanical parts and a note stating that in the box were parts to two film projectors and he was to reassemble them. Also, not all parts were for the projectors.

Spoiler




There was a large stack of papers in front of Night Cap but that's not where his mind was. His mind was thinking back to the day he signed up for first aid training. Brisk Iron's ultimatum was an offer he couldn't refuse.


And finally, Scarlet Spectrum was left with a puzzle...both figuratively and literally. He was assigned to several of Amber Spark's prior projects with the rose gold and alabaster squares taunting him with their secrets. Just what was their mystery?



Static looks at the pieces on the table. Well, this should be fun. It was like one big puzzle. He's done puzzles before.

Of course, those puzzles could only go together in one way and there was usually a box to show you what it should look like...

He began by separating the pieces into two equal piles. If he was supposed to make two camera's out of this pile, it stood to reason they would both need the same number of parts. After he was satisfied that he had things separated out right, with a few left over pieces that were put back into the box for safe keeping, he went to work on one of the cameras

Spoiler

Static growled at his "progress." He sighed as he looked to Flairvoyant. "This isn't going too well. I don't suppose there's any instructions?"


"I think the projector booth has an instruction manual. It won't be a complete disassembly guide but it should show some parts that get removed for maintenance.

You've only been back a few days but it seems they think you're well enough for something different."


Spoiler


Static looks over to Flairvoyant. "Thanks! I may need that. And it's always nice to try something new."

Static walks back over to the projector booth. He tries to be quiet so as not to interrupt the pony covering the projector. But then he realizes that, much like when he's on the projector, it's not exactly something that requires constant attention. "Hello! Don't mind me. Just came to get a manual."

Spoiler

He notes that the breezie film has been put back in it's proper place. Static winces. "Umm, if you run into a breezie telling you that's in the wrong place, I usually find it better just to humor him."

 

CoffeeHorse

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The pony working the projector gave a knowing nod before returning their attention to the book they were reading.


Static grins at the knowing nod.

[Soooooo! I'm not the only one Trade Wind's been a rump to, eh?]

['Rump'? 'Eh'? You're turning into Maple!]

[...]


Static goes back to the room he was assembling the projector in and opens the manual. "Lets see. This one goes there, that one goes there."

Spoiler

"Aaaaaaand...YES! I do believe that's one of two complete."

Static thinks back to when Amber worked on his field equipment back in the swamps of Nightmare Heights. He was exhausted at the time, but he was fascinated with how she was able to manipulate the inner workings of the machine and make it better. He tried to read up on some technical books. It seemed like some of them were rubbing off!

"Heh! Thanks Amber!" he says absentmindedly to himself. He takes a deep breath. It was fun work, but it was hard work. He looks back over to Flairvoyant. "Feels good to be back at work, doesn't it?"


"Certainly better than being stuck in the hospital. For all the excitement of expeditions, I'm glad it's been so quiet lately."


"Food's better too. Not to knock any chef at their work...but I think if I had to choke down one more meal of mashed carrots...well...as it is I think it'll be a long while before I have carrots again."

"On the bright side, it was nice getting to know you better."


Spoiler


"And the same to you. Speaking of food, how's Skivey doing?"

 

CoffeeHorse

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Citizen
Static winces. "Skivey? It's...kinda like herding cats. He's taken some of my healthier recipes to heart and put them on the menu. Buuuut...it seems like for every one of my healthier recipes he accepts, he has two more of his own that...well...you heard his menu ideas in the hospital." Static sighs.

"I guess it's good that he is getting some healthier choices on the menu. And he even hired someone to keep the place clean. So there's definite progress."

"It's just that seeing some of the recipes he comes up with."
Static shudders.

[spoilers]Roll(1d20)+8:
1,+8
Total:9
crit fail

Stubborn
Roll(1d20)+8:
15,+8
Total:23+2 (thanks to the manual)=25

Success, but I now no longer have any more uses of Stubborn.

D&D roller is being a bit yandere tonight.[/spoilers]


"That's good. Hey, looks like you've finished already! Grab a reel test and them out."


A dark green earth pony mare walked towards Night Cap. She carried a book and a stern expression. "While not on the same level of being a doctor or nurse, it is still expected that all take this training seriously. You are to be here two hours a day, every day except Sunday, for the next four weeks. You are to learn this book better than your own name. Do you have any questions?"


Spoiler

Oh this is going to be so fun! Maple loved it when she got to do tours for little ones, especially when they were almost as excited as she was. She'd had tours every shift since she'd been back from the last Stomp exposition ... maybe it was more of a delegatory adventure... was that the right word? hmm no... Delegatory assignment. She had a few moments to get herself sorted, this was a special tour about local history - so that meant a different route and different exhibits to showcase. Not to mention going to the reopened Astronomy department to give the children some perspective on the things she'd just shown them. It will also be nice to see Miss Rhapsody again... she'd been even more distant once the situation with Miss Spark's ...departure, and it was apparent to everypony that work was the one place where her friends could attempt to catch her with a hug. Or at least that was how Maple couched it.

Spoiler
The Lobby was fairly busy today, but Maple thought it was fairly obvious which foals were in the tour... though as kids do some had already met other children who had come with their parents ... So cute how quickly new friends can be made ... but she thought it best to give the ones she'll be talking to a stronger look over... it wouldn't change much, but a group of mostly any one of the tribes ... would mean emphasizing some things over others.


Static notices a couple reels close by. He grabbed them and set each of them on a separate projector. He took a deep breath and started one up and directed his attention to the screen.

An Equestrian Expedition Keep Production

Special thanks to the Canterlot Ballet Company

A Cap and Signal film​


[Wait a minute! Is this what I think it is?]

[Shouldn't that be Signal and Cap?]


The Ancient Princess of Anugypt

"Oh...wow! With everything that's been going on with STOMP, I honestly completely forgot about this. Has...has this been approved to be put into rotation?"


"Oh wow, I didn't know. That's great, Static! I wonder if they're going to have you on even more documentaries in the future."


Nurse Nightheart firmly said, "I know enough. But let it be known that there will be no favoritism, regardless of position. You will succeed or fail on your own merits and if you fail, it'll be a while before the next class comes back around."


When Maplejack looked over the group, she saw that it was a mostly even mix of students. However, there were slightly more earth ponies than the others.

 


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