[OOC] STOMP Remembrance Project

Copper Bezel

Revenge against God for the crime of Being.
Citizen
Same here, wow. I had the thought that I'd like to see this scene again, but I thought it probably wasn't as snappy as I remembered and expected it would let me down. I was completely wrong, it's probably my favorite Amber scene in the thread. 😁 Gosh. Amber and Static played off of each other so damn well here.

I can appreciate the need for relative brevity in the comic, and you definitely punched up the highlights. Static's reactions are amazing.😂
 

CoffeeHorse

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Council of Elders
Citizen
I have a bunch of OOC thread posts too. I found some relevant ones here.

Copper wrote:
I'm really enjoying our bad chemistry. The bit with Static and Amber waiting very politely and very impatiently for the other to look less busy was very fun. They're both so very serious in their own weird ways.

Static wrote:
I'm loving it too. It's like our entire relationship is based on really bad communication. And, I don't know about you, but for me, OOC it's been happening completely by accident. I wonder how long we can keep it going.

Copper wrote:
Bits and bobs - Amber's obliviousness to subtext and Static's tendency to prefer it as a means of communication mean that I'm more often asking "would Amber get this?" than missing the message entirely myself. But I could tell that some of your exasperation was genuine, and I think it made it better. = )
 

CoffeeHorse

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Amber thought of Rhapsody and the ticket in her saddlebag. It wasn't professional business - but then, it was important for the STOMP team to have some time outside of work after the attack, wasn't it? - but Ms. Flint would be waiting....

Fifteen minutes couldn't be a serious problem if Zig Zag was already so disastrously late this morning, could they?

"Ah, yes, ma'am, that seems reasonable, ma'am," Amber said. "You finish up tackling your tax work, and I can come back in about twenty minutes. Then we'll zip out to zea" Amber shook her head "see the zonked-out zebra."


When Amber Spark knocked on the door to Rhapsody's office, nopony answered.


Rhapsody nods and takes leave of Brisk's office, after taking the offered ticket for the charity dinner. Closing the door behind her, she considers her options, when she realizes she should probably check in on Amber and let her know she's okay. She could check in on Static as well... but then he doesn't know her like this so might as well wait on that. Steel Flint seemed in bad shape last night, but after dealing with Brisk she wasn't up for dealing with another 'boss'. And then Night Cap... who's probably off getting into trouble... or causing it... Anything that happens to him Probably serves him right...

Okay, so Amber's office first, then she'll head home to change, check in with Det Champron, then get ready for night out. Even if she was going to the theater to look out for Light, if she was going to be attending a charity banquet, she should probably look the part... Good thing Harmony's always sending her fancy dresses... With that decided Rhapsody heads off to find Amber, completely passing by her own office without a second thought.


Finding herself unexpectedly nervous at Rhapsody's door, Amber lingered after knocking, wondering if she was misjudging the time she'd waited, if perhaps Rhapsody was busy and about to respond, that perhaps she would end up walking around in circles for no reason; but of course it was no good if she continued to stand here for some unusual amount of time only to double back and catch up with Ms. Naught late and have her dock Amber's pay or equipment funding for lack of punctuality and what was everpony in the hallway thinking right now and did Amber seem strange just standing there or isn't that what ponies are supposed to do when they're waiting after ! knocking on a door and why did it feel so very much like the long-distance wink that STOMP had used to travel to the research station and really was everypony looking at her yet because there wasn't anythinginterestingtoseeherereallyshewasjustwaitingforafriend

Amber knocked again. "Ms. Rhapsody? Hello?"

Counting breaths, she was reasonably certain it had been about thirty seconds after the second attempt, within an error range of plus or minus five, when she turned, reasonably certain that Rhapsody was not in fact in her office, and looked for somepony to ask if they'd seen a tough, dark, determ - if they'd seen Rhapsody in today, and how did she look today, and was Amber rambling, she was very sorry....


When Amber Spark asked, the other ponies in Rhapsody's department noted that they hadn't seen her this morning.

Almost at the door to Amber Spark's office, Rhapsody was intercepted by Steel Flint,
"Good morning, Rhapsody. I haven't had a chance to thank you for last night's assistance."


Distressed, Amber considered leaving the ticket with one of Rhapsody's coworkers - but what if Rhapsody wasn't in today? What if Amber had to go and catch up to Rhapsody after work and find her before the performance and Amber didn't have the ticket? Or what if Rhapsody was ill and needed someone to -

Amber knew it had been at least ten minutes since she'd left Ms. Naught's office. She had given herself twenty in preparation for just such a deviation from plan. But ten minutes was scarcely enough time to arrive promptly back at Ms. Naught's office and seem to to have had to run. But if anypony knew where Rhapsody might be, she could be saving them both a great deal of time. And suddenly, finding Rhapsody seemed very important in its own right. What, after all, if she had been hurt in the fight last night? Why hadn't anypony told Amber?

Amber set off at a full gallop for Ms. Iron's office.


Rhapsody stops and blinks a bit as she looks over to Steel Flint... 'I guess facing her is inevitable..' though she seems a bit surprised at the bit of gratitude. "Least someone seems thankful." She huffs under her breath, before fully addressing the older mare. "I was glad to be of service, at least COIN didn't get what they came for."

"Have you seen Amber this morning? I had... heard she was concerned for my well being..."
Even if Steel Flint knew of her double identity, she wasn't going to speak openly about it in the hallways. "I wanted to check in with her, make sure everything is alright since i wasn't able to last night."


Amber Spark spotted Brisk Iron just as she was stepping out of her office,
"Good morning, Amber. You needed to speak with me?"

Steel Flint nodded, "Amber's on an errand for me. She went to speak with Hazel Naught but they might not have left out yet."


"Yes, ma'am only quickly ma'am very quickly ma'am Ms. Iron ma'am," Amber panted. "In fact I really must go and catch up with Ms. Hazel Naught in the accounting department and I simply had a very quick favor - question - favor to ask you ma'am," she said, interrupting her quick speech with deep breaths that looked like they might hurt. "Do you know where Rhapsody might be ma'am?" she asked.


"Rhapsody was in earlier. She should be alright since she was helping me during last night's events and nothing seemed remiss today. I would suggest looking in her office."


Rhapsody nods to Steel Flint. "I am also on an errand for Brisk, but I felt I should let Amber know I am okay before heading out to take care of it."


Crestfallen but not wanting either to admit or to explain that the information was less useful than Ms. Iron anticipated, Amber simply nodded and let out one last "thank you, ma'am" before running off a slightly more conservative pace back towards the accounting department.


Rhapsody nods to Sleet Flint. "Alright, Maybe I will get lucky." She replies, and turns to head out towards the entrance, maybe in a bit more of a rush then she should be in museum...

 

CoffeeHorse

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So I completely made up a few bits.
 

Copper Bezel

Revenge against God for the crime of Being.
Citizen
It was an improvement. The game had the kernel of an idea that you tended into a mighty ... cornstalk, **** this metaphor, but whatever, it's good XD
 

Zamuel

Pittied fools.
Citizen
My asks are generally huge swaths so I feel bad asking because it comes down to asking for roughly a whole chapter. Though, one thing I'm curious on that isn't a massive section is when Symphony and Wanderlust were snooping for clues and were encountered by Chipotle Verde. I'm trying to remember if it was one scene or two since I remember them getting called to her office but I think that was a related but different scene (though technically I'd be interested in the second one if it is two).
 

Zamuel

Pittied fools.
Citizen
You know how the first time you look for something you can't find it but you found it later? I managed to find the parts of the campaign that the Wayback Machine captured. This includes a portion of the cucarocka fight, Scarlet completing the puzzle box, and, surprisingly, part of the Snow Shark nightmare. The final arc was part of the "entire chapter" I was talking about.


I...also noticed I had a habit of using unicorns as the "canary in the coal mine" when something happened magically.
 

CoffeeHorse

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This is going to take longer than I thought. Symphony turns up in almost 200 email chains.
 

Zamuel

Pittied fools.
Citizen
Wouldn't Chipotle Verde be an easier search term? At the least, you could look for the general overlap. Symphony would be harder than Wanderlust since she was mentioned before she showed up.
 

CoffeeHorse

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Citizen
The trouble is that the scene isn't all in one email chain and Chipotle Verde doesn't show up immediately.

I found this much. Unless something's missing they didn't get very far with snooping, and getting called to Chipotle's office must be a different scene.




As Hazel Naught requested another card, Scarlet Spectrum spotted the briefest flinch from Red. "Well, if I win, you'll need to tell me about where you work." Then the hands were revealed. Hazel Naught had two aces and a face card, causing a situation where in order to not bust, the two aces would automatically downgrade to 1s. The dealer had a 6, 4, and 9. Red revealed an ace and a 7 for one hand but two face cards for the other, meaning he tied with Scarlet Spectrum! He was about to comment but then the stallion at the end who had been quiet about all this revealed his hand--a face and an ace for a perfect blackjack! He grinned and said, "A shame really, I actually did want to know the answer to the question. But some days luck is more slippery than a roulette wheel covered than melted shortening."

Just then, an alarm went off and a tall stallion announced, "Everypony out!" Poinsettia Prim stormed over and asked, "What is the meaning of this?" "You hear that alarm. You aren't going to argue with the fire marshal are you?" She grumbled but waved for the employees on the floor to follow her to the emergency exit. Red seemed annoyed at all this. "This game will likely resume in the morning, thus I shall retire for the night. Farewell." As he got up, Dart Noveau bumped into him. After she apologized, he stormed off. She then waved for the others to follow her out of the building, though with Poinsettia Prim out of sight, she quickly gave the dealer from earlier a hug, then dashed off. She whispered to the others, "Back to the hotel, there's a lot to talk about."


Wanderlust's eyes flick between Prim and Darty, and gears churn in his head. The idea that the building is actually on fire never crosses his mind. He quickly grabs Symphony and pulls her into the back area, near the kitchens "We have work to do." He hisses. "Let's get upstairs, then try to look lost."


As the Alarm went off Symphony looked around in a panic, and when she saw the other Employees heading out, she was about to dart off to follow them... that is until Wanderlust grabs her and drags her off. "Hey... Ow... But what about the Fire? We gotta get outta here!" She says flailing as she's pulled to the kitchens.


Around a corner and out of sight from the rush, Wanderlust pauses. "There's...not really a fire, right? I mean, the kitchens are fine. Where else is a fire going to happen? I think someone else has a plan." He grins. "So I'm making their plan my plan!"


"In one of the other rooms? Maybe someone dropped one of those really expensive cigars or something?" Symphony suggests nervously as her rainbow eyes dart about, seeming to look at things that aren't there... She lets out a soft sigh. "So, what is it you're planning?"


Wanderlust shrugs. "Same thing we were already planning: go snooping. If we don't see anybody, we get out unnoticed. And if we do see someone, we follow them and find out why they're still here. We both know something in this building is fishy, and it's not the shrimp, is it?"


Symphony huffs softly and nods. "Alright, whatever you say." She says Still not really sure about this, but doesn't seem like there's any other option here. "So where do we start?"


Wanderlust looks Symphony right in the eye. It's the same appraising gaze he gave Scarlet a few days ago. "We're a team; if you don't want to do this, we'll leave. But if you do...we'll see less ponies upstairs."


Wanderlust and Symphony heard a female voice calmly ask, "¿Qué estás haciendo?"


Symphony looks to Wanderlust, her rainbow eyes sparkling, but looks away at the voice and turns to face the mare, not giving Wander a proper answer. "I um... Uh... Sorry... I uh... Don't speak... um... Habla no espanio?"


"Aaahh..." The mare wasn't exceptionally tall but she did have a slight edge on Wanderlust and Symphony. She was a green pegasus wearing one of the casino uniforms and a necklace with a brilliant orange jewel. She was smiling and seemed to be sizing them up. "So, as your boss...I was wondering just what the two of you were doing while an alarm was going on?"


Wanderlust had been moving very deliberately, carefully! acting like his heart hadn't just tried to leap into his lungs, but that got his attention. "Our boss is Poinsettia Prim." He says, suspicious.


She chuckled. "Prim is your immediate supervisor. I am Chipotle Verde, owner and general manager. She answers to me. In turn, you didn't answer my question..."


"Ah, well I was panicked over the alarm, and Wander dragged me in here... and uh... I was kinda just asking him the same thing..." Symphony replies softly with a bow of her head as she passes the buck, while remaining mostly honest besides she couldn't lie to save her life...


With adrenaline roaring in his ears, Wanderlust is proud of how well he keeps his cool. "Now panicked is an understatement, darling!" He pulls Symphony close (and slightly farther from Chipotle Verde) in a protective gesture. "She was having a full on panic attack! She could hardly breathe! I wasn't certain she'd make it through the crowd, so I figured I'd pull her back over here and calm her down a smidge before leaving."


Chipotle Verde looked over the two before saying, "Very well, wouldn't want any little ponies to get hurt, would I?" She then calmly motioned a wing towards the exit. The kitchen had its own, presumably so the cooks wouldn't need to move through the crowds and due to the fact that the kitchen itself was the place a fire was most likely to start.


Symphony blushes a bit as Wander pulls her closer. "Ah yes, well now it seems like we'd better evacuate..." She replies softly, looking to Wander. Whatever her feelings on snooping were, it doesn't seem like that was happening now, and she certainly didn't want to upset this pony by not following their orders, that felt like it would be very bad.


Now Wanderlust might have been easily excitable, but they weren't stupid. They knew when they were caught, and they knew when they were getting a pass. "Yes, dear, let's go." He starts walking towards the exit.


After slipping out of the kitchen exit, Wanderlust and Symphony quietly made their way back to the hotel.

 

CoffeeHorse

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Citizen
I did find a scene of Symphony and Wanderlust being summoned to Chipotle's office.




The group quickly finished breakfast so that Symphony and Wanderlust could get dressed and ready. Dart Noveau galloped with them on her back to the casino. "I'm dropping you off, then I'll rush back to meet the others. Stay safe you two."

Wanderlust turns to Symphony. "Is carrying ponies just, like, her thing?"

Upon entering the casino, they found Poinsettia Prim waiting for them. "Not having you on the schedule is the only reason I'll tolerate you not being punctual. But on to more pressing matters: Chipotle Verde is having her morning breakfast and she requests that you two be the waiters to attend her. Follow me."

For what was technically a second first impression, Wanderlust looks less intimidated than yesterday. "It would be our honor."


Symphony shrugs a bit to Wander's first question as they are dropped off, though it didn't take long before the meek mare was wanting to turn the opposite direction as Prim greeted them, she hadn't been worried about them being late... that would have been easy to hoofwave and well... Prim does that for them. No it was the mention of Verde wanting to see them that just sent this large sense of dread through her after meeting the mare the day before, she was very sure that they officially boned now...


Symphony and Wanderlust were led to an enclosed room with a two way glass that overlooked the casino floor. In it, Chipotle Verde sat at a single table looking at a picture frame on the table. However, as they walked closer they saw there was no picture in the frame and that instead it had a mirror. The orange gem in her necklace glistened under lights that would have made the room invitingly bright in other situations but meant Symphony and Wanderlust were in full view. After Poinsettia Prim closed the door, Chipotle Verde turned to address them. "Buenos di...oh. My apologies. Good morning. And just how are you two today?" There was a knowing and self assured smile on her face as she looked at Symphony and Wanderlust.


Learning you were going to wait on Chipotle Verde was one thing, encountering her was quite another. Wanderlust swallows and asks, "Is there anything you'd like, ma'am?"


"We are alright..." Symphony says in as loud a voice as she can muster, as this mare somehow made her more nervous then anything in a long time. "How are you doing today, Miss?"


"I'm doing quite well this morning, thank you." Chipotle Verde turned to Poinsettia Prim and said, "¿Sabes lo que estaban buscando anoche? Si son espías, no son muy valientes." "No lo sé. Planeo mirarlos para ver si tienen algún aliado." They talked back and forth a bit until Chipotle Verde looked back to Wanderlust and said, "To answer your question, I'd like the fruit salad this morning. The house special version with the cactus fruit. It won't take long since I know they're getting some ready for the early arrivals."


Wanderlust's mind raced as he tried to translate a language that he had learned just enough of to get by in another life (technically in this situation, *he* was the other life, but now wasn't the time for that). For some, 'Just enough to get by' meant learning the drinks menu, but for Wad it had been considerably more...


Wanderlust managed to pick up a rough idea of what the two were saying. Most immediately, Chipotle Verde was gloating over the fact that the two didn't know what was said. However, Poinsettia Prim expressed concern over the previous night's fire alarm. It felt like too close of a call and she wanted to know how close they were to finding what they were looking for. Especially since there was something suspicious about Symphony and Wanderlust. Chipotle Verde was dismissive, stating that the two were small fry that could be easily dealt with and that it would be easy to move on if a fire broke out.

Meanwhile, Symphony noticed something out of the corner of her eye before they stepped out of the room. Well, something other than Chipotle Verde adoring her own reflection. Out of the window overlooking the casino floor she spotted 'Red' from the picture Dart Noveau drew. But...the casino wasn't open yet. Furthermore, there was something about his cloak that suitibly off in the way it caught her eye but she couldn't catch just what with a quick glance.



Once Symphony and Wanderlust returned with the fruit salad, they overheard Chipotle Verde say, "Ese contador de cartas podría ser un problema. Observala.

Welcome back. With such speedy service, I'm sure you'll do great today. Prim? The two are dismissed for now. Wouldn't want them to be late for opening."
After escorting the two out of the room, Poinsettia Prim placed one of the poinsettias from her own hair behind Symphony's ear and said, "I need to make sure everything is in order so go grab some menus. We open in one minute so there had better not be any problems."


Before they were hustled off Symphony noticed 'Red' out the window, and focused her attention on him and that cloak of his, her rainbow eyes seeming to shine abit trying to make sense of him in the brief window of opportunity that she had.


As Symphony did more than just look, as she gazed with sight beyond sight, she was able to instantly discover that the cloak was magical. Horrifyingly so. Despite its actual color, it was an endless void of darkness that stared back at her. It had the potential to be incredibly dangerous despite how unassuming it normally looked. In that it seemed fairly old, like an artifact, instead of something recently made.


Symphony was not the bravest and most daring ponies at the best of times... She was meek and always living in the shadow of her sisters... even if She'd found her sense of adventure in recent years, she always remained anxious... and this is why. Symphony had a natural ability to see things as they really wear, to see the curiosities of the word... and they aren't always friendly and many of them went unseen. It was the stuff other ponies didn't see that scared her. And right now they gray more might as well be white. She had seen very few things that manages to actually horrify her as deeply as that cloak does. "Um.. excusemeIgottago..." She says in quick quiet tone after the poinsettia was put in her hair, not even noticing it and rushes off to the nearest bathroom, something that Prim could brush off, and somewhere where she could just curl up in the stall and try and calm herself down.


Wanderlust wasn't quite sure what to make of the ongoing conversation between Prim and Verde. It seemed that they didn't want the casino to burn down, which was probably good information. But they also seemed to believe the fire threat had been real, which clashed with his instincts. If there hadn't been any sign of a fire in the casino...maybe there was a fire hazard underneath it? In the old dig site?

His reverie was cut short by Symphony's flight. With a quick, "er, yes. What she said," he darts after her, into the restroom. "Symphony, are you all right? Symphony, what happened?"

 

Zamuel

Pittied fools.
Citizen
And I guess since we're in a Chipotle Verde mindset, I'd like Rhapsody's speech in favor of building the observatory versus keeping the Bubonic Inn and then Black Night's subsequent investigation of Chipotle Verde/Fiesta Caldera. While more or less a long connected scene, I forget the length since there was the speech, the police station, and then interacting with Static in Documents.
 

CoffeeHorse

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Brisk Iron nodded and took to the air. "Within city limits was a hotel known as the Bubonic Inn. A fairly depressing little cesspool that was a blight on the town. After scouring the law books, I found a loophole that allowed me to buy the land and its property. I then shut it down and paid for the guests and employees to stay the night or get a job in other establishments. It's currently being torn down and in its place will be an observatory for ocean watching and star gazing.

The prior property owner, who isn't a town resident by the way, is attempting file! a dispute. My actions are fully legal but Mayor Loss has still summoned me to make an argument in favor. I feel that you are more capable of promoting the benefits of the night than I am."



Rhapsody takes wing shortly after the chief does. "Bubonic Inn, I think I've heard of that place." She comments. "A disgusting hive and one less place for low-lives to gather." She blinks as Brisk reveals why she's here though. "Surely anyone in my department would be just as good..." She says a bit humbly.


"On the contrary, you're really the only choice. I will be forever in awe of Princess Celestia. It was a defining moment of my youth and she's done a lot to aid the Keep. I have the utmost respect for Princess Luna...but it's not as personal. For you, it is. She's an important part of your lineage and you have a desire to show that ponies don't take her work for granted. Furthermore, you already fight for this city. The sparring's just going to be more verbal than physical this time."


Rhapsody blinks again nodding some, not sure she can find the words to fully respond that that... after a moment she just says. "I'll do my best."

 

CoffeeHorse

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As Brisk Iron and Rhapsody got closer, they could see the Bubonic Inn. Paint was chipped and moldy, several windows were shattered, the roof had holes in it, the sign was about to fall, and the front door looked like it had been kicked off its hinges. "Looks like they haven't even started demolition yet. I hate when construction crews loaf about." Nearby were some earth ponies and unicorns in hard hats doing stretches. In the air, pegasi in hard hats had made anvils out of compressed hail and were precariously balancing them on clouds as they waited for the signal to drop them.

Mayor Cranberry Loss was calmly waiting nearby. A few feet away was a pink pegasus with a briefcase whose nose was upturned in disdain once she looked at Brisk Iron and Rhapsody.



"They are probably being delayed by legal means, considering the nature of this meeting and that our opposition is already here with the Mayor. But really, from the looks of it, I could probably just level the whole place with a single buck. Heck, The whole place looks could come crumbling down if Night Cap bucked it... So I'm not really sure there will be much work for the construction crew in this first stage." Rhapsody says with a half chuckle.


"Ah, you're here. This is a simple dispute. To start things off, Ms. Iron will state why she chose to purchase the property, the owner's representative shall make a counterpoint, and Ms. Iron's representative gets a response to that. If I need further discussion, it will continue until the best option is presented. You are not to interrupt each other when speaking. Brisk Iron, if you may..." When he motioned to her, Brisk Iron nodded and began. "As you know, I was born here and I seek to bring about this city's well being. An observatory will be an excellent way to promote the sciences. It will be something the citizens can enjoy and will help draw attention from out of town visitors who will bring their commerce here. Surely you see the worth in that."

The pegasus smirked as Cranberry Loss gave her permission to speak. "It is claimed that the observatory will bring more to the city but will it really? In being free, it won't directly bring its own revenue. The ponies who would likely use it are probably already scientists with permission to use the Keep's telescope. Also, Ms. Iron has some level of independent wealth, does she not? In allowing this, you're setting a precedent. What if some other rich pony tried to buy city hall, or a police station, or a hospital? Think about what that could lead to."

There was a lot of mumbling among the construction ponies with a few seeming to agree with the logic. The mayor motioned towards Rhapsody. "And your response?"


Rhapsody looked on and took a deep breath, shaking her head as she listened to the idiocy. Brisk wanted her because this was important, personal to her. The black pegasus knew how to bring all eyes and ears to her, she stamped a hoof to end the murmuring around them from the crowd. Her eyes peer to the other pegasus. "How small and fickle your mind must be to resort to grasping at straws so early in this discussion. Small minds like yours are exactly what we are trying to eliminate. Thinking of only the bottom line, and the most immediate effects; Always unable to see the bigger picture. I pity anyone that truly thinks this way, especially coming from another pegasus; if any pony should best have the ability to pull back and see the world at large, its us Pegasi being able to see things for miles around while were in flight." She then looks around to the rest of the crowd.

"Expanding minds, that's what this is all about. So lets start with this crowd. What we have here, is a chance to not only improve our town but to also bring the favor of another princess. Lets starts with what we already have. The Bubonic Inn: look at this place, it looks like it's about to fall down without the need to the Construction crews. Is this really the sort of image we want visitors to see? A Rickety hotel, where the owner can't even be bothered with uptake? A place the generates so many horror stories from those unfortunate enough to stay there? That's not helping this town, its scaring away anyone that comes here with legit business. If anypony doubts me, maybe we should move this inside and see if the interior is just as bad as the exterior?" When no pony seems to want to entertain that suggestion Rhapsody continues on.

"Just the removal of this blight would improve commerce to the town, but what Mrs . Irons proposes is so much better. A grand observatory, its not just about the sciences. Such a place can be a symbol. We lost Princess Luna long ago when she felt that no one appreciated the work she put into her nights. The vast majesty of the stars and the cosmos above, the phenomena that one can only observe when the sun goes down. All of this was lost on so many ponies, and even now its only improved minimally. The fact that ponies so long ago shunned her, and lead to her fall is blemish in our history. My family has spent ages trying to preserve her legacy. This is a chance to everypony here to show that we don't take her for granted, to show that we are all willing to open our eyes and minds to see what she has to offer. By having this Observatory, one of the scale and scope of Mrs Iron's vision, will attract the attention of the Night Princess. A free place for ponies to come far and wide to bask in her creations, charging for admission or its use would only diminish its value and likely make her think we only want to monetize the night sky, that we only care about what she does for us, if we can profit from it." But that was the thing wasn't it, how the opposition was trying to sway opinion. Bits talked, and she couldn't ignore that completely.

She says and closes her yes, taking a deep breath. "If you NEED to think of revenue for the city then just imagine how much tourism an observatory with Princess Luna's support would draw in. Giving an increase to commerce for the town, more ponies to stay in legit hotels that the owners actually care about and make sure are always a pleasant experience, more ponies spending money in shops or eating out at any of our culinary establishments. What revenue does the Bubonic Inn bring? Again, just look at the place. Its not someplace ponies come and see and thins 'I wanna stay there!' its a place for only those with no other options, and even then they could do SO much better. The Bit and Bridle for example, its only slightly better then staying in an actual barn, but its clean, its taken care of. The owners put pride in offering something for those that can't afford better lodging. We stand to gain nothing from letting this eyesore to remain standing, and loose so much potential if we do."

"So lets all step back, and see the bigger picture."
Rhapsody states an spreads her wings, and slowly rises up in a show of pulling back, but remaining close enough to still be heard. "A picture of a better Callubustion, a picture where Princess Luna is proud of us, a picture where everyone is free to learn about any topic they desire."

 

CoffeeHorse

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Staff member
Council of Elders
Citizen


The mayor was nearly moved to tears. "There's no way any rebuttal could counter such an impassioned argument. It is decided, Brisk Iron shall be the owner of this property!" Almost immediately, one of the pegasi dropped a hail anvil on the building and one of the earth ponies bucked the side, bringing the whole thing down. Then the demolition crew began clearing debris. The pegasus began to walk off but the mayor stopped her. "You're leaving your briefcase." "Oh, you can keep it. I'm headed to Petrichor Falls because I can't really return to my boss with this news." Cranberry Loss accepted it, then gave the briefcase to Brisk Iron. "I don't really need another briefcase so if you want it..." "Thank you. Rhapsody, if you could follow me please."

Brisk Iron flew to a nearby cloud and sat down. "First of all, I commend you. Princess Luna deserves this but I'm not sure I'd have the ability to make the same speech. However, I'm concerned. That mare isn't from here but she took the time to discover my wealth. More problematic is that she looked at the problems with the loophole. She was correct that while it would likely get revoked immediately, things like the hotel don't have protection from this. In fact, the only two things that do have protection are the Keep and Warehouse Number Seven since they're landmarks. Still, I'm glad all of this was taken care of. I need to go on an expedition and I'm likely bringing most of you along. Thing is, while it is official, it's more like a vacation. We all need the rest. Also, it's due to a celebration in the village from my father's journal so it needs to be followed up."


Rhapsody briefly looks to the pegasus as she starts to leave, normally she'd probably not say anything... but after meeting Luna last night and this win with her speech, she was in a good mood and felt like she should offer the pegasus something... "If you need help, and with a line like that you probably do... Talk to Mayor Vine up there. You might have been planning that already, but We have something of a working relationship with her. So in a show of good faith, tell her Rhapsody advised you to speak with her; Maybe she can find you a better job where you won't have to worry about reporting bad news to superiors." Rhapsody wasn't sure if the pegasus was trustworthy, but at least was trying to be fair with her and she was pretty sure Grape Vine would be able to figure out if she was worth trusting or not.

Rhapsody nods to Brisk as she requests her to follow and lands across from her on the cloud she settles on. Rhapsody smiles some as Brisk commends her on the speech and nods. "On the note about that mare; part of me wonders if we should look in that briefcase. I suspect that Pegasus was working for some less-then-reputable faces. The briefcase might give us an idea of further opposition you could face, as I doubt this will be the end of it. If not, I'm pretty sure Grape Vine could get some information out of her, if she takes up my offer; so you can probably follow that up later on as well." Rhapsody suggests. "I do agree most the team does need a break, especially after that attack last night. I'm sure they well appreciate something lighter and away from their usual stresses."


The pegasus paused and nodded to Rhapsody. After initial discussion, Brisk Iron handed over the briefcase. "Here you go. Since this finished so quickly, you have an hour before Destiny expects you back on shift. I don't know if your... extra curricular activities...have given you any additional information sources for whatever you find in here. Alternately, the Documents Department keeps copies of newspapers from here and a few other cities. I need to confirm with the air ferry service for the expedition. The letter requesting my presence got held up in the mail so we need to leave out first thing tomorrow so we don't miss the festival. I'll meet you back in my office for a quick briefing on what you've found."


Rhapsody nods some and takes the briefcase. "I'll see what I can turn up." She replies and flies off to a nearby rooftop, if she needed a quick change she'd be out of sight for many. She puts the briefcase down and opens it, to see what's contained inside.


Searching through the papers, Rhapsody found that most of it was information about the legal loophole with some of the uncommon but not confidential information about Brisk Iron. Upon looking some more, she found that the name of the property owner for the Bubonic Inn, a pony by the name of Chipotle Verde.


Rhapsody looked over the info in the briefcase, and then quickly changed into her alter-ego to head to the Police station. "Detective Champron, I need any information you have on a pony named Chipotle Verde."


Gem Champron was initially startled but nodded in greeting upon the superhero entering his office. "You've been doing so well lately, you might put one of us out of a job. Though that's a curious question. You asking means it's likely important but that name isn't really ringing any bells. That means they either aren't big time or they're good at keeping their nose clean. So...that file cabinet that you don't see because I'm not pointing to it obviously may or may not contain national newpaper clippings from the past few years that would assist you."


Black Night hehs softly. "Your cops do more then their fair share around here. There will always be room for the good ones." She says and then nods "Their name came up in something I'm investigating. It could be nothing, or it might lead to something more; it's too early to tell as there not too much to know at the moment other then it feels like something shady is going on, so I can't provide any further details just yet. Wouldn't want to send you or the department after ghosts." She states, giving Gem as much info as she can, as even she had little more then a gut feelings and the vague words of a minion.

She goes over to the filing cabinet and looks through the material inside of it skim for mentions of Chipotle Verde's name.


Black Night finished up and looked over to Gem Champron. "It's not much, but she's also had some dealings with the Royal Guards and Grape Vine. Further avenues to explore at least. The fact she went missing for so long and then returned could also be something... It wouldn't be unheard of if it was an impostor. Its been helpful, but still nothing we could act on. If I learn anything real important, I'll let you know." She replies before heading heading out.

A quick change later, and Rhapsody heads towards The Keep, checking the time to see if stopping by the document department is possible.

 


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