Fluttershy twisted the wrench in her hoof, tightening the bolt. She glanced around to make sure she was done, then pulled herself out from underneath the machine she was working on. Her mane was a bit disheveled, with spots of oil and grease in it. Not that she minded, she kind of preferred the look. It was... nice.
“Okay.” She turned to the mare inside the machine. “Try it now.”
The pink mare flipped a few switches and pulled some levers. A loud groan came from the machine before it settled into a low hum. It shook a little bit, causing a bit of ruckus. One massive propeller began to spin, while the engines slowly hummed to life. Slowly, but surely, it began to lift into the air. The machine was huge. A long, football shaped body. On top, it had a small tower, for radio purposes and such. Underneath, a box where the pilot and the passengers sat. Under the cockpit was a two meter chaingun that fired .50 cal rounds. The inside was hollowed out, used for storing cargo. Within a few minutes, it was airborne. The mare inside it lowered it back to the ground then shut it down.
“Great job Fluttershy! Works great!”
Fluttershy shook her head. Pinkie was just trying to make her happy. She could easily tell it still needed some major tweaks and a few new parts before it would be able to really fly, without any trouble or shaking parts.
“I'll stop by the market in the morning to grab some more parts. I should have this baby up to one hundred percent functionality in... three days.”
Pinkie bounced around. “Cool! I'm so glad you're helping me, otherwise, Old Drifter here would'a never flown again!” Her eyes widened and her mouth opened wide in a gasp. “Can you imagine what that would be like? Never being able to do the one thing you've been made for! That would be...”
Fluttershy held a hoof to Pinkie's mouth. “Okay, I get it. I'll be back tomorrow.”
“Okie Dokie Lokie!”
Fluttershy packed up her tools and left Pinkie's garage, thankful to be out of there. As much as she liked her friend, Pinkie could get obnoxious to hang around with for too long. She had to be high on something to be that energetic.
She shook her head and thought about what still needed to be done on 'Old Drifter'. As long as that old thing stayed away from trouble, they'd be fine.
Rarity carefully dusted off the last artifact she had found at the dig site. It was a small vase, made for holding and storing wine, it seemed, dating back to the late Griffonian Era. It was worth more than most things you’d ever find in your life. And Rarity had five of them.
She placed the vase with the others and turned around to view the dig site. It was a large crater, or at least, it looked like a large crater. Underneath it all was an ancient village, made by the griffons when they once occupied these lands. The circular shape was how they built their villages, all the houses surrounding a central plaza, where they would have shops and the like.
She scanned the area for her sister. “Sweetie!” She always had to keep an eye on her. One time, the little filly had tried to unearth a portion of the dig site on her own. Long story short, she had to be dug out of a hole she had dug and then accidentally filled while she was still in it. She was lucky she hadn't suffocated!
“Sweetie Belle?”
“One minute, sis!”
She saw Sweetie Belle at the farthest end of the dig site. Rarity trotted over, knowing she must be up to something. Her dress got a little dirty since the place was dusty, which she didn't particularly like, but she didn't mind too much. The sun was setting, casting its last light on the archaeological gold mine.
Rarity found Sweetie Belle with Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo. Rainbow told stories as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle listened with all the attention they could muster. Rarity rolled her eyes. Rainbow Dash was always telling these outlandish and outrageous stories.
“So then, before the manticore could pounce, I leapt out of the bushes and tackled that thing to the ground. Of course, it wasn't hard for me, but I did save the merchant's life.”
“Wow!” Scootaloo squeaked. “That was so cool! You're awesome!”
“Yeah, well, I am.”
Humble much, are you? Rarity interrupted their little... story time. “Come Sweetie Belle, it's time to leave.”
“Aw, okay. Let me go grab my stuff.”
“I'll come with you!” Scootaloo said.
Together, the two teenagers left for their tent. Rarity wished they could always stay younger. The burdens of being an adult were stressful at times.
She turned to Rainbow Dash. “Listen, Rainbow. I'm paying you to keep my dig site safe, not fill my sister's head with nonsense. If you don't stop, I'll fire you. I have plenty of other adventurers to choose from should I need to.”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Yeah, whatever. It's not like I NEED the job, I just was bored. But then again, guarding a dig site is also pretty boring.”
Rarity ground her teeth. The nerve of this pony! “Just stop talking to my sister, and you won't have to leave.”
The cyan pegasus flew away. “Like I care.”
Rarity, cheeks flushed with anger, tried to calm herself down as she walked back to the tent. The pegasus had some nerve! Acting like she was no more than a simple archaeologist. Rarity was one of the most important archaeologists of her time. How dare she treat her that way!
Before she could get to the tent, Sweetie and Scootaloo came bounding out. “Ready!” Sweetie Belle beamed.
Scootaloo looked around. “Where's Rainbow?”
Rarity pointed to the sky. Rainbow Dash was flying back to her home, apparently forgetting about her adopted sister.
“Oh! Thanks!' Scootaloo dashed into the sky, leaving the others to cough out the dust she stirred up.
Rarity put on the best smile she could manage and led Sweetie Belle toward their house, just up a nearby hill. Her thoughts kept turning toward Rainbow Dash. Her insolence, her attitude, her pride. It was infuriating. That pegasus was going to have to go, lest Rarity lose her sanity. Maybe a nice trip to somewhere different would ease Rarities mind.
Twilight looked up from the book she was reading when she heard a bell jingle. She closed the book , titled 'Explosive Potions and their Dangers' and gave her knew customer her full attention. It wasn't often she got customers, but when she did, she made a lot of money. Her shop wasn't exactly 'popular', but she was known. After all, famous adventurers came to her shop all the time.
She took a good look at her new customer. An orange earth pony, bounty hunter or adventurer from her apparel. She had a large trench coat on, as well as cowboy hat. She had two pistols at her hips and a shotgun on her back. Her face had a scar traveling down her cheek, as well as one on her right hoof. She looked like a badass.
She waited as the mare made her way to Twilight, eyeing the various potions and ingredients. She picked up a bottle and examined it before setting it back down and shaking her head. She obviously knew her potions. That potion wasn't the most stable, nor the most useful.
Finally, she made it to her desk. “Can I help you?” Twilight asked with a smile plastered on her face. Not that she was annoyed by her customer, but she didn't normally smile, so when she did, it was usually forced.
“Actually, ya can.” She laid a piece of paper on the desk. “Ah need all these potions, and Ah need 'em now.”
Twilight was a bit taken aback by this ponies rudeness. “Alright, let's see here.” She examined the list. Two numbing potions, three explosive potions, and an adrenaline potion. She looked up from the list to see a scowl on the orange mares face. “Right, one minute.”
She went about the shop, gathering the requested potions. Two numbing, three explosive...
“Would you like the normal or strong adrenaline potions?” she called out.
“I don't matter ta me, just hurry it up, will ya?”
“Why don't you try being patient?” Twilight mumbled under her breath.
She took the potions to her desk. “Okay, so two numbing, three explosive, and one strong adrenaline. That'll be fifty bits.”
The orange mare grumbled and tossed the bits onto the counter. She scooped up her potions and deposited them into her bag. She turned around and began to leave without a word. Twilight adjusted her monocle, thinking for a moment. Then it clicked in her head.
Just before the mare left, she stopped her as she was opening the door. “Wait! You're that famous bounty hunter. Apple... apple...”
“Applejack.” the mare finished as she left the shop, slamming the door shut.
Twilight sat there. That was odd. She knew that Applejack was tough, but not rude. Oh well, not her business. She took another look at her store. There were four shelves in the middle of the small room, each one stocked with potions she made herself. Her walls were lined with the various ingredients that she used. Yep, she loved this little shop, small as it may be.
She exited through the front door, turning the sign so it read closed and walked to her home, wishing something exciting would happen.
Pinkie Pie sat the cockpit of Old Drifter, her precious airship. She always enjoyed sitting here, feeling the smooth leather seat she sat on, watching the flashing lights and hearing the hum of the engine. She especially loved flipping the switches and getting this baby airborne. Flying in the sky on a massive ship was just... freeing. No, not that. Exhilarating? No... relaxing? Sure, a little...
“Okay.” A voice called out from the outside of her cockpit. “Try it now.”
Pinkie began to flip buttons and pull levers. A loud groan came out for a little before settling into a hum. Her seat began to vibrate as her whole machine shook.
“He he he he!” She laughed. “Thi-i-is fe-e-e-ls fun-n-ny!”
Within a few minutes, it was airborne. Not as fast as Pinkie would have liked. She could normally take off in under a minute. Three minutes was too long. Plus, her baby was shaking so hard it felt like it was going to shake its self apart. She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind, instead taking in the view from up here.
It had been so long since Pinkie had been this high, she wanted to savor the moment. After her unfortunate accident, she had crashed Old Drifter into the Fields of Gresha, a just outside of the Royal City of Avolan. She was lucky she wasn't hurt. Drifter, however, was not so lucky. She was lucky she found Fluttershy. The building and repairing the main frame of the ship, Pinkie could easily handle. But the mechanics, well, Pinkie wasn't so good with those.
A sudden jerk brought her back to the real world. She flipped back a few switches and the massive machine began its descent. A frown actually formed on Pinkie's face. It landed with a thud, and in only thirty seconds, where as it took three minutes to take off. It was sad to see her baby in this kind of condition.
After she landed, she shut it down and turned to yellow mare outside her ship. “Great job Fluttershy! Works great!”
She saw Fluttershy shake her head. Oh well. Pinkie hopped out of the cockpit, beaming. At least her ship was working somewhat. That was a big step forward, right?
“I'll stop by the market in the morning to grab some more parts. I should have this baby up to one hundred percent functionality in... three days.”
Pinkie smiled wider while bouncing around. She was so happy! “Cool! I'm so glad you're helping me, otherwise, Old Drifter here would'a never flown again!” Her eyes widened and her mouth opened wide in a gasp. “Can you imagine what that would be like? Never being able to do the one thing you've been made for! That would be...”
She was stopped when Fluttershy held a hoof to Pinkie's mouth. “Okay, I get it. I'll be back tomorrow.”
“Okie Dokie Lokie!”
Fluttershy turned and left. Pinkie watched her for a minute, but then turned back to Drifter. She wanted make sure his hull was intact. She eyed it, clamoring back and forth underneath, trying to get a good view.
Once she was satisfied that he was in good shape, she closed her garage doors, which were massive, and headed into her house. She was so happy to have a friend like Fluttershy! Smart and knowing what she was doing.
Now if only she could find more friends and they could go an adventure! Oh! To save the world! From chaos! But that would never happen.
Rainbow Dash was flying around the dig site. It was SO boring out here, just flying back and forth, making sure no one touched what Rarity didn't want them to. Why did she even take this job in the first place? Because she needed the money, and couldn't find anywhere to work and no adventures to go on.
The sun was beginning to set. Knowing her job was almost done for the day, she found Scootaloo. The teenage mare was like Rainbow's... assistant. She taught Scootaloo what she knew, and Scootaloo helped sometimes, like now. She need someone to talk to in this dusty hole of boredom. How archaeologist spend their whole lives in places like these was beyond her.
She found Scootaloo and her friend Sweetie Belle by the edge of the dig site. “Hey gals! What up?”
Scootaloo turned to Rainbow. “Rainbow Dash! I was just telling Sweetie Belle about your adventures! Can you tell us some?”
Well, Rainbow didn't have much to do anyway, and always enjoyed showing off. Plus, Sweetie Belle had a pair of puppy eyes armed, and there was no way she could say no to them.
“Okay, let me tell you about the time I was in the Lost Jungle.” This elicited some oohs. “It was a rainy day...”
Rainbow Dash began to weave her intricate tale, captivating the teenagers with her tales of awesomeness and daring feats. Yeah, who wouldn't want to listen to her? She was beginning to wrap up her tale as the sun was just about set.
“So then, before the manticore could pounce, I leapt out of the bushes and tackled that thing to the ground. Of course, it wasn't hard for me, but I did save the merchant's life.”
“Wow!” Scootaloo squeaked. “That was so cool! You're awesome!”
Rainbow Dash felt her pride swell up. “Yeah, well, I am.”
She didn't notice Rarity had been standing there until she spoke up. “Come Sweetie Belle, it's time to leave.”
“Aw, okay. Let me go grab my stuff.”
“I'll come with you!” Scootaloo said.
Rainbow Dash watched them leave then turned to see Rarity staring at her with red eyes. “Listen, Rainbow. I'm paying you to keep my dig site safe, not fill my sister's head with nonsense. If you don't stop, I'll fire you. I have plenty of other adventurers to choose from should I need to.”
“Yeah, whatever. It's not like I NEED the job, I was just bored. But then again, guarding a dig site is also pretty boring.” Rainbow hoped Rarity wouldn't call her bluff. She needed this job badly!
Luckily, she didn't. “Just stop talking to my sister, and you won't have to leave.”
Rainbow Dash flew away and decided to push a little more. “Like I care.”
She inwardly cringed when she said that. Why was she pushing her employers buttons? If she got fired, she'd have no job, and no money. There weren't any adventures to be had, so this was the only reason she wasn't on the streets right now.
She flew to her makeshift sky hut, a bit away, but still not too far for the fastest pegasus in the world. In this fact, she didn't boast. It was fact that there was no other pegasus in the world faster than her.
She reached her house and was about to enter when she heard someone call out to her. “Rainbow Dash! Wait up!”
She had forgotten about Scootaloo. She stopped by her door long enough for the orange pegasus to catch up. They both entered the house and Rainbow flopped down on the couch, waiting for Scootaloo to prepare dinner. What was she going to do? She couldn't continue this job, yet she had no choice! It wasn't like adventure was going to pop up out of nowhere!
Applejack walked down the street, taking her time to examine her surroundings. As a bounty hunter, she always payed attention to where she was, lest she be jumped by some wannabe thugs or bandits. She laughed at the thought. She was Applejack, the most famous bounty hunter in all of the whole damn world. Nothing could stop her. Until she ran out of jobs. Now no one would hire her, save for petty thievery and small stuff like that. She was mad. She was a bounty hunter, not a cop.
She found what she was looking for. A small shop, an alchemists shop. Just what she needed. She eyed the structure for a minute. It was small, and a little old looking, like it was worn down and ready to fall apart at any minute. This was where one of the best alchemists in the world set up shop? Why not choose a bigger shop closer to the center of town?
Ah well. She pushed the door open and was assaulted by a musky scent, which further darkened her mood. She slowly made her way to the lavender pony in the back of the store while examining the various potions.
She picked up a potion then put it back down. She knew what it was. A healing potion, known for having unknown effects on the user and also having minimal healing capabilities. Why was this pony selling something like this?'
She walked up to the desk. A lavender mare sat behind the desk, a monocle on one eye, looking expectantly at her. “Can I help you?” she asked. Applejack almost rolled her eyes. She could tell that the mare wasn't really smiling, just faking it. That annoyed her.
“Actually, ya can.” She laid a piece of paper on the desk. “Ah need all these potions, and Ah need 'em now.”
The mare picked up the list. “Alright, let's see here.” She took a look at the list. Applejacks frown turned to a scowl. Why was she here? She should have gone to a better shop. This place was just dank and smelly.
The store owner looked up. “Right, one minute.”
Applejack watched as she hustled about the store, gathering the potions until she disappeared around a shelf.
“Would you like the normal or strong adrenaline potions?” the alchemist called out.
“I don't matter ta me, just hurry it up, will ya?” Applejack wanted to get out of here. It reminded her of those underground caves, for some reason, dark, dank, smelly, and extremely dangerous. She wasn't afraid of danger, but those caves were homes to the most dangerous creatures on the planet. She barely made it out the first time.
The lavender mare placed the potions on her desk. “Okay, so two numbing, three explosive, and one strong adrenaline. That'll be fifty bits.”
Of course she picked the strong ones. Just had to make more money, huh? She dropped the bits on the counter, grabbed her potions and dropped them in her saddle bag, then turned to leave.
Before she could, the mare called out again. What did she want? “Wait! You're that famous bounty hunter. Apple... apple...”
“Applejack.” Applejack exited the shop and slammed the door shut. Finally, out of that hole. That was stupid. She turned and walked back the way she came. The sun was almost set, and she wanted to be home before dark. She wasn't scared, but she was a little cold, and she wasn't one to deny herself comforts when she could have them.
She sighed. Life was dull now. Why couldn't something dangerous happen? Then she'd perk up.