• Published 13th May 2015
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My Little Fortress: Shadytrails - PersonalGamer



Set 30 years before the founding of Dawnpick, Shadytrails is a newly-established trading outpost run by the Prestigious Confederation, one of the few merchant guilds spanning the gaps between civilizations.

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[27] 11th Hematite, 222

11th Hematite, 222

A whistling tune carried through the air. Silver Rush’s fur was messy from fine mineral particles and water droplets that had adhered to him during his mining earlier. The bat-pony had already spent much of the prior week reshaping the landscape for the construction of some new homes, but now had to wait on Jack Pine to clear out more trees before he could continue. Got to make sure I wash up before supper...but while I’m still dirty, I’ll go see if Tunda needs any help. Her job can’t be easy on her. Sure enough, the zebra in question was tending to her rows of plants when the stallion arrived, “Hey Tunda! What’s going good with the greens?”

Hearing his voice, Tunda pokes her head up from the ground, a few green stalks still in her mouth. She drops the weed into a nearby basket, picking it up with a hoof and approaching the batpony with a wide smile. “They’re doing well, and hello, Silver Rush. Right now I’m simply tending the underbrush.”

“Great to hear. I was just wrapping up my shift when I remembered that I hadn’t been by lately to see how everything was going on the food front. I don’t really know anything about farming, but I’ll lend you a hoof if you need it,” he responded with his own cheery expression, allowing his fangs to peek over his lower lip. “Thankfully, today’s workload was a lot lighter on me than earlier in the week. So I think I’ve got the energy to spare.”

Tunda places the basket down between them. "It's nice to hear you'll help a friend in need. Right now it would be useful to help me weed."

“Will do!” Silver removed the miner's helmet from his head, which revealed a dark mane messy from being within its confines. He moved the headgear, along with his lantern, pick and leather carrying bag to the grass below and stepped over into one of the rows of bushes. The copper-eyed pony latched onto one obvious offender with his teeth and ripped it from the soil. After spitting it out, he recalled, “So I was thinking about the other day, you know, when we did that singing thing? That was pretty fun. We should do it again sometime.”

Tunda tears another of the encroaching plants from the ground and drops it into the basket. She adjusts her mane with a hoof and looks over at the bat-stallion. "It was certainly fun, I agree. Whenever you'd like an encore is fine with me."

Next, Silver pulled at a tenacious vine covered with tiny barbs. He tried not to get any cuts on his mouth, which he only somewhat succeeded at doing. The miner licked at his stinging lips, but the pain soon passed, “Ugh...well, I thought we sounded pretty good together the first time, but we were alone out here in the field then. I’ve kind of been wondering since then what it would be like to have an audience, you know? To really find out if we’ve got something...more? Though it would certainly help if we had a musical instrument or two to really flesh out our vocals. Any thoughts on that?”

"I would love to song for the ponies and griffons of the town, and with the new arrivals, we'll have an even bigger crowd." Tunda's eyes flick to his lips and those fangs, before meeting his again. "Even without accompaniment, I'm sure they'll all... enjoy the merriment."

“Oh, so you like the idea then?” He responded before digging around a group of small, brownish stems with a hoof, “Hmm, but what you said about new arrivals...you think we should sing for everypony and not just a small group? That could be truly interesting. If we’re going to plan something that big then we should probably ask Ms. Hookbill what she thinks about it. I doubt she would object, of course, but she might have some advice on how we could arrange it or where it should take place.”

"It's a good idea, informing Miss Isolde. She and everyone should enjoy a break from the same old same old," Tunda rhymes casually. Their efforts seem to have made a noticeable dent in the amount of work she has. Even having one more pony is much appreciated. "I won't mind singing in front of everyone, though if they start throwing tomatoes I'll be prepared to run."

The gray stallion chuckled, “If they start throwing tomatoes, I’m going to ask them where they got them. Those sound pretty tasty.” Lunch was hours ago and he had burned a sizeable number of calories hauling freshly-carved stone to the sunlit world of the surface. He brushed off his hunger for the moment and continued to excise intruder plants from the area, “Then it’s settled. I’ll go ask Ms. Hookbill about it a bit later. That is, unless you wanted to come with me and give your own input?”

Pausing, the striped mare puts a hoof to her muzzle with a contemplative expression. "I would like to be there for the discussion too. Could you stop by before you go, and take me with you?"

“Definitely.” The two finished off the chore at hand and Silver now finally had an opportunity to go get himself washed up. After the proper grooming was completed, he grabbed a snack from Shortstack before tracking down Tunda once again. In agreement, they both headed off in search of their respected expedition leader.

Somewhat surprisingly, the two don’t find the griffon in the shelter where she normally works. Instead, they ultimately locate her in her second favorite spot: a comfortable, shaded spot down by the river at the bottom of the hill. She sits with her back against the tree, watching a braced fishing pole’s line drag through the slow current. She yawns once and stretches before cozying up a bit more to the tree.

Taking care not to startle the griffon, Silver Rush walked along beside Tunda instead of flying. He knocked a hoof on the side of the tree, “Hello there, Ms. Hookbill! Do you mind if we take a moment of your time?”

She glances up and fights off a bit of sleepiness to give them a smile. “Hello, you two. Certainly, I don’t mind a little distraction. How can I help you?”

Silver nodded, “Thank you. The two of us were just wondering about a little project we thought up earlier. We know there’s not a lot to do for fun around here just yet, so we thought that, perhaps, we could entertain the residents at supper one day with a little singing? I know if we randomly started doing that of our own accord, we might get some complaints. So I thought it would be best if we had some kind of ‘official’ approval.” He rubbed a hoof against his chin, “...and maybe inform the residents in advance. Or even set it up somewhere outside the dining area, just in case there are a few party-poopers that don’t like to hear music when they eat, heh.”

“Dinner theater?” Isolde asks with a small chuckle. “I like the sound of it, so you have my blessing. The weather has been pretty nice lately, so maybe we could do it outside. Maybe even around a fire. It’s a bit short notice to give everyone today, but maybe tomorrow that would work.”

"I'm glad to hear that you approve, and doing it outside gives everyone space to move," Tunda points out. They should leave that room so ponies, griffons, and zebra can dance if they feel the need. And if they do, it'll be a success in Tunda's book.

“Thanks a bunch, Ms. Hookbill!” Silver then turned to his singing partner, “Think we should practice some? Or discuss which songs we should sing? If it’s not going to be until another day, then we’ve got time to figure this all out. Speaking of which, we need to set a date as well…”

She nods, raising a knee up, but first looks to the griffon. "Thank you, miss Isolde, for seeing things our way," Tunda says gratefully, then looks to Silver Rush. "I would be fine performing any day. But we should talk, yes, about what we want to sing. It's the sort of thing I would rather not wing."

“Ah, this is gonna be great!” The musical duo then headed off to prepare for the day in question, familiarizing themselves with different tunes and working on staying in sync with each other. They continued to practice in their spare time over the next few days and finally decided on a date for their show: 14th Hematite.

Once the big day arrived, an area was set up outside of the communal living quarters with tables and chairs for the guests. As per Tunda’s suggestion, a space was left between the makeshift stage and the tables so that anyone who wished to liven up the festivities further by dancing could do so. Before curtain time, the stallion singer examined the crude wooden platform upon which he would soon stand, “Too bad I don’t have any kind of special clothing to wear for this occasion. Other than my mining gear, all I have is a collection of seven identical neckerchiefs that I got for a bargain a few years ago.”

Tunda blinks, seemingly not having realized. "Well that certainly explains some things," the mare dressed in her nicer shawl, wrap, and jewelry answers. "I've seen you without one of those as often as I've seen you without your wings."

“Heh, yeah. I guess I’m not much for fashion. I like to keep my dress simple and easily-planned.” The bat-pony turned and looked at the table of food being set-up by Shortstack as a couple of other ponies chatted with the chef. He knew it was only about ten minutes before showtime. Silver took a deep breath and eyed his zebra counterpart, “Well...you ready for this?”

With a composed, serene nod, Tunda answers him positively. "I've performed for groups big and small, around a campfire or in a hall. To do so again feels familiar to me, and whether they enjoy it here, I'm eager to see. And are you ready to put on a show? There's no shame, if it's not so.”

“Oh, no no, I’m sure I can do this,” the black-maned pony insisted, “...but I guess I am a little nervous, since I’ve never done anything like this before. I’ve only ever sung for friends and family...or to myself.” Shadytrailers were now beginning to take their seats, “I’m not going to back out now! Let’s do this!”

Once they were up on the stage, the bat-pony and the zebra took turns welcoming the residents to their show and giving a brief overview of the evening’s activities. They opened with a song that both of them had written together, “Blessed Seedling”, which was a metaphorical tune likening the development of their new town to the growing of a tenacious plant in the face of adverse conditions. It predicted a glorious future for Shadytrails. This was followed by “Your Spell”, a more lively song about a changeling’s attempt to seduce and infiltrate society.

Finally, the two performed a rendition of "The Wayward Unicorn," an oft-heard ballad in taverns, telling the humorous tale of a deluded earth pony with a false horn, who's convinced by a series of unlikely coincidences that he has magical powers. It's a light-hearted song with room for audience participation, to end off the performance in a high mood. A few of the attendants did get into the mood by clapping along or even dancing around. Others were more content to just sit and listen.

The Sun had begun to set by the time it was all over, with the nearby campfire still providing enough light for some outdoor socialization. The rib-winged pony stepped down off of the wooden pedestal, exhaling in relief that there were no serious problems during the event, “I think that went pretty well, don’t you? And look,” he pointed at his face, “No tomato stains!”

The zebra laughs lightly, stepping down after him and adjusting her clothes. "No, our audience was thankfully kind. If we were to do this again, I think neither they nor I would mind." She gives Silver a hopeful but sure, smile.

“Yep! I can definitely see us doing this again in the future,” he responded before looking up at the orange-pink sky, which had begun a gradual transition to a dark indigo-gray. “I think I’d like to make a few improvements for any future performances, though. We could get an actual stage built for us, and maybe some musical instruments too. I could also use a nice suit to compliment your dress…”

It seems Tunda hasn't kept close enough track of the ponies in town. If there's a tailor among them, she may need to commission a gown. She nods in happy agreement to the stallion. "I like these ideas, and for the stage have in mind just the unicorn. Assuming the recent construction hasn't left her too worn..."

Silver had a pretty good idea he knew who Tunda was talking about. “Right. I may talk to Rosewood about that idea.” The pair mingled among the guests for a few minutes before they departed back to the communal shelter.

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