My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Game Thread)

[Empyrean]

A description of Maneflow

Maneflow is a small town in Equestria's countryside, established a hundred years ago. The town's buildings are spaced out, rambling all over the meadow it's built on and the hills surrounding it. There's a large, meandering river that flows down the center of town, dividing it neatly in half and crossed by a large bridge. The small neighborhood of Cirrus Heights drifts above, home to the local Pegasi. The lush hills stretching west and east beyond the town are dotted with small lakes and waterfalls, and are home to settlers and small farms. In the north, days away, are a range of high mountains, and to the south are plains that stretch for weeks before reaching the sea.

Notable Locations

Shadowdale Forest: The large forest that ends a day to the west of Maneflow. It's rich in lumber and animal life, so rich that the trees grow together and block out the sunlight for much of the day, hence its' name. A lot of local ponies gather medicinal herbs and sweet fruits and berries from the forest, but few venture deep into the woods without a reason. There is a path through the woods leading to the rest of Equestria proper, but it is seldom-used and not the best maintained road. The Maneflow River flows through here, and is a sure guide to the town for those who are lost, except on moonless nights, when the water is dark and silent.

Cirrus Falls: A waterfall that drops from Cirrus Heights into a small lake on the western end of town. It's a popular gathering spot.

Granny Granite's All-Purpose Shop: Maneflow's general store is built into one of the hills facing the town. It's a sturdy, stone and wood building that seems to grow from the hillside. The old earth pony mare running the place, Granite Crusher, is a friendly sort, with the gift of gab. She was an adventurous mountain pony in her day and she loves to talk about nature. Since she's starting to get a little senile, her teenage grandfilly Rocky can be seen about there often, tending the store.

Ding's Delivery: This ramshackle building is home to Ding Ding, a pegasus who is the closest thing the Maneflow area has to a post service. He's perky, spacy, and always on the move, but he'll get what you need where you need it.

Wyrmhome Range: The mountains north of Maneflow. Rumored to be home to dragons. Granny Granite claims this is true, but few of the locals take her completely seriously.

The Old Tower: Three days east from Maneflow, deep in the hills, is the broken remains of a stone tower. The local colts and fillies claim a mad mare lives there. Some say she lost her love and went crazy. Some say she's an evil sorceress or a criminal of some kind. Rumors and legends swirl around the place but most ponies treat it as an old mare's tale. The young treat it as a place for dares and challenges.









 

[Empyrean]

The purple mare looked out at the grassy countryside, dark eyes wide and a little dazed. Grass. Sky. Water. These things were like distant memories being brought back before her, and their vivid clarity was refreshing and startling both. How could I have forgotten all this? She looked around in wonder, then gasped and sighed as she felt the light, warm touch on her skin. She looked up and smiled.

The sun is so distant from here, but it's so much warmer than I remember. Sister did a good job.

"Princess? We should be on our way." The voice was professional, tinged with a bit of concern. The white stallion that had spoken cantered up, clad in the golden armor of the Royal Guard. Princess Luna nodded, still smiling.

"Yes of course. Just stretching my wings." She then did just that, stretching darkly feathered wings and raising her horn to the skies. With a reassuring look, she got back in the black and silver carriage, and two guardsponies took the reigns. They were just about an hour away from the place where dear Celestia had said she would find a way to get connected to the world again. What was it called again? Oh yes. Maneflow.

She settled back with a contented sigh. She was so looking forward to meeting all the wonderful ponies Celestia had said lived here.

[pendarious]

Sitting in the carriage Watching princess Luna flying about was a young unicorn by the name of Luminescent Dusk. She had been sent with the princess as both an aid and possible "Friend" as both the Arch Mage and Princess Celestia had put it. Her light blue coat flecked with red and purple could hardly be seen under her black cape. The hat she wore stayed nestled on her head the red feather seeming to shiver in the wind. Luminescent Dusk didn't much care for the scenary around them as her eyes focused on the seemingly young princess.

When Luna returned to the carriage the unicorn merely released a sigh and closed her eyes. "your majesty I do wish you wouldn't fly ahead of the guards like that....what if something unexpected were to happen to you?" she was speaking somewhat formally having been a courtier most of her life. She not only had concern for the princesses safety for fear of what might happen to herself should the princess have any tragedy befall her but she did also have some genuine concern for the Alicorn.

[Kunoichi]

Far up in the skies above Maneflow, a white-coated pegasus pony was hard at work pushing clouds into place.  There wasn't any rain scheduled for the day, of course, not on the big day when Her Royal Highness, Princess Luna herself was gracing their little town with her presence, (they needed bright skies to help make the town look as good as possible,) but completely cloudless days tended to be difficult to manage, given the town's local climate.  So, rather than have a small team of pegasus ponies work their hooves off for an entire day just to keep the sky cloud-free, it was decided that Maneflow's pegasus population could save time and effort by simply taking what clouds there were and arranging them in decorative ways.

For instance, spelling out 'Welcome, Princess Luna' in the sky in big, cloudy letters.  The white-coated pegasus, whose name was Sun Shower, had been assigned to take care of all the capital letters, and she was juuuuuust about done with the last one, just needing a few more pieces to make the big letter 'L'...

After that, she'd put herself on raincloud patrol, since nobody else had wanted to do it.  They all wanted to go to the festival and welcome the Princess to their fair town, and while she would have probably liked it as well, she hadn't specifically been looking forward to it, or anything.  There would be plenty of time to get to know the Princess later, after all, since she was staying in Maneflow for quite some time, and the festival itself would probably be a lot of pomp and ceremony.

She did find herself a bit curious as to whether or not the Princess would take an interest in the weather, though.  Other than that, she didn't usually have much to talk about.

[HopeFox]

Timber Crash trotted through the Shadowdale Forest, his work harness securely fastened around his chest and back. He stopped at a dead tree he had found last week, and peered up at the family of squirrels still living in it. "I'm sorry, small friends," he said to them, sounding regretful, "but you're going to have to move. I have to pull this tree down, or it'll fall over by itself in the next big storm, and you could be hurt." The squirrels turned up their noses at him and went about their meal of nuts and berries. Either they didn't understand him properly, or they were simply being stubborn.

Sighing, Crash pulled a stick of blue chalk out of his saddlebags and marked a large blue X on the tree's trunk. He would come back to it later, maybe with a friend who could help the squirrels see sense.

He plodded on, letting his eyes adjust to the dim light under the forest canopy. As he passed each old-looking tree, he gave it a tap with a front hoof to gauge its health. After a few minutes of walking, he came to a large tree that still looked healthy to the untrained eye, but Crash could tell it was dying. He smiled. This was a good find - still alive enough to provide good wood for building and carving, but close to the end of its life, so it would not last much longer anyway. He drew a blue X on the trunk and got to work.

Over the course of an hour, Crash wrapped a series of ropes around the tree, fastening some of them into the ground and the others against his harness. He then drew a hatchet from his kit and severed some of the tree's roots, loosening its hold on the soil. Finally, he set his hooves against the ground and strained, muscles bunching in his powerful legs as he slowly walked away from the tree. Several minutes went by as he moved scant inches across the ground, until finally he heard the tree's remaining roots ripping out of the ground.

"TIMBER!" he shouted, more for his own enjoyment than to warn anypony else of the falling tree. He skittered out of the way as the tree crashed down, shaking the ground. He stood to admire his work for a moment, then busied himself at lopping off the tree's branches and bundling them up for transport, before dragging the fallen trunk back towards the Maneflow River.

Soon, he was perched atop the tree trunk as it floated downriver towards Maneflow town. He made sure the bundle of branches was securely lashed to the trunk, and then lay down for a snooze, opening his eyes briefly whenever the tree lodged against the riverbank. Finally, the tree trunk drifted into the vicinity of the town, and Crash stood up, waving excitedly to his friends in town whom he hadn't seen since his last visit, days ago. Come to think of it, wasn't something happening today? An important visitor? Crash couldn't quite remember, so he craned his neck as his tree floated through town, trying to see what was going on.

[Oracian]

     Dark Note was not worried about his father's absence from the theatre that was their home in Mule Orleans. Crimson Note was known for disappearing, and shirking his responsibilities. One of the first times he'd left the theatre, he returned a year later with Dark Note the colt. Now, he was needed to decide a family matter, and his son was sent after him. "Ah, father... Where have these wilds winds blown you this time?" Dark Note pondered as he flew north above the clouds of Equestria. Then off in the distance, a form in the clouds caught his eye.

     "But what is this? 'Welcome, Princess Luna'? How intriguing. I suppose my father could have stopped here to meet a princess. Surely it is worth looking into, at the very least I can have a warm bath and some good food." He changed his course slightly and headed for the quiet looking town on the river. As the distance grew less, and the details of the town took focus, he spied the neighborhood of Cirrus Heights floating lazily above the town, pouring it's falls into the lake below. "That looks like a perfect place to stop and rest," he thought. "Maybe I can find a lovely filly to show me around."

[Empyrean]

Luna looked abstracted for a moment, but then smiled at Dusk. "I'm certain that after a thousand years possessed by evil and trapped in the moon, there's little in this forest that can be a threat. But I do thank you, Miss...Luminescent Dusk, wasn't it?" The soft voice of the Princess trailed off as a resounding crash echoed through the forest and shook her hooves.

"Whatever was that?!" She started out towards where the crash had come from, starting to fly. Then she caught herself in mid-air and turned back to settle near the carriage. "I do apologize but I am curious. Are such crashes normal around here? Let's ask the townponies." She got back in and directed that the carriage start for Maneflow with all speed. Now she was really excited!

[pendarious]

Luminescent Dusk opened her eyes again as the princess spoke. The Alicorn did have a point however there could be dangerous creatures out here. "yes your majesty it is Luminescent Dusk" she affirmed for the princess. she was about to call out to Luna as she flew out but quickly returned and asked the guards to hasten their approach to the town.

The unicorn was relieved that Luna had decided to remain aboard the charriot and not get too carried away. She was starting to think that at this rate the princess might be the death of her via heart attack.

[Empyrean]

Luna fidgeted impatiently the entire trip, looking around like a newborn foal the whole time. When the carriage finally pulled up to the top of the hill overlooking Maneflow and stopped, she jumped out with relief. She took a long look over the place that would be her new home, wondering what the ponies here would be like, and how she would fit in.

Then one of the guardsponies blew a series of echoing trumpet notes to announce her arrival. With as much royal grace as she remembered from her rearing, she climbed back into the carriage and the royal party set off for Maneflow and the unknown.

[pendarious]

Luminescent dusk noted Luna's impatience and chuckled softly. Though the princess was technically older than she it seemed like she was the older one. "Please settle yourself princess...we shall be arriving soon and you will have plenty of time to explore this beautiful town once the celebrations are over" Though she was only saying this for the sake of making sure Luna did not do anything to terribly rash. As a member of the unicorn race Luminescent Dusk was studious, talented in magic, logical, and by most counts a stick in the mud due to her rationality.  These traits had made her the ideal assistant for the princess as far as her teacher had been concerned.

She watched as the guards blew their trumpeting calls and sped the charriot onward. The poor mare was also hoping she could make friends in this town since her life had been a rather lonely one. Still the town was beautiful and she believed that the princess would enjoy their stay here.

[HopeFox]

Timber Crash steered his newly felled tree trunk into a sloping section of riverbank a short distance away from the buildings of the town itself. The tree lodged against the bank with a thud, and he carefully trooted along the length of the trunk until he could scramble up the bank, ropes in tow. He was preparing to drag the tree out of the river when he chanced to look up, seeing the huge writing in the sky.

"Welcome Princess Luna?" he wondered. "THE Princess Luna? The things I miss when I'm out of town. That explains all the running around." He quickly strapped himself into his harness and dug his hooves into the ground, straining against the tree. "I'd better get this tree off to the mill before Princess Luna gets here!"

Just then, a series of trumpet notes rang out, from the direction of the big hill overlooking town. He looked up at the hill, guessing that that might be Princess Luna's entourage arriving now. "Oh, apples," he swore, and redoubled his efforts to haul the log out of the water before he had to go and be presentable along with the rest of the townsponies. Not that he was looking particularly presentable at the moment, with twigs and dirt caught in his mane, and still tied to a log.

[Mac84]

The Sound of the trumpets caught No Mark by surprise. Banging his head against the copper pipes he swore softy under his breath. He spent all last week fixing up a house near the center of town. The plumbing being one of the last things to be done. Crawling out from underneath the newly refurbished home. His plain brown coat was covered in caked on mud and dust. Looking around, he could see the townsfolk around the town square.

"now I wonder what's going on."

He wasn't told why he was fixing up the old place, simply to do it. He reached the edge of the crowd. Not taking notice of all the fancy trappings the other ponies were wearing. Craning his neck he could easily see over the other ponies. What ever it was, was drawing lots of attention as the crowd whispered amongst themselves.

"Who's that?"

The question wasn't directed at anyone in particular but an elder pony remarked all the same as he reached to see.

"Where have you been? That is Princess Luna."

"Princess Luna?"

No Mark Repeated the name as he looked. The Elder pony looked to see who could have made such a remark.

"No Mark, I should have known."

The elder pony looked at the condition of the larger pony next to him. large clumps of mud slid off to fall on the grass below.

"Look at you. Have you no self respect. Course Having no Cutie Mark. I am surprised you would walk around in public much less in plain view of the Princess."

No Mark didn't answer. It was known fact around these parts that he had no Cutie Mark. He didn't think much about it. Right now he wanted to be laying under his favorite shade tree by the river.

"No Mark!"

a shrill voice hissed so as not to be heard by anyone beyond a few feet away. No Mark turned to face an old mare addressing him.

"Yes Ma'am?"

"Look at the state of the Garden. Do you think Princess Luna would approve?"

The old mare pointed back to a weed infested Garden just behind the House that He was under not 5 minutes ago.

"But Flower Petal was to take care of the Garden"

The Old Mare was fuming. More out of frustration of some ponies shirking their duties to play than any real anger towards No Mark.

"Well she isn't there, so get it done before the princess sees that mess."

"Yes Ma'am"

No Mark began to walk back to the House. Shaking his coat to get some of the mud and Dust off. Much to the aggravation of the others around him. Reaching the Garden. No Mark set about pulling the weeds up. Much of them growing around the thorny rose bushes.   

[FazzEagle]

It was just another day for the self-proclaimed 'Manliest Pony of all of Maneflow' as he helped the farmers drag a cart full of fruits and vegetables all by himself - all the while with his calm, cocky smile on his face. However, he did notice something different about the rural area today: lots more ponies were running around! He greeted most of the females that came by his way, but all were too busy to stay for even ten seconds to talk to him. Despite the many signs and banners around him that welcomes 'Princess Luna' to their home, Heavy Hoof remained ignorant and thought that the Ponies were in a rush because it was going to rain.

"The clouds don't look that dark..." Heavy Hoof muttered to himself - rubbing his chin while a long banner saying 'Princess Luna' went pass him, "Those weather Ponies must be having a bad day. Hm...?" Just then, in the horizon, several Ponies were running towards his direction - each looking excited. "Well, well, well... Looks like this day just got better! No need to rush, ponies of Maneflow; there's plenty of Hoofster to go around--..." But before he could finish, the crowd of Ponies simply just ran past him, apparently ignoring every word he just said! "Uh... what just happened here...?" Spotting a random male Pony cleaning up the exterior of his house, Heavy Hoof called out to him. "You there - random Maneflow resident - where in Equestria are all the Pony going...? I'm right -here-."

"Huh?" the Pony asked, turning his head around, "Welcoming Princess Luna, of course! She'll be arriving here soon!"

"Princess... Luna...?" Heavy Hoof muttered, raising a brow, "Where have I heard that name before...? It's like there was something important about that name... Something bad - almost 'nightmare-ish'..." A brief silence, before he suddenly freaked out. "Did you say she was a 'Princess'!? I haven't even cleaned my mane; I can't have royalty see me - Heavy Hoof - like this! Out of my way, ponies...!" And just like that, Heavy Hoof quickly dragged the cart and himself away from the scene.

[Mac84]

The garden wasn't near as bad as the old mare was making it out to be. No Mark simply set out to weed. As he worked, the crowd began to move off in one large mass. It would seem the town leaders were giving the new arrival, Princess Luna, a tour of the city. This gave him extra time to work. Soon he was finished and the Garden displayed it's flowers brightly for all to see. This last chore had No Mark covered in scratches and Cuts from the thorny rose bushes. Taking one last look around the building and property to ensure everything was in proper order. No Mark gave a satisfied shake of his mane as he meandered off away from the excitement.

The sun was starting to climb high in the sky as the day grew warmer and warmer. No Mark circled his favorite shade tree but found it was too warm for that just yet. A few feet away in the river a large stone slab protruded from the river bank onto the shore. No Mark waded in and scaled the rock. a moment later he was laying on his side as the cool water splashed over him. The piled on dirt and mud was washed away as the strands of his long tail and mane drifted and floated in the soft current. Every once in a while he would flick his tail. splashing the water onto the part of his body that was not submerged in the water.

"ah, so nice on a Warm day"

In such a position it was very difficult not to fall asleep with the warm sun over head. No Mark was no exception, and soon he too had fallen asleep. He has been found like this many times before and while he was in no danger of drowning or being carried off by the river. That never stopped the casual passerby to think the worst. 

[Empyrean]

With a burst of speed, the guardsponies whisked the carriage down the long, gently-inclined slope towards Maneflow. Luna couldn't help but stick her head out the window to see her new home rushing at her, nor could she suppress a laugh of exhilaration. The wind blew her purple mane out, creating a rain of twilight like a banner as the black carriage sped onwards. Surrounding it was a rumble that shook the earth like thunder as the guardponies charged in unison, their golden armor gleaming.

All too soon it was over. The carriage stopped by the river, near to the center of town. It was black, the color of the night sky, with stars painted onto it. On the front door was a crescent moon done in silver. The guardsponies blew the trumpets again, and then one came to the side and opened the door. With the flick of a forehoof, the stairs were lowered. Once he stepped aside, Luna emerged from the interior darkness of the carriage. She held onto the formal smile of greeting she remembered from her training as a child, but inside she felt both hot and nervous. It was all well and good for Celestia to say that she would get used to being around other ponies, but she just felt so awkward and self-conscious right now.

One of the heralds cantered forward and raised a clear, piping voice that carried far and wide. "Presenting Her Royal Highness, Princess Luna, She Who Raises The Moon! Princess Celestia requests the residents of Maneflow to make her welcome into their town for the duration of her visit!" One last trumpet fanfare, and then a guardpony fell in on her side and rear. The alicorn walked forward slowly, looking to the excited, murmuring townsfolk, and wondering just what her life would really be like here. She raised her soft voice enough to say "Hello everyone. I hope we'll get along."

[FazzEagle]

There was a brief silence after the herald pony made the announcement - perhaps the residents of Maneflow did not exactly know how to talk to royalty face-to-face. Many, however, stared at Her Highness with either admiration or anxiety, and some whispered to one another. Then... just when Luna thought the silence would be the most awkward greeting she would encounter during her arrival:

"Excuse me, coming through!" a manly voice spoke up from the edge of the audience, "Excuse me; hey, how's it going; am I late...?" Then, from the front of the audience, Heavy Hoof squeezed his head through two other ponies, flashing his cocky smile before looking upwards. "On behalf of the... -fine- residents of Maneflow, I welcome you--..." However, the one he saw was not Luna, but instead the herald that was reading the announcement earlier. "... you're more... 'male' than I thought you were... and you're not as pretty as I pictured you'd be." Then, in a soft voice he muttered: "And to think I combed my mane thoroughly just for this." But then in a slightly louder tone: "But uh I welcome you, 'Princess Luna', to our humble home!"

Then, one of the ponies next to him lowered his head and whispered to him with a nervous look on his face - though with a forced smile. "That's... not the Princess, Heavy Hoof."

"Excuse me...?"

Then, the pony pointed towards the -actual- Princess Luna standing not far behind the herald. To Heavy Hoof, that was a sight for sore eyes compared to the herald he was looking at earlier; this pony was actually beautiful!

"Oh uh... I knew that." Heavy Hood said, shifting his eyes side to side before slowly rising, and in turn slightly pushing the two ponies next to him aside. "I was just testing everyone else is all." Then, a smile was flashed to the herald. "No hard feelings, eh buddy?" Turning his attention to Princess Luna, the self-proclaimed 'manliest Pony of Maneflow' ran his front hoof across his mane before standing strong and proud with his manly chest jutting forward. "As I was saying: the -fine- residents of Maneflow welcome you, and may I say that you look more beautiful than I imagined."

Yes, only Heavy Hoof would dare to flirt with royalty in front of others just like that.

[HopeFox]

Timber Crash looked up at the hill as he heard Princess Luna's carriage thunder down the slope, hauled by her guards. He stopped in his tracks to watch the procession, admiring the gleaming golden armour of Luna's escort, and the wake of twilight left by the Princess's mane. So engrossed was he by this sight that he failed to notice the log dragging him back down the riverbank, his hooves slowly sliding through the mud.

"Wow!" he sighed to himself, as the carriage trundled on towards the centre of town. He would have to go and greet the princess along with the rest of town, as soon as he dealt with... Just then, he looked back and saw that his harvested log was pulling him back into the river. He flailed wildly with his hooves, trying to gain purchase on the muddy bank, but to no avail, and he found himself dragged back into the water with a mighty splash.

"Great," he muttered to himself. "Stuck hauling logs while Princess Luna herself is arriving in town, and now everypony will get to meet her before I do. Unless..." he pondered, then clambered up onto the log and shoved it away from the bank. The log drifted out into the current and floated on down the river, towards the centre of town.

Timber Crash flattened himself against the tree trunk as he passed under some low bridges, trying to avoid being dunked into the water again. He stood up and dragged a branch against the riverbank to slow down as he approached the town square, where he could see most of the townsponies gathered around Princess Luna's carriage. The log ground to a halt underneath the town's main bridge, and he hauled himself up onto the bridge itself.

His leaf-green mane and tail were plastered against his body and covered with mud and twigs, and he was still covered in ropes and harnesses, but he bounced up and down on the edge of the bridge like an overly excitable colt as he waved to the princess. "Welcome to Maneflow, Your Highness!" he called out, straining for a glimpse of the alicorn over the crowd.

[pendarious]

Luminescent Dusk stepped out of the carriage behind luna. She was walking alongside the Alicorn as she made her greetings. Then came the brash and arrogant seeming pony. The one who dared to flirt with princess Luna in such a way. however Luminescent decided it best not to address him at that moment. she raised her own soft voice to speak next. "I am Luminescent Dusk the princess's aide I do believe it is our pleasure to meet you fine ponies this afternoon and we are honored to have you all gathered here for our arrival." Her black cape was fluttering lightly in the breeze exposing her light blue coat flecked with red and purple. Her silvery mane streaked with light purple also flowed in the breaze a bit as she spoke.

[FazzEagle]

"Hey!" Heavy Hoof exclaimed, turning his head to see the pony jumping up and down at the bridge, "I was here first!" Despite the fact that everyone else actually arrived earlier.

However, upon turning around, the pony known as Luminescent Dusk stepped up to make her own announcement and greeting. Of course, to the proud and self-loving Heavy Hoof: he thought she was talking to him. "The feeling is mutual... I'm sure," Heavy Hoof said, looking at the new Pony with a cheeky smile while raising and dropping his brows flirtatiously, "And don't worry; there's plenty of Heavy Hoof to go around. Which reminds me!" Once more, the manly-voiced pony straightened himself. "Let me introduce myself: name's Heavy Hoof - strongest Pony of all of Maneflow! There's nothing too heavy or too big for me to handle." A few simple female Ponies in the back sighed in admiration. "So don't worry about running into any trouble here, sweety... Not when I'm around - Heavy Hoof."

[Empyrean]

Luna looked a bit flustered with all the attention of the townsponies on her, but she maintained the smile she'd been taught as a filly. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Heavy Hoof. I am certain that we will talk more, and if there are any problems, I will remember to ask for you." She inclined her head in an unintentionally regal manner, even as some of the guardsponies eyed up Heavy Hoof with skepticism.

Luna's attention was caught by the jumping pony who seemed disheveled. She made tiny motions with her head, and the nearest ponies opened a path as she walked towards Timber Crash. "Excuse me. I'm new in town and I don't know all your customs. Is it normal to jump in the water before meeting someone here?" There was no mockery in the mare's voice, and her purple eyes were serious as she looked at him.   

[Mac84]

No Mark awoke from his Nap and stood up out of the water. Shaking his body and mane, drying off as much as possible. It appears that the crowd was parted and a small purple Unicorn with Wings was approaching a rather excited Pony. Timber Crash was his name if No Mark remembered correctly. He waited until The greetings were exchanged before he approached. Two Guardponies clad in golden armor seemed to appear out of no where and stand between him and the small princess. With a barely noticeable nod. the Princess bid the guards to make way. No Mark approached and performed a rather clumsy bow that he had seen others practice that day.

"Welcome to Maneflow, Your...Uh...um Ma-chesty?"

No Mark was not sure how to address a pony of royalty. From the crowd a few stifled fits of laughter.

"I am No Mark. If you have any trouble with your house. Please ask and I'll take care of it"

No Mark didn't wait for a response as he began to shuffle backwards. Not seeing the large rock, he tripped and fell backwards in the dust. His Blank Flank brandished for the world to see. Giving a sheepish and embarrassed grin. he stood back up and slipped back into the crowd.

[FazzEagle]

"Not a problem, I can assure you!" the manly Pony said, waving off his hoof, "Any pony - weak or small - can depend on Heavy..." It was then that the Princess started walking away, moving towards the pony greeting her at the bridge. "... Hoof...?" Before, of course, he noticed the look the guard ponies were giving him. "... what? Oooh! I get it, I get it. You're feeling insecure because you're standing before such a manly Pony, aren't you? Well... I'll be honest with you: the armor makes up for it. I'm Heavy Hoof." He flashed a little grin to the tough and unmoving guard ponies, before he leaned to the side to get a good look at Luminescent Dusk. "And you're welcome to ask for my help when you need it too." He raised and dropped his brows a little in that second attempt to flirt with her, but soon moved away to move closer to where the Princess was.

On his way, he came across No Mark, who had just tripped over the rock. "Eeeasy there, buddy. Watch and how a -real- stallion talk with a pony."

Eventually, the Pony stood not far from Princess Celestia, and looked towards Timber Crash. "That's one of the residents of Maneflow, Your Majesty. His name's... uh... I think it was... 'Timber Dash'... or 'Climber Ed'... And I think his job involves plants... or something." Heavy Hoof raised a hoof to wave to the pony in question. "Hey there! How's it going!"

Needless to say that loud, sudden greeting would have easily hinted the Princess what kind of personality Heavy Hoof had.

[HopeFox]

Timber Crash peered over the crowd, seeing Luna being addressed by Heavy Hoof. "Great," he sighed to himself, "if it isn't Celestia's gift to mares." Heavy Hoof wasn't a bad sort, though, and it was nice to have somepony else around who appreciated the value of solid physical labour. He returned the large pony's wave, giving him a grin.

He ceased his jumping abruptly as he noticed that Princess Luna was actually coming to speak to him. To him! He desperately tried to flatten down his mane and brush the twigs out of it as she approached, but only succeeded in grinding the mud into it more deeply.

Timber Crash bowed deeply as Princess Luna addressed him, his muzzle almost touching the ground. "Your Highness! Um..." he pondered. Say yes, it'll be hilarious! he thought, but his natural honesty won out. "No, that's just me. I was upriver, pulling down trees - that's what I do. That and looking after the forest. It's really a lovely forest, I should show you while you're here! Anyway, I was about to take this tree down to the lumber mill, which is why I was in the river, and why I'm still, um... tied to it. Oh, I could show you the mill, too! It's actually a really good way to see the town, riding down the river on a log. If, um, you're not busy, anyway." He grinned awkwardly, his green tail whipping excitedly.

[pendarious]

Luminescent Dusk was utterly speechless at the behavior of this "Heavy Hoof" flirting with princess Luna and herself not even moments upon their arrival. Well He had guts she had to admit. Then there was the somewhat Clumsy "No Mark" who had politely introduced himself and turned to leave only to stumble on a rock. the poor stallion. of course there was the matter of the jumping pony to whom the princess was going to see. Luminescent was quick to fallow after however she was a tad behind heavy hoof as he went to talk.

Timber Crash seemed like an amicable fellow what with his offer to float adrift and see the town and all. Luminescent Dusk had to admit that this was certainly going to be an interesting stay. She believed that this just might be the sort of town to readjust the princess to society and to show herself what it's like to have a social life. Though she still held some misgivings about the overconfident Heavy Hoof she believed that those would fade as she adjusted to his brash and overbearing preasence.

[Empyrean]

For a quick moment a thought flashed through her mind. I've seen the like of this Heavy Hoof before. How easy it would be to make a minion of him and conquer this pitiful place. The words, the regal, slyly arrogant tone, sparked a cold sweat on her brow. For just a moment, her muscles spasmed as she remembered the sensation of flight though infinite shadows that caressed her so lovingly. She shook her head, not aware that she was doing that. No, no! Get out of my head! I'm not you and I never will be again!

The touch of sunlight on her mane brought her back to awareness of the present moment. Luna smiled at both stallions, though she did look concerned when No Mark started back into the crowd. "I would be delighted to tour my new home with a river trip, Timber Crash. Is No Mark going to be okay? That fall looked painful." She gestured with her horn towards the direction No Mark had gone.