Grey Mane decided to look back at her new team-mate. "Greetings... Call me Grey Mane. I am also used to Dangerous artifacts. I'm a collector of sorts one might say... I reckon our next step should be to find the others and tell them our findings...." She began to head of. She knew Ponyville like the back of her Hoof. Should'nt be hard to find an Inn as there are not really many in Ponyville.
Follia wonders out with the other two mares, nodding to the couple as he leaves. "Ah! Well, that explains why your here, Grey." He comments, "But I don't know about going in just yet...Did anyone else get a glance at an old wagon outside of town? I'll bet Mitzy's collar that we'll find our shady Equus quagga. We should go chat to him first." He asides to Toxic: "I've heard of you Dr. Rain but only in name. Why would an alchemist such as yourself be snooping around for clues on books?"
Grey Mane looked at Follia. "You two can go check out over there. I will inform the others of the findings from SugarCube Corner. Once you are done meet me and the others at the Inn." And at that she went off.
Toxic watched Grey Mane trot away, and turned back to her goat companion. "I think that would be a great idea! I wonder how he got the book in the first place.. well, I study the basic chemical compositions of every pony, and yet the subject of alchemy is still growing. You see, nopony has a solid theory about the element of magic. So I've taken an interest in that particular field, did some background studies, and read rumors about a book, very similar to the one Twilight Sparkle has, that has explained the essence of magic." She blinked, realizing she was ranting again, and quieted.
"I see. I'm afraid the best I can do is use ferrets as spies and I haven't done that yet. Still, we should be off before the Zebra takes of for other places. We need to question him, possibly for a cure. More likely for the exact effects of the book and it's purpose." Follia said, walking off in the general direction of where he thought the wagon ought to be.
Toxic Rain nodded along with Follia, and she walked beside him. Her eyes darted about, searching for any strange-looking caravan. "He should still be here, if he really wants that book back," she threw in.
(Yay! Luck Rolls!) Spoiler: Roll Luck for Toxic Rain and Follia 21 Toxic Rain would have to wait to have her theory proven. As she and Follia make their way to what they believe is Virulento's wagon, their progress is suddenly impeded by a reddish-purple pony with a rose-colored mane and green eyes. Her Cutie Mark appears to be three smiling flowers. She is travelling with a larger stallion who has a red coat and brown mane. His Cutie Mark is a green apple. The mare examines the two professors and immediately determines that she doesn't recognize them. She addresses the stallion, "Big Macintosh, are these the outsiders that Applebloom says she saw go into Twilight's house?" The stallion simply replies, "Eeyup." Then, "One of them, anyway." He points with his hoof at Follia. "That one." The mare nods and replies. "You know, I think it's funny that the last place anypony saw your sister Applejack go was Twilight Sparkle's house and that was two days ago. Then, these outsiders go into Twilight's house, but they came out and are just trotting around like they own the place! Isn't that funnny?" "Eeyup." She turns to the two professors. "So, what have you done with Applejack?" ----- Spoiler: Roll Luck for Grey Mane 84 Grey Mane finds her companions, Mystic Heart and Silver Shield in short order, due to knowing that the best, and only inn in town was "The Oaken Stable". She starts to trot toward them when... ----- Spoiler: Roll Luck for Mystic Heart and Silver Shield 34 While standing outside the inn, waiting for a response from Mytic Heart, the two ponies are approached by four of the ponies that were milling around earlier. A colt earth pony addresses Mystic Heart. "Well, aren't you guys a cute couple?" Another male earth pony chuckles and adds, "They smell like Canterlot." The solitary filly of the group, a pegasus, mentions, "You guys are awfully far from home. Most Canterlotians are too good to be seen here." The last colt, a unicorn, says, "Yeah. We're sure you're not just here to take in the sights. Five ponies go missing, and then you guys show up. I don't think that's a coincidence." ----- Spoiler: The situation thus far, for planning purposes Follia and Toxic Rain are near the edge of town. Standing before them are a pair of earth ponies. Mystic Heart and Silver Shield are further in town, surrounded by four ponies: 2 earth ponies, 1 pegasus, and 1 unicorn. Grey Mane is approaching Mystic Heart and Silver Shield. The unfriendly ponies are not aware of Grey Mane. The pegasus and unicorn have their backs to her.
Silver's face twisted into an expression of genuine confusion. "We smell like Canterlot?" He turned to Mystic Heart. "I'm pretty sure I showered this morning..." He turned back to the group of ponies, who seemed fairly hostile, still with an extremely confused look on his face. "I'm not quite sure I know what you mean. Does Canterlot have a specific smell?" In reality, Silver was just trying to look harmless, stupid. Grey Mane would be able to take them by surprise if they caused any real trouble (in other words, more trouble than just harrassing). He hoped Mystic Heart and Grey Mane would play along; if these ponies didn't consider them to be intelligent or to have any clue as to what was going on, it was likely they would be left alone.
Grey Mane decided to back off and get ready so if they did begin to cause a bad scene she would be ready. She didn't know much about teamwork but she knew a lot about surprises...
She thinks for a few moments, and then nodded gently. "Oh, when I visited Canterlot once I thought it smelled like toitery. Is that a word?" She looked at Silver with an appearance of confusion. "Or would it be hoity toitery? Oh dear, I told you we should've waited for a response letter before coming here!" She holds her hooves over her head in distress. "Our timing always turns out to be terrible otherwise!"
Silver nodded sadly. "I know what you mean," he said. "Last time I came here there was this absolutely terrible plague of baked bads, or so I recall," he said. He clutched his stomach. "I could hardly bear to be around the hospital that day. It was positively awful!" He let his Canterlot accent become more prominent than he usually did, so as to amplify his facade of snobbish ignorance.
Silver Shield and Mystic Heart The "lead" earth pony gives you both a confused glance. (Willpower) The pegasus pokes the leader in the shoulder and snickers. "Haha. He was here for the 'Baked Bads.' Serves 'em right." (Willpower) The unicorn shouts at his companion, "That's not funny! I still can't look at a cupcake without spazzing a little." (Willpower) The leader stomps his hoof. "Shut up!" He directs his attention to Mystic Heart. "Response letter? What's that?" The pegasus snickers again. "It's an answer to a letter that was sent previous, kinda like how I'm responding to you right now, only it's a letter. I can't send you a response letter because that would take much longer than actually saying something to you and-" The leader stomps his hoof again. "I know what a response letter is, stupid! I want to know about her response letter. Why are you guys here, anyway?"
"Oh, now now, don't get hostile on my account. He was only answering your question, after all. Quite adequitely, I may add." She smiles at the pegasus for good measure. "Though, wishing those baked bads on anypony can't be nice. What do you say about it?"
While Heart conversed with the pegasus, Silver addressed the unicorn in his prominent Canterlot accent. "Well, I came here to see what all the fuss was about down here. Rumors are spreading around Canterlot that...well..." He motioned the unicorn closer. Whispering, he continued, "Some folk in Canterlot say that Ponyville... might actually make a good place for a summer home, of all things. What do you think? You live here, after all. Just don't tell anypony else, or I might die from embarrasment." Silver congratulated himself on his perfect touch of disdain. He had lived with his parents for the first 13 years of his life, so he knew Canterlot snobbery like the bottom of his hoof. He also knew how to act like a perfect idiot, for exactly the same reason.
Mystic Heart and Silver Shield (Willpower) The pegasus replied, "Uh...First of all, it's she, not he. I'm a girl. Second of all, I can wish all the baked bads on Canterlot snobs I want. It's a free country. And third of all..." She begins to say something else, but the lead earth pony glares at her. "Don't be gettin' friendly with these outsiders, Licorice." The unicorn steps back from Silver Shield after hearing his explaination. (Willpower) Despite his leader's warning, he speaks up. "Hey, if you like general freakiness, go for it. Ever since that zebra arrived, Ponyville's been gettin' really weird. The sky gets dark at random, you can hear thunder even though there's not a cloud in the sky..." Licorice nods. "I should know, I'm one of the ones who keeps it that way." The unicorn continues, "And now ponies are goin' missing. So, yeah. Make a summer home here. Better you guys disappear than us."
Grey Mane gritted her teeth. Even she was not so heartless as to hope others go missing in place of her. She kept her calm thouh and found a dark little corner to prepare herself in.
Toxic Rain's eyes widen innocently and she gives them a nervous smile. "Ma'am, please forgive us for whatever miscommunication we seem to be having, but we haven't done anything with anypony!" She was becoming increasingly nervous. Confrontations were not her style, not at all. Her ears flattened against her head, and she nudged Folia for support. "Erm, I mean, we are here on an important mission, not to hurt anypony, but to help!"
Toxic Rain and Follia (Willpower) The mare narrowed her eyes and trained them on Toxic Rain. "What kind of important mission? You look a little nervous for somepony whose intentions are so noble..." The stallion stood behind his companion, stone-faced and possibly ready to attack.
Silver nodded gravely. "Is that right? Ponies disappearing..." he appeared to be deep in shallow thought, and then a huge grin spread across his face. Turning to Heart, he said, "I say, this sounds like a job for that famous detective! What was his name, is always slips my mind...was it, perhaps, Diamond Joe or something of that sort?"
