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#Post#: 513--------------------------------------------------
After Hours
By: Ruby Fortuna Date: January 9, 2014, 7:30 pm
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Night had long since fallen over Ponyville that summer day. The
sun hid itself behind the horizon, and the moon was raised in
its place, casting its ghostly pale light into the cobblestone
streets. Other ponies had long since gone to sleep at this hour,
and those that were still up had been hurrying home, or were
already there, nestling themselves into warm blankets and cozy
mattresses to make themselves ready for a long night's sleep.
The town proper was quiet as a result, not a usual quiet but a
close, and somewhat unsettling quiet. There was no breeze to
push along noises that came from upwind, or to make the faint
rustle of leaves or a paper bag on the ground, and there were no
crickets chirping either.
The oil in the lampposts must have been neglected by the town
maintenance ponies, as one by one along the main street, the
flames in their little glass cages snuffed themselves out, and
soon enough, only the moon lit up this particular street. The
air was chilly, but not uncomfortably so, as if one was standing
near the spray of a waterfall. Perhaps it was either that, or
the fog that happened to be rolling in from the forests. It
wasn't thick yet, but it was getting more and more so as time
went on. By this point, one could only see down the street
before the haze made everything else obscure. Certainly no pony
would want to be out on this night, but there was a sort of
atmosphere to this close, quiet street...
... and Ruby enjoyed it quite a bit. In the middle of the main
street, the faded magenta mare sat at the entrance to a dark
alleyway, her burgundy mane hanging over her face as she glanced
up and down the street every so often. Her curfew demanded that
she was home at this hour, but this wouldn't be the first time
that she had disrespected it. She was nineteen now, she could
easily take care of herself after all. If there would be any
pony that came looking for her, they would go home without
anything to show for their quest; she was not moving from her
spot, and in no way was she going to miss the witching hours of
this night.
Her right foreleg was held up in front of her, and around it, a
large, off-white snake had coiled itself, moving very little as
it tried to conserve its body heat by leeching from Ruby's. She
pulled her foreleg close to herself, stroking the scaly sides of
the python curled around her. That was not the focus of her
attention though. Open to her side on the cobblestone road,
there was a large hardcover book, roughly a thousand pages deep
and printed in a very neat, tiny print. On the left hand side of
the page were various well-detailed drawings on astrological
positions, the zodiac, and other factors that influence the way
that the world works. Any unicorn or pony who was well versed in
magic text would instantly recognize this as an intermediate
guide to divination, with this particular page focusing on the
night sky.
Levitating in front of her, there was a deck of cards, though
not the usual deck of playing cards that one would be accustomed
to. Ruby would dare not look at them right now as she shuffled
them aimlessly with her magic. Looking at one while she was
mulling over questions in her head was a surefire way to damn
herself. The cards never lied, or so she came to believe. This
was her deck of tarot cards, seventy-eight in total, 22 major
arcana, 56 minor arcana, each one with a detailed picture, a
title, and one of two meanings that could be gleaned from each
one, and then interpreted in order to answer the questions
asked. Some would dismiss this as hokey, superstitious nonsense,
but there were those who were willing to give it a shot. For one
measly bit, Ruby would listen to a question, mull it over in her
head, and then place a certain number of cards in a spread in
front of the customer, turning them over in particular ways
depending on the question.
One bit for a piece of superstition based information, but it
was by far one of her favorite methods of divination. It was
quick, it was painless, it didn't involve the consumption of
terribly flavored tea, or studying the stars for many days, or
looking in the newspaper for a generic, cookie-cutter piece of
advice. No, these bits of advice were always relevant in some
way, which made them much more real to Ruby.
Her shuffling started to slow down as she looked at the upturned
hat in front of her. Twenty-three bits in total, it was enough
to buy herself something to eat tomorrow before she came back
here. Stacking the cards together once more, she placed them
carefully in the small, stained oaken box, on top of the sprig
of mint that lay on the bottom of it, sliding the lid back in
place before she opened up a small bitpurse that sat empty
behind her, counting each bit one by one as she levitated them
into the small bag. She would stay around for a little while
longer, but she eventually wanted to wander around a little
more. These kinds of atmospheric nights did not happen often,
and she didn't want to waste it in a bed in the home of her
foster parents.
#Post#: 529--------------------------------------------------
Re: After Hours
By: Lamplight Date: January 10, 2014, 12:08 pm
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Lamplight gives a light sigh as the last of her customers leaves
for the night. It had been quite a busy one today, and she was
closing a little later than normal. She looks around the
now-empty room that takes up most of the bottom floor of her
inn, spotting a few mugs left out and spills that need cleaning.
Well, at least that shouldn't take too long. The orange mare
walks out from behind the bar and begins gathering up the
leftover dishes to carry back to the kitchen, where her chef,
Soybean, awaits to clean them. A few trips to and from the
kitchen later, and the tables are bare once again. She emerges
from the kitchen again, this time sporting a rag, and begins
wiping the bar and tables down. She's mostly finished by the
time Soybean comes out of the kitchen for the night, the pale
green stallion giving her a friendly nod as he heads for the
door. She finishes up fairly quickly, though it's almost 2 AM by
the time she emerges from the kitchen for the final time that
night. She lets out another long sigh now that all is quiet save
for the occasional shifting of one of the overnight guests
upstairs.
She steps outside a few moments later and is a little surprised
to find the streets shrouded in fog, lending the quiet streets a
slightly eerie atmosphere. It doesn't bother Lamplight any
though, the mare having been in far creepier places during the
years she'd spent wandering, and she sets out into the fog for
her customary midnight stroll. Unfortunately, the fog obscures
her view of the sky, so she's unable to stargaze as she walks
this night. Instead, she entertains herself by imagining some
horrible beast stealing out of the forest under the cover of the
fog to stalk the streets of town. Was that shadow a trash can,
or a timberwolf? That looming shape down the street a house, or
the dreaded Ursa Major? Maybe that tall, thin object wasn't a
burned out lamppost, but some strange, slender creature hitherto
unknown to ponykind. She stops in her tracks, looking over
toward that last one. There seemed to be quite a few of them
down that street, actually, and in the increasingly thick fog
she could barely see anything through the darkness. The close
feeling provided by the fog gave her the impression of standing
before a dark, yawning cave, rather than a simple city street
with it's lamps out. She giggles silently to herself and steps
into the darkness, not even bothering to make her own light as
she sets off down the shadowed street. That would ruin the fun,
after all.
She's just starting to be able to make out the lights on the
other end of the darkened street when in the corner of her eye
something that is decidedly not imaginary moves, and she stops
in her tracks, her head whipping around toward it. She squints
through the fog at the dark(er) blob. Was that a pony in the
mouth of an alley there? Her horn lights up and a black,
floating lantern pops into being a little above her head,
casting it's warm orange glow out into the darkened street.
"Hello?" She says, stepping forward to reveal a young, red mare
with a snake. Lamplight gives the other pony a smile as she
comes to a stop a little ways away, apparently unfazed by the
creepy atmosphere and the somewhat odd pony before her. "Hi
there." She greets properly, eyes drawn curiously to the small
box and bitpurse that were sitting before her.
#Post#: 530--------------------------------------------------
Re: After Hours
By: Ruby Fortuna Date: January 10, 2014, 2:24 pm
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Ruby's attention snapped up to the source of unexpected light as
it appeared just a little ways away from her. It was quite a
shock coming from her bit-counting concentration to this strange
light emerging from the fog, and immediately, her mind wandered
to the various entities that were rumoured to lurk in the fog.
Immediately, she could rule out all of them with the current
circumstances; none of the bog beasts used a light in any way as
it would disrupt their nocturnal hunting ability. Perhaps this
was something different, maybe a creature that would lure
unsuspecting prey to it through the mist with this light? It is
a very niche tactic, and would only work with ponies, really.
Alas, her fleeting suspicions were waylaid as soon as the
creature tired to greet Ruby.
Blinking twice as she gave Lamp a wide-eyed stare, she slowly
set her bitpurse back behind her, going back to stroking her
python curled up on her arm. What an oddity for a pony to turn
up around this hour, but then again, how was Ruby any different?
Perhaps there was a difference in reason for coming out this
late. Ruby enjoyed the atmosphere and the superstition
surrounding this hour, yet she didn't know why this individual
was braving the murky darkness. "Hello to you secondly," she
replied, greeting the mare in a slightly unorthodox manner, but
still, it didn't pay to be rude or standoffish to potential
customers.
"Out to enjoy the night are we?" Ruby immediately asked
afterwards, her tone inflecting a bit of wariness with some
genuine curiosity. She gave a quick glance down to her python as
it shifted its head towards the newcomer, its tongue flitting
out to taste the air for the light-bearer before quickly losing
interest. It was another pony, very much like the others that
approached Ruby. Not for eating. Looking back up to the new
pony, she canted her head, keeping the wide-eyed, almost
child-like bemusement before asking cryptically, "You aren't
like the others, are you? I don't usually see others walking in
the night, save the town guard, and even they pass me by without
second thought."
Squinting judgementally, she hummed in contemplation, deducing
as many possible reasons as she could, "Perhaps you seek
something, something that I... could perhaps help with?" The
stranger was looking at the box that housed her Tarot cards;
could she know what they were? The box was ornate enough to tell
that it housed something possibly important to its owner, but
still well within society's standards of simple. Around the
sides, the wood was burned to create a dark, flowing border, and
the lid to the box had the four suits of minor arcana painted on
with black ink: Pentacles, Wands, Cups, and Swords. "I am Ruby
Fortuna, ma'am. What, pray tell, is your name?"
#Post#: 531--------------------------------------------------
Re: After Hours
By: Lamplight Date: January 10, 2014, 5:10 pm
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Lamplight kept her smile, despite the somewhat odd greeting.
"Yeah, always enjoy a midnight stroll. Little later than usual
though." She says, and for a moment she peers up through the fog
in an attempt to locate the moon. The fog is too thick though,
and her lantern doesn't help matters, so she looks back down and
at Ruby. She just shrugs at Ruby's next question, having only
been out for a short walk before she went to bed. "Not really. I
just like the peace and quiet after how rowdy my inn can get."
She holds out a hoof to the be-snaked mare. "I'm Lamplight, nice
to meet you Ruby." Her smile widens for a moment, and she casts
her eyes back toward the box. "So what do you do out here so
late at night?"
#Post#: 539--------------------------------------------------
Re: After Hours
By: Ruby Fortuna Date: January 11, 2014, 1:45 am
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Ruby furrowed her brows in confusion when she was told that
Lamplight was simply out for a stroll to avoid the rowdy,
crowded nature of her inn. The unicorn herself would not know
what exactly she meant; the only crowded place that she had been
to before was the marketplace, and it wasn't even as though they
were lined up shoulder to shoulder. Perhaps it was simply the
noise that would grate at one's ears all day? Certainly much
less desirable than this absolute silence. Shaking her head to
dismiss that train of thought, she took Lamplight's hoof with
the one that didn't have a python on it and gave it an unsure
shake, still not quite convinced about this mare's potential
intentions.
"Well, I am here for the witching hour of course," she stated
flatly, her voice trembling slightly with excitement as it
slowly evolved into a sort of rolling and dramatic tone, as
though she was telling a scary story at a slumber party, "three
hours past midnight, it is supposedly the hour of witches..."
Ruby started to smile a little, "Rumor has it that these
witches, these -hags-, as they are more properly known, come out
from hiding, and they begin to practice all sorts of forbidden
magics." Looking from out of the alley back into the street, she
continued to absentmindedly stroke her python once more, "I
never expected it to be like this tonight though, and now that I
think about it, if I was a witch myself, how could I resist such
an atmospheric night to practice such dark arts..."
"Anyway," she cut herself off, her tone shifting from slow and
dramatic to a more enticing one, "I have been trying to witness
one of these covens for the past few months now, perhaps gain
some insight into how they organize themselves, who they are,
and perhaps what could be learned from them. Until then,
however, I do what I do everyday," looking back down at her
Tarot card box, she slid the lid open and pulled out the full
deck, once more beginning to shuffle it with no rhyme or reason,
"I read these tarot cards for those that come seeking answers to
questions they may have. For only a measly bit, I will listen to
your problem in detail, decide on how to best go about divining
a solution to your problem before I do just that. We do have
another half an hour before the bell tolls thrice, and for a
small price, I could tell you something about your potential
future." The corner of her mouth curled up in a half-smirk as
she cast her gaze down on her deck, looking up at Lamp through
the top of her bronzed eyes.
#Post#: 545--------------------------------------------------
Re: After Hours
By: Lamplight Date: January 11, 2014, 4:46 pm
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Lamplight tilts her head slightly to the side as Ruby explains
her reason for being out so late. The witching hour... She'd
heard the term once before, years ago. As Ruby tell her about it
she looks around at the sinister-looking shapes of the dead
lampposts and dark houses. She had to admit, this did seem like
the perfect night for witching. "Well, I've never seen any
witches while I'm out walking. I'm not usually out quite that
late though." Her eyes are drawn to the box once again as Ruby
pulls out her cards. Ah, tarot, probably should have been able
to guess that. For a few moments she thinks, considering if she
had any questions she could ask. She's not really especially
superstitious, but it's not like it'd hurt anything. If she
could think of a question, which she was currently drawing a
blank on. "Dunno if I have anything important to ask about. I'm
sure you get enough "What should I have for dinner?" type stuff
already."
#Post#: 551--------------------------------------------------
Re: After Hours
By: Ruby Fortuna Date: January 11, 2014, 9:42 pm
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Ruby giggled a little to herself in her throat as Lamp commented
that she had had enough questions about what ponies wish to have
for dinner. It was a bit of an absurd thought, using tarot cards
to decide what one wanted for dinner, and it made her think of
how one could answer a question like that, "Heehee... no, no...
if I had ponies ask me about what they should have for dinner,
or other very specific, choice based things, I wouldn't be
trying to make pocket change from tarot card readings. No, I
would have started perhaps a more niche decision making
operation, though, I am not sure that such a thing could be
either successful, interesting, or relevant to what I study. I
can only imagine somepony coming up to ask me what they should
make for supper, gods forbid I ever draw a card that says 'Creme
of Mushroom Soup'."
Letting out another laugh at the sheer absurdity of it, she
calmed herself down with a little sigh, a little more
comfortable around this mare now that she had been able to make
Ruby laugh, "No, the questions I usually get involve what can't
be known until it exists. Questioning tarot cards can't include
specific answers, or even very strict choices, such as yes or no
questions. If ponies came up to me and asked that, I would flip
the bit they gave me, gave them their answer, and proceed to
keep that bit." As she talked, Ruby continued to shuffle the
cards, the light flitting noise making a sort of light beat in
the alley, almost like an incredibly muted metronome or snare
drum.
"Questions I usually recommend Seekers to think about go as
such: do you have an event coming up in the future that you are
unsure of? Are you afraid of troubles down the road?" As she
listed off example questions, her shuffling increased in pace,
"Do you wish to know the well-being of someone or something? Do
you want insight on a particularly important life choice? Do you
wish to know how well your investment will fare?" The shuffling
was now at a rapid pace, the cards flashing by like blurs in
Ruby's telekinetic grasp. Such dexterity and speed in
manipulating such small items may have required vast amounts of
concentration, and looking closely, one might notice a few drops
of sweat starting to form on her brow and she nearly growled out
the last questions with increasing volume.
"Do you fear for your life? Are you afraid of the unknown? Are
you in immediate peril? Has your very existence been damned by
the curse of misfortune, dooming you to a critical mistake in
your immediate future that could spell disaster for your
friends, family, and everything you know and -love-?" She
stopped shuffling after that. The eerie silence returned into
the street now that the flitting noise of cards had stopped. For
five seconds, Ruby let the air hang, the tension from the series
of strained questions being left to ring within their ears.
After those five seconds, Ruby looked back up, those bronzed
eyes staring back up at Lamp's with their usual wide-eyed
bemusement. "If all else fails... and you are unsure of what to
ask..." she began once more, barely a whisper, though still loud
enough to be heard, "I recommend a simple question: What does
your future hold? It is the question that drives the very study
of divination, the foresight that we all seek so that we may
always make the choices that suit our best interests. If you ask
this question, you cannot go wrong. So, Miss Lamplight... what
do you wish to be enlightened of?
#Post#: 569--------------------------------------------------
Re: After Hours
By: Lamplight Date: January 12, 2014, 2:37 pm
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Lamplight chuckles herself as Ruby describes a possible decision
making business. She has no doubt that at least a few ponies
would actually try that, if only for a laugh. She considers as
Ruby talks, thinking over the suggestions. She had no
particularly important choices or events coming up. And she'd
stopped letting herself be afraid of things long ago. That last
suggestion sounded good though. She pulls out a bit, still
smiling at Ruby and apparently unfazed by the young mare's
sinister phrase. "What does my future hold?" She asks,
levitating the bit over to Ruby and sitting down to watch.
#Post#: 579--------------------------------------------------
Re: After Hours
By: Ruby Fortuna Date: January 13, 2014, 1:31 pm
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Ruby watched as the bit levitated over towards her, being set in
her upturned hoof. Quickly placing it in her bit purse, she
started to shuffle the deck once more, looking a little more
intently at Lamplight, trying to get a feel for who she was, who
she could be, and who she is now. All of these interpretations
could help Ruby figure out what kind of interpretation would
better suit Lamplight, including what kind of spread Ruby should
draw the cards in. This question was a very general topic, so it
should not be anything more complicated than a three card
spread. "Miss Lamplight," the faded magenta unicorn began
slowly, "you wish to know what the future holds for you. I shall
draw for you... three cards."
Ruby stopped shuffling at that point, looking Lamp in the eyes
for a few more seconds before taking the top card and placing it
face up on the cobblestone between them. The picture on the card
indicated a stallion, suspended from a cross beam of living
wood, depicted by the green leaves growing off of it, by his
right rear leg, with his forelegs crossed behind his head. The
expression on his face was not one of pain or suffering, but
rather of meditation and deep contemplation, with his head
surrounded by a nimbus. As she drew this card, Ruby let out a
slow breath, and stated the card, "The Hanged Pony."
"There was a point in time where this card was falsely coined as
the card of martyrs, but I have come to find that it means
something entirely different in this day and age. Take note of
his expression; relaxed and deep in thought, even as he is
suspended upside down. This card demonstrates life in suspension
and serenity that comes from it, but we will not know exactly in
what until we continue our reading."
Ruby drew the next card, setting it face up to the right of The
Hanged Pony. In this card, an alicorn is seen in the sky, a
trumpet raised to her mouth as she flew. Below her, there are
three prominent figures in the foreground, and many more in the
background, a stallion, a mare, and a foal, all looking towards
the alicorn with expressions of jubilation. All of the figures
below her were of a very grey complexion. "Judgement," was the
single word that Ruby uttered, as final as the meaning of the
word implied.
"This card is a signal of impending judgement, be it good or
bad, for past decisions, postponed or otherwise. Fear not, as
not all of these judgements will reciprocate into something
terrible for you, especially when taking into account The Hanged
Pony. In fact, you may find a sort of inner peace with what is
to come, as I see this card, for you, as an indication of
reconciliation, forgiveness, and renewal."
The final card was drawn, and Ruby placed it face up to the
right of Judgement, only with one issue: it was inverted to
Lamp's perspective. The picture depicts a black cloaked pony of
undetermined gender, standing upon the bodies of what look to be
nobility. In front of this pony is a crying mare, a bewildered
foal, and a resolute stallion standing directly in front of the
cloaked one, bearing the standard of royalty, only in a
welcoming fashion. As she set this card down, Ruby tapped her
chin and let out a thoughtful hum, muttering to the both of
them, "Death, an inversion however..."
“Normally, this is a card of loss, though not always in
traditional death. It could be a loss of investment, friendship,
establishment, routine, or something else rather significant in
your life, be it something you wished to be rid of or otherwise.
The loss is usually welcomed. This card, however, is inverted to
you, and so the meaning is reversed. You will be gaining
something, and it will be something that you may not welcome or
expect, but it will be in result of your… hmm… passivity in your
reconciliation? I cannot tell you exactly what this is that you
will gain, but it will be as a result of the meanings of The
Hanged Pony and Judgement.”
Letting Lamp look upon the cards for a little while longer, Ruby
put the cards back into the deck, giving it a quick shuffle once
more to lose the cards’ place in the deck before setting the
entirety of it back into its wooden box. Giving another sigh,
Ruby began to pack up her things and said, “Take the reading as
you will. Choose to believe it if you wish, as in the end, it is
how you yourself choose to interpret what I have told you. Now…”
Ruby looked out of the alley, into the fog that had only
thickened, the snake still clinging to her foreleg beginning to
slither up to her back, “the witching hour is here. I am going
to wander about. Did you wish to join me?”
#Post#: 580--------------------------------------------------
Re: After Hours
By: Lamplight Date: January 13, 2014, 4:54 pm
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Lamplight settles in as Ruby starts her reading, her eyes
following the cards as Ruby takes out the first one. Her brow
furrows slightly at the ominous sound of the name. She leans in
to get a better look at it as Ruby explains it's meaning, her
expression shifting back to a smile. She was fairly content as
she was, though she has to admit sometimes she missed going out
and seeing the world with her own eyes. The next card,
Judgement, garners less of an outward reaction, though she
wonders at it's meaning. She'd upset a fair number of people in
her time, even made some enemies, though she can't think of any
reason any of them might come to Ponyville. Maybe as a stopover
for someplace else? Either way, she'd keep an eye out, despite
the card's assurance of forgiveness. The next card also gets a
frown, though by now she's beginning to suspect they're all
named in such a dramatic way. She would gain something
unwanted... She has no real idea what that could mean, and the
prediction as a whole wasn't terribly specific. But, she
supposes, that's just how these things went, wasn't it? She
nods, looking back up to meet Ruby's gaze. "Thank you." She
says, standing up as the red unicorn packs up her things. She
considers her offer, glancing around the still thickly shrouded
street. She was pretty tired by now, but it might be interesting
to walk with Ruby for a while, even if they didn't find
anything. And really, would she want to miss the chance in case
they did? The answer, in the innkeeper's mind, was a resounding
no. "Sure." She says, her smile returning once again. She has no
idea how long she might be out tonight, but she's sure Soybean
can handle the inn by himself for a few extra hours if he needs
to.
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