| IC date: | Autumn 82, 1007 |
| OOC date: | December 10, 2012 |
| PCs: | Jellybean, Magpie, Seaside-Sunset, Thunnini, Winter-Solstice, Rocket, Jaquelyn |
| NPCs: | None |
| GM: | None |
So it was that the littlest weather pony of Horseshoe Harbor set forth on a quest to gather herbs, ingredients, and components to mix one final batch of Poison Joke Herbal Bath Remedy. List in hoof, and a few traveling companions in tow (for there should always be an adult escort, even for foals-who-are-not-foals), the first of the harder-to-get herbs is sought after at the border of the Wintersong Forest, where the forest touches the nearby White Saddle Mountains.
It is here that a small field of flowers grow, this side of the Everfree, near a mountain cave. A field of red and yellow blossoms, even as autumn turns to winter, for any plant that stands the cold of the Wintersong doesn't give a lick about other seasons. They grow'em tough out here, year-round.
It was even a pleasant walk through/around the forest to get to this little field. It didn't require actually going through the forest…and most of the rest of the dangers were pretty obvious to avoid. Like those driftwidow snowdrifts.
All things considered, this could be a veritable walk in the park! Just a long walk…
Magpie gives the drifts a wide, wide, WIDE berth, and still glares suspiciously at them while she passes by. She adjusts her scarf and scowls. "So… what is it we're looking for again?"
Jellybean flies along, list stowed away safely in a pocket of the little coat he's wearing: another pocket has a few bottles in it, for the gathering of things. "Just think about it! Pretty soon I'll get to be BIG again! I'll get to do big pony things, and I'll be able to really help with making the weather, and, an' I'll eat ice cream whenever I want!" Is he excited? Yeah, just a little bit. Magpie asks an important question. "This is…" he thinks, trying to remember, "it's called punflower. It grows near here."
No part-time job, or odd-job is too odd for the twins known as Seaside-Shimmer and Tropical-Sunset; not even escorting foals on a long, long 'walk'. The pair even found a secondary use as they pull Thunnini's bucket along with a make-shift harness, and as usual the pair has yammered non-stop. "Then I said 'Thank you, but those pants only have two legs.'" "That wasn't funny when it happened, and it didn't age well." "Maybe we should talk about the time chocolate mousse shot out your nose." "Hush you!"
Thunnini is keeping an eye on the forest, her poling staff at the ready to bop any foe that comes within reach! In the meantime, she's listening to the others, and occasionally giggling at some of the things the twins say.
Magpie ohs, and nods at Jelly. "Oh, well, that sounds good to me." She pauses. "WAIT! No, it's, uh, /punderful/. Darn it!" Wait, what? She twists around to look at the twins. "What'd you say about chocolate mousse?"
Winter-Solstice shadows Jellybean. Except 'shadow' in this case doesn't mean 'follows in a sneaky fashion' because Winter is the opposite of sneaking. Rather, she's trundling along underneath the foal as he flaps along, right about where his shadow would be. Well, is. So she's in it. It's on her. "Punflower?" she says. "Don't tell me it curses you with telling puns, 'cause like, that'd be, like… trading one affliction for another. Also I'm not good at thinking up puns, so… so maybe I'd be immune?" She considers. "Does it work like that?"
Rocket tromps along at the back of the group, glaring up at the little pegasus. Is she mad at being dragged along on this? …No, probably not. She very much volunteered, after all. Maybe she's just still grumping at the featherless and scorched condition of her wing. /She'd/ like to be flying up there too! But no. She's stuck on the ground. Grump. Hmph. "So what's this flower look like, then?" She speaks up, a bit chirpily. She still hasn't /quite/ recovered from eating that… strange air thing she should not have eaten. Urp.
Jellybean blinks. "How does a moose fit through your nose?" He's pondering what this could even look like when Winter asks her question. "It's actually just one ingredient: there's a few more that we'll hafta find too." He lands and reaches into the pocket with the list in it, reading it again. "It says it's a… 'vi-vid red flower with mul-ti-tu… mul-tu… mul-ti-tu-di-nous leaves." He scratches his head with a hoof. "What's mul-ti-tu-di-nous mean?"
The field of flowers, red and yellow and a few little white blooms of something or other opens up in front of the small adventuring party. The red ones certainly have plenty of petals! They look somewhat like a rose, if roses happened to grow straight up out of the ground.
The yellow flowers look more puffy, like a dandelion, and a more observant creature might notice that they look a little…dusty, too.
Tropical-Sunset responds loudly to Magpie. "We were working at this fancy-pants restaurant when Seaside totally snuck some chocolate mousse from the kitchen!" "Shut up!" "She was stuffing her face like nom nom nom in the walk in fridge when the head-chef threw open the door." "Shut up, Tropic!" "She was so startled chocolate mousse shot out her nose!" "Cork it!" Tropical-Sunset's eyes going wide as she's told to 'Cork-it' clearly that entails something special!
Thunnini's eyes go wide at the sight of the flowers. "Pretty…" she ooohs. So the two mares who are pulling her go-kart are arguing; so what? These flowers are *pretty*.
"It means lots," says Winter, in response to Jellybean's question. She is mumbling this, though, around a mouthful of red flowers, several petals and stems sticking out of the sides of her mouth. Om nom nom.
Magpie ahs. "Well, I guess we found what we— Winter Solstice are you EATING our INGREDIENTS that we walked HOURS to get to?!"
She may be slightly exaggerating.
"Multitudinous," Rocket muttered, scuffing a talon and looking over at the flowers. "Means 'lots'." One wouldn't expect the griffon to rattle that off so easily; she certainly doesn't seem the scholarly type.
FLOWERS. This definitely piques the attention of the griffon's passenger - a bunny rabbit curled up between her wings. He sits up straight, nose twitching. Food? Maybe food. The big white pony sure things it's food! He leeeeeans down to try and nab one of the petals off a passing flower.
Jellybean looks up from the note and at the flowers. "Ooooohh, I get it!" He beams and prances excitedly: this was easier than he thought it'd be! Eagerly he leaps into the field, kicking up little clouds of yellow pollen as he goes.
Winter-Solstice swallows, because it's rude to talk with your mouth full, then leans down to nab another mouthful and sits up and talks around it. "Relax, there's lots. There's a MULTIUDINOUS of them." Her pupils dilate slightly. "And we didn't walk for -hours,- we walked for -flowers.-" She frowns, mid-chew, pausing. "What did my tulips just say?" The big mare suddenly sits back and claps her hooves over her mouth, eyes wide.
Tropical-Sunset smiles nervously at Seaside-Shimmer who gives her a little glare for a long moment - a brief moment later they're both smiling! Seaside digs around in her saddle bag and reaches back to offer Thunnini a lollipop. "Candy?" Tropic meanwhile curiously watches the unfolding scene.
"Yes, please!" replies Thunnini, who puts the sucker in her mouth and maintains her watchful stance.
Magpie giggles a bit and trots around Winny, kicking up pollen. "Hey, that was funny!" she giggles.
Welp, punflowers, found.
A stray wind kicks up… The pollen clouds, two of them now thanks to Jellybean's swooping and Magpie's trotting about, begin to drift towards the other three ponies and griffon. Like a little sparkly dust cloud.
Magpie plops down in the flowers and grins. "Tell another one, Winny!" she demands.
Tropical-Sunset shifts uneasily. "Hey sis? Any chance this is going to be one of those weird things we've heard about?" "It's just pollen." she beams at Thunnini. "We got some free candy when we worked at Sweet Shop last weekend. I think that's a cinnamon flavor. You like that?" she pouts cutely for some unknown reason.
Jellybean is prancing around in the meadow, giggling gaily. After a few moments he starts rolling around in the flowers, disappearing from view underneath tall stalks.
Winter-Solstice continues to chew, despite herself. "Tell another one? More like tell another -fun.- ny. joke. Funny joke. Eh? Ehhhh?" She gnaws and swallows. "And who's Winny?" The big mare stares down at Magpie. "Wait, who are you? Oh my gosh! OH MY GOSH. To think we've been running around for… for months now and we haven't even met! Nice to meet you! What's your name? Mine's-" Winter pauses. "I… I don't know! But! I can still learn what YOURS is!" Winter holds a hoof out towards Magpie with a big grin. It is, incidentally, the hoof around which Magpie's friendship braclet hangs.
"Mmhmm!" nods Thunnini, who is clearly enjoying the candy. Nice kick! The approaching cloud of pollen has her slightly worried, though, so she starts spinning the water in her bucket into a circular current, ready to splash water as needed if the pollen causes weird effects.
Rocket takes a step or two back, frowning at the pollen cloud. No. Bad cloud. Pollen is sneezy. She's had /enough/ trouble this month! She gives her good wing a flap to try and blow it away. Which nearly unseats the leaning bunny, who gives an indignant squeak. "What? Oh. Sorry, Fuzzball. Well what're you doing leaning over there anyway? Let's just grab some of the flowers and get."
Magpie's ghast has been flabbered. She makes fishy-faces at Winny for a few seconds. "W-w-what?!" she demands. "How can… how can you say that!" She grabs Winny's huge hoof. "Don't even JOKE about that!"
The approaching swirl of pollen proves… stubbornly resistant to attempts to blow it back. Or intervening plants. Or a passing breeze, which it advances against, the dust-like grains swirling inward towards a roughly soccer-ball sized sphere that grows increasingly distinct from the surrounding pollen haze.
And then two little pinprick eyes blink to life. Inasmuch as they can hold any emotion, they look cheerful. The little ball of swirling pollen starts to prance towards Rocket, little hops carrying it through the surrounding flowers. Hop! Hop! Hop!
Jellybean peeks up through the flowers. "What're you arguing about? I thought we came here to play, not to fight!" He disappears again.
Tropical-Sunset and Seaside-Shimmer glance at one another as the strange little pollen bunny forms and begins to hop about. They glance over their shoulder at the mobile aqua-artillery that is Thunnini "This whole place is weird. Is it it this weird under the sea?
It's a sweet scent, this pollen. Not annoying in the slightest. Almost, one would dare to say, addicting in its own special way. Maybe that's why the pegasus is rolling around in all the pretty flowers now!
With all the pollen, and the appearance of a little ball of swirly mischief, and the noise, and everything… Two glowing eyes peer out from the nearby cave. They glare! GLARE! And they come with a low, menacing growl of noise. Grrrrrrrr! And then?
A griffon launches out of the cave's shadows! FWOOM! A loud eagle's screech pierces the air, the flying dark-colored creature hovering with powerful wingbeats over the assorted ponies, griffons, elementals, and bunnies.
"What in the nine levels of Tartarus is all this racket!? Git off mah lawn you pesky trespassers! Git! Scram!"
"Who's joking?" says Winter, smiling cheerfully. "Except… except the, uh, the little blue colt over there. Whatshisname. He's joking. POISON joking. Eh? Ehhhh?" She waggles her eyebrows and leans towards Magpie. "Ehhh? Eh- oh, nevermind. Anyway, can't say we've met. Which is weird. Since I can… I can definitely remember, you know. Seeing you. All the time. And you being there. In the nightmare world ruled by…" Winter fingersnaps as she tries to remember. Snap, snap, snap. So distracted is she she forgets this is something she cannot do. "Whatsherface. The big evil black pony with the- hey, why don't you introduce me to your friends, anyway?" Pushing to her feet, she tromps through the flowers and peers down at Thunnini. "You there! The one with the fish tail!" She smiles cheerfully. "In your fish pail! Like- it's a pail! With a tail! Get it? Get it? Ehhhh? Ehhhhhhh? What's your name, squirt- oh!" She sits up with a start as the griffon swoops by, looking up and around. "Who was that?! Man, all these new faces! This is awesome!"
Jellybean shrieks when the griffon makes their entrance. He flaps his wings mightily, trying to get out of the field, but manages a sort of lurching hop that plows him right back into the flowers.
Rocket jumps at the screech, wings spreading. But she doesn't look startled! No, that… that was more like she was trying to stand at attention. And nearly unseating poor Fuzzball /again/ in the process. She catches herself quickly and clears her throat, awkwardly re-folding her wings and tucking them in close, peering suspiciously over at the hopping ball of pollen. She's /not/ going to eat it. So there. She turns her gaze to the flying creature, looking him over quickly. …Nope. Not a familiar face.
The hopping cloud of swirling pollen startles as much as anything else at the sudden shrieking, the little glowing pinpoints of its eyes flaring brightly for a moment. It swirls away from Rocket, across the field- as it passes, it kicks more pollen up, into a swirling little rooster tail behind it- and then tucks itself behind Seaside Shimmer's legs, hiding.
Magpie dives into the flowers with a panic-startle. She clutches Jelly tight and pulls him down into the flowers, cowering among the stalks. No… nono nonononononono…
Thunnini looks at the landponies (and griffons) behaving oddly, an expression of "what the hay?" on her face. She then spots the little pollen-critter hiding next to Seaside Shimmer, which draws a headtilt and an askance stare from the seafilly. Odd thing, that.
Tropical-Sunset looks horribly confused as she watches everything unfold to the point she's tapping Shimmer's shoulder "Got a thing under you? Shimmer curiously lifting on hoof to look below "Eh…what is that thing? Am I supposed to pet it? Step on it?"
Pollen, pollen, everywhere! Crashing pegasus and windsprites aside, there's a sort of yellowish haze in certain parts of the meadow now. Drifting on the wind, mostly towards the forest, through any pony that happens to stand in the way. Such sweet smells~
The griffon in the air is much less 'sweet'. He's gruff-looking. Scowling even. Eyeing ponies in the flowers, and on the road, and…and… Is that a pony with a fishtail?
The strange griffon beholds all of this with a look that melts from 'angry' to 'piteous', lifting a taloned hand to cover his beak. "Ugh… I swear by the feathers of my forefathers. I come here to get away from silliness and what happens?" He swoops, not quite daring to touch down, as that would put him close to the pollen clouds. /He/ sure as hay knows what they are. But with half of the 'party' playing in the flowers, the other half is the only potential sane half he can talk with.
"Hey! Ponies! And…" He stares at Rocket, busted wing. "…Oh. Wait." Stare! "…You didn't bring these ponies here to torture'em, did you? I told the clans that doesn't work! Creatures /forget/ things here, they don't /remember/ them! Honestly! How many tails do I have to chomp to get taken seriously!"
Winter-Solstice trundles up behind Rocket and grins over her shoulder at the new gryphon. "Hello! I'm… I'm…." She looks past him for a few moments, the back. "I'm a pony! Who are you? Have we met? Well, no. We haven't. Clearly! But we've met even LESS than I've met all these other folks who I haven't met before. Even if… even if they look… awfully familiar." Her face splits in a grin. "Familiar? Or should I say… familFLOWeerr…. uhh.. fam.. famiflow.. flowerimilia…." The big mare pauses, squints her eyes, then stomps off. "Hold on, let me think this one over!"
Rocket blinks and takes a step back, tail lashing. Torture? /Torture/? Hey. HEY. These ponies torture /her/, not the other way around! …And even that they don't do much! Okay that was kind of only one! And it was dead so it doesn't really count! But still! "I didn't bring anycreature here. We're looking for a flower is all. The red ones." Forget things, eh? That explains the big white one. …Though she's getting the feeling that not much /really/ explains the big white one. "The pegasus foal needs one. Or a few. I dunno. I just said I'd help 'em find stuff."
Thunnini looks over at the other gryphon, but keeps an eye on the pollen critter. "How long do they forget things, mister?" she asks. "And is there a way to help them remember?"
Jellybean looks up from the flowers again when it becomes clear that the big scary griffon isn't gonna gobble him up. He leaps into the air again but his wings aren't hearing any of this 'coordination' nonsense and he lands back in the flowers with a 'whud' sort of noise. "I'm Jellybean! I'm sorry, mister, I didn't know this was your house! If I'd known I would've asked my friends to come play elsewhere." He pauses. "Wait. Were we here to play? We were here for something."
The pollen critter near Seaside Shimmer leans in and starts snoof-snoof-snoofing at her leg. It tickles. It then rolls out from behind her and swooshes off, apparently having forgotten there is some sort of threat to hide from. More pollen gets swept up behind it as it goes. Soon it's weaving back through the flowers, half-floating, half-bouncing towards Rocket.
Magpie scrambles to wrap her legs around Jelly and drag him back into the flowers. "Shhh!" she hisses, covering his mouth with one hoof and practically laying on top of him to keep him still and quiet until the monster -goes away-.
The gruff griffon rolls his eyes, rubbing around his beak with both eagle talons. "Feh. Well at least that means the clans got the hint, at least. But now I gotta deal with random groups of ponies and lame griffons butting into my business?" He swoops! Once! Twice! Great beats of wings to help push the pollen back across the meadow, clearing enough of a spot for him to land and stare at the assorted group.
He starts pointing a single talon. First at Jellybean. And Magpie by default. "You two! Get outta those flowers before you forget how to breathe!" Then to Winter! "…Who the heck let her eat punflowers?" …Okay so Rocket instead. "Get yer flowers then, kid. And be careful of the yellow ones, we don't need any more Duncecap dust floating around. Last time a group of silly creatures charged through here I had a snowbunny horde migrate into my cave because they forgot where they lived!"
Then to Thunnini! And the twins. "You can help'em by gettin' them out of the pollen. Their heads'll clear up if they stop breathing that dust in." Did he miss anything? OH! One more dramatic point, at the bouncing pollen-wind-elemental-thing. "And what is /that/? Is it with you? Or is the forest freaking out again?"
Jellybean gently pokes Magpie. "Are you okay? You wanna play tag? Or hide and seek?"
"It didn't come with us," admits Thunnini. "But it does look like the dust critters that have been showing up in town."
"Duncecaps?" calls out Winter, back over her shoulder. "More like PUNcecaps! Ha! Wait- no. Wrong flower!" She tromps back over to where the conversation is happening. "Anyway, Mr… feathery… pony… beak guy, thing," she pauses, and stares, then stares at Rocket, then stares around, "I don't think you…" The ocher dust of the pollen stands out clearly on her white coat. Particularly around her face. Which, you know, she was rooting around in the flowers, looking for lunch. "… you don't… I don't even remember what you don't, but you don't." The big mare turns and wanders away, then. "Man, I can't remember ANYTHING. You could almost call these flowers forget-me-lots. Ha! Get it?" She asks this of nobody in particular. "Ehhh? Ehhhhhh?"
Magpie's quivering. Almost trembling. "Shut up! Do you WANT to get eaten!?" she demands, trying to control Jellybelly.
Rocket peers at him and gives a faint hiss. "Watch who you're calling lame," she snaps, nudging Fuzzball back into place as she moves to snatch up some of the red flowers. "No one 'let' her, she just did. And… and it's a… it's a thing." Shut up, how should she know. "Don't eat it. Or poke it. Or… or do anything with it probably." She glances back at it, fluttering her good wing. "What? What do you want me for? Stop bouncing around. You're air. Air doesn't bounce."
Seaside-Shimmer and Tropical-Sunset look at one another then at the limited water in Thunini's bucket. "Would be nice if we could just wash the whole lot of them." Seaside takes a deep breath as she brings both hooves to her mouth for a loud screeching whistle. "Alright everypony!" "Field trip is over!" "Everypony grab a buddy."
The pollen swirl bounces in spite of Rocket's attempts to convince it that it should not. But soon it looks past her- not towards Rocket, but towards the other gryphon, which, with bright and curious eyes, it starts swooshing towards. The flowers bend and sway around it as it approaches, their leaves and petals fluttering against the torrent of its own internal wind flow, a few torn free and caught up in the tempest of pollen to add a bit of color.
Thunnini looks over the group. Winny is being weird, but is (mostly) functional. Maggie, on the other hand, appears to be a quivering wreck. Priority determined! The seafilly speeds up her circular water current a bit, then launches a small jet of water at Maggie, intending to wash the pollen off of her.
"So it didn't come with you, but it's following you?" the gruff griffon grumps. "So you're not only a bunch of wandering boneheads, you're literal trouble magnets. Fine, fine." Again he points! Always with the pointing! "You two. Bubbles and Brighteyes." he says, pointing at Seaside and Sunset. "Will you two drag those kids out of the flowers already? Get'em in the cave. I've got water in there." Mutter, grumble. More pointing! At Rocket and Winter! "Kid, get Ponyzilla there in too. She looks like she's been rolling in the stuff as much as those foals. Gonna need to blast the lot of'em to get this crud out of their heads." He claps his talons. …And promptly stares at Thunnini. "Kid, unless you got enough water in there to wash the giant off, ya might as well save it for the cave. You can blast the lot of'em when we get in there though, I promise."
Jellybean yelps and struggles, but Magpie IS bigger than him and so he's effectively squooshed by her.
Magpie lets out a yelp as she's suddenly splashed. "AUGH! What is WRONG with you?!" she shouts. "Splash the MONSTER!"
Winter-Solstice perks, and turns back towards the gruff gryphon. "Ponyzilla? Is THAT who I am?" She looks bewildered, then increasingly skeptical. "That's a terrible name for a pony." Turning towards them, she squints her eyes. "And you don't need to -wrangle- me into any cave. I will go there myself. Caves are where you find treasure, after all, and monsters, and experience points." With a haughty toss of her head, she starts tromping towards said cave. Clearly she has remembered all of the -important- things in life.
Thunnini and the twins go over and start moving Maggie and Jelly towards the cave - either by encouraging them to walk, or by being picked up by the twins.
Jellybean looks pouty for a moment when he's taken away from the fun field and all the pretty flowers, but on the other hoof he can't really remember what he was doing so it doesn't really matter to him. Now he's getting a ponyback ride! Whee!
Well that makes Rocket's life easier, at least. She tromps along after Winter, trying to avoid stirring up more pollen. "Never liked flowers to begin with. Now they gotta be /evil/ flowers." She glances sideways at Magpie - or at least, in her direction. "There /is/ no monster, kid. Calm down already. It's not like we can't find you in there. You ain't exactly flower-colored."
The gruff griffon rubs his chin, watching Winter march into the cave of her own voilition. He shrugs. Whatever works! With a grand 'why am I bothering' sigh, he waits with all the mock-patience of an expert grump for Rocket to follow the trail of ponies into the cave, making sure to beat his wings in the wake of the march to keep the dust from following them. …Though that wind-spirit-thing looks tricky. He gives it an extra glare. "You, little thing, aren't invited. Scram. Get off my property!"
Inside the cave is…complicated. It's pretty big inside! And it's crammed full of STUFF. A small haybed sits off in one corner, a big tub near that, which is indeed conveniently full of water.
And a great jumbled mass that could only be described as an alchemy kit on steroids. Tubes, beakers, vials, and some great device it's all hooked up to bubbles pleasantly, giving off an aroma that's vaguely alcoholic, and very sweet. Much like the pollen outside, as a matter of fact.
"Welcome to my home." the griffon grouses. "I'm Jack. Now get cleaned up so you can go back to wherever you came from."
Magpie's legs flail as she's bodily picked up and carried. "Argh! Stop it! I'll get… I'll… I don't like hugs!" she decides.
"Nice to meet you, Jack!" says Ponyzilla, who does not like her name. "You're the first person to actually introduce themselves. Maybe that's why I can't recall ever having met everybody, everybody's, like, dedicated to not saying hello." She settles down near the alchemy lab and stares at it. Treasure? Treasure? No. The big mare frowns, then turns to look back over her shoulder. "And we came here looking for flowers. Punflowers. Sort of like- they're like SUN flowers, except for PUNS- get it?! It's- oh. Oh, I think that was the joke already." Her expression falls.
The little swirly cloud of pollen and miscellaneous torn petals hovers outside the cave entrance. Its little beady glowing white eyes stare inward, watching everybody. Does it understand enough to know it was expressly forbidden from entering? Perhaps- or maybe it's just afraid of the dark. The sound of it is like a low, whirring fan, echoing slightly against the vaulted stone surroundings of the cave's entrance.
Jellybean waves again, from Sunset's back. "Hi Jack! I'm Jellybean, but I think I said that already. What're we doing now? Is it bathtime? I like baths. Especially bubble-baths."
The twins bring Maggie and Jelly over to the tub, giving the smaller ponies two implied choices: enter of their own free will, or be dropped/placed in the tub instead. Meanwhile, Thunnini has reached out a hoof towards the tub, and tries to create a circular (or oval?) current of water in the tub without actually touching the water. Sure enough, the water slowly starts flowing around.
"Yep, kid. Bathtime." Jack grunts to Jellybean, making the choice much less difficult to make. He gives the twins a nudge, so they'll get the kids in the bathtub! Then he eyes the current Thunnini's making. "Hmph. Alright, fishpony. Splash the big'un there. Hey Ponyzilla! Come over here a second, would'ja? And don't touch that! I'm almost done brewing a special mix and I don't want any hamhooves messing it up!"
Rocket sits back on her haunches, giving herself a small shake. She'd grabbed a talonfull of the needed flowers, which she sets down beside herself. Dumb flowers. She looks around curiously, giving a small sniff. …Well at least it smells good.
Jellybean jumps off of Sunset's back and lands in the bathtub with a happy little splash. He starts soaking in the water and flapping his wings to make sure they get nice and clean like his mommy taught him. Also, well, splashing.
Magpie's not cooperating at all, with anypony. She struggles and flails like a cat on the way to a bath with the vet.
Ponyzilla sits up with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. "I wasn't gonna mess with it," she says. "What are you making, anyway? My marefriend is an alchemist, you know. Can't… for the life of me remember what her name is, though. You'd think that would have… sort of been something that was, uh, information that was conveyed." She wobbles a little as she approaches the tub, paying little attention to the goings-on about it, and settles down next to it, staring off into space. Rather abruptly, then, she hops to her feet! "Ha! 'Nacho cheese!' Like, not your cheese! I FINALLY get that!"
The lurking pollen cloud at the entrance of the cave continues to watch, but eventually starts to turn away. That is, until the water starts to spin… and spin… and spin. The creature looks back to the cave, little pinprick eyes flaring, and bustles in, whoosh-whooshing like an errant breeze, bringing a flurry of dust and pollen with it as it heads towards the tub and Thunnini's magical twirling. Its twin star eyes are fixated, fascinated, and as it nears the little cloud starts to do little loops of its own, turning end over end in the air. Barrel rolling, even.
The twins look at each other, then start tickling Maggie. Try escaping from the tub when you're being tickled from two directions at once! Thunnini, meanwhile, manages to get the current in the tub up to a decent speed, then aims an awkward wave of water at Winny's face.
Luckily the effects of the dust don't take long to go away once it's no longer in contact with/being inhaled by a pony. Jellybean's the first to remember what he'd forgotten! The others will, likely, follow suit when (Or in Magpie's case, if) they get wet.
Jack grunts… So much craziness. He outright scowls when the creaturething comes in, unbidden! "Oh for…" Growl! Whatever he was brewing? Well it doesn't matter anymore. In a fit of temper the griffon snatches the small barrel he'd been gathering that sweet-scented brew in, turning to loom over the air-creature, and…
Splash!
The liquid, a sweet-scented booze of some sort, gets dumped all over the dust-creature. That ought to soak up all that friggen dust. With a huff, the griffon sits back again, staring. "…That /was/ Punroot Beer. But whatever. I'll make more. Or maybe I won't if it attracts this much trouble! Are you ponies done yet?" He looks up at Rocket. "You got the flowers you came here for, right? Can't you, like, do something about…" He waves an eagle claw at the bathing/splashing ponies. "…That? You're their boss, aren't you?" Because, y'know, griffons lead. That's what they /do/.
Magpie is still writhing and flailing, but now it's because she's getting tickled rather than trying to avoid hugs and/or baths. It doesn't make her much more controllable, actually…
Jellybean blinks. "Oh! I was here to get a cure! I'm not really a little foal." He smiles a trifle sheepishly. "Mr. Jack? Thank you for the bath: do you think you'd know where some other flowers might grow? This was the only one we knew where was an' we need some more to make the Poison Joke cure."
"Hey!" says Ponyzilla, as the water catches her in the face. SHe was just considering all the other awesome jokes she suddenly gets when, bam! Ain't that a soggy how-do-you-do! She shakes the water off with a "hrblblblblft" and blinsk her eyes open, then looks around with more clarity than she's managed in the last hour. "Oh!" She glances about. "You guys! Jellybean! And Magpie! And Rocket!" Her gaze flicks to Jack. "And, uh… Jack? Okay, I know I know the rest of them all, but YOU'RE definitely new. So- wait, why did you set up shop right here next to horrible flowers that make you forget things? I mean rather than keep people away it seems more like it would just make them- more…" The big mare glances at Magpie. "… difficult when they show up… hold on."
Stomping over, Winter tries to scoop Magpie up- taking advantage of her tickledishness- and toss her in the tub like a piebald basketball. No, pieball! Basketpieball! Ha! Get it?! Get- oh, she didn't actually say this pun. Nevermind.
Thunnini giggles, glad that her friends are returning to normal. "Thank you for the help, mister Jack," she says to the owner of the cave.
…nothing but net. Or bathwater, as the case may be. "ACK!" Magpie says as she surfaces. She starts to say something, then stops. She looks around, her eyes falling on Jack, and she slowly slides back down into the water to hide her brightly blushing cheeks.
Rocket scoops the flowers back up. "I got the red ones," she states in Jellybean's direction. "Now come on. If everycreature's back to normal let's not make a mess." 'Normal' being relative for this group, granted. She kind of ignores Jack's question - that would take some explaining, which she didn't entirely feel like she wanted to do now.
Entranced by the swirling current of water, the dustcloud has no idea of the sticky doom that approaches it! One moment it's turning over and over, and getting dangerously close to dipping in the pool, and the next it's… gone. The dust is swept out of the air, the petals washed away, and even the pinprick lights of its eyes wink out. The creature, for all intents and purposes, appears to vanish completely.
Several moments later, a little swirling vortex of punroot beer can be seen spinning a soggy retreat out the cave entrance and into the fields beyond, and then it is gone.
Jack answers all the thanks with a grunt. He may be sitting up a little straighter though. Praise is not lost on him! Not completely anyway. He eyes the retreating vortex of his brew, glaring darkly. It had to be done! Long live the brew!
Then his attention lifts. He was asked a question? Fierce dark blue eyes focus on Jellybean, "I"m…not an herbalist, but I may know where a few plants are found." Winter's question though, earns a sharper retort. "It's the biggest cave on this mountainside! The only one big enough for my operation. The annoying plantlife is just icing on the cake." he mutters in sarcastic tones. "…Okay. We all clean now? Any other questions? I'm sure you're all awful busy with this cure thing."
Jellybean is still soaking in the bath. What? He likes baths, especially nice hot ones. "The other two ingredients we need are Mountain Limerick and Riddleweed."
Winter-Solstice sits down beside the tub and keeps a wary eye on Magpie, then looks back to Jack. "A big cave, huh? Why not just set up in town? Houses are better than caves for a number of rasons, including that they have doors and windows, they are less likely to have goblins and traps in them, and also proper heating. Easier to decorate, too. And, it is easier for people to find you when you get mail." She turns and looks back towards the entrance. "I'm not sure you even HAVE a mailbox up here."
Magpie sheepishly crawls out of the tub and waves to Jack. "I'm … um.. sorry for calling you a monster." she says, dripping on his floor.
Jack hesitates between pushing for his solitude, and… Well, his first non-violent company in forever! "Mountain Limerick? Riddleweed? Eh…" The griffon scratches the back of his head. "One's near here. The Mountain Limerick. Dunno 'bout the Riddleweed. Don't think any grows around these parts."
Winter's suggestion makes Jack pause again. "In…town? What, and suffer more visitors like this?" The sharp tones aren't in his voice though. Especially when Magpie apologizes. "…Eh." He looks away. "S'no problem, kid. I've been called worse. …Okay. So I'll think about this 'town' option. If it's actually an option." he squints at Winter. "And help you…" his squint shifts to Jellybean. "…find the rest of your cure."
Rocket glances up, clicking her beak. "…S'nice town," she states, a bit sheepishly, tapping a talon at the cave floor. "S'long as all the ponies ain't all scared of ya. …Innkeepers don't like getting paid in berries though. But they got good cider. So." Ahem.
Winter-Solstice hops to her rear hooves and pumps one of her forehooves over her head!. "Dun da da dun dun da DUN! Jack has joined the party!" She strikes a pose for a moment, then settles down quietly on her haunches. "Well, if Jellybean's okay with having more help, at least." She turns to look at the foal, eyebrows arched inquisitively.