About halfway down the path through the Whitetail Woods that leads from Ponyville to the Everfree Forest a second path cuts up a hill into the woods.  At the top of that hill, the path opens into a clearing, revealing a sizable homestead.

A small building stands nearest the road, serving as Silver Bolt’s workshop and storefront for his woodworking and carpentry shop. A few smaller structures are dotted across the homestead such as a wood shed, a tool shed, and other storage buildings.  At the center of the clearing sits a large, two-story log cabin made from notched logs felled from the nearby woods and Everfree.  The interior of the cabin is sparsely furnished for its size, with most of the pieces hoof-crafted by Silver himself.  Downstairs is a living area, a sitting room/den with a fireplace, and the kitchen and dining room.  Upstairs is the master bedroom, Pipsqueak’s room, and a guest room.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:27, Wed 26 Feb 2014.

The sun’s rays were just casting their warm glow on the treetops of the Everfree and the Whitetail Wood as the sleepy little town of Ponyville was pulling itself awake, but there was at least one pony who was already up.

A green-coated stallion stepped out of the large cabin that sat in the middle of the clearing atop the hill, and made his way toward his workshop.  A hot, steaming mug of tea floated in front of him suspended in the unicorn’s white magical aura.  As he reached the shop, he took the mug in hoof as he came to the locked door outside.

”Hmm…”  Silver Bolt mused to himself.  ”Today’s the day, isn’t it?”  His white aura enveloped the lock and doorknob and a clicking sound was heard as his magic unlocked and opened the door.  ”Opening day!”

He stepped into his workshop, and took stock of his merchandise.  Small pieces of furniture, medium pieces of furniture, a few decorative pieces...  Several books full of sketches of items he could make to custom specifications… But there was one corner of his shop that held a few more… interesting pieces.  There were bows, arrows, wooden swords, spear-handles, and the like.

Silver walked over to the front wall of his shop, the one that faced the road, and used his magic to unlatch the wall from the floor and lift it up to form an open-air shop front.  He had designed the building with this feature in mind, to make packing up shop for the day as simple as dropping the wall back in place and locking up.

Some might have considered him mad for putting a shop so far out of down and off the beaten path, but Silver loved the quiet, peaceful seclusion of the wood.  And the fliers he had posted in town would help make sure the townsponies knew where he was located.  Word of mouth didn’t hurt either.

With his shop open for business, and Pipsqueak up and getting ready for school, he was free to work on his projects until a customer arrived.  He pulled a long oak stave from a rack full of staves along one of the fixed walls of his shop.  He ran his hoof along the grain of the wood, already getting a feel for what needed to stay, and what parts needed to be carefully removed.

A low hum came from his throat as he set the stave on his work bench and clamped it in the vice.  The hum built into a faint melody as he gathered his tools in his magic, and became a full-fledged melody by the time he first put his draw knife to the stave.

He went about his work, trimming pieces off the stave, piece by piece as he seamlessly shifted from quiet humming to a more enthusiastic rhythm.  The tune was that of an old Shirish Folk Song that was well known throughout the regions of Shireland and Trottingham.

Before he knew what had happened, he caught himself singing the words as he worked.

One night as the moon did illumine the sky'
I first took a notion to marry
I put on me hat and away I did fly
You'd have thought I'd have been in a hurry
When I came to the place where I often had been
Me heart gave a leap when my darlin' I seen
I lifted the latch and I bade her Good E'en
Will you come with me over the mountain?

He paused long enough to trade his draw knife for a more precise hoof knife, making a few cuts before trading back and continue his work and his song.

What notion is this that's got into your head
You'll make me afraid to be near you
It's twelve o'clock and they're all in bed
Speak low or me mammy will hear you.
I'm using no magic, casting no spell
I'm an honest young colt and I love you right well
And if you'll not have me, dear girl, farewell
I'll go back alone o'er the mountain.

The piece of wood Silver was working was starting to take shape, and the craftspony traded the cutting tools for a planer, to gently narrow the point of the stave to the right angle.  His song continued as he methodically worked.

If I were to make an elopement with you
I might find myself in great danger
The country would tittle and censor me too
My parents would frown and no wonder.
Let them all tittle and censor away
Consult with yourself for it's growing near day
What do we care what the country might say?
Come with me over the mountain.

She looked at me long and she looked at me hard
She trembled a little uneasy
Then wiping a tear that appeared in her eye
She said to me -- Darling, I'm ready.
Give me a moment t’ get t’ me hooves
Me heart gave a leap when I heard the glad news
I lifted the latch saying I hope you'll excuse
Me simplicity over the mountain.

Silver sat the planer back down before grabbing a fitted piece of wood to compare his work to.  With a nod of approval, he grabbed a sanding block and began to smooth out the edges of the project, still singing as he went.

By this time the moon had gone down in the sky
And the morning star clad in her radiance
We both made the journey in greatest of haste
And we were wed at the altar of Cadence.
In peace and contentment we spend our days
The anger of parents was soon blown away
Often we smile when we've little to say
On the trip we took over the mountain.

As he finished singing, he continued to whistle the melody as he continued his work, content to do so well into the morning.

-----------------------------
This message was last edited by the player at 04:46, Sun 02 Mar 2014.

==OOC:  Here's a link to the song Silver's humming and singing, if anyone is interested.

http://www.chivalry.com/cantar...er-the-mountain.html ==
This message was last edited by the player at 04:49, Sun 02 Mar 2014.

--- In From:  White Tail Woods

As the makeshift stair-steps collapsed under her weight, the rocks tumbled out from beneath Luna, cascading down the bluff in a haze of dust. She managed to arrest he rown drop with her wings, just in time to save herself from any significant harm, though, as the dust cleared and Silver Bolt called down to her, the regal mare took wing to find solid ground atop the bluff. "Ahhh.. Yes - I am fine. It appears your steps were not built for a pony of Our... scale..." The princess gestured her hoof down at the rubble. If silver was attentive, he might catch a darkening glow to Luna's cheeks as she processed what happened. The regal mare stepped carefully to the edge of the bluff and looked down. "... It seems some of those rocks have broken. You will need new materials to repair your staircase..."

Silver took a hoof and dusted himself off as Luna landed.  "I don't mind the materials," he began.  "I'm just glad you're not hurt!  But that's in the past now..."  He straightened up and turned around to face the clearing ahead of them.

Ahead lie an open clearing, holding a two-story log cabin home with a large garden, a shed, a well-established workshop, and all the amenities an outdoorspony could hope for.

"Welcome, to Silverwood Homestead..."

Luna hesitated for a moment, and then turned her attention up to the quaint hilltop home. She stepped  around the exterior casually, taking it all in. "This is a lovely home. Very rustic and simple,  and yet so efficient. You also do have quite a view of the forest - and the sky as well..." She said, striding out to the edge of the bluff in the direction back toward Ponyville, her sister's afternoon sun casting a glow down over her. Her mane almost seemed to thin as she stood in the sunlight, though, it was clearly only a trick of the light.

The princess raised a hoof up, shielding her eyes as she looked out over the multicolored, autumn canopy. "... It's beautiful. This is quite a view..." She turned to Silver Bolt... He didn't seem to mind the accident...

Silver beamed at Luna’s praise for the homestead.  ”I built it myself, over time.   I picked the top of the bluff too, just for the view.” he nodded out to the scenery below them.

He took a deep breath to take in the early autumn air, but as he did he caught the faintest hint of a sound behind them.  His ear twitched ever so slightly and turned that direction.  He smirked.

”Don’t look now, Princess…” he whispered, ”But I think we are being watched….”

Silently, Silver slipped casually toward his workshop, pausing at a large barrel outside the door.  ”I dabble in woodworking too, you know.”  He spoke casually as he rifled through the long pieces of wood seemingly discarded in the barrel nonchalantly.  ”It was my father’s trade, so naturally I picked up a bit of it along the way…”

His ear twitched again, prompting him to grab a long wooden sword in hoof and slip up against the wall and looked up, thrusting a hoof upward to signal that’s where the mystery lurker was.

He took a deep breath and grinned toward the princess before walking out from under the building’s eaves calmly.

Sure enough, no sooner than he had emerged, a flash of black, white, and brown dove from atop the workshop, straight down upon the green unicorn below.  Silver spun around and brought the wooden sword up in a block to meet his atacker’s own wooden sword head on with a loud *CLACK*

”Have at ye, ye heartless scallywag!”

A young painted colt, no older than eight or nine, stood crossing swords with Silver, teeth gritted in what looked like resolve.  ”Tresspassin’ on a Pirate’s hideout is mighty serious business, ya know…  Come to steal the Great Pirate Robert’s Treasure, have ye?...”  His accent made it rather difficult to take him seriously, even as he pressed his attack, causing the swords to clack together several more times.

Silver grinned wildly and pressed back.  ”Pirate’s Hideout?”… I’m afraid you must be mistaken, Captain Roberts… You see, this is Robin’s Hideaway, and any “Treasure” here belongs to Robin Hoof and his band of Merry Mares….”  It was his turn to press the advantage, as he forced “Captain Roberts” back a few paces.

It was clear that whatever was going on, both Silver and the young colt were getting into it.

The princess tipped her head lightly to Silver as he turned to glance behind them. She did as well, her eyes drifting up naturally. It seemed that she was as keen as she was regal, for the hidden colt saw her eyes pass over him distinctly for a moment, though  maybe it was just a trick of the light?

Silver's sorting through of the wood, however, brought a curious glance from the mare, until she saw what it was he held.  "I see...  A fine trade to practice." She said, making idle conversation as Silver stepped into view.

Of course, as the colt moved, Luna knew. She  caught that his sword, too,w as only wood, and from reading Silver's manner, he was fully prepared. So the regal sister allowed  the colt and young stallion to  engage, sparring and fencing. She lightly sat her flank down, and clapped her hooves together as the pair of them dueled. If either spared attention to her, they would see her occasionally shift or bob her head as they got into a particularly swift exchange.

Silver Bolt would recognize the gestures, as dating back quite some time, to actual battle styles for use of magic in battle, the notion being one would project a blade using their horn and magic. Clearly, it was something Luna was familiar with - certainly more than a hoof-wielded blade.

The “battle” continued, with neither side gaining a clear hoofhold for the longest time.

Thrust… Parry and Molinet…. Block and glide…. Push and turn….

Even as the dance continued, Silver caught on to Luna’s movements on the sidelines.  He recognized a few of the gestures, and could tell by the grace of the others:  she was a skilled practitioner of magical melee combat.  It made sense.  Legends existed of the great battle prowess of the Two Sisters; of course there would be some truth to them.

That small distraction was all Pipsqueak needed.

Silver felt his sword being pushed aside by Pipsqueak’s own, and knew that he only had a moment to react If he wanted to avoid a painful blow to his ribs, and consequently his pride.

Silver’s horn glowed briefly, and a shimmery circle of light appeared and flashed with white energy as Pip’s wooden sword impacted it with a sharp thud and a loud crackle.  Silver took a knee.

”Alright, Alright! … You win this round, Pip… I Yield… “  Silver smiled at the colt as he presented his sword as a fallen warrior might.

The colt cheered.  ”Ha-Ha!  The Great Pirate Roberts has defeated the Outlaw Robin Hoof, and in so doing, rescued the fair maiden--“ It was at this point that he looked up to see exactly who their spectator was, and gasped.

”-- P-Princess Luna?!”  The little colt abandoned his sword and ran at the Princess, wrapping her in a big hug, catching Silver by surprise before he quickly found his manners and awkwardly bowed.

”Oops… I mean- Your Highness!”

Luna straightened herself up as she noted Silver's distraction, though, perhaps it was a moment to late, as the young colt had soundly defeated him. He had trained the boy pretty well, it seemed. Luna beamed as Pip rushed over and embraced one of her forelegs.

She smiled, and lightly adjusted her stance as Pip humbled himself, and she nodded softly. "It's good to see you, Pip." Luna settled her wings, and nodded. "You may rise." She chimed, before looking to Silver Bolt, then back to Pip. "You're quite the young swordspony." She admired, with an approving little nod. "Did Silver Bolt train you?" She prompted, glancing expectantly to the woodspony.

She slowly made her way over toward him, though, only once Pip had risen, and at a slow enough pace that the colt could keep up with her.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:28, Mon 22 June 2015.

Pip rose and bounced excitedly along behind the Princess as she walked.

"Oh, yes!" he exclaimed.  "Silver's taught me all kinds of neat stuff!  Like swordfighting... how to build a fire... how to cook on a campfire... but not how to shoot a bow.  At least not yet... I'm too little to pull it back by hoof, and I don't have magic... so...."  The colt trailed off.

Silver grinned back at the Princess as his little brother gave an overly-flattering list of skills he had taught him.  "You know... just a few handy skills to have around the homstead..."

"Impressive~" The princess said lightly, and turned to Silver.  "In any case. I must thank you for leading me away from the crowds. Hopefully, it should spare the leaves until the Running."  Luna paused, and turned her gaze to the bluff where the stairs had collapsed. "And as for your stairs - I should have simply flown to the top. If you require any materials or aid in repairing them, please let me know."

Silver dissmissed the praise with a wave of his hoof.  "Think nothing of it..."  He stopped short and perked his ears up as he suddenly recalled, "Oh, that's right!  You wanted to have a look at the course!"  He grinned, and turned and headed for the corner of the log cabin sitting further up the hill.

When he reached the corner of the house he looked up to the eave above him as if he were studying it carefully.  A moment later his horn glowed, and a shimmering rope ladder unfurled itself from its hiding place.  The bottom rung stopped right at the unicorn's fetlocks.

Silver stepped to one side and turned back toward the Princess and the young Colt who had ambushed him.  "Well, come along, Pip..."  The stallion nodded his head up the ladder.  "Up you go..."

"Alright!"

As Pipsqueak bounded up the ladder like a pro, Silver bowed lightly toward the Princess, gesturing toward the ladder as he did.  "Your Highness..."

Luna hesitated as Silver offered her the ladder, raising her hoof, and then lightly scuffing the ground. "Actually, given what happened with your stairs, perhaps I should... fly?" She smiled, at least of good humor about the accident,  the Princess of Night spread her wings, and steadily took to the air, ascending the length of the ladder in just one thrust of her powerful wings. She used one more, lighter beat to steady her descent as she reached the top, alighting quite carefully.

Silver chuckled.  "Perhaps you're right..."

He climbed the ladder himself once Pip made it onto the roof, and in short order he had scrambled over the eave himself.  The small colt wasted no time in clambering up the roof and shimmying up the large chimney that sat at its peak, as if he had done so a thousand times.

Silver followed and leaned up against the chimney at its base, crossing his hooves.

"Here we are.... Best view of the Whitetail and the Everfree around."  He nodded back toward town.  "Second best view of Ponyville too.  You'd have to climb to the top of the Palace of Friendship to find a better one, I'd wager..."  He spoke with a hint of pride.

He had, after all, selected this spot for a reason.

Luna perked up, and raised her hoof against the afternoon sun. "Ah! You can see my Manor!" She announced, and indicated with her hoof. Indeed, one glen in the Everfree was tinted silvery with moonlight even the day, and the top spires of her astronomy parapet were just visible in the distance.

"'Tis a beautiful view, Silver Bolt. You should be proud." She admired, and stepped to the edge, before turning to the two colts. "Alas. I still have some business to attend in Ponyville proper later this afternoon. I cannot stay as long as I would. However, I must ask, do the two of you have a way down the bluff, with your stairs... demolished? I would assist you, if you require. 'Tis my doing, after all. "

Silver beamed at the praise of the Princess.  He was proud, and he knew he had the right to be.  But he knew better than to take full credit.

As the Princess began to excuse herself, Silver straightened up and returned to all fours.  He briefly considered inviting her to stay for tea, but thought better of it, since she mentioned having business in town.

"Awww... Do you have to?..."  The disappointment in Pipsqueak's voice was apparent.

"Now, Pip..." Silver chastised, "Princess Luna said she has important business to attend to this evening.  It wouldn't be polite of us to hold her from it."

"Yeah, but--"

Silver shot him a glare that was less "big-brother" and more "stand-in parent."

The colt immediately stopped and shrunk back.

Silver offered him a genuinely warm smile.  "Why don't you go set the table for tea, and I'll see if we have any more of that tulaberry jam in the cellar on my way in..."

"Alright!"  The colt darted down from the chimeny and straight for the ladder, but quickly remembered their guest.  He paused and bowed his head to Luna.  "Bye, Princess!  Thanks for coming to visit!  Maybe you can come back some time?"  And with an adorable smile and quick as a flash, he was down the ladder and gone.

Silver chuckled again.  "He's a hoof-full, that's for sure."

The ranger-stallion turned serious again as Luna mentioned helping him rebuild the stairs a second time.  Silver shook his head.  "I appreciate the concern, but the path out of the front gate of the homestead leads to the main road to town.  I brought us in the back way.  I only built those stairs so I wouldn't have to climb, or take the long way back around from the woods.  I can build a ladder until I can reset the stones with my magic."  He put a hoof to his chin.

"Which.. now that I think about it... will be a very good workout to build up my lift-strength and magical stamina... Might take me some time, but I know I'll eventually get it!"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:39, Sun 28 June 2015.

Luna smiled with kind affection at Pip, and waved at him with a dainty hoof gesture, before looking to Silver. "He is a fine young colt. I would join you, though, but it's a friend I am visiting, and I mustn't disappoint. Perhaps I can surprise Pip  during tea some other time?" she suggested warily

As he again dismissed her offer of help, the Princess nodded softly. "As you wish, Silver Bolt. Then I bid you and young Pip a pleasant evening and sweet dreams."

The graceful princess of night stepped back and slightly nodded her head - though it couldn't be mistaken for a full bow. She spread her wings, and lifted from the eves, taking wing through the afternoon sky, back toward Ponyville.

--> Exit to Ponyville Business District