nexus_sages | Trixie's lucky day? (Aka +1 unicorn XD)

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Trixie's lucky day? (Aka +1 unicorn XD)

That right there sure would be a unicorn with a bright azure blue coat and cornflower blue mane, trotting right out of nowhere into the forum. The thing that she's pulling, looks like a combination of a cart, storefront and small house behind her... It's not a huge wagon by any means, but one gets the feeling that there is more to it than a first glance would have you believe...

Trixie decreased her speed from a canter, to a trot, and finally a full stop as she looked around the area with a puzzled, but also surprised, look on her face. "Hmmm... Well, this is new..." It didn't take her long to spot what she thought had to be the ugliest sign she'd ever seen, and shortly there after, the 'Welcome to the Nexus' brochure. "Nexus?"

Floating the pamphlet over using magic, she started to read it, and looked quite intrigued by the information. "Interesting... I wonder..."

Clearing her throat, she looked around and asked "Could anyone please tell me what the local currency here is?" She paused and considered things a moment. "Also, do I need a permit to sell items here?"

Well, why not? It's not like she had any urgent business anywhere, any chance to for her to gain knowledge, new items and perhaps sell some of her wares, it would be stupidity of the highest order to let an opportunity like this pass her by.

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"I think people are hoping you've got some magic 'don't get fat' pills you'll give them." It's the most logical answer Ver has come up with for most of those questions, because people don't want to hear about exercise and a balanced diet. "Hmm, if you'd like, there's a nice bakery near here. We can hit it up for dessert."

So long as Trixie's comfortable at the table, Ver won't worry too much about how she's managing it. "Cool, sounds like we're set then." She sets the menus down at the edge of the table to signal that they're ready to order; she'll be getting the beet carpaccio.

"So, what kinds of things do people eat where you're from?" Verity's trying not to assume it's hay and apples, especially given the references to sweets. But she wouldn't be surprised if apples are popular.

Trixie nickers quietly at the highly accurate 'request' she'd been asked a few times. "Oh I've been asked for those a time or two. They're never happy with my answer." At the mention of the bakery, Trixie nods. "Only if I can pay this time. I'm sure I can manage desert."

When it came to drinks, Trixie stuck with water and Verity might be surprised just how easily she's able to drink from a human glass... and that she can pick it up with a hoof, somehow...

"It really depends on the region, but ponies generally eat things made from fruits, vegetables, grains and flowers... Some ponies drink milk and eat eggs, though that generally depends on how the local areas cows and chickens decide to set up trades. Dragons can likely eat whatever they want, but seem to stick to a diet of gems and minerals..."

She takes a deep breath. "Gryphons on the other hoof, eat a lot of meat... and I try not to think about where they get that." Trixie makes a bit of a face unintentionally. "I mean most gryphons that I've met have been nice enough..." She didn't begrudge them their diet, but she didn't want to think about it either. There were non-sentient creatures around after all... but it was still gross to her.

"... uh... What kind of sweets are there at the bakery?" Trixie really didn't want to spoil her appetite by thinking too hard on the gryphons. She's clearly fine talking about food that doesn't have meat in it however.

"Because it's 'no'?" Ver feels for the pony. Having to deal with other people's ridiculous expectations is never fun. "Okay, that sounds fair." And fair is nice.

Yeah, it's surprising Trixie can do that. But Ver is careful not to stare and tries to not let her expression reveal how odd it looks to her. It would be rude and speciesist or something. She's not quite sure what the right word for her guilt would be but she'd be feeling it.

"So the cows and chickens are sentient in your world too? That must make for an interesting farmer's market." Whether some animals were sentient or not was a matter of debate, where Ver's from; one that'll never be solved now. Sads. The idea of dragons eating their wealth is a great distraction. "That's one way to protect the fabled dragon's hoard."

They can skip right over the talk of meat and go straight to the sweets. "Lots of pastries, cakes, and cookies. They have a machine that folds the dough in non-Euclidean space, so it comes out amazingly tender. The cakes and cookies are good too, but the pastry is really where they excel. There's all kinds of fillings, so I have no doubt we'll find one you like."

"Because I tell them I can't package diet, workouts and good habits into a pill." She's as nice as she can be most of the time, but some people can't seem to get a clue. Trixie's glad she can at least pay for desert, it makes it easier to accept the food now.

"It was normal for me, but then again I can see how that might seem odd if only one species is sentient where your from." She'd never known anything else, so it was normal to her. At the mention of a dragon's hoard Trixie giggles "Dragons hoard, but then again, gems and gold are fairly common. If it weren't for dragons, gold would be pretty worthless as alicorns and unicorns transmute it often enough that there ends up being an excess. There's only so much one can use for enchanting and decorating..."

"That sounds like an interesting device. It will be interesting to see how their treats compare to what I can get from Pinkie pie and Mr. and Mrs. Cake at Sugarcube corner." She can't help but lick her lips a touch "I never stay in Ponyville long, but I always buy extra when I go in there..."

Ver snickers at the reply; that's a very polite way of putting things but still dead-on.

"I've never had to ask a chicken for permission to eat an egg, it's true. But I've met a few sentient chicken people here, and it's not so hard to adapt. They look like they're part chicken and part human, and we just don't talk about certain kinds of food around them." That's kind of the same thing?

"You can turn whatever you want into gold? Wow. Yeah, that'd be great, in certain places, right up until you break the economy." Which makes her wonder... "What's considered valuable back home?"

At this speed, Ver's wondering if they should have skipped straight to dessert. She's a grown up, so of course, this is a perfectly legit choice in her life. "Maybe if you like it, you should bring them something to inspire them to try something new? Trying new things often helps my own cooking."

"Probably a safe bet if you don't know if you'd be insulting them or not. Around home it's just a part of daily life... Granted, if an egg is found with no source, it gets incubated, never used." She smiles a bit "Rules for eggs are highly enforced and double checked."

Trixie blinks a bit. "Oh, no. Not whatever we want, it takes a lot of energy, ingredients and work to make. Gold is still valuable, as it gets used in magic and spell work a lot, and as coins..." She considers things a moment. "It's generally things that are created and made that have the most value. A shaped bit of enchanted glass can be worth more than a gem, a carved wooden hair comb can be priceless... Gold is just renewable... It's not the same here?"

At the mention of bringing something new to inspire Pinkie and the Cakes... Trixie just chuckles. "Oh, I don't think I have to worry about that. Pinkie gets enough ideas on her own..." Trixie makes a face. "I do not want to know where she got the idea for a coffee, chili, and hot pepper cupcake..."

"Well, that's natural, you wouldn't want to risk hurting a baby." This is an exceedingly strange way for her to think about things she normally only considers food. Maybe she'll have to bring Trixie to one of those old-fashioned Merrie Melody worlds where the plants all sing and dance, to even things out.

"Ah, no. I've never heard of anyone who could actually transmute gold." ~~Because she doesn't know that spell exists in Skyrim.~~ "Except for the hard way, I suppose. So... things made well and made beautifully, I'm guessing, are more valuable than something simple turned out quickly?" And artist's dream, if that's the case.

"Mm, replace any one of those with chocolate and you've got a pretty good dessert in the works," she offers. "Coffee and chocolate is called mocha where I'm from, and it's very popular. And some people like spicy chocolates too. It's all in the balance, you see. The heat can overwhelm the chocolate real quick if you're not careful."

"Precisely." She pauses a moment "On that thought, if you ever see someone selling a dragon egg from my world... buy it and I'll reimburse you or let me know so I can get it myself. Dragon eggs are never infertile, so chances are it's been stolen from it's parents..." Trixie might not be able to reunite it with it's parents, but at least she could see it to somewhere it could be raised with it's own people.

"Not necessarily beautifully, but practical, sturdy, useful... beauty is nice, but..." She shrugs a bit. "A well made pot that will cook your dinner is a lot more valuable that a clip for your mane when you're hungry. A plow that will turn the fields is useless if it breaks after a single use... Yet a fancy comb can be priceless." She shrugs "It mostly depends on what others want. I'd pay a small fortune for some rare tomes, others would consider them junk."

The comment about chocolate made Trixie laugh. "Oh of that I am aware... She decided to try putting all three in a cupcake. Like I said, she doesn't need any help when it comes to new ideas. At least I managed to avoid her 'orange mint' creation..."

"Of course." Ver wouldn't accept reimbursement for that. She's fiercely protective of children and would consider it an honor to be able to help. Don't get her started on the teenaged superheroes. Seriously, don't. "And once the egg is safe, we can try to figure out how they got it."

She hums thoughtfully while she takes all that in. "Sounds like a very personal kind of economy. Where I'm from, items in stores had fixed prices and everyone paid the same. Not a lot of bartering." There's good and bad things about that kind of system, she's aware. Learning to barter around the Nexus has been something of a struggle for her, but she thinks she's getting the hang of it.

"I dunno, orange and mint might work. Maybe humans and unicorns have different tastebuds."

"Sounds like a plan." Trixie would try to give her back whatever the cost was regardless. There were bits put away for rewards and the like for the rescue of kidnapped eggs. "Sometimes it's an honest enough mistake, but..." Yeah, best to get off of that topic unless they wanted to start into complaining about kids in bad situations.

"It is... well, somewhat. There is a standard currency and prices for the more common things, labor for field work and so on is paid in bits." It's normal for her, so she's not thought about it much. "Really, when it comes right down to it, if you're willing to pitch in and do a little work, you're not going to go hungry or be left out in the cold. Good food is inexpensive and common, it's the treats that cost."

Anyone could grow a patch of grass or flowers after all, but treats like cupcakes and sweets needed work. They also hadn't gone into big machines for farming or fabric making, so there are no shortages of jobs.

"Oh, I know..." There is a small glow around her horn and suddenly there will be a pair of pretty, golden coins, floating towards Verity. "Here's a 5 bit coin and a 1 bit coin." It's a nice looking coin, fairly small, solid gold, the only differences between the two is that one has a 5 on one side, and a pretty looking alicorn on the other and the other coin has a 1 and a different alicorn on it.

"The lower values of coins are made of gold, mostly because the palace can make them easily and cheaply... Though I would hate to try and see someone counterfeit the magic in them..." She's used to everyone being able to tell real coins from fakes, it doesn't even cross her mind that other forms of money were much easier to fake.

Back to taste realated things, she makes a face. "Perhaps I'm just biased. I brushed my teeth one morning and then had orange juice... I've never forgotten that awful flavor."

"That's a good system, making sure everyone has enough to get by." That was a pipe dream where she's from. Maybe humans are inherently more greedy than ponies. It would not surprise her; after all, humans think they're standing at the top of a pyramid, dominating other species, and can't see that it's a circle of give-and-take.

Ver takes the coins and looks them over, comparing the two different pictures. "There's magic in them? Wow." Once she's had a good look, she offers them back to Trixie. "We didn't even use gold anymore where I'm from, we'd gone to a currency that was only worth something because the government said it was worth something. That sounds really weird out loud doesn't it?"

She snorts at that idea, because nobody like post-toothpaste orange juice. "I can see where that'd turn you off of the idea."

One of the great things about ~~godlike powers of controlling the narrative~~ a restaurant like this is that the food is always ready quickly. Which is good, because all this talk about sweets has made Ver eager to move on to the dessert course--not that she won't be enjoying her meal.

"I like to think we try our best." Ponies had so many other species to share space with, it was pretty hard to consider themselves 'dominant'... so that likely had a far bit to do with it.

Trixie shakes her head and won't take them back. "Yes, they have magic that keeps them from being defaced, melted, or altered. So go ahead and keep those if you like." She smiles "Those two together are worth about three to four apples. I have enchantment free, pressed coin 'blanks' that I use when trading with small amounts of gold. Though I also have some small ingots as well." Because some people on Equestria wanted metal for jewelery, snacks and enchanting, not bits.

"It might sound odd, but it's really the same as our bits, isn't it? I mean the only difference in our bits is the number and picture on them..." Ooo! The food looked good. It wouldn't take long for Trixie to work her way through her food, even if people kept giving her odd looks for being able to use cutlery with her hooves.

"That's the important thing. Trying to do the best for everyone." That would help. Although, with the mutants and inhumans and alien species, not to mention chimps and dolphins... humans really had no reason to believe in their own inherent superiority in the 616. Not since, oh, '65 or so.

"Useful magic. Thank you." Ver considers the coins again; she'll set the five-bit piece on the table and pocket the other. "We'll leave this for the waiter as part of their tip," she offers by way of explanation. "To thank them for getting our food so quick. Not having dragons snack on the magic coins probably saves everyone a lot of headaches. And some tummy aches."

"That's true. But gold has some inherent value. Ours was paper." The food is quite good, and Trixie can eat it however she wants. Ver had been half expecting magic to be involved. She starts with the fries, separating them into roughly equal piles and sliding hers onto her plate. Anyone whose looks linger too long or get too cruel gets a look back from Ver. She gives good looks, unless you piss her off--then they can get mean.

When Verity tries to put the coin on the table, she'll find it floating back to her hand and another gold coin being left on the table in it's place. This one was a lot more plain than the one Trixie had given her, but it had a weight and purity stamped on it, not a monetary value.

"Keep those coins. They're meant to be something that you can use as part of a collection or something. It wouldn't be fair to tip with them, since they'll be all but worthless to them unless they go to Equestria sometime." And Trixie was planning on buying a good deal of deserts for the both of them anyways, so it's not like she was giving Verity 'funny money'. She smiles "Yes. Having to deal with a dragon that has an upset stomach is not fun."

Trixie looks a bit puzzled "Paper? But that is so expensive... Most of the time paper is used for books, studies and royal documents. You have to use so many resources to make it... The printing ink alone... and it's so fragile..." She pauses "I can see there are going to be some serious cultural differences..."

She's learned to eat with cutlery because while she could use magic, it was rude to do so around others who could not. She frequently ate in mixed company, and it wasn't like it was a hardship to not use it.

"You might be surprised how many kinds of currency people use here. But thank you." She won't fight since Trixie's so determined, but she may end up passing at least one of them on. A certain young god of mischief she knows would find these coins very interesting and Verity does love to spoil him. The coins will both get tucked in a pocket for now.

"We have machines that make paper, so it doesn't take as long and is much more readily available." She gets out her wallet while she's explaining and pulls out a five-dollar bill for Trixie to look over. "The paper is a special blend of wood pulp and cotton, so it's more durable and easy to identify to the touch. The ink is special too, and you see there, that's a little holographic strip embedded in the paper. All of these things are made only for the government and are hard to steal, so forging the notes is really hard. And with paper, you don't have to worry about clipping, plus it's a lot lighter. I could carry thousands of dollars in my pocket without a problem. Well, except for if a pickpocket found me that day."

She nods. "I'd likely not be surprised, I just want to be certain that what I give can be used. I would hate to pay in something, only to find that it's utterly useless to them." Gold clearly held value here, and she didn't want to give someone a protected coin when it was the gold they wanted from it.

"Oh... Hmmm..." The money is interesting, but she thinks highly impractical for use in her world. "But they can still be burnt, cut and water damaged?" It was an interesting idea, but all those components made enchanting it all but impossible... and possibly easy to copy with magic? It was maybe something she'd have to look into to keep from accidentally taking counterfeits.

"That's good thinking." Trixie'll sort out what's valuable on her own. And if she can't, that's what the moneychangers are for.

"Yeah, the paper money's pretty easy to damage. Everything's a trade-off. Choosing one benefit over another usually means choosing one drawback over another too." Magically counterfeiting money isn't something Verity's ever considered. Whether or not it's possible would be an interesting, and dangerous, line of study.

While she's got her wallet out, Ver gets out money for their food. No reason to keep the waitstaff waiting. "But then, I'm from a place that makes coins that cost more to make than they're worth. There's not much sense in that."

"Hmmm... I suppose paper money is fine for your world, but it wouldn't survive long enough to be a viable option in ours. Between the dragons, gryphons, and sea ponies..." It was still an interesting concept in her mind however.

Trixie would be the one to figure out how to counterfeit money, and then immediately find a way to prevent it... Keeping the knowledge of how to do it locked away forever and only releasing the ways to stop it... She's nothing if honest when it comes to things like that.

At the mention of coins costing more to make than their worth, she looks curious. "Isn't that the same as paper money? It's only worth is what one says it has... coins at least contain metal..." She honestly is confused, but she'd not object to a change in the subject either. This was getting to be too technical for a fun dinner out.

"Yeah, sounds like it wouldn't work so well where you're from." Some people around the Nexus use seashells as money. Verity's not going to judge--who has time, trying to figure out all these new systems?

Some people say that knowledge can't be hidden forever. That it craves to be free. Let's hope they're wrong, if Trixie goes down this path.

"Yeah, but the coins are worth so little when you go to spend them in a store, it costs more effort to make the coin. It's... kind of a legacy thing I think? The coin used to be able to buy more. But everything's more expensive than it used to be. And some people just don't want to stop having them around, so... I don't really understand it," she admits finally. "It's just a weird thing people did."

At least if Trixie ends up doing it, she's not going to use it other than to find ways to prevent it. Someone, somewhere will end up figuring it out anyways, at least she's responsible in her magical experiments.

"Hmmm... Well, if nothing else it might fill the subconscious urge to have something that's not so easily destroyed as a form of currency?" She gives a little shrug as she finishes off the last of her food. "I couldn't even begin to come up with a reasonable explanation without knowing a lot more about your world, but you did admit that paper is rather fragile..."

This is true; it's good to have a white hat looking into solutions. Having one do so preemptively is even better.

"True. That could easily be it." Maybe that's why people collect coins. Not rare coins, but trash cans full of pennies saved for forty years. Rare coins are at least valuable and sometimes interesting-looking. Whatever the reason, Ver shrugs it off now; it hardly matters, given her world no longer exists.

It doesn't take her long to finish her food either, and once the bill is settled they can get on their way. She walks with her hands in her pockets, but tries to keep her posture from closing up too much. A little more open and friendly is, she's been assured, a good look for her. The walk to the bakery won't be long or difficult; the streets are broad and well-maintained, and traffic is mostly orderly. It's not this nice everywhere in the Nexus, but Ver tends to stick to the safer parts.

Spotting the bakery from down the street is easy for two reasons: one is the crossed baguettes sign, the other being the pair of children staring entranced through the window to watch the magical mystery machine. It's an elegant machine and an intricate dance it performs, highly magical and yet so mundane. (The third reason is the enchanting smell of browned sugar and fruits in the air.) "Here we are."

Inside is a clean, pale space, well-lit and well-stocked. Delightful cakes and delicate pastries fill the cases, with shelves along the wall holding more durable treats. The woman working behind the counter seems to recognize Ver, giving her a nod when the door opens before going back to the cupcakes she's frosting. There's no rush to decide.

The shop's missing one thing: a number of the pastries aren't labeled. The decorations on the crusts are different and each can be told from the others, but... what's in them? Who knows? If Trixie's not feeling adventurous, she can ask, or stick to the ones that do have labels.

Trixie trots along next to Verity on their way to the bakery, trying not to gawk too much or pester Verity with too many questions. Still, it's obvious that she's very new to this whole Nexus thing to anyone looking at her.

She could smell the bakery before she saw it, and oh did it ever smell good. Trixie wasn't one to indulge in sweets too often, but... Passing that machine and seeing all the treats in the shop... and knowing there were plenty more that were close...

"I have a feeling that I better plan out a regular running route if I'm going to stay in the Nexus for any amount of time..." She grins at Verity "I'll start to resemble the more stocky Shire ponies out north if I'm not careful." Not that there was anything wrong with the stocky ponies out there, but they did have thicker bones and heavier builds...

Ver wouldn't mind the questions, but she might not always have answers. She's still surprised by plenty of things around the Nexus on a regular basis. Even some real old-timers still get surprised.

Ver laughs at the assertion, then gives a little shrug because, yeah, it happens. "I go running almost every morning. It helps. I'm sure you don't have to worry about maintaining your girlish, er, foalish figure?" She's not sure that's quite right. Hopefully, the intent was clear even if the words were muddled.

"So, where do we start?"

She takes no offense to the statement, knowing it was going to take a while for them to figure out the differences between their sayings. Trixie just chuckles a little, taking it in the spirit it was meant.

"Hmmm... Pick a side and start ordering two of each?" And that's only a half joke... she'd certainly try and eat till got sick on sweets if she had no control, fortunately she knew better. "Maybe we can order an assortment? I don't think I've ever seen a lot of these..."

Cultural differences do seem to be one of the main problems in the Nexus. Once people stop the bleeding and the screaming.

Ver laughs at the first suggestion, but gives the second some thought. "A sampler is a good idea. Any requests for Marissa before she makes one up?"

The woman behind the counter straightens up when she hears her name, wiping frosting from her fingertips as she ambles over to take their order.

Trixie's lucky day? (Aka +1 unicorn XD)

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Throwing in some MLP head canon here XD

\,,/(^_^)\,,/

:3

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Feel free to time skip or move things along as needed? I can run with nearly anything.

okies :) I need a good name for the bakery, any suggestions?

3. 1415926535 ? /ducks thrown pies/ I honestly have no idea.

I would never throw a pie at you. That'd be a waste of good pie!

Fffff!!! It didn't send via e-mail >.< Sorry on the late reply.

I was starting to wonder, but didn't want to bother you.

If it takes me more than about 16 hours to reply, something's likely gone wrong.

I'll keep that in mind.

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