Fresh Start

(Screw physically writing the poster, that would take too long and I have to be out of here by 4:00.)

In the months leading up to Hearth's Warming Eve posters could be found in every town hall, square, and local meeting place. Everywhere from regal Canterlot, to the work houses on Manehattan, to the very smallest of country hamlets these posters clung; promising new lives for the ponies who would heed the call. They called for the weak, the strong, the poor, and the rich alike to make the journey for a simpler and stress free life.

Among those asked to join are weather ponies, merchants, nurses, surgeons, farmers, miners and builders along with investors to raise capital for the project. The inexperienced young as well as the experienced old alike are requested to sign up (though heavily recommended that the old bring a younger servant to do the heavy lifting). All it took was to make the journey to the Canterlot train station after Hearth's Warming Eve to give ponies a chance to say goodbye to family and friends. A 400 bit 'donation' is heavily recommended to be placed at the recruiting office and those who do will receive as much land as was called for their profession.

Rough cut walked amongst the wagons loaded up with supplies. As the expedition leader it was her duty to ensure that all of the supplies were accounted for, and triple checking was the only way to be sure everything was in order.

The ring of metal chimed with each spurred hoof step as a pony approached Rough Cut from behind. He stopped just in social distance and regarded her carefully. His blue eyes especially noted her blank flank.

The pegasus let the silence wear on for a few moments before speaking. "This here be that 'expedition' I been hearing about?" He spoke with a deep throaty voice. "Sound's a might bit dangerous..." He looked over the wagons as if to emphasis their venerability.

He stood tall and ready before her, not caring if he was giving other ponies an aggressive impression. Right now, he was all business.

Rough Cut was so engrossed in her she didn't notice the pegasus.

Twelve ponies signed on, eight of which paid the 400 bit donation, eight times 400 is.... 3200. But... all of the receipts added up to 1600. I can't disappoint Mr. Rondelles... Where did all of the money- EEP!

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the deep throated voice just behind her. She quickly turned around with a very nervous grin and a clipboard and pencil levitating in front of her.

"Name?"

The pegasus waited several more moments before easing his his sharp stare. "...The names Silver Spur. Though you can call me Silver, Miss..?"

He brought a hoof to his hat and tilted his head in greeting. His voice was not as rough as it was a moment ago, but it was still very much there.

Rough Cut would find that his name was not on the list. Silver himself had literally just came upon this expedition while he looked for chances to get some work in. Being a pony that liked to stay mobile, this kind of venture had his interests. Provided it could pay some coin.

"Rough Cut, Mr. Silver..."

She quickly scanned through the names on the list, even flipping back and forth between pages in case of the possibility that his namesheet could have been misplaced. Maybe there was an entire list of names she had forgotten? That meant potentially more misplaced money... The more she thought about misplaced paperwork the more she became visibly flustered and distressed.

Silver could see she was a bit distressed as she dug though her papers. "You ain't gonna find my name on that list sweet pea. I prefer to say off them papers."

He looked back over the convoy they had, looking other ponies to watch out for. Most of them looked to be just normal ponies making a living.

A loud sigh of relief came from the slightly pudgy mare.

"Oh what a relief... It's just that we're supposed to have more supplies than we do, over half of the money is missing and... Ugh.. I just don't need the added stress of a missing list of ponies with the possibility of even more missing money..."

She looked up at him for the first time with a friendly smile followed by a barrage of questions.

"So Mr. Silver, what can I help you with? Do you want to sign on? Have any questions? Make a donation possibly? Or... An investment?"

Silver raised and eyebrow at her onslaught of questions. It suddenly occured to him that this mare just might indeed be the one in charge of all of this. It did not reassure him at all. Especially the money part of it.

He sighed and looked up into the sky for a few moments, turning some gears in his head. "If somepony took your money, I'll help ye find it for a price. Otherwise I'm here 'cause of the dangerous nature of your trip. There be a lot of place's a pony could get in trouble where you going. I can make things 'safer' for you...for some bits."

Her ears lowered at the mention of money.

"Um... no. All of the funding is tied up in supplies. We don't have anything else. And it's not that the money went missing it's... it never showed up."

Silver did not like that. He really hoped this opportunity would be able to net him some bits. That and the potential bits when they got there. Looks like he might have to get a bit more gruff then.

"Well, i could 'convince' some ponies to 'find' the bits that never showed up. You do have a list of who promised what after all. Don't cha?" He said as casually as before.

The flustered mare started to ruffle through her assorted paperwork.

"You're required to pay when you sign like it says on the poster. I didn't oversee that. Everything comes out to exactly half. We're supposed to have 3200 worth of supplies, but we only have 1600. Both of those numbers are even, no rounding up or down. It just doesn't seem right to me... I'd hate to accuse the organizer of any wrong doing, but I don't have any other explanation..."

Silver was patient, but on this occasion it was running thin. "Then either the overseer is crooked, or you have a few ponies that didn't pay. Though my last gander at your poster said the 400 bits was 'optional'."

She didn't bother to look up, now redoing her math.

"Yes, optional. Eight of twelve ponies elected to pay it, and half of the money is missing..."

Silver was quickly losing interest in this. Maybe he should ask some other pony, or try and see where else he could make some money off these ponies. "So maybe some ponies changed their mind. You can sit here all day and think on it all you want. Won't make them bits appear. If you do care to spend some of them bits to have a safer journey, let me know. Ill be seeing what other work i can get."

He turned to leave, his spurs jingling as he went.

Before Silver Spur stood a scarred unshaven stallion with a knife hanging off a leather strap close to his clothed chest.

"Howdy mister." He gave in a simple greeting.

Silver stopped in place and looked over the pony, carefully. The knife and scars already set off alarms in his head. This pony knew his way around. That meant he could be competition too. There was only so much he could tell with a glance. If he was going to invest in this expedition it was in his interest to talk.

"Howdy...." He looked over the pony again. Silver had been around a lot and done many things with and against other ponies. This one seemed like it could have been one of those ponies at one time. For now, he kept that to himself and see what he knew. "You fellas are in for a dangerous trip..." He said carefully.

He gave Silver the customary greeting when two experienced outlaws come to meet: a quick glance over and sizing up. He'd ran with, gambled with, and hell even killed several ponies that looked just like the one before him. It's just natural that an expedition like this would attract a few kindred souls.

"What makes ya say that, friend?"

The sizing up of each other really did put him on his guard. While he knew nothing would likely happen here while still in the city, he would probably be seeing this pony a bit too much with this expidition going to settle a new town. A town he wanted to make some bits off of.

There was no doubt. This pony was the same kind as he. He looked the pony in the eyes carefully.

"There be a lot of ponies and other things that wouldn't think twice on jumping this here expedition. These things i have experience with handling. Some bits in the pocket and i can put some more ease on many ponies minds." He readjusted his stance, making his spurs jingle.

"What are you doing here on this expedition?"

He slightly tensed up, ready for any move this stranger would make while Rough Cut tittered about with her financial alchemy.

"I figure I'm going to build a farm, raise a family and probly protect this here outing from anything or anypony seekin' to prey on it in the meantime."

Silver knew he had seen this pony before somewhere. And either this pony had really gone straight, or was lying through his teeth. It never hurt to lean toward the latter.

"A good old honest living. Huh.....That funny, because i think i may have seen you before..." He waited. What happened now would tell him what he needed to know.

"You may have, mister. I've done a lot of things over the years, most of which I'm not exactly proud of. But after getting abandoned by your so called 'family' with an arrow in your flank and picked up by the law to sit in a cell for a good while, a gentlecolt starts to reevaluate himself."

Silver was quiet for a few moments more. It was a very tense few moments, but it ended when Silver smiled.

"Arrow in the flank? No wonder you left. A shot that terrible would drive anypony away." He chuckled and brought a hoof to his tilted hat. "Names Silver Spur."

He nodded, loosening up a bit.

"Trail Blazer. I'm glad we didn't have to muddy up these clean streets with our tainted blood."

"I don't have no business with anypony that doesn't have business with me. I don't suppose you remember our meeing?" He asked, still feeling a little guarded, but not as much as before. This pony might be his chance to get in on this expedition.