Ideas for "Infinity's Edge"

As I've said, this will contain potential future stuff for "Infinity's Edge," formerly "Idle Holding Pattern." Anything that goes in here will be unpublished at first, for obvious reasons. Things that don't make the final cut, for various reasons, will probably be posted, but with a label saying "this is not canon, but it could've been," sorta like deleted scenes on a DVD, usually without reasons why they were cut, because SPOILERS! Others, once the finalized versions are added to the main story, will be posted as they originally were written, with their own label.

As such, here are a few freebee previews, for your entertainment!

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...I continued galloping through the forest, chastising myself all the way. Yes, galloping. Of all the times to be stuck with hooves instead of hands, this was the worst!

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck! I screamed, internally. I was silently cursing my luck, my poor forward planning, my abilities in general, and Timberwolves everywhere. Yes, Timberwolves. How they had such a good sense of smell, or any sense in general, I'll never know. And so, I raced on, my only hope lying in the possibility that I could get back to base before they got me.

I didn't care whose bright idea it had been to have us training during Timberwolf mating season, but whoever it was had something coming to 'em.

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...I was just reaching up to pick another apple when I heard a dog barking nearby, and coming closer. "D'arvit!" I swore, positioned myself in the tree's uppermost boughs, and cast a discreet visual distortion spell about myself. Not a moment too soon, as the dog had leapt up against the trunk, and was yapping it's head off in my general direction.

"Whoah, there, Winona! What'd ya find, girl?" A voice asked, and it's owner came into view. While her distinctive orange coat was only a marginally more welcome sight than that of her elder brother, it still wasn't welcome at that particular moment. She looked up, squinted, and then shrugged, apparently not seeing me. She turned around... only to deliver a terrible, swift kick to the trunk of the tree, which shook everything like a leaf in the wind. It would seem that I made some sort of sound at that point, or otherwise gave myself away, because she looked almost directly at me and said, clear as day, "alrighty, there, pardner, if'n ya come down here right now, we can hash this out peaceful-like, an' ah won't hafta get violent, ya hear?" She then turned to the dog, and said, "good work, girl." The dog looked at her, barked once, and went back to staring at me.

"I swear," I said, panicking, "I've already paid for these in advance! Time and a half, rounded up, as always!" There was a pause, and a confused look passed over her face like an errant cloud as she parsed what I'd just said.

"Wait, yer... YER STEALIN' APPLES?! OH, THAT'S JES' GREAT!" she exclaimed, highly outraged. "THE HAY'S WRONG WITH YOU?"

"Wha- no! No!! I just told you, I'm paying for them, time and a half what your normal rates are!" I sighed, and facepalmed. "But, if it helps, I'll come down. Promise you'll hear me out before tryin' t'kill me?"

"Ah'm not so sure 'bout that," said the offended mare, calming down a bit.

"Pleeeeeeeeeease?" I begged.

She groaned, and rolled her eyes. "Fine, if'n it'll get ya down here, then yes." She then performed some wierd action, accompanied by the words "cross mah hart 'n hope ta fly, stick a cupcake in mah eye." I blinked a couple times.

"Uh... alrighty then." I said, perplexed, but I clambered down nonetheless. I received a wallop to the back of my head for my troubles, which nearly made me drop the few apples I was holding.

"Now, start explainin' yersel' afore I crack ya a new 'un!" She demanded. Massaging the point of contact, I did as she wanted.

"Alright, alright, keep your hat on," I began, "I set this up, like, a week or two ago with your sister. Y'know, creamy-yellow coat, reddish-pink hair- er, mane, large bow?" Applejack glared at me, unconvinced. "Yeah, um... See, she said that, as long as I made sure to pay for them, I could help myself to a few whenever I needed, as long as it wasn't too frequent, and I didn't take more than ten at a time."

"Uh-huh. Yeah, ah'm not sure ah believe y'all on that. Here, lemme jes' double check with mah sister." She turned her head, and (as she probably would have put it,) "began a-hootin' 'n a-hollerin' fit t'beat the devil," or something. "APPLEBLOOM?? YOU GET--" she began, but was quickly interrupted by a new voice.

"Yes?" Asked the newcomer, walking out from behind a nearby tree. "What'sa'matter, sis? Ah heard ya hootin' 'n a-hollerin' clear o'er in the treehouse, so ah came as fast as ah could!" Then she saw me, and her eyebrows shot up. "Oh, hey there, Storm! How'sit going?"

Applejack was taken aback. "Wait, ya mean ya actually know this guy?"

"Eeyup!" Said the smaller mare, which caused me to flinch a bit. I'd had a tendency to ever-so-slightly drag out the first part of the word myself before arriving, but it'd been getting too close to their pronunciation for comfort, lately, seeing as I still tried to distance myself from certain aspects of this world. Old habits, eh?

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"Pass me that d20, will ya?"

I flicked the indicated die in Twilight's direction, and she caught it expertly with her magic. "Thank you," she said, politely, as she pulled it behind the screen, and began rolling up another monstrosity to set on our hapless characters.

"I still can't believe I let you eggheads talk me into this..." Said Rainbow Dash, leaning back in her chair and crossing her forelegs.

"You know what I think, Skittles?" I replied. "I think you can't believe you're enjoying this game." She glared at me.

"JUST SHUT UP AND PLAY, NOOKWHIFFER!" Said Karkat, from across the table. Yes, he talks loudly, and is always cranky.

"4CTU4LLY, 1T'S MY TURN," interjected Terezi, who was sitting next to Rainbow Dash, and rolled her dice. "TH4T'S 4 T3N, 1 B3L13V3, WH1CH M34NS... F1FT33N D4M4G3 TO TH3 HYDR4."

"D8mmit!" Shouted vriska, slamming her fists on the table as Tahu facepalmed. "I really h8 you, Terezi, you know th8?"

"444WWW... DO 1 SM3LL T34RS 1N THOS3 C3RUL34N 3Y3S OF YOURS?" she smiled.

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More to come...