The story of Thornwood valley

Chapter 5: Hooves over matter

The three of them would all gather around the lounge, relaxing on the couch as they would all discuss the house and how they will be able to renovate the rooms, the lounge and even the passageway that was a bit dirty, filled with dirt, grass and some creepers growing on the walls. They would all go in separate rooms cleaning some of the stuff that would be in the rooms, such as broken planks, glass and some dust that was collected on the window cills. The occasional sneezing could be heard from the three of them as the house was rather stuffy from the collection of dust flying around the house and the sunlight rays exposing the particles of dust flying about as it would dance and fill the noses of the three of the ponies.

Once they were all done, they decided to head back into the lounge and sit on the couch, flopping on it as they would sigh, resting their heads as they would look at each other with smiles crossing through their faces.

"Well, that sure was an interesting time to spend. cleaning up the house, cleaning the rooms... Brings back some memories~" Said Hellebore, as she would sit next to Almond."

"I never thought a pony like you could be so happy about packing broken plates and getting dust in your mane. You must REALLY like cleaning up and getting your hooves dirty." Said Fruit cup as he would smirk at her.

"Of course I do, Fruity. If it means getting my hooves dirty for the rest of the day and keep me distracted from being bored, then I'm always up for being productive around Thornwood valley! Anywho, seeing we are all done here, you two maybe want to head to the tavern and get some cold drinks for the day? I think you two deserve it"

Hellebore would giggle as she said this, tugging Almond in the shoulder as she would wink at him. As they sat there for a few minutes, the three of them decided to get up from the couch and proceeded to the door, Almond opening the entrance so that Hellebore and Fruit cup would exit, leaving him to close the door on the way out. He locked the door and placed the key somewhere within the area so that it could be hidden. A rock would lay beside the door with a couple of rocks in a pile. Placing the key under the rock, he then put blades of grass on the rock, covering it and then getting up to trot with the two of them.

They trotted into the village, ponies young and old would all trot around the area, going in and out as some stallions could be seen carrying some heavy materials, arranging from rocks, wood, bags of potatoes and occasionally some were carrying some items that looked like it was mined out from deep below.

"Say Hellebore, those stallions that are carrying those bags over there, are they carrying some mining materials?" Asked Almond, as he would look around the area.

"Yup! We are currently gathering the most as we can as the mining area is slowly starting to lose its minerals. Unfortunately, ts located in the woods and...it's rather risky to go in there by yourself as lately we had some incidents where ponies in black robes covering their face come there and....Y-yeah I said too much...sorry..." Hellebore responded, seeming to be a bit uncomfortable to talk about these ponies that she mentioned.

Something about the"ponies in black robes" that Hellebore mentioned made Almond curious, looking off into the distance as he saw some trees with a sign showing the path to the mine, surrounded by plantation growing on the sign and it being slightly damaged from what looked like scratches. As they arrived at the tavern, they heard what sounded like shouting and some glasses breaking from the inside, with a stallion falling out of the entrance of the tavern, with bruizes and bumps on his face, along with some blood leaving his nose.

"Oh my gosh! are you...are you alright?" Questioned Fruit cup, offering a hoof to the stallion on the ground, seeming as the stallion on the ground got up and got his bearings"

"Do I look alright to you? There's a crazy mare in there who's had too much to drink! If I were you, think its best you try and avoid her! She's out of her bloody mind if you ask me!" said the stallion, looking a bit beaten up as he would trot off, limping as he would say some incoherent sentences in the distance, which sounded like cursing.

"well...best be careful then," Hellebore added, opening the entrance to the tavern as she would wait for Almond and Fruit cup to enter, making a gentle smile as she would close the door behind her.

The tavern was filled with ponies, sitting around their seats as some of them would be served by mares with aprons, carrying little plates that had drinks on it, which looked like some apple cider, its golden look with bubbles floating in the glass as it would then be set on the table in front of the ponies sitting, laughing at what sounded like they heard a joke.

"Hey, this place looks more lively then what it was the other day, I wonder what the occasion is?" Said Almond, as he would trot towards an available seat, sitting down and waving at the two to get their attention.

Hellebore and Fruit cup trotted towards the available seat that Almond had saved for them, sitting down as Hellebore would sit next to Almond, placing her hooves on the menu and looking through the available options that she could order. Moments went by as the three of them would look at the menu, checking through the drinks as both Almond and Fruit cup made their decisions on what to order. Almond ordering an apple cider with some pinch of lemon as Fruit cup would order some Rasberry drink to smoothen his throat from the time they worked in the house. A mare would trot towards them with her horn glowing as she would carry around a plate along with a little note pad, suggesting that she was about to take their order.

"Ello you three! I bet you all ready to get somethin' to quench your thirst?" Asked the mare, holding the note with her magic floating in mid-air,as she would put on a smile for them, writing down the orders that the three had in mind.

"Oh yes...hello I would like uhh...a raspberry drink, please?" Asked Fruit cup, showing her as he would point to the option it had on the menu, looking shy as he would then close the menu. The waitress would take Hellebore's and Almond's order and she would trot off, with Fruit cup staring at her trotting off as Hellebore would notice at him staring at her.

"Heeheehee, looks like you got somepony in mind, Fruit cup~? " Said Hellebore as she would teasingly ask him.

"Hmmm? OH! n-no I uh....n-no its just... she had something on her....dress, yeah!" He responded, looking red in the cheeks as he would look down at the table, fiddling with his hooves. "I-I wasn't staring at her f-flank or anything......"

"Oh,I'm sure she has "something" on her dress that made you interested to look there.heehee~"

"S-shuddup..." he said, looking nervously at the table as he would cover his face with the hoodie he had on, placing his hooves on his face"

"No worries, Fruity~ I was just teasing~"

Yeah...speaking of which, I wonder what that stallion was talking about when he mentioned about a mare being "crazy" as he put it..." Said Almond, Looking around as he would look at the two.

Both Hellebore and Fruit cup would draw their attention to Almond, looking rather concerned themselves as they thought about what that stallion said earlier. Minutes pass by as they would wait for their drinks, the mare approaching them with their beverages, with the waitress winking at Fruit cup, giggling to herself as she trotted off.

"N'tawwww, looks like you have a little somepony who likes you too~"

As Fruit cup heard this, he would bury his head in his hooves and blush more as she laughed. The three of them enjoyed their drinks as they would talk amongst the three of them. Then, one mare came out of the restroom, followed up by a few bumps and hooves slamming on the ground, with the mare looking directly at the three of them, trotting rather aggressively,an annoyed look on her face formed as she got closer.

"Oh,no...this can't be good..." Almond said, looking at the mare approaching them, shifting as he would sit awkwardly as she approached.