World of Discord 2.0 (RP)

"Just across the plaza over there, with all the sparks and wires and such," replied the hippogriff as she pointed out the window. "They've been churning out all sorts of interesting new inventions, or rather, rediscoveries, usually after finding another lost book in the Archives."

She got up as something went 'ding' in the back, retrieving another tray of sweets. "What do you think of these candies so far? They're probably not Golden Age quality, but we've tried to stick to the old recipes as closely as possible."

The taste was... different, like they were made by somepony who'd never tasted them before and had to have it described to her, which of course was the case, but it wasn't a bad taste by any means. As a matter of fact, it was quite good - she might've enjoyed them back then, though they were certainly unorthodox. A bit more sugar in this one, less cinnamon and more peppermint in that, maybe some extra cocoa powder to add that bit of flavor to the chocolate blueberries. One thing she did notice was substantially less milk-based products, which made a bit of sense, seeing as that cows weren't exactly in abundance as far as she could tell. That was sad, seeing as that creams and cheeses and yogurts and so many other things were derived from milk products.

Silver Lining smiled widely. "Yes please! There weren't exactly many candy makers from the Golden Age, if any, and it would be so helpful to get some professional advice. Oh! If you're going to Maker's Alley next, could you take this box of mints to Professor Copper Scroll? I'd bring it myself, but you're already on the way, and it'd save me having to close the store just to cross the plaza."

She pulled out a wrapped box with a letter on top.

"He already paid for them, I just need them delivered. I could give you money for it, but I doubt Avalonian Crystals would be of much use outside Avalon. Plus, if what I've heard is true, you have the Queen's favor right now... the only thing I could think of offering in thanks is one of those recipe books."

Silver Lining shifted uneasily. "Milk is... hard to come by, with there being so few cows and bulls still around. I've heard different stories about how things were back in the Golden Age, but according to the cows, at least, apparently they used to hold something of a lower status than ponies back in the day. After the fall, as you can imagine, they leaped at the opportunity to take advantage of the massive societal restructuring as soon as stable communities like Avalon started forming. I don't know whether that's all true or not, but whatever the case may be, milk isn't exactly the omnipresent ingredient the recipe books seem to describe it as being, and we make do with alternatives. The only exception is, well..." She looked at Sandstone, who winced, then nodded, as if readying herself. "Chocolate milk."

The filly blinked, staring into the middle distance for a few seconds before shaking her head clear, giving a reassuring smile at the hippogriff that she was fine.

"...sorry, Outsiders tend to have a... different set of ideas related to that liquid than the recipe books have, and I'm sure you might have, Candycane."

"Grandpa says it's all Big Banana's fault," grumbled Sandstone. "It didn't USED t' explode or rain outta cotton candy clouds, or burn ya like acid, or any o' that. Ah knows that in mah head, like outta a story, but every time Ah hears someone mention it, it brings back... bad memories."

The filly smiled. "Ah'd like t' see that, when it's all done."

Silver Lining rubbed her beak, thinking. "Almond milk, hmm? I might try that sometime. Probably won't have exactly the same taste or effect in some recipes, but it'll make it easier and cheaper to create sweets where it's just a filler. Thanks for the advice!"

The filly grinned, swallowing the last of her candy. "Yep! Thanks, Miss Lining!"

"Anytime, Sandstone," smiled the hippogriff. "Go save the world for us, all right?"

The streets of Avalon were paved with crystal and ornate tiles, her alleys broad and beautifully lit with magic lanterns. From the Maker's Alley came the sounds of hammer and anvil, grindstone and steel. All around them whirled wonderful machines of myriad shapes and intricate design, clockwork and magical, spinning and dancing and flying through the air with wings that flapped like that of a hummingbird, or playing little xylophones and drums with miniature sticks. It seemed not all knowledge was lost in the thousand years since the fall of the Golden Age.

It wasn't hard to find the Professor's shop, marked as it was with the sign of a stylized copper scroll. The place looked quieter than the other stores around, but that wasn't exactly saying much with all the whistling and chiming.

A middle-aged stallion in a vest and leather apron ensemble came out from behind a bookshelf as the doorbell jingled, smiling and lifting up a brass contraption on his head that looked like some sort of magnifying glass combined with a microscope and a multitool.

"Ah, welcome, welcome! I've heard great things about the two of you! Sandstone and Candycane, was it? The two destined to help save the world? That's the news on the streets, at least. Come in, have a seat! Pardon the mess, I've been reorganizing; always in need of more space for experiments, you see."

He pulled up a few chairs with his magic, putting on a kettle to boil on some sort of magic-steam contraption in a corner bustling with beakers and jars of dried plants. She recognized a few as simply tea, but the rest were unknown to her, possibly medicines or potion components. A quick look around confirmed that the professor mostly dealt in spellbooks and research of Golden Age spells and machines; diagrams and charts framed on the walls looked like they were pulled out of a fire or fished out of the ocean and then touched up with new ink. She could see prototypes of various recognizable machines and gadgets from her time - some sort of crude camera, a model of a hot air balloon, some sort of pedal-powered helicopter made of candycanes (who'd be crazy enough to think of THAT?!), and more.

"While we wait for the tea to boil, let me introduce myself. My name is Copper Scroll, Professor of Golden Age research and archaeology. I've spent my life trying to recreate the spells and machines of Old Equestria, and especially the spells invented by my ancestor, Feather Scroll. It's a continuation of what all Scrolls have done since the Day of Chaos. Anyways, enough about me, please, tell me about yourselves! I see you've already met my good friend Silver Lining?"

Sandstone smiled shyly. "N-nice t' meetcha, Professor! Ah'm Sandstone Pie, from th' Apple Pie Farm. Ah ain't really done much other'n what all th' other lil'uns do, chores an' standin' Barn watch an' all, but Ah've been gittin' all these strange dreams an' feelin's an' such lately, Grandpa Stone Pie calls 'em 'prophecies'. Ah don't rightly know 'bout that, but they seem t' come true."

"Fascinating! It's an honor to meet both of you, to be sure," smiled the professor, picking up the whistling kettle with his magic and pouring three cups of tea for himself and the guests. "Do I guess correctly that you, Miss Candycane, hail from the Golden Age? Much has been said on the streets of the legendary Apple Pie Farm and the Statue Vigil; it's where most of our knowledge of that time period comes from, besides the Archives and what few artifacts and items we can find in excavations with the Diamond Kingdom. I'd be ecstatic if you could lend your assistance in looking over a few of our most recent discoveries; I'm afraid we've only vague deductions and extrapolations of the original purposes and internal mechanics of some machines and spells, and the gaps in our knowledge are painfully vast."