[Nexus] Underside - The Third

[Morty]

[Underside Colony, Fungus Farm]

The farm owner shrugs. The last five minutes of his life have been crazy.
I suppose it's worth a try, so long as you don't disrupt the actual work. What would you be demanding in exchange? It goes without saying, in his opinion, that part of it would be repaying for the damaged mushrooms.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Underside Colony, Fungus Farm]

Agreement! Yay!

Rarity looks to be quite gleeful at the prospect of this work, enough so to wave away the thought of being paid for it.
"Nonsense! I will not be accepting payment for what is simply a public service.
I would, however, be appreciative of directions to where I may find fabrics for my work."

[Morty]

[Underside Colony, Fungus Farm]

The farm owner's left ear perks up. She's going to do it for free? Bwuh? That's weird. But then, she is a unicorn... that's pretty crazy to start with.
Uh... well, if you take the tram to the nearest cave hub, there's a market there. Should be plenty of materials on it.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Underside Colony, Fungus Farm]

Said unicorn is just grinning widely by this point, looking quite pleased with herself.
"Excellent! I can begin immediately, if you would care to supply directions to this tram."
Rarity has absolutely no idea where anything is here.
Or where "here" is.

But that didn't matter quite yet!
There was a decor emergency to correct!

[Morty]

[Underside Colony, Fungus Farm]

The goblin farm owner pinches the bridge of his nose.
Leave the farm through the main exit, then head into the left tunnel. There will be signs pointing you towards the tram station. There, it's easy to find one that goes to the main hub.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Underside Colony, Fungus Farm]

Rarity gives a gracious little bow of the head, before she begins to turn back towards the door.
Or mostly does, there is a little pause and a look of faint embarrassment on her face.
"Oh my, how rude of me. My name is Rarity. I can scarcely believe I forgot such a simple matter of etiquette..."

[Morty]

[Underside Colony, Fungus Farm]

I'm Dimak Flatback. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Rarity. I hope your stay in the Underside Colony is enjoyable, the farm owner says in a tired voice. What did he get himself into?

[Chaotic Bob]

[Underside Colony, Fungus Farm]

"With luck, your own will become more enjoyable."
Rarity gives a faint little bow of her head and then trots off.
Onwards!

The directions seemed simple enough. The unicorn is pretty certain she at least knows the way out of this area.
Just a matter of the rest of the instructions being as easy as they sounded...

[Morty]

[Underside Colony, Fungus Farm]

The directions Flatback provided turn out to be accurate. The main exit of the cave does lead to the tunnel, which is quite wide and lined with entrances of smaller tunnels and eventually leads to a crossroads. The left turn of the crossroad does bear the sign "Tram Station" and if Rarity follows it, she'll begin to hear the hustle and bustle of the station in the distance.
All along the way, she'll encounter goblins, crossing the tunnels as they go about their business. Most of them enter and exit the smaller tunnel entrances or head in the direction of the tram station. They're goblins of both genders and all ages and all of them peer at Rarity curiously as they pass her - they're unfamiliar with horses, much less unicorns. If Rarity pays attention to their clothing she'll note that they favour toned-down, even drab colours and their clothes have little decoration. Most women wear very conservative dresses.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Underside Colony, Fungus Farm]

Well that's refreshing.
Actually being able to get to her destination without too much fuss over getting lost is a wonderful thing.

Means she can spend more time examining the fashions and styles of this little culture, while ignoring all of those curious little looks. She's doing the same, after all, so it wouldn't be fair to get huffy over it.

Not very exciting styles, she's quick to note. Very pragmatic.
Somewhat disappointing, to the unicorn, but she supposes that she can find a way to work with it. Or just introduce them to something more vibrant.
Who knows, maybe it'll take off and she can say she had a mark on society!

Rarity grins a bit at this idea, not really expecting it to be a truth, but a fanciful diversion nonetheless.
Something for her to spend time on while she hunts down this tram's entrance, or ticket station.

[Morty]

[Underside Colony, Fungus Farm]

The tram station is very busy. It's a very tall cavern cut into the rock, with a two pairs of rails, each going in different direction, and bridges built above to cross them. The whole area is bustling with goblins. Rarity will likely spot little booths, each with two goblins in it, that seem to be selling tickets. There are large tables with departures and arrivals written out on them, and it seems that a tram to the nearest hub is leaving in ten minutes.
The trams themselves are made of metal and seem to move on large cables hanging off metal railings. They make a lot of noise as they go.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Underside Colony, Fungus Farm]

Rarity winces a bit at the noises, her ears folding back a bit against her head.
Okay, this was going to be less than pleasant. But she had been to those Wonderbolt competitions with Rainbow Dash, which were plenty loud, so she would endure a measly tram.

That thought firmly pushing her ears back into an upright position, the unicorn trots off to those little booths.
She'll have to assume that the nearest hub is the "main hub" that Dimak spoke of...so time to ask for a ticket there!

If they need money, she'll have to hope Equestrian bits can at least be construed as valuable on the basis of "Ooh, shiny".

[Morty]

[Underside Colony, Tram Station ==> Hub #3-Briz]

The ticket sellers will accept whatever money Rarity has. Sticking to a single currency would be silly in the Nexus. It would appear that the nearest hub is indeed the main one of the area, so all that's left is for Rarity to board the tram. Needless to say, she draws curious glances from everyone present.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Hub #3-Briz]

Excellent! Plan "Ooh shiny" appears to work in this place.
Not that she can really blame the creatures, many forms of modern fashion subsist purely on the concept.

On that note, she should really figure out their opinion on gemstones...
Perhaps that would be a viable alternative for a more drab farm attractivity boost?
Rarity frowns slightly, horn glowing slightly bright as a piece of paper and a quill appear from within the voluminous curls of her tail. Practical and fabulous!

Ideas are scrawled as she boards the train, only passingly aware of the many curious glances until she can find herself a seat.
At which point it becomes harder to not-notice.
"Um, hello?"

[Morty]

[Hub #3-Briz - Onboard a Tram]

Rarity will find herself stared at by a tiny goblin boy as the tram speeds through a dark tunnel. The boy's mother appears to be dozing off next to him. When the unicorn speaks, the boy becomes flustered.
Um, I'm sorry ma'am.
The tram itself is made of metal and wood. Inside there are compartments filled with seats. Rarity might have trouble sitting on one, though - they're goblin sized.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Hub #3-Briz - Onboard a Tram]

Thankfully, ponies are fairly small creatures themselves, so Rarity can hop into a seat with a degree of simplicity.
She just has to turn sideways to properly be comfortable.

Which leaves her staring at that goblin boy.
"Oh, that is quite alright! No need to apologize. Why, I must be quite the sight in your little...city. Have you ever seen a unicorn or pony before?"
Rarity makes an attempt to not use overly large words, assuming that (like ponies) smaller goblins are children. Most species are like that.

Some basic information gathering here, as well. Is she alone?

[Morty]

[Hub #3-Briz - Onboard a Tram]

The tiny goblin is indeed a child. He's got very large eyes and ears and a squeaky voice. He shakes his head.
No ma'am. We've never seen anyone like you here. I've never even heard of unicorns or ponies.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Hub #3-Briz - Onboard a Tram]

"Never heard of...oh my. I must be quite far away from home indeed."
Rarity taps her chin with a hoof, contemplating this.
It's still possible her friends are in this area, and the child just hasn't seen them yet. But it's just as possible that they aren't...

"Could you maybe tell me where I am, what this place's name is? I'm afraid I'm lost."

[Morty]

[Hub #3-Briz - Onboard a Tram]

This is the Underside Colony in the Nexus, ma'am. Didn't you read the sign when you entered? The tiny goblin asks, confused.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Hub #3-Briz - Onboard a Tram]

"Oh...no, I fear I must have missed that sign."
These things happen when you appear in a pile of mushrooms, you see.

Rarity frowns slightly, although not at the child.
"I suppose I am going to sound very silly, but where is the Nexus? Is it a country?"

[Morty]

[Hub #3-Briz - Onboard a Tram]

The goblin boy's ears twitch.
The Nexus is a world, ma'am. Or many different worlds. I'm not sure. It's complicated. How did you come here without knowing you did?

[Chaotic Bob]

[Hub #3-Briz - Onboard a Tram]

"Oh yes...of course...that all makes perfect sense."
Dear Celestia, Twilight what did you do?

The unicorn is making an effort to remain dignified and not look as horribly disturbed as she feels, opting instead of fiddle with the curls of her mane.
"Well, I had kind of hoped this was just a cave near my home somewhere..."
That she had never seen, known of, heard of, or even imagined.

Because that's perfectly likely.

[Morty]

[Hub #3-Briz - Onboard a Tram]

I'm sure you'll find your home ma'am, the goblin boy says with perfect confidence.
Meanwhile, the tram begins to slow down. According to the sign in the corridor, this stop is at the Briz hub.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Hub #3-Briz - Onboard a Tram]

"I certainly hope so. Thank you, little one."
Rarity gives a grateful smile to the young goblin before getting ready to head off.

Hopefully there won't be too much dillydallying on the way to the market...the unicorn is quite eager to see what she'll have to work with!

[Morty]

[Underside Colony - Hub #3-Briz]

As Rarity exits the tram, she will be greeted with a sight similar to the one she saw before entering it - a bustling, loud tram station. Most goblins head for the large, wide tunnel that leads to the hub.
Should she follow the tunnel as well, she will walk in a crowd of goblins for a long while, before the tunnel ends and she's presented with a rather new sight.
Before her stretches an enormous, sphere-shaped cave, one that could possibly fit half of Ponyville inside it. In the middle there is a giant column that reaches the ceiling of the cave and is riddled with holes that serve as doors and windows. Several other, smaller columns that don't reach the ceiling are placed on the floor of the cavern, linked with a complex network of bridges. The walls of the cave are riddled with holes that lead to other tunnels. There is a considerable crowd of goblins walking on the bridges, the floor as well as in and out of the tunnels

[Chaotic Bob]

[Underside Colony - Hub #3-Briz]

Oh my, these are rather industrious creatures, considering their choice of environment.
Rarity could only imagine how much simpler and more productive they would be, somewhere that wasn't a cave.

Must be a comfort thing.

She trots along at an easy pace, no real rush, continuing to keep an eye around for the goblin fashions and designs.
Doubtful they'll be massively different here than over there, but it doesn't hurt to be sure, while she's on the way to that market.

Hopefully won't have to poke someone else for better directions.

[Morty]

[Underside Colony - Hub #3-Briz]

The goblin fashion here is indeed not too different from what Rarity saw before. This is still very much a public area, however. Perhaps goblins dress differently in more private surroundings.
Getting to the marketplace will be an easy matter. Needless to say, the unicorn causes a bit of a spectacle along the way. But she's probably used to it by now.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Underside Colony - Hub #3-Briz]

Being a spectacle really isn't a problem.
Perhaps if the confusion becomes overly leery she may grow uncomfortable, but for now she'll just take it all in stride like a proper lady.

Try not to bask in their gazes too much before looking for a fabric vendor...

[Morty]

[Underside Colony - Hub #3-Briz - Marketplace]

The marketplace turns out to be another, bustling cave. It's filled with stalls, tables and huts, as well as entrances to smaller caves. It seems just about everything is being sold in there, but after a while, Rarity ought to end up in front of circular door to a cave labeled "Curvehorn's Fabrics & Textiles".

[Chaotic Bob]

[Underside Colony - Hub #3-Briz - Marketplace - Curvehorn's Fabrics & Textiles]

Excellent!
It's rather heartening to see that markets are roughly the same here as the ones back home. Stalls and shops. Very straightforward.

Rarity will trot directly into the store without any dallying, quite eager to get on with her project.
"Hellooooo, shopkeeper!"