EcstaticWind

@@Redeye, 'Not what I'd planned, but I'm hard-pressed for options right now. Perhaps after a bath and a clean change of clothes, I can discern my next move. I sense something will happen here soon.' He thought. He'd need to make a note of asking about a place to wash his clothes while he was at the bathhouse, though his coat wasn't the highest priority. It was his defense against the elements and washing it would just make the dust and sand stick to it. He thought about it as he made his way to the bathhouse.

Finally...he'd reached Ithagor. Next port of call would be a bath, food, then possibly stop somewhere to get his clothes clean. As he reached the city, he pulled back his hood to reveal a head of messy dark hair and a reasonably handsome face with odd markings. The breeze was welcome on his face now that he was relatively safe from long term exposure to the sun and he could afford to expose his face. He wasn't that ready to start taking off his gloves, though, no matter how much he was sweating. First things first, he needed a bath, though. He looked around for a bathhouse or a tavern.

@@Redeye, The man took note of the sign with a sigh of relief and continued onward towards Ithagor. He'd had the good sense to wear light coloured clothes, a lot of which was dirty and sun-bleached. His hood, especially so. Underneath it, he was sweating, dark locks of hair plastered to his face and neck. And he had...maybe a day of water left if he was careful with it.

A hooded man walked through the canyon, continually checking that parts of him aren't exposed to the sun. Under the coat that protected him from the elements, he seemed to be a tanned man with strange markings. He'd been travelling for a while now, looking for some kind of marking or sign that he was soon reaching a town or settlement. 'I knew I should've copied that map... At the very least, I can follow the walls of the canyon for now. This heat isn't unlike that of fire.' He thought to himself, trudging onwards. Hopefully he'd find some indication of the direction towards a town or someone he could ask for directions before he died out here in the desert.

@@EquestrianScholar, @, @@bronislav84, Pinkie giggled with glee. "They're making songs about us? I gotta throw 'em a party now! There's gonna be cake and candy, balloons, streamers...What else could we use? Ooooh! Muffins and cupcakes! Maybe some magic tricks? Twilight, could you maybe show 'em a bit of magic at their welcome party? Please, pretty please?" She implored Twilight's help in her usual fashion. Her party planning was usually this chaotic, but the quality spoke for itself most days.

As she slept, she dreamed. Dreamed of those days before the war. Everypony she knew and loved. Her dreams took a dark turn when she joined the SoE, but she felt like she had to do it. The Princesses wouldn't want a war tearing Equestria apart, but she couldn't end it by doing nothing. She barely remembered most of the fighting... It started blurring together in gunfire and the stomping of Titans. Noise. Then...she saw death smile at her and raise gun. BANG! The bullet moved agonizingly slow, as time slowed around her. She was paralyzed! She screamed, unable to do anything to prevent her own death. When the bullet struck... She woke up, sweating and panting. She held a hoof to her head and rolled onto her back, staring up at the vaguely familiar ceiling...

@@EquestrianScholar, @@HigurSan, @@GeneralDirection, @@Taialin, @@bronislav84, @@Love, @@Derplight Sperkle, @@Hypn0ticD, "Fans? What kinda fans? They've heard of us? Are we famous in this other dimension, too?" Pinkie asked as Celestia and Rainbow Dash finished speaking. "Oooh, I should throw a welcome party when they arrive! Show them that we're super friendly!" She starting thinking about what she'd need for this welcome party she was planning, how much time they may or may not have before the humans arrive. She almost got ready to panic. "When are they getting here, Princess?!"

Phantom Dancer a.k.a. Grey Ash @@FortyTwo42, He chuckled a little at Ebony's confusion. "Well, for starters, we don't touch the sharp edge. You can slide them on, but there's the risk of them sliding off again in flight. Usually there's a harness around to help with that, but we might have to look around a little. If not, I'll see if I can arrange something if I have any friends in town." In his mind, he found her endearing, but her lack of training was worse than he thought. She needed a lot of work if she was going to make it. "You have to be careful with a weapon. They are tools, not toys, and should be treated with care. Take care of your weapons, and they'll get you through almost anything, but you also have to be at least a little clever about it."

Poppy Seed @@Scribblegroove, As they reached the hotel, Poppy shot Scribblegroove a look that said 'Are you serious?' "I've already GOT a room, you plonker! Weren't you listening earlier when I said I had a roommate?" She shouted before heading into her room to get ready. She didn't stop to check anything, only focusing on making herself look as presentable as possible in the short time they had. She didn't rush, but she didn't go too slowly, either. Rushing through this would just make a mess. When she was done, she wore a somewhat modern dark blue dress that she'd bought for formal occasions, dates if she ever found a stallion that was willing to put up with her, etc. Her mane was neatly brushed and held back with a clip so she looked reasonably decent. Once she was satisfied, she headed out and thought over her impending apology for being late.

Phantom Dancer @@nx9100, "Well, sir, I'm currently looking for work and was wondering if you had any positions available." The Pegasus said, making sure he appeared harmless. The less threatening he seemed, the easier it would be to hide in plain sight. This stallion seemed to already have an opinion of him, possibly sizing him up as poor or perhaps easily led. Though his exterior didn’t change, the dark grey Pegasus smirked internally. Though he made note not to be overconfident. He, of all ponies, should know best that not all ponies are what they seem. This one might have a trick up his sleeve. -*-*-*- Noble Persona la Silvercolt The morning sun felt nice… Noble Persona, current head of the Silvercolt family, laid back against a tree in his courtyard, reading a book in the peaceful morning. Well, aside from the explosion some streets away, but he didn’t let it bother him. It was practically his alarm clock by now. As he read the book, he felt a pang of longing… wanting to go on an adventure again. He had servants to help keep his business afloat and balance out the books. One such servant came looking for him, interrupting his thoughts before they reached drama levels. “My lord?” She asked, almost making him drop the book. “Ah! Oh, sorry. I was...I was lost in thought. What is it, Ms. Honeysuckle?” “I’ve just heard that Princess Luna has left the castle. She’s meeting with a pirate captain of sorts. I’m rather concerned what this would entail.” Noble thought about it for a moment. “It is a good reason to be concerned. We should send somepony to investigate the matter and find out just what he’s after. How soon can we have somepony down there?” “I can have a Pegasus down there in around 10 minutes, give or take. You aren’t going personally, my lord?” “No. The other nobles have enough to scheme about. It’s better not to put ourselves in unnecessary risk by having a high-profile target show up. Besides, the next batch of weapons should be ready soon and I will be personally overseeing the delivery.” Noble said, picking up his book. Ms. Honeysuckle nodded. “Very well. Your usual refreshment, my lord?” “Yes, please. Thank you, Ms. Honeysuckle.”

Phantom Dancer a.k.a. Grey Ash @, "Time? Most likely, but we don't have the room in here to do that. And the weapons on the floor aren't conducive to a decent training area. Especially not these ones. with this rust, I'd say there's a chance of contracting some kind of sickness from these. so be careful to that whip, too." Phantom said, somewhat amused that he was playing the mentor so soon. But he didn't want her dying yet, so he should give her as much advice and help as she needed. "Honestly, I would suggest carrying a set of wingblades with you. I'm sadly unfamiliar with Batpony anatomy, so I don't know if your wings are flexible or durable enough to handle them, but if the answer to both is yes, they're effective weapons. Just...don't hold them in your mouth."

Phantom Dancer a.k.a. Grey Ash @, @@Gloomfury, Phantom nodded. He didn't have any words to comfort her when she talked about her family and friends. Of course, her question to him when they were going over weapons was an interesting one. He looked to the tail whip she asked him about and was about to answer when Gloom spoke first, denouncing the weapon and suggesting a blade and the impractical notion of holding it in your mouth as a better alternative. It wouldn't alleviate dizziness, since you'd still need to spin and move in a spiral motion to hit anything. That is, if you didn't cut your mouth to pieces on these things. "Actually, yes. The tail whip is a good weapon, but only if you're trained in it. It's hard to master because a wrong move is painful and can lead to an injury. Once you know how to use it, it can be deadly and effective. It's usually used in flight, but it can help in guarding your back with a flick of your tail."

A seemingly ordinary dark grey Pegasus with an ice-blue mane surveyed the scene before him, seeming as curious as the others were. After all, a Princess visiting wasn't an ordinary occurrence. Until now, he had been looking for work, then...well with the arrival of the Princess, all sorts begin to crawl out of the woodwork to try and win her over. And that was exactly what the Pegasus wanted. Now, he merely had to choose which one to approach for work. Trotstein...well, he'd heard rumors about some shady dealings. A pony like that might have a use for his services, assuming the rumors were true. The ponies by the coffee shop...Well, one looked rich and the other not. Perhaps he would benefit from approaching the richer looking of the two and finding out a bit about him. He really didn't have a lot to lose here. @@nx9100, With confident stride and a carefully calculated smile, the dark grey Pegasus approached the dark blue Earth Pony with the grey muzzle. "Excuse me, sir. Might I trouble you for a moment of your time?"

@@HigurSan, @@Hypn0ticD, Pinkie picked out a good dark chocolate muffin and brought it over. "Y'know, Princess, you could just come with us to Twilight's place. We're heading there right after I finish work which should be in exactly...2 seconds. We're gonna talk about the Hu-manes anyway, right? And what's more secure than a Princess' castle? Well, I suppose Discord could sneak in, but he's Discord, so he could sneak in anywhere. He's even better at the popping out of nowhere thing than me!" Within the enthusiasm, Pinkie did have a point. If they were talking about the Hu-manes anyway, it'd be better for Luna to simply accompany them to Twilight's castle. Theatrics are fine, but this was a lot of effort for something that was already going to happen before she came along. Of course, it being Pinkie, her point was hidden amongst a load of rambling, which continued on past the subject of Discord until she looped onto the subject of muffins, proceeding to ask Applejack's opinion. "Discord can be pretty cool, with all his magic and the chocolate rain... Oh, the chocolate rain... I could go for some chocolate milk right now. Hey, that'd go great with the strawberry muffins, or maybe the caramel. Or what about...hmmm...I dunno what'd go well with the dark chocolate muffins. What do you think, Applejack?"

Poppy Seed @@Scribblegroove, @@Midnight Scribbler, "We'll keep a lookout for it, ma'am." Poppy said, before turning to her stallion companion. "Won't we?" *BOOOOOONNNNNNNGG* "Ow, that hurt..." Poppy grumbled, holding herself back from yet another surprise. Then she realized what the surprise was. They were meant to get ready and meet up at the gates of the mansion and she had completely forgotten. "BUGGER!" She shouted, grabbing hold of her companion's hoof and attempting to practically drag him back to the hotel to get ready for dinner at the mansion, or if they were short on time, straight to the mansion. "Come on! We're running late!"

Phantom Dancer @, Phantom raised an eyebrow as Ebony cut herself off. He was pretty sure of what she was about to say and so far, she didn't seem to have picked up on any of Phantom's lies. Still, it didn't matter much to him. He knew what he was and what ponies hired him for. "My family performed for the soldiers. Keep up morale, y'know? Then...well, there was an accident and they aren't around anymore. It was horribly traumatic at the time and I didn't know how to deal with that kind of loss. But it's a little painful to talk about, even now. The military helped me get over it." He said, playing the sad history card to divert attention away from his previous involvement in the military. That part of his past wasn't for others to know. As they stepped into the armoury, Phantom started looking around for the best quality set of wingblades he could find. "Hmm...Not quite the best equipment, but it's better than sticks, I guess." He said. If he could reach out to somepony in the city proper, if there is anypony in the city proper to contact, he might be able to line up some better weapons. But the odds of that would be slim. If his suspicions were correct, the black market would be no easier to obtain weapons from than official channels.

@@SwigglySwiggly, "One cherry muffin comin' up!" Pinkie said, picking out a nice-looking cherry one and setting it on a plate on the counter. She beamed widely when the pony said she was good in the Hearth's Warming Eve play. "Awww...Thanks. I tried to put on a good performance. Lots of ponies say it's a remarkable opportunity to meet me, but really, I always used to meet ponies before Twilight moved here. Do you live here in Ponyville?" @@Hypn0ticD, Sadly her conversation would be brought to an end by the arrival of Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy, who seemed to have brought Princess Cadance with them. "Hiya, girls! And Princess Cadance! Be with ya in a sec!" She turned to her current customer. "Sorry about this, but I gotta go with my friends. Something big's happening and we were meeting up at Twilight's castle to discuss it. Tell ya what, swing by again sometime and we can have a longer chat. I love talking to ponies." She beamed.

@@Love, Alex saw a woman stumble outside. Normally, he'd ignore it. It wasn't his problem, was it? No, of course it wasn't. But all the same, he flicked the safety on his airsoft gun and stuffed it in his pocket, put on the pair of shoes he left by the door, and headed out over to the woman. Upon approach, he noticed her strange hair colour. It must be a really extreme dye job, 'cause only the really hardcore cosplayers get such intricate colouring done. They tended to botch it, though. "Ma'am, are you ok? Had a bit to much to drink tonight?" He asked, assuming she'd been out partying and had a little too much booze. Then again, a lot of people enjoyed parties and drinking, so it wasn't an entirely wrong assumption.

Phantom Dancer @, Phantom's internal smirk turned to more of a grin. She'd figured his coat dye was to follow a trend, when the real purpose was far less pleasant. "I do it so I'll look less boring. Seeing me in my natural colours is just so uninspiring. And, you can just call me Grey. It's shorter and easier to use than my full name." He said. Talking to her was a decent way to pass the time if nothing else and she did seem to genuinely want to be on good terms with him. How much of it was his charm and how much was her looking to strengthen good relations with a pony who seemed to want to be friends with her, he couldn't tell, but if he was careful and clever, he could use it to his advantage. "I'm sure we can get to know our fellow prisoners, certainly. They probably think we've abandoned them, though. Really, all we're doing is moving ahead to secure the armoury and retrieve arms for our companions. Pretty sure it's a military thing, but I haven't been a soldier for a years." Phantom said, flashing another smile Ebony's way. Discounting his careful and calculating mentality, she seemed decent to talk to. Perhaps he would add her to his small list of preferred companions.

@@Hypn0ticD, "Certainly. If you'd kindly show me where the bathroom is, I'd be most grateful." Chrysalis said, forcing herself to be polite. She made a mental note to find a way to vent later, before things got out of hand. Maybe she'd feel a little better after having some water run down on her. *** Aegis blushed again when Shawn kissed his cheek. "You can go first if you want to. And...thanks for staying with me last night when I was scared. I'm usually more confident and not so easily scared, but last night was kinda stressful for me. Not to sound clingy or overly dependent, but I don't think I could've made it through last night without you."

Poppy Seed @@Midnight Scribbler, @@Scribblegroove, "Well, boating wasn't quite what I had in mind. Actually, I meant to come here and relax by the river, but...well, probably not a good idea right now." Poppy said, looking around at the docks. She was no construction worker, but her best guess would be that the docks needed quite a bit of TLC and a lot more time than she figured Prince Blueblood would be willing to have them stay for. Rich types tended to have two or three extremes in her experience. She looked to the stallion who had decided to tag along. "Maybe we should move along. I don't think there's much for us over here."

@@GeneralDirection, @@RubyW32, "Nope, not a clue. But I do know that other pony who just walked in. She comes in the mornings and we chat a bit if I'm here." It wasn't too surprising, Pinkie did make it a point to get to know a lot of ponies well enough. Of course there was a pony ringing the bell. "One second, Dashie." @@SwigglySwiggly, Pinkie turned to the pony ringing the bell. "Hiya! What can I getcha?" She asked cheerily, even if she was a tiny bit annoyed that she'd been interrupted. And her friends would be here soon, too, so she wasn't sure how much time she had.

@@GeneralDirection, Pinkie watched the cupcakes intently, so close to being ready. But she had left Rainbow Dash out front and it wouldn't be good to leave her hanging like that. "Two seconds, Dashie. Cupcakes are almost done!" She poked her head out of the kitchen and called, before ducking back into the kitchen to get the cupcakes out of the oven and let them cool a little. Satisfied that they'd be alright until the others came by, she headed back out to talk to Rainbow Dash some more. "Sorry, Dashie. Cupcakes were closer to to being ready than I thought. So...where were we?"

@@Hypn0ticD, Poppy rolled on her belly to rub her sore bum a little. "Buggering...Nnnngh..." She mumbled as a light shone on her. Somepony seemed to be calling out to her and asking if she was ok or needed help. Then she heard the question of whether or not she was lost. "No, I'm not alright. I was at this party enjoyin' myself for the first time in ages and now here I am, lying on the ground with a sore bum in a place I don't even know." She sighed and looked towards the light, rolling on her side and holding a hand up to shield her eyes. "Sorry. I've just had my day ruined and I'm not too fond of surprises on the best of days. So...Could you tell me where I am and how far away from Manehatten it is?"

Phantom Dancer @@FortyTwo42, Phantom listened to her talk about her abilities, looking interested in what she could do. It seemed she was the sneaking type like he was. This could be useful, especially this echolocation. Having at least heard about echolocation from somewhere, he had a basic idea of what it was. Her abilities would make it so much easier to get around without getting into unnecessary fights. Phantom flashed a smile Ebony's way, all while smirking internally as they walked. "Pretty name. I'm Grey Ash. 'Cause my natural coat colour is grey and some ponies used to tell me it's the colour of ash." He said, shaking her hoof. He hoped she wouldn't pick up that it was actually an alias, but he could easily play it off by acting eccentric and quirky. But he had to be absolutely certain he could trust her. Time would tell how trustworthy she was.