00Pony

@@Love, Valkyrie hadn't strayed from her pposition between Riza's bedroom door, and Cadance's. She lifted her head from the floor when theater began to move about the house, but she still remained in place. The human eventually went down the stairs, where a familiar scent was already emanating. Despite this, the German Sheperd waited for Riza to awaken. -- It was surprising how considerable a couch could be. Though it usually helped when you were tired from a long day of meetings, paperwork, and flights. As such, Logan had passed into sleep very quickly after closing his eyes. But despite all his exhaustion, Logan was still a soldier, and as such, he could awake at the smallest of sounds. So even the squeaking noise Cadance made was enough to wake him up. He stirred, pushing his Beret back from his eyes as he sat up, glancing around for a few seconds before spotting Cadance. His eyes widened flr a second. The clothes were definitely Riza's, the hair could have been her's with enough work, but the face definitely was not hers. Logan got up from the couch, and strode over to the strange woman, his size much more apparent now that he stood. He raised an eyebrow, "Who're you, and what are you doing in my home?" He spoke quietly. His voice was deep, with a fatherly undertone. But right now, it sounded slightly threatening and forceful. More so than he intended, but wouldn't you if there was a stranger waking you up I your own home? --- @@Pripyat Pony,@@Hypn0ticD, She tried to fight against its pull, she really did. And maybe she would have been able to lull away, but as it was, Luna had expended massive amounts of her magical and physical energy I to that last spell. So when the spell Avarice cast spring forth and wrapped around her, dragging her along into the darkness. Luna's wings beat in vain, as she tumbled through the portal, casting one last glance to her Sister... - A rush of wind whipping past her ears and tugging at her hair. The feeling of falling fast. Feeling... Different. Decidedly non pony. Sudden stopping and slight impact. Luna's world had stopped moving, and slowly the blackness she saw began to wane, giving way to some sense of sight. The Lunar Princess glanced around a few times, taking in her surroundings. Finally, she quietly said, "I do not believe this is Equestrian anymore..." (Poor Luna post is poor) --- @@Hypn0ticD,@Miss Reaper, Bowen sighs through his shot glass, which was hovering in front of his mouth, as Applejack spoke, shooting off into an explanation of the events that lead them here. The man shook his head, speaking in a shockingly accurate imitation of AJ's *accent, "Now, look... I get what you're saying. Some of it sounds familiar, but there is some stuff in there that sounds like OC material and role play set up. And I'm having trouble believing any of it," he drops te accent, taking out his phone briefly to press a button, before setting it down with the back facing them, propped against the whiskey bottle, and looking to his guests, "Anything else?" What he had done was begin video recording the conversation, to view after it was finished, to attempt to pick out any sort of nervous ticks he might miss on the current one. *(I can't do phonetic writing :| ) ((All in all, post could be better, but meh.)

"Guess who's back... Back again... It's me. Kim Possible."

*humming mission impossible theme*

@@SilverHeart, "It's no problem at all." Was Aidan's reply to her thanks. He kept had kept his hands slightly outstretched as Mirror pulled herself up, ready to steady her if need be. It turned out to be necessary, as the poor woman seemed really unsteady and ultimately had to lean into him. The photographer changed his stance to support her weight as well, placing one of his hands on her shoulder. Aidan shook his head when she apologized, "No need for apologies, Mirror. But yeah, I'll give you a hand." She was only an inch shorter than he was, so moving one of her arms to rest over his shoulders wasn't difficult. He moved his own arm to wrap around her back, his hand coming to rest on the bottom of Mirror's rib cage. It was in this way he aided her up the stairs to his balcony, and eventually to the living room or his home. Once inside, he would assist her until they reached his recliner, where he would then let her sit, before asking, "Is there anything I can get you? Something to drink maybe?" -- (Why do I feel more eloquent in my posts at 3 am)

@@Miss Reaper,@@Hypn0ticD, Bowen nodded as both women stated they would have waters, "Better that way." He mumbled as he poured himself a quick shot of whiskey, which he downed quickly. Setting his glass down, the officer turned on his heel and made his way over to the sink and cupboards. Retrieving two glasses from the cabinet, he knocked it shut with his elbow, setting both glasses beside the sink before turning the water on and beginning to fill them. It was around this time that Twilight telekinetically opened the same cupboard he had been previously looking in. Needless to say, the movement caught his attention. Setting the second glass down beside the first - both now full - he walked slowly back over to it, pushing the door shut with one finger and muttering, "Come on now... I just fixed you last week..." After holding it for a few seconds, Bowen walked back to the waters, and eventually set them before his guests, taking his own seat and pouring another shot as he spoke, "So. Which of you wants to tell me how you ended up in the street?" --- @@Pripyat Pony, It was with a panicked cry of fear and rage that Luna rocketed from her place to slam into Celestia's side with her own shoulder. She was not about to let her Sister be sent away! She couldn't run Equestria on her own.. The Moon Princess's tactic worked, the elder being flung from the portal's grip to land several feet away, slightly stunned. Luna, however, had a new problem. She was now caught in the portal's grip, and she could feel herself being pulled into it. With a furious beat of her wings, Luna tried to extricate herself, and when that failed, she increased the speed of her wings. Little headway was made at first, but eventually, Luna shot from the fringe's of the spell's grasp and into the sky. She arched in her flight, and came slamming back down to earth like a fury fueled blue comet. For a second, Luna stood still as a statue, glaring at the dragon pony who dared to try and harm her sister. Such was Luna's wrath, her comet-like aura pervaded, and her angered cry echoed brought with the inflection of royalty as she winked out of existence in a brilliant flash. All was calm for but a second, before the Princess reappeared in another flash, this time behind Avarice. It was with but a yell that Luna released the spell she'd been charging, and with it her brilliant aura. It traveled quickly, as if with the reverberations of her voice on the air, as it would slam into the Alicorn's adversary with such unrelenting force to tear the dragon pony from her perch, and directly towards the very portal she had tried to send Celestia through prior. --- @@Love, Riza remained at her position leaning against the wall until Cadence passed by her and back into the room. At which time, the young woman stood and spoke as her guest flopped on the bed, "I'll put a set of clothes on the dresser for you to wear tomorrow, 'kay?" She didn't wait for an answer, assuming that Cadence hadn't even registered that she was talking. No big deal, really. Riza sifted through her own dresser, glancing over several articles of clothing before tossing a complete set her own bed. What lay before her was a pair of fitted blue jeans - that might be a bit tight for Cadance, but Riza doubted it. Seriously, the woman had to be late twenties at least, and she was freaking slender! At least, slender enough to wear a seventeen year old girl's clothes - coupled with the jeans was a graphic tee (http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0228/9021/products/Boopart800.jpg?v=1380235941), and the usual undergarments in a delightful red shade. Riza wasn't sure what Cadance's size was - it wasn't really something she thought to check on women - but she figured that if the woman was of relatively the same body type, she was likely the same cup size as well. If not? Well, then Riza was going to have to go shopping for a size range other than 'C'. But that was a different adventure for another day. For now, it was time to sleep. She has to pick her father up from the airport in a few hours, and had to be on time for that. Folding the clothing she has selected for her guest, Riza carried it in to Cadence's room, taking care to walk very carefully so as not to disturb her guest. She shut the door gently behind her after leaving. Riza then retreated to her own bedroom, shutting the door most of the way and quickly discarding everything but her underwear before climbing into bed. If tonight was the last that she'd be able to do this, then dang it she was going to do it. The Remington leaned against the wall beside her headboard as Riza drifted off to sleep. Even though she hadn't been commanded to, Valkyrie has foregone her usual behavior of sleeping alongside Riza, instead choosing to sleep in the hall between her owner's bedroom, and their guest's. -- It would be about an hour and a half after Riza and Cadence slipped into slumber that the lock on the door would be undone, and a third resident would enter the home. It wasn't someone nefarious, or anyone with negative intentions. Unless of course, you counted a father wanting to scare and surprise the living daylights out of his daughter a negative intention. Staff Sergeant Logan Jaeger stepped as quietly as he could after easing the door shut. For as big a man as he was, in full fatigues and boots no less, he made surprising little noise. He didn't do much, other than chuckle quietly to himself as he lowered himself onto the couch and removed his boots before lying down on the furniture, pulling his beret over his eyes as he began to sleep. Logan's instruction for Riza to retrieve him from the airport was only a ploy, and he had instead been delivered home by a friend. Logan smiled to himself as he imagined his daughter's reaction on the morrow, as she came downstairs all prepared to go get him, and to instead find him lying right there on the couch. of course, he knew absolutely nothing about their unexpected guest. Suppose Riza won't be the other one with a surprise waiting for them? - (I can't make that shirt link any shorter on mobile, I'm sorry)

@@Love, Riza remained seated on the counter throughout Cadence's dialogue, biting the inside of her cheek to stop herself from snickering. She was still very skeptical about all of this, but it was starting to sound like a fan fiction or something like that. Most of the names she recognized, but the one, Avarice, was foreign - at least as a character from the show. All the same, Cadance ended her sentences with the statement that she needed sleep. That shot Riza back to reality. She hopped from the counter, steadying her Remington with one hand as she landed, "Well, I can't really answer any of the questions you have, but.. We do have a guest room. You're welcome to stay the night in there," she shrugs, "Maybe you'll figure something out with some sleep?" Without waiting for an answer to her rhetorical question, Riza started towards the stairs that led towards the bedrooms of the home, gesturing for her guest to follow, "Come on, I'll point you to the room and facilities and all that stuff." Whenever Cadance joined her upstairs, Riza would show her the guest room - which bore all the usual bedroom things, among them a double bed that was older, but still comfortable. A dresser was in the corner across from it, a window to the outside between them. Directly beside the guest room was Riza's own bedroom. Across the hall from the guest room was the master bedroom, where Riza's father would likely be sleeping, were he at home. Between the lot of them, were the restrooms. Riza would simply lean against the wall after giving the brief tour, simply stating, "You look about my size, so if you need anything to change into, I can lend you some of my clothes." --- (Probably should have been better, but... Eh, I'm getting my muse back slowly, but surely. I will need to do some more digging to find what else I need to respond to, and maybe be faster about it.)

"Not gonna lie... It's all gonna be murder."

"I'm not sure if I should be confused by all of this or not.."

@, Riza nodded, "Got it. One glass of water. Give me a sec." Even as she spoke, she was opening the specific cupboard and taking out a glass. After filling the container, the young woman turned to her guest, sliding the glass across the island counter top to the older woman. Her task, Riza hoisted herself onto the opposite counter top, sitting on the edge. She silently observed her guest for a few seconds. Cadance seemed confused, or maybe worried. Even kind of curious. Riza was unsure. After a bit, the silence began to grow uncomfortable. Brushing a lock of her own, strawberry blonde hair behind one ear, Riza cleared her throat before speaking, "So, uhm, Cadance.. Where'd you come from exactly? Or rather, how on Earth'd you get here?" --- @@Miss Reaper,@@Hypn0ticD, Bowen held the door open until both woman were inside, before stepping through after them and shutting it, all the while keeping his expression blank. The interior of his home was actually very clean, everything placed neatly on their respective shelves or tables. This was, of course, exclusive to the upper levels of the home, which consisted of a living area, kitchen, restroom, bedroom, foyer and so on - though not all in the same place, obviously. Bowen always found it mildly amusing when he saw the upper level of his home, how pristine it looked in comparison to the downstairs, which looked like what he imagined the inside of his brain did - an organized, absolute mess of a wide variety of interests. As soon as the door was latched shut, Bowen strode through the archway that lead to his kitchen, opened the refrigerator and reached for the Jack Daniels - he figured he was going to need it for the coming conversation. He glanced at his guests, scrutinizing them for a second. They both looked like they might be within the legal age range to have a similar beverage, but there was no way to be certain. Somehow, he doubted that they would have any sort of identification, "Just sit wherever, preferably in the dining room, though." He called to them, pointing with the bottle of amber liquid to a simple wooden table with five chairs set around it. Bowen shut the refrigerator door, making his way to a cupboard from there to retrieve himself a shot glass, before finally making his way to the table and setting his items down. He didn't sit, however, instead opting to ask, "Before we start the 'civilized' discussion, what kind of drink are the two of you in the mood for?" He tapped the bottle, "And if you say this, I can't guarantee you'll be getting that. Don't want to get you two actually drunk. That'd raise all kinds of hell." --- @@SilverHeart, Aidan raised an eyebrow for a brief second when the woman, Mirror Image as she called herself, placed her hand in his - though without grasping. That hadn't actually been his intention, having held out his hand out as a knee-jerk gesture of comfort, but failing to actually make contact because he was unfamiliar with the woman. But hey, might as well roll with it. Aidan closed his fingers around Mirror's hand, gently, but firm enough that when he gave her hand a light shake, her hand wouldn't slip from his grasp. As he did this, the man spoke, "Mirror Image? That's a rather.. peculiar name, if you don't mind my saying. But I like it. Has a nice ring to it." He gave a small, half smile as he said this. He let a couple seconds pass before speaking again, "I'd like to ask you a few more questions, but before that, would you like to come inside? I can't imagine lying on the ground is an exactly comfortable position to have a conversation." --- @@Pripyat Pony,@@Princess-Sunbutt, Luna growled deeply as her attack was revealed to be in vain. She should have expected as much. The Princess lept backwards, glaring at the dragon pony before her, "Your attempts are futile, vile one. Simple words will not undermine our relationship with our Sister... It is our own duty to fight you. Celestia has her own." Luna readied her scythe for another attack, bearing her teeth in a sort of hybrid between a grin and grimace, "Shall We try again?" The Princess of the Night crouched low, readying herself for another quick lunge. Her plan this time was to press the attack, rather than make one single swipe. If Avarice used her little afterimage trick and appeared just behind it again like last time, one of the other strikes was sure to hit. And if she appeared further away, Luna could use her momentum from the dash and quickly change course to continue the attack. However, before she could begin, a voice thundered out of the dreary skies. She almost took her attention from Avarice, but resisted the urge - to do so would likely be a fatal mistake. Luna did not have to look to recognize the source of the voice, however. The sound itself was enough, even in such a tone that she hadn't heard in over a millennium. Celestia had come... But why? Luna stayed her attack, instead listening to what Avarice shouted in response. She snorted, "And you would call us arrogant. You forget, that while you were trapped in your prison, we have both of us had over one thousand years to hone our skills and grow our power. We will not need the Elements to defeat you this time." It was a bluff, at least on Luna's part, though she did a very good job of not showing it. She knew that she was at relatively the same power as when first she had fought Avarice, but now she was in fact without the Elements, which didn't help her chances. Perhaps if Avarice had broken free when she was still Nightmare Moon... Maybe then she would have had the power to defeat her... It would be many more years before Luna gained that power once again, and this time actually control it. However, the younger of the Royal Sisters remained in place, glancing briefly to Celestia after Avarice gave her ultimatum. It was a tough decision, truly. But Luna knew what her answer would be. While she loved the former Element Bearers and considered them all to be some of her closest friends, knowing their fate was not worth giving up Equestria to Avarice. Six lives were not worth the millions that would be ruined. But diplomacy was Celestia's place... Luna deferred to her judgement in such situations. Celestia initially seemed to be turning down the offer, which both relieved and saddened Luna. The counter offer that the elder sister provided seemed risky at best... Avarice was named for greed, after all. A claim in the badlands would not be enough to sate her... What was said next, however, alarmed her greatly. So much so, that she actually broke her ocular hold with Avarice to giver Celestia a wide eyed and startled look. Luna stomped her armored hoof down on the stone beneath her with enough force to crack the surface as she shouted, "Sister, no! You cannot offer yourself!" Luna looked quickly back to Avarice, "You should know as well as We do that this vile creature will not uphold her end of the bargain! You will doom us all if you do this.."

@, 12:15 AM, Saturday - Manheim, Pennsylvania, Jaeger Household - United States Eastern Coast. Riza gave a sort of half smile in response to the strange woman before her. The expression upon the older female's face was definitely one of confusion, most likely because of what the teenager had said. Brilliant. Just brilliant. Either she was dealing with an amnesiac, a really dedicated cosplayer, or something a whole lot more ridiculous and serious. Never could get that possibility out of her head. The younger woman absently reached down to scratch Valkyrie between the ears as she walked back to the house, contemplating Cadance's question about someplace to stay. Riza wasn't one to be unkind, and despite every fiber of her being saying 'no', she felt inclined to say 'yes'. They did have a guest room that she could stay in for the night. The only problem would be her Dad. How would he react when he got home? Riza could always claim that Cadance was a friend of hers, but how would she explain not telling him beforehand? He was a general kind man, but her Father could be exceptionally protective of his daughter. Why else would he teach her how to defend herself? It was in the midst of such thoughts that Riza's peripheral - coupled with Valkyrie moving her head away from the teen's hand - that drew the young woman's attention to Cadance, who must've tripped or just got really light headed. The older woman was already trying to get to her feet after apologizing. Riza's response was to trot over to her, leaning down and looping one of her arms around Cadance's waist, and one of Cadance's arms over her own shoulders, speaking as she did so, "Hey, no need for you to apologize! Come on, we have a spare room you can stay in.. As for one of us watching over you? Eh, we'll figure that out when we get there. Though to be honest, it'll probablt be Valkyrie. She's like that." Riza stopped speaking after that, and would continue her silence until they were inside the house. Once indoors, she would reach over and turn off the lights to the outside, before directing Cadance to the couch she had occupied only a few minutes before, with the words, "You can just sit there for a minute, get your bearings if you like. Would you like a glass of water?" As she finished speaking, the strawberry blonde had already started making her way towards the kitchen. Valkyrie had taken a position between the kitchen and living, still several feet from Cadance, but within line of sight. Riza had briefly considered putting the Remington back where she'd gotten it, but decided instead to do that after Cadance had gone to bed. No sense in showing where they were hidden. 12:23 AM, Saturday - Manheim, Pennsylvania, Jaeger Household - United States Eastern Coast. --- @@Miss Reaper,@, 10:17 PM, Friday - Colorado Springs, Colorado, Connery Household - United States Western Coast. Incredulous. If there was one word to describe Bowen's expression, it was incredulous. His words in response to the taller woman's question were likewise dripping with incredulity, "Ponyvi-- of for fu-hrrmph..." The officer clamped one hand over his mouth, cutting his swear off and letting his breath draw out before removing his hand and speaking again, mostly to himself, "Ponyville. That's why they looked so familiar." Here, he actually looks to the two women, "You guys're Twilight Sparkle and Applejack. Or, at least, you'repretending to be. Cosplayers, or LARPers or something." He runs one hand through his hair - the length of which was just pushing regulation for his job - before continuing, "So, what? AJ and Twi get sent to the real world or something like that? Is that what's going on?" He heard the shorter one, the woman pretending to be Applejack, whisper something that sounded a lot like a quote from Wizard of Oz to 'Twilight'. Bowen nodded firmly, giving an answer to a statement not meant for him, "You're right. You're not in 'Equus' anymore. You're on Earth. Y'know, reality?" The man glances at the street across from them, then to either side, "Or is this some social experiment or something like that? There someone hiding around here with a camera or something?" He glanced over each woman, finding no visible evidence of any sort of mic, so unless they had it hidden somewhere he would not search, that theory was out of the question. Bowen sighs one more time, glancing back at his home, "Look, I can't have this conversation out on the street. If you want to come inside and discuss this, follow me. I'll pour you two a drink, and we can discuss this like civilized people." He pivots on one heel and walks back to his door, opening it before glancing back to see if they would follow, or just leave. Whichever they chose, today had definitely gone from 'I want to kill something' to 'I'm invitinf two strangers who may very well be running high off of something into my house because why the hell not?' 10:20 PM, Friday - Colorado Springs, Colorado, Connery Household - United States Western Coast. --- @@Pripyat Pony, The dragon pony wouldn't have to wait long for her adversary. Only mere minutes later, Luna herself arrived, slamming down onto the rocky crags several yards from Avarice, the force of her impact cracking some of the stone beneath her armored hooves. Though it was just a trick of the light and her excess magic, it looked almost as if Luna bore upon herself blue flames. And there was certainly a fire in her eyes as she locked her gaze with Avarice's own, levitating her scythe in a combat ready position as she crouched, "At last we meet for the second time, Avarice," she said, her voice, though calm, giving no questions about her intentions, "We have had many long years to think about the last time. We see now that our fears were justified, and you broke our seal." Luna flared her wings, "We should have just killed you then and have been done with it! I will not make the same mistake this day! Face me, cur! It is this day that we shall remove your vile head from your shoulders!" And without waiting for a response, Luna rocketed forth, swinging her scythe in a swift arc towards her opponent's throat.

@, 12:10 AM, Saturday - Manheim, Pennsylvania, Jaeger Household - United States Eastern Coast. "That's good..." Riza said, mostly to herself. She watched Valkyrie as she sniffed Cadance's hand, wary of the dog's actions. The hackles on her back remained slightly raised, but Val seemed to calm down a little after getting the scent of the woman. Riza had started to turn and walk back towards her house when her guest began quickly asking several questions. The teenager raised an eyebrow and turned to look at her for a second, "No... I haven't found anybody else, just you. As for where we are, we're in the United States. Manheim, PA to be exact." One of Cadance's choices of words through Riza for a loop, those being 'Celestia raise the sun'. The young woman's eyebrow arched even higher than before, "Uh-huh.. The sun won't rise for another six or seven hours, at least. But Celestia doesn't raise it. It does that on it's own. Celestia doesn't actually exist, y'know. It's just a TV show." Riza didn't linger on that subject, instead latching on to Cadance's next question. She reached back and placed one hand on the stock of her shotgun - almost having forgotten it was there, despite its weight - as she responded, "This is a shotgun, a weapon, meant for self or home defense, at least in my hands. Don't worry, it won't do anything unless I make it, which I won't, unless given reason..." 12:14 AM, Saturday - Manheim, Pennsylvania, Jaeger Household - United States Eastern Coast. --- @@Miss Reaper,@@Hypn0ticD, 10:11 PM, Friday - Colorado Springs, Colorado, Connery Household - United States Western Coast. Arms crossed and eyebrow raised, Bowen continued to watch the two women try to stand and walk. The purple haired one, who was a bit taller at her full height than Bowen had originally assumed, seemed to get the hang of it first, making her way a little closer to him before encouraging her friend. Speaking of whom, still seemed rather dumbfounded that she was on a street. Seriously, how? They were everywhere. They had to be on something, or there was some form of memory loss involved. Aaaaand her next sentence pretty much confirmed that. Firstly, she asked where they were, which was a pretty normal question. But then she asked what they were and.. That's not a normal question. The officer sighed, standing straight instead of leaning on the light post as he answered, "Firstly, you're in the United States. Colorado Springs, Colorado, to be exact. As for what your are?" His voice adopted an obvious air of condescension, "You're human beings." 10:16 PM, Friday - Colorado Springs, Colorado, Connery Household - United States Western Coast. --- @@Pripyat Pony, To say that Princess Luna was displeased when things at the Summer Sun Celebration went south, would be an immense understatement. The Overseer of the Night was absolutely livid, so much so in fact, that she barely wasted any time in summoning her armor and weapon - using an ancient spell that allowed her to store them in a sort of pocket dimension - and leapt into the fray. It was good that her subjects were not around to see her at this moment. It was common knowledge among them that she was the more direct and militant of the Royal Sisters, but it still would not sit right with her for them to see her in this state. Luna glanced at the carnage surrounding her. The foes she had slain were many, and they lay scattered and broken, strewn across the small clearing that had served as heels of battle. Despite her victory, Luna was not without injury, but she chose to ignore it. Her wounds were trivial to what was going on now. These assailants were Changelings, which meant that Chrysalis was likely staging another attempt to overthrow the nation and turn Luna's subjects into the food source of her vile race. The Princess of the Night would not stand for it. But yet, she knew that something else was here. Or rather, someone. A dark, cloying presence that did not sit well with her. Luna took one last glance at her battlefield, taking a moment to appreciate how her does had fallen before her blade like wheat to a scythe. She spread her wings and took to the air, hovering over the carcass ridden field for a few seconds. Luna's horn was enveloped by a brilliant, light blue sheath as she cast her spell, flames as blue as her dark coat erupting over the field and reducing her enemies to naught but ash and glass. She turned and began to fly back to the other with haste. At the beginning of the attacks, Luna had donned her armor and drawn her weapon in but a second, thanks to her spell, and cut a search through the vile creatures besetting her subjects. The Princesses actions paid off in drawing a fair number of their force after her, which proved their final mistake. Her mission now was to get back to Celestia and the others, help rally the Guard into mounting a counter offensive and to evacuate and protect the civilians. The aforementioned objective quickly began to draw near completion, for on her return Luna spotted a Divisional Captain and a personal friend, the Sentinel, Carmus. The Pegasus soldier had proven himself time and time again to be a capable soldier and leader and often tagged along during Luna's night time sojourns into the Everfree Forest. It was of no surprise to the Alicorn to find him commanding several squads to do exactly as she planned - fend off the Changeling horde, and evacuate and protect the civilians. She swooped down, Lansing softly beside the brick red stallion as he barked orders. When she spoke, her voice was even toned and calm, despite her determined expression, "Carmus, We.. *ahem* I require you and your troops to follow me. I feel the source of these attacks is near the center of the Celebration Fields, where my Sister and the others remained." Despite having returned to the usual pony life from her one thousand year banishment several years before now, Luna still struggled to speak in the more... Modern way that ponies now did. Carmus instantly saluted her, giving his trademark, charming grin as he responded, "Aye, Ma'am! Just let us wrap things up with these bugs, and we'll be right behind you!" He glanced at the combat, "Say, you wouldn't mind helping us expedite this process, would you?" Luna's response was to give a small, tight lipped smile with the words, "My pleasure." The skirmish did not last much longer afterwards. -- Now with a force behind her, smaller than the one she had picked up initially, having sent some squads off as escorts or to aid other commanders in their efforts, Luna finally arrived at her destination. The sight that greeted her filled the Princess of the Night with dread, which was quickly replaced with a wrathful fury. The Princesses Twilight and Cadance, alongside many of the former Element Bearers and even many civilians, were all caught in some form of spell, which when it dissipated, left no trace of them. She needed but to only see the spell to know that it was an ancient, dark Magic. And the presence behind it reinforced her earlier fears. Fears that were soon confirmed when she laid eyes upon her. Avarice. The vile abomination who nearly overthrew the Royal Sisters so many yeRs ago. The cur was fleeing, possibly in an attempt to draw one of the aforementioned sisters after her, and given their history, Avarice likely knew which one would give chase. Luna let forth an angry, feral growl. She was displeased with how predictable her course of action would be to the dragon pony, but she could not deny every fiber of her being crying out to give chase. Princess Luna did not take her eyes away from the direction Avarice had flown off in as she spoke to Carmus, "Captain, take your soldiers and do as I ordered earlier. Protect my subjects and beat these vile creatures back to the holes they climbed from!" Here, she looked to him, the fire in her eyes enough to make even the oldest of dragons envious, "And if need be, burn every last one of them inside their holes if you must... I have business to attend to with that witch." Carmus only saluted, his grin foregone in place of a grim half frown. He barked orders to his troops and took off to do his Princesses bidding. Luna took a deep breath and rocketed forth after Avarice, her horn glowing brightly as she flew fast than she ever had in recent years. As she went, the light quickly snaked from just her horn to cover her body, her armor and sword disappearing into it and instead being replaced by an older, but more formidable set accompanied instead by a scythe, the same armor she'd worn the first time she bested her old adversary. Of course, to the normal observing eye, she would have just looked like a bright blue comet streaking through the sky. Luna was determined not to let Avarice have another chance at causing terror. There would be no sealing her this time around. This time, Luna fully meant to end it once, and for all.

(Really quite overdue, but I got it out at least) @, 12:08 AM, Saturday - Manheim, Pennsylvania, Jaeger Household - United States Eastern Coast. Riza arched an eyebrow when the woman responded with a definite familiarity to the name. So either this was a really good cosplayer with and insanely high budget who was doing something really strange and probably illegal. Or something else equally far fetched was going on. Part of her was more certain of the latter option. She cleared her throat, responding to 'Cadance's' questions, "Uhm, yeah, yeah feel free to approach... My name's Riza - Riza Jaeger - I.. Sorry, the light switch is inside, so I can't really turn them off from out here, but..." She glanced back at the house briefly, before looking back to the woman and continuing, "You can come in, I suppose... I can help guide you in if it's really needed." Riza took a few more steps closer, hwr hand hovering slightly above the older woman's shoulder. Her gaze was diverted down to Valkyrie as the Shepherd left her side, moving slowly towards 'Cadance', head outstretched to try and take in the woman's unfamiliar scent. 12:10 AM, Saturday - Manheim, Pennsylvania, Jaeger Household - United States Eastern Coast. --- @@Hypn0ticD,@@Miss Reaper, 10:05 PM, Friday - Colorado Springs, Colorado, Connery Household - United States Western Coast. Bowen had adopted a very unamused, neutral expression on his face at the one woman's protests - her voice carrying a decided Southern drawl. He crossed his arms as he turned back around to watch their efforts, responding to the Southerner's outcry, "Yes, that there's a street. Y'know. The thing's that're pretty much everywhere?" It was a rhetorical question. She continued her protests, mainly about how she was supposed to walk like that. It took a lot of effort for Bowen not to apply his palm to his forehead, though he somehow managed, "Simply. You put on foot in front of the other. So easy a baby could do it." Their efforts really weren't lending much weight to their claims, though they certainly didn't sound inebriated. Bowen sighed quietly as both of them didn't seem to know what to do with their own two legs. The officer uncrossed his arms and walked back to them and simply said, "Watch..." He pivoted on his heel and walked back to his original place, taking slow and decisive steps. When he got back to his position beneath the light post, he turned, rested one shoulder against it and gestures with one hand, "Simple. Try again." 10:11 PM, Friday - Colorado Springs, Colorado, Connery Household - United States Western Coast. --- @@SilverHeart, 9:05 PM, Friday - Los Angeles, California, Walker Household - United States Western Coast. The person lying out in the yard moved a little, so they were alive at least. Aidan wasn't sure, but he thought that they might have responded to his question, but it could easily be a trick of the ear and imagination. The photographer scratched the light stubble on his jaw, mulling over his decisions. He eventually came to one, and opened the small gate to the staircase leading down from his home's porch. He was only a few yards from the person - a woman, he could now tell - when she gingerly felt her forehead, looked startled and looked at her hand. You'd think it was just cut off before her eyes, from the shriek she gave. The sudden noise startled Aidan, but concern soon overrode that. He covered the last few yards in a couple long - almost leaping - strides, coming to a stop just a few feet away. Aidan knelt, holding a hand slightly out to the terrified woman, "Hey... Hey, calm down.. It's alright, you're not in any danger or anything... My name'a Aidan," he was speaking in a slow, calm voice. No need to startle the poor thing any more, "Who're you?" (I planned for Luna this post but... I might need to make a separate one today or tomorrow just for her. Sorry for the extended delay) (This post could probably be better, but meh. I tried)

@, 12:04 AM, Saturday - Manheim, Pennsylvania, Jaeger Household - United States Eastern Coast. Riza bit the inside of her cheek. Whoever was in the yard was, rather unsteadily, walking towards the house. Valkyrie had stopped barking and resorted to just growling and staring. Apparently the person, a woman, hadn't heard her. The teenager slowly stepped back into her home, tucking the stock of her firearm under her left arm, and without turning her attention away from the backyard, she felt along the wall just inside the door until her fingers found the light-switch placement. She counted the switches until she found the one she sought, and flipped it to the 'on' position. The result was several floodlights placed along the roof of her home to turn on, illuminating the backyard. Some of her friends often questioned why those were even there, to which her response was usually 'Dad and I got bored.' Now that she could see the entire yard much easier, Riza shut her flashlight off, and slipped the 870's sling over her shoulder, pushing the weapon behind her back as she stepped back outside once again, quickly walking down the steps from the deck and onto the mossy grass of the lawn and towards the stranger. She brushed her strawberry blonde hair back behind her ears as she neared the other woman, whom she could tell was somewhat older than herself - probably in her twenties somewhere - and had... a very unique hair color. As in, it was a blend of three separate colors, a blondish yellow, pink and purple. Riza knew she recognized the style and colors from somewhere, but that was not important in her mind right now. Rather, it was who this woman was, and just where she had come from. The seventeen year old stopped a few feet from the woman, meeting her halfway to the house. Valkyrie came to a stop beside the younger woman - no longer growling, but definitely still on high alert. Riza held out a hand, speaking once again, "Excuse me... Are you okay? You seem a little shaken, which I guess makes sense and all, considering..." She let her words trail off into silence, just trying to get a better look at the strange woman before her, "I know I recognize her from somewhere... Well, there's MLP, but... That's ridiculous." She thought to herself. The foremost possibility in her mind was extremely far fetched. So much so that she wanted to completely disregard it as a possibility all together. But... Well, nothing tried, nothing gained, right? Right. Riza took a deep breath before speaking, her voice coated in uncertainty, "Cadance...?" Now, that was a really absurd guess. Cadance. A character from a TV show about magical, talking ponies in a magical land. Here. On Earth. As a human. Totally, and completely absurd. Sure, she could be a cosplayer. But a cosplayer at such an early hour, right after some sort of freak windstorm? Okay, suddenly the former possibility seemed somewhat more sane. 12:07 AM, Saturday - Manheim, Pennsylvania, Jaeger Household - United States Eastern Coast. --- @@Hypn0ticD, @@Miss Reaper, 10:04 PM, Friday - Colorado Springs, Colorado, Connery Household - United States Western Coast. Bowen arched one eyebrow. Firstly, there were two woman lying around in the middle of the street. Secondly, both of them seemed extremely out of it. The officer sighed, stepping out of his home and pulling his door shut behind him. He made his way over to the two woman, kneeling down so he was on eye level with them, "Are you two high? Or drunk? Because I am really not in the mood to deal with that right now." Now, that was his first assumption, as it wouldn't be the first time it'd happened, but something was telling him that wasn't the case. What was happening, he had no clue, but there was really only one way to find out. The man pushed himself back up to his feet, gesturing for the two strangers to do the same, "Come on, get out of the street. I need to ask you two a few questions." There were some ulterior motives to his instructions. He really did intend to question them, but it was also a test to see how well they walked. That might help him figure out if they were under the influence of something.

@, 11:40 PM, Friday - Manheim, Pennsylvania, Jaeger Household - United States, Eastern Coast. "So what exactly is your ETA?" "We won't be landing until early tomorrow morning.. Around five or so, I'd say. Maybe six... Please don't wait up." "Hahah, you know I'm not going to listen." "Riza..." "I know, I know. Relax, Dad. I'm not so idiotic that I'd stay up all night, when I know you're relying on me coming to pick you up so early in the morning!" "I should hope so! Try to get some rest, at least. I'll call you again when we're on the ground. Goodnight, sweetheart. I love you." "Sure thing, Dad. Good night! I love you too!" A quiet tap of finger tip against phone screen signified the call had been cut off. Riza Jaeger stared at the phone for a second before closing out of the 'calls' window and returning to the home page, before setting the phone to 'sleep' mode and dropping it on her lap. The young woman yawned and stretched, letting her hands fall limply back to her sides, on landing on the cushions, the other on the back of the German Shepherd lying beside her. The animal jumped slightly and looked back at her owner, startled. Riza giggled briefly, running her hand over the coarse hair of the dog's back, "Sorry about that Val... Forgot you were beside me for a second." The canine only stared for a few more seconds before sighing and lying her head back down on the couch armrest. Riza watched her dog for a few moments before turning her attention back to the TV in front of her, and the scene paused upon its screen - a shot from the anime 'Fairy Tail'. Riza squinted at the tattoo of the titular guild, then at her shoulder, "Hey Valkyrie... You think Dad'd let me get one of those as a tattoo? Like, on my shoulder or maybe my thigh? But lower, not like a tramp stamp or anything. I don't think he'd ever forgive me if I got one of those..." She commented as she clicked the 'play' button. For the next twenty or so minutes, she remained relatively motionless on the couch, idly stroking her dog with one hand. It was in the quiet moment between the end of the episode she had been watching, and the beginning of the next that the wind began to pick up. Had it not been for Valkyrie's hackles raising and the deep growl that emanated from the dog's chest, Riza would have payed it little mind. As it was, however, her full attention was grabbed. The seventeen year old glanced at the nearest window, slowly getting to her feet as Valkyrie leapt from the couch, muscles tensed and ears forward as she barked in protest of the sudden storm. As the wind picked up, Riza grabbed the dog by her collar and pulled her into the kitchen, the nearest place with no windows, and wrapped her arms around the canine, crouching down. Normally, a bad windstorm - even one of this caliber - wouldn't be much cause for worry. But when your house was surrounded by a small forest of tall trees, it payed to err on the side of caution. Riza felt her choice to be a little more justified when the electricity flickered briefly. Almost as soon as the storm had started, however, it passed. Riza, her ears ringing from Valkyrie's incessant barking throughout the gale, released the dog and stood to her full height. No sooner was she free, than the German Shepherd raised over to the door leading to the back deck of the house, still letting forth deep, growling barks as she stared into the black. Riza swallowed and sprinted to the long coffee table she had been resting her feet upon only moments before. She pulled open a lengthwise drawer, removing the first object her hand made contact with - a Remington 870 tactical - and made her way to the doorway. Some might call her and her family paranoid for keeping such a device (and several others) in the coffee table of all places, but her father was a member of the United States Army Rangers - a Special Operations unit - and a very passionate and enthusiastic collector of firearms and their protective uses. It stood to reason that her home would be filled to the brim with gun placements in even the furniture. It helped that she shared her father's love and skill for such things. Riza glanced at the weapon as she pumped the forward grip, sliding a .12 gauge shell into the chamber. Leaving the safety switch in the on position, the young woman turned the flashlight on the end of the shotgun on, and angled it outside before opening the door. Valkyrie was out in a heartbeat, standing on the edge of the balcony and barking. Riza stepped out after her, keeping her finger off of the trigger as she went to stand beside her dog, slowly sweeping the back yard with the flashlight on her gun, calling out, "Hello?! Anyone out there?!" In her sweep, she was able to see several branches had fallen from the surrounding trees - even an entire tree split partially down it's length - and... A person? Riza focused the flashlight and called out once more, "Hello? Are you alright?" 12:03 AM, Saturday - Manheim, Pennsylvania, Jaeger Household - United States Eastern Coast. --- 8:00 PM, Friday - Los Angeles, California, LAX - United States Western Coast. @@SilverHeart, "Another two month trip, another new land seen, another paycheck. All in all, I'd say it was successful." Were the thoughts foremost in Aidan Walker's mind as he began to shut the laptop before him down and stuff it into his carry one. He had been on planes for most of the day, with only a few short breaks at different airports when transferring flights. Probably the nicest of which being when he had to wait thirty minutes for his flight to begin boarding. That wasn't a terrible experience, however. He held a conversation for the entire duration of the wait with a soldier - a member of the Rangers - who was returning home from his final active duty tour. It was a good talk. But despite that, Aidan was happy to finally be home. Well, nearly home. He still had a long enough drive ahead of him. As the plane touched down and was guided to its dock, Aidan slid his carry on bag over his shoulders, waiting to be released from the airplane's confines. He had to conciously keep himself from sprinting down the narrow, crowded hallway. -- 8:40 PM, Friday - Los Angeles, California, Walker Household - United States Western Coast. "Home sweet home!" Aidan shouted to himself as he walked up the driveway to his front door, turning briefly to wave at the taxi driver who'd transported him safely back home. The driver gave a small wave back before pulling away. Apparently giving the man some bonus cash had put him in an even friendlier mood. Aidan took out his keys, sifting through them until he found the correct one. Once he had, he slid it into place, turned and entered his home for the first time in two months. He took a deep breath and stretched. It always felt good to return home from a trip, no matter how long or short it may be. He took his luggage quickly upstairs, setting his laptop and camera bag carefully on his desk and practically throwing his case onto his neatly made bed, deciding that he'd unpack it later after he unwound a little. The freelance photographer hop-skipped back downstairs and into the bathroom, eager for a shower in his own, familiar surroundings. -- 9:01 PM, Friday - Los Angeles, California, Walker Household - United States Western Coast. For the fifteenth time since returning home, Aidan stretched. It was such a relaxing thing to do, especially after being cooped up in a plane for so much of the day. Aidan was the sort of person who didn't complain, vocally at least, about his discomfort, but despite that he refused to ride first class. It didn't give as much opportunity for conversation as coach did. He smiled slightly, reclining further into his chair, looking out over the expanse before his deck. He lived in a surprisingly secluded spot in the Los Angeles area with very few neighbors, which he found to be just to his liking, despite his being a people person. It was a good way to unwind, in his opinion. A long, hot shower, followed by sitting out in the nearly fall air with a glass and bottle of whiskey and no one else around to distract him. He had just taken a sip from his glass and set it back on the table and was in the beginning stages of dozing off when the wind began to pick up to near gale forces. Aidan was jerked awake, and he stared, wide eyed, as the sky blackened to a level beyond anything he'd seen before. Though it might not have helped in a real emergency, Aidan bolted back into his house, ducking under his dining room table. Just as soon as it had picked up, the wind died down. Slowly, Aidan peaked out from under his table, and with even slower movements did he crawl completely out from beneath it and make his way back outside. Surprisingly, there was no damage, save for his whiskey bottle lying shattered on the deck, but that was of little concern. Aidan's eyes were on something - or rather, someone - completely different. They hadn't been there before. The man leaned on his deck railing, cleared his throat, and called out, "Uhm, excuse me? You okay down there?" Probably a stupid question, but what else was he going to say? 9:03 PM, Friday - Los Angeles, California, Walker Household - United States Western Coast. --- @@Hypn0ticD,@@Miss Reaper, 9:55 PM, Friday - Colorado Springs, Colorado, Connery Household - United States Western Coast. "Processing... Processing... Aaand done. Finally." Bowen sighed to himself, running one hand down his face. He clicked around on his computer, locking the audio files into one folder, then attaching that folder to an email alongside the words 'Sorry I took so long getting these recorded. Work decided it needed extra hours and the like. Anyway, here they are.' And after double checking that the message was flawless, and it was going to the right place, Bowen clicked send. The officer sighed again, taking a short sip from the bottle of beer beside his hand on his computer desk. A long week of work, crunching to get voice over lines done and sent away before a deadline, and just general life itself had worked itself into a nice batch of stress for the usually jovial man. He took another, longer sip from the beer before looking at the logo, "You've been a good friend, Sam. You don't talk, just sit there and let me relax. Real nice of you." He was, of course, talking to the Colonial America era man on the paper encasing the glass, the face of the Samuel Adams brand. Bowen whistled tunelessly to himself as he walked over to a separate desk, this one devoid of a computer and instead inhabited by various sketchbooks. He stared at them for a few seconds before coming to a decision. Downing the rest of the Sam Adams, Bowen set the now empty bottle on the edge of the desk for later disposal and sat down, leafing through the first sketchbook until he came to a blank page. Bowen grabbed the first pencil he found, inspected the tip, sharpened it when he decided it wasn't fine enough, inspected it again, and this time finding it satisfactory, he grunted and put lead to paper. Only to remember one last thing. With an aggravated growl, Bowen stood up once again and walked over to the iPod dock on his computer desk, muttering about getting a second one for his art desk. He plugged his phone in, swiping through until he found the music playlist he was looking for. After having selected said playlist, consisting primarily of Trocadero, he sprinted back over to his art desk, picked up his pencil once again, and began to draw. What exactly, he didn't know. He hadn't planned anything specific. He was just drawing whatever came to mind from the music. Considering the first song was all about a 'shotgun woman, who won't back down', he ended up with the rough sketch of a woman standing standing in a post apocalyptic city, with the appropriate attire, wielding a large, smoking shotgun with a very pissed off look on her face. No sooner had he been going to start adding shading and other touch ups to his sketch, did Bowen get the sense that the wind had picked up outside - being in the basement, he didn't hear much going on above, much less something like the wind. So the fact he heard it now spoke volumes for how loud it was now. He wouldn't have payed it any mind, if it wasn't for his power suddenly going out for a few seconds. When it came back on, he couldn't help but notice an unseemly line through his drawing, having happened with he lost sight and concentration. With a very frustrated growl, Bowen stood up, angrily dropping his pencil to the floor and bolting upstairs. He had no idea what he was going to do, considering it was the wind that made his power go out, but dammit he needed something to be mad at. That was foremost in his mind when he flung open his door and his eyes landed instantly on two random people in the middle of the street. As good an excuse as any to yell, "What the hell just happened?!" Yes, very eloquent, Bowen. Very eloquent. 10:03 PM, Friday - Colorado Springs, Colorado, Connery Household - United States Western Coast. --- 11:48 PM, Friday - Manhattan, New York, Random Walkway - United States Eastern Coast. "We only want to have a good time We only want to have a good time Flying by wire, we cross the green line We ride fast, they take their sweet time We only want to have a good time, good time..." Amber took a deep breath as she let the last notes of her die away, plucking at the strings of her guitar for a few seconds more, before finally coming to an end. The homeless woman glanced up at the black of the sky above the cloying lights of Manhattan, staring for a few moments before looking back down at the small group of people who had gathered around her. A few stepped forward, dropping spare change, and some even crumpled dollar bills, into her battered guitar case. Amber smiled at each of them, giving her thanks to each of them, ending with "Bless you, have a good night." to each. After the crowd had dispersed, realizing she was probably done singing for a while and remembering that they had places to be in the city without sleep, Amber, or Amy as she was more commonly known on the streets, set her guitar down on the side of the building she was sat before, and leaned forward to pull her guitar case closer to her to count her night's earnings. All in all, she had received little ten dollars with that last song, and adding that to the rest of her day's earnings, her grand total was just shy of thirty. Amy smiled, shoving the cash into her coat pockets as she stood. The singer whistled to herself as she packed her old, acoustic guitar back in its case, which she then slung over her shoulder as she began to walk in search of a place to sleep for the night. Once she'd reached a suitable placed, the homeless veteran looked up at the sky once again, trying to find the moon past the clouds as she spoke, "We only want to have a good time... Heh." She chuckled to herself as she settled down to sleep in a back alley of the city, half cuddling her guitar case, and making it very clear that she had a weapon - in the form of an aged military issue combat knife - on her person. Amber hadn't had a decent sleep in over a year. She couldn't afford it, not even when she made it into an actual shelter for the evening, unlike tonight. But she was thankful for what she had. As she drifted off to a light sleep, clutching her knife in one hand and her dog tags in the other, Amber couldn't help but think that, just maybe, things would change very soon. She just knew it.

"The Reigning King of Chaos brings service with a smile!"

@@Miss Reaper,@@C. Thunder Dash,@@CharChar, (This is going to be a whole lot shorter than it ought to be, considering the size of the gap between this and my last post but... Well, it's something.) Saron watched the events unfold in silence, biting the inside of his cheek in thought. Ariel finally seemed to calm down, if only a little. She wasn't trying to kill him or Break, or anyone else that was gathered around her. Break had climbed off of her and subsequently knelt with an expression that denoted that he was in pain upon his features. The brightly coated Pegasus, Thunder Dash, tentatively walked closer to the weeping Unicorn mare, giving voice to his belief that there was something they could do to help her. Saronyx couldn't help but give a small chuckle at that. It wasn't because he felt insensitive towards Ariel's plight, or because he thought Thunder Dash's sentiments were ridiculous. Quite the opposite, actually. He wanted to help her as well. He was merely laughing at the irony of it. There were no doubts in the Crystal's mind that Ariel had fully intended to kill him only minute prior to her being talked down from her hysteria. The Visionary drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he walked over and gently placed a hoof on Ariel's side for a few seconds, before finally speaking, "First things first, we have to move her somewhere else, preferably Standing here in the public eye won't exactly be helpful." Saron gestured briefly towards the main thoroughfare, where more than a few ponies were casting long glances in their direction. The Crystal stallion looks back at the library, making a slight humming noise in his chest before continuing, "Moving her back inside could prove to be an unwise decision, as that had something to do with her collapse, in some way. I've not been in this town for very long, so I don't really know anywhere else that's out of the way." His silver gaze comes to rest on the others, "Have you any suggestions?" (Like I said... It's something.)