Illiad Easle

(Doing the intro again)

War, we thought we knew what it meant.

When the spawn of Tartarus emerged, and antimagical and thaumatological weapons consumed Equis, those who survived did so in Stables or Vaults, vast underground facilities designed with that purpose, among others. When they opened, their inhabitants set out across the ruins of the old world to build new societies, establish new villages, forming herds. As decades passed, what had been the southern Mild West and San Palomino Desert united beneath the flag of the New Lunar Republic, dedicated to the principles of democracy and individualism of the fallen Trojan Empire. As the republic grew, so too did its needs. Scouts spread north, seeking territory and resources among the ruins and wastes of the San Palomino Desert and southern Equestria. They returned with tales of a city untouched by the ravages of time and war, and an access to an untapped ley-line. The NLR mobilized its forces, sending them to occupy and develop this access point.

But to the East, another nation had risen, under a different flag. A vast army of slaves, forged from the conquest of 86 herds, Discord's Legion.

Four years have passed since the NLR held the access point, barely, against the Legion's onslaught, driving them back to their stronghold in the Midnight Castle. To the west they wait, gaining strength with each passing week.

From the north, another nation appears. Scouts, claiming to come from the Solar Empire, have been spotted by the NLR, and captured by the Legion. The Empire claims that they are the rightful heirs of Equestria, and everything that was within its borders.

Throughout it all, New Pegas has remained open for business, under the control of the four casino heads and their army of recivilized herds and minotaur security golems. Rumors suggest that the casino heads may yet answer to someone as yet unknown.

(Your part)

Nebel and his sister grew up in Stable 21, or rather, what remains of it. Similar to the culture above, Stable 21 had operated under a system of luck. All of the residents were equal and all disputes were settled by games of chance. Compared to the stories of what had happened in other facilities, the residents considered themselves quite lucky. Five years ago, the Stable opened its door to discover that the city above had not been destroyed, and it was starting to form what resembled a functioning society. Soon after, a delegation from the Casino Heads made a proposition to the residents of Stable 21: Leave the Stable to live and work in the city above. The residents had been split, and when the decision came to a game of chance, fortune favored the Casino Heads, and so the residents vacated most of the vault. The lower levels were filled in to discourage those who disagreed from remaining, many of them leaving to join or found other settlements outside of New Pegas.

A family member of Nebel's had made a proposition though, to run a motel of sorts out of some of the remaining rooms in the stable. This proposition was accepted by the Casino Heads, so Nebel and his sister were allowed to remain in the stable until they came of age. So Nebel and his sister lived in the stable, but attended classes on the surface along with the children of the recivilized tribes that ran the casinos. There they were exposed to all sorts of different creatures, as well as a bit of information on the New Lunar Republic. They also overheard stories from the tourists and visitors to the stable as to the events outside the city. (So they know the information present in the introduction, as well as some general information which you can ask for.)

Today, the remaining residents of stable 21 were approached with a job, one offering a substantial payout, to go to a nearby town and retrieve one of several packages. Six were needed, and due to the culture of the stable the six were chosen by lottery, with Nebel's name being drawn as #6.

He was told to report to Mr. House, who ran the Top Suits and the east side of New Pegas. To be outfitted and further briefed on the assignment.

2024-05-07T01:43:35Z

@Props Valroa @Blitz Boom @Evil Pink One

The adult characters can easily get bogged down in the minutia of rebuilding society, while the younger characters are more free to explore the new world, while still participating in the rebuilding should they so choose.

Which world do we want the project to return to? There are a few options:

1. An empty world, all the bastions fell while the Æther was away, so the only creatures who remain are those who allied with Discord. Discord will need to be defeated in this world.

1.a, Same as above, but the events of Five Score play out so that Discord is banished before the Æther arrives.

2. A mostly empty world, The three bastions remain, providing options for those who want to explore distant lands. As in 1a the events of Five Score banish Discord.

3. A reclaimed world, Discord was defeated shortly after the Æther left, and those left behind have been rebuilding since then. There are still groups loyal to Discord, but much of the land has been restored.

Or, if you guys have other suggestions, I'm open to hear them. Option 2 seems to provide the most freedom, but I'll leave it up to you.

2024-05-07T01:35:02Z

(Blu)

Once the griffon was eliminated as a threat Blu turned his attention towards whatever stragglers remained, trying to clear the way for the away teams to return safely.

(Fuoco)

Fuoco frowned as the heart approached. She had hoped it was what was causing the resonance she had heard before, but the frequencies coming off of the heart weren't the same. Further, fainter, she could hear the resonance she had heard earlier. Likely whatever artifact she'd felt earlier had been moved further away, and wasn't the heart.

She shook off her disappointment, it had been a long shot anyway that the artifact she had felt would be the same one the ponies here knew. Given they interacted with it differently than she did. In all likelihood, by her guess, the artifact she had resonated with was some mundane object to the ponies here.

In any case, as the attack died down, she relaxed a bit, and waited for the teams to return.

2024-05-07T01:29:56Z

Got it, that makes sense.

2024-05-06T01:59:24Z

We should discuss the nature of Fuoco's interaction with the Heart, as we don't appear to be on the same page.

I was envisioning an interaction that was primarily musical, and secondarily magical. The Heart, being crystal, will vibrate when hit with certain frequencies, causing a harmonic frequency to be emitted by the crystal's vibration. Additionally, as the heart is magical, it could be said to repeat the spell, albeit weaker, that the musical frequency carried.

That is to say, the Heart resonates in response to Fuoco's music, making this a one-way connection. Fuoco doesn't connect to the Heart nor is there communication from the heart to her, outside of perhaps an echo, albeit tainted in this case.

When Fuoco said she felt something, more accurately she noticed the resonant frequency, and given she could hear the magic in the resonance she had a feeling that her music was interacting with something magical capable of resonating with her music. She didn't have some sort of soul connection with it or anything.

So when the Heart is closer, she can tell better that the crystal is tainted, giving it isn't resonating properly or the magic being reflected is altered in some way. She is not trying to connect with the crystal, nor, again, does she have any sort of soul connection with it unless the heart is initiating it.

Does that make sense? Or did you have something entirely different in mind?

Sunday at 05:26 AM

(Blu)

Blu hardly expected that the griffon, charged as it was, would go down in one strike, so he continued firing, glad for the efforts of those on the other end to make the shots easy.

(Fuoco)

(I'm making an assumption here since you didn't say what was missing)

Fuoco had expected that the heart getting closer would make the resonance stronger, but it wasn't. It being held shouldn't affect it that much. So either it wasn't the heart that was resonating her music, or this wasn't the real heart.

She wasn't qualified to answer that question though, so she maintained her efforts to bolster those within her range, lamenting that this artifact wasn't giving her the boost she had hoped for, as it would have greatly extended her range of influence, maybe even to the entire city.

Still, she was focused on the here and now, and would worry about the artifact once the attack was ceased.

Sunday at 05:22 AM

Sounds good, they were optional anyway. They exist in universe regardless of whether you send your characters there, so if you change your mind they'll be available.

I'll spin up a new thread on Monday. To confirm, you want the same start point as before? Being selected for a job from the Stable?

Sounds good, I'll spin up a new thread on Monday and start it with a summary of everything your character has experienced up until that point.

Friday at 04:43 AM

Hmmm.... I do think I want to change a bit of the lore inside the city of New Pegas, and since we're going 1x1 we can go through character introductions more slowly including playing out your second character's escape rather than just having her appear.

If you want to have the same start as before, that is to say, growing up in the stable under New Pegas, the beginning will be pretty similar in terms of situation and story beats, the changes I have in mind are pretty minor.

Up to you, your characters are in a pretty good place starting in Nova.

Well I was initially planning for all of you to go after the artifact, everyone had a story hook in that direction after all, which would bring you all together for or against each other as you fight for who's faction will end up winning, and which factions will ally, but that relies on everyone moving at more or less the same pace and could get complicated fast.

I'm fine with whatever choice you're most passionate about. As I recall Carnelian was looking to find the Academic Research sites to recover potent magical weaponry, and she was presently sneaking around the ruins of a city to recover equipment for a group of NLR soldiers.

If you want to continue her story from there, restart her story from when she disembarked the Æther, or pick a new character with a new entry point, I'm happy to accommodate.

@GeneralDirection @Props Valroa

The DLCs are also available as story paths if you're interested. Though the Lonesome Road will be a bit different depending on your start.

Friday at 04:32 AM

@Props Valroa @Blitz Boom @Evil Pink One

(Null)

5 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

The face would still be clearly visible though, as it had kept a paler color there. Which were granted, the picture of potato mush, but it still counted.

Ardee watched with curiosity, wondering how this would give it energy, but figured it wasn't the strangest thing, considering what she had heard about from Arcade. "Alright, do you need more of these? Should I be carrying them around for you? How often do you need to eat these?"

5 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

Kozue hadn't taken notice of them yet though, being more focused on his food.

Ardee would take the moment to approach, despite her hunger. There was a bit of nervous energy to her as she did, "Um, excuse me, you're the one that made the paper fox for me right? I was wondering if you could help with something?"

She would retrieve the feather from the fox to show it to the kitsune, "I was wondering if it could be given wings? Maybe not to fly, but at least to glide, and I think this might help?"

The kitsune would likely have seen this sort of metal before, or at least heard of it, and even if he hadn't, he'd be able to feel its power just by holding it.

Minostralium was known for a few effects, when nearby it lowered the cost of magic by making the magical field more flexible, and doing much of the work to pull down the field. This effect was amplified when plated on or over a magical node, like a hoof, wing, or horn, and could be used to make runes or enchantments that never needed recharging.

It had some extra special effects if added to the bloodstream, but those were known only to the members of BLU team, Vale, the O5 Council, and Celestia.

The feather itself wasn't strictly necessary, and the metal itself was soft enough to change the shape without heat, and could be magically molded without much effort.

(Void)

6 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

"Hello, Miss Vale. My name's Cherish Sky. I go to school with Toupé and the others, and she was nice and said it was okay for me to come to her party. It's very nice to meet you."

Cherish's curiosity did not go unnoticed by Vale, but she was pleasantly surprised when Cherish didn't ask about them. She returned the smile with a cervine bow, ducking her head down nearly to the ground for but a moment before continuing, "It's nice to meet you too, I hope you're the first of many friends they'll make."

6 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

Now before we have a seat, I just want to answer your question, Teal: This is meant for us, and what we can't eat, will be put into some boxes in the cooler, and we'll eat it over the next few days. It's a bit much maybe, but this is your party, and I wanted to make sure that there were enough for everyone.

Toupé and the others nodded at that, inwardly looking forward to the promise of getting to have this good food for several days in the future.

6 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

ut first, you need to decide on if you want us to have something to eat first, Toupé, or if you want your presents first? I figure it is best if we get something to eat first, but it's your party, so I think it is okay that you get to chose."

Toupé looked surprised at the question as she was halfway into her seat by the time Void asked, "Um, well, I've already opened one gift, so I think it makes sense that we all eat before I open more? I wouldn't want you all to have to wait for me if we're all hungry."

The rest followed Toupé's lead in getting seated, Vale taking care of bringing over the necessary additional supplies for her and Cherish to join the table, before they looked towards Void for directions to proceed.

Assuming Void told them to take what they wanted, the young ponies would set about evenly distributing a portion of the food to everyone, with smaller portions to the foals, ensuring that everyone was served before they started eating.

Friday at 04:08 AM

@Skylight Scintillate

On 2024-05-01 at 9:46 PM, Skylight Scintillate said:

"Huh, so it sounds like it's a mix of an Elder and an Order for a government?" Speckle asked Nova.

Nova nodded, "Yeah! I guess that makes sense, considering just how big Equestria is."

On 2024-05-01 at 9:46 PM, Skylight Scintillate said:

"Princess Celestia values protecting fair criticism, but talking about her like this here and now would be extraordinarily unprofessional of me," Guard Clipper replied. By then, the group was finished with observing the day court, so Guard Clipper lead the group to the ball room, passing by and pointing out the wing of the castle where the councel worked along the way.

Nova looked worried at that. He had heard that at least the zebra council hated public criticism, but he also knew that the current elder of his clan welcomed it, not that he'd done anything to warrant it, as far as he knew.

He was relieved to hear that Celestia was at least not openly hostile to criticism, even if the guard couldn't speak to it now.

On 2024-05-01 at 9:46 PM, Skylight Scintillate said:

"This is the ball room where many formal events are hosted. One of the most notable events that happens here is the Grand Galloping Gala," Clipper explained.

Nova was astonished by the shear size of the room, "Woah, you could fit my whole clan in here, with room to spare! This is bigger than the clearing my colony sits in." He looked over at Speckle, considering something, but turned his question to the guide, "What is the Grand Galloping Gala? What sort of event is it?"

Friday at 04:01 AM

Sounds like the consensus is for a sequel with new/recurring characters, which is fine by me. I'll refamiliarize myself with where we left everyone, since I primarily want to play with the younger characters (Plein, Pom, Power, and Aurum) and how they shape the future of this new world.

Friday at 03:58 AM

You can make a new character if you want, no pressure if you're not that interested though.

Sounds good, you want to continue straight from where you were? Or take a new start? I'm thinking of having everyone have their own story rather than putting you all in the same world.

@Props Valroa @Blitz Boom @Evil Pink One

I have no problem with taking it slow, and that means it will be a 1x1 between us so that should allow for a more focused dive into the lore I have planned. Do you want to continue from where you are? Or would you like a fresh start?

April 30

Alright, I'm back, how is everyone feeling? Do we want to try and continue the story where it was? Or start a sequel with some new and some returning characters?

April 30

@Evil Pink One @Props Valroa @GeneralDirection

Alright, I'm back, who is still interested in continuing this thread? I'm going to revamp a few details to make things a bit more consistent and actually keep track of inventories, weapons, damage, and combat.

April 30

(Null)

Ardee listed to everything that Null said without interrupting. At the end she sighed but nodded, "That... that's what I was thinking, more or less. I need to think about what I do, and not just run away from what I don't want."

She turned her attention to the paper fox, sensing it's disquieted state, "What's wrong? You need something?"

She tried to remember if the kitsune had said anything about caring for it. but she was drawing a blank after everything that had happened. "Are you hungry? Do paper foxes get hungry? What would I even feed you?"

She was more or less talking to herself as she knew the paper fox wasn't going to just tell her what it needed, much like a foal.

After feeding it was sorted, Arcade would return with news as to the availability of food. If he were allowed to bring food with him from the buffet he'd arrive with an assortment to share. Otherwise he would just have information as to where the food was.

(Void)

Those gathered looked impressed by all the food that was presented to them, outside of rare occasions in the facility this was the most food they had ever seen in one place. This on top of the special food they had had for lunch and the dinner yet to come as Void mentioned.

Teal was the one to ask, "Are more ponies coming? This seems like a lot of food for just us."

"Well there's at least one more." Vale said as she entered the room, she was looking well groomed and had a gift of her own on her back, though her mechanical eye and the small gold plates on her forehead were still quite visible. This was normal for the young ponies but Cherish had likely never seen her before, and her presence did not go unnoticed, "Ah, two more I guess? Is this a friend from school?"

The young ponies nodded as Vale approached, "Greetings, I'm Vale, I help Void take care of these young ponies, what's your name?"

April 30

(Blu)

On 2024-04-24 at 4:27 PM, Evil Pink One said:

A giant infected Gryphon would land just above the team.

It was two stories high; too high for any gryphon to be.

It screeches and deafens anyone close to it. This caused panic to Blitz's team and caused chaos on the battlefield, as the screech attracted alot of unneeded attention.

Blu had intended to rest, but he chose a spot with a view towards the castle in case something happened. So the noise spurred him to action.

"Big target, and no Alpha to steel my kill."

His rifle was ready in a moment, he prepped a few of the rounds with explosive and incendiary enchantments before preparing to fire. He'd aim for the center of mass on the gryphon first, see how fast it was, and if it moved slowly enough he'd go for more damaging targets like the head and wings.

(Fuoco)

On 2024-04-24 at 4:27 PM, Evil Pink One said:

As they left, Cozy had an awkward smile and her troubles seems to have left her alone for now.

" to think we were supposed to be the same age...." she mumbled.

Fuoco didn't address that comment as she turned towards Cozy, "Looks like another opportunity is here, get out there and defend. Or are the legends of an alicorn's strength just that?"

Fuoco wouldn't wait for a response before she started to play, invigorating those who could hear the song as she had during the day. It should serve to aid the defenders against the intrusion. Those attacking the castle were beyond her range to assist anyway.

April 30

@Skylight Scintillate

On 2024-04-21 at 3:50 PM, Skylight Scintillate said:

Would we get to meet your Moondancer when we visit your place?" Speckle asked.

Nova looked unsure, "I don't think so, Archback only does tours very rarely, I've only gone once, and from what I remember the important ponies there rarely leave the castle." He shrugged, "But maybe?"

On 2024-04-21 at 3:50 PM, Skylight Scintillate said:

She would then lean in to whisper to Nova. "However, I heard that you will be able to meet her at her favorite seafood restaurant in Thestral Market later this evening," Clipper winked.

Nova nodded at that with a smile.

On 2024-04-21 at 3:50 PM, Skylight Scintillate said:

"Does anypony have any questions about day court or anything else I've said so far?" Clipper asked. She would give some time for the tour group to observe day court in session and ask any questions.

Speckle quite liked this tour guide more than the tour guide of the city. However, she wanted to see what questions Nova would ask before asking her own, so she looked over to the debate that was currently going on. It seemed quite interesting and kind of chaotic, and Princess Celestia was in the middle of it all, standing as regal as ever.

Nova didn't really have questions, but would comment over to Speckle, "Hmm, so it's more like how the Elder works than how the Order works."

Presuming she would ask what he meant, Nova continued, "In my Clan, we have an Elder, usually the oldest descendent of Starlight Fastar, who anyone in the clan can go to for guidance and who makes the decisions for the clan, like what Princess Celestia is doing now. In Mohotma and Archback they have an Order who make the decisions, a group of zebra or ponies, and they're more... detached? You can't just talk to them. With the zebra no one even knows who the members of the Order are." He looked back at Celestia and the debate, "I don't know, I thought, with how much bigger Equestria is, that it would be more like Archback than my clan."

He smiled, "It's nice that you can still have such access to your leader despite the size of everything."

He turned to the guide, "What's Princess Celestia like? I've never met her before..."

April 24

(Blessings make her sound like a cleric)

6 hours ago, Evil Pink One said:

" Um Fuoco... I don't think my plan would work...."

Fuoco nodded, "Then stay here, there will be other opportunities. Rest up tonight, there will be plenty to do tomorrow."

Once the other groups were rejuvenated and sent out, Fuoco moved towards a window to watch, not that there would be much to see at night.

6 hours ago, Evil Pink One said:

" mind you that that building is not made by any old regular Crystal."

Blu paused, looking back with a raised eyebrow, "I didn't think it was, it would have shattered under its own weight by now if it were. But even it it's made of steel one or more of those pillars are hollow to allow access to the structure above, and that is an exploitable weakness. With the weight above we wouldn't even need to fully break the pillar, a cut across it would be enough to bring the castle down."

With that he would head out, presumably to rest for the battle in the morning.

April 24

(Null)

On 2024-04-21 at 4:29 PM, Blitz Boom said:

Looked like it hurt a fair bit actually, but... It would be brief at least, even if she were being careful. Which she was. She didn't want Ardee to get hurt more, because of her.

Ardee, to her credit, didn't cry out at the pain, but Null could tell from how the rest of her muscles tensed that it really did hurt, Ardee had probably learned to keep quiet.

On 2024-04-21 at 4:29 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"...I'm sorry for underestimating you, Ardee. I wanted so badly to keep you out of danger, that I pushed you right into the middle of it. I just... I couldn't bare the thought of going back, and having to tell my sister, and your siblings, that you died, because I couldn't keep you safe. It'd shatter them."

Ardee took to gently petting the paper fox once her wings were set. She let out a sad sigh as she shook her head, "No, they're stronger than that, and they're used to it. After Ajay, Efs, Rare... we hardly even mourned Rare... And the others before them, I don't think they even remember the ones who didn't stick around while we were in the lab, they're used to the idea. Sure, they'd probably be sad, but they'd get over it."

She looked at Null, there weren't tears in her eyes, she was simply deeply tired, "I came out here to get away, my whole life I've been running away, trying to get out from under everyone else's expectations and plans for me. It wasn't until I was out there, with Basher, that I realized... If I just keep running, and don't figure out what I want, then I'm just going to end up somewhere I don't want to be. I need to figure out what this mark means, who I am, before I know what to do next."

She looked away, towards the outside, "Out there, fighting Basher, I had to prove to myself that I'm strong enough to stand alone. My whole life I've been defined by others..."

She sighed, "I'm tired of running, tired of fighting..."

(Void)

The others didn't exactly know what to do while Void and Toupé shared a moment, so they quietly tried to guess what might be under the cloth on the table.

Toupé would pull back after a bit, taking a few breaths to recompose herself, "Okay, what now? From what Mistress told us about parties, there are typically activities? But also she mentioned that all parties are different, to suit the occasion, so what happens at this party?"

The others seemed interested too, though Cherish might have some idea as to what Void had planned.

April 24

Graduation is Thursday, and I've got family in town until Sunday, I'll make an official decision on Monday, but we're either continuing or doing a sequal.

April 21

(Null)

Null would find that she had been reoriented in the night to at least be on her side and covered in a light blanket and head on a pillow. Arcade's back was to her, so she was in a protected position where she was between the bed and Arcade, with Arcade facing the door.

It was Ardee moving on the bed that had woken Null, though Arcade were starting to stir, a bit slower than usual given the exertion of the previous day and night.

Ardee raised herself to a sitting position with a pained groan, "ugh- my wings haven't hurt like this since..." she shook her head. She winced as she tried to fold her wings in, the bruising was still present around where her wings met her body, and there was some swelling at the joints of the wings themselves.

"Umm, Null? Could... could you help me fold my wings? I should be able to hold them still once they're folded, but it hurts to move them."

Provided Null agreed, Ardee would look away as Null helped move her wings to the folded position, doing her best to keep herself from tensing too much, though it was obvious that it hurt a good amount.

Null could take this opportunity to talk to Ardee a bit more personally.

Arcade would get up and move towards the door, "I'll leave you two to that then, and I'll try and find us some food."

So she could even talk privately if she wanted.

(Void)

On 2024-04-16 at 5:50 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Surprise! I thought this would be a nice way to celebrate, and mark the occasion. I've left a spot at the bottom, to hang a plate with your name on, when you know for sure what you want to do with that."

Toupé was surprised by the reveal, gently raising a hoof to touch it, to trace the lines, there was a faint smile to her face, and she looked thoughtful as she looked at the space where her name would go.

She looked over at Void, "Are... are you going to do this for the others too? I don't want them to feel left out..."

Teal and Elef encouraged Toupé, indicating that they didn't mind, but also hoping that they would get their own when they got their marks? As they looked to Void for confirmation to that end.

That said, Toupé would look at another place in the room, "Um, I don't know if you stuck it to the wall like the others, but maybe it could be moved? I mean, maybe if it went over my bed? If it's attached then it's fine. I do appreciate it, it's much easier to see there than looking at my own flank. Thank you."

She would move to hug Void if Void would allow it, and Void would feel a few tears on her coat from Toupé's eyes, "Sorry, I'm not used to... all this. We all had to work very hard to get anything before."

April 21

@Skylight Scintillate

On 2024-04-15 at 4:48 PM, Skylight Scintillate said:

But why do you think that they would put the thestrals in the pegasus museum?"

Nova stretched out a wing, "Because we both have wings? That makes us at least more similar to them than the other pony races, so while it's not right to lump us together, it at least makes more sense for us to be there than in any of the other ones."

On 2024-04-15 at 4:48 PM, Skylight Scintillate said:

Ooh, who's Moondancer?

Nova nodded, "She's one of the ponies at Archback, one of the important ones. She's in charge of the archives there, so she spoke to us when we went there on a tour. She seemed nice."

On 2024-04-15 at 4:48 PM, Skylight Scintillate said:

"Woah, these shops and homes here are crazy! They're so fancy! Like, I know the ponies here in Canterlot are rich, but I didn't know they are that rich! What do you think makes them so rich?" Speckle would ponder out loud.

Nova looked a bit less impressed, more uncomfortable at the clear disparity of wealth present in the town. He also wondered what the ponies here did to deserve having so much more than the other ponies in the rest of the city. He understood why the princesses had a nice place, so he figured those here must also do something important. Still, it seemed like an excessive difference, but he wasn't about to comment on that.

On 2024-04-15 at 4:48 PM, Skylight Scintillate said:

"Oh my gosh, I didn't know royal guards could be so friendly and casual..." Speckle whispered to Nova.

Nova wasn't surprised at all, as the guards in his colony were always kind to him, often letting him go along while they patrolled and teaching him how to do things. "Are they not usually?" He whispered back.

He did want to ask a question though, "Will we get to see the princesses? Maybe, um, Princess Luna?"

April 21

On 2024-04-14 at 3:52 PM, Evil Pink One said:

Tiara didn't notice her blabbering made an audience and blushed in embarrassment.

Fuoco wasn't really paying attention to the explanation other than noting that it was different from what she had been taught. Fuoco again wished she had studied that lesson better, as it would have been very useful here.

On 2024-04-14 at 3:52 PM, Evil Pink One said:

"I suppose me and lady Tiara, will be staying put in the base." Gruite ale recommended.

Fuoco nodded at that, "As you should, your skills at organizing are far more important than fighting. You've both led towns before, and we have many civilians that will need to be organized if they're going to not hinder our efforts. After they're rested, which you two ought to do as well, we'll need to put them to work according to their skills and abilities. Most importantly food and construction. If the castle is not quickly taken for our own purposes we'll need a fortified structure to keep everyone safe."

She turned her attention to the three team leaders. "Gather your teams and report back here, I'll give you a bit of a boost before you leave, no sense going without every advantage we can give."

As each team returned ready, Fuoco would play a short song, rejuvenating them as best as she could before sending them off.

Blu would arrive at the meeting after the teams had left, "If you're planning to take the castle, I'd have to advise against it."

Fuoco looked a bit incredulous, "And why is that?"

"It isn't structurally sound. The whole thing stands on three pillars, if any of the pillars were damaged enough the whole thing will topple over. It wouldn't even take that big of an explosive by my estimates."

Fuoco looked like she was going to dismiss the idea, but then looked thoughtful. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, and for your help earlier. Your instrument is quite powerful. You should rest, no doubt there will be even more in the morning."

Unless someone else had a comment on the exchange, Blu would leave, and Fuoco would appraise the castle in a new light. Sure, there would be a loss in morale to the civilians to see the castle destroyed, but it would likely be worth it to remove it from the enemy's hooves. And he had a point, if this colt could find that flaw there was no reason to think that the enemy wasn't also aware, and wouldn't take the same opportunity if ousted.

April 14