Illiad Easle

@Skylight Scintillate Indigo would comment, "It can actually be quite cozy, with the right kind of hammock. Nova's father and I usually share a larger one when he's here. In your case, it helps that Lilac is still small." They both seemed intrigued by the hippogriff, Nova commenting, "I think I heard about those once, they mostly live in coastal areas right? Or, aren't they the ones that are half gryphon and half pony?" Indigo looked thoughtful before answering, "I think the term is used by both, since I've heard that they look similar. Maybe the hybrids will start adding the -pony like bat ponies do?" Nova turned his attention back to Speckle, "So your friend is one of the seapony types? That's cool! I don't know if I could do another exchange so soon though..." he looked to his mother who gently shook her head. "Maybe when Lilac is a bit older, or if you go do guard training in Canterlot like your father suggested? You'd be a bit closer then." That thought seemed to have some mixed feelings for Nova, but generally positive. The forest itself seemed to grow darker the further they went, as the trees around them grew older and taller, the underbrush thinning out as less sunlight meant fewer things could grow under the canopy. Nova commented, "We could look for tracks, but I think most animals would avoid the road." "Animals yes, but many other creatures travel this road." Indigo suggested, "Maybe you'll be able to recognize some other creatures that have walked here? Like, here." She paused to point out a hoofprint that was a bit different from the others, "This track was left by a pony wearing a shoe, unlike us" she showed that he hoof didn't have a shoe attached, and left a print next to the shod print. "That's probably from one of the Children, they often wear shoes because of the rocks on the mountain." That example given, they'd be able to watch the road for other tracks from other sentient creatures, as well as looking at the different sizes of prints to guess at ages. A bit further down the path the area seemed to brighten again, a blueish tint indicative of the shimmerwood trees which were becoming more abundant around them. The larger ones had their bark carved with innumerable small symbols, some of them runes (Which speckle might be able to recognize depending on what she might have learned from Radiant, if so, they looked like runes of protection) along with messages in a variety of languages, the ones in Equish being for the most part welcoming. Some of them appeared to be quite old, while others seemed more recently carved. Some even still had the shavings near the base of the tree. Indigo would point out a few larger symbols, like a four pointed star, a large rectangle, and a crescent moon. "Those are the symbols of some of the clans that joined in to the Fastar clan, I believe every clan that has joined has a tree somewhere along this path with their symbol, along with their uniting oath written out in some form or another. Carving them into the shimmerwood trees shows that their commitment only grows stronger over time. Similarly..." She slowed her pace, looking over the trees before stepping off of the path to a tree a short distance away. She pointed to something a bit above her own eye level, "There." They would have to fly up to read it properly, but it was words carved to form a circle: 'Nightwing Fastar & Indigo Eclipse, 992 ANM' inside the circle was carved: 'Nova Fastar, 993 ANM' and 'Lilac Fastar, 1001 ANM' Looking around they would see many similar circles with names. Indigo would explain as they returned to the path, "It's a bit of a tradition here, those who marry into the clan carve the circle to symbolize the strength of their own bond as a family, similar to the clans, growing only stronger over time."

@Blitz Boom (Cherish) The feeling came back with a vengeance there, when she thought about him needing her. There was a deep anger, and a bit of... jealousy? He doesn't need you. He doesn't deserve you. "No." As he continued, she got the distinct feeling of déjà vu, like she'd heard it before. "I'm a monster, monsters deserve to die. I tried to help, tried to keep them safe, but I've been a monster this whole time." Then the feeling shifted "I should have died here, instead of her. I should have... I should have died when I first got infected." Some confusion clouded the anger, a bit of concern that matched Cherish's own. Infected? "Go. It isn't safe for you to be here, you aren't safe with me." He warned me, I didn't listen. I shouldn't have followed him... The anger came back, but it wasn't as strong. He should have tried harder. I thought he loved me. It felt like there was something inside her, trying to escape, or... trying to get her to escape? It felt like every part of her was struggling to move, twitching. It felt more and more like she'd been here before, that she had followed him when she wasn't supposed to, driven by worry, by care, and there was a rising dread that it would turn out badly for her. (Ranger) She shrugged, "Might as well, we had to be on the move pretty frequently, and the monsters even came through the walls for us sometimes, but some level of protection is better than nothing." She would start to lead the way through the halls. Luckily, most of the damage did not appear too recent, and there wasn't much indication of activity other than themselves. Where the halls of the underground academy would have been right at home in an old university, the halls here were cold, sterile, minus the biohazards they were stepping over, and looked like a proper secret science facility. Most of the doorways were sealed behind electronic locks, plastered with warnings. Some had placards next to them with a picture of either a creature or an object on one side, with labels and symbols on the other, seeming to belong to some sort of categorizing system proprietary to this place. Kozue could probably ask about it, or figure it out given enough time, but the message was clear enough that the things depicted were likely dangerous, even if some of the labels said Safe. One that might catch his eye was what looked like a picture of a photograph of the shadow of a many tailed creature that might be a kitsune. It was hard to make out from the image how many tails it had, but it seemed like a lot. After passing through many hallways that seemed identical, Ranger came to a stop in what looked like a cafeteria, or it had been at one point. The place was trashed, with some evidence that ponies had been living here among the rubble. "This was the first place, where Mistress hid us away. Where, I imagine, Ayjay might have made her last stand." She sighed, "At least, from what I gathered from Arcade. He wasn't much inclined to share what happened after the rest of us escaped." She idly dug through some of the rubble before looking over at Kozue, "Can you... check if she's still around? I don't know what that might look like." Depending on his ability, it would be clear that plenty had died here, but there didn't seem to be any lingering spirits. Perhaps more concerningly, there weren't any bodies or even bones left in this room, despite the amount of death. (Null) Arcade's expression was hard, but not entirely towards Null. "You should have told me sooner. When we first met, you should have told me what happened." He let out a long sigh. "I can't fault you for sparing him, for making the same mistake I did. I shouldn't have risked him being infected. Rare is dead because I was weak, and now another is in danger too. Let's go. I have to make my mistake right, before any more are hurt because of my cowardice." He'd get moving then, not bringing anything beyond his knife, and not hardly waiting for Null if she delayed. He'd only pause to leave a note for Ranger when she didn't answer her door, believing her to still be asleep. If Null didn't stop him (They can talk a bit on the way) they'd arrive at the mesa soon after, the wind not fully erasing the evidence that someone had recently entered the facility. "Someone else is here too." He looked up to the top of the mesa, "They sealed the top entrance, right? Even so, you could hardly carry me up there." He shook his head, "I'll go in this way, and make my way up to where it happened. You can follow me, or try and get in through the top, but time is of the essence." (Void) Seeing as Void was too preoccupied for conversation, even to try and take her mind off of things, Llambda and the changeling decided to give her some space. They would remain nearby if Void wanted to talk, but wouldn't pressure her. (Grey) There were enough resources in the armory for them each to have one, and so long as they brought them back they wouldn't incur any additional debt. However, they wouldn't be able to conceal the dagger too closely to themselves while disguised without the antimagic breaking the disguise, or burning them. It seemed like most of the pegasi up there were openly armed anyway, so having a dagger on their body won't raise much suspicion. In any case, once they returned to the cloud layer something seemed to be in motion. Many were heading towards a structure towards the west end of the cloud, furthest from the city itself, gathering in a mostly intact amphitheater that had previously been used for air shows, like the Cloudsdale coliseum, but smaller. A reddish pegasus mare was near the podium, along with the pegasus who had talked to them at the bar on their first trip up. Depending on how good their skills of detecting other changelings was, they'd find that very few of the pegasi in attendance were changelings, and it might be hard to tell at this distance if the reddish pegasus at the podium was one either. If they could, then it would seem like she was. Out in the open like this, it would be hard to approach her, but not technically impossible. Most of the pegasi in attendance were talking among themselves, their attention not on the center stage yet.

(OOC Thread: https://mlpforums.com/topic/198041-another-cultural-exchange/page/3/) @Skylight Scintillate It was cold, dark, and quiet in the Shimmerwood forest, which suited the thestrals that called it home just fine. Most of them, that was. Nova had always thought that the forest was a little too cold, too dark, and too quiet, and had made it his mission in life to correct at least one of those things, as was in his power. At the present, he was sat at the edge of the clearing where the road through the forest entered the area where the clan had built their houses in the trees above. This was the road where the mail was delivered by the carrier, to then be distributed to those in the clan who had business receiving mail, and today Nova hoped to be one of those ponies, as he had hoped every day since he first sent in his application to the cultural exchange. This was something everyone in the clan was well aware of, given Nova's propensity to tell anyone who came close enough for him to engage in conversation, leading many to simply avoid the colt, lest they risk being chosen as his new conversation partner. At the moment, he was simply talking to himself, thinking of all the possible creatures he could be paired with, and all the possible places they could be from, compiling an exhaustive list of them and ranking them as he went in an effort to figure out which possibility he was MOST excited for. Unfortunately, he wasn't very methodical about it, so often had the same combination come up for evaluation, and would frequently lose track of where he was, thus needing to start over. When he stopped, those who had grown used to the chatter turned to see who, or what, they ought to thank for their relief from the noise. They found their relief momentary as Nova cheered: "He's here! The mail is here!" The mailpony was well used to Nova's antics, and was happy to see Nova this time, "Well look who it is, how are you doing Nova?" "Do you have a letter for me?" The mailpony raised an eyebrow, "That doesn't answer my question." Nova shook his head, "Of course it does, if you have a letter for me then I'm doing great! Otherwise... I'm okay I guess." The mailpony chuckled, "Well, today you're in luck, because I do have a letter for you!" Nova bounced in place as he waited for the mailpony to retrieve his letter, snatching it from his hoof as soon as it was clear of the bag, his smile somehow growing wider as he saw who it was from, "YES! IT CAME! Thank you mister mailpony!" He then took off back towards his home without waiting for the mailpony to respond, who simply chuckled to themselves as they went about putting the rest of the clan's mail into the proper recepticles. Nova wasted no time showing the letter to his mother, indicating that he had been accepted to the cultural exchange program and paired with a bat pony in Canterlot, a combination he had not considered in his earlier list. He had heard of bat ponies living in Canterlot from his father who worked there, but he never thought they would be interested in something like this given how disinterested everyone here had been. Still, with his mother's help, he set out to write his introductory letter: Dear Scotia, Hiya! I'm Nova Fastar, I live in the Fastar clan's primary settlement in the heart of the Shimmerwood forest west of Las Pegasus, north of Archback, and south of Griffonstone. I'm a thestral pony, which is like a bat pony, but more bat-like I guess? I don't have my mark yet, but most of the other thestrals my age don't either, so I'm not worried. I hope it will be for something cool, like adventuring, even if my teachers say I should focus on more useful skills like woodworking. Anyway, I'm excited to get to know you and learn what it's like living in Canterlot! I've heard so much about it from my dad, he's the head of the Canterlot City Night Guard, maybe you've met him already? Excitedly, Nova Given his speed and excitement, he was able to get the written letter back to the mailpony before they left the clearing, ensuring that he would get a response at the earliest possible opportunity. Much to the chagrin of the other members of the clan, he seemed intent to wait by the mailbox again for said response to arrive. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Scotia would receive a notification from the Cultural Exchange program stating her acceptance and informing her that she had been paired with Nova Fastar, a young thestral colt from the Fastar Clan. It would instruct her to watch for a letter from him and to respond in kind when it arrives. She would receive receive Nova's letter the very next day.

Looks like some ponies here are interested in this coming back! For those of you who don't know what A Cultural Exchange is, I'd invite you to take a look at the original thread: Or at the story that was created as a result of the most successful rendition of it: https://www.fimfiction.net/story/325624/a-cultural-exchange In short, I invite you to explore the world I've made, and I extend the same courtesy to you. Do you have a character you'd like to explore? A situation? A nation? A world? Let me know, and I'll help you out. Active threads: With Skylight Scintillate With Courageous Thunder Dash

@@Blitz Boom (OOC Thread) It had been a rather normal day for Null and Void, for once they were beginning to feel, something, in this town of theirs. Acceptance, maybe a sense of belonging? Whatever it was, they finally felt like they didn't need to be so on the run anymore. The two of them sat on a hill that overlooked the town at sunset, it was a truly tranquil moment. Void was peacefully asleep in the grass while Null was up, keeping watch, she thought to herself, an old habit from a time now further behind them. Null found herself doing something she had not done in a very long time, smiling. It wasn't a big one to be certain, in fact anyone who didn't know her would never even know she was smiling, but she knew it in her heart. It was at that very moment, the minuscule moment when she let her guard down, when it all went wrong. Though honestly one can't exactly prepare for a large portal opening in front of them. Less for what they saw on the other side. Through the portal was a room, so white it almost gleamed, though that was secondary to the all too familiar looking grey robed figures that dashed through it, and the pair of darts that struck the two of them. Void, having only barely been woken up by the portal quickly fell back asleep as the dart, a purely chemical rather than magical reaction, did it's job. Null did not fare much better as the Grey enforcers subdued her drugged form using her own weak points against her. Whoever had sent them clearly knew them well. She was only vaguely aware that some sort of harness was strapped around her midsection, a powerful humming, then darkness. ... A. Clave Bunsen scratched his small beard thoughtfully as he watched the enforcers drag his newest test subjects to the portal. He had heard of their rare abilities to nullify even the most powerful of magics, and knew the benefit it would bring to all of Equis if it could be replicated. The only problem was getting them to his lab. Which is where the portal came in, but bringing non magical creatures through a magical portal? That was what he was testing. The harnesses were designed as a counter, a shield specifically against anti-magic called the Re-Generator. And here was it's first test. Whether said field could contain the reversed field long enough to get them through? As the enforcers dragged the limp bodies, now much heavier due to the harnesses, the portal seemed to shimmer as the field came near, in the center it started to waver rather drastically, but it held long enough before finally snapping closed. Bunsen smiled as he looked down at the smoking harnesses around the two mares now in his lab. Sure it had bisected two of the enforcers and left another pair very deep in Equestrian territory, but he had his prize. Some time later... Null and Void wake up in another stark white room strapped down barrel up to exam tables with their legs, and wing in the case of Null spread out.

@@Blitz Boom Here's the OOC thread, you already know the premise. Null and Void have been abducted by a secret science organization, now they look to escape. Here's the RP Thread!