Blitz Boom

@@Melke,

@@Seamore Sandwich,

@@Denim&Venom,

@@cwhip9,

@,

@@Missklang,

When Luna arrived and talked with a booming voice, Briar wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. He couldn't see who the princess was looking at, nor even tell that it was her. Ponyville was the closest he had ever been to Canterlot, and though he dreamt like any other sentient being, he could never recall a time when the princess of the night had visited one of them. As such, he had no point of reference to by with Princess Luna, beyond some details of her colours, the night sky and her cutie mark, which really wasn't helping him in the slightest. Far as he knew, this might as well be an attacker.

Still, he did not raise a vine towards her yet, but instead simply stood still with a worried frown going over his face and awaiting some clue as of what was going on, and who this mare was speaking to. Since the others hadn't sounded hostile towards Luna yet, he wouldn't jump the gun and be the first to try a swing, but he would be ready for whatever would happen. Hopefully, that wouldn't end being combat with this - from his perspective - unknown mare.

He might have had some clue if Last had said something, as she would always know Princess Luna in a heartbeat, but when her majesty had appeared her response wasn't so much to proclaim who Luna were to the others as much as giving a bow, like they had all did where she came from,towards the princess and standing still in that position, awaiting what would happen. What exactly she wasn't sure, but she knew that her majesty's gaze or questioning voice was not directed towards her at this point, and it was too ingrained in her to be respectful of Princess Luna to even consider speaking or acting out of turn. Last Stand might not technically be under command of her anymore, but that didn't mean that she would ever stop being it in her heart anyway. She were raised to follow Luna after all.

It was also what would perhaps have made her kick Vivid if she had been able to hear the mumbling voice the mare had given out when Luna had descended. Because in contrast to Briar's concern of Last's respect, Vivid had just met the descend of Luna with an unimpressed gaze towards the princess, and a low voice, barely audible unless you stood close to her, going "I should have known.".

It wasn't because Vivid had anything personally against the princess, but she were still a bit cranky about how they had gotten here, and it showed in her way of handling things right now. Though, at least it was set more towards neutral than verbally hostile. Things would not start off well if she had been angry and feeling completely respectless instead of just a little miffed, so all things considered this could be seen as a good sign.

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@@Moonlit,

"It is fun, but sometimes I find a good walk can be just as good. Just slowly going about, feeling the soft grass on my hooves and just enjoying the baking sun. Being earthbound doesn't mean there's not a lot of fun feelings to be had too."

Ziggy quickly zoomed over next to Serenade, and half-whispered with her face near the disguised Siren's..

"And you bet Omen's a bit of a special pony, but in a weird, fun way."

"I'm not."

"It's not an insult. Special is a good thing."

"No, not that."

She still kept her eyes nailed to Serenade, wanting to see if something more happened with the disguised Siren when Ziggy were that close.

"I'm not a pony. And how do you fly when you sing?"

It wasn't that Omen wasn't willing to share things, which is why she had openly said that she wasn't one of either of the other two's races, but she were curious by nature, and so had gone onwards to a question instead of sticking with the first part. She would answer if they wondered, and from the weird look in Ziggy's eyes, there was at least one of them who'd wonder what was up with her then.

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@@BlinkZ,

"It would likely be an impressive sight, but I wonder if the tree isn't guarded or something these days considering what happened there."

It wasn't up to her to say if Gold knew about the attack of the Everfree Forest that had gone on, and how the elements had to return to the tree to stop things, but the whole thing had just spun out on control and though she didn't know about the tree in any way, she could imagine it might have gotten some guards in case something went wrong or somepony would try to attack it. It was hard to tell without knowing how the tree were really, and likely the only one who'd know for sure would be Twilight. If there had gone any guards there, it would likely be because of her.

"Still, you never know. I mean, you could ask around, but in the end going and looking is normally the only real way to be sure."

@@Seamore Sandwich,

Briar doesn't know her, but Last and Vivid does in each their capacity.

Vivid is small scale. She have seen her dream before, though it is mostly just been a few check ups and general watching in the years where she was trapped in crystal. She haven't seen her since Vivid got loose of there about 2 months prior to this (I make this based on what happened in the dream world, and then a guess that if she rested in Equestria, it would be a dream with a root door there.

Last Stand is part of a family, that is part of several families gathered in a clan of sorts that have been guarding a remote shrine since Luna got imprisoned to the moon. I have not specified what was inside the shrine, and none that guarded it ever knew during the thousand years the generations watched. It was basically a harsh area with constant fighting from beings wanting to break in and take what was there, and when Luna was released from Nightmare Moon's influence, she went there to take what was inside (still nopony saw what) and dismiss the ponies there of their duty.

They, and in essence then Last, is fiercely loyal to Luna, and though some have gone to try for jobs at the castle since the dismissal, most have gone to try and find other purposes. Last is one of the second group, though her sister have gone towards the castle. in any case, they were once assembled to guard something unknown, and I am not sure if this is a group loyal to Luna that tasked themselves with guarding it when she was sent to the moon or if Celestia began this, but I will let that be up to you., it means little to the grand scheme of things how it started.

For the record, Last did stand amongst the others near the front when Luna told them that their duty was done, though i can't say if Luna took much notice of her personally, or just the crowd. Also, not sure if she have visited Last in dreams since then. I let that be up to her controller. AKA, you.

I hope that answered things. Hugs to you. ^^

((Bonus info: Blitz and the rest of my characters are up for you to decide, if the situation comes when they interact. Consider it artistic freedom. ))

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@@Denim&Venom,

I never specified, but we can say it is, no problem. I just said it was some time away from where they started, and they are not there anymore, so sure, we can run with this. ^^ She would currently be sleeping in the cave with Briar sleeping outside of it on a rock nearly covering the entrance. It's his way of guarding her and giving her some privacy. Though something tells me he won't wake up easy considering his consciousness is currently deep in the dream realm. He will have instinctual reactions though, so I would advice not to touch him.

@@Denim&Venom,

Nice post with Queen Allure, though just in case that the Changeling she felt out were meant to be Brittle, she is in a cave in the forest near a river, currently sleeping. I am not ruling out she started tracking when she were in town though, nor that it could be residual energy, just wanting to be sure since it sorta looked like the sort of thing to be certain about

If it were not her, or if I missed the point, I apologise for that and you can ignore the above paragraph.

@@Melke,

@@Seamore Sandwich,

@@Denim&Venom,

@@cwhip9,

@,

@@Missklang,

"Ah, there you are."

Last jumped over to Missklang. The pony had been unresponsive the last time she spoke with him before this portal opened up and they went through. The place looked odd, surreal, and perhaps more things would spring to mind if she actually wanted to look around at the place, but there wasn't more as it was a fleeting glimpse whilst trying to find this one, and now he had popped forth again she wasn't gonna let him off once more.

"I'll try again: Can you please get this dang Chaos nightmare out of me? This form is irritating, and if this is really her majesty's place, I don't want to meet her again looking like your pet."

A sense of urgency was heard in her voice along with the irritation of what she were still stuck as. Princess Luna had last met her and the rest of the ponies where she lived when she was exactly that, a pony, and she didn't want to end up having a face to face with her looking like a ball of fluff-Argh!

The sensation as if her skeleton was churning went through her as the active chaos magic in her began to fade and she slowly increased in size and shape to what she really were.

Whilst this was going on, Vivid stood and looked down on Briar that were rubbing his head slightly, as if he had a headache, next to the cart.

"Stop that, and get up. You're a dream apparition formed by your consciousness, not a physical being right now. You can only feel pain if you keep convincing yourself of it."

It might sound somewhat harsh, but with what had just happened with them being dragged through the gate like that, she were not in the best of moods. She did not enjoy being dragged and flung into places like this, and though the impact hadn't hurt as her mind wasn't trying to convince herself that she should feel pain or cold like when she were actually awake, it was still getting on her nerves.

She cared not for this place, nor that it might belong to a princess. She had a deal to do her part of, and little want to waste her time with side business unless it had some importance. If that didn't show soon, she'd find some way to tear a hole in the fabric of this place one way or another and get on with her task.

While Briar was getting up, but staying silent for the time being, Last had gotten through her uhm... *moment* and now stood as she had been before the chaos poison. That is, if you ignored the spots of eye-goo, inert poison and she didn't want to know what else here and there on her coat. Not that it mattered either. She could wash it of later and be done with that. What mattered now was that she was herself again, which meant that she had to go to the cart.

Passing by Missklang she mumbled something, though it wasn't completely audible except for the word *timing*. Getting to the cart, she took off her stuff from the cart, which meant the saddlebags where the left one wasn't a bag but the scabbard to her blade, and then the blade itself. With that done, she turned to the others, looking for an explanation just like most of them likely did right now.

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@@Moonlit,

"Nothing really. I was out flying when i ran into Omen here like, a half hour ago. We talked a bit, then I challenged her to a race to someplace I pointed towards, which turned out to be here funnily enough. And  I won."

The smirk and glee in Ziggy's voice near the end was, as had been so far, audible, just as the tone in Serenade's were when she had spoken about Celestia before.

"...Celestia? "

Omen on the other hoof sounded like a glimmer of recognition went over her at the name of the princess of the sun. As they had been asked to talk about something not Siren, and Ziggy had told pretty much what had happened already, she chose to focus on that instead. At least for now.

"I came back to look for those who had been near master before, see if they knew where to find him. Celestia... She were not a friend when I saw her, but perhaps time have changed her too?"

She tilted her head from side to side slowly a few times, but keeping her gaze on Serenade.

"Perhaps she can tell things... But not tonight. I have time to look later. Time to think."

It wasn't directed at anypony in particular what she said beyond herself. it wasn't unusual for her to speak to herself out loud like this, though it was hard at times to tell if it was just to herself, or if it was meant for anypony else too. Perhaps both? It depended on who was listening she supposed.

@@Moonlit,

"A want to explore... That I can at least understand."

"Well duh, exploring is Fun! And the stars are pretty, so I bet that they'd be cool to explore too. Especially if you could catch one."

Ziggy raised up on her hind legs and feebly reached towards the sky with her front hooves, pretending to grab for a star. She wasn't stupid, and she knew you couldn't actually do that unless you were Princess Luna, but she had a habit of doing weird things like this. It made things fun for her, and well... Sometimes she had trouble controlling her impulses.

"But why would anypony want to hurt an explorer of the sky?"

Omen had caught the last part, though it was lowered when Serenade had said it. She was used to whispers and voices from afar, and out here in this relatively quiet spot, she could hear it well too. Although, just because she heard it didn't mean that she understood the meaning, nor that it was mostly just a saying to say things such as that.

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@@BlinkZ,

"I'm afraid I've never been to Canterlot before. Born and raised in Ponyville and never really went far from the city limits.

It might sound a bit boring, but there's just always been enough to do here and not enough time to really take a breather and look around other places. But perhaps when I do have the time one day, I could go and see the one at the history museum. It could be fun to see what it looked like."

Sanctus might not look it right now, but she had mostly simple thing and simple pleasures in her life. travelling and exploring the world never really appealed to her as much as a quiet life, being near where she was needed. A day trip might be interesting at some point, but a longer travel? It just wasn't meant for her

@@Seamore Sandwich,

You have my blessings to go on with this plan.

@@Moonlit,

"Hehe, you can count on me."

Ziggy grinned at Serenade like she would anypony else. She hadn't become a doctor to be intolerant of othr races after all, but to help anypony and anything that needed it. In this case, that meant keeping it a secret of her new Siren friend so no mean ponies would come and have a go at her. And like any promise she made, she was gonna keep it.

"...Your races confuse me."

Omen looked between Ziggy and Serenade, settling her unblinking gaze on the later before speaking again.

"Why do they war? You share a big world. A stable world full of curious things. Why is there a reason to fight over it?"

@@Seamore Sandwich,

"Somewhere with a door, that I have never been?"

Vivid stopped her steps, then turned around and wandered down the town square until they reached a forked road. She had signalled for the other two to follow, and in the case of Briar, had added some words about it too since it wouldn't register with him, and when they were both there they would be able to see that there was a sign that showed what were to the sides, yet not in front of them where the path faded into dark trees.

She kept walking in there, following the trail for a few metres before the trees started to clear and a field of blurry grass and floating boulders were seen. In the middle of this, where the road ended, a large stone door was seen in a half-crumbling building that seemed to swing between half completed and half decayed.

"Curious, isn't it? I know I used to be in this place when I was a foal and played with the others, and yet this is the only section I cannot form any real memories about. When I try to think of it, I get nothing but the memories that the Shaman who drove me from town were building his home out here, and then... Nothing. It's like a part is missing, though I'm not sure why."

Vivid stood silent for a bit, then looked over at the two dream invaders relatively impatient.

"The price of a long memory I suppose, but it isn't important anymore. Lead us onwards."

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@@Moonlit,

"Weird reason to judge somepony. Isn't what you do yourself more important than what your kin did?"

"Well Duh, of course! Some ponies are just a little dense in it."

Ziggy had gotten her share of Siren-hugs for now and had let go of Serenade as Omen had started to speak with them, making a backflip and ending more or less next to the questioning pony.

"Or well, a Lot dense in it. Stereotyping never really shows much is rockin' in the noggin' if you catch my drift."

Basically, the ones who did that were a bunch of mean stupid heads. You couldn't just judge everypony by what 1 of their friends, family, species or neighbour had done unless you had proof, but logic had a way of evading some minds, and though this might be a bit more uhm... Special in it than what she had seen, it was still just stupid. The mar- Siren! hadn't hurt anypony after all far as she could see, and right now just looked more afraid and harmless in it.

To purgatory with what others of her kin had done as far as Ziggy was concerned, though from the tone and way she looked towards the castle, Serenade seemed to fear somepony higher up. She just hoped it wasn't the princesses. It wouldn't fit them to judge like this. Not when ruling a place called Equestria.

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@@BlinkZ,

"Okay then, let's get going then."

Sanctus led Gold out of the bar and turned towards the hospital. It was a bit of a walk, but it was okay. She could use the time to try and keep him talking, just to see if his speech started to get slurred or something worse.

"While we're walking, mind if i ask, what is the most intrigate adnd big statue you have had to make? I can't imagine anypony that would be good to that sort not getting a challenge one day. Or something to look at as the height of their skills."

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@@A Canadian Fritter,

"Eh, not as much as you might think."

A young pony, around his start twenties with a yellow coat, red mane and tail, and a cutie mark looking like a wasp with small X's as eyes showed up wearing a mask of his own and a net.

Considering the gasses and the different critters that at times were poisonous or violent they were sent after, it wasn't a job that could just be done by one pony safely. It required a back up at the least, though this was more a case of *apprentice and master' really. The specs was generally the same, but it just meant that there was only one who's word were final in things if it came to that, which fitted the stallion with the slightly bored eyes well. It was easier to work under orders than to waste time arguing after all.

"The gas is deadly to the critters, but unless the hospital's moved to the other end of the Everfree at this point, there ain't enough way between here and there to really mean it'd kill. It'd hurt like you'd swallowed these wasps though, so I'd make sure the mask was on safely again if I was you."

He moved forward, checked his own mask again just to not be hit by the spiky stick of irony, then looked to his boss to await the signal. Not so much for the gas, but more for the inevitable of having to remove the nest which - surprise - fell on him shoulders. He just hoped it wouldn't be literal this time.

@@BlinkZ,

Sorry about that, must've forgotten. :/ I'll get on to a reply now and have things sorted so that isn't an issue anymore.

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@@A Canadian Fritter,

I had hoped your writing partener would've sticked around but... Eh, I'll make something up and get the ball rolling. Just need to think a bit whilst making the other posts.

@@Moonlit,

Seeing the full fledged Siren in front of her, Ziggy lost the last restraints she had and zoomed over to hug Serenade. It felt kinda funny, but not in a bad way, and usually nothing bad came from hugs. Unless things had spikes, that wasn't the best situation to go for it... Again...

As Ziggy had her hooves around the Siren as best she could and her head pressed again her with a gleeful smile going over her face, Omen just looked at it, wondering if thatwas something she were supposed to do. After a bit though, she decided to just slowly walk forward again, and the whispering voice went through the pony and the siren's minds again.

"You hide because other Sirens have done bad? How bad a thing can somepony do to make that  happen? Take over the country?"

She were curious as to how a Siren worked too, but this caught her mind first. What would catch it next were still to be seen, though it wasn't the judging eyes of others, nor the unbridled glee that Ziggy seemed to have. Omen was simply curious, which couldbe heard int he voice wandering through their heads.

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@@Seamore Sandwich,

"It seems like a harmless price to me. If this is as simple as it is, I will agree as well."

Vivid smirked slightly, then started to walk towards them.

"Good, we have a deal then. Now, let us not waste time here anymore. If you can lead us to a place where the doors to the sleeping can be found Charlie, lead the way for us. Though, a wiord of advice: When we get to him, stay close, and let me wander first. He is not as passive as I, and will not take kindly to unknown guests."

With that she stood up close with the others and looked at Charlie. He would need to lead the way out of their dreams and towards a place where they could find others. They would see how soon after that it would be her turn to take over.

@@Missklang,

She might not, but that can be fun too. Mind if I ask though, is there anypony you wait on to be able to post? Sort of stuck with Last at the main group before you interact with her question.

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@@Seamore Sandwich,

Aye, you can involve and use Luna. Consider the usage of this Canon to be yours from the first use and as long as you are with us in this thread. ^^

I'll get to answer your post early tomorrow btw. Busy day it have been.

@@Seamore Sandwich,

I just figured it was a matter of her realising it was the most obvious thing he'd ask for, but I like your idea better. ^^

@@Moonlit,

Ziggy looked between Serenade and the picture over and over again, just to make sure that she had gotten this right after she had stepped into the moonlight and things started to show. It would take about 6-7 seconds before she was sure, at which point the paper fell from her hooves and she zoomed away.

That is, away from her current spot and directly over to near Serenade with a smile that seemed to try and split her face in half.

"So you're a Siren? I don't know what they are, but they- I mean You, look kinda cool. And glowy. And... And... Ehehehe, so Adorable!"

Had she known about Sirens, would Ziggy had run off? Unlikely really, since it would go against her primary instinct, which was to hug everything she hadn't seen before. She had never seen a Siren before so her brain wasn't screaming *run and hide* at the weird sight, voice and the odd tone it had. It just screamed *Must not leave unhugged!*, though she still had some restraints stopping her from just scooping up this one. Not many, but a few.

Behind her, Void took a few steps more forward. She wasn't sure what a Siren was either, but the stranger and stranger sight of Serenade toyed with her curiosity, and her instinct was telling her to get nearer, even if the Siren might get aggressive.

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@@Seamore Sandwich,

"The thing that takes longest in those situations is finding a source of creation, then a user than can handle it. If the odd one from before is still there in the waking world, you likely have that. As for the preparations, it isn't that they take insane amounts of time, but I will do those myself, in private. Some things are better left unseen, and I will get that done before I meet up with you.

The core of life shouldn't be too much of an issue either, as you have essentially that with you in a form that isn't... Well, let's just say that normally, those kind of things cost more than should be paid. The only real issue I could see were the parts, but I have a favour I might be able to call in, though we would have to meet him in a dream if you don't want delays.

Also... There is the matter of my compensation."

Vivid looked seriously at Charlie wanting to make sure that he understood that this was a part he should listen carefully to.

"Considering the favour I need to trade in I will ask for something in return, though you can calm your nerves. I am not one to make contracts, nor to try and trick you into making a deal with your soul. My deals are simply words most of the time, as if anypony tries to run from them I get very... Displeased.

So here is what I offer you: I will assist in the steps to make you a body, and your companion a working set of eyes, but in exchange, you will both owe me a new favour that I don't think will go too long before being cashed in. I have some ideas what I could use a pair that proves that what I do is not simply destructive for. Mainly for opening some doors that would normally be barred for me."

Briar was slightly confused by this request. Considering everything, it seemed weird that she would exchange a favour with somepony that could give Charlie body parts for them serving as

"It will take time before I can prepare a situation where I'd need your presence, but when it is, I will find you, and you will walk with me willingly. That is my price, and a fairer deal you'd be hard pressed to find when dealing with anypony demonic."

Frankly, she wasn't entirely sure what angle she would go with here, but her new masters had told her of somepony that held some fascination with her, but also had a record of shunning beings that could be perceived as evil. She needed to show that she wasn't out for destruction, and that she could help, and now? Well, opportunity had knocked so kindly on her door. It would be rude to not answer it, wouldn't it?

@@Seamore Sandwich,

"It's been a very long time since I was asked that last."

Vivid seemed lost in thoughts for a few seconds before she refocused on Charlie.

"I can potentially help, but I will need to know what sort of vessel you want "

"If it's shortly, I could make you one for an hour or so, but then you would be forced to the lands beyond after that. If you want to stick around for a bit longer, I could infuse you into an object and give you to a willing host until you had found another solution. And then thre's the third, which is a more permanent vessel - or body if you will - but isn't something that is as easy as it might sound.

To create a permanent vessel suitable to living in takes a good deal of things and preparations that I won't bore you with, but I can baseline it somewhat for you and say that to begin such an undertaking, you need a few things: The power of creation and a user thereof. A soul mage that can stitch body and soul together.  A core of life. And then of course, workable parts.

I know my way around the soul magic and can undertake that. As for the powers of creation and a user thereof, Chaos is in essence, creation, and can be used if enough of the web and poison are drained, and if the one who drained it before can guide it right or are willing to listen to guidance, he might do the trick as a user to find the order in chaos needed for stable creation. A core of life is trickier, but I have a few ideas... As for the last one-"

Vivid got the slight predatorial look in her eyes again for a brief time before it ended and she went on.

"- It isn't just any parts that can be molded into a custom shape. It have to be properly prepared and have undergone a few things, and those things are not easy to come by. I might know a place for some of them it it were, but I won't divulge further into that sort of things before I know what sort of vessel you wanted. No need for me to lay plans if you go for something simpler after all. So-"

"If I may, I have a question."

"Yes?"

You speak of creation like this. Does it take this much only to make something from nothing, or is it like this for all aspects of stable creation?

Vivid was silent for a bit, then smirked vaguely.

"If you mean eyes, then no, it won't take this much, but I could do little to help you beyond preparing the parts. To make them set and work, you would need a source of creation and a user as well, but with this small scale... Yes, I think that if the pony from before can direct things well, or if you can find somepony better, the spiders eyes and a few... *modifications* of my own could potentially do the trick. Now then, was that all?"

Briar nodded slowly. He understood what she meant in essence, but from the way she had said *modifications* it was clear that there was something to the process she wasn't saying. Perhaps it was simply a detail that he were better off not knowing, but who could ever be certain?

"To return to things: What sort of vessel is it you want then Charlie? A temporary one? An object for a longer, though still limiting presence until you find another path? Or an actual body, formed by conflicting magic and your thoughts?"

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@@Moonlit,

At the words, Omen finally stops her continued walk towards the stranger and stranger creature in front of her. She were curious and felt drawn to know something about Serenade, but she had been around ponies enough now to understand that the please word was something you should listen to, although it didn't mean that she was walking backwards. Though she did stop saying anything else, at least for now.

In the meantime, Ziggy had lowered the papers and were about to just zoom over with them quickly then leave her again when a picture on one of them caught her eye. It was a pretty one of three strange looking creatures that she couldn't say she knew off before. She wondered what they migh- Oh, nevermind, it said *The Sirens* here. Though that didn't really help her as she hadn't heard of those before.

"Huh... What in tarnation is a *Siren*? Looks sort of like a fishpony.with a glowy glowy on their chest."

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@@BlinkZ,

"I'd rather be worried and find nothing, than carefree and miss something."

She swigged the last bits of her drink up through the straw and rose up from her seat, preparing to leave. It was a bit early in it, but the party seemed to be going well here, which meant that it wouldn't be long before she would be called in anyway, and this way she could have a proper check of Gold Rush here rather than looking under dim bar lights.

@@Seamore Sandwich,

"I have no fear of anything entering my dreams. If something wants to test their luck, they are more than welcome to try."

The look in her eyes as she said the last had gone disturbingly predatorial, and though Briar couldn't see that, there seemed to ooze a slight aura of malice off from her for a few brief seconds that almost made him take a step backwards. He wasn't going to say anything to it, but it did strike him as being something he would have to keep in mind about this one.

"In any case, what help is it you seek from me?"

She wasn't going to ask them to leave, or at least not yet. She wanted to know what they were there for first. It might be something that would prove up her alley, and if it were... Well, they would see. Things always depended on what was asked for after all.

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@@Moonlit,

Omen didn't stop her walk forward. What was now going on with the other pony were something she hadn't seen before, and that always drew her kind like moths to a flame.

"Wings, coat, voice..: It peels away? What is beneath a layer of pony? Another pony?"

Ziggy was a bit torn on things. On one side, she knew she should likely stop Omen, but on another, she didn't really know if she could. The pony was a little odd, and the question that were causing a panic thing in the other pony seemed to be harmless. But still, it made Serenade look sorta...

Feeling like a pinball being bounced around the machine, her eyes fell on the papers that Serenade hadn't gotten with her and picked them up. It wasn't anything major, but it helped settle things a bit in the bouncy castle that was her head, and she looked over at Serenade, swinging the papers in her right front hoof over her head. Since Serenade was a bit of way from her adnd might bolt, she raised her voice a bit and talked to her as if she had already started running away, just... In case and stuff.

"hey, you dropped some of your papers."

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@@BlinkZ,

"Yeah, healing spells help a lot on the more severe injuries, but it's pretty powerful stuff, and if used on a wound that's not serious enough can lead to some weird side effects. Trust me, overhealing is a real threat to your health sometimes and..."

Sanctus looked concerned at Gold when he spaced out and returned, not aware of what was going on. Loss of focus or a damaged short term memory wasn't always a sign that something was wrong as much as it could just be how they were, but this was still pretty shortly after he had hit his head, and she would rather be worrying too much than too little and then hearing that he ended up bleeding out of the ears or something.

"Are you sure that you're completely okay? perhaps it'd be better if I took you with me to the hospital and we could get you properly examined?"

@@BlinkZ,

Not entirely certain, but I have a few back-up plans in case I end up having Sanctus split ways with him soon that can take place in Ponyville itself. I have a few late nighters to make use off.

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@@Seamore Sandwich,

I might have misunderstood the doors, I won't rule it out. I don't know much about the dream realm beyond what I saw you write, and when you mentioned another dimension I figured that perhaps the demonic influence in that sub-stage (missed the part of it being technically another floor) would make for doors to appear that had their resting owners dark influence beckon out to try and lure others in at varying degrees, or wanted wards/chains off them that stopped them from breaking into the dream realm to cause havoc.

What you can expect also varies. Demonic in nature is behind them all, but it ranges from the demonic influenced ones such as Vivid who haven't lost herself to that side, to the ones that have started a free fall or given over, then to the actual, low rung demons, and then to full fledged ones that are trapped  both in reality and in dreams. Those last ones are represented by the whispering doors with eyes I mentioned.

They would need to be locked down as they started to descend more or show darker sides, but if you want an interaction we could say that there was one who had not been watched well enough that had spun quickly downwards/demon that had found itself going dark, and had broken out. Or they could go to one of the dreams because she would need something for a good vessel for Charlie, and the fastest way to get it would be from an old... Acquaintance of hers.

Other ideas will work fine too, this is just off the top of my head. Lot's of fun to be had in all of this.

Also, sorry for not responding yet. Was a long day yesterday and I just needed a break in things today. I should get something written soon hopefully.

@@Moonlit,

Ziggy got a sort of worried look in her eyes at what was happening now. She wasn't even entirely sure what that were, but it looked like the whole talks about oceans and hollow voices and stuff was making the pony rather uncomfortable and... Something. She wasn't entirely sure what, but she seemed ready to bolt at any time.

"Is everything okay? I don't exactly know what's going on, but if it's anything I said I'll-"

"Strange lights... But no horn? Can winged ones use magic now?"

Omen interrupted her and slowly walked towards Serenade, not getting more curious about this one, which could also be heard in the whispering voice going through Serenade's head. Not in a wary or cautious way, but more like somepony unwrapping an unknown gift, wanting more and more to know what was beneath with each layer taken off.

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@@BlinkZ,

"Oooh, like That. Sorry, I just sorta thought... Well, y'know."

She took a swig more of her drink to try and let the awkward fade out a little, which didn't get far because of his last question. A rather unexpected one that brought a slight blush to her cheeks. She kept drinking though, trying to get things straight in her head about this since it had sort of sounded like... Well, it wouldn't be That bad, but... She just wasn't used to ponies just asking this sort of thing since... Well, Never really.

After about a minute she had composed herself enough and stopped sipping from her straw, having rationalised that she had misunderstood things, surely. This was a bar, yes, but that didn't mean that stereotypes were needed for that reason.

"...Likely the hospital. Something at events like this, we need to be ready after. You'd be surprised how many ends up falling and hurting themselves on nights like this."

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@@Seamore Sandwich,

A bitter laugh escaped Vivid, though she kept her back to them.

"This were as real as you are now, but I was never a shaman. Those kind of ponies were valued guides of any town, preserving the balance for a good harvest and showing the way through the voices of the ancestors... They were the envy of many a unicorn."

Vivid turned around, but not fully so that she faced them. No, she turned only enough to face her own reflection whilst her somewhat bitter tone went on.

"We were very different. My guidance was only for the dead, and while that's a purpose too, I would have traded with one of them in an instant. Perhaps if I could have at least heard the whispers of the ancestors, I wouldn't have to have done with I should with such grief, or they could have made me understand...".

Vivid's voice stopped s she tapped the window, making past and present meet, if only by reflection, for a few seconds before she turned towards them, now looking directly at Charlie and steeling her voice to be like they had heard in the waking world.

"Why are you in my dreams? What makes you come here, in the memories I use to remind myself who I actually am?"

@@FlyPie,

As Melke said, though I would advocate the saving of the picture more, since it's easier than to put everything into the creator each time. ^^

When it is that you have saved it, just go to Imgur, then drag the photo to the screen and it should say Upload (you might need an account first) When that is done, you can just post the link of where it sends us and it gives a good, clean link to work with. Imgur is great for these sort of things. ^^

@@Melke,

You say that, but it's still a talking cat. With a big scythe. Hunting a demon.

And I hope that we get to see her and that you get ample chance to use her and evolve her. Seven times of fun I can smell in this plan as time comes. ^^

@@Seamore Sandwich,

There. I hope it's good enough to fit here, but if I have messed up, do tell me since I don't wanna mess up how you had planned things. ^^

@@Moonlit,

"Well, not Exactly like it, there's a sort of sweet smell too, but beach smell? Totally. I mean, not at home, since we don't have a beach near Las Pegasus, but I've been other places before and the ocean smell sticks around. Especially if it's windy."

Ziggy flies back, pretending she's getting blows out of course since she finds it fun to put in visual aid to her ramblings at times. Omen on the other hoof, was more interested in something else than to speak about the beach right now. Mainly why the other pony started to act this way, and why her voice had gone... Hollow? She had been in a tunnel before where it sounded somewhat like that from other ponies, but this wasn't a tunnel, this was open land.

"Hollow voice... Is that normal?"

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@@Melke,

@@Seamore Sandwich,

@@Denim&Venom,

@@cwhip9,

@,

@@Missklang,

@@~Sole~,

"Could you get the Chaos outta me too then?"

The Jackalope with the oversized ears had jumped down from the cart and wandered over to Missklang when the mention of getting chaos away again came up.

There were a lot of things that had happened within the last few minutes that she had focused on before this, and had kept quiet. The rift, the fact that something slipped out of there that wasn't encouraging, the cat with the scythe - nothing good ever came from beings that used scythes as a weapon - and then of course the return of Missklang himself, along with... Him.

She didn't know the Gryphon, but the race of him is what made her narrow her eyes slightly. Not that she hated Gryphons. No, she had several friends from back home that were Gryphons, and she would fight alongside one of them until the bitter end. The issue were that not all of them were like that, and the outsiders of the flocks tended to be mean, unpredictable sorts who would wait for the right time to strike.

it made it hard for her to trust this one just from the getgo, though she would wait and see what would turn out to be his story before judging too much and take a swing. Likely if he hadn't tried to drop one of them from the sky within an hour, there wasn't a problem.

Anyway, time would solve that, and since the scythe cat and whatever it was hunting were gone she couldn't really do anything there either, which left her at what she could do: plead to get out of this accursed form!

"Please? I can't take this weak, cuddly form much longer."

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@@Seamore Sandwich,

It was hard to tell what Charlie were expecting, but it was likely not the sight that met him.

At the bottom of the stairs they would thread directly unto a path of purple rocks floating in the air, creating a trail they could follow, but should not step away from as the space to the sides were filled with doors that looked like they were best left unopened. It ranged from smaller things such as being overwritten by runes, some with boards or chains set up to stop the slightly shaky doors from opening, some that were made of green fire, sickly vines or a number of other diseased elements, to the extremes that had eyes that opened as they wandered by, following their movement and whispering them to come and open to the dreaming creature behind their fleshy exterior.

It was unlikely that the ones whose dream the doors belonged to were the ones who had set up the wards, chains and various other things that blocked the doors that seemed to have tried and open before, or were actively trying to lure somepony to open them now, though if it was Princess Luna or somepony else that had stood for this were anypony's guess.

Whilst the diseased looking doors had the look as some that was perhaps opened now and again, they were a minority, and as they wandered down the path they could see so with ease. Or well, Charlie could. Briar though, could still hear and feel things around him, which made him somewhat thankful that he couldn't see it as well.

At the very end of the path there were a door that did not hold vileness, that stood out much against the rest of these gateways.

The door were of old, gnarly wood, and in the cracks showing here and there a faint, whispy glow were seen, but there wasn't a sign of anything diseased or evil about it, and in fact, you could see a few inches of grass where the door met the ground, which was more actual life than they had seen in this hall so far. The mark on the door wasn't familiar to them, but shouldn't be either considering that they had not seen Vivid's cutie mark, but it was the only door that had a visible one, and though the mark of a candle with a skeletal hoof wrapped around it wasn't the most comforting, it was not the worst that could be found here.

When they would walk through the door, they would find themselves in the outskirts of a town of sorts, though not one they would be able to recognise. The settlement was mostly crude tents, stone buildings or a few huts made of nearby wood, and not the smooth buildings that were known to the current age in Equestria. In fact, considering what could be seen just by a first glance, it might look more like a play about the olden days, just with more grass than would be on a stage.

A bit further down, before they would enter the town, a crude sign would indicate that this town was called *Equina*, though more than that wasn't present, and trying to ask somepony about things didn't help. For the rougher looking ponies around them, it was as if the pair didn't even exist, and from the talking that was going on between the citizens there it didn't sound like they had much focus on that either. Most were talking about harvest or other such mundane things, though a few words filtered through about it soon being time for the ritual, though what exactly wasn't specified by anypony.

"Spirits watch over you Meadow."

The voice of Vivid was heard before they would get far around, and following it would meet them with the sight of her, just now without all the clothing that kept her warm normally, which gave a better view of the pulsating, slightly orange, ornate patterns that was present on her body in a few major places beyond what was normally seen.

She hadn't taken notice of them, and was waving off a mare that had bowed her head to her before wandering away, ending with passing directly through Briar like he was made of mist. There was something to take notice off though, if Charlie would look at the reflection of Vivid in one of the nearby windows.

Whilst the mare in front of them had the visage of the one they had met in the waking world, the reflection of her was one of a slightly smaller mare with a more normal horn size. The coat of the mare was a pale grey with swirls of blue, her mane was less of the long *hair* it was now and more a braided mass held together at the end by a string wrapped around a bird skull, and her tail being in sharp contrast to Vivid's current, scaled and demonic tail to a regular, though rather bushy tail. Both the mane and tail were in a mixture of blue and yellow.

The eyes of the pony were open fully and had a faint, wispy glow going over the blue pupils, and a smile that seemed to spread joy around her was plastered on her face.

Briar would not be able to see this at all, and would have no idea about things, but if Charlie had a look he could likely guess that the reflection - which held some key resemblances here and there - were not of a stranger, but Vivid's own visage, though changed a good deal from how it once were.

@@Seamore Sandwich,

I'll see what i can come up with, then add in the part I wrote with Vivid earlier then. Unless you wish to have a final saying of things before they walk through? I can work with that, no issue. Just wanna be sure. ^^

@@Denim&Venom,

For the sake of it being entertaining, I think that yes, she would feel something, but she wouldn't be sure what it was. She was never connected to a hivemind, or been near a royalty one before (Far as she can remember. Never knew what happened before the transition) so she will have nothing to compare it to, and would believe basically anything she were told there.

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@@Melke,

...You have a demon hunting cat with a large scythe?

...*slowly claps* You win Meike. There's no way I can top that.

As for the fire demon summoning them idea: I like it, and will look forward to how things will go.

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@@Missklang,

I would totally watch a movie where the grand speech was ruined by quick and random hugging.

@@Moonlit,

It seemed to be a trait of Omen to think of things before she spoke as it took a bit of time after Serenade had asked her the question before she answered, having looked up into the moon for a while before speaking again.

"...I don't know. Where I live, it isn't calm or light in the sky, and master would hate this idle sight, but... It's peaceful to watch."

A certain degree of longing came over the curious voice of Omen in their heads when she mentioned the sky, though it didn't last long before she looked at Serenade again and kept talking.

"Perhaps some more stars would look better, but there are already many lights to see there, so might be too many?"

She didn't get further than that before a few steps was heard near Serenade, as well as the sound of the larger half-Zebra smelling the air a few times.

"Say, have you been near a beach or something recently? It smells sorta like ocean around here... Or well, salt water in a bucket. Had that happen before too. Oh, or perhaps you flew around under a moonlit stroll to the beach? That's all sorts of fun to do."

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@@Seamore Sandwich,

Briar raised and eyebrow, then chuckled slightly as the actions that had occurred were told by Charlie.

"Heh, it sounds like I missed quite a good chunk of meat on this bone, though hearing off it does help fill a few blanks. Thank you for sharing the details with me.

Though, as you said, we have not gotten far for now. Perhaps we should be on our way now that we have established the event's happening so that we are both aware of them, yes?"

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@@BlinkZ,

Sanctus raised an eyebrow near the end, took another sip of her drink, and said the top response that had started to formulate in her head.

"Magical properties? Isn't it dangerous to put that sort of thing on a statue? Might be that it would come to life like a Golem or something similar."

@@Seamore Sandwich,

I figure that her part in this, for now, is over. I have to have her ready in case the other two gets there for the fireworks, and besides, she doesn't sleep at this point in time. She's busy crushing the leaves she got so they're ready for when morning comes.

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@@Denim&Venom,

As Seamore said, I have Brittle Buzz, but you should likely take note of a few things. Most notably that she doesn't know much about Changelings herself as she was broken out before becoming a drone in a hive, and she is not entirely changed over from the pony she used to be. Some remnants of her old self is there, even if she can't remember them, which is also why she looks a little odd, and her general fright and nervousness (along with the no hive thing) means she have no isea how to control her transformation powers. It sort of just happens.

It's basically all there in the bios anyway, but just in case. And I can have her being used if you want no issue. Just have to know the setting and I can come up with a reason for things.

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@@Melke,

Kinda makes me wish I had an active fighter at this point in time then. Though I look forward to how this will pan out. Sounds like it'd be all sorts of fun.

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Everypony in the forest.

Since I have Last currently checking on Renius, consider her occupied and not responsive for the time being in the interactions you have going. AKA: Don't wait for me to say something for now. ^^