Blitz Boom

@,

A small click was heard from the shed and a sleepy Blitz walked out of the open door, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with her front right hoof before letting out a big yawn and stretching out.

"Knock... Ponies here... Yes yes, on the way."

Blitz really didn't sleep that soundly, and even though she'd only gotten a little bit of rest she had still heard the knocks and the voices outside and had gotten out to meet whoever it was. Sure, she had no idea who it were, but any visitors were good, and the voices meant it wasn't any Timberwolves or the like.

So, a little groggy with a beginning morning mane look over her she now stood outside, looking up at the two who were there. before letting out another big yawn and shook herself through, which helped a little with the sleepy sensation.

"Hi there, looking for something?"

Blitz looked at them again, a little less blurry with the sleep out of her eyes and tried to get a look at who were there. Looked like a brown'ish pegasus on one side, and the other one a black earth pony with a big... Giant... Hat...

Blitz looked a little more awake as she noticed the big wizards hat. She hadn't seen one like that before and the angle of it looked like it should fall off. How was it stuck there? Tape? Gum? Magic?

@@Mrbrunoh1,

@,

When the two ponies came closer to the lake again Briar still stood still in the water, motionless, waiting...

Then suddenly, a vine quickly hammer down into the water and he got a big smile on his face as a small fish, a little smaller than his hoof, were taken up to the surface held in a tight grip with the head inside the grappling-hook like bud at the end of the vine. The fish weren't moving, it had been quickly over for it.

"Sorry for this little friend, but I do need to eat at times."

With that he brought the vine to his mouth, opened up and let the little fish disappear into his muzzle before closing down and beginning to chew. It was a pretty small fish, so he didn't have to take multiple bites out of it or have it hanging outside his mouth. A little crunching and it would all go down in one mouthful, which was preferable by his standards really. Fish oil tended to be sticky and not that pleasant to clean off afterwards.

Still chewing he made the few steps of the way up to the shore and shook off his legs. He had still not noticed the returning company at this stage.

@,

@@Mrbrunoh1,

When Void went after Kelly, Briar stayed back and let out a small chuckle at the two of them and whispered to make sure they couldn't hear him talking to himself.

"Hehe, oh Void, you still don't see it do you?"

Briar stopped focusing on listening to what the two of them were talking about now and went slowly down to the lake instead.

The snippets he had heard told him that it were more or less the same he had heard them speak about earlier, when he had simply... Followed, them through the Everfree Forest. One could argue it might have been perceived as stalking, but to each their own.

Whatever angle you looked at it, it was still the same picture in the end, and he wasn't meant to be in it. At least, not yet.

Kelly were hesitant to trust as far as he had gathered for reasons he would not speculate on, but likely involved these *dark alicorns* she had mentioned, yet somehow Void had managed to wriggle close to her. Perhaps it had been through an opportunistic moment and sheer luck, or it could be that she had really wanted a friend at that point and he were friendly enough to make her hesitant to shun him. Briar didn't know really, he hadn't been there to hear the first parts of their meeting, and in the forest he had missed a few sentences here and there as well, leaving him to be mostly guessing.

Regardless of the way though, it seemed as if the two were getting close, and the part that he doubted Void had realised just yet was that even if the changeling were in that area of friendship with Kelly, Briar were not. He were, at best, somepony who offered a helping hoof in case something went wrong, and that was the very reason he had to stand back.

When Kelly were still defensive about the position of friendship she had no need of a third wheel to complicate things. Likely, it would just make her speed off more than she already had, and for the sake of those two, it was best that the risk wasn't taken.

Perhaps, as time passed, he could attempt to be helpful as a friend towards Kelly, but for now the mare needed to get sorted with the one who were her actual friend, and not having to deal with a random like him who simply tried to be reassuring towards her. It was best of him to stay clear for now, and let those two get sorted before he attempted another step towards the friendly zone.

Besides, it wasn't sure how long he would be here. If Zecora had a point, it would be a while certainly, but if he found nothing then he would be on his travels once more, and he didn't like the idea of leaving a friend behind.

Honestly, it was likely the very reason he tried not to Have any friends. Most ponies had family, jobs, or a need to be around comfortable surroundings, and on the roads there were none of that. Eventually, the travellers life would break most down, and that were also why he took nopony with him on the roads.

A real friend did not harm other friends, left them behind or took them away from their life, and if he offered friendship, then those things were what he would bring, and he would not bring that upon anypony. Which is why if the time came, he would leave Void behind.

As delightful as talking to him were, Kelly had a greater need for him than Briar ever would, so if the time came where he would uproot and be on his way once more, the most sensible thing he could do were to leave, and don't let them know about it in advance.

Briar shook his head, let out a sigh and wandered a few steps into the shallow end of the water.

"Perhaps I am simply taking things to fast once more. This could be the place... It could."

He did not sound convinced, but he shook the thoughts out of his head and started to focus on the task at hoof more. He couldn't concentrate on catching fish if his mind were wandering like that, and the smell of water had made him in the mood for a small fish. Time would tell if he would catch one.

((Any of the things in this are Not meant as godmodding on Kelly and Void. This is just what Briar, objectively, thinks about things.))

@@Mrbrunoh1,

@,

Briar was relieved that Kelly did not stay up there but were willing to move away. They had gotten some way from the part they had been in when Kelly ran off, but there were still a bit of Everfree to pass before there was safety he would wager. It was not certain, surely, but the ground didn't feel right just yet for them to be in the busy city when Kelly got down and began to move, though how soon it would change wasn't his place to say.

Following a good deal behind he kept silent though. Kelly had the need of a friend now, and he was, at best right now, a friendly standby. Void and her had spoken in much friendly terms earlier, and it would be him she would need the company of more between the two of them. In the meantime, Briar would stick around, just in case things were still not safe.

The smell of water got to him as he stopped though. Perhaps he could stick around a little after this and... Sample, the lake.

@@Mrbrunoh1,

@,

It took a little for Briar to catch up to the pair. Certainly, it was easier to navigate the forest than the town, but in his situation a quick walk were usually what you had to do with, and those two had some real speed beneath their hooves. He got there just in time to hear them talk a back and forth between Void on the ground, and Kelly in the air.

"We do not wish to impose upon your will miss Kelly, so if you truly do not wish to speak of this then it is more than fair. But please, do tell if you are truly okay, and if you are, let us please help you away from here and to some place safer. The Timberwolfs and such are not to be met alone from what I hear."

@@Blitz101,

There's always room for new ones to join in here. Feel free to pop in.

To everypony here:

There are two time lines now as two groups of RP'ers are going. The night teams will finish up amongst themselves, but any new joiners or former ones who wants to come back in but have written themselves into sleeping mode will now have moved on to the next day.

The next day currently runs at around... 10 in the morning, to make things simplified.

That is all. Thank you.

((P.S. As mentioned to Blitz101 there's always room for more, so feel free to pop in and have fun with us. See ya.))

@,

"I am staying in the area for now, giving some time to find if Zecora were correct, but I do appreciate the offer, in case I must begin my search once more."

Briar smiled. It was not often that he were offered companionship on his travels. In fact, it had been what, 5 years since now? And back then the Griffin that decided to follow him didn't last the month out. If things came to it, it would be interesting to see if Void could handle things for a longer period of time.

((Last post for me for tonight. I'll try and take contact to Kelly and get this moving when I wake up))

@,

"I am afraid my goal is not as selfless as yours. I have to admit that what guides my steps are pure, selfish, greed, as much as I loathe to admit it.

You see, travel in itself is quite a thing after having spent the first 16 years of your life in one form of chain or another. You experience many things you had not even heard about and meet ponies from far and wide telling wonderous tales of lands of even more splendour than the last you had seen. But travels without goals becomes pointless at a stage. There needs to be a meaning, a reason really.

For me... I found that there was one thing I desired that I know had the chance to hunt. One thing that were almost as precious to me as freedom itself."

It was rare that he did this, but the point had to be made across, so as he were facing Void, he opened his his eyelids, revealing the blank, green surface below.

"I travel so that I might one day see."

He closed his eyelids again and held back a small chuckle.

"Now, I am not naive. I am aware that this might just be an elusive dream, a fantasy at best. Yet even with no guarantee, I still wander the lands, seeking something that can grant me what have never been in my grasp.

For me, this lack of eyes is a reality, but not one I am fond of thinking is eternal. I live by the belief that somewhere out there, there is something, or perhaps even somepony, that haves enough power to destroy this reality, whatever the price might end up being for me."

A little theatrical, surely, but he did tend to have a way with his words like this. He wasn't entirely sure why, but that sort of speech had appealed to him when he had the chance to ponder things the first few times after listening to other ponies speak in the cities, and it had just stuck around really.

@,

"Quite a selfless act, to better the standing between your sane brothers and sisters with the ponies they once were enemies of. It is a very honourable goal.

And to better yourself is not a bad thing to aim for either. To use the powers of deceit you were born with and change it from a tool to take advantage of others and instead make it something you wish to improve for your own sake, and perhaps in the end for others."

It almost made Briar jealous to think that Void's goals were that good. Comparing his own with those made his seem rather shallow and selfish. But he felt no real jealousy towards Void. He had found a good purpose, and that were something to praise, not envy. Envy hardly ever brought good things with it., i

@,

"Travels makes for a good way to experience things, as well as being a good way to search if you look for something without a goal to truly aim for."

Briar did notice Void becoming a bit more hyper, but he didn't mind. The pegasus he had listened to earlier when he had met Cinnamon Hex were quite a bit hyper as well, and most any place he had visited had at least one who were more or less bouncing off the walls. It were a nice, familiar thing to experience really.

"Speaking of goals... Do tell me, if you will mister Void, what goals do you have? What drives you through the days?"

@,

"I live on the road. I have spent 9 years wandering the great lands and experiencing freedom to it's fullest, seeking high and low and resting in mostly open areas. As a matter of fact, I just arrived in Ponyville today. Quaint town I must say, very peaceful."

Beside the destructive noise, but that was neither here nor there.

"How long I will stay here I can't say though. As much as Zecora talked about this being a place I could not miss on my travels I fear that she might have led me astray. I mean, this place truly is lovely, and there are quite a bit of fascinating creatures here, like yourself, but I am not certain there exist a power great enough in this area to grant me what I seek"

Briar shook his head slightly and let out a sigh.

"My apologies... I did not mean to ramble like that."

@,

"I don't eat the ones I can talk with. Besides, you have armour, and I am not much for broken teeth."

He joked a little, and let out a small chuckle.

Regarding the question it was as simple as he had put it really. He didn't eat sentinel beings, He tried to stay somewhat civil after all, and going around eating others like that would be very much against that. Frankly, just the thought made him sick.

"Perhaps it is my turn to have a question then... What shall it be I wonder..

Ah, yes, I know now. It is a simple one really. What do you normally do?"

@,

"In the case of small insects like the unfortunate moth from before, the vine is slightly hollow, so it will be passed to my stomach like a sort of... Shall we say very long throat. They get digested like much else, and gives me a good deal of nutrition. Other meals, such as the occasional cupcake or berries, are processed in much the same way, but the nutrition value there is far from comparable to that of meat, and takes more energy to digest than it can provide, so such things are more of a snack than anything else.

With things bigger than the bug from before... Well, these teeth are not only for show, I can assure you."

Briar gave yet another big, toothy grin towards Void.

"However, I am not a barbarian. I don't eat things like ponies or other thinking creatures like that. I stick to bugs, and fish. Both easy to hunt, and the process is quickly over for them.

The bugs usually gets attracted to the buds, like with many other carnivorous plants they have a scent to lure food in, but for fish it's just a simple way of finding a river, stand in it, and wait. Then, when one is near enough, pound down with a vine and end the suffering quickly before feeding.

I usually last a few days on a small fish, I don't really need much, and they're rich on nutrition."

@,

"Unusual eating habits tends to lead to odd responses. Eating meat is much the same, although less subtle, and have led to some rather... Unfortunate responses as well, so I can understand to some degree."

A moth tried to flutter past, but Briar's vine lashed out quickly and snatched it before it had the chance to escape, the last seen of it being the four-parted head of the bud opening and trapping it inside before the vine returned to it's position.

"My apologies, I got a little... Peckish."

It wasn't much, but he had caught a meal before going into Ponyville earlier today, and he could last a good while on little. The moth had mostly jut been to top things off.

"Mind if I ask, how is it when you feed? Do you use your fangs for the feeding?"

@,

"I feel no shame about my features, no. However, I have travelled far in my days and know that not everypony is that interested in abnormal sights, like for example two budding flowers on each side of ones body. The teeth already tend to make opinions of me cloud conversations, as well as when they notice I am not, in fact, an actual pony. And as I like conversation it just becomes much more simple to hide a small thing like that.

There is also the case that having a hidden weapon, as much as I'd like to think I wouldn't need it, is quite usable. Not every place I have visited have been peaceful, and there are other forests like this that houses predators. The less one gives of, the easier it is to surprise."

Briar neglected to mention the fact that standing out too much as a Evergrown tended to get you hunted by certain individuals, but it hardly seemed important anyway.

"Besides, I like the cloak, it's comfy."

The soft cloth were often used by him as a blanket at times when he rested in slightly chilly areas. It didn't cover everything, certainly, but every ounce of warmth you could squeeze out was worth it.

@,

Last time Void had transformed, Briar hadn't a clue about it. This time? He would have to be dead to miss this.

The sound of roars from several mouths were one thing, the changed laughter another entirely, but the sudden pressure of a heavier body in front of him? He wasn't sure What Void had transformed into, but Briar would have to give it to him, he did it well.

"It sounds rather impressive mister Void, but perhaps it would be better to tone it down a notch? I seem to recall miss Kelly not enjoying this sort, and roars likely won't help on the safety feeling for her here."

Kelly was still ahead of them, safe from the feeling of it as he could feel the pace in the ground, although not right now due to the sudden pressure change, but a few seconds here or there should not make a difference as there had been nothing yet.

And he had to admit, as much as he had talked against the roars, it did likely serve a good purpose: Scaring off anything that had considered prowling nearer.

"In regards to the line of thoughts from before, it was nothing. Trust me, sometimes, a neutral mind is all that's needed to see the connections, and I can't really blame you for being to one side of that look on things, all things considered."

@,

"To be under complete control is not just a matter of being led by strings, anypony could do that. No, complete control is when you pollute the mind and makes your subjects Want to be the puppet. It offers less resistance, and in the end, are easyer to control.

To be a bit more specific, she had you so much under control that the only thought, beyond obedience, that truly governed your mind were the one she had also planted there: To relentlessly do what your queen would want, to please her will. The thought merely grew stronger in you than many others."

Briar had not personally done anything like this to any creature, but he had been around for a long time, and learned a few things here and there that were not normally something he had a use for.

Amongst those things were a few ideas about how true control were, a subject he had sought to learn about because he was trying to understand, in details, how they had done it at his former home. It had turned out that their methods were rather beginning stage compared to some others.

"Now, I am aware that the words may not be exact, but the meaning remains the same no matter how you turn it around.

If you want proof then just ask yourself: Have you converted anypony since your mind cleared? Gone on a rampage? Perhaps even longed to go back to how it was?

I rather doubt it."

@,

"You said it yourself. You were under her control. A slave is not guilty of their masters crimes, no matter what they are, as the controlled are without a choice in the matter. It is what you have done after you got free that matters.

Besides, just hear your own words. If you were truly such a horrible creature as you claim to be, then why do you feel remorse? For actions led by a puppeteer no less? If that is not a sign of being a good creature, then I don't know what could be."

Actions meant more than words in the end, however, actions were a grey area. If Void had done these things out of his own, free will, then he would, regrettably, be the horrible one he described. However, if that had been the case, then why did he have remorse? Why did he stand tall against an army and the queen that led them, his own queen nonetheless, until they believed him too far gone from their ideal?

He wouldn't... Unless there were kindness in his mind more than the darkness that had guided his steps. There were things to live with, and Briar knew that he could never quite understand it as frankly, how could he? But what he did understand was where the guilt was to be laid. And it was not with Void. No, it went all the way to the top. To the queen herself.

Chrysalis... A name to remember for the future for sure.

@,

Such anger... Such animosity...

"To make slaves of those you eat... That is what she calls the Changeling way?"

Briar was audibly shocked from that. Even amongst the depravity of his own upbringing there had at least been some degree of limits to the madness. Even they had not used their enemies as workforce, much less the entire people in general as slaves for one, depraved mind.

"Dear Celestia, what a horrid standard to be held to. Praise be that you got away from such a fate."

@,

"When a pony is drained of... Love?"

What Void told him confused him. The hive, it was made from themselves? And how they were born... A natural birth he understood, even if it was from eggs, but to change somepony after they had been drained? How did they even got drained, much less wh-

The line of thoughts stopped and Briar let a leg to his head, covering the top half of his face while a low chuckle got out between his lips for a second.

"I see... I guess I don't have to ask what you eat then."

Briar had no moral high ground when it came to eating habits. He feasted on flesh, a more direct life force really, and to hear that something then fed on love... It was not that he found it amusing, it was just that his brain was trying to cope with finding such a new way to be a carnivore.

It didn't take long before his leg fell again, and he responded back once more.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... I don't judge from this. I am a carnivore myself, so I am in no position to do such a thing. My mind is just trying to wrap around this."

His mind were placing the bricks of the puzzle he had now on Changeling's. There were still a great deal missing, but one brick in particular was hard for him to press down, and it seemed... Important, if he were to understand the greater picture.

"I know it is not my turn to ask, but... You talk of Exile yourself, and you sound like it is not something you mind either, so what... Why, is your home something you don't seem to miss?"

@,

"Ah yes, the place I was grown..."

His voice dragged out a little at the end, but he held his tone.

It was true that Briar answered when he was asked, but the tales of his old home were a touchy subject at best. It was a balance act to judge how much somepony could hear from it before it became too much, and it was an act that he, regrettably, were likely to never find consistently right.

Perhaps it would be the better to just let it out. Void had hardly reacted at the others things he had been told or had seen, so perhaps... Yes, he would tell it without editing, and then they would see how it would end.

"The place of my roots are far, far to the south, in the heart of a great jungle I could hardly name if I tried. In the depths, there are my... Former, tribe.

The system there is controlled by what you are grown as. The Lotus' were considered great spiritual leaders, and were high in the chain, only below the council of three flowers and the Grand Matron herself. A little further down you would find Simmerbarks, our robust soldier who were the guards of the area, on par with the Vinemasters who build our buildings and made the thorny walls who protected us from the wildlife."

It was rather obvious that Briar was easing into things with what he said, as he had so far not listed his own worth. This was going to be the more... Touchy, subject.

"In a society where birth dictates your worth, you may wonder were my kind are then. Well, do you recall when I said that my ilk are a mutation rather than the wanted result? It is, unfortunately, not an exaggeration, nor something that were accepted by the tribe at large, yet it is impossible to see if one have become one of my kind before the seed finally cracks off the three and opens up to reveal it.

In ages past, generations before my own sprouting, the Snaproots were considered to be best dealt with by... Burning, these newborn sprouts..."

Briar cringed slightly at the notion. He had been told in the pit through the 10 years he inhabited it how lucky him and his were that they did no longer do that. As if the fate they instead fared were better than that.

"The Grand Matron put an end to it, but unfortunately, the alternative were not pleasant. As soon as one of us were discovered, we were disowned by our parents, taken and thrown into the dark pit until maturity, at which stage we would then be picked out and put in service of one of the higher, or for that matter lower, rung amongst us. I have yet to truly see if we were meant as menial workers or pets, but the line starts to blur eventually.

Let it be sufficient to say that the pit were, and likely still are, not a place you would go voluntarily. Imagine if you can, a place were the ground is littered with the refuse of the town above, with only brief glimpses of light breaking through and guards stationed in case you attempt to climb out.

I can assure you, even if non of us Snaproots can see, we know the preciousness of light well enough. The hunger we had for meat were only rivalled by the longing for light, which made us eager to please so that we might be picked to come out.

Briar had spoken the last sentence with an ounce of anger in his voice. It was not unusual for this reaction to come when he thought back to that stage, how he had clung to every tiny sliver of light that shone through that were not already taken by the bigger and stronger amongst them, and how he had bowed his head, eager to serve, when the call had come for him.

It made him sick to think of how he had been back then, as well as knowing that even though 9 years had passed, things were likely still the same. One defiant amongst them were not enough if things were to change, and any rising that had been blooming since his departure had likely been met with isolation in a dark hole, something none of them wouldn't do anything to get out of.

Briar let out a sigh and let go of his anger before going on. There were still quite a bit to tell.

"I am not proud to admit my own eagerness when, at the age of 10, I was picked. The work I was set to for Elder Pike, one of the better Vinemasters, were harsh, and the insults biting, but it was in the light. At that stage, it was all I could hope for.

As you might guess, my ilk were not considered worthy enough of names, but my *master* gave me the one I still bear, even if it was only so that he could direct his critique directly at me.

I will skip the parts about the work as it was rather tedious and skip to the end, and the reason why I am no longer there."

Sure, Void had only spoken in his question about the place, but without context, Briar were concerned that he might not understand why he would warn him to not search for it later. Besides, he was certain that the Changeling would have asked about his tribe sooner or later, it was easier to simply take it at once.

"As my *master* returned to the earth, I was taken by a new one, a Lotus, that did not find my name fitting, stripping it from me in public.

Much to the tribes, and her, disbelief, I had grown fond of a name, and taking it away... I suppose you could say that I cracked, and struck her where she stood so she tumbled down."

A big smile spread on his lips by that memory. He might not have seen her tumble, but the feeling of his vine hitting that pompous know it all... Oh, that had brought him much pleasure through the years.

"I were promptly exiled after that, as it was the best they could do, which is what these."

He lifted his legs so the coloured rings began to rattle, indicating those were what he were talking about.

"Means. There is no longer room for me where I came from, and there have not been for nearly a decade. I don't mind really, it is not some place I am fond of recalling.

After saying that he faced Void with an apologetic look upon his face and ran a hoof through his *mane*.

"I am sorry for the... Lengthy, explanation. But I had to make sure to put across that this is Not a place that is worth seeking, neither a place I would consider being of any real beauty, even if I had been able to see it.

If it is not too much trouble to ask though... May I ask of the place you are from? Perhaps it will lighten up the spirits after hearing about my own whereabouts."

((Sorry for wall of text but... I guess, Bon appetite. ))

@,

"Quite a bit of difference from the ponies I have met, and I must say, quite fascinating features. A form-changing insectoid pony.is not something I had thought possible, yet now that I experience one, it sounds perfectly plausible. Not that I doubt your words, certainly, but if I had not met you, I might have thought the description to be only a story. I feel fortunate to experience this to be a reality though, and to meet one as fascinating as you, mister Void."

Briar may sound like he blew things up a little, but as he had stated he was simply being honest. It had been some time since he had met somepony truly unique, but now? Why, the form changing alone had impressed him, but the rather unusual appearance that were described just now were quite a bit more in that cup. One could say that it were several drops that had flowed over, or to use a cruder term that the standards for unique in his mind had risen now.

The descriptions of the colours mentioned though... He could not understand it. The concept of colour were something he longed to understand and be part of, but as far as his legs have brought him he were still no closer to finding a way for sight to grace him, and as such, he could only hear the words, and then think about what of these colours and combinations he had least heard about to discern the uniqueness.

As for general appearance... The wind and had given him some clues to Void's descriptions before he told, but Briar had frankly not believed it. It was the holes that Void now confirmed as real that had confused him, as the wind had blown through there and given him the idea of somepony severely injured.

It was odd that there were these holes, as Void himself even said, but evolution did at times go mysterious ways.

I do believe however, that it is now your turn to ask. So, what question do you seek answered? Feel free to chose any subject, I am as an open book with not a page missing."

@,

"I have long since accepted the curiosity of others when they notice the differences I have from them. I don't mind."

In Briar's experience, the more he tried to hide things the worse it just became. He had spent the first two years after his exile trying to just blend in, and if anypony asked about his past or what he was he simply shut off and tried to avoid the subject. It had bred a lot of mistrust in those first few years, and eventually, he just caved in and told when somepony asked.

It had felt much better to have gotten it off his chest, and while the pony in question did not take the words he gave as gracefully as he might have hoped, at least the air had been cleansed around him.

As such, he tried to be honest unless it would harm the asker, and even then he mostly preferred to words his answers to make things seems less bad than they actually were instead. He considered that more of a way to... Shelter, some from certain detailed truths rather than lying.

"As for your question, I am a Evergrown. There are many ways to describe our kind as we are as varied as the great trees that our parents plants our seedlings in, but as a whole, you could consider us a sort of... Shall we say, natural beings in the shape of ponies, some more than others.

In my case, I am referred to as a Snaproot, a mutation rather than the wanted result."

Briar turned towards the direction of Void with a great, toothy smile and slid the thorny vines out from underneath the cape. Not much of their each three meters length, but the meter or so he gave were enough to show his control of them, as well as the openeing and closing of the buds at the end of them before he slid them back to their hiding place and toned down the smile again.

"Now, you said that I could ask you back? Then please, tell me mister Void, how do you look? I am rather curious."

@,

"Perhaps a little... Learning session would be in order then. After all, I have heard you speak about what you are, but you have not an ounce of information as to me. Perhaps we should break the silent ice with you then asking and learning, so that we may even the score, shall we not, mister Void?"

Briar made sure to keep a good deal of focus towards Kelly, but he had enough to have a conversation here. And he had not been lying when he had said that he knew, but had not told. To even the scale would be a good way to pass the time.

Whatever the Changeling would as of him, Briar would be truthful about it. He would be honest, as he always were, even if he would ask of his past. Of his race. Or of the rings that adorned his legs as a constant reminder of the ending of his former life.

It would be interesting to see what he wished to know.

@,

@@Mrbrunoh1,

Briar walked a step back when Void came and put a hoof to the side to cut off the Changeling from going further towards the mare.

"No... There is, something here, but... I think she needs to see this on her own before we go too close to her."

Briar would be the first to admit that he wasn't the best at judging others, or how they were supposed to deal with certain things, but he knew a few things about facing your demons, and from what he had heard, these dark alicorns were Kelly's. If she needed them, they would be near, ready to come to her side, but for now, he would let her face this while they watched over her.

Like guardian angels, their role was to provide safety and comfort, but at the same time, it also meant that they had to let her charge ahead on her own way, while she had it in her to face this.

"If anything lurks here... It will be dealt with before it gets the chance to regret it."

The cape that covered his back started to move as the buds on his sides started to open and close a few times. He fully intended to be ready if something happened, but until then... He would go on this hunch.