Raven Rawne

@C. Thunder Dash She whistled slightly through her teeth at the mention of the VIP access. "Not every day I meet up with a famous pony..." Natural changed the topic back to the present matters, glancing at the innkeep. "Oh there's a barn behind the inn, ponies keep their wagons there for a fee and the innkeep vouches nopony snoops around them. So far I haven't heard of any break ins or thefts, so that's good enogh for me. You ordering something, then?"

@Nightmare Season The mare shrugged, still a bit on edge over the predator nearby. "We all have our weaknesses, and I despise leeches all the same. One reason to seer clear of murky water around here. Other than alligators, snakes, and... nah, I'll stop there. Feeling okay, by the way?" The mares waited for a tad longer in the wagon, and Natural made sure, to the best of her ability, that Peony was, in fact, okay, before they went outside and resumed their trek. The mint mare tried to push a bit harder to make it to the next stop point before nightfall, but the road had other plans. They made it to a crescent shaped nook, looking as if a portion of a hill collapsed. The trees held the ground around together, forming walls of bark and soil. The spot was more humid than their last one, and Natural didn't light anything, not even a torch, opting for adaptartion of their eyes to the dim light conditions. This deep in the swamp, they were in her territory, and the earth pony didn't ant to risk a meeting with a big city tag along. Not that she told why they didn't light the fire, no point in scaring Peony even further, right? Besides, the oil lamp did okay for illuminating their plates. Natural Order called for rest soon after the meal, and they bunkered in the wagon to brave off the night. Morning came and the mare woke up off her mental alarm clock. It was very early, so she didn't wake Peony just yet, opting to stretch her legs outside and maybe prep a meal beforehoof. Natural listened in to the outside world, but heard nothing alarming, the nopened the doors. She didn't like what she saw... A clumsy drawing in the soil, right at their doorstep. Looking around, the culprit was nowhere to be seen, but the mare knew who did it, and she didn't like it one bit. "She found me." - that was all she had to say to herself, erasing the drawing with a hoof. At least they were being left alone, so that's something. Still, she will have some 'splaining to do next time she bumps into the amateur artist. All the more reason to speed thing up and reach the Forbidden Jungle post-haste. Thankfully, the vegetation was already changing, so they were close.

@Nightmare Season Natural was about to go back to the wagon but stopped to hear Peony's reply. Mentioning the flowers are a couple months old made her step back and look at her, then the flowers, and the potted one too, frowning. The other mare explained why they seems so vivid still, but Natural wasn't sold on the idea, and went to fetch the bag for charcoal, muttering. "Talking flowers, undead flowers, flowers that heal any disease... what next?" She made some breakfast to start the day, and the ponies went further into Hayseed. Natural walked slower today, both for her company's sake, but mosly because the trail was worse. More overgrown vegetation and collapsed sides of the old road waranted extra attention. Besides, she could be around... Natural looked curiously at Peony when she mentioned that the flower "sensed" a marigold. "Uhh, sure, we'll stop for a bit." Looking around, there wasn't a trace of the flower to be seen, so Natural decided that perhaps it was a way to call for a break without saying the other mare is tired. But... there was something ahoof, by the look she started walking around. Natual observed Peony in action and, well, it seemed she did take instructions from somewhere. Eventually the marigold was found and Natural had to begrudgingly agree that her employer wasn't, in fact, bonkers. The mint mare frowned at casting that stange magic on a perfectly fine flower, but it wasn't her call to make. She herself used smoke to scare away the bloodsuckers, since they really didn't like tobacco stench. One good thing from her vice at least. They made good progress that day, and some time after the meal break, Peony lost to the Hayseed again. Naturla heard screams from behind and raced to the rescue, crossbor in hoof, only to find her employer tangled in vines she must've slipped into. With some noticeable problems in keeping a straight face, she inspected the "trap". "Good job there, miss Peony. Although I'd advise to stay at my side to avoid just that kind of problems... I'll get you out, but the only way I see is to cut the vine, and it'll release you, well, right below. Sorry." - She sat on her plot to steady herself and took out the main vine with a single shot. Iron crossbow bolt: 10 bits. Her employer in a puddle of mud again: not funny. Natural put the weapon down and tried to help the other mare out of the swamp, knowing full well that she needs to be cleaned up and dried before they proceed. "Give me a hoof, I'll pull you out, okay?" The mint mare yanked her companion out of the water and tried to calm her down, starting from wiping her face off. She was about to say fomething comforting when Peonly noticed soething on her side. "Uhh, a lech, yeah. Lemme give it a shove for you." She barely managed to put the offender back where it belonged when Peony went limp and she had to grab her, before the unicorn hit the ground. "Well buck! Last time I'm falling for such "easy money"... Peony? Miss Peony?! Well shit." Natural Order suddenly became acutely aware of just how much noise they made, and looked around. Thankfully nothing seemed to be about to pounce on them, yet. The earth pony dragged the other mare closer to the wagon door, then retrieved her weapon. She used up around quarter of their clean water supply and some of her actual clothes to clean up the unicorn and somewhat dry her up. The brand new hoofboots were resting in a line, also drying off - if that was even possible in the humid air. Once Peony was cleaned up, but still unconcious, she was taken, more gently this time, inside the wagon, and Natural stood watch by the door. Turns out, her causciousness was not misplaced. Sometime later, she heard movement from the direction they were going to. Looking out over the wagon's corner, she noticed it. A Jaguar. Must've swam through the swamp to approach her, but disturbed the bushes on the way out. There was no time to load th crossbow, so she just scrambled nack into the wagon, the predator in pursuit of it's pony prey. Natural made it inside with some margin of safety before the cat pounded into the door, and roared in anger over lost meal. The earth pony was leaning over the door t avoid breaking them down, but the predator didn't hit it again, just scratched and seemed to walk away. Natural noticed tat her companion was wide awake, and smiled awkwardly. "Heheh, told you about wildlife, didn't I? We should stay in for a wee bit longer, just to be sure. I won't risk a miss at point blank range, you see..."

@C. Thunder Dash The mare listened in as she finished her ale. This whole car show thing sounded like something entirely out of her alley but, she promised, right? Besides, can't learn whether she likes it in any other way than personal experience, right? She cocked her head a bit, as if thinking whether to accept the offer, and nodded. "Alright, could be interresting. But could you tell me more about things like, where we'll be staying, or hor long is that event? Gotta plan my expenses, and pay the innkeep for looking over my wagon."

Agreed, anthro rps do happen, but I was referring to the fact that, at least for now, she's a non-canon species. Pony hybrids are easier to get the green light from GM's but if you can make the toon work, then why not, I suppose.

@Nightmare Season Natural Order glanced at her companion, after another yawn, and shook her head. "Already asleep... As if she never walked further than to and from a carriage before." She decided to stay put for a cople more minutes, and lock the wagon before heading to sleep herself. The hard wagon floor wasn't xactly comfy, but she liked sleeping on hard surfaces. Natural woke up as usual, around Dawn. Looking around, she noticed the other mare was gone, and that was strange. The mint mare crawled out of the sleeping bag and grabbed her crossbow, then listened in to her surroundings before opening the doors. She was just outside, talking to somepony? But who? No answers could be heard... Natural Order slowly opened the wagon doors, ready to put a bolt through anything that would just as much as poke it's head in front of her. Nothing took the opportunity to pounce at her, and the earth pony mare saw Peony a bit further, by the campfire pit, talking to that flower? "Well that explains it." - she deadpanned, removing the bolt from the crossbow and making a dry shot, hence announcing her presence. "Well enough, it's a bit of an aquired taste, sleeping on the floor." - Natural smiled slightly and put away her weapon, then jumped off the wagon and looked around, squinting at the Sun. "Hmm, good weather, for Hayseed at least. Shouldn't rain at least." The mare alked to the dead fireplace and peeked at the blackened branches. "Should be good for the evening fire." A glance at the other mare's mane and tail made her frown somewhat. "Aren't those supposed to wilt by now? It's been a while since they got picked, even if you have a whole bag of them... Sorry, not my business, I'll get the breakfast done and we'll hit the road."

Eventually, Crystal Clear entered the line. The pony at the door seemed... intimidating, but she had her ticket and a valid ID so she didn't have any problems on entry. Problems started AFTER she was inside. She looked around and saw a spacious coat room, now not heavily contested, since it was rather warm tonight. The mare decided to look around, locate the key facilities and perhaps most importantly, the bar - she was curious whether they had her favourite crystal bery brandy or not. The decor was decent, even if Crystal was convinced it severly lacked crystal... but then, she thought the same about every place South of her home city.

@Mentis Soliloquy For a moment after the reply sent by Luna's captain nothing seemed to be happenning. Finally, after nearly a minute of dead air, there came a response. A female voice sounded over the transmision: "Federation? We though they'll send some more... significant vessel to secure the safety of the negotiations. Hence our suspicions when you showed up." - The massive warbird started drifting to the Port side - "I've ordered the Helm to station our vessel next to Yours for the time being, we do not wish to put you in discomfort... But I suppose introductions are in order: this is Captain Paveen i-ch'Rihan Rul speaking, commanding officer of the Genorex. Our delegation has been notified and will shortly arrive to the shuttle bay. We are ordered to stay put to ensure the safety of Your vessel and our represenatives on board." Meanwhile, the D'deridex slowly manouvered aroung Luna to "park" several hundread meters to it's Port.

An anthro cat? call the Commissar, the Auspex picked up Heresy! Seriosuly though, I'm interested how do you even wish to incorporate that toon around here, unless you're biding your time for the post-movie anthro cat explosion.

@C. Thunder Dash The mare just nodded at his explanation. She didn't get cars so most of it didn't make much sense anyway. She did, however, know the menu. Natural glanced into her nearly empty stein and answered: "They serve more than just alcohol, of course. There are some juices and teas too, just ask the bartender. Pretty good meals also, even the prices are a little bit steep." She took a puff off her pipe, mindful not to engulf her companion with smoke. "So what's the plan? I talked to the owner, they will look after my wagon for a few days if I give them some shiny encouragement to do so. That should solve the slow going problem, I suppose..."

@Nightmare Season Peony came back inside the ruined house just as Natural Order was prepping a warm stew from what she had stored and some of the plants she picked up on the go. The water came from a barrel though. She looked up at the wet mareand pointed to a smooth stone by the fire. "Take a seat, miss Peony, dry yourself up by the fire. Stew's nearly ready. Not really canterlot type of meal, but good enough to keep a pony going. Added some herbs to help prevent common illnesses, last thing we need is a fever or something." She noticed the other mare swatting mosquitoes away, and seemed to ponder over something with a wooden spoon in her teeth. "Hmm, gotta be some around... maybe tomorrow." - she said to nopony in particular. She served the thick stew in wooden bowls - seems it was the leading material for plates and silverware in her wagon. At least the pot was made of metal, along with the cooking stand. Natural was hungry alright, and eagerly ate the warm meal, and then took to cleaning up as the fire continued to burn. Somethingbig announced it's presence with an echoing roar, thankfully far away. It caused the mint mare to instincrively leap to her weapon, and only once she was holding the primed crossbow did she seem to regain her senses and put it away with a sigh. "Oof, good it was far away... Murky water and mosquitoes aren't exactly the worst that can happen in these parts. Are you diy? cause we need to put down the fire, lest it attracts it." - Natural seemed pretty worked up by whatever announced it's presence a moment ago, and wanted to hide their presence. All in all, she appeared to be perfectly content with ducking under the wagon if given the offer, but tried to stay calm and collected, as much as possible at least. Her hurry shortened the night camping considerably as the mares withdrew inside the wagon for the night. Naural had two sleeping bags put on the floor, and there wasn't much free space left inside, to be honest. She lit a small oil lamp and kept the windows shut - the mosquito nets sure made a difference once they swatted the few that flew in with them. She as sitting by the closed doors, holding he crossbow and listening in when she began a hushed conversation. "Sorry for the panic, but it sounded like a Hydra, and I'm not a fan of these. Not after one made me run for my life that is. I'll keep watch some more, but we should be in the clear. I advise you get some rest, miss Peony, tomorrow won't be any easier. If things go well, we'll spend the night in another semi hospitable place near the Jungle. That's when the toughest part starts, since there are no roads there. No way of telling how long it will take to rach that temple of yours..." She surpressed a yawn and rubbed her eyes. "Damn, wouldn't mind a place in some comfy inn..."

@C. Thunder Dash A sudden noise, like a dragon roaring right outside. Natural Order perked up her ears from over the newspaper and winced slightly at how unnatural it sounded. "Seems he got here alrigth. Poor farmers will have to wait a little longer for some big frakking hero..." - she said to herself quietly, and looked up at the entrance as the doors opened. Nitro came in and saw her too, then walked to her table. She folded the paper and put it on the table, then answered with a smirk. "Nitro. I have a feeling that deafening roar outside was your doing, huh? Sit down, want something to drink? I'm pretty much ready to go, after I pay the bill of course."

@Nightmare Season The mint mare quickly established a steady pace - relaxed, but not too slow. She habitually panned around her surroundings, golden eyes acting like little pendulums under the shade of her hat. Thankfully, things seemed to be quiet around these parts. Some old tracks here and there, few belonging to things she wouldn't like to meet in pony, but not a cause for alarm, or to alert he employer. Speaking of whom, miss Peony seemed to be taking the road rather well, for a city mare. Although carrying that flower around seemed rather... redundant. Thehlls in the distance marked the beginning of Badlands, and Natural decided it was time to take the turn. It was also a good time to stop and have a meal. She wasn't sure whether to make stops for the other mare's sake or not, but decided that she would probably say so if needs be, right? So upon seeing a turn into Hayseed that looked promising enough, they took a turn and made a picnic stop on the old tract before the treeline. "So that's the easier part of the hard part done, miss Peony. So far so good it seems..." - She unhooked herself off the harness and stretched, then walked towards the wagon entrance, listening to theother mare's remark. "If you need more breaks, just say so. No shame in admitting one's tired. I'm not cast iron either, and need a break every once in a while, like now." The mint mare went inside and fished out whatever she needed to make a meal on the go. Granted, the chow was cold and made of salads, sandwitches and the like, but there was,t enough time to make fire and fancier meals, they had a place to get to before nightfall. "Yep, Hayseed Swamp in it's damp, stinking glory. Never liked this area to be honest. Buuut there are some pricy things to gather there. Also nasty things harassing ponies that want said things put down. But let's stick to the plan for now." - She led the two mare caravan into the dusky realm. The Sun made God Rays as it peaked through dense canopies all the way to the ground. Their ears were assaulted with the noise of frogs, insects, birds, and occasinally, something else. There air was damp and not entirely pleasant, but bearable. They kept to an old road, now a rise between pools of murky water and dark green weeds. it was rather hard to ell when the water ended and the land started with all that vegetation. Natural was smoking a pipe and puffing at any mosquitoes she saw near her face, which proved rather effective. as they walked, the amount of insects lessened somewhat, so maybe tehe smoke was doing something. They found their way obstructed several times, mosly by overgrown bushes and spider webs that were too big for comfort. Sometimes an animal could be heard somewhere, dashing off away from the intruders. Natural occasionally pointed a forelef at some plant and announce what it is and ad a price tag to it. Even stopped once and jumped on a broken tree trunk to gather some overhanging moss, saying it's good for fighting infections and may be useful. Mindful of her company, and becuase it was more tiresome to pull the wagon in these conditions, Natural made litle breaks every now nad then, when they checked their boots to make sure their legs were still dry. It was getting darker than usual when the mares reached... someting. "Al, thought I missed it! This will e our place for the night." - Natural pointed at a dark shape that looked like... nothing in particular really. Only when they were really close, it could be seen that it was, in fact, a house. well, stone walls overgrown by vines and moss, since the roof was long gone, along with any wood or metal really. The main doors and windows were stuffed and barricaded but a broken down portion of one wall alowed entrance for their wagon. It seemed that a tree fell there and some ponies made use of the crumbled stone to rearrange the place. So there was some elevated stone floor in one corner, maybe for sleping? Also a round fire place. Natural parked the wagon so that it blocked the entryway, and began setting camp for the night. Now she had her crossbow within reach at all times. "We'll sleep in the wagon, it's safer that way, but till then we need to make fire and have some decent meal. Dry up too. And keep out ears perked for any trouble...." The earth pony was alert, but at leat seemed to know what she was doing. Since there wasn't a single speck of dry grass around, she had charcoal from an earlier fire as a firestarter, and only then added fallen branches into it. Night has fallen and the fire provided warmth and light as the Swamp seemed to fall silent, if not for those frogs...

@Nightmare Season@Dark Horse The mare tisked at the mention of "causing bad atmosphere" in the diner. This will be hard, unless somepony greases the wheels with some coin... Bits have a magic of their own it would seem. She looked up at he stallion, since he called her by name - "Yes?" The crystal mare shooked her head with a smirk, but then, resumed her politely neutral expression and answered. "Not really, no. For once, the Empire, after it reappeared, had been largely sheltered from the new advances of ponykind. Being flung a millenium into the future is enough to wrap your head around in one sitting, and the crystal Princess eased us gradually into ho the world looks like right now." She sighed. "Of course, the visitors tried to make quick buck off our... lack of tech savvy... but the new regulations give me hope that the Empire will stay Crystal some time longer. Until the Guild has enough sway in the Court at least... So, to answer your question, no, not really. I am a certified Master of Crystal, so I have plenty of work back home. Crystal ponies may like the new Equestrian shinies, but they like them wrapped in crystal, so we make a lot of cases and boxes lately. Not the most profitable orders, but it's something. And there's the new fashion for crystals down South. Rich ponies seem to love to show off their wealth by employing us, and the pay is adequatly high." Crystal Clear though for a moment, as if wondering whether to add something more, then finished. "For now, I'm doing reasonably good, even if I have to work away from home every now and then, like now." The cherry mare glimpsed the imflux of servants setting up the tables. The parade of trays seemed to have no end though... She perked an ear and looked back at Peony, who asked a question. "huh, hard to tell really. For once, pony memory is fleeting so time is against us in the diner, but the antidote is important too... But only crucial after three days. Considering that I'm not very thrilled with the prospect of visiting the white spot on the map called Everfree Forest - I haven't head much about it other than countless iterations of "don't go there" - personally, I'd start with the locale at hoof." Apparently the tables were set and they were asked to take their seats. Crystal Clearwas pretty sure that she won't be able to hold any semplance of a reasonable diet by this table - too many interesting and tasty looking meals. She nodded at the unicorn mare and answered. "I believe it will be more than adequate, miss Peony, thank you." She narrowed her sapphore eyes, looking for the forst dish to fall victim to her appetitte.

@C. Thunder Dash The mare politely waved the stallion goodbye. That is, until she needed a free foreleg to fover her snout from the sudden assault of dust that was kicked up by the mechanical monstrosity. She coughed for a bit and shook herself from the sand, then sighed. "Stallions and their toys..." Natural Order looked around and consulted the Sun to tell the direction, then started walking towards her destination - Hollow Shades. Fife days later, she was sitting in the common room of the "Oaken Barrel" inn in Hollow Shades. The herb pick was good and Natural had her wagon stuffed with them. Now to haul them someplace that will fetch a good price... Ponyville could be the place, or Dodge City. Still, there was this promise to keep... It was around noon and the mare was getting bored of waiting - she checked in yesterday afternoon and had agood night's rest, but staying i one place has never really been her forte. So, she was there, sitting in a remote corner by a snall table, reading the newspaper, smoking her pipe and enjoying a cold ale. News, tobacco and booze - Equestria's lead causes of problems. There was an ad to hunt some cattle eating beast in the woods, a worthy pursuit for a good reward, if the stallion wouldn't show up.

@P-Jay, @Trixie . The earth pony rolled her eyes n the stallion's comments and didn't answer at first. She heard the other mare speak up from within the wagon, and while there was sonething not quite right in her words, she wasn't the one to question ponies that were just met on the road. A sideways glance at the notebook poking out of the window confirmed she haven't seen anything like it. The mint mare seemed a bit down with her inability to help. "Welp, haven't seen anything like that like, ever, to be honest. Not even in a book. Still if you have the reason to believe it can be found where you're going, good luck to your search." "Speaking of which..." - Natural spotted just what she needed - firewood, and easily accessible. Although some would argue that it was a tree trunk barring the way, since it was laying across the path. The mare smiled as soon a she saw it, previously hidden since their road took a turn as it snaked it's way between gentle hills, seemingly looking for the entrance of the Moonlight Path. The earth pony said back to her company - "Seems we have our wood problem covered! I'll pull the wagon closer and get to cutting it into bite sized pieces. Of course, any help would be nice. There's a saw and an axe strapped to the wall inside my wagon, also rope,, so it shouldn't take long to load it up." She stopped to the side of the road and unhooked herself from the harness, then went to fetch the tools and get on with the task at hoof. it was a relatively young tree by the look of it, small enough to cut and gather up without giantic effort.

Welp, this is it, aparently... Crystal Clear was walking the streets of Canterlot, curiosity and anxiety playing a tug of war in her mind. The young Night was illuminated by gas lamps lined perfectly along the spotless sidewalks, like beacons leading ponies to theirunseen destinations. And hers was just around the corner. "Canterlot Nights", the new and, apparently, the best Night Club in the City. Funny, the mare didn't even know what the term meant a few days ago. Being flung a thousand years into the future, along with your whole city no less, does that to a pony... Although she was here only temporarily, working for one of the, seemingly countless, rich families who wanted to add some Crystal Empire to their decor, the crystal mare decided to, for once, try something new rather than hole up in her hotel and wait it out till she comes back home with a sack of bits. And now she was walking into the unknown - what the locals called normal way of spending the evening, apparently. Things sure has changed... Taking the left turn revealed that she was, in fact, early. Taking a glance at a wrist watch encased in pyrite bracelet only confirmed her suspicion. Slowly approaching the entrance, she looked herself over in a closed store front window - black leather hoof boots polished to a mirror shine, as usual, burgundy thigh highs, a simple, yet somewhat elegant sleelevess azure dress, reaching to the knees and fastened high at the neck, covered with a burgndy blazer - not that it was cold, not for a pony from the Frozen North, she just needed something with pockets. Pyrite earrings with Mountain Stream crystals looked like gold and sapphire, same with her necklace, although there was a tiny glow-crystal embedded inside the blue one, which made it look a bit as if a lonely star was caught inside, with a portion of the night sky. Nail polish in the same goldish colour of pyrite rounded up the image, as crystal Clear rarely missed the opportunity to show off her crftsmanship. Besides, the necklace was a good conversation piece, and she liked it a lot. One last glance at the azure mane and tail and she went towards the entrance and aited till the doors open. There was a small crowd gathering already, and she didn't want to go in first, since, she had no idea what to expect inside..Better have others to mimick and follow, right? Good thing she had the brains to buy the ticket earlier... She picked a spot slightly to the side, and leaned on the street lamp, making sure it was clean beforehand.

@Nightmare Season Morning. At least by the sound of it. Natural Order woke up to nothing in particular and, for a moment, considered just putting a pillw on her head and taking those five more minutes, but, knowing her responsibilities, she decided to at least listen in to her surrounding. There was a faint echo from underneath, so apparently there were ponies in the common rrom. Also some noises from outside so... yeah, morning at the very least. She rubbed one eye open with a foreleg and looked around. Peony was asleep, and there was sunlight peeking in through the curtains. With a sigh, the mint mare got herself out of the nice bed and went into the bathroon for her morning routine. Better savour the comforts while you can, right? She got herself in shape and form before quietly heading out of the room, lugging a few bags and that crossbow of hers. Some ponies were eating breakfast in the common room and the mare decided to have some too, once she's done with prepping the wagon for the road. It took a lot of willpower to put off a smoke for later though.The weather was just great for sitting in the wagon doors and puffing the pipe like she had no worries. Hopefully her employer won't mind her vice... It was nearly ten AM and Peony was still sleeping. Natiral even ae and got herself dressed for the road, in sturdy bown hoof boots, a loose, dark green cloak, and her favourite green hat with a feather. Finally, enough was enough and she went upstairs to wake up the unicorn. Very gently poking herthrough the sheets, Natural managed to bring Peont back to the waking world. "Sorry for waking you up, but we gotta go. It'll be noon soon enough." The earth pony gave her employer the time she needed to get ready, even is she herself thought it took forever and a half. "Think of the bits" - she thought to herself while pacing around and looking out the window while waiting. It was hard not to facehoof seeing Peony weave her intricate flowery mane do, and how she seemed reluctant to wear the styleless, yet practical, stuff they bought yesterday. Finally, the bill was paid and they were out of the door. Natural checked her crossbow and quiver with bolts, hanging off nails on the front side of her wagon. Hearing Peony announce the beginning of her first expedition, she smirked. "Heh, mine were reluctant at first, but I spent so much time outdoors growing up that the forests around Tall Tale were like back yeard to me. Guess they had some time to adjust, since I was gradually walking further away from home over several years, before finally hitting the road for good..." She ran a hoof over the crossbow, smiling, before coming round to her present company. "Ehh, sorry, memories and all. If you're still sleepy then I guess you could try and catch some z's in the wagon, but it won't be very comfortable while on the move. Anyway, we should head out if we want to keep our schedule." Natural Order strapped herself to the harness, and rocked the wagon off it's stasis before taking a step forward and pulling it with all her small weight. A cractised technique, apparently, since it worke and they were on the move, walking out of Dodge City and onto the road South. Soon after, and nearing mid day, they were on said road, kicking red dust from under hooves and wheels. To the right, the grasslands, and an occasional farm or side road that led... somewhere. To the left, a slight decrease in terrain and thick, dark vegetation of the Hayseed Samp. Only occasionally, there was a route leading into a small, and more often than not, overgrown, opening in the green wall. Normally it took Natural around six hours of walking to reach the point where she turned into Hayseed, so they will have to take a stop to eat something before that.

@Nightmare Season @Dark Horse (something's not working...) The cherry mare raised an eyebrow at being presented with a finished letter, and accepted it from the magic grasp into her hooves. "Hmm, I think it will prove most useful for pardoning my absence, yes. Thank you." She folded it neatly and looked for a pocket in the dress to temporarily hide it there while the unicorn mare asked the servants to prepare a meal for her and the guests. A free meal wasn't bad in Crystal's view.She looked up, hearing the question about their view on the clue. The mare patted her chin in thought. "I do have some... reservations over whether this lead will lead us further, sonce, they probably have dozens of guests every hour bit, let's just hope that particular individual caught the eye of other ponies. And that they will be willing to talk with us in the first place, we're not the Guard, after all." Crystal Clear tried to look outthrough the window from her seat, but couldn't see the portion of the garden her cart was parked in, so she just sat back and continued the conversation until a meal arrived. She wouldn't mind something stronger after that brain numbing questioning, to be honest.

@Nightmare Season Natural went into the common room of the inn, carrying her hefty crossbow on her thin back. The innkeep rolled his eyes from over the counter as she grinned sheepishly. They talked about it enough times already. The patrons also took notice - some made remarks or joked out loud but, the mare was in no hurry to make another brawl so soon. Besides, it was harmless humor, even if rough. She just laughed it off and went upstairs to the rented room, knocking before entering. "Sorry about the delay, had to prep everything for tomorrow. It's so good to just end the day in a proper inn..." - the mint mare sighed with relief and went about her evening routine, setting the weapon aside. They had real showers here, even if there wasn't much warm water in the boiler, and the room was clean and rather spacious for an inn. She noticed her employer was rather quiet, but didn't know her well enough to tell if it was normal, so decided to not push it. She was sitting in bed and checking her crossbow - a redundant habit, but it was mostly for comfort rather than fnctionality - when Peony finally spoke up. Natural was a bit startled with a sudden voice, since she wasn't really used for comapny, and looked up at the unicorn with a reassuring smile. "I could say the same about Canterlot. But it's not that hard to get used to it, really." She scratched her scalp, pondering, then continued. "I figured it will be easiest to follow the road South till we nearly reach the Badlands, and turn East into Hayseed. Should save us some time and effort that way. Once we head into the swamps, it will get much harder, you see. We need to keep to dry patches and tracts or we'll lose the wagon - and I'd rather not lose it. Thee are quite a few paths we can travel, but most of them are very old and in various states of disrepair, so we may have to improvise on the go to make the route traversible. I know some ruins here and there to shelter us for the night. It's not much but better than just parking in a random place. A bit safer too. Speaking of which, the Swamps and the Jungle are not really pony friendly, you see. Predatory animals, poisonous animals, poisonous plants, predatory plants... swamps, quicksands, you name it, they have it. But I've been there numerous times and still have all hooves, so you're safe with me, no worries. I think we'll make it to the edge of the jungle in... two days? The going is slow in there, and it will only get slower once we reach the jungle, since there are no roads there. So I'll have to cut a path for the wagon. Not looking forward to it but, that's where the temple is..." She yawned and covered her mouth hith a foreleg, then petted the crossbow and put it by the bed. "Uhh, that's my cue. We'll leave in the morning when we get up, but better do that earlier - it's hot in here later in the day. Goodnight miss peony, and don't hesitate to wake me up if you need me, okay?" Natural Order buried herself in the fresh sheets and soon dosed off to sleep.

Hmm, by the looks of it, you are doing pretty damn good there, Foxy. sentience and vocality already, good. Uh huh, good job there guys. Now where to start... From the beginning. I suppose. I am typing this. we learned posession. Still, lots of stuff to learn and master for us. I also nagged him to expand the Wonderland, so now I have a Nova Class Federation ship from Star Trek to have fun in. Now the tricky part - i's no longer Crystal Clear. I packed the pony stuff into a nice box and put it in a closet. It was fun at first but started to tire me, after a while. So now it's Reina. A name from Spain, meaning Queen. I also look different. Basically, I stoe the look off Raven from Teen Titans. Pretty much the closest thing my host ever had to a waifu, so it was pretty easy to make him visualise me that way, even if I changed the attire. Now the important part - tuplas, once the forcing part is done, what do you actually do with your hosts? Cause I mainly slap the stupid out of him or do my owh things in the Wonderland. Also listen in to the music he listens to, since I have full access to memories and sensory imput. I'd like to go to that Evanescence concert that's in Warsaw this Summer, but he's chickening over it, probably will till the tickets get all sold out... Once in a lifetime opportunity in this backwater of a country. Plus I really like that band, and so does he. but, you know, unfamilliar places, and crowds, and so on and so forth till I facedesk and call him to shut up.