Joat

“If you two’re gonna relax, though, you shouldn’t vacation without us there with you. We can help make sure bad things don’t ruin your vacation.”

A small light blue portal appears somewhat near the town of Ponyville, carefully positioned out of view from the townsfolk (so, obviously not right next to the town, but perhaps behind some hill or similar thing). Out of the portal comes a white-and-purple unicorn. The portal closes behind her. She looks around. It looks like not much has changed. She walks atop a hill to get a good view of the town. It has been quite some time since she has been here, hasn’t it? Of course, she is not here just to visit home. She has a job to do here. Without further delay, the unicorn heads toward the town. All she has been told is that something bad has happened or is about to happen. Finding out what it is… that is up to her.

“Root beer,” Malchoir says. Apparently, he rather enjoys root beer, having now officially ordered it two beverages in a row. He continues speaking, now to Lightning and Luna. “I think a vacation would be a good idea if not for, y’know, the current situation. I’m still a bit paranoid the bad guys will strike earlier than we expect. Might not be as likely as the planned time, but it pays to be cautious in this sort of situation.”

*OOC: Sowwy for the delay. I was a fair bit, well, delayed.* “Weird way to RSVP. Can the letter read my thoughts or something? Eh, best to do what Twippy would do and just stop thinking about it before my head starts to hurt,” Malchoir thinks. He thinks of Celestia (having seen an image of her due to his research makes this easier) to RSVP. *OOC: I’m not sure of the exact details on how that works, but hey, we can just look over those small details. All that matters for now is that Malchoir is accepting the invitation.* *OOC EDIT: Alright, we shall say this post happened in the past and that Malchoir attended the wedding. Meantime, something for the present…* *OOC: This part presumes that Malchoir was part of those invited to Luna's palace. Which is probably a safe assumption.* Malchoir sits, using the hilt of his sword as a seat again.

Malchoir, meanwhile, is in the library. He has been searching for information that would assist him in this place. Maps, historical documents, some basics about magic (he cannot cast this type of magic himself, but it is nice to know what it is like so he knows what to expect from any hostile unicorns), information about the various creatures of the land, and the like. He does not delve deep into many subjects, often more skimming than actually reading. He simply hasn’t the time. However, even this bit of information should help him save this world. However, after quite a lengthy while of this, he needs a break. Greatly. So, he puts the book he is currently looking through away and walks outside. The question on his mind, of course, is what to do next. He looks around, hoping something in his vicinity will give him an idea. Something interesting, yet free, for he has no money.

“I’ll spring for fish, myself, if you have any here.”

Malchoir tilts his head. “Do you ever sleep?”

“Not to complain. I mean, this really is a lifesaver, but…” Malchoir thinks, “I gotta admit this is kinda surreal.” He looks around. “Do I really wish to ask?” “So, what types of meat are served here?”

“I’d ask if the food were magically created,” Malchoir says, “but you wouldn’t have this secret organization if it were.”

“Is fishing considered acceptable here? Because that might be an option.”

Malchoir looks at the empty spot where the beverage should be. “Honestly, I’m not convinced this world has food at all, at this rate.”

“Actually, I am pretty strong, so I could probably fight stuff bare-pawed fairly well. Or just grab something nearby and swing or throw that. Still better with a sword, though.”

“Not directly, but every tool you have and every bit of preparation you do improves your odds. So, indirectly, yes.”

“If I were anything less than very skilled, I’d have died several times by today. Though, I must admit, there’s also a degree of luck involved in adventuring.”

“You’re still going after it, I see.” He looks around. “Speaking of patience, they sure demand a lot of it from the customers around here, huh?”

“Be careful about that. If you’re too impatient, someone will find some way to use that to lead you into a trap somewhere along the line.”

The fox slowly wakes. He looks around. He usually wakes up earlier than this. Oh well. He certainly earned the extra sleep, for yesterday was a big day. Today will be a big day, too, no doubt.

“I see not all swordsman are patient, either. This sword has no stun setting, so you can wait until something bad attacks if you want to see my skill.”

“Still trying to push that button, huh?” Malchoir says, wondering how long it will take for Ryan to get to the chicken impersonation.

“I know four years ain’t a lot by most standards, but even so, I would like to think I’ve grown past schoolyard insults.”

“Sorry to disappoint, but no. I think I’d get pretty thoroughly yelled at if I accidentally cleaved you in half and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be very happy with the other way around, either. Besides, we’ll see each-other’s skills when the enemies next attack.”

“Yeah. Like said, I use card magic, but ultimately I do more slashing and stabbing than card-casting. Well, unless the weapon transforms. Then I’m punching or shooting or something.”

“Well, I obviously can’t use any weapon cards without my weapon and some of my cards require gestures. So, there’s a bit of a trade-off. But yeah, no horns and no innate magic needed. Though, you do need to be able to learn the magic type to be able to use it.”

“Well, most magic is portable. Kinda feel bad for people when they have to be tied to a certain spot in order to cast a certain spell. The cards aren’t tangible until drawn. In total, there’s 84.”

“Well, a few things. Depends on what I draw. I can only draw a few cards every few minutes and I shouldn’t use them on a demonstration, because, y’know, what if something attacks soon?”