open Casual stroll

[Twilight-Shimmer 151]

@@Blitz Boom, As Lily continued to converse with the Draconequis, Stardust continued to snooze on Lily's back occasionally nommong on one of his front hooves in his sleep. Soon though he let out a wide yawn and rubbed his eyes and glanced around. "mm I must have dozed off.." he said still not quite awake yet, but taking notice he was on Lily's back.

(sorry for shortness, )

Edited March 19, 2017 by Twilight-Shimmer

[Lil' Lovebug 1,041]

@@Blitz Boom, 

 

Satin followed Vivid to the corner seat, setting the bottles upon the table. She glanced up at Vivid then down at her hooves.

 

"It's... I don't think he was a pony. I can read emotions of ponies relatively easily, but with changelings, i can only read their strongest emotions, and even then it's faint. That makes it harder to predict what a changeling is going to do. That alone scares me to no end." Satin Shuddered and took a deep breath. "I'm also afraid that I'll meet a changeling from my old hive who will recognize me and try to take me back. I've lived apart from them from so long that my link to them has been pretty much severed, meaning I can't tell my hive from the other hive's changelings."

 

She started making circles on the table with her hoof. She looked up at Vivid, trying to gauge her reaction, preferring not to taste the emotions around her, lest she be overpowered by the bitter taste of shame lingering throughout the inn.

 

"I don't like this feeling. It feels like I'm doing what a lot of the ponies here did. I don't want to instantly be afraid of my own kind, just because they may or may not be from my hive and may or may not try to take me back."

[Foxy Socks 2,599]

@@Blitz Boom, 

 

Foxy listened to Briar, before continuing, "Ah, maybe I have been closer to some than I realized. I do love exploring forests, and there are quite a few areas I have yet to find."

 

Foxy smiled a bit, now knowing she wasn't the only one without normal pony teeth.

 

"Ah my teeth are a bit different too..." She smiled a bit revealing her fangs, which she was a bit shy about showing others, for obvious reasons.

 

"Mine are omnivorous, which is quite strange, as I feel more pony than fox, but for some reason I was born with these. Ponies tend to be a bit  frightened when they first notice. The funny thing is, I never had eaten meat before, or desire trying. I wonder if I could even handle it, or perhaps my teeth were just a genetic accident. I still wonder though, how related I am to foxes, or if I even am at all."

 

She honestly did not know why she resembled Vulpines so much. It certainly wasn't possible for a fox pony to exist right? She always wondered why. Perhaps it is so foxes can recognize her as one of them, one of her favorite theories.

 

Foxy turned her attention back to Briar, not wishing to come off as rude to talk about herself too much.

 

"Wait, banished? You no longer are with them?" Foxy knew this was a bit personal, but her curiosity got the best of her.

Edited March 19, 2017 by Foxy Socks

[genessee 535]

@@Blitz Boom

 

"Oh, don't worry about it. I mess up what I'm saying all the time. Usually it comes out so badly that I can't even explain what I meant before whoever I was talking to had stormed off."

 

He halfheartedly chuckled to himself.

 

"You know, I've been talking about a ton of my failures. I wonder why that is. I guess I find it more interesting to talk about how I messed up this one time than when I did something cool this other time. Then again, there's not many real successes to be talking about when you're asking me. I realised pretty quickly that I was an average colt, and at first I tried to make myself known in the town. That did not work out well on my part, I think I was more known for humiliating myself instead of everything else I did."

 

He decided not to delve deeper on exactly how he humiliated himself. It still made him wince to think about it.

[Missklang 1,053]

@@Blitz Boom,

 

 

"Is it chaos magic itself that you need to activate the crystal, or just magic in general Missklang? I might be able to provide spare energy if it's the later."

 

 

Missklang shook his head.

 

I am grateful but sadly only chaos magic would do. And only cast by me. After all, it's my memories. And besides that, if my centuries of memories and knowledge went into wrong hooves. Well. I doubt they will be able to do anything with it but eh, I wouldn't want that still. 

 

Missklang looked around.

 

Speaking of which. I might need to gather some poison jokes later. It seem there is an acceptable lab equipment here that I could then use to extract the plant's essence. Do you know any places nearby with them growing?

[Midnight_Aurora 571]

@@Blitz Boom,

 

*Cacora Holds up a key ring. She approaches the door and says, loud and clear,* "Caretaker, It's me Cacora. I am opening the door." *Cacora uses her key ring in an attempt to find and use the correct key.* 'I really need to code rune the keys to have a better idea of which one will work. I will ask the unicorn trainer about arcane marks later.' *She hopes that one of the keys she uses is the correct key.*

[FanOfManyShows 396]

@@Blitz Boom,

 

They were kind of obligated to follow him, so they did, without much question, well except maybe one. "Are you referring to yourself?" Astral was quick to ask that, as a little joke. "Chow Wacko... rolls right off the tongue." She said with a giggle.

 

Misty looked to Astral. "I know you're joking, but his shop was further back, why would he have a stand out here?" She looked to the stand. "Doesn't even look like something he'd do anyways."

 

"Well, then either wacko is a name, or a joke." She paused for a moment. "Probably the latter"

[Widdershins 9,959]

@@Blitz Boom,  & @@Twilight-Shimmer,

 

      While appearing to come out with some trouble, the blade pulls out rather easily. Widdershins gives an appreciative flip before falling back upside-down to sink a bit into the ground, creating a small furrow. With slow turns of his finned tail as he propels himself through the street he gives off the impression as if he was idly floating down a slow river, instead of causing slight damage to the road. Not enough that it can't be hoofed back down, but likely enough to trip a pony that wasn't paying attention.

 

    Like a hot knife tro' buttah!

 

      ...Hmm.   ...Nightmare Moon, hm?

 

   Widdershins's grin fades for a moment into a more serious expression. But only temporarily.

 

    I've know quite a few moonhorses in my time... But that's kind of a silly name for a villain! Like, DarkLady Scarrie or something! Most everybeing gets nightmares; most places got moons. It's like they're just ramming together a few nouns to make some scary badguy for some kids' show or something. Hee~

 

    But no. It's not all that unusual considering.

   Ponyville is the Focus after all. It's where most talk about, think about, make glossy lil' travel brochures about. Complete dead center of the most important nation. It's a cinch that its where everything collects. Every magical dimension has its Nexus. I mean, yeesh, most planes would rip apart having that many interdimensional holes that close together.  But I digress.

   Magic is as magic does. Even Disharmony can be harmonic, just so long as it doesn't stay that way. But I can't really talk Chaos; it's not my element really. Discord probably doesn't want me this close to his territory, but as my writer says: We'll burn that bridge when we cross it!

 

  As the group crosses a bridge on their path out of town towards the tent gatherings (it looking somehow suspiciously lighter & warmer than usual despite the setting sun) Widdershins changes the subject as the young filly on the guardsmare's back stirs in his sleep.

 

    So anyhow, we settin' this little SugarSpawn down for the night? Frankly, I've never been good with telling time. The Light & The Darkness are pretty much the same if you ask me.

 

 

#################################################

 

 

   and then there's @@~Phoenix~,

 

      After having been once more rebuffed in its animosity, the claw was busy snapping at the magical smoke threads when it was caught unaware by a rather large fireball. Knocked away a few feet, it struggles within its sheath of immolation.

    Giving off some panicked, quick clattering noises, it writhes on its 'back' like a dying insect. The scene would likely be more terrifying if it wasn't undermined by the disjointed joint giving off a rather delicious aroma of a finely smoked Lobster Bisque stew.

   After a minute of the flames still not abating, the claw slowly rocks still and stays that way for a while.

 

    After a minute more, the claw unsteadily stands back up & seems to take notice that the flames still have not ceased. With a momentarily surprised, then spreading to a chitinous smirk; the claw begins hopping menacingly towards the ponies once more.

 

  Well, as menacing as a sentient High-End Seafood Dish can be.

[Seamore Sandwich 471]

@@Widdershins,

 

"Good bye then," Hunter said as he walked off into the forest. Just before he was too far away to be seen in the dark forest, he added, "And I'm not from the Everfree."

 

 

@@Blitz Boom

 

A door slams in the alley. Charlie scurries quickly toward the noise, finding the alley to be pitch black aside from the small light above a door at the bottom of a staircase going below the ground. The door was fear itself, behind it a truth unwanted. "Vivid! Snap out of it! Focus on the here and now! Without us, Xeno could be lost forever. That's something we can do something about. Come, we need to go deeper."

 

 

@@Blitz Boom

 

"My parents actually had it in storage for a long time. I asked them if I could use it and they said yes. It used to be the first thing you'd see entering my parents' shop until it stopped working and they put it away. For them, it was easier just to add a bucket of gumballs and sell them by weight along with the rest of the loose candy, but for me it brought back memories. I had it fixed and restored by a local named Tock. He's really good at what he does, though I did ask that he not replace the broken separator. You see, ever since I was a young filly, every fifth customer that used the machine would end up getting two gumballs by mistake. It wouldn't feel right if it didn't do the same as it used to. Now this place truly feels like home."

 

 

@@Blitz Boom

 

Zhu's parents let go of him, but his father kept one paw on his shoulder. "Did you and your sister ever find each other, son?" he asked. His words were precise, he did mean to say 'sister,' not just 'sibling,' though it's entirely possible that Zhu might not realize the implications of that particular word, or what it would mean for his future.

Edited March 20, 2017 by Seamore Sandwich

[Summer Breeze 2,528]

@@Frosty Frost,@@Blitz Boom,

 

Summer listened to Lyriel talk about her insecurities about Nerzhei, and about Equestria. Summer had to agree with her, if she put herself in Lyriel's place she would be really nervous aswell, leaving everything behind and going to a place that was unfamilliar and new and probably very scary.

 

she walked over to Lyriel and gave her a hug "don't worry, Lyriel, it'll be great and you'll love it in Equestria, I'm sure of that!" She said in her always so cheerfull voice.

 

Then she heard Lyriel say that she could cover Frostie's house in moss, which made her chuckle aswell, the same immage as Lyriel popped up in her head and it was quite humerous.

 

A thought came to her, maybe Lyriel could help the climbing roses climb up her house better, she had been trying to grow them for a while and they were comming up but they had to still grow a bit untill they would cover the whole front of her house, which she really wanted. 

 

"Lyriel, could you please cover my house in roses and other flowers? and maybe, if you want to, help my garder grow? it's already a bit overgrown but it's just so beautifull when it's all wild, and there are so much flowers there that smell so lovely when they are in full bloom" she asked exited. 

 

The thought of houses lead her to another thought, which was the question where blue would live. She turned to her new friend "hey, Blue, where in Equestria do you live?" she tilted her head slightly and looked at Blue with a curious look in her eyes. 

[BloodDrops 762]

I want to get to something else though. Blood, what do you mean with killing others with plague?

 

 

That was Blood's head cannon out the window. She blinked at the dragon as she remembered the plague. "Killing others with plague? Exactly as you say, others were killed, by my plague" she remarked. "I might have accidentally spread my virus on, by nudging one or several ponies, spread it somehow. Then it kind of spread and wiped out a smallish population of several thousand" she remarked. The population that she had infected had all mostly died out, though the dragon didn't need to know all of those details. There might be a occasional wondering zombie still sort of alive, but that wasn't very important. Wasn't like there was any pony there anymore to infect.

 

"hmm? Think that place was called hugville. The original tradition was to hug any newcomer to that particular area. It was slightly annoying really, they only discovered of my virus after touching me, so they decided to put me in a cage for there own safety, didn't ask for my opinion on the matter. Had to break my own way out of there, though by that time, most of the town had either been infected and had gone off to find healthy ponies to infect or in the case of the healthy ones, had fled. Not sure where. Found several infected ponies in cages. They must have been the first, probably tried to contain the virus, when that failed they evacuated the town." she remarked

 

"So, I let those infected ponies out of the cage, cured them and left them to wonder around, if they came across a healthy pony then they would bite them, which is good. If they came across a already infected pony, they would cure them" she remarked, "Though i'm going to give that area a miss for several years, probably sill meant to be  stuck in a cage" she added finally.

Edited March 21, 2017 by BloodDrops

[Holiday Agnaktor 1,436]

@@Summer Breeze

@@Blitz Boom

 

 

Blue smiled reassuringly at Lyriel, trying to make her feel more at ease.

 

"Don't worry, nothing is going to go horribly wrong, and even if it does, we can just make our way straight through it!"

 

Pah, worry was one of the worse tasting emotions. Relaxation was far tastier.

 

Frosty looked a bit disappointed when Lyriel explained what her magic did. It didn't sound like any magic that he could pull off. The fact that Lyriel could do it for him did make him feel a bit better. Operation Moss-House was go!

 

"Ah, I play around with ice magic a lot, so watering it will probably not be necessary."

 

When Summer asked Blue where she lived, she half-jumped up at surprise.

 

"I-eh... live in Canterlot! Yup! Got a nice apartment there! Real nice!"

 

The chances that she would get called out on her lies was fairly small at this point, but she couldn't help but worry. On their way to wherever they were headed, they might visit Canterlot, and then they would probably want to visit her house. Which she didn't have. That would be problematic, but she would tackle that problem when she got there.

[asdfmovienerd39 55]

stuff

 

 

"Thank you, Null, it is quite apparent you haven't had much experience helping ponies yet you still at the very least attempted. That is very commendable of you." Zen sniffled, offering a small smile.

 

--------------------------------------------

 

"Eeyup. It's what got me fired from being a Kindergarten teacher actually. Used to make the kids depressed." Deadpan chuckled, "That's a lie. I never taught Kindergarten."

[Widdershins 9,959]

@@Seamore Sandwich,

 

   As the fox slinks off into the forest Ambie lifts his head for a bit as he watches Hunter disappear into the forest.

Sometime after his departure, Ambie gets up to move closer to the wood pile & sits along side it to rest the side of his head against one of the logs. After a notable sigh, he mumbles quietly out loud to himself.

                              "So...   What was I supposed to be doing?...

 

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Some Hours Later

 

     About an hour after Widdershins disappeared from the town square & some mere moments after the resultant group of ponies congregating around the appendage he left behind had departed, an unclear figure comes into Ponyville from the route pointed towards the Everfree forest, shaded somewhat by the setting of the sun to its left.

 

    As it comes closer to town, a loud scraping sound can be heard & under that the sound of wanton exertion.

 

  As it edges closer the sounds increase along with a rather large cloud of dust and shows what appears to be a stallion dragging a heavy load of lumber. This wood appears to have been rolled onto an old burlap tarp, some of it haphazardly dragging off the back end of it, with two holes gnawed into the front end of it. Through these holes a rope has been looped & tied through to attach the harness seemingly broken off an old wooden wagon to the rather bedraggled stallion pulling the whole contraption along. He appears to be moderately coated in the dust he's been kicking up in his efforts to lean against the load with all his might, but from the looks of things the stallion seems to be overheating into a dark maroon color.

 

   With notable grunting & sweating Ambie drags his load & himself towards the center of town and the running fountain at its center. Tarp, harness & all, he collapses to his chest at the foot of the fountain, his coat fading to lighter peachy colors as his face hits the water. He lays there for quite a while quiet, motionless & apparently not coming up for air, but it can be surmised that he's sucking in a rather large amount of water. Or possibly passed out.

  Either way, he might need to be checked on.

Edited March 22, 2017 by Widdershins

[Blitz Boom 4,627]

@@~Phoenix~

@@Widdershins

 

"A well placed fireball with no accidental collateral damage, which seems to have done a number on our opponent here. I must commemorate you Phoenix, well done."

 

Mainly it was on the control from the mare that impressed him, as he had been around fire users before like unicorns, dragons, etc. and their penance for focused strikes tended to be... Less than admirable. Plenty of collateral damage there frankly, or at least a big, flashy showoff, whereas Phoenix had done a modest, well controlled fireball that seemed to have done a good deal against the somewhat fried claw.

 

What an interesting pony to meet, yet he would have to think more on that later, as it seemed their adversary had risen from the cooking pan and were going towards them again.

 

"Tenacious little thing, isn't it? I find it curious as to what the limits are of just this small piece of its owner, but it really should be returned before it makes more troubles. Let's see if your grilling have weakened it enough to simply be caught, shall we?"

 

With that, he send the two smokey nets over his horn flying, aiming for the source of this delicious aroma that filled the air. If it was weakened enough, he should be able to catch it, then wrap it up and then perhaps have Last tell them were to deliver this, though if not... Well, it seemed a pity to overcook it, but whatever worked, yes?

 

                       ==================================================================================

 

 

@@Moonlit

@@Seamore Sandwich

 

Whilst Ziggy stood back in the room and wondered what being a friendship student entailed, Stargazer kept watch next to the door outside, and didn't move until the door opened and Serenade got into view.

 

Considering what she said, it appeared as if this were the sender of the letters that at times had come past the palace and towards Princess Luna, though he had expected something else. He wasn't sure what, but something in his head had just imagined the sender being something else than a pony, or at least a strange one considering the somewhat secrecy of things, but this mare looked pretty normal. Guess he had judged the book before reading it on this matter.

 

"I was asked to collect and bring the contend of the box I handed you ma'am, as well as the letter. I was not told what to do after that, so I remained here in case the correspondence spoke of her needing to get here, or if there was an official issue. I can leave if it is though, If everything is okay and she is not going to make a stop here tonight. I do not wish to disturb your night after all ma'am."

 

                         ===============================================================================

 

 

@@EQ_Theta

 

Weird, why didn't he answer? Could it be that the potion wasn't working right, since he seemed to have answered everything else thus far?

 

Or perhaps Xin had said that there were things there. If he mentioned that Salosan had plans for everything, so some sort of trap could be one of those things, in case somepony found his hideout? Possible, but she supposed they wouldn't know until they got there. It would likely be the best to think that something was prepared for them though, and be ready to pull her friends out if it came to it. Or just go first perhaps, since she were somewhat resilient to things by Discord's design.

 

Perhaps it was something she should ask Lin about helping with, as she would know longma traps better than Omen would. She pretty much only knew the pitfalls, and only because they had been pointed out to her, Sen could be asked too she supposed, but the way he described how he were right now, she wasn't sure if it would work too well. Emotions made beings weird, and Sen had a lot of them from what he had said.

 

"Okay, we talk later. Are we going now then?"

 

if they were, Omen would follow as she tended to do, and wait for them to address her as she thought over things some more. Wasn't much time she'd have to it she'd recon, but there was a lot of clutter in her head right now, so any amount of time could be helpful.

 

                               ===========================================================================

 

 

@@Lil' Lovebug

 

Vivid stayed generally neutral as Satin said what was bugging her, pun not intended. It sounded like something that she would have to ask about later on, more specifically the parts that made her fear meeting members of her old hive, but for now there seemed to be a simple solution to this short term.

 

"If you're afraid that he's from your old hive, why don't we simply go and ask him? I have nothing against changelings in general, so i don't care what he is, but if you're nervous about him knowing about you and wanting to lure you back, then we should confront him and see what happens. Worst case scenario, he does know you, and I'll make him fear ever telling anypony about it, whilst he in most other scenarios turns out not to be linked with you at all, and you will have a clearer mind."

 

Perhaps it was a bit blunt in it, but she were didn't see why it should be dragged on, when a simple question could sort things out far more promptly and without any real danger of something going wrong. Or well, not something that couldn't be fixed at least, with varying degrees of violence behind it. It wasn't optimal if it were, but she were always aware that some situations required a firm, destructive hoof, and even under her contract, she were able to do a few things. Loopholes were fun like that.

 

                                ==========================================================================

 

 

@@Foxy Socks

 

"For daring to defy our rule. Which sounds dreadfully understated without giving the full picture of the place where I grew up now that I think about it.

 

To put it somewhat briefly, in my old home, there were particular rules set by our leaders, and amongst them were that certain... Imperfections, that fell of the great tree would have to accept being about as much worth as dirt.

 

With that, I mean that a certain sub-type of the evergrown in that jungle were deemed as slaves. Not a pleasant thing to think about, and certainly not one to live though, I can assure you. My kind got tossed in a hole in the ground, kept under constant guard and mockery, and fought between ourselves for even the tiniest slivers of sun-light that would graze through the old boards and illuminate our pit. And that was just before we were given a *owner*

 

They called us snaproots, and though we have several differences between ourselves, it always hold true that we have sharp teeth, a need for meat, and no eyes. It makes us easy to catalog for them, which is depressing to think about, as it values us to be little more than things. A psychological thing to make us compliant, along with not generally having names, and having the threat of being tossed right back in the pit dangling over our heads.

 

I were one of the few that were given a first name by my *owner* and no matter how distateful I found him, at least I had some semblance of identity. Something which a certain one of our leaders wanted to take away when he passed and I was given to her, which made me lash out. Literally, I hit her with my vine and send her hurling towards the ground."

 

The smile that went over Briar's face as he recalled that happy moment when he heard the screaming wench crash downwards, along with the shocked words of the others in the tribe, showed that this were indeed a very happy memory for him.

 

"In olden times, I would have been burned to my core for that, but the laws had changed since, so the best they could do were implanting these colored rings into my legs and banish me. The rings represent my *crimes* of disobedience, and every tribe in the jungle knows that, so I couldn't seek refugee somewhere else. I was left to travel away from the jungle entirely, and as far as they were concerned, perish.

 

Might have happened actually, if I hadn't been found by an elderly pony who believed helping me were something worth his remaining time. He made sure that I were taught proper manners, to not bend my neck towards others as eagerly as I used to, and not think the worst about everypony outside the jungle. Which turned out to be a good lesson, as I can safely say that in my long years of traveling the world, I have yet to find another tribe that practice keeping their own citizens as properties."

 

A saddened look went briefly over his face as he recalled the voice of his mentor, scolding him for being too complacent about his position in the world, before taking a softer tone and telling Briar how he were supposed to be.

 

"I do miss my mentor at times. He was a strict teacher, but he did well in preparing me for the real world, and he deserved his rest in the end.

 

Heh, seems like I'm rambling again, even after I said this would be brief. At least I hope that it have been informative, though invasive on your time Foxy.

 

Ah yes, and whilst I remember it: I would not advise you to eat meat, sharper teeth or not. If you never have at this point, then it isn't a dietary requirement of yours, and could likely hurt you if you tried. I have found that ponies doesn't tend to handle flesh all too well, and as you mention, it might simply have something to do with your connection to the foxes of the world. A slight mutation if you will, otherwise you would surely feel a certain hunger even if your belly was full, and weakened from the lack of protein, vitamins etc. from the lack of meat at some point, yes? That is how I feel after prolonged distance from it at least."

 

                                =========================================================================

 

 

@@genessee

 

"Sometimes, keeping y-your head down is the best option. The more prominent you become, the more e-eyes are on you, judging everything you have done w-wrong, and pointing at flaws. I wish Null and I would h-have been able to keep out of sight many times at least, as that m-might have saved us a lot of pain."

 

Void went to the side and helped a few that wanted some dishes, though she would be close enough to Lance so that he should be able to hear something she mumbled after her last sentence.

 

"Perhaps if they had kept us in the basement, mom and dad would still be alive..."

 

it took a few minutes for her to be done with this batch, though she knew that soon, a good deal more would come. She heard them speak about the shifts and from the sound of things, there were only somewhere between a half to a whole hour left until the first bunch's turns were over, and the next one got put in place. It would get somewhat rushed at that point with hungry worker she'd guess.

 

"Can I ask Lance, w-what did you mean by humiliating yourself? Did you try some s-stunts or something to get their attention? Or uhm, perhaps you tried to set up a p-party? I'm just guessing and it's p-perfectly okay if you don't want to say. I don't want to uhm... Dig into some p-potential weird stories you want to keep to yourself.

 

                           =============================================================================

 

 

@@Twilight-Shimmer

@@Widdershins

 

"I know a pony who talks a lot about ley lines. Sounds about the same as what he is spouting, though not something I understand. I leave the magic and dimension thingies to the unicorns."

 

Amazon looked at the road that had been uprooted a little. Minor destructionthough, that barely meant anything, so she didn't think it too important to mention. Especially not as she had a blade in her hoof that she just pulled out of the draconequus. Something which didn't seem to cause him any worry in the slightest, though what did she expect from a demi-god? That he bled out?

 

"You uhm... Want this back? Not impaled on you I mean, but properly back so you can put it wherever it came from."

 

She were putting it a bit towards him, when a movement on her back made her freeze up again, afraid that she might drop the colt of her back as he turned in his sleep again. Turns out that wasn't so much an issue after all, since he wasn't just turning around, but actively waking up from his little nap.

 

"It's okay, here, let me help you down."

 

It took a simple movement to get the colt safely to the ground, though she did look at him concerned for a bit after that, as he still didn't seem too awake. She'd need to keep track of that, in case he fell down again soon.

 

"And to Nightmare Moon, perhaps the name isn't terrifying, but from what I've heard, she might have ended up being. If the elements of harmony hadn't been there to set things straight, who knows how badly things could have turned out? We could have ended up with eternal night all over Equestria, which would mean that basically all vegetation would die out from never having sunlight, so everypony would starve. It would've been a disaster."

 

                              ===========================================================================

 

 

@@Missklang

@@BloodDrops

@@Shineling

 

The ground beneath them rumbled as Nerzhei heard the things that Blood said. Horrendous, bloodshed things that according to how it sounded like, might still be going on to this day. And if that sort of thing would spread through those to-called *cured* freaks that went around and bit healthy ones, they might end up with a serious, ppotentially global problem.

 

Eventually, the earth stopped rumbling, and Nerxhei lifted her hand to her head, with the fingers roughly rubbing her temples as she tried to calm the want for squishing Blood like a bug, as well as trying to find out what to do now.

 

"Blitz and you, go into the hut."

 

Molotov looked shocked and horrified at what he had heard, and were prepared to try and do something about it when the dragon's voice had cut through.

 

"What? There isn't time for that whe-"

 

"Now!"

 

Their eyes met, and judging from how the color seemed to drain from his face, and how he scurried into the hut with the somewhat shivering Blitz clinging to him, he must've seen something that he regarded as a more immediate threat from the suddenly growling dragon, as opposed to Blood.

 

"Let me get this straight. You're saying that you did not only unleash a plague that killed thousands of beings, but also left it in a state where there's still some wandering around, and biting others to convert them to their illness?"

 

She looked down on Blood, no longer with caution or concern about what she might do, but more with anger and annoyance, which could also be heard in her voice as she went on.

 

"Do you have any idea what sort of impact you are describing? Killing several thousands is one thing, and will be dealt with in time when I find out exactly how deliberate you were about that, as well as if you did this other places too. But to then leave a place where several infected still roams around, and potentially spreading this to the entirety of Equestria and beyond?

 

I would ask if your brain had melted out through your ears, but I think the answer is an obvious yes. So instead of you thinking on this, let me tell you what will happen: I will take you back there, this will be fixed in one way or another, and then you will face what you have done. Come peacefully or be forced, I don't care. You're getting us there one way or another, so that this mess can be dealt with properly."

 

Knowing her luck, the only way to deal with this would have to be with fire, but if that was it, then she'd have to cross that bridge when she got there.

 

"You should stay here Storm, and take care of your regular life while this gets done. Missklang... If you can't get home yet regardless, perhaps you can help out whilst you're waiting for your magic to return for that gem? I would prefer to have extra eyes on Blood, and whatever mess she have left behind."

 

From the point where Blood had said what she did, she were prepared to put stone between them if the mare got any closer, though she might be out of luck here regardless, with Missklang opting to help Blood instead, in which case things could get complicated. As in *They could get away* complicated, which would leave them on the loose, and her with a problem that weighed on her consciousness. Which in turn meant that she'd likely focus on that rather than trying to catch the duo.

 

As for Storm Shine, she didn't really think he'd be an issue. He had seemed bend on protecting Blitz before, and she didn't think that sort of mindset would help one who were responsible for the death of ponies. Might be she'd end up surprised though.

 

                            ==============================================================================

 

 

@@Lloyd

 

Chow would wander pretty evenly towards his goal, with a grin that got bigger bit by bit as he prepared for communicating with the crazy wacko, as he referred to the trader.

 

About a meter and a half away from three different stalls, he stopped up and opened his yap to greet his old acquaintance.

 

"Either there's a sale on feather dusters, or somepony forgot their pet at the table again."

 

There were only one that reacted to his boastful words, which were the apparent owner of a sizeable stall marked *Blackbeak's Spices & Oddities* that rose her head and looked at him with narrowed, angry eyes.

 

"How fortunate, someone to beat up that will only smell better from being covered in his own blood."

 

With that, the griffin female that were behind the stall, jumped over the table without touching anything on it, and went for Chow, talons first. Which he blocked initially, and led the two of them to scuffle on the spot whilst ponies wandered further away from the two.

 

Biting, clawing and kicked were had for a dozen seconds or so before Chow stood triumphantly above the griffin, with his hoof around her neck in a headlock, his body blocking for her wings, and one of his back hooves pinning one of her legs down.

 

"Typical you Blackbeak. Always fall for the headlock."

 

He only got the chance to say this before the griffin violently spun, knocking Chow down from her back in the process, and soon after clutched one of her talons loosely around the base of his neck, and the other raised, ready to strike down.

 

"I've learned a few things, equine."

 

Chow laughed at the comment, and gave a big ol' grin upwards.

 

"Alright, I yield. You won this time."

 

Letting go of him, both of the combatants started to brush dust of themselves before Blackbeak looked up at the two that seemed to keep an eye on the interaction between her and Chow. Namely the zebra foal, which was a pretty unusual sight here in town. A few adults here and there did come around, but foals were another story entirely. In fact, she couldn't recall ever seeing one in town before, and she didn't appear to have a parent near her.

 

Chow noticed where her eyes went and beckoned for his friends to get up closer if they wanted to.

 

"You can get closer ladies, we're done with our greeting for now. This here's Blackbeak, best spice seller in town, with a few wonky things getting to her table now and again."

 

The griffin was pretty basic all in all. Faded brown fur, yellow claws, white feathers with dark-blue spots here and there and a tomboyish hairdo from the longer feathers on her head. Her beak lived up to her name though, and accompanied the onyx eyes that were looking them over curiously right now quite well.

 

"Blackbeard, these here's my friends, Misty and Astral. Be nice to 'em regardless of that, eh?"

 

"Friends... With you? You can barely function as a pony, much less connect with them."

 

"Eh, what can I say? Life goes funny now and again."

 

                           ================================================================================

 

 

@@Midnight_Aurora

 

The first key she tried ended up being the right one, and as the door opened, huddles of scared eyes would look towards her, accompanied by the scuttling of small hooves as some of the orphans attempted to get out of the room. Of which one small pegasus managed to.

 

He didn't get far though before he saw Anomaly, then turned around on the spot and back into the room. Apparently she were scarring the small one, likely because of her big ol' pumpkin head.

 

"Hey, it's not that big."

 

You could comfortably fill a foal inside her nogging. How she wandered around without getting a first price stamped on it everywhere were ama- *SNAP* Yeowch! What the heck? My pen just attacked me.

 

"That's what you get for being a meanie. Go back to saying what the ponies in there are thinking again. I wanna know."

 

Jeez, tough crowd. But alright, the ponies in there were scared because of the attacker visitor that had shown up earlier, and had made them gather up the kids in this sort of panic room.

 

"Cacora, get in here. The scary one is behind you."

 

A voice from inside the room floated out, clearly belonging to one of the orphans instead of the caretaker. More specifically, the one that had just been outside and could then say for certain that Aonmaly was still there, and hadn't left, like most of them hoped for.

 

                            =============================================================================

 

 

@@Seamore Sandwich

 

Vivid didn't say anything, but slowly managed to walk towards the direction that Charlie wanted her to, though with heavy steps and tears of blood still rolling down her face from the mental pressure of grief that were still keeping a grip in her heart. This place were wearing her down emotionally, and if they weren't out relatively soon, her resurrection wouldn't mean much, as she would have ended up broken beyond repair from staying in this place for too long.

 

"...Why is there only pain here? Nothing good, just grief and hatred..."

 

She hadn't gotten near enough the door with fear to be gripped by that yet, but the hopelessness in her voice had said well that it didn't even need to come into play to grind on her already, and make her words earlier about needing to keep collected worth little. What fear would end up doing to her after she were vulnerable like this were going to be a sight to behold, though likely not a pretty one.

 

                            =============================================================================

 

 

@@Seamore Sandwich

 

Zhu looked somewhat puzzled on his parents at the question.

 

"The only family I have ever known of before now, were Celestia. No sibling ever showed themselves to me, though from these eggs I wouldn't think one would hatch either. They are too damaged to let anything grow from them anymore. Unless you speak of a child from another batch?"

 

Quite honestly, this sounded possible, but it might also be that they thought another egg hatched, and were able to tell if it would be a boy or a girl in advance. He hadn't spent enough time around his kin to say for sure what they were entirely capable of, and hadn't the interest in learning as the years went by. Up until this moment, that sort of information seemed pointless to him, as he had resigned himself to being duty-bound for the foreseeable future, instead of having to worry about other family than Celestia.

 

Still, even if he did have a sister at some point, it was too late to speak with her. He only kept alive and young through the mystic spring, whereas somepony else of his kind were unlikely to be alive after nearly a millennia in his opinion. Or if so, not without some kind of interference from a magical source.

 

Then again, he could be wrong. As thought, he didn't know too much about his race, including the lifespan of some individuals. Might be there was some that could last through the ages, though those he had seen hadn't at least.

 

                                 ========================================================================

 

 

@@Seamore Sandwich

 

"A nostalgic machine it sounds like. I can understand why you would want something like that restored dear, and I can imagine that the odd foal here and there find much enjoyment in suddenly having two gumballs roll out at the same time. A small treasure for them, and at times, it really is about the little things in life, no?"

 

Scarcity had long since got rid if everything that reminded her of her younger years that didn't directly correlate with her sister, and the few things she had kept as memories were locked safely in storage, or in her office somewhere. Not somewhere shown though, as she were a rather private pony and didn't appreciate others snooping into her life too much. Might encourage them to look deeper and find that there were something underneath the surface that shouldn't be publicly known.

 

Ahaha, she was kidding, of course. There wasn't a chance they would find trace of what she did. She made certain that nopony talked, and that no evidence directly pointed towards her. Long as she did not take unnecessary risks, things should remain safe and stable.

 

"This store really must mean everything for you Penny. Would be a shame if something were to happen to it."

 

She paused for a moment, then started to chuckle slightly.

 

"My apologies, I couldn't resist the opportunity. I can assure you that I wouldn't dream of harming such a wonderful establishment as this. I do have one thing that I wish to do here though that I haven't yet gone over. You see, as mentioned, i have several uses for magical chocolate such as that which you have sold me thus far. I simply wish to inquire about whatever or not it is a ware you have in stock most of the time, or if perhaps it is a case of *First come, first buy* where the production then takes some time to get your stock refilled? In case I require more of these at some point, it could be helpful to know if I would do better in ordering in advance."

 

                             =============================================================================

 

 

@@Summer Breeze

@@Frosty Frost

 

Lyriel found a warm smile overtaking the amused one that had been planted on her face previously, as she were embraced by one of her small friends, and got a reassuring smile from another.

 

"I do hope you are right my friends, but I think that this will likely carry with me until I can see it for myself. With some luck, it should not be too long after we wake up in the morning that we will arrive there, so my mind can be cleared.

 

As for what you say Frosty, you would need to be careful with frost around moss. It can be made resilient, but too much ice will make it wither, so please do not leave a layer everywhere if possible, okay?"

 

She smiled at Frosty, before leaning down and moving her left hand, palm up, towards Summer. Soon a budding plant began to grow and unfold in her hand, until in the end, a delicate, red rose stood and swayed in the breeze, with smaller ones starting to sprout around it in varying colors.

 

"Something akin to this perhaps?

 

Ah, and Blue? I know not what you speak of when you say 'apartment* but if it your living area, would you care for some flora as well? I would not wish to exclude you if you have a wish for it, and it does not need to cover everything if you do not wish it to."

 

                                               ===============================================================

 

 

@@asdfmovienerd39

 

"Eh, couldn't leave you hanging with that. Now let's get going before the feather dusters gets too far away."

 

Null found it kinda awkward to stay in the situation for much longer, and didn't know how to deal with praise properly, so she just refocused things on the griffins that had already gotten a bit of way from them at this point, though they could still be seen. Good riddance they hadn't been flying or this would have been an entirely different story.

 

                          ===============================================================================

 

 

@@asdfmovienerd39

 

"I think you would've done great around kids. The little rascals tend to love puns in the early years before they become all jaded int he teenage years."

 

Sea Breeze thought back on a few situations where he had run into foals that needed a bit of cheering up, and from his experiences it tended to work as long as you didn't try on some of the older ones. Tricky to judge what'd work on those.

 

"Never been at a kindergarden myself either, but I do occasionally need to go to the Canterlot hospital and hear out the families that's planning on how to send to nearly departed away in proper fashion, and sometimes I go to the kids wards and try to cheer them up a bit after the grizzly parts. Helps cheer both them and me up, though those poor sods tend to need it far more than me."

[Twilight-Shimmer 151]

@@Blitz Boom,

@@Widdershins,

 

Blinking his eyes a few more times stardust glanced around a moment before reaching into his saddle bags and pulled out a small colorful bottle of blue liquid before opening it and downing it in one gulp "Gah, you would think Zebra Energy drinks could be more flavorful" he lightly complained before rubbing his eyes a bit then reaching to his tail to  fix his tail ribbon a bit "So um.. sorry about falling asleep on you" he then said looking up and Amazon Lily with a smile "I didn't realize how tired I was from my walk to town"

[~Phoenix~ 196]

@@Blitz Boom, 

 

Phoenix gave a half-minded nod to acknowledge smokey's compliment. she knew he was complimenting him for her control, and being as witty as he seemed, she was certain he'd already taken interest. she was going to try and conceal her abilities for as long as possible, and although she's not doing a good job at it so far, there's certainly still plenty more up her sleeve

 

she sighed at herself "and he's gonna try as hard as he can to poke through and find out" she thought to herself. having more up her sleeve certainly was an advantage, but to someone like smokey, it was like a gold mine.  

 

all of a sudden, she noticed the crab claw leaping back at them, and she took a step back in bewilderment. normally one of her fireballs was all it took to cook something that size. which was very convenient for hunting. 

[genessee 535]

@@Blitz Boom

 

When Lance heard Void mumble the statement, he became slack-jawed for a moment before quickly regaining himself, before Void noticed. This felt much like those moments when you become interested in something but can't find the answer without digging deeper than you'd like to go. He kept his mouth shut, however, and waited until he was asked again to speak. Usually he would have hesitated at being asked he did to humiliate himself, but he was a bit numb at the moment.

 

"Oh, uh, what- Oh! Right, uh.. what I did? Uhm.."

 

He paused and took a breath.

 

"Sorry. So what did I do to humiliate myself? Yeah, I did some stupid stunt by jumping off a cottage."

 

He immediately regretted saying this.

 

"Before you ask, yes, this was very stupid. And I also had a mat on where I was supposed to land, but some neighborhood bullies moved the mat while I was getting set up. By the time I realised that the mat was gone, it was too late. I faceplanted and was knocked out, and when I came to the entire town knew me as 'The Flatfaced Cottagejumper'..."

 

He winced after saying the name. It was dumb and unoriginal, but it still hurt.

Edited March 22, 2017 by genessee

[Foxy Socks 2,599]

@@Blitz Boom, 

 

Foxy listened quietly as Briar told his story. She was shocked to hear such a horrid past, something she was lucky not to have. Sure being a bit of a loner was awkward at times, but nothing compared to what Briar had been through. She couldn't even imagine what the poor Changeling  had been through.

 

Yet, here they were, past all their troubles, different than before. Foxy wasn't sure how to sympathize, as she hadn't been through so much, but her kindness urged her to say something.

 

"I... can't believe you've been through so much. I have never been in a situation like that before, but I admire your strength to go through all that. I hope you will never have to go through any of that again..."

 

Foxy realized they had been at the tent area for a few minutes, but she enjoyed talking to her new friend, and they may never meet again. Due to their travels she assumed they'd be gone soon, but she appreciated their help.

 

"Thank you again for helping me, I appreciate it a lot. I guess I should tell you a little about myself instead of pushing so many questions, but there isn't a whole lot to say. I was born in Cloudsdale, but shortly after my parents moved out, and brought me to a small village called Swift Branch Woods."

"That is where I was raised, and of course I don't remember anything about Cloudsdale. I started to notice my differences pretty early on, and I was told to be careful, but not be ashamed of them. Still, I was and still am a loner, but maybe it's just who I am and not because my foxish appearance made others avoid me. As I said before, I have fangs, and it  can scare a few ponies unfortunately. I don't blame them, and don't worry I won't attempt to become omnivorous, it was just a thought."

Foxy continued, "I made a few friends, which were mostly Earth ponies. I forgot to mention that most ponies in Swift Branch were Earth ponies, and Pegasi and Unicorns were a rare appearance, so I stood out a bit more. No one hated me that I know of, and my parents were kind, but I never understood my differences. I started to explore and study the wildlife, sometimes with friends. I assumed my cutie mark would have to do with it but I wasn't sure, and I was a bit young."

"It wasn't for a few more years I found out my special talent. I have never seen foxes before, though I have heard of them. Some thought they were cute, others a nuisance. I found out where I stood the moment I saw one. I had gotten lost in the forest near my village, and not being a good flier, I couldn't fly above the trees that easily, being so young. Eventually fatigue caught up with me and I fell asleep, lost and terrified. Later, possible a few hours after, a small, red animal came up to me and woke me up. They were the most beautiful thing I ever saw, though they don't smell too great. Anyway, I guess they mistaken me for another fox and decided to help me out the forest."

"I didn't earn my mark then though, but the experience led me to study and interact with foxes more often. A few of the townspeople said not to help these 'pests,' but I knew they were sweet animals. A year or two later, I can't exactly remember, I found an injured fox that couldn't have been a year old. They couldn't walk or move, vulnerable to the wild. I had to do something, so I quietly picked them up, getting bitten a few times, but it was all worth it when I brought him home and cared for them for about a week."

 

"Finally, I returned the fox cub home, but I did not know where they lived, so I went to where they were found, only to hear a small voice on the way there. I don't know how, but I could communicate with them now, and they told me where their family was. Not only could I communicate with them, after returning the fox to the grateful parents, I had earned my cutie mark! I knew then I had to help out foxes, and other animals as well, like snakes, which are my second favorite animal, but that's another story."

 

Foxy took a quick breath, she had said a lot in the past few minutes, something she was not used to. 

[FanOfManyShows 396]

@@Blitz Boom,

 

During their little fight, Astral was internally on guard, ready to separate the two if things got... worse than they turned out. But since that didn't happen, she approached the griffon. "I've not seen many of your kind lately." She said a bit nervously. "But considering how much I've only read about your kind in books, I'd say first impressions are rather, good." She reached out a hoof, knowing if the griffon decided to tackle her, she'd end up with a warding spell breaking a talon, or two, something that'd lead to trouble, so hopefully it wouldn't happen, but the thought made her hoof shake a bit.

[Storm Shine 1,196]

@@Blitz Boom, 

 

Storm nodded, "Okie Dokie, I hope you manage to get everything resolved there." He said, before moving to poke his head into the hut. "By the way Blitzy, I have a few things I thought you might have fun experimenting with. Found'em while Pinkie, Grey, and I were out and thought they looked interesting." the blue Pegasus pulled a bag out of.. somewhere.. and placed it next the the door. The rather full bag tilted a bit under its own weight, a few  of the odd items falling out; including some glowing rocks, a rainbow-striped mushroom, a few flowers shaped like snowflakes, and what seemed to be a glowing blue pine-cone, but shaped like fire and had a stem shaped like a fuse. "I saw them and immediately thought 'Blitzy could probably make stuff out of this!'." Storm added, smiling at Blitz and, by extension (due to her hanging off of him), Molotov. (Helpful big brother, great guy for sure. =) | Storm! Shh, you don't put stuff in parenthesis, that's my job. | Boop! :3)

Edited March 23, 2017 by Shineling

[EQ_Theta 459]

@@Blitz Boom

"I have no further questions," Lin turned to her brother and he nodded in agreement. "We'll leave right away."

Strangely, the supposedly busy morning routines around the village was not what Sen and Lin met upon leaving the clinic. A few were still about their business; some were still selling goods and others were engaged in light conversation, but the atmosphere was bothersome. The siblings knew the way to the cave, or at least the general direction to the area. It was a common practice among the elderly go there with their remaining family to inter them into what is called the Endless Dream, the last act before the parting of ways. The siblings began moving towards the only visible exit but were stopped by several villagers, some holding sacks.

"Hey!" An angry female longma shouted seemingly directed at Lin and Omen but was intended for all of them. "We saw what your accomplices were doing yesterday. The children were seen with you! You just couldn't stop with being thrown out, now you decide to indoctrinate the young ones to your twisted ideas!? You think we're stupid? We know what you are up to and we won't stand for it!"

The angry chanting and jeering grew louder, the leader of this group rousing each one in the mob to pick up stones and ready themselves. Lin stepped forward, hoping to diffuse the hostilities. "You've got it all wrong! Sen had nothing to do with-"

A rotten tomato slammed into Lin's face before a hail of pebbles and stones followed suit. Some whizzed past Lin's head while a few struck her square in the face. A good number of those stones were directed towards Omen but Sen quickly grabbed Lin and put himself in front of his sister and his friend, back and wings against the angry mob while being pelted with stones. He winced in pain with each jagged stone scarring him and opening fresh wounds.

"Go," Sen quietly said but Lin wouldn't budge, grabbing on to him and pulling him away from the mob. He relented and wrapped his wings around Lin and Omen to shield them while he escorted them away from the mob. Lin was visibly distressed and found breathing difficult during that moment, not to mention seeing how deep the scars on Sen's body were. Even pieces of the webbing on his wings were torn and had holes on them. "I'm terribly sorry about this, Omen. The villagers are a lot nicer than this."

The leader of the mob then tried to follow but stopped short of the village's exit and yelled: "You are not welcome here exile! Take your abominations with you!"

Edited March 24, 2017 by EQ_Theta

[Moonlit 593]

@@Seamore Sandwich,@@Blitz Boom,  Serenade nods, "Everything is fine now, thank you sir. The Letter just let me know that my meeting with Princess Sparkle has been moved up. Can I offer you a muffin or something else to eat before you return to Canterlot?" Serenade gave the Guard a smile, not the one she gave know-it-all nobles who wanted to fiddle with the night sky but a genuine smile. 

Edited March 23, 2017 by Moonlit

[asdfmovienerd39 55]

stuff

 

"Yes, the griffons do seem to be ahead of us.." Zen mumbled, shaking her head to clear her thoughts before going to follow the griffons.

 

------------------------------------------------

 

"I also think I'd give 'em existential crisis after existential crisis, but hey, maybe I'm wrong." Deadpan chuckled, it seemed he was back to his usual self.

[Lil' Lovebug 1,041]

Satin shook her head and averted her gaze. "No. I'll leave that in the past. He's dealing with the innkeeper, and I shouldn't bother them. Plus, he seemed to like his life like I like mine. I don't think he'd want to go back either. It was... irrational for me to assume he might be from my old hive." She sighed and stared at the bottles in front of her.

 

After a moment, she looked back up at Vivid. "Vivid, how... how do you remain so strong when dealing with judgement? You seem like it doesn't affect you at all, unless it's towards someone else." She looked down, her eyes narrowing in thought. "Actually... why do you stand up for me so often? I've done nothing to cause you to be so defensive of me and so nice. I understand that you might feel like you have to because you understand what it's like, and you want to protect others from that same harm, but.... Nevermind. I'm just glad to know that someone is even willing to stand up for me and help me, so thank you."

 

'I shouldn't bother her anymore. She seems so kind. Though her threatening ponies is a bit much, it's quite sweet.'