open Casual stroll

[hollow-shades 129]

@Blitz Boom

While looking around, carefull not to loose sight of the couple and attract sight from other ponies, she saw that unicorn again. She seemed to be looking somewhere to him, and he immediately thought: Uh oh.

Could just be a coincidence, but she looked...suspicious. But he could't get his mind out of the couple- they were going to be his meal. Well, atleast the chef of his meal. But literally all little corner had ponies talking. In the worst of cases, he would't need to show himself off and spit at people.

That is, until he came across a regular house. There weren't any ponies looking at his direction, which was perfect! He sneaked behind it, and shapeshifted.

Into a bunny. Nobody would possibly doubt him now. He waddled his way back to the Lucky Clover and Wild Fire.

[genessee 535]

@Blitz Boom

Lance wasn't really sure what just happened.

"Err... what exactly do you mean by interrogate? Like, in the uncomfortable concrete room and the, like, one-way glass and stuff?"

It was obvious he wasn't serious when he asked this, he just did it to allow his mind to wander. Maybe I should try chugging a gallon of coffee and see how long I last before collapsing. Now that would be fun. I mean, there's a good chance that it'd kill me, but... wait, no, I can't really think of a 'but' for death by coffee. I can see it now, 'Stallion dies from overdose on caffeine. When boss questioned, answers 'he was never a bright one, I'll tell you that,'' Actually... It went on for quite a while.

[Seamore Sandwich 471]

@Blitz Boom

 

Silvermane smiled down upon his followers as they chanted.  He pointed at the first one to speak and stated in front of everyone, "I like your spirit.  You know what?  I'll allow you the honor of helping to choose the next mission.  If you'll present me with three beasts on which I may test my blades, you may also Bear Witness as I slay the beast of my choosing.  But first I will need your name."  It was known long ago that accompanying Marcus was not common.  In fact, the few who had were remembered along with the story they told, and their scrolls were highly valued by the other followers.  At least, that's how it was when he was still around.  Who knows how much things have changed over the millennia?  Would they even still have the Witness's Garb?  It was much like the traditional robes, but there were small amounts of armor added to protect the Witness.  There were also multiple pockets for things like healing potions or magic reserve crystals.  Honestly the robe itself was probably eaten away by moths long ago, but surely the few pieces of armor plating would still be around.  He was curious of this, but it wasn't important right now.  He needed a plan, a way to bring himself into the public eye again.

 

@Blitz Boom

 

The shop was usually open late, but today Penny was closing up early.  Being a young filly, Blossom couldn't be allowed to stay up too late, especially with school the next day.  As Penny and Blossom finished their tasks, the sun began to set.  Blossom trotted out the front door, followed not to long after by Penny who shut the lights off and turned the open sign over to closed.  She locked the door behind her.  "If I'm not here tomorrow, just open up the shop without me.  You still have the spare key, right?"  "I'll make sure I keep it with me.  Bye, Penny," Blossom responded reassuringly.  "Hi Scarcity.  So I went to a friend at the apothecary and she had one of the fake bits.  Now, she says she got the coin from an antique restorer we both know by the name of Tock.  I thought we could start there, and maybe he'll be able to tell us where he got the coin.  However, the fact that I didn't find much more of the fake coins leads me to believe they're not coming from anywhere around here.  If they were, there would be a lot more.  I'm guessing we may have to do a bit of traveling if we want to get to the bottom of this.  What do you think?  Should we go check out Tock's Shop?  He's probably working on that clock of his like he usually does after work, which means he'll probably still be at his shop."

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom @Seamore Sandwich @Widdershins "My name is Serenade." Serenade rolls over and slowly advances toward Ziggy, "Don't beat yourself up too badly, your were scared, these things happen. I am sure Ziggy won't fault you, besides...you saved her." The sound brings Serenade's head up and she narrows her eyes. 

[Sekel 694]

@Lloyd & @Blitz Boom & @Widdershins

DAWN & AURORA

"There. Are. Dragons. Here," Dawn hissed at Pop but immediately looked apologetic in the face of her friend. She took a deep breath but it wasn't enough to shake the feeling that she was going to be eaten by the giant lizards. "I know the giant dragon is over Ponyville but he's been there so long I've gotten used to his presence," she muttered and managed to glare at both Kaltrops and Benny at once. "Just because you're a couple with Benny, doesn't mean I still don't have to like the species."

Aurora though, had recovered slightly from her head on collision with the cart and peeked out from behind it. Her eyes widened at the group of ponies and decided to stay where she was. It was better that way. Less ponies to see her, the less she was inclined to change due to stress or emotion overload or something to that effect. "Spicy, why don't you cool the witty remarks?" she whispered to the shark pony hybrid, sneaking around the back of the cart and behind her. "Please?"

[Victoria Sponge 1,017]

Battenberg shook her head, "no changing some ponies... I'm sure she doesn't mean anything by it, it's just how she is."

She unbuckled her saddle bag and a large bag of chilli floated out surrounded by the yellow aura that had presented the cakes earlier on. She smiled at Benny, "I did get what you wanted, wasn't too hard to find. I actually bumped into my apprentice, didn't know she was in town. Gave me someone to talk to."

[Storm Shine 1,196]

@Blitz Boom

Pinkie giggled at Anomaly's antics, picking up a few pictures to keep hold of. Storm smiled a bit, before he looked around and blinked, "Where are Blitz and her brother?" He asked, noticing that they weren't around. Who knows what kind of trouble they could get into in a place like this... Or cause for that matter, given their penchant for explosives... "We should probably go look for them"

[Blitz Boom 4,634]

@Foxy Socks

"I don't think there's anything silly about that. It's something you cherish that's damaged. I'd be sad too."

Brittle didn't have much in the way of personal items. Having no memories of her life before the botched conversion and then being treated like dirt in the circus, she didn't have anything that could connect to a fond memory like that.

The closest she had was the grey bow in her mane. Scruffy and looking like it had seen a lot of better days, but it was hers at least, and she wouldn't like if that got shredded up. With Foxy, it had to be worse than that, right?

"Isn't there a seamstress or something in Ponyville? There have to be somepony that can help. Right?"

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

 

@EQ_Theta

Stargazer looked at the gem covered in the glass bauble. It reminded him of something, but what were it? A toy perhaps? Decoration? Whatever it were, it seemed to have been from a long time ago.

He hadn't been the sort to look at things or play much when he grew up. The teasing, mockery and general defeated world view he got on the Canterlot orphanage, didn't make those sort of simple pleasures easy to just delve into. It just fed the rebellious and resentful parts of him, and made him lash out.

The thoughts on his past, before the guards, were not something he found pleasant. He was an idiot then who didn't understand the world, and there was times when he just wished he could forget how he had been, and just focus on what he were now.

Yet, as Elden Moon had told him, he needed it to keep his new life into perspective, as well as the job. It helped him feel empathy for the ones he ran into who wasn't so much criminals as just ponies who needed somepony who'd listen to and help them, and after Jelly had been born, it had proven invaluable.

His ex-wife did not think all his decisions on how to raise Jelly based on that were good. For example, the self-defense techniques he had taught her so she wouldn't be a victim in school, or how to use her bat pony heritage to scare others to either get out of hostile situations or help others, gave him quite the number of verbal lashings.

But he didn't care. In the end, it was all about keeping her from making the same mistakes as he did, and keep her safe, even if he couldn't be there to hild his hoof over her. So he kept teaching her manner, how to fight, and most importantly, when to fight. He didn't want her to become a bully after all, just away from their antics.

He started to think on how he had to remember that she were to start school tomorrow, when he realized that he had been trailing off, and just stood and looked at the gem for around a minute and a half.

"...I'm sorry, but I don't know what that is. But if it's a gem, I know somepony you can ask about it.

When the rebuilding of Ponyville started, the princesses brought in a construction firm owner to assist with getting materials. I haven't heard much of him here, as the forepony is on his back a lot, but I recall from Canterlot that he dabbles around gem auctions now and again where the guards are asked to keep watch, in case of thieves. Might be he got an expert view on this sort of thing too.

His name is Clayton Quartz, and I saw him head for the inn about fifteen minutes ago. If you hurry, you might be able to catch him before he gets to bed."

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

 

@cwhip9

The feline looked slightly interested at the sandwich, but in the end, just shrugged walked away from it.

"A great hunter doesn't need hoofouts."

Truth be told, his nose did tickle with the smell of delicious fish, but he didn't want to seem relied upon others to feed himself. He was a proud feline, and a nimble predator, not a house pet.

He had been once, a long time ago, and he didn't mind then, but it was different with Starswirl. The pony had been kind to him, and allowed the cat to have his pride - if you excluded the vet visits - even when his experiments started to include Zinthar. He actually really liked the old wizard, which was one of the reasons he had gone as long as he had to get answers about what had happened to him.

Crescent on the other paw... He had saved his life, which were something Zinthar would always owe him for, but that still at best made them friends, not pet and owner. That ship had sailed, and besides, he was perfectly able to get fish for himself... As long as he didn't fall into the river...

"So then, we have some way to go. Any secrets you two wanna share? I could always use something incriminating about you, just in case."

He were joking of course, which the purring chuckle just made more obvious, but perhaps they'd be willing to share something a little less incriminating, but still informative. If course, he couldn't just ask of that, but perhaps this approach would yield something good. Almost as good as a delicious fish.

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

 

@Flinp

Onache slowed down as she saw the pony wander into an alley.

Considering how filled the town were of others, an alley like that would be a good place to change forms unseen, even if it were a filthy endeavor. But what could you expect of drones? They were meant to do a job, no matter how low they had to steep, and something like this were a good example of that.

She still didn't have proof it were him though, but considering he had gone in there, it seemed almost guaranteed. What need would a regular pony have for wandering away from the crowd and into a secluded place like this? Dress up as a superhero and waltz around to protect the innocent citizens? Pah, what a laughable thought.

Whilst Onache kept at a distance and observed, the stallion at the table started to curse a little under his breath.

"Oh come on! I was so sure I had it this time. I swear, somepony is messing with the vibes or something."

The mare didn't seem overly impressed, and actually smirked at him a little, but he couldn't get mad at her for that. He were acting like quite the numbskull sometimes, and as long as he couldn't prove how luck could be bend around to work for you, rather than just being seemingly random, it wasn't like he made himself out to be anything less than a clown.

"Awh, aren't you just the sweetest when you don't have a leg to stand on?"

She leaned forward and grinned at him as a blush started to spread on his cheeks. She never got tired of seeing him like this, or to hear his ridiculous theories and failed presentations. How else would she get most of her entertainment?

Looking for a way out of this, Clover quickly pounced on the distraction that came when a stray bunny seemed to be heading their way.

"Hey, would you look at that? I think one of Fluttershy's little critter have gotten lost. Better go help that one. Yep'sire."

Onache on the other hoof, rolled her eyes as she saw the stallion walk from the table and towards the approaching critter, ready to try and lead it back home to the mare's cottage.

A bunny form used to lure somepony away, and they fell for it? How stupid were the peasants around here? Did they just wander around with any random forest critter that appeared near them? it certainly seemed that way.

How on earth had Chrysalis not taken over Equestria when this were the town of heroes she had been yapping off about? She could have done it herself with three changelings and a well placed ball of yarn if this were the standard these ponies lived by.

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

 

@genessee

"No, she's just going to batter you with questions until you answer. She's a little... Strenuous to deal with occasionally, but beneath the caffeine addiction and conspiracy thoughts is a good mare."

In a way, Berry were like Alonsus. A pony with some baggage that not too many would want to deal with, but with a loyal, solid worker underneath it. Only one who hadn't been like that were their old delivery colt, and after he had moved to Canterlot and they had looked around for a new runner - one of Lance's new duties once this were all said and done - he wasn't sure if there was anypony working here without something. Lance seemed like a good one, but they'd have to see him in action before it got apparent if there was something there too. Hopefully there wasn't though, as the delivery service needed a regular kind of pony to appeal, but they'd work with it if it were. He had been through worse after all.

But Lance would have to meet those too. Not the witress though, she were out for an errand right now, so he could thankfully wait with her a little. Perhaps he should even warn Lance about that one?

A small smirk spread on his muzzle as he turned and waved Lance towards the back. Having thought on it, Straw were going to leave the waitress of the list for now and see how he'd react to her. Might end up being informative.

"Next up is the kitchen. You're gonna want to stay on good hoofing with the chef as you'll be interacting with him quite a bit, but it should be fine. Any questions before we move in there sonny?"

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

 

@Seamore Sandwich

It felt like gazing into the eyes of an angel when the hero glanced in his direction. The visage of their symbol of greatness were beautiful, and the look in his eyes carried promise of a greater meaning they had yearned for ever since he went away. Even a brief look of that were like a valuable treasure for his indoctrinated mind.

But his eyes didn't go away from the squire. Instead the hero... Spoke to him? Asked him to chose targets, of which he would find the most suitable for his return? And... T-To bear witness? Him? He was but a lowly squire. A recruiter that showed the lost a better way. Surely he wasn't worthy.

Yet... As the eyes of others looked at him in surprise, he knew that he would go with the hero. How could he even think that declining was a possibility? All of them had waited for him for so long, and would do anything to bear witness to his great work. Going against who he wished that to be were unthinkable. Sacrilege of untold proportions.

"M-My name is Sugar Lime, and If you wish me there, I will follow without hesitation my lord.

As for targets... Beasts that burden this land...

A while back, a large, vicious creature knows as a Bugbear attacked the village of Ponyville. Rumor a while back haves it that it was defeated, but reports have emerged of several creatures befitting it's description marching towards a village in the east. Whatever they seek is uncertain, but the devastation they have already left in their wake is unquestionable.

In the frozen reached of the northern mountains, a swarm of Windigos have been claimed to rise up and overtake a combined griffon and pony village. We have only gotten reports on this a few days ago, by somepony who managed to escape what he now calls the creatures *Eternal battle frontier*, but it sounds as if they have been under siege for weeks, or as long as a month, and both they, and the nearby villages they will overtake as their power grows - urgently need help.

Deep within the Creaking Forest to the south, alarming news have also shown up recently. Letheria, daughter of the first Chimera, have started to rally her kind after overtaking her mothers throne. Why she does this is not known to us yet, but when her mother once did the same, Equestria was on the brink of a war that was only narrowly avoided by somepony who defeated her in battle. Letheria is apparently far stronger than she were though, and Equestria seems unable to find anypony who can defeat her and silence the drums of war.

These are the worst we have been informed of in some time, great one."

Whilst he had been talking, the some of the elders among them had sent for the equipment that should be worn by the one who would bear witness. It had seen better days most assuredly, and the cloth had long since ended up threadbare and unusable, but new robes had been fitted with the armor, carefully sown to fit the description of the robe before it, and then been put away for future use. It had been around twenty ears since then an the color was not as white as it had once been, but they had been better at keeping moths out of it this time at least, and the few holes there had been during the time had been patched up.

Considering where they had it, it would be a few before it was retrieved, and likely a little more than that if they had yet to give the hero back the objects of his they had kept guard over for so long.

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

 

@Seamore Sandwich

"Tock you say? Oh excellent. I can ask how far along my watch have gotten then at the same time."

Tock were perhaps not the most influential in some ponies eyes, but she respected his work, and had taken a chance by commission him to repair a few antique watches she had gotten recently. Not so much the outside, but what made it tick? She had needed to find a specialist for that, and as it turned out, not too many had been rumored to be able to handle the fragiler mechanic. Tock had actually been the only one within a reasonable travel distance as far as she could recall, so she had sent some worker there with the things, an advance on the pay for this, and written documents that would ensure the rest of the sizeable amount she had to pay for this to be paid on his completion of the work.

She had never seen him herself though. Usually she liked knowing who she were dealing with, but alas, some days were hectic, so she had to rely on hired help for these conversations on occasion.

"We can go there now, if you prefer, though I have something to present as well."

Scarcity gave a barely noticeable nod to Brick, which made the pegasus wander forward and pull out a folded letter from his pocket. It would be reached towards Penny then, and he'd stand still until she took the letter, which seemed to be of a rather high quality. If she'd look at the back when she unfolded it, she would be able to see the remnants of a seal and an address in Manehattan, written in a flowing penmanship.

"Pastel Atmosphere sent me this letter after I asked around. You know him, yes? He owns one of the bigger galleries in Manehattan?

In any case, I asked around about fake coins, giving the specific details about how they have been made which you presented to me, and he answered rather quickly. Apparently, one of his sales included a bunch of these, which he have highlighted in the letter. Perhaps if we follow the money from that sale, we can find something there when it is, yes?"

Pastel were an eccentric and often irritating pony to be around, but he did have one thing about him which she loved: His impeccable sense of keeping records. Even the smallest sale in his gallery - which were still rather ludicrous ones for regular ponies - would have documents about the sale stored for years, in case anypony tried something or accused him of knowingly selling stolen paintings, or other situations which seemed mostly to be born of his paranoia.

There had been a few more slabs of paper in the letter previously, where it told her specifics which were not meant for regular eyes, which she had removed prior to bringing it here. Mainly about how he would look around for himself, but would like the assistance of others since the name ont he form seemed to be false. Other information were there, surely, but no picture and no name? He loathed work like that.

"But you laid out your clue first, so let us follow up on that to begin with, shall we not?"

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

 

@Moonlit @Seamore Sandwich @Widdershins

Though she turned, Cherish did not see anything that could speak. Only a stick that seemed hidden between the rocks, but she didn't bite much note in this. The castle had been abandoned for a long time, and here and there, nature had started to creep through the stone, so for her, this was kind of normal. At least compared to everything else going on.

"No, I hurt her. Everything was wrong, and she started screaming. There was so much noise, I couldn't think... You need to get her to a doctor. Or something bad is going to happen to her.."

Had it really been so long since she had been around ponies that the screaming alone had made her loose her balance and hurt somepony? Or was it because she were alone now, after the strange unicorn with the burning ears and the bat pony helped her friend to pass on? Either way, Ziggy had paid the price, and if the zegasus ended up like her because of it... She couldn't bear to think that, when the mare still had so much life ahead of her. Serenade the Siren had to do something to help her. Though... Were there even a way out of here? She saw stairs, but they were all but collapsed, and so were seemingly all of the doorways, though she did see a small sliver of light pop in between some of the rocks. Perhaps there was a way out if these things got moved?

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

 

@Dji @Widdershins @Lloyd

"I know there's dragons here, and I'm sorry you have to go through that Dawn. I just worry that you'll end up getting hurt by the big one if you aren't careful, and I don't want that to happen to you."

Pop wandered over and tried to comfort her friend a little, as Benny stood behind in what he felt like quite the odd position considering what the negativity and overall weird situation with Dawn. He had heard that every couple had some friends that wouldn't like the one they were with, but he didn't think it'd be this direct. More like talking smack behind his back or something.

"Actually, I think there's a bigger chance she'll get in trouble for messing with say, that Minotaur over there. Ancalagon protects his courier guild before he lifts a claw for dragonkind, far as I know at least."

Benny didn't know if this little tidbit would help any, but he supposed there really were only one way of finding out, and that was by saying it. Besides, it was that, or awkward silence. It had been an easy choice for him.

Though thinking about it, there was one more he could talk to. The other dragon, who seemed to be on a bit of a hostile front currently. Perhaps he could talk him down a bit?

"So uhm... Hey there dude. I'm Benny. How'd it swinging?"

Meanwhile, Spicy rolled her eyes slightly at the Griffon's remark, but she eased up on the posture and annoying grin.

"Fine, fine. You've been playing along this far, so I guess it's fair I give a little back. What's gotten into you though? You seem all jittery and reclusive all of a sudden. Not used to this many folks around you or something?"

Since she couldn't be sassy, she figured she could try to be questioning about Aurora instead. She had been perfectly fine as they were getting into town - minus the bear chase - and even a bit after that, but then all of a sudden she had gone all nervous and stuff. Perhaps one of them shy ones? If she were, perhaps she'd have a bit of fun with that another time, but for now, it'd just help to know before the griffon sped off to get away from the crowd without knowing what were behind it. Stragglers were annoying.

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

 

@Battenberg

"Looks like it's a good bag you got hold of there ma'am."

The color looked like it was a good batch at least. It was sealed up so no smell got through, like you'd expect, but from the looks of things at least, his family was gonna be in for a treat if this worked.

"And yeah, you know what they say about cats and dogs. Can't be helped I suppose.

Anyway, you said you met your apprentice? That sounds like a pleasant surprise. Is she handling one of your other businesses in another town or something though, since it sounds like you don't usually see her here in Manehattan?"

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

 

@Shineling

"....Oooooh, them. I totally forgot about them. Lemme see if we can't find them."

Reaching into the top of her pumpkin - seemingly where she stashed most things - she rummaged around until she pulled out a map.

"Alright, let's see where they are."

Unfolding it, a map of what was either a lunatics rambling mindscape or this isle Hey! appeared, with a couple of dots standing close to one another, moving across a particular part os the isle.

"Uhoh. We uhm... We're gonna need to hurry to them. They miiiiight have wandered into a field of flesh-eating plants."

She looked around at the others after she spat out a seed beneath their hooves.

"What, you never wanted some of those? How else do you handle the eyeflies?"

Without much warning, the seed sprouted and engulfed them, before ramming the bulb they were in through the ground until they hit the surface, where it would open up again. Sure she could have just teleported them away, but this was her way of doing things, and she'd keep at it. Plus it tended to rattle others and that was well fun for her.

The place they went into looked like a relatively normal area. The flowers were about as tall as clocktowers and in some strange colours, along with a m,multitude of strange beetles buzzing around them. But beyond that and a few other things, you could at least see this as being a relatively normal place.

A little away from them, the mechanical spider that Molotov had with him were trying to fend off a few of the weird bugs with high pitches sounds being slung at them, which seemed to keep them at bay, but more just kept coming. Considering how small it - and they really - still were, it wasn't like they had reason to fear it.

"Alright, enough of this."

With a snap of her tail, the lot of them returned to regular size. Which would also include Blitz and Molotov if she could find them, but since they weren't in sight, she were gonna guess they had been eaten already. Guess she better snap her tail again and do a little something to help then.

"So the siblings have probably been eaten, which is pretty bad, but the good news is these things devour slowly, and putt heir victims in a forced, pleasant dream so they can do it in peace. With them being bigger now and covered in a coating of some pretty nasty stuff for them - raspberry jam, in case you wondered - they should be vomiting them out in a sec. You might not wanna touch them before I get them an antidote though. They're likely infectious."

Edited September 22, 2017 by Blitz Boom
Added Foxy Socks tag.

[genessee 535]

@Blitz Boom

"No, sir, not any that I can think of so far."

Lance had never been a huge fan of hot dogs, but he didn't despise them or anything. Though, back in grade school, the cafeteria served some for lunch and he had dropped his hot dog, and it bounced. Soon the entire lunchroom had fillies and colts throwing bits of bouncy weenies everywhere. It was great until they started throwing things besides hot dogs. His old hoodie had a permanent mayo stain on it that never washed out. I should go see if I still have it in one of the moving boxes somewhere. Probably all moth-eaten and dirty, but whatever. The other hoodie besides the small one and the one he wore now, the one he wore in junior high, had many, many more stories to tell behind each stain.

[Storm Shine 1,196]

@Blitz Boom

Storm looked worried when she mentioned the Boom siblings getting eaten but calmed down when Anomaly explained further, and then smiling at the idea of them getting covered in raspberry jam and then barfed out - the thought of the reversed order was pretty amusing, seeing as most things are covered in jam before they get eaten.

"Oh, oh, oh!" Pinkie bounced around excitedly, "Cover me in raspberry jam!" She gasped, "No wait, Strawberry! Or Cherry!" Her eyes widened and she stopped bouncing, freezing in mid-air, as a realization came to her... And then she began bouncing twice as much, if that's even possible. (Then again, Pinkie being Pinkie just makes it possible.) "Cherrychanga flavored!" She exclaimed loudly, "Cover me in cherrychanga flavored jam!" She began chanting happily as she bounced, "Cherrychanga, cherrychanga, chimmycherry cherrychimmy, chimmicherrichanga~!"

 

Storm chuckled at her antics - knowing Pinkie, she just wants to get covered in jam so she can lick it off. Then again.. He'd probably do the same thing, if it were a good muffin flavor. He zoned out a bit and drooled slightly, thinking of jam that tasted like lemon poppyseed muffins.

[Widdershins 9,960]

    Straggle, Straggle! Straggle, Straggle!   Don't make me bonk your metaphorical noggin.

 

   @Blitz Boom , @Dji & @Lloyd

    Having been tossed onto his back with his head pointed back the way they had rushed from when they were fleeing for matters he had refused to accept, the young drake had since forth not seen any of the past three or more newcomers. Indeed, he had barely caught any but a snippet of the mumbled apologies of the one mare that actually did offer help, but Kaltrop was not one to readily accept or consider others, a habit long since cultivated in living by oneself in high country canyons and trying to be intimidating. 

  While only about half as taller then a usual pegasus, with the same sort of flight-build but twice as long; Kaltrop comes up somewhat short to the approaching Benny. As the latter dragon could be assumed to be much more combat ready due to the requisite guard training, it only serves to point out Kaltrop's usual knee-jerk insolence & petulance as inproportionate and very similar to the sort of customer one often comes into contact in Complaint Departments or routine housecalls one likely confronts as a  city guard.

  As such, having still not taken the time to regard the large group Kaltrop had literally stumbled into and only latching onto what parts of the conversation he had caught to better fuel his typical strategy of reflecting blame on others; he rocks himself to one side in a somewhat helpless scrabble with a complaintive grumble.

  "I'm Fine! I don't need your stupid hooves on me! I don't even care what you lot think anyway; what do any of you know about dragons anyway?!"

   Rightside up now and hunched over his claws, but still pointed the other direction and not having yet made any eye contact yet; a small, half-regarded thought came to Kaltrop to which he thought out-loud in a voice only slightly quieter then his usual whine.

    "...wait... a couple?"

 

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 @Blitz Boom

      Nonsense & Fluff! It's only when its decorative brass bed-knobs that it becomes cheating when lakes of molasses are involved. So it clearly states in The Rules for This Sort of Thing. Besides, maybe you wouldn't be drowing currently if you hadn't had opened up a hold right down your neck into your lungs. Really, why would a metal body need lungs anyway. Design flaw, much?

   The tide of molasses sluggishly increasing throughout the room and slowly rising up his long neck with his head bobbling up above it like some sort of tip to the mast of a sinking ship; Widdershins's head continues the bobbling of one who has a questionable grasp on the subject they're talking about.

   More like Joan of Snark! Hoo!

  But where we're there then?... Ah.  I say what I mean when I mean what I say!

 The crux of your existence, the very reason you were made, your chosen role of concept-embodiment, Life, The Universe, and Everything in regards to your "self." Your answer is Stagelights.    ...YOu know? Those big black light fixtures what with the handles on the side? Usually fall down to comedically conk out actors? Andyes,beforeyouask, a good chunk of my knowledge is Pratfall-related.

  That's what it relates to anyhow. Stagelights. I really can't say more. It would ruin the story wouldn't it?

  As River Song always catchphrases: Spoilerthphbbtflthpbt...

   Widdershins's voice is muffled (mercifully) by the thick, bittersweet tide finally overcoming his chattering snout. Somehow, it still seems likely the draconequus is continuing to talk despite being fully encased.

[dragon4111 914]

@Blitz Boom @Widdershins

Ancalagon raised an earthen wall for the dryad to stand on. "I apologize dearest Dryad," he stated with a gentle tone. He then looked around watching his workers. He noticed a strange mare talking about dragons. Well his hearing was pretty good considering he was an alpha predator.  He chuckled slightly then laughed. "And yet the dragons of this era won't get any bigger," he mutter to Lyriel.

[The Resident Brony 60]

@Blitz Boom

"What is this place?"

Invictus began to ponder. He sensed a strange taint of magic besides what was present after being transported. It was almost as if this ENTIRE dimension was saturated in magic, like a creature existed here. He turned to Vivid for an explanation.

"What is this place? It's saturated in magic from what I can sense. Is there some sort of magical creature here that you know how to control?"

[hollow-shades 129]

@Blitz Boom The plan was going pretty nicely, though that unicorn was still there. And he was 99% sure that she was the other Changeling queen. She just stared at him while he was attracting his prey. As long as she didn't steal the stallion from him, everything could go out great. He looked at Onache a few times before approaching Lucky Clover. Just as he got face-to-face with the stallion, he faked a cute personality. Rubbing his ears a few times, he squeaked and jumped around Clover. He almost tripped when he heard the name Fluttershy, but he knew who she was. He just didn't know where she lived, so she kind of jumped around the stallion randomly.

[EQ_Theta 460]

@Blitz Boom @Shineling

"Sounds like a plan!"

Lin jumped at the chance to get moving and began walking to Fluttershy's cabin. Not even a thank you to the nice guard pony but Sen stayed behind to do the usual talking. Sometimes, he wonders if Lin actually learned proper speaking etiquette or even simple courtesy on her own journey because it was very limited with the way she just bolted off. It reminded him of his own time alone, out in the world and simply letting things pass by with minimal contact with anyone. The first time he ever had to speak to anyone at length would be a cook working in a gourmet restaurant in Canterlot who would sneak out table scraps for him for a time. It was good while it lasted as the cook eventually ratted him out and left him to wander around the back alleys looking for another makeshift home. That was when the cardboard boxes came in and much later, being thrown into the seedier slums where he thought he would disappear forever. But now wasn't a time to look back on terrible memories.

"Thanks and I'm sorry about my sister's manners. She's... well, we're getting worried sick about Omen and we want to make sure she's alright. Any features that could help me identify the inn and this Clayton Quartz? I don't want to stumble around there looking like I'm lost."

As for Lin, she ran straight for Fluttershy's cottage but not before passing by a couple of papers stuck to the walls of some of the houses. Looked like notice or a promotion but it mentioned something about a pyrotechnics show for some festival. The other details were vague but she didn't dwell on them for too long. There was still a more important matter at the moment and she's hoping Discord could help. 

Just reaching the far end of town, she spots the familiar sight of the home with the animal pen in the back yard. The lights from inside were rather dim and when she went closer to take a peek, it looked like Fluttershy wasn't at home. Then again, she couldn't see enough of the house through the lone window and went to the front door to knock. Here's to hoping for a solid lead.

"Fluttershy? Discord?" 

[Victoria Sponge 1,017]

@Blitz Boom

"Oh yes, Cupcake Sprinkles! I met her when I visited Fillydelphia for the first time, I had set up a small cake stall to see if the city had a taste for my cakes because I was planning on setting up a bakery there. Sprinkles took a great interest in my recipes and ended up helping me with the stall, completely without being asked and she refused to take payment for her assistance."

Battenberg stomped her hoof twice and Victoria re-entered, using her magic Battenberg shoved the bag into Victoria's face, while still talking to her customers, and the brown pony reluctantly grabbed hold of the bag with her mouth and took it back to the kitchen to begin preparing Benny's cake.

"I took note of her love for baking and took her under my wing as my apprentice, she learned fast and became an excellent baker. When I finally got round to opening a Battenberg Bakery in Fillydelphia it was obvious to me who I should put in charge. She's worked there for me for about a year now and she's doing a great job, it's nice for her because she still lives in the city and doesn't have to travel far to do a job that she loves. That's her there."

Battenberg pointed a hoof at a picture frame hung on the wall next to the door, it showed a young filly with an orange/yellow coat and long white mane filled with a rainbow of different coloured sprinkles. Her pink eyes shone vibrantly as she beamed back at them from her position by the entrance.

"She's a lovely girl, friendly, kind and always full of beans. She's here in Manehatten for a week to take a break from running the shop, she's probably left her coltfriend in charge, he's almost as good a baker as she is so things should be fine over there. Normally I would have asked her to let me know she was leaving the shop for a while but she wanted to surprise me with a visit so I'll let it slide."

Victoria walked in as she said this and huffed a little "Just like Cupcake Sprinkles to abandon her post without telling you..."

Battenberg frowned at Victoria but chose not to reply, it wasn't like her sister was much better at holding her post. She turned back to her customers "Yes... Victoria and Sprinkles never really got along... That's why she hasn't come here to the shop to see me, though she was looking hungry for a slice of Battenberg cake, so maybe she'll be along later, Victoria will just have to stay out of her way"

It was strange the way Battenberg talked of her assistant, the mare in the picture frame didn't look that much younger than Battenberg herself but she acted as if Cupcake Sprinkles was her daughter.

Edited September 22, 2017 by Battenberg

[Blitz Boom 4,634]

@EQ_Theta @Shineling

"It's okay sir, I understand. If anypony I cared about were missing I'd go out of my good skin as well."

Why they missed the creepy mare eluded him honestly. The few times he had seen her she seemed like the sort of creature to get away from, not look for, but he supposed that he shouldn't be too judgemental. It was just hard when most things about Omen made his skin crawl.

What was it that got too him the most though? The colors of her coat that seemed to float around randomly when he tried to focus on it? Perhaps the ever floating mane and tail, that made her seem ad both a specter and a mockery of the princesses? The voice was a good contender too. Piercing his.mind, whispering in his head with that mostly monotone, disturbing voice...

No, it wasn't those things individually. If it had just been one of them, he could have handled that fine enough, but the combination of everything - from the color to the voice - in conjunction with that curious, blank stare... That was too far.

It honestly made him think more of a puppet when she looked at him earlier, rather than a pony. A mockery of life, wandering around searching for something to make her a real pony. A harsh thought, and he was not proud of it, but it were what it were, and as long as he did not get audible about this, it would hopefully be okay.

"In any case, follow me, I'll lead you to the inn."

At said inn, sitting in a corner with a plethora of papers in front of him and furiously scribbling away at expense reports, insurance papers, liability clauses and so forth, sat the overworked pony they were looking for. He seemed worn down, but determined to get this done before going to rest, regardless of what others might say.

Besides, he couldn't get to the room yet. A griffon had fallen through the roof up there and they were still repairing it, though he had been assured it was mostly just a matter of cleaning it now before he could rest. Sounded nice to him at this point, but until that could happen, he had work to do.

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

 

@Flinp

"Woah there shorty, relax. I'll help you home, but you gotta work with me here a little or I'll just trip over you."

Lucky didn't mind helping the critter, but as he said, the little guy had to work with him a little in case he were to take it back home to Fluttershy. He didn't want to hurt the fuzzball or anything like that if it could be helped.

Think it might help if he carried the little guy, Lucky knelt down so he could jump on, and lead them to Fluttershy or wherever. There was a slight chance this wasn't one of hers, but somepony's pet he were for sure. Wild rabbits didn't get this close to him usually.

Onache just kept observing for now, though she were briefly distracted by a stallion who seemed to think he got some *swagger* or whatever the ponies called it.

He had tried to hit her up for a conversation, but she could see right through his facade. The emotions rilling off him spoke clearly of how he had just gotten interested in her looks, and were trying to hit on her.

Foolish pony.

With a glance, she had made him silent. One look, that made him regret approaching her, yet kept him transfixed on her for some reason, whilst he fell deeper and deeper into the harsh abyss of her disdainful eyes.

"Leave."

She blinked and returned her gaze to the critterling, breaking the hold she had over this annoying little cockroach.

He staggered backwards with shaky legs, and gasped for air.

What just happened? Why did he get that focused on her like that, and especially with that look she had sent him. Dear Celestia that gaze... He had been sure she were going to hurt him.

Onache didn't look in him as he scrambled away from her. He had barely been worth the effort it took to reduce him to little more than a deer starring into headlights, so why would she use more of her time on seeing how the mongrel went on?

He should just be thankful she were merciful on him, and didn't hypnotize him to add another lackey to her list of creatures to do menial work for her.

She could have done so easily, but he were not even worth menial labor like that. He was scrawny, and whatever talents he thought he had was purely in his muzzle, not his muscles or brain. He'd be dinner at best, but she'd rather wait for something less marinated in misplaced confidence than this.

As for the hypnosis part, that truly would not have been an issue. One of her specialties were hypnotizing others - the weaker minded the better - and force them to do her bidding. Something which did not work on the more strong of will, but for most, a varying degree would be effective towards making them bend their knees before her. Made the food more complacent too, though she liked it struggling. The tinge of fear was a delicious spicy alongside love.

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

 

@The Resident Brony

"We call it - "

Vivid let's out an unpleasant, seemingly impossible to express noise, which sounded a little like drawing nails across a board whilst simultaneously beating it with rusty barbwire and broken glass. Just worse.

"- But since the infernal tongue is painful to most other beings, you can just call it Gateway. It looses something in the translation sadly, but it is befitting still.

Residents of the infernal plane uses this place to wander between some of the nearby worlds, away from prying eyes or if they need passage. Time here is slow, so a walk taking an hour here, could be as little as a minute in our world, or twenty in the other.

In any case, you aren't supposed to know of the other world, so I won't speak further on that."

She kept wandering and looked around, spying to see if there were other demons here, or infernal residents, as she had called them. It might still be self explanatory, but not everypony knew of the infernal plane, so who knew?

Heck, nearly nopony knew about demons in general. They had tried to invade Equestria when Discord ruled, and had failed miserably and without much of a fuzz. There was only some vague clues in books from what she could tell, and then the regular ponies referring to those they saw or heard of - such as her - like monsters. Or in the case of the creature that had attacked Ponyville, strangely enough, an actual demon. Something which were rather insulting, as that thing were closer to an angel than a demon. Not in the shape from what she knew, but the focus on bringing order and absolution like that? That one was close to the stereotypes she knew of.

"As for the magic you feel, it is not a creature, it is the tendrils we stand upon. The Veil is a powerful thing, and in this dead world it have overtaken and grown strong, reaching far and wide across this middle realm. It still doesn't have full coverage for me to pop up where I see fit in Equestria, but it is getting there. Hethraxia will ensure that.

And in case you wonder, Hethxraxia is the closest you can come her true name without your ears bleeding, and you should hope that you never meet her. The Bishop of SIn doesn't generally like mortals."

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

 

@dragon4111

Lyriel needed a little time to gather her breath after she finally felt earth under her bare feet and palms again. She knew it likely had scared some of the ponies beneath, but right now she could only focus on her own easing pain.

"T-Thank you. I had been warned that this sort of thing would happen if I departed ground too much, but this were excruciating."

After a little more gasping for air and getting her bearings, she rose up on the pillar she had been provided, and looked down herself. She were going to need a little time to repair the damaged foliage part of her, but the withered leafs and branches were starting to heal, so it at least seemed like she didn't have to remove and replace any of it. That sort was rather painful.

Having assessed the situation, she turned her gaze from herself, and towards Ancalagon's eyes. Or at least one of them, depending on the way he faced, and the angle in general. The dragon were rather large after all, and it made seeing much of his greatness from here somewhat limiting.

"I accept your apology, noble one. I would never believe one such as you would do that sort of thing with ill intent in mind.

Might I ask though, what you mean with dragons not getting larger? Have something happened which stunted their growth?"

Lyriel sounded concerned, and she fittingly were too. Growth were not a constant thing, and she understood that well, but the notion that no dragon would reach the size of Ancalagon? It seemed improbable, unless something had happened to stunt them.

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

 

@Widdershins

"Okay okay, perhaps the lungs was a bad idea this time, but then what if you had tossed a tornado at me, huh? Then who'd have been stupid for having lungs? Ha!"

I think you literally just found the absolute thinnest argument there. Congratulations, you must be real proud of yourself.

All day every day.

Whatever. Whilst the roo-

Hold it!!!

Oh for the love of... What now?

What is he talking about with the stagelights? Is it an actor thing or something?

Shouldn't you be concerned about drowning instead?

Out of nowhere, the molasses would start to float down into Anomaly's body like water down a drain, leading to... Somewhere, causing her bopping head to slowly reappear again after being briefly covered. She gave a give a grin and pull her tongue at seemingly nothing, though honestly, it would be easy to see who it was for to Widders, if he could get the sugary goo out of his eyes.

There. Now answer me! You've been holding information from me, haven't you? Huh? Huh? Huh?!?!

Jeez, Hakuna your tatas there missy. He just means you're a very theatrical being. You know, the whole evolving things, changing shapes - or costumes if you will - your home island you mess around with like a stage, the things you do to entertain or torment others, that sort of thing. basically, if you had a cutie mark, it'd be the tragedy and comedy masks. Is that clearer.

Yes. Now stay normal while I go and lick Widdershins.

You're tormenting me now, aren't you?

I bet he tastes like squid ink, rotting orchids, and cake batter.

...Sometimes, I really hate you.

So with that comment, Anomaly's head would start to try and paddle over to Widdershins, and clean some of the delicious sugar substance off him, in case that was needed. if it were, she were gonna go full on Saint Bernhard on him.

Drool included in every package!

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

 

@Widdershins @Dji @Lloyd

"There's no reason to be aggressive sir."

It seemed that Kaltrops were a hotheaded one of his kind then. He really didn't like dealing with those.

That wasn't just a recent thing either. Long before he even thought about coming to Equestria, Benny had been growing up like any dragon would back home, which did involve some brawls as a means of entertainment. It had been fine really, and he had found it funny for a while, but eventually he just didn't feel like there was much point in it anymore. And when he lofted that idea to his friends... Well, it turned out they didn't like to hang out with a softie like that.

Sure, he had still had some left afterwards, and he got some other friends who didn't like that sort either, but times changed and friends came and went, so eventually he just had to suck it up and pretend to like this sort of thing again.

It was a hollow thing to do, but he hated being alone with noone to talk to, so he accepted it as just how it was meant to be sometimes, and got on with things. Though he at least eventually got away from that, and found somepony who liked him for who he really were. The life he had now was far more him than the one he had left behind, and it felt great.

It was a reason he pitied Kaltrops too. This was like how it had been back home, and now he were still like this in Equestria? This place was a chance to start anew, and seeing one of his own thinking it should be faced like it was done back in dragon land were a sad thing to see.

His pity started to change as Kaltrops caught on about Pop and him. Not anger or something like that, just a resigned look of somepony who had been asked that a couple of times too many.

Yet... Perhaps being exposed to this might open up his mind and shake him away from his current hostility? Not right away of course, but you know what they said about journeys and taking the first step.

Seemingly cautious for a second, Benny eventually reached down to his leg plated, and pulled a somewhat singed picture out from the plate. Thankfully it was only the sides, which were unavoidable with the work he did in the forge, but the picture itself were still in pretty good shape, though aged over the years.

"Yes, we're together. We started writing six years ago, and I met with her a year after."

He turned the picture and showed it to Kaltrops.

It was a simple scene at a beach, five years past. The sun had been ruling the skies without a cloud in sight, and he sound of birds cawing above him still resonated in his ears when he thought back on the day.

He had been writing with Pop for almost a year at that point. Ever since falling over one of her bottle letters on the beach, and taking the chance with making contact to see what would happen.

At first he had thought about just writing mocking things back as he had after all been raised to have biases against ponies, though after a few iterations, he just wrote something simple, and told himself that he would just be leading her on for a while. Communicate with letters and see who he were dealing with, then cut contact when he got bored and have a laugh at what he had gotten out of her.

But the longer they wrote together, the more he actually started to enjoy it.

The pony struggled with a lot of the same things he had. Weird home-life, having to fake your way through life sometimes to seem normal to those around them, and not being able to hold friends effectively, were just a few points. It had been why she had sent out the bottled mails in the first place, and apparently, he had been the only one who answered them.

The topics expanded as time went by. They spoke of family, worries, hobbies and everything between the sun and moon. It even got so far as to him sending her a few gems when she talked about starting her own business. A rare find for him, but one he thought would make her happier than he would have been from keeping them.

He had been worried that it had been a little creepy until he got a response back, thanking him for this at length, and he found that he had been right. It had made him far more happy to give them to her than to keep them himself.

Eventually, he found that not a day could go by without him longing to hear from her again, and according to her, she had it much the same way. Strange as it had sounded to him at the time, he had found somepony who finally made him happy, though it gnawed at him at times that the two of them would only ever exchange letters. The boundary of race and country were an issue that he couldn't deny, and he were far too nervous to bring the idea about meeting into things himself, of fear that she'd stop responding to him.

The picture that he showed Kaltrops were the result of a surprise invitation from her. She had written about how she had thought on it for a long time, but didn't know if she should ask him, and asking him to forgive her if it seemed a bit direct.

He uhm... Might have made a letter that could best be translated as the word Yes about a hundred times. Not his proudest moment, but she seemed okay with that, and they set a date to meet, at a beach where nopony knew who either of them were, and they could see eachother for the first time.

You could see the moment in the picture that some tourist had snapped when they met. Him, standing like he was unsure if he were even supposed to be on all fours or on his hind legs, , and looking surprised down to his left, where a mare in a frilly summer dress had poked him on his side. Her head and face were a little blocked by the bouquet of flowers in his hand that he had accidentally dropped on her in surprise, but you could still see the awkward smile on her face as she had found the dragon, currently on his hind legs.

She had a few more photos at the house, depicting how he had fallen down, almost rolled  the both of them into the ocean, and covered his face in the sand in pure embarrassment after that, but this copy of their first encounter were his to bear around. To keep him reminded about how stupid things had started out, and how head over heels he had fallen for her on that first day, both literally and figuratively, on a beach far from either of their homes.

"I know it's not rational, but love rarely is."

If others wanted to see the picture, it was in an angle that should let most of them have a glance at it too, if they so wished to.

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

 

@Shineling

Anomaly grinned at the weird suggestion. It wasn't a rational thing to ask for right now, so of course, she complied without much thinking and with a snap of her tail, summoned a large pencil out of nowhere that covered Pinkie in a thick layer of different cherries and some fried batter for good measure.

She didn't know what a chimicherrychanga was exactly, but she figured that hey, cherries and batter were cherries and batter, right? It'd be fine.

She also heard a certain other pony's idea, which was were the brush went afterwards.

You know you're not supposed to read what the others are thinking.

Bla bla bla, can't hear you, busy covering Stormy in lemon poppyseed muffin jam.

That's not gonna w-

Look! A distraction!

Just as Anomaly said this tot he author, a nearby flower opened the petals and vomited out a jam-covered Blitz, with the one next to it soon spewing out the older sibling. They both seemed alive and breathing, so that was good, but they were going to need an antidote soon, and Anomaly wanted to go to her house for that.

A snap of the tail and a large, nearby rock grew a trunk and legs, then used the trunk to try and pull the two ponies on top of it, though it didn't seem to be able to find them.

After a bit of consideration, Anomaly went over and licked it on what would have been the face, and as her tongue went off the surface, it seemed the random creation now had a face that looked eerily similar to Matt Damon from Team America.

"Alright, so we're gonna have to go home now. Who else wanna ride of Ma- I mean, Datt Mamon, back to my house? Room for everypony."

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

 

@genessee

"Alright. Come through then and meet Chop Chop."

Straw opened the door and lead the way into a kitchen. Nothing fancy out here, just a run of the mill sort of kitchen you'd find in most down to earth food establishments.

Behind the pots and pans, a stallion stood and rummaged around with pots and pans, cleaning them up in his current downtime before the next meal had to be handled. With his back turned like this, he didn't seem like anything special really. Brown coat and slightly spiky blue mane and tail were not really something to take note off too many places, but as he turned around and looked at them, things changed a little.

Nothing massively wrong with him. He seemed rather gruff in it with the beginnings of a beard growing around his jaw, though they didn't cover the scars all too well.

The pattern looked like he had been shoved into a shark, face first, and had to pull his way out again while the teeth were still around his neck and shoulders. A horrid description, but one who covered what had actually happened to him, and the reason for both the scars and the glassy right eye, where he had ended up getting blinded.

"Who's this bozo?"

His voice were rough, and sounded like it got pushed through sandpaper, though the scars covering his neck would indicate that it might be a miracle that he could talk at all.

"New guy. He's going to help around here and there, including with deliveries."

Chop put down a pan and wandered closer to Lance. The overall look of him approaching tended to be intimidating, depending on who he were wandering towards, but the indifferent look in his eye didn't speak of violence as much as barely concealed skepticism about Lance's abilities to function around here.

He'd get as close as he could without Lance physically trying to move away from him, before he'd stop and just stare at his new co-worker in silence. How Lance would react and how soon he flinched might end up determining how the chef would handle him in the future, or it could just be him trying to rattle the new guy for whatever reason. Straw knew which one it were, but he'd wait and see if Lance got it first.

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

 

@Battenberg

"Wauh, you two have a lot of history together."

Pop were impressed about what she had heard. A chance meeting causing two like this to find eachother and go on a grand journey to bake their way across Equestria? Perhaps she blew it up a little more than it actually were, but it still sounded like the description for a pretty good book.

Her apprentice sounded like a real character too. Stubborn, determined, and quite a bit nicer than Victoria, which might have been one of the things that had them butting heads she assumed. Though to be honest, who wouldn't end up getting miffed with her eventually? How Battenberg made it were beyond her.

When the picture was pointed at, both Benny and herself turned and looked at the picture showing off a younger Battenberg and- Woah, that mare sure had a lot of color to her. It kinda started to hurt the eyes after a time in the photo, and in real life, it'd likely just be more out there.

Jeez, think about how it must be for her to comb all of that stuff in just the right way. Pop would end up going absolutely mad if she had to go through that.

"She sounds as colorful as she looks, and that's saying something."

"We could try and visit her part of the chain if we go there sometimes. Fillydelphia is probably a good place to go through on one of our trips anyway. I wanna see what Equestria haves to offer, and knowing there's another place were we can get good cake is always neat."

"You're thinking too much with your stomach."

"I regret nothing.

Anyway, I do hope she comes around here ma'am. It sounds like two are really close, and could use a bit of time together before she had to go back again. Sorta like sisters. Or a daughter visiting her ol' mama, heh."

Benny grinned as he imagined Battenberg grabbing hold of Cupcake and washing her face whilst asking her if she were about to have kids yet. Might be a bit of a stereotypical view on things, but hey, that was one thing dragons and ponies had in common right there. His mother would do it just as much as he'd heard ponies would yap on about it, and it'd be just as awkward for them as it was for him.

Edited September 22, 2017 by Blitz Boom
Added color.

[dragon4111 914]

@Blitz Boom

"Their diet if you think about it," Ancalagon stated as he looked at Lyriel with a gentle gaze. "They subsist on gems which doesn't nourish their bodies only magic," Ancalagon stated as he watched his workers. "Tell me how do you think I've come to my true size?" he asked Lyriel rhetorically.  "I ate meat. Each day I ate something bigger than I when I was but a hatchling," he chuckled slightly to himself.

[genessee 535]

@Blitz Boom

Lance, not one for physical contact, almost straight-up took a step backwards, but stopped. Pretty sure it's impolite to actively try to move away from your coworkers. So, instead, he (barely) tolerated holding still and talking while only slightly leaning backwards.

"H-hello! I'm the, uh, bozo you were just talking about. My name's Lance, and I'm the, erm, new guy?"

He ended his sentence in almost a question, as if asking for approval. It was pretty obvious Chop Chop scared the daylights out of him. It wasn't the fact that the scars were there-- it was the combination of the beard, scars and voice. Like a viking, come to chop my head off and burn down the village. Okay, maybe viking isn't the most scary job I can come up with. Though, I can see him wearing a viking helmet, with horns and all that stuff. 

[Foxy Socks 2,599]

@Blitz Boom 

"Perhaps. We can look around, though perhaps we can do it later, if you already plan to do something. It wasn't made around here, so I wouldn't know where to go. Other than Rarity, but she is probably too busy nowdays. I can put my suit in the tent where it can be safe for now." They weren't too far from it, as it is the same town. Foxy was relieved that she found it at all. It came from all the way from Manehattan, and was expensive, though it meant more to her than that. It was her connection to foxes, and it would be devastating to lose it. 

[Sekel 694]

@Blitz Boom & @Widdershins & @Lloyd

DAWN & AURORA

Dawn grumbled something unintelligible at seeing the picture, well what she could see of it anyway, and looked away into the Everfree Forest. It didn't feel right; a pony and dragon together as a couple. Usually it's dragons with dragons and ponies with ponies. That's how it worked, that's how it should always be. But no. Her new friend and her boyfriend had to go and stuff the status quo up! "Just ... be safe," Dawn managed to get in a growl, directing her words to Circle Pop.

 

"Um, just, um ... heheheh. I ... uh ... don't do well in crowds. I get nervous. I get stressed, and I get all round scared," Aurora whispered to Spicy. Maybe she could tell her her secret? No, it would be too easy and simple. Plus, she didn't know how Spicy reacted to Changelings anyway. Guess there's only one way to find out. "I've heard some ... uh .... bad things, about Changelings. What's your stance on them?"

[EQ_Theta 460]

@Blitz Boom @Shineling

It was a very sensitive thought that ran through Sen's mind, everyone looked alike with and being with the difference among each pony about as clear as day. Colors, manes, cutie marks... The longma had similar conventions in their own kind but had different meanings behind them. Like his own flank with his and Lin's names inked there. At least the ponies still had something relevant to their marks. Having the purpose of leaving that mark on his flank fulfilled means it doesn't have any reason to be there. Also, what is with the inns? Longma would give their homes as temporary lodging for travellers and seeing this system outside made him curious, maybe thinking about staying for a night when he was in a position to do so. Those were more personal thoughts he would prefer to keep in his head as he would be the one to go up to Clayton Quartz. 

"Excuse me? Clayton Quartz?" Sen reluctantly approached the pony sitting at the table and thought about how wrong it felt to interrupt him. Those papers seemed overwhelming but if Stargazer says he could help, he had to ask him. "Is this a bad time? I was told you could help identifying this gem."

As for Lin, there was no reply at the door though she wouldn't take no for an answer seeing the light in the cottage. She knocked again and called to Fluttershy this time but there was still no answer. A third attempt followed as she knocked harder.

"Fluttershy? If Discord is there, could I speak with him? It's about Omen and it's really important."

 

[FanOfManyShows 396]

@Blitz Boom

Warlock quietly grumbled a little. "Neither of us are truly wearing an element Athriel." He glanced at the necklace, the smoke inside seeming to tremble at his glare. "Actually if there is a trap behind this wall..." He lifted both his front legs up to the wall, and drew them back slowly, dust floating to his hooves as he attempted to drain any magic from whatever was in store behind the wall. "I'd surely hope this turns out to be something I can handle in my current state" He paused his attempts to suck the magic, glancing about as his ears twitched, sensing something off about the temple, then resuming his attempts

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Astral just stood back and observed the conversation from her distance. Not really knowing what to say as they conversed, but her mane floated a bit as she idly gathered magic, with short deep red flames forming around her in a circle, almost forming a pattern as it moved inwards to her body. Something really anypony could notice if they looked her way. "Big dragon?" Astral asked as she looked around, having only just picked up mention of it, the circle of flames spreading outwards faintly as they dissipated. "How big are we talking here?"

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Misty squirmed in her sleep a little, seeming panicked, mumbling quietly about something. Iron Star jerking awake as his ears popped up, he turned around to Misty, placing a hoof on her. "Calm down, it's just a dream." He whispered as Misty opened her eyes slowly, Star smiling a little.

"W-what was that?"

"Dream spell, picked up your dream while I was resting, didn't know you still remembered everything that happened at your village." He said with a worrying tone. "How long have you been affected by that?"

Misty looked down. "Like, three months." She said as her ears flattened.

Iron Star sat down on the side of the bed. "I could place a spell on you so you could rest without the nightmares." He said looking over to her.

"No, the memories only came back because of the events today." she sighed, laying back down. "They'll probably be gone after everything is done."

He nodded and closed his eyes. "Alright." He said with a quiet sigh as he opened his eyes. "Just let me know if you change your mind."

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General Wind stood by Dew, looking around the area. "If Benny knows or can find anything out we should make sure he's around before any new encounters with the Warlock figure." He mentioned, looking to his back and the metal plates on the side of his torso. "Do you think they'll be finished fixing my wings yet?"

[hollow-shades 129]

@Blitz Boom Thaaats it. It was definitly her, and she exploded the stallion's brain or something. Ignoring the rest of the ponies around them, Stingler quickly shapeshifted back into his stallion form. "Oh great, its you." He finally spoke. His voice was not really different from the other Changelings, though also original on its own, even on his fake stallion form. "What do you wan't now? Whatever is left of the hive is all the way over to the badlands you know."

[Blitz Boom 4,634]

@Flinp

Lucky bolted back in shock as the rabbit he had been bowing down towards all of a sudden turned into a pony. That meant this was a changeling, and he had tried to l-lure him away? Oh no, oh nonononono, he had to call the guards, h-had to... To...

A noise broke into his thoughts. A low buzzing, barely audible at first but growing and expanding rapidly. It felt like moths were swarming in his head, covering his thoughts... Wait, they began to lift again. T-Thank Celestia, he didn't want to have what just happened obscured by... What exactly? he felt like there was something that had just happened to him, but he couldn't remember it...No, he was just imagining things. Nothing had happened. Everything was fine.

He rose up and dusted himself off as the mare came over to him, worried and ready to raise alarm herself to what had just happened. But something didn't seem right. Lucky didn't seem to be worried, concerned or anything like that. He was... Laughing?

"Oh man, you got me good there mate. Nice prank."

His friend were visibly confused.

"Do you know this one?"

"Yeah, I've seen him around a few times. He likes to spook me the little prankster."

Lucky went over and gave Stingler a small pat on the shoulder.

"I'm not gonna be fooled that easily next time though. See you another time bugboy."

With that, Lucky would turn around and grab a hold in the mare who seemed to have calmed down a little now, though she still looked strangely at Stingler, and to a lesser extend the silent mare who had wandered a step closer during this whole episode. But since Lucky seemed to know at least the known changeling, it was likely fine.

"Come on, let's get some hayfries. My treat."

"Never say no to a free meal."

With that, the two of them would be on their way. Perhaps they could get hold of them again later, but for now, they were gone, and a crisis for Stingler would be averted.

For some it might seem weird that it had gone down like it had, and especially since Lucky had never been a friend of his, but anything could happen. Especially when you were given a helping hoof from the least likely of places.

Ponies wouldn't know what to look for, but any changeling would. The subtle hints of magic flowing, the faint buzzing, the rework of memories... A hypnotic technique some changelings were capable of, but of this magnitude and without even looking at the target, the signs all pointed to just one, and she were currently glaring at him like he were a spec of dirt underneath her hoof.

"The weak deserve that place."

Onache had not gotten her nickname as the Slaver Queen from just stealing other drones who got too close to her hive, or from bringing in ponies, griffons and the like to do the labor she did not see her warriors fit for. Both were part of it, but not as much as her hypnotic capabilities, which she used in mostly cruel and self serving ways.

With it, she could bring a perverse order into the chaos of an attack, turn the citizens against one another and eventually make them willingly come to them and serve, or be fed upon with a smile on their muzzles, and a conviction that this was all they ever wanted to happen.

Of course, this did not work on changelings, so she used more direct methods to break them, but on a good deal of the lesser races it was not an issue. All that was needed was a weak or shaken mind, and she could begin her work.

Honestly, if this kind had worked on Chrysalis, she might have actually won the battle of hives they had back in the days, but alas, the fight had been on regular blasts and physical strength, and no matter how well trained Onache were there, Chrysalis had a bigger hive and more love to back her. It had made her stronger, and Onache had been forced to accept defeat.

But those times were gone now. The once ambitious and strong queen was weak, exiled from her own hive and would be out seeking shelter in places not even worthy for worms, just to be able to lick her wounds. The age of Chrysalis were gone, and from the sound of it, she were not the only one who did not want anything to do with them anymore.

That did not mean she had saved him out of camaraderie though. If the guards had come for him, he would have ratted her out to save his own hide, and though she were effective at handling crowds, it would get the attention of the large dragon looming above them, and she were not foolish enough to think that she could bend the will of a being several times older than her entire species. He would have been dead long before this if that was possible.

So she had shown mercy to this gnat, saving both of their hides from something neither would like to happen. He should be grateful, but it seemed he were more interested in being defiant instead. A fun mind to break normally, but she did not have the storage for that right now, fortunately for him.

"I want information, and you're going to tell me what I want to know."

She didn't need to tell what would happen otherwise. He should be able to tell it himself by imagining one of the worst things she could do to him that didn't involve physical contact. In this case, making others forget what he was about to do to Lucky, but with some juicier details that would get him taken down as an extremely hostile force and taken to the most secure room they had in Canterlot. And her? She would just slink away and take a new form, safe while he got put into a hole beneath the capitol and slowly became mad from limited access to love.

"A house in blue, on the southern edge of town. We will talk there within the hour."

It was a meager place to settle, but the loner that had lived there had been easy to sway, and served her as a lackey and snack, so there was that at least. She still didn't care much for pony housing of this caliber though, but in her current situation she had to make some sacrifices for the sake of convenience.

If he said more she didn't care about it, though threats would get him pinned down by a nearby being she could sway. She did not tolerate fools who did not even realize they had no leverage, and everything against them, and whatever mercy she had ran shallow. If he did something to irk her, or did not show up within the allotted time she set, he would loose everything. Even if he ran away, she would make sure the story got spread.

So it was up to him. Follow now/arrive within the hour, or become even more of a pariah than his race already made him. A weighted choice, balanced heavily in her favor. Just how it was supposed to be.

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@Lloyd

There was a trap behind the wall, just as Athriel suspected. A magical gas locked into a secure room, just waiting for a hole in the wall or something similar to flow out and force whoever breathed it in to fall into endless sleep.

A clumsy spell in some ways, overfed by magic to keep it stable and lasting. A perfect cocktail to be drained by Warlock to sustain him for a time, and get him to better health.

It was foolish of the ones who stored the elements to not have the two wearers they had imprisoned in mind when they made all their traps, but perhaps they counted on things going differently. Athriel would not be able to use the gas, as she had no skill in draining magic, and Warlock they likely thought would just break down the wall in an attempt to find an element to harness, releasing the gas. There should have been more measures in place, but thankfully for Warlock, if there ever had been, they were long gone now. All that remained now was a clumsily put together sleeping spell, and a feast for whoever knew how to tap it without releasing the gas.

Meanwhile, Athriel looked around, whilst her right ear twitched slightly. She had heard something slide past either behind or inside the wall on their left. A slow, methodical sound like a rope or wire sliding against something, or perhaps a reptile of some kind that got muffled by the stone?

Neither were comforting, and made her get a little on edge. They might have triggered something in here that was going to go against them, or do something with the other temples, and if even one of those paranoid thoughts were true, this could end up becoming a bigger issue than she had already expected it to be.

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@Lloyd @Dji @Widdershins

Screecher looked at Astral, observing everything that went on with the flames around her. It might be she were a help now, but the mare still had forbidden magic working for her, and it made the general uncomfortable not knowing what might happen. It could be something catastrophic, if she wasn't kept under observation.

"How big? Look up."

The flames dissipated for now, and Screecher went on to answering the question about the dragon's size they were referring to. Though considering how Ancalagon worked, she'd have to supplement this further.

"What you see is him reducing his size to not decimate the area. At his true size, his foot would encompass the entire town and cause tremors for miles upon miles. Believe me, you do not wish to see it, just as the princesses did not when they negotiated with him to remain less destructive."

At least,t hat was the story she knew. it had happened long before her time, and it had likely been twisted in some way by time and the ones who spoke about it, but it were what she had to work with.

Meanwhile Pop got a little closer to dawn and would attempt to giver her friend a hug. If not, she'd at least do what she could to look at her as friendly as possible as she kept on talking to Dawn.

"I know you're worried, but it's okay. He treats me well and I know how to handle myself if something happens in general. I mean, I had a house almost fall down on me and I'm perfectly fine, see? Fluff of steel."

That was perhaps a little misleading, as it was more like she had hid in the basement, but this wasn't the time for realism. She had to try and reassure her friend right now, after she had gotten herself tossed into a situation that she was - mildly said - not comfortable with.

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@Lloyd

Chow didn't say anything as the two of them had their conversation. It seemed private, and not something he should get involved in unless he wanted to stir some bad memories, and that wasn't his intentions. Might be he could avoid that, but knowing himself and his big, stupid muzzle, it seemed unlikely that he wouldn't end up stomping into something that should not be meddled with.

I'd be good for the two of them to get some rest, but alas, timing's a harsh mistress sometimes, so just as they closed their eyes a team of doctors would barge into the place and make all sorts of ruckus as they went over to the bed where Golden laid unconscious one, and started to prep him for transportation. The field medics had done most of that already after stabilizing him, so it was just a matter of a half minute or so, at which point some of them would turn to the group of three and approach to see if something was wrong here.

"We were told there was other ponies who needed to get to the hospital. A broken leg and potential retina damages I believe? Is either of you three the ones we are looking for?"

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@Lloyd

"They will have only barely gotten started at this point. First they need to try and find a way to replicate the effect, then they can get to work repairing it. You're likely going to need to give them an hour or so at least."

The twins were honestly too crazy to serve military duty, but as they were the only ones beyond Benny that could handle the forge temperatures these days, they had to keep them on payroll. Their work was good too, nothing there, but it was sometimes hard to work with crazy ponies. How Benny had gotten them in line sometimes were honestly surprising to him.

Reaching the scroll room, Dew opened up and saw the entire office scrambling away at making scrolls as fast as possible and sending them off. Considering there wasn't any kind of royal event planned right now, it seemed like they had been told to get to work by Iron Wing after all.

"Seems like you got them going. Let's get back to the throne room.

As for Benny, I don't know when they'll be back, but I hope they come around with good news. For now though, we need to keep focus on speaking with his cousin about an element of disharmony. No matter how the battle went, it's likely good if we can get hold of these things and find a more secure place for them before he does."

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@EQ_Theta

"Huh?"

Clayton looked up from the papers and nearly bounced back at what he saw. Though he had been a few places and seen some creatures, it was far from everything that had passed him by. Belladonna knew more of that kind and could have sorted things quickly, but he had to leave for Canterlot to get something done for tonight, so for the timew being, he were alone in town and had to rely on himself and his limited observations.

So okay... The creature didn't seem hostile, were polite and seemed concerned. Plus there was a Night Guard with him... It seemed unlikely to be a trap or dangerous situation considering that, so he'd try to answer what he could.

"Right, sorry, I didn't uhm... W-What I meant to say is that..."

He stopped himself and took a few deep breathes, whilst attempting to calm himself a little. A small thing that Belladonna had taught him in case he were about to go panicky that seemed like too simple to work, but tended to help him take the worst edge off. Though he could still use some tea after this to get a little more stable. His nerves were already torn in this town with the forepony breathing down his neck constantly, so perhaps he should go so much for a cup as a tub full of the stuff instead. Or the spa perhaps? He rarely went such places, but perhaps going there in the morning would help things.

But that wasn't for now. Currently, he had to open his eyes and try to talk again to the strange creature that had shown up to speak with him.

"M-My apologies, Nerves, you know?.

You said you were looking to identify a gem? Let's have a look and see what you're dealing with."

Clayton moved closer and narrowed his eyes on the bauble in Sen's grip, then took a surprised yank backwards and reached for a light. It seemed something had caught his interest with it as he got a candle closer and pulled out a dichroscope from his pocket. A fine tool in checking out gems, and one he had a use for more often than not when he checked for these things. Helped separate the gems that he were looking for from the fakes or low graded ones.

"Grade, variation... Effect stays the same regardless of position... Remarkable really."

He stepped back and put the tool back in his pocket before talking.

"What you have there is called a Cralyanthis Gem, or Changeling Emerald in regular speech. Low grade versions of it have been used as decorations for a while, because of the odd visual effect, and pops up now and again in mediocre amounts. Generally around the mountains of Equestria.

This however, is no low grade pretender. This is a high quality, uncut piece of an actual, magical gemstone, disguised as a simple toy. A highly dangerous pretender too I might add. See, If you broke the glass, it would attempt cling to your appendages and work its way around until it completely covered you. It helps to add a layer of protection on the wearer, but the parasitic stone eventually crystallizes the host, making them into more of its kind. It is a highly fascinating phenomenon really.

I mean, o-of course not if it takes over somepony. There's a reason it were only ever allowed to be mined by highly trained professionals that knew how to drain it of the magic afterwards. It is a really beautiful thing if handled correctly, and highly valuable. The lump you're holding would sell for around 385.000 bits, depending on the auction. Personally I'd suggest Glittering Array's workshop for it They have the tools to neutralize it for a cut of the profit, and is one of the only three that have ever been authorized to work on them legally.

The rarity actually helps locate this, though it's strange. The only mine it could ever be gotten from closed down years ago. Publicly they said it was because there was no more gems to find and they moved on, but this is making me curious a to the the truth in that... And a little worried actually.

I would like to ask how you got hold of this thing, and why you're trying to locate the mine? I hate to pry, but I'd prefer not to share where this comes from without knowing why you're looking for it, so I can assess if the risks are worth your cause. I hope that's understandable. Also... I may have to ask you to put that thing in a safe deposit of some kind, just in case the glass doesn't hold in the long run."

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@Foxy Socks

"Well, I mean, if we don't ask her, how would we know if she's too busy. Right?"

Brittle had seen Rarity once in the time she had been in town. She seemed like a pretty, but high maintenance mae, and normally even trying to be near one like her would likely make Brittle crawl into a ball and hope she wasn't seen. Might just be a bad time she had seen the mare in action, but when she had, Rarity had been meddling around with a braided tail pony and tossing her through a lot of dresses and other stuff. Seemed like a challenging thing to go through for her.

But the spell still held together somewhat - though a few thoughts were starting to filter in now and again - so she felt okay with trying to push a little for going towards the fashion pony for help with this suit.

"If she doesn't have time, we can go look for somepony else. We're not busy. I think."

"Correct. With the influx of workers, there is little I can really be usd for currently, so if I can assist our dear friend here I am prepared to seek somepony who can help her in her endeavor. Though we could also aim to seek out the one who made this to begin with Foxy? A little traveling would not hurt any of us if it is."

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@genessee

Chop narrowed his eyes further as he glared at Lance, before taking a step back and giving a small nod towards the new hire.

"You'll do."

With that, he stepped away and went back to the pots and pans. It seemed Lance were okay enough in his eyes for now then, though they'd see if that kept on as they worked together. As one who'd need to deliver things occasionally, Lance should hope he could get along with him at least. It would make the whole process a lot easier.

Straw seemed almost impressed, and a little surprised actually, at how it had gone.

"Well that went better than I expected. The last one he made weep in a corner.

You don't need to be worried about him though. Chop might seem violent, but he's mostly harmless, as long as you don't try to mess with his station. Former Coast Guards like that can get very irate when you meddle with their tools.

Anyway, we just got one to go, and I think she's likely on her way back. If you can get past her without running away for dear life, we're ready to get you settled into the process. Let's get back out and allow Chop to work for now, alright? We can go have a look at the premise in the meantime."

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@dragon4111

"I guess that explains why the large Ata- Dragons, around the valley were hunters. I just always assumed varied size were an evolutionary thing, and not dependent on diet.

Do you still rely on meat now, great one? I mean no insult, but your current size seems like it would require a substantial amount to satisfy your hunger."

Lyriel felt a bit of pity for the dragons beneath. To think that wandering away from meat were what kept them their size were a little saddening, though she suspected it were inevitable. ponies did apparently not eat meant and kept all kinds of animals as pets. They were likely less accepting of you if you started to eat said pets rather than a glittering stone someone had dug up.

It made her wonder about Nerzhei though. The dragoness clearly ate meat, yet she wasn't of an immense size. Perhaps it was dependent of the early years, rather than later on? Ancalagon's response might answer that, but it was the only idea she had to explain it.

Or... Perhaps there was another one, in that it depended on the amount. Ancalagon mentioned eating large creatures each day, whereas Nerzhei seemed to keep to fish and other regular sized meals. Perhaps she simply just didn't eat enough meat to sustain a growth spurt like this?

And to think she had thought dragons mysterious when she lived in the valley. She had been away from there for weeks now, and around the scholar now and again in that time, and yet she had far more questions now than she ever had answers.

Edited September 24, 2017 by Blitz Boom