open Casual stroll

[EQ_Theta 457]

@Blitz Boom

As much as the sight of the sea drew the siblings’ attention away from Rosa, they still heard what he had to say and the idea that the ocean beyond is much wider than their eyes can see is bewildering. Ripe for exploration but not at the moment, that such vastness can come off as incomprehensible to minds that work on smaller scales. It is an excitable idea, just not one that either sibling is willing to entertain at the moment. 

Sen had dozed off near Rosa, dusting off some of the sand on his hide and lay his head on the ground. Much needed relief on his part, knowing the pattern of his nightmares seemed to ease him into rest. They were mild for the most part, having already had the worst of his fears assuaged and having some good company in his midst was enough to keep him calm even in his slumber.

In the meantime, Lin sat down in the seawater, just idly letting time pass as the waves flowed and splashed on her hide. It was a familiar feeling, being absentminded while time passed. She spoke to Omen but closed her eyes and let the senses and sensations around her take effect, immersing herself into her surroundings. 

“It’s incredible to think there are lands further than what our eyes can see. Possibly unexplored ones! Is this your first time seeing the sea?” 

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@Blitz Boom @Dji @Seamore Sandwich

Of course, the daredevil of a bunny Lotus is would jump at the chance to try jumping off the waterfall. Angel wanted to try that for the longest time but Fluttershy always warned her not to. Now that she’s not here…. The bunny raced up the side of the waterfall, climbing up and giving chase but always giving enough room to let Lotus know he was letting her go first. Once at the top, there was no hesitation; one jump into a front flip and a dive straight down. The flow of water downstream slowed down enough to keep the little bunnies from being dragged away to who-knows-where. 

Of course, the other animals took notice of this and stared at the two visitors. Their gaze didn’t last and they went back to their business save for one sloth hanging above. A creepy thing, especially coming from something Fluttershy considered cute. 

As for Nerzhei mentioning the polar opposites of the Elements of Harmony, the pegasus shuddered to think there were such things. The Pillars of Old Equestria planted the seed that paved the way for the tree and the elements to come into form, but what does it say when an opposite counterpart to the elements exist somewhere in the world? But that is another topic for another time, maybe something Twilight is in a better position to answer. 

“Actually, I was singing behind a curtain to fill in for somepony who lost his voice. And a baritone voice, at that. After everyone discovered it, I performed with the Ponytones for a smaller audience. I notice everyone in town spontaneously singing in tune a couple of times. Don’t know why but no pony seems to think it out of the ordinary. Well, now that you mentioned it… it is a little odd.”

What Fluttershy didn’t say about this, however, is that the spontaneous musical numbers happened more frequently around the holiday season. Although anything important and involving the whole town also tends to increase the chances of a musical number happening from out of nowhere. It is as if some higher power is compelling them to do that, and they are all hardwired to believe it is about as ordinary and routine as breathing.

“I guess the reason why I can sing to specific crowds is because I know them better. My animal friends and pony friends can accept my performance, flaws and all. Once I am on stage with ponies I don’t know, all I can imagine them saying is how I might mess up. I could imagine their voices and eyes, staring and whispering, and it makes me want to get away from it.”

Edited November 20, 2018 by EQ_Theta

[Catpone Cerberus 23,588]

@Blitz Boom@Moonlit
Nada just nodded after Serenade started leading them towards her place, one could say that it was dangerous to trust someone so quickly, but Nada couldn't find it from herself to distrust another siren. She was first bit confused at Cherish's words, but she then noticed Berry's reaction and figured she had done or asked something. She didn't say anything until she was being directly said something to.

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@Blitz Boom
As before, Ruby walked deeper into the forest until she was sure she was far enough from Spicy, Marley didn't matter anymore since he already knew about her, but this time instead of bothering with traps, Ruby loosened the leather straps holding the box, and the chain of the necklace on her neck, not taking them totally off, after which she transformed.

She stretched a bit, letting out unintentional sounds of pleasure, it was so nice to be out of the limiting form of a pony, and it felt so nice to spread one's wings after them being non-existent for a while. But there was no time to waste, so Ruby sharpened her senses, and after a moment, she found a deer drinking water from small stream, fully unaware about the dragon that had just moved behind it. Ruby charged and easily caught the defenseless animal, but the deer did manage to let out a cry of panic before going down, sending birds around the area fly away screaming their own alarms.

Ruby finished feasting her prey pretty quickly, it was lot easier now that she was in her real form, and there was no need for separating things like bones and fur from the rest. After she had finished, Ruby transformed back to her pony form, tightened the straps and chain, cleaned herself up, and headed back to the group.

[PickFairy 41]

@Blitz Boom

A leaf glided slowly down a gust of wind, another joins it and the two swirl with the flow of the wind. A few more leaves join, and then as soon as the gust hits its gone. Then, hooves skitter against the ground at a rough angle, a slight neigh escapes. Her wings flitter as the pegasus adjusts oneself. "Landing, almost succeeded." She says to herself, stretching out her wings before shaking them off. Her scarf, once wrapped, comes undone amongst the shaking. She moves her hoof to adjust the scarf. Tossing it around rather quickly as she begins to walk. Her wall eyed stare going around her surroundings as she went. "Alright... Miss.... Miss... ah! There it is." She said, looking through her bag pulling out a letter. "Miss Circle Pop, now to deliver.." 

She went over to the mailbox of the candy shop, and put the letter inside. If Circle Pop were to open the letter it would read,

"Dear Circle Pop

Stories of your sweet little shop has reached my ears, and I have to visit! As a fellow candy maker, I would like to see your methods first hoof! My name is Butterscotch Puddin', my mane is midnight blue and butter yellow so you'll be able to spot me pretty easily. I'll be bringing by some of my signature sweets for you to try~ Please look forward to it, and hopefully I catch at a good time. I'll be on my way as soon as you receive this letter, as Ponyville is one of my stops this fall break. I've meaning to go for quite awhile.

Sincerely, 

Butterscotch Puddin'."

[Rising Dusk 27,513]

@Blitz Boom

If Rising Dusk had had the moment to explain more about what was going to happen, he could have.  Unfortunately he had to seize a moment he couldn't guarantee would pass again, resulting in the need to take a much longer and careful approach at the cursed eight-ball another time.  Call it a short cut, but his mind was quick enough to predict the outcome.  Well, he had hoped so at the time anyways.  In the end it pretty much paid off though.

The black smoke didn't have any magical properties and for the most part, minus a coughing fit, was harmless.  The smoke didn't linger long in the basement as it became thinner in moments and then settled down completely.  Rising Dusk had his breath held the whole time and finally took in some air his lungs craved when the smoke had settled enough.  His midnight blue coat and sunset hair had been covered in a black soot.  Reaching up with a hoof, he wiped the soft powder from his eyes before blinking them open as well.  Taking a moment to take in his surroundings, noticing that Void had at least heeded his warning while the smaller pegasus did not and earned herself a lung full of smoke for it.  He could only do so much.

"I am fine," he assured the younger sister.  "I saw a weak spot in the spell work.  Unraveling it the way I did caused the curse to collapse until it became a magic Smoke Bomb.  A common spell you see a lot of stage ponies use.  After a few minutes of coughing, your lungs will be fine," he tried to explain to the sisters.  Sure, if he had done it the long way he could have completely skipped filling the basement in black smoke.  However, he'd admit reducing the deadly objected to something simple and harmless was at this time, and with what energy Rising Dusk had, the more efficient approach.  The barrier dome on the table had vanished during the smoke and his magic itself had been extinguished.  His hoof moving up to rub the thin soot off his horn.  That would need some polishing tonight, and a long shower.  His beige hoodie also no longer it's original color, luckily he did laundry the other day.

As for the eight-ball itself, it simply sat on the table top, cracked open like a broken egg that dripped with the oil that suspended the fortune device when it was used for it's intended purpose.

[Sekel 692]

@FanOfManyShows

WATTS MECHANO

"That would be of help, yes," Watts agreed wholeheartedly. She managed to catch up to him and tried to catch her breath on the way to wherever they were going. "So, where are heading off to?"

@Blitz Boom

AURORA LIGHTS

"I hope it does," Aurora found herself agreeing with Onache, despite her earlier claims of not wanting to be a part of whatever hive Onache would create. "Why did I say that? Why am I following you? I've never done this sort of thing before!"

@Blitz Boom

KARMIC FATE

"I carry it around with me as a reminder of consequences. Consequences of not controlling my power and keeping a tight rein on it. Consequences of how things can go horribly wrong with one wrong step, or even one death of a butterfly. I can't exactly forget all that when it's such a burden but such a big reminder at the same time, can I?" Karmic questioned Enzo and looked at him with a sudden tired look. "I've always been dazed by the amount of visions I get just walking around Ponyville, heck, even walking around Equestria. Ending up here after getting out of prison by a Serpanther was a big focus for me and let me harness my endless visions a tiny bit."

@Blitz Boom, @EQ_Theta, @Seamore Sandwich

TWILIGHT SPARKLE

"Crowds are always a huge hurdle for anypony. Even I found crowds hard to handle when I first came here from Canterlot. But I got over it because, well, this is a bit on the negative side, but you, Fluttershy, and all our other friends, forced me to get over my fears and be a part of crowds. I know forcing you is a bad thing, but sometimes, a little force is necessary just to give that tiny push to get things started," Twilight spoke, looking at Fluttershy for the entirety of her little speech but knew Nerzhei was listening in as well.

[Blitz Boom 4,620]

@Dji

"It's instinct. Even if you do not wish to join my hive, it lies in a drone's nature to follow a queen. That I am not the one who spawned you makes little difference, unless you can feel the pull from your own queen, and the lingering touch of her hive mind."

"It was part of one of my scouting reports. I ended up seeing it happen to quite a few of the loners, exiles, and you know, traitors. Sorta seemed like a common theme if they didn't keep their wits about 'em."

Happy chimed in and grinned down at Aurora. It was kinda funny to him to see this sort of behavior again, though he had seen some that were quite a bit more affected, and wouldn't snap out of their daze for hours, or even days. He didn't have the issue, since he had never been able to connect to the hive mind in the first place, and wasn't born a changeling, so he were better steeled against these sorta impulses. Perk of being a transformed halfling he supposed.

"You don't go worry your head about it though. It's just an impulse, and now that you know it went on, I'm sure you can keep yourself in check. Don't worry about it one bit, alright?"

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

 

@Dji

The sphinx growled as the word *Serpanther* came up in Aurora's conversation. Before that, he had simply listened, and taken in what information he were given about her need for keeping these memories as a reminder, though hearing of the infernal breed had derailed his mind for a moment, and given him a harsh look in his eyes to accompany the growl.

"Pesky abominations created by the time wanderer. They serve no purpose but to be a mockery upon all that is natural, and their master is a fiend who meddles in things that is not for him to change. I harbor no good will towards either of them."

There were quite a bit of sphinxes that knew how to see through time, and get sight on what had been, or what might come to pass, yet the time wanderer had meddled in that delicate weave oftentimes enough to be marked as an enemy of the sphinx. If not for his great power, they would have hunted him down and reduced him to sand centuries ago, yet as it stood, all they could truly do were to scorn him, and his disgusting little creations. Disgusting filth the lot of them.

"As for your memories, what you do with them is your own. I know only of the stories that tells of the downfall that comes from those who refuses to sheath their grief, and you ponies live such short, easily-ended lives. It seemed meaningless to me that you would chose to use of your tiny lifespan to think of this, though your reasoning holds merit. That I will give you."

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@EQ_Theta @Dji @Seamore Sandwich

On 11/20/2018 at 3:41 AM, EQ_Theta said:

“Actually, I was singing behind a curtain to fill in for somepony who lost his voice. And a baritone voice, at that. After everyone discovered it, I performed with the Ponytones for a smaller audience. I notice everyone in town spontaneously singing in tune a couple of times. Don’t know why but no pony seems to think it out of the ordinary. Well, now that you mentioned it… it is a little odd.”

"Among dragons, the stereotypes about ponies aren't exactly few in numbers, but I had hoped that the spontaneous singing and dancing weren't true. It sounds utterly irritating to witness a spectacle to some mundane topic."

Granted, Nerzhei did enjoy a bit of music, but the dragons that could sing well were few in numbers in her experience, and the topics there tended to be grand ballads about themselves or stories of greater ones who they remembered through their tunes. It was respectful and/or grandiose most of the time, yet the things that she had been told ponies could sing about... Flowers? Picking up groceries? How blue the sky were? This just seemed like a waste of time with no substance to it.

"But perhaps I shall save some judgement for when I see it for myself. If nothing else, at least I can just leave if it gets on my nerves."

On 11/20/2018 at 3:41 AM, EQ_Theta said:

“I guess the reason why I can sing to specific crowds is because I know them better. My animal friends and pony friends can accept my performance, flaws and all. Once I am on stage with ponies I don’t know, all I can imagine them saying is how I might mess up. I could imagine their voices and eyes, staring and whispering, and it makes me want to get away from it.”

 

5 hours ago, Dji said:

"Crowds are always a huge hurdle for anypony. Even I found crowds hard to handle when I first came here from Canterlot. But I got over it because, well, this is a bit on the negative side, but you, Fluttershy, and all our other friends, forced me to get over my fears and be a part of crowds. I know forcing you is a bad thing, but sometimes, a little force is necessary just to give that tiny push to get things started,"

Nerzhei listened to the two ponies talking about the forcing of a pony, stage fright, and the boundaries of what kind of attention became too difficult for Fluttershy. It helped to get a better picture into how the pegasus worked, even if it did not address why she had such a low view on herself in the first place. Likely a personal thing that weren't any of the dragons business.

"The princess have a point, though I think it needs to be altered a little. Instead of just pushing you into things, perhaps a gradual system would work better? Take the situations where you feel comfortable being more relaxed, such as singing around your animals or friends, and then try to add one being who isn't your enemy, or a complete stranger, but someone that you know somewhat okay, and try to work through that? Some numbers could be added the longer things went and perhaps help you feel more comfortable around others, so that you can force yourself to stand up a little.

I don't think this is the first thing to do, but it might be an idea for down the line."

Meanwhile, whilst all of this went on, Lotus rose her head from the water and spat out a stream of water, as if she were a little fountain.

"Hehe, I haven't tried this in a long time, but it's still all kinds of fun. You okay Angel?"

She looked around until her eyes would fall on Angel before saying the last three words, which gave her a bit more of a glance of their surroundings.

On 11/20/2018 at 3:41 AM, EQ_Theta said:

Of course, the other animals took notice of this and stared at the two visitors. Their gaze didn’t last and they went back to their business save for one sloth hanging above. A creepy thing, especially coming from something Fluttershy considered cute.

They had apparently gotten a brief amount of attention from the other animals, but they had quickly gotten to the point of not caring about them one bit. Might be they just registered the movement and got curious or something. Frankly she didn't know, and it didn't matter either. What was important was that they kept their noses to themselves when it came to something that didn't include them at all.

That were, unito her eyes fell on one creeper that weren't done looking at them. What sort of creature this were she had no idea, as she had never seen a creature like this before, but no matter what it were, she didn't care for the starring one bit, and rose her paws up in boxing position, while her downward ears framed her scowl well.

"Hey you. You got a problem or something?"

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

 

@Lucid_Nightlight

"₵ØⱠĐ. Đ₳₦₲ɆⱤ, ⱧɆⱠ₱?"

Henry pointed around on all of them, once at a time, until a light bulb went off over Anomaly's head. She were about to say something when Henry surprisingly quickly snatched it from her head and brought it up to his face. It seemed like he were trying to do something with it, as he began poking to it harder and harder, though the glass wasn't breaking.

"Well there went that idea, but meh, I think I got something of what he meant too. That's something I guess. I think that *Danger* is his way of saying *Creator*. Thinking that nopony told him how it were supposed to sound like. And well, he destroys wood because the poor thing is cold. Here you go Henry!"

Anomaly snapped her tail, and the pile of wood the creature had already gathered set ablaze, which immediately caught his attention and made him drop the light bulb before running over, and diving on top of the fire. Normally the fire should go around and spread from this impact really, but Anomaly played nice and pulled the pieces back with a few more snaps before something got set on fire. This was a new town and Henry had already done a good chunk of damage. It just wouldn't be the same to mess it up further. Besides, it would ruin the nice scene of seeing the large creature nesting on top of his pyre, seemingly fireproof and looking as calm as something like him likely could.

"ⱧɆ₦ⱤɎ ₩₳Ɽ₥."

"Awh, aren't he just precious? Mommy's destructive little gargantuan."

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

 

@EQ_Theta

Omen had lifted her head out of the water mere seconds before Lin had started to talk to her. Not because she knew that the longma were going to say anything, but because a crab had put its pincers into her nose, and she were now looking at it confused, while it tried to make her go away. It didn't really work, as she just took a few steps back to see what would happen, but it did get Shrimp's attention that something were hogging Omen.

"Shriiiiimp!"

With the tiny battle-roar, he floated forward and attacked the crab on sight, causing them both to fall down while they were fighting, and hitting the sand. What came next wouldn't be a pretty sight, but on the bright side, Shrimp would get the chance to taste flame-roasted crab now, and from the way he went at it, he seemed like a fan of it.

"Twice. One time Master Discord made the ocean come to us. Many ponies looked weird when he did, but master laughed. Must have been fun.

Last time I went there looking for somepony. Strange pony I knew. He was in the ocean. Lots of water went through the gate. Mother didn't like it. Made me put it back again. Siblings had fun though. Sometimes ask where the strange liquid is now.

I like rivers more, I think? Ocean have strange things that pinch. Large fish with big teeth too. Siblings liked those fish."

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus 

When Ruby got back, Spicy had just returned with the water and Marley were strapped in once again, sated and smelling faintly of fish. Though to Ruby, that smell might be stronger, though it should likely not be a surprise. He was a griffon after all, not a pony. It wasn't in his dietary needs to be fully vegetarian.

"Ah, you return. I hope you finished your business in peace."

"Well this place have been pretty dead, so I guess there's little to be afraid off. Darn weird that there's not even a timberwolf. Those buggers tend to be on our flanks sooner or later. Something must've spooked 'em."

Marley smirked a little behind her back, and sent a knowing look towards Ruby.

"Eh, whatever. Ready to leave this dump and get on with our lives?"

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@Rising Dusk

"A s-smoke bomb? Guess t-that explains it, t-though I'm just happy that N-Null will be okay. I don't k-know what I'd do if she..."

A faint whining sound came from Void's throat as she had a short, yet vivid image of her sister actually being gone for good passed through her mind. Sadly, the two of them had seen enough bodies that it were not hard for her to see in striking details how bad it could end, and in enough angles to fill some ponies nightmares for most of their lives. Hopefully she'd never have to be faced with that again, so that such things wouldn't come to her mind that easily in the future.

"A-Anyway, I'm happy that y-you're safe too, officer. i-it's uhm... Got to b-be tough though, r-right? Dealing with h-horrendous things like this? N-Not just draining, but also m-mentally?

P-Perhaps we need to let you b-breathe a little now. Perhaps let you g-get a shower too? Your uhm... W-Work uniform have gotten d-dirty."

Among other things, but she didn't want to say to somepony that they looked filthy. Especially since the only thing stopping her and Null from looking as covered, were that their coats were already pitch black, leaving mostly just Null's hat and her bandanna as something that could be stained by smoke like this. Thinking it over, why hadn't she used said bandanna to cover her muzzle? Not the smartest moment of her life now that she had the chance to think about it.

Void's eye fell on the magic 8 ball as she glanced around at things now that the smoke were more or less gone, and took a small step back away from it. She wasn't sure what sort of thing that it oozed with, but considering what it used to do, she couldn't count on it being just some sort of oil, when it was potentially some kind of poisonous goo, or worse. Thank Celestia that they were done with that one, though some of the other things... No, they'd worry about that when time came. They couldn't keep testing to find Rising's breaking point right now anyway. It would eventually just go wrong.

After a few minutes had passed, Null seemed to be up and running somewhat optimally again, just as the officer had said, though after all that couching, her breathing were still trying to adjust again. It shouldn't take long though, hopefully.

"That was revolting. Did you *wheeze* learn anything from it at least, or what?"

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@PickFairy

Pop heard the letter go into the box, but with how cluttered the shop were, she couldn't go out to meet the deliverymare in time, and merely saw the far-away figure of Derpy flutter off to her next delivery, break, or whatever else it were that the mare did. A shame really, as she wanted to give the mare something that she had cooked up recently, but alas, the small bag dangling from its string in her muzzle would have to wait for another time.

It wasn't much that she saw the mare around, and had mostly needed to ask around to understand something more about the mare with the lazy eye, but the notion of her being a cupcake fanatic had gotten through clearly, which were why the mailmare would be the perfect tester for her new Lemon Cupcake Toffees. It weren't the same consistency as an actual baked good, but the taste seemed to be there to Pop at least, so she wanted somepony in the know to try it. Sure Pinkie were an option, but that mare came around often, so there was no need to chase after her, and Pop wanted to do something nice for the mailmare.

Plus open up for a larger customer base of course, but that were the point of many of her recipes. This attempt at making baked goods into sweets were just one of the newer ones, and considering how many - herself included - that enjoyed going to the bakery in town, she figured that it wouldn't just be fun to actually do, but could be good for business. Not that she really needed it, as she actually had quite a large savings account so far, but if she ever were to move to Canterlot to set up shop closer to her mate, she needed a large and varied selection in her shop, as well as a larger establishment. That's were the bits she didn't use to import ingredients and travel mostly went.

Oh well, she'd have to think of such things later, and when she opened, see if she could find somepony to give word to Derpy that she had a gift for the pegasus. For now though  time to see what had been dropped off in her mailbox.

Taking the paper out and reading through it, Pop ended up just blinking where she stood, and reading it over a few times to see if she got it right. Somepony actually traveled to learn from her, and compare crafts?

She were dumbfounded, though slowly, a smile crept unto her face.

Even though Pop had been in this business for around 10 years now, she had never really been sought out by other candy makers before. A few had ventured near and figured they'd drop by, just to see how much better their own work were compared to a shop in a dingy little town like this, though none of them wanted to share or talk about these kinds of things. Likely out of pride, but the point were that whenever she had been in a situation where she compared, learned and taught others, it had been when she were the one doing the travels to others. This marked the first time that somepony actually wanted to come over and go through this on her own turf.

If the earth pony had wings, she'd flutter in the air out of pure joy, though as she didn't, it stayed at a good smile, whilst she folded the letter, put it in her pocket, and went back into her store. She had to make sure that it looked presentable for the customers, and prepare some things for her guest.

Things did not turn out to go that easily unfortunately. As some of the workers repairing town had gotten into accidents, a few hooves were needed here and there to help sort some things, and Pop had been one of the volunteers. It ended up taking quite a long time, as it had been a hectic mess a few times where the forepony had thundered at the previous shift workers shoddy work that then needed to be redone, but eventually as night began to approach, she went on her way back from the school, content that she had done all she could, though unfortunately, she had forgotten all about her visitor that may come at any moment now. This may end up being quite a bit more messy than she had wished for it to be.

Edited November 21, 2018 by Blitz Boom

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom

"Well, looks like you have a son I guess. You might wanna save up on his college fund as soon as you can, I hear those student loans can be quite a mess."

"Where will you put him?"

"I'm pretty sure Anomaly has some sort of island."

If anyone looked around, they would see a whole bunch of ponies going about their business as if this sort of thing was normal.

"This happens a lot here. Well, usually it's some kind of dragon, but it's still the same concept I guess."

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom @Catpone Cerberus Serenade leads them back to her house, on the outskirts of ponyville. It's a simple, two story house next to a small river. The lower widows are blocked out, and the stairs lead up to the second floor. "Welcome to my place"

[Catpone Cerberus 23,588]

 

@Blitz Boom @Moonlit

"It looks cosy." Nada commented when the group arrived to Serenade's house, she had been extra cautious after they had left the safety of the forest, but other than that the travel had been nice enough. "Peaceful, source of food and place to swim close by." "All that siren could hope for...." she shrugged "...or at least it's for me, I don't know what one would hope for nowadays." 
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@Blitz Boom

As expected, Ruby didn't pay any mind to the smell of fish emitting from the griffon, she found it slightly curious that ponies, fully-vegetarian creatures who didn't like animals getting harmed still not only seemed be perfectly fine with fish eating creatures, but also fish themselves for said creatures. She simply replied "Yes." to Marley's comment, she didn't want to hold the conversation about it any longer in case it ended up making Spicy curious about her doings.

When Spicy mentioned the lack of wild creatures and Marley gave the look to Ruby, she just nodded to confirm his thoughts, she didn't know how much Marley knew about the animal world, so she wasn't sure if she should be impressed that he had figured out that she was the reason for the absence of threats. "Yeah, ready when you are." she kept a short pause but continued "Oh, there's one thing I have forgot to ask, how long exactly will we have to stay in Appleloosa." she had realized while eating that she wouldn't be able to hunt unnoticed around Appleloosa, so she wanted to know if she could manage the time without eating or by eating just fish, or if she should be prepared to hunt few ponies from the town. 

[EQ_Theta 457]

@Blitz Boom

“You know, there is a river near the village. Full of fish that try to swim upstream sometimes. They’re a little small, though. Nothing like the bigger varieties you could probably find in larger bodies of water. I can take you there sometime.”

“But speaking of water, I remember you once asked Mother back at her realm if you could be put into river. What is that for?”

That part has been something Lin thought about for a while. She didn’t exactly have the chance to talk to Mother about it but at the time, the topic didn’t cross her mind. Now that she could probably get an explanation for it, perhaps she might be able to accommodate Omen whenever she felt like needing to take a dip in a river. Or she would take her to the sanctuary where the two met Solasan. That was a long time ago, a time she would rather forget. But that place was a calming presence, a display of untouched beauty hidden away from the world. For the most part, it is an isolated place with a nice little lake that looked even prettier at night. It was a retreat just meant for Sen and herself, but Omen is and will always be welcomed to visit it. Of course, it was always meant as a way to escape reality when things were too much to handle, at least for Sen. 

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

@Blitz Boom @Dji @Seamore Sandwich

“Actually, I feel great! Fluttershy never lets me do anything like that unless she’s around. And only if she has protective gear to let me wear.” 

Angel noticed Lotus getting ready to pick a fight with the sloth, still seemingly unaware, or unconcerned, with the pink bunny looking ready to beat it up. It still kept that odd stare and creepy smile, just looking towards the two bunnies with a hint of absent cognitive thought.The white bunny hopped right in front of Lotus and attempted to calm her down.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! No need to get worked up with Lola. She’s a sloth. Moves real slow and it takes a while for her attention to be drawn to something else. She’s harmless though, so there’s no need to pick a fight. Let me show you.”

The bunny then raised one paw and waved to Lola, hoping to elicit some kind of reaction. Right on cue, the sloth’s smile widened and blinked her eyes, probably the first time it reacted a little faster than what Angel was suggesting but at least he got some confirmation it is aware and very much friendly. If anything, Lotus’ display of aggression was pretty amusing to the sloth. Something new for it to see as the bunnies living in the sanctuary were a lot more timid. 

As for Fluttershy, Nerzhei’s suggestion was something she had considered but Twilight was kind enough to share her thoughts on the matter. A little opposed to the idea though, as the pegasus didn’t seem like the type to find herself in a position to be forced into building her confidence. But maybe there is something that might work. 

“I don’t know if this could work but Discord told me about how why he’s so confident being chaotic. He likes doing what he does, even if he has to limit it. Little steps, he calls it. What about doing little things that make me feel good? Either that or I make outrageous requests and get rejected so much I start feeling desensitized to rejection.” 

 

Edited November 22, 2018 by EQ_Theta
Forgot to format Angel's lines

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom @Catpone Cerberus "It's as peaceful as one can get in Ponyville. But considering my previous house was in Canterlot. Come on it." Serenade leads them to the second floor, and then opens the door. The main floor is an open plan, with the kitchen to one side and in place of the living room...is a massive pool. A set of stairs leads to the attic. "The pool leads to the river"

[Rising Dusk 27,513]

@Blitz Boom

Rising Dusk sighed to himself as the fatigue really started to settle in.  These weren't the simplest of spells to be Dispelling, especially all at one time and it wasn't even noon yet.  He was dirty from soot and all he wanted to do was slump over his desk for a long nap.  Why not his bed?  Well, that was simple... It was too far away.  Struggling to keep his shoulders from slumping with fatigue, he gave the earth pony a weak smile.  "These artifacts are indeed tough nuts to crack, that's for sure," he admitted verbally.  Oof, and that wasn't even taking into account how he was going to explain the mess to the janitor crew before they came in tonight to clean.  Oh well, one problem at a time.

Looking over himself, he patted at his hoodie with a hoof, causing little puffs of soot to fly off the fabric.  Yep, Void was right, sitting in front of the eight-ball put him basically at ground zero for the smoke bomb made his front a mess looking like he'd just slid down a chimney. Ho ho ho.  The thought made him smirk.  Perking his ears as Null inquired what he lead, he turned his attention to her. "I learned the artifact was used to absorb life energy and store it.  Most likely for the creator to use at another time to further empower his or her dark magic." 

"I don't have enough energy to safely perform a Dispel on anything else complex.  We'll have to pick this up after I've had some rest," he informed the sisters and slid off his stool.  Getting to his hooves, he had to take a second to keep his knees from collapsing on him.  Slow movements would serve him best for the rest of the day.  Making his way back to the stairs, he stopped by the same table he made the coffee at.  Igniting his horn he grabbed a quill, dipped it some ink and started writing out a message on a notepad also with the table.  "Do you ladies have a place to stay?" he inquired with his back toward them.  "If not, there is a very nice inn down the road," finishing his message he put the quill down.  "Just give them this note and you'll get to stay free of charge.  For your services to the Princess and the O.M.I.," he added, letting his magic fade while he picked up the note with his mouth and walked back to the sisters if they wanted it.

[Blitz Boom 4,620]

@Lucid_Nightlight

"Well, Frizzle have been asking me for a sibling for ages, so I guess I can take Henry in as that. Part of me, just like she were. Heh, her little brother is going to scare the wings off her back.

Anyway, I'll get him home when I can. Poor thing needs to get some warmth first, and then I'll need a gate back to my world. I don't think my island is in this one, since I rose it all by myself. Was just sea everywhere before that."

Blitz thought back on the time when she had gotten there with Zhu, who had stolen a boat to guide her to the area, and taught her how she were to use her powers to create herself a home far away from prying eyes. It hadn't made much sense at the time, but she had eventually realized that he didn't want her to potentially be hunted down, or get into arguments with locals that might cause her to have a relapse to her older ways, so it were safer to have her base being in an isolated area where nopony could or would come around to bother her. Plus, she could do all the crazy, chaotic things she wanted there, without risking decimating the entire ecosystem of Equestria via one of her creations. Or well, lessen the chance anyway, as she couldn't always help herself, though she tended to bring back anything fun to her own island and fitted it around for the survival of that being.

Seeing Henry, curled up and soaking in the flames, she might have to add an area with a lava pool for him. Poor guy wouldn't be able to just live in a tree like Frizzle were, and if he were considered her son, she had to make sure he was well taken care of.

"While he's soaking it in, I gotta ask: Is it because of you that they're used to wonky stuff here, Lucid? I bet it is, you crazy, crazy pooqus. Just waving your stick around and causing all sorts of magical mayhem. I dunno why, but your marefriend kinda seems too boring to make big crazy things herself. Oh, or are this place plagued by attackers and stuff, like Ponyville is? Something's gotta make them all jaded to this sorta thing."

Hmm, perhaps she should make a few fixes actually, even if they were being calm enough about things... Y'know, just in case.

A few snaps, a couple of stomps, and a good chunk of raw nature magic, and presto: Large flowers would bloom all around the area, and within the large, bulbous plants, would be some wagons and carts, just to try and replace what Henry had messed up to make his fire. Of course, she couldn't help herself with making them seem more weird and have a plant motif, along with varied markings of her making faces here and there on them, but what would everypony expect? She was a draconequus, not an alicorn. She were allowed to have some fun.

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

 

@Moonlit @Catpone Cerberus

Looking around the house, and the stories they went through, Berry couldn't help but letting out an impressed whistle.

"Man, this place looks awesome, Serenade. Way nicer than I expected from rummaging through your trash."

"Why would you go through her trash?"

"To gather intel, duh. You can never be too careful when it comes to The Conspiracy and their agents."

As Cherish materialized again, she considered saying something to that point, but decided that perhaps it was better to not cross that lane into Crazy Town, and just let the mare go on with her own business. It seemed safer to not challenge a loon like that.

"Anyway, digging the style here, Serenade. Perhaps this is the sort of setup we should work on for you when we get you sorted, Nada? I'm sure that th-Graargh!"

The words were suddenly interrupted when a squirrel-like creature with webbed feet and large, winglike ears that it could seemingly use for flight, flew down from a shelf, and as soon as it had flown silently close enough, tits jaws had unhinged, showing a large maw with three rows of small, sharp teeth facing backwards, before closing around the top half of Berry's head, leaving her unable to see, and with a smell of fish and strawberries oozing around on the breath of whatever creature had just latched on to her.

"Sea monster! Getitoff getitoff getiitoff!"

Try as she might, she wasn't gonna be able to just pull Fah'lina of her head that easily, though she mostly ran sporadically around and shook her head too, rather than standing still and taking her chances. The mimic were in no mood for intruders that had no business being here, and considering the others there were either sirens or were somepony that she had seen before, Berry had been the focus of the mimic's attack.

(originally found on Google)

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"If we're lucky, we'll be outta there within the hour. Could be a few days if I get in a fight again, and the sheriff hauls me in, but I'll be nice. Y'know, unless there's somepony begging for a beating."

Spicy let out a laugh and shook her head. She lost her temper the last time, and had paid the price for it. No biggie, and it wasn't going to happen again, long as she stayed away from the bars. Considering she had only gotten in there to play in the first place - since the swill they served wouldn't be drinkable unless your taste-buds were dead in her mind - that shouldn't be a big problem.

Being on their way, they'd eventually reach the dusty town and with a sarcastic tone in her voice, Spicy waved her leg out towards the town of wonky hats and cacti.

"Welcome to the happiest place in Equestria, Dodge Junction. Isn't it just a barrel of fun?"

"Would be more fun if you'd turn around and put our town behind you again."

The deep voice sounded like it was running through gravel. It was pretty unique, and Spicy knew it was the old sheriff before she even turned her head.

"Well if it ain't Sheriff Geezer."

"It's Sheriff Breezer, and you know that well, troublemaker."

The pony were in his later years, and the grey were overtaking most of his formerly brown fur, but the sheriff star still stood on his vest, and beneath the faded-brown hat, his eyes didn't speak of somepony who were tired and ready to put down his badge. Annoying old geezer in Spicy's opinion, but sadly, 'round here he was the law.

"Sure it is. And you can go call me names all you want old man, I've paid my dues for last time, and I'm perfectly legal in passing through this relic of a town."

"Until you start stirring up trouble again, and we have to warm up the tar."

"Perhaps we should leave you two to catch up on olden times, hmm? Ruby, if you would be so kind as to follow me."

Marley didn't meddle in the reunion taking place, but instead would try his to guide Ruby past it, and down the main road so they could get to the other side of town. The sheriff didn't much like the griffon, but as far as the law were concerned, Marley were clean as a whistle, and nothing could be held over his head to even make the bird take a sweat, though Ruby got herself a look from the sheriff that seemed to silently say *I'm watching you*. What a fun place for them all already, wasn't it?

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

 

@EQ_Theta

"I wanted to remember what it was like to dream.

Master Discord said he wanted me to know what it was like once. He put me in a river, and filled it with chaos. Strange images. many sounds... Master said it was like dreaming.

Can't find chaos water now, but river makes me remember. Quiet too. Very quiet. Better for thinking."

For most, the more correct term for what Omen said would be that being placed in a river were soothing, and reminded her of better times, yet phrasing it as such would require a lot more knowledge on emotions than what she had.

"Do you ever need to think too, Lin? You're smart. More than others. Never too many things so you need to stop? And where do you go? Not river? Longma breathe, yes?"

Lin were about the smartest being that Omen knew (that she could also understand) so it did wonder her if Lin ever needed to just step back and let her mind find peace. Just some time to sort through things, and find herself again. Clever beings did that too, yes? If not, did that mean that Omen would be dumb until she didn't? Questions... Many they were, none she understood.

It was a shame that the memories of being in the longma village were gone from her head. perhaps she could've learned some of the the questions that she had about longma and how they behaved if she could remember how the village were. Guess it didn't matter though, right? She would see eventually, unless something happened while they were out here, but she didn't knew if that was something that was all that likely. Guess she'd see when she went into the water later, to have a look at the temple.

Behind them, Rosa were beginning to sporadically twitch a little in his sleep, but it were subtle, and he still seemed to be calmly at rest. Hopefully Sen were yet to fall into nightmares as well.

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

 

@EQ_Theta @Seamore Sandwich @Dji

On 11/22/2018 at 2:34 AM, EQ_Theta said:

“Actually, I feel great! Fluttershy never lets me do anything like that unless she’s around. And only if she has protective gear to let me wear.” 

"Protective gear? Pff, what a scaredy-cat."

Lotus got distracted momentarily from picking a fight with the larger creature, to imagine Angel in protective gear. Considering the only stuff she had seen there were from some fillies that were skating, she imagined that kind of getup on him, whilst Fluttershy were doling around him like he were made of glass, and she just had to laugh at how silly it looked. That mare really needed to get with the program and understand that getting hurt were good for you. Sure it could leave long time scars, but that just meant that you'd remember it, and learn from your mistakes. If you kept getting babied, how would you get to understand what to do and not to do. Just listen blindly to what they were told? What a bunch of sheep.

On 11/22/2018 at 2:34 AM, EQ_Theta said:

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! No need to get worked up with Lola. She’s a sloth. Moves real slow and it takes a while for her attention to be drawn to something else. She’s harmless though, so there’s no need to pick a fight. Let me show you.”

Though the mental image had helped calm the situation down some for Lotus, she had still fully intended to go up there and show creeper a piece of her mind, but as Angel jumped out and started being all reasonable and explaining things, the hot air went out of her balloon. Apparently this creature weren't trying to challenge Lotus's authority, but were just one really slow creature. And look, now the sloth - what a strange name for a creature - finally began to react to things. How weird was that?

"Never heard about Sloths before, but if you say she's okay, then fine. Sorry up there, I guess."

Lotus put down her fighting stance and gave a short wave towards the sloth. Lotus wasn't one to apologize for things normally, which were why her excuse sounded a little weak in it, but she had been raised to have some honor, so she messed up, she'd at least try. Though she hoped that the creature didn't get near her. looking over the sloth again, that were some real big claws on her, and they seemed uncomfortable being touched with.

On 11/22/2018 at 2:34 AM, EQ_Theta said:

“I don’t know if this could work but Discord told me about how why he’s so confident being chaotic. He likes doing what he does, even if he has to limit it. Little steps, he calls it. What about doing little things that make me feel good? Either that or I make outrageous requests and get rejected so much I start feeling desensitized to rejection.”

"If you were a dragon, I'd have you do the second one, but I don't think it will work on you to just beat you down further to get you jaded. Might just make it worse, since you might not be able to feel the good things anymore.

The first suggestion makes more sense. The more relaxed you are, perhaps the more we can push you and see where your limits are when it comes to being confronted. Might also help your self image issues, if you see that's there's something you're good at, and that seemed to be the biggest issue here. Do you have any suggestions on something that makes you feel good?"

Whatever it were, it likely had something to do with animals. That seemed to be one of two main themes with this mare at least: Kindness and animals. Why she would have care of so many animals though, the dragon didn't know. Perhaps this whole area had some ties to a wild life preservation/zoo, so they had to nurture the beasts and keep them docile to not cause any issues? She'd likely see if it were, though it could also just be another pony thing that weren't covered in the stereotypes that she knew of. Strange creatures these quines sometimes.

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

 

@Rising Dusk

7 hours ago, Rising Dusk said:

"I learned the artifact was used to absorb life energy and store it.  Most likely for the creator to use at another time to further empower his or her dark magic."

"Go figure that Germane would have the same kind of stuff that we'd find in Harrowmark. Witches and their annoying filth cant even stay in their own country."

To harvest life energy to then collect and use later on... The world was a sick place, with magic users who were revolting to even think about. Frankly thinking about it just made Null more infuriated about her aqnd Void being the shunned outcasts, when they were actually able to work against things like that. But no, they had to be the ones to be chased out of everywhere...

Especially Harrowmark citizens should have been thrilled to keeping the two around. The villagers and the good witches kept going on about how they needed to deal with the black magic users out in the wilderness to really find peace, but the second that the two of them then came around, and providing an easy solution, instead the good witches began riling the citizens against them, and shouting at them for being monstrous heretics, not fit for this world. What a lovely place, truly.

7 hours ago, Rising Dusk said:

"Do you ladies have a place to stay?" he inquired with his back toward them.  "If not, there is a very nice inn down the road,"

"No, because we didn't think we'd have to stay in town for that long to get this filth away from us."

"Big sis, p-please. The officer is d-doing what he can, but it's d-draining for him. Can't you s-see that he's barely standing a-as it is? We'll s-survive being in town f-for a little longer. B-Besides, we could u-use a shower too. I t-think I got some of t-that dust in my p-prosthetic."

7 hours ago, Rising Dusk said:

"Just give them this note and you'll get to stay free of charge.  For your services to the Princess and the O.M.I.," he added, letting his magic fade while he picked up the note with his mouth and walked back to the sisters if they wanted it.

Void took the note with a shaking hoof, while a tear ran down from her real eye.

"I-I... We u-uhm... T-Thank you, O-Officer Dusk. It's v-very nice of you."

Folding the note and putting it in her saddlebag, Void sobbed as quietly as she could, whilst the tear ran down her face, chin, and eventually, fell towards the floor. helping them finding shelter while they were here were a thing that made her very emotional, though hopefully he wouldn't just see the tear and think she were sad, but also the smile in her face. She didn't want him to think that she were ungrateful.

Null on the other hoof, did look stunned at first, though her suspicious glare soon fell on the officer, as she tried to evaluate whatever or not this were a trap. It didn't seem like he showed any signs of it, but could they truly trust this pony? Hmm... Perhaps they'd see, if they made it out of here without anypony attempting to catch them, and then through the day at this inn they had essentially gotten a voucher for.

"We'll see, but thanks for now, I guess. We'll be there when you're ready again. Come on sis, let's leave."

Null gave a vague farewell nod to the officer before turning around and making her way back the way they had come in, though Void wanted to do this right, so she stuck around for a little, and looked directly at the officer, after drying the tear from her face with the dry inside of her bandanna..

"T-Thank you for all your h-help so far, Officer D-Dusk. Please t-take care of yourself, o-okay?"

If Dusk did not keep any of them behind for some reason, the two would leave with all the cursed items still in tow, minus the ones the officer had fixed already. Something else would be on the floor though, even if it may be a little difficult to see with the soot matching the small feather that Null had dropped. He'd likely be able to feel it though, as Null's feathers retained their effects for up to a week after they had left her body. For some reason hair and such didn't work, but her feather did, and who knew, perhaps he could find some sorta use for this, if he so chose to.

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom

"This place has been weird before I even got here. I think it's considered normal in this world."

Novia looked over at Anomaly.

"You have a daughter?"

That was something neither Lucid nor Novia knew. Sure, they could've read her mind, but Lucid was pretty sure Anomaly wouldn't be happy about that.

[Catpone Cerberus 23,588]

@Moonlit@Blitz Boom
Nada just watched as the squirrel latched on Berry's head, she didn't do anything about it because she didn't know if Berry really was in danger, nor did she know what to do even if she was, since in later case it wouldn't most likely be safe to just pull the creature away either. It was also slightly amusing.

She turned to Serenade and Cherish "Serenade, your house is amazing!" she started, but she lowered her voice back to normal right away "If this goes well, I'd like to know if I can get something similar." she then nodded her head towards Berry "And is that something I should be concerned about?" One could say her priorities were...unique, but though she really feared that ponies would banish her, that was really the only thing she knew to fear, she had seen so much weird things and creatures in the forest that no creature really fazed her at this point. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@Blitz Boom
As to be expected, Ruby just hummed in understanding when Spicy replied to her question, 1 hour, good, 1 day she could manage, couple of days or more....some ponies may have to go missing.

She just looked looked at the sheriff disapprovingly, she didn't like the law system of Equestria, so naturally she didn't like those upholding it, but she knew well enough to not cause trouble with them until it was really necessary, it usually only lead to more inconveniences.

Naturally Ruby didn't say a word during the whole interaction, just looked at whoever was talking at the moment, and nodded when Marley asked her to follow him, but not before catching the sheriff's warning glance, how amusing... She just met his gaze and gave the most obnoxiously genuine smile she could muster, it was fake of course, but it looked as real as smile can be.

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom @Catpone Cerberus Serenade sighs, "Fah'lina, not eating the pony okay." She walks over to her fridge, and removes a brown paper package. "I was saving these for the train, but I guess now is the best time" She unwraps it, and the smell of raisins, cinnamon, and marshmallows fill the room. "You get ONE, okay? Otherwise you will get a tummy ache...trust me, I know" She picks up a round ball and offers it to the Mimic. 

[EQ_Theta 457]

@Blitz Boom

It was a sobering thought, having to calm down and think. To reminisce and reflect. That's what Lin thought as she made sense of Omen's words. A tinge of longing for what she could no longer have and making sense of what she has. Perhaps the idea of water was more than apt, and that Discord might have been on to something when he introduced that to Omen. It was a good one, as Lin would admit in silence. Perhaps the spirit of chaos was a lot more clever than he let on. But the way Lin replied to Omen, it had hints of sorrow mixed with hope. Though her time spent wandering might damper that slightly, as she mostly felt vengeful. 

"I need to think too, Omen, more often now than I used to.Seeing just how different my path is from what I thought I'd be many years ago, I can' say it's an easy thing. I didn't think I'd need water but I can understand why, seeing as I can't dream anymore. Maybe I'll try that, floating on water. How do you do it?"

Now that she had a grasp of what the idea of floating on the water was like, it appeared even Omen's practice had some appeal to the longma hybrid. Maybe if Lin learned some more, she might be able to work on something more tangible and recurring. There was a place that could probably fulfill that. Perhaps once they returned from their adventures, there might be some time to test it out. 

"If you like, I can take you back to Sen's sanctuary, or I guess that isn't the proper name. It's our sanctuary, a place for us, a place for you. Sen and I go there to think and reflect, to get away from the world when things get tough, even for just a while. We sit by the water or under the shade of the only tree that grows there and we feel at ease. A small piece of paradise and Sen wouldn't hesitate to take you there. The waters there flow slowly, probably comes from some underground source. We can pass the time there if you want to remember what it is like to dream."

Somehow, those words got Lin thinking to herself. Omen was capable of dreaming once, at least coming from the impression she got. What could've happened that led up to being unable to dream?  

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

@Blitz Boom @Dji @Seamore Sandwich

"Well, I am pretty good with animals. I look after strays if they ever stumble upon my cottage and I share my home with plenty of animals from the Everfree Forest..."

Though that much is obvious and it might not really mean much if Fluttershy had any difficulty working with animals, the few instances that have made it difficult are so far between her positive moments that there were very few to talk about. But there were other things she had in mind, perhaps one that she isn't so comfortable with sharing to a larger public for now. Rarity might have had a hint of this back when the pegasus agreed to model for her at the boutique for a new nature-themed collection a while back. 

"I... suppose I should also say this. I sew from time to time. Not many ponies know this about me but I like it. I'm just not sure if I want to reveal it to many others. It's not really worth mentioning, to be honest but there you go. Maybe you'd like to see some samples?"

As for the sloth, Lola's smile slowly grew wider as she closed her eyes and nodded. It isn't much but it is her way of saying she harbors no ill feelings towards Lotus. Sometimes Angel wonders if it even possible to get her angry enough to change her expression. That kind of calm is unnatural to the bunny. How would a sloth look like if it were very angry? No matter how much he wanted to see it, it probably isn't worth trying to rile up an animal that has arctic levels of chill. 

"Fluttershy sometimes has these little spa days for the animals. That stuff is really relaxing; she gives us massages and bubble baths at her cottage. This one time, a bear came by her home complaining about a stiff neck and back. Fluttershy really went all out and snapped his bones in many places before giving him a back massage! That bear's name is Harry and he now lives with us and helps me look after the animals!"

Truth be told, that was an understatement. Harry did help out around the cottage but beyond that, Fluttershy would sometimes have him escorting her around during the days leading up to Nightmare Night when a lot of things would spook the pegasus. He sort of acted as a bodyguard, looking all tough and giving hints of a no-nonsense attitude. Once they pair return home, they settle down for tea with the rest of the animals before picking up from their last book club meeting. He is also fairly good at cards, and Angel sometimes thinks he's found a way to guarantee a win every three hands or so. 

[Rising Dusk 27,513]

@Blitz Boom

If only Rising Dusk had the energy to knock out all those cursed items in a day so that the sisters didn't have to stay any longer than they wished.  In truth though, based on a guess of how many artifacts they might actually be carrying, it could take him a while to go through their inventory.  Little bits and bobs are what normally came to the O.M.I. on a day to day basis, with artifacts of these level of complexity on the rare.  This kind of work is what Rising Dusk did for his first couple of years at the agency, with most his time spent working cases outside the office these days.

Waiting for one of the sisters to accept his offer to the inn, which luckily he didn't need to wait all that long before Void took the note from him.  He was tired, that's for sure.  But the reaction he got out of Void from his simple gesture was rather rejuvenating if he admitted it.  At least it brought a smile to his lips even as a single tear fell from her good eye.  It was already pretty clear to him that such treatment was rather rare, even though he'd seen these kinds of acts everyday in Equestria.  Hopefully more such things could happen to the two.  Give Void more courage and thaw Null's icy heart.  "You are most welcome Void, Null.  Please stop by tomorrow after you've both rested up.  I'll be sure to do the same," he told the sisters with his smile, mostly aimed at the sweet Void.  He watched as the two departed back up the stairs from the basement.  

Taking a brief moment while he was alone in the basement to gather a little more energy and his thoughts.  It was going to be a very busy week for the detective.  As he was about to get himself ready to head back up the stairs, and his mind a bit clearer.  He could sense something a little off.  Turning his head about to see that one of Null's feathers had come loose and fell to the floor.  Reaching out with his senses he could tell that it still had a small nullifying field with it.  How curious.  A thought came to mind as he turned about and walked over to pick it up with a hoof.  Examining it for a moment before he gently place it into the pouch of his hoodie.  He wondered if paying a visit to Molotov with this thing could help determine if his wing technology might be able to help Null get a prosthetic wing that would actually allow her to fly.

He sighed again, returning to the stair to finally make his way up them, a little slower than usual.  It was going to be a very long week.  Finally up stairs, he walked right by his desk without a second look and through the swinging doors that led to the lobby.  Raising a hoof in Bash's direction as he walked by, "Don't ask."  Of course referring to his soot covered appearance.  The large stallion barely peaked over the top of his newspaper and grunted an affirmative before returning to his article.

[Sekel 692]

@Blitz Boom

AURORA LIGHTS

"Okay, it's just an instinct. One I've never known I've had until now," Aurora nodded along. It made sense to her. Even though she was a drone, it made sense they'd follow those in a much higher power, or place in the hive. Even though it's just her, Onache, and Happy, it still filled her with a slight sense of dread. "I was only meant to see the sights of Equestria. I never imagined I'd be dragged into something like this."

@Blitz Boom

KARMIC FATE

Karmic was going to speak but a term the Sphinx used stuck with her, pushing all other thoughts out of her mind.

"Um, time wanderer? Can you explain that, please?" Karmic asked in an intrigued but confused tone.

@Blitz Boom, @EQ_Theta, @Seamore Sandwich

TWILIGHT SPARKLE

Twilight had almost faded into a thousand-yard stare as she thought about all the unread books the Sphinx had given her, but something Fluttershy had said brought her out of it. Sewing. That's something only Rarity could do impressively, as far as her circle of friends went. "You sew. That's ... I actually think I remember you mentioning something like that when Rarity was making our Galloping Gala dresses, Fluttershy."

[Blitz Boom 4,620]

@Lucid_Nightlight

"I never said that? Huh, weird.

Anyway, don't you remember that I keep splitting up, Lucid? I'm letting parts of me go off to have fun, and when they come back, I take the experiences, or just absorb them again. Fizzle is like Henry though. No memories or other stuff that's copied from me, just evolved from some part that got left behind and evolved. I can never remember if she used to be my lung or heart - man it was a messy fight - but anyway, she grew from that, and eventually sought me out. For some reason they can tell that a draconequus created them. Might be why Henry was all confused when there were two and a half of us here, hehe.

I can show you to her some other time, long as you don't go first. Fizzle ain't large, but she's packed full of powers, and got one voracious appetite. Especially for faces. She'll leave you looking as featureless as a mannequin doll in 15 seconds flat."

The amount of pride that Anomaly put into that last statement were disturbing delightful, but be that as it may, at least Henry didn't seem able to do the same, so it wasn't going to be a theme for her offspring.

"Hehe, isn't it fun? All you normal and semi-normal creatures all go through the same cycle as anypony, with needing to breed within a certain age to be able to get anywhere, but me? I can just chop off a leg and toss it in a river, then turn the clock and wait for anywhere between an hour and forty years. Alone! Beat that, chaos-wizards."

Anomaly pulled her tongue at her two friends whilst giggling over how her way of creating offspring worked compared to them. Sure, they'd have beings that were no doubt in the same race - draconequui that were, even if Lucid were only half of that - and shared a deep connection with their parents, but they could run into all sorts of problems there, and had to go through that annoying pregnant phase, whilst Anomaly could tear herself apart and spawn a vast number of offspring.

Back in the day, she wouldn't have been able to do this, because she were more a being of pure destruction than anything else, but now? She were the essence of creation, evolution, and nature itself. If she wished to spawn through budding, laying eggs, cell splitting, cloning, or whatever, she could and would do that. Her legacy would never die, even if she herself might one day. That was a pretty fun thought to her, even if the implications of perhaps her combined offspring over the years forming a legion of unstoppable monsters might scare others. Boring folks, honestly.

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@Moonlit @Catpone Cerberus

It took a few seconds for the mimic to get the scent, as Berry was frantically running around and trying to get the creature off her head that were blocking the light and poking her with more sharp teeth than she cared to count, but eventually, the scent would register with the mimic, and she let go of the pony to fly over and grab hold of the offered treat. The warning about only taking one wouldn't matter to her in the slightest, but long as they kept an eye on her, she likely wouldn't try and pry more than this one out of where they were stored. Depended on how good a lock was on the fridge really, when it came to her want to even try and sneak more away.

Berry on the other hoof, stood with her back to the sight and felt around her head, trying to find if something were missing, yet so far it didn't seem like, no matter how frantically she touched every inch the creature had been over. Might be that the mimic were carnivorous, but pony hides were thick and not really that easy to pierce for her, so biting them were at best as if a cat did, and most of the times like leaning against a bed of spikes. Annoying, but ultimately not something that got through your skin. That was one of the reasons why when Fah'lina's kind attacked, they aimed for the head, and to cover the eyes of whoever they went for. It added panic, as well as disoriented the target, which made it easier for a flock of them to overwhelm whoever had gotten on the wrong side of them.

Finally somewhat sure that she wasn't bleeding profoundly, Berry turned around and with a highly cautious look, glanced at the mimic, who had taken the ball and flown over on a shelf, where she were now nibbling at it. Noticing that she had been seen though, Fah'lina opened her maw wide the mare, showing the teeth off clearly, ads well as a mouth that could easily contain the entire head of the mare if needed be. Not something you expected from something that size, but it wasn't without reason that they were called mimics in this age.

"All due respect to you Serenade, but your pet is the freakiest thing I've seen in my entire life."

The notion of Fah'lina being a pet, earned Berry another showing of teeth, along with a guttural hiss, as the mimic did not enjoy being called a pet, unless she were trying to scam herself to some food.

"It's an... Interesting p- uhm, guardian, certainly. There aren't any other strange surprises here, right?"

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@Catpone Cerberus

Marley led her on deeper inside the dusty town, where granted, a few eyes fell on them, but overall nothing that lasted, or anything suspicious. It seemed mostly to be curiosity towards who Ruby were, as most that had seen Marley here had only done so with Spicy, who weren't exactly the most popular pony in town after the last time.

"I do apologize for the spectacle before, Ruby. Spicy and the old sheriff does not get along well, and our companion have a problem simply ignoring those who irks her. But worry not, I know where we are going, so it should be of no concern."

They'd soon be on the other side of town, and at the outskirts, Marley finally stopped and looked towards their goal, merely a meter in front of them, with a talon thoughtfully stroking the bottom of his beak.

"Ah yes, this... May slow us down some."

The house they had come for were in ruins. More specifically, it had been burned to the ground, with only a few, crumbling stone walls still standing.

Marley went over to the ruins and brushed off the soot-covered walls, working on a hunch that unfortunately seemed to pay off, as a mark looking like three red claws vaguely came to light.

"I stand corrected. This will slow us down substantially.

It seems that she finally put herself against some beings that she should not have. A pity, though knowing them, I doubt she have perished, and merely fled after the fact. Regardless, wherever our contact now are, she won't help us any further. Not after this warning. We'll need to go with an alternative option it seems."

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@EQ_Theta

On 11/24/2018 at 4:38 PM, EQ_Theta said:

"I need to think too, Omen, more often now than I used to.Seeing just how different my path is from what I thought I'd be many years ago, I can' say it's an easy thing. I didn't think I'd need water but I can understand why, seeing as I can't dream anymore. Maybe I'll try that, floating on water. How do you do it?"

"I just go into it, and stand on the bottom. I don't need air."

Lin likely couldn't do the same thing, as by all accounts, she needed to breathe, but it wasn't as if she had to do this either. This was just what Omen did, as it reminded her of different times, and experiences that felt more right to her. Plus, there were barely any sound beneath the surface of the water in a river, so she wasn't distracted by much else than the fish that swam by, and she could close her eyes to them if she needed that. It was rare that they wanted to interact with her, so she tended to have a lot of time to just think, and sort through whatever were on her mind.

Had it not been for how Discord had used the river and his chaos magic to make her imagine what dreaming were like, it might not have worked as well to comfort her, and really help her sort through her mind, so whatever Lin would chose should likely have something to do with a place or memory that were important to her. Something from her own past perhaps? Omen knew so little of it that she weren't sure if there had been much good there to pick from, but perhaps there were something that Lin herself could point to?

On 11/24/2018 at 4:38 PM, EQ_Theta said:

"If you like, I can take you back to Sen's sanctuary, or I guess that isn't the proper name. It's our sanctuary, a place for us, a place for you. Sen and I go there to think and reflect, to get away from the world when things get tough, even for just a while. We sit by the water or under the shade of the only tree that grows there and we feel at ease. A small piece of paradise and Sen wouldn't hesitate to take you there. The waters there flow slowly, probably comes from some underground source. We can pass the time there if you want to remember what it is like to dream."

A sanctuary for Lin, Sen, and now her as well ? Perhaps that would work as the place where Lin could relax and clear her own head.

"I will come see your special place, to see how you think. I'm curious how your happy place is too. Sounds quiet, but things change. Many things. I knew many places once, not the same now. Most have changed. Gotten left, or taken. Even without chaos, nothing stays the same."

Looking back on Sen and Rosa - the later haven calmed down again in his rest it seemed- Omen wondered if Lin had meant right now, and if so, should they just leave these two here? It didn't seem safe.

"Is it safe for them here? Don't see anything, but Master Discord always said to watch those who sleeps, and keep them safe. I always did that with him. Sometimes for Sen too. He moves when he dreams. Mumbles. Must be strange, his dreams."

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@EQ_Theta @Seamore Sandwich @Dji

"So you are an avid animal collector, and you sew? Interesting talents, but I wouldn't mind seeing your handiwork in the later at least. My robes have certainly seen better days, and knowing of someone that's actually skilled with a needle could be beneficial."

Nerzhei pulled a layer of thick cloth to the side to show one of several areas where she had patched it up herself, but it were pretty clear that she hadn't the professional skills to really pull this off, as the threading were rough and uneven, as well as looking like it were only barely keeping itself together at this point. Honestly, the dragon thought that she had done well, considering the age of this thing and where she had spent the majority of her life, but she wouldn't kid herself and say that it were perfect.

Of course, the question remained why she would wander in these things, as dragons did not need clothes, much like ponies, but her reasoning were that she didn't feel comfortable without these for longer periods of times. She didn't enjoy the feral look there were in not having clothing, and the lack of pockets really got to her. What was she supposed to do, carry things around in her hand and mouth constantly? She were a scholar, not a gorilla.

As for the matter with the animals, Nerzhei thought it best not to talk about that, as she ate beasts in the wild, and the animal lover would likely not think that the best, though in Nerzhei's defense, it wasn't much she ate. A single goat for example could last her well over a month, provided that she rationed it well, had access to gems, and stored the meat properly, to avoid it getting spoiled. Really, it was nearly nothing, but of course, it were still something, and the more you cared about what the dragon considered food, the worse it would likely be taken to say that that were all those beings were to her in the first place: Food.

Okay, some were also annoyances that she handled partially for nourishment, and partially because they had done something like, for example, attack her. Her current meat storage came from that kind of interaction, and considering the size of the animal, she'd be well fed for at least two months, even without rationing too heavily.

Regardless, probably best to take notice of what animals Fluttershy had if she were to eventually see them, and ask Lotus for details when she came back, to have some idea of what not to hunt, when eventually she'd need to replenish her storage. If anything attacked her first though, it would be fair game as far as she were concerned, and Nerzhei would not apologize for that.

She also decided not to talk about the dresses, as frankly, she had little to say about that. She were not a fan of those kinds of clothes, as they were impractical and more hindering to movement than anything, yet she couldn't go and say that wearing clothes were idiotic, as she herself wore something. Something that were rather close to a robe, which bore some resemblance to dresses. It would simply make her look petty to shun one, but think the other were completely fine.

On 11/24/2018 at 4:38 PM, EQ_Theta said:

"Fluttershy sometimes has these little spa days for the animals. That stuff is really relaxing; she gives us massages and bubble baths at her cottage. This one time, a bear came by her home complaining about a stiff neck and back. Fluttershy really went all out and snapped his bones in many places before giving him a back massage! That bear's name is Harry and he now lives with us and helps me look after the animals!"

"I have no idea what anything you just said are. When you want to relax in Dragon Land, you go up a mountain and sit in a hot spring. Sometimes the dragons fight to get off some steam. They don't normally snap bones to make anyone feel better though. It just makes things worse because they get hurt. How can ponies snap the bones of anything and make that sound like a good thing? Where I'm from, if you snap a bears bones, it's dinner. It doesn't start being nice to you. Unless you mean he's too scared to work against her now? Your pony doesn't look like she have the strength for that, but it sounds like that's what you were saying.

And that Harry guy... He isn't grizzled black beat with one eye missing, right? That one tried to attack my dragon in the forest, and now she uses its hide as a blanket."

It would be mighty awkward if that were the case, and something she should probably go and warn Nerzhei about if it were, as Fluttershy and the other ponies would probably not be allt hat happy about one of their pets permanently being taken care of.

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@Rising Dusk

The sisters wouldn't talk to Bash as they left, though Void gave him a small bow of the head as they passed, to try and seem nice.

Outside, things were not exactly perfect though, as one of the group that had been on their case before noticed them leaving the building and rolled his eyes at them, thinking that they had gone inside to cry to the law about how the *big bad locals* had been mean to them. To him, that were just what you could expect from monsters like the sisters, and one of the things that made him think that it was about time for Celestia to be overthrown. A sentiment that had started to fester with him and his friends, after more and more freaks and monsters had become *allies* of Equestria. They thought that this were shared among many, even though there were no evidence of that.

Null's response to this? Well, since Void held her back, she instead threw some colorful words their way that would make most of the soft-spoken citizens of this country blush or vcover their ears, which a good deal actually did. It became so bad that a guard actually came over to them and with a sneer underneath his blush, told her to stop that, or she'd be arrested for disturbing the public. A minor thing that were mostly used for drunks, but this mare were highly aggressive and shouting profanities that most ponies wouldn't even think of saying, so who were to say that they weren't drunk off their hooves?

Void somehow manged to smooth this out and scurry Null along before they got into actual trouble, but she knew that if any of the others got near them again, Null weren't gonna keep it back anymore. She would care little for the law, and actively go over to bash whoever had scorned them to a pulp. That sort of thing wasn't going to be okay here in Equestria, so she had to get Null away, and hope that they wouldn't run into these again anytime soon.

Rest of the trip went well enough, with them getting to the inn, and Void stammering away to get the deal with the room sorted. The inn keeper looked a bit suspiciously at them, but the note looked legitimately, so she let it slide, and would send somepony to ask the office of the O.M.I. if t his were real. if it wasn't, they'd take it from there.

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@Dji

"Yeah, this country is weird like that. When I went here, it were to do some reconnaissance and figure out how easy it'd be for our hive to get closer to Equestria, after Chrysalis had been defeated. it left a potential power vacuum among changelings far as I understood, but I'm a scout. Changeling politics isn't something I need to to understand all the ins and outs of.

Then before I knew it, I ended up in Ponyville, a huge monster attacked during a hurricane, then I got found out, forced to wear a party hat and eat muffins, then found my queen in the same town - which were a huge surprise, as I didn't even think she was in the country - and now I'm sitting in a new slice of desert, looking like a sparkly children's toy, in our new home. I heard Equestria was weird, but as you figured out yourself: This country's mental.

How're you dealing with it by the way? Can't be easy with the difference between griffons and ponies, to just insert yourself into things here. I have been near enough griffons to know that at least. As well as what they prefer to drink. I swear, never have I seen such a demand for schnapps in my entire life. Better than around here of course, since apple cider is barely worth the bottles they stain with the swill, but man it got stressful for a while there."

Happy looked at his queen wandering around the room and examining it as he talked with Aurora. It was going to take him some time to get used to her new looks, that was for sure, but so would it to get used to himself. Being a halfling in the first place had been weird to get used to, but this were... Well, he'd say he looked like a unicorn bug, but that wouldn't really make sense to anypony here, as that build on how they looked like in his old world, and not like here, where they were just ponies with horns.

Regardless of it, it was weird, but he'd adapt. Perhaps something that would be easier when he saw the other reformed changeling at Thorax's hive one of these days, when the queen and him would go there to try and mend fences. That, or they'd be tied up and thrown in a volcano. It sorta depended on how easy they had to forgive Onache for what she had likely done while she were there.

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@Dji

"The name escapes me, but we all know of his form. A hippo with wings, rivaling the largest of our kind with ease, and speaking as if he carries all the wisdom int he world.

He traverses time as he sees fit, altering what he wants for what he considers balance, and distorts the sight of what might be. As many sphinx can see at least glimpses into the unwritten, having his influence stain it is infuriating and disruptive, though not as much as the crimes he have committed against our kind is. What they are, I know not, as I were taken before learning much of our history, but seeing how the Elder Council speaks of him, I doubt it have been something minor. Land, items, or perhaps entire sphinxes that were never born? I know not, yet I know that he is to be mistrusted."

Enzo's claws had come out as he were speaking of The Traveler, and placed deep rifts in the soil beneath his paws. There were no love for this insolent meddler in his mind. Even less so than for dragons, of which he had some rather harsh experiences with, which clouded his judgement of the scaled beings. Accursed mongrels...

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom

"If they all come from you, then why are they unable to warp reality?"

Lucid came to the conclusion that they couldn't because they were appearing to not do any of that.

"I can't say for sure, but I don't think just making another draconequus appear is an easy task unless it's a direct clone yourself. Maybe that's why her... offspring don't seem to warp reality."

 

Edited November 25, 2018 by Lucid_Nightlight

[Catpone Cerberus 23,588]

@Blitz Boom@Moonlit
Nada just watched as the events unfolded, holding back laughter as she followed Berry with her eyes, looking highly amused, and when Berry commented about the creature, she finally started laughing like it was the best joke she had ever heard, missing totally what Cherish said. She knew that it wasn't necessary a good moment to laugh, since Berry seemed like she had really been scared of the situation, but could anyone really blame her? after all, it was the funniest thing she had seen in millennia.

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@Blitz Boom

As usual, Ruby didn't really reply, just nodded to indicate she understood, but when they arrived to the ruins and Marley started looking around, she looked curious and sniffed the air, and when she saw the mark and Marley explained his thoughts, she too was thoughtful for a second. "Contact for helping to sell dragon-repellent, burned down building, a mark that looks like claws..." "Huh, local dragons really have fallen low, and I thought eating rocks was low."

[PickFairy 41]

@Blitz Boom

Ponies of all types bustled around at the Train Station, the train coming around the corner as it shifted and hustled to a stop. Ponies went in, and a couple ponies went out. Amongst the crowd of incoming ponies, swept up a particular earth pony. Her midnight blue and butter yellow mane shifted as she shook her head. "Okay... Ponyville, this should be the town.." She mutters, looking at her map then stepping off onto the deck of the Train Station. She wondered what may await her, if Circle Pop had received her letter okay, and such. 

Her guitar case shifted as she tighten the strap around her back with her mouth, then reached over to get her suitcase. The suitcase wasn't too large, nor too small, as it carried a few essentials incase she may be in need of them. Then she reached over and grabbed a little box by the tassel tied to it then held it in her mouth. She smirked, having gathered everything she brought, and left the Train Station. Though, she was greeted by a rather unusual sight of repairs as she entered the town.

A stallion passed her as he carried wood, and she gently paused as she let him pass. Behind him was his cart, and as it stuttered with movement it hopped a bit at a stone in its path. A small log hopped into the air and fell, though it doesn't seem to phase the stallion as he pressed on. "Wait!" The mare called out, attempting to grab his attention. She sets down the box she carried, and her suitcase. 

He pauses, looking back with a sour expression yet she greeted him with a smile. "You dropped this, sir." She said, bucking the little log back into the cart. The stallion huffed, and continued about his way. 

Meanwhile she waved him off, and picked up her belongings. Her pace quickened as it seems that time was slipping by as she noticed the horizon. 

And... it should be righttttt... here? She thought, turning a few corners and coming upon Circle Pop's shop. Though it seemed to be.. closed? She approached and knocked lightly.

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom @Catpone Cerberus Serenade shakes her head, "Fah'Lina is less a pet, unless she's trying to get more food out of you" She shrugs, and offers Berry and Nada one of the confectionery's. She chuckles, "I just imaging what will happen when my mother gets ahold of Fah'lina. She'll probably becoming a round ball, as my mother tends to....feed pony's." 

[EQ_Theta 457]

@Blitz Boom

“Right, you mentioned you could walk underwater if the tides didn’t go down after a while. As much as I want to take you there, I don’t think we can just leave Sen and Rosa sleeping here unattended. Maybe I can take you there when we get that statue to Scarcity. Give me some time to think, perhaps I might be able to come up with something before the hour is over.”

“We were there once, but that was when Solasan found us. He gave us a potion that was supposed help Sen remember his past, but we never used it. Neither of us trusted him.” 

That night went by like a blur. Still unsure of what to make of it other than knowing there is much speculation of the elder’s motives, Lin just wasn’t feeling better about what went on then  and what the implications were now. The possibility of this place being discovered meant that, if Legion were active at that point, meant that anyone who was under his influence would know about it. Wouldn’t be a sanctuary they’d only know about if well… anyone and everyone knows where it is. Omen is right to think that their sanctuary wouldn’t be the same place.

Even so, there was always the possibility that their sanctuary remained untouched. A good thought, and maybe it might be a good time to consider the best possible outcome. That moment may be coming sooner as Sen began twitching, though not from his nightmares. He has been tranquil for some time, perhaps he might have gotten a bit of sleep in. Lin spent about twenty minutes coming up with ideas and running the occasional what if question before a solution came along with Sen waking up and approaching them. 

“Ugh, can’t get anymore sleep for now. You two doing alright? You both seem to have something on your minds.”

“Yeah, the sanctuary you showed me back when we were young. I was thinking about taking Omen there and showing her where we went to clear our heads.”

It was good to hear about the old place again, and Sen was delighted to know it wasn’t forgotten after many years. When he first stumbled into the cave, that little patch of grass was really just that: a patch of grass and a medium sized pond. There was a mild current but it wouldn’t take anyone wading in it away. Now that open air exposing the plants in it wound up growing some berry-producing shrubbery and a lone tree that bore some fruit. It was perfect and it stayed that way all the years Sen came by to visit. It seemed like, to him, it was a place meant for him and anyone he’d share its location to. Perhaps it still is.

Sen thought about it and he understood, even wanting to go himself, but he couldn’t leave Rosa here by his lonesome. For now, it was downtime, and he couldn’t do anything else but wait. 

“Alright, but don’t take too long. We still have work to do. I’ll watch Rosa until you return.” Sen nodded, giving Lin and Omen their moment to leave. As for Lin, it didn’t take much to prod her into opening a gate to the lonesome place only they know. On the other side was the pristine landscape with lush greenery and crystal clear waters touched by radiant sunlight, all ready to greet the visitors. 

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@Blitz Boom @Dji @Seamore Sandwich

“Don’t test Fluttershy; trust me on that. If she is angry enough, she can do things you wouldn’t expect of her. Or if she is really dedicated enough, the same thing happens minus the anger. It’s what happened in the example I gave with Harry. He was in a lot of pain before Fluttershy sorted it out.”

“Harry is a brown bear, by the way. Both eyes still intact and he’s a pretty good bodyguard for Fluttershy.”

Frankly speaking, the bear is probably not one of the more stranger creatures Fluttershy has managed to win over. There was Cerberus, the three-headed guard dog of Tartarus. Angle wouldn’t really want to talk about him and his rampage throughout Ponyville. Though Twilight seems to have taken the creature back and no one ever really thought of it again. It was so bizarre but from Angel’s point of view, even Lotus would think he is pulling her leg. There’s no way a pegasus could win over the heart of a mythical dog with a reputation as large as it is. 

Speaking of Fluttershy, she came of a little miffed when Nerzhei mentioned her being an animal collector. She really didn’t like being called that and reality does speak for itself. The animals came to her and decided they wanted to stay in or close to her home. She didn’t want to lose her cool now seeing as she had become quite comfortable being around the dragon. She first turned to Twilight to make note of her observation. It has been a very long time since their first Grand Galloping Gala.

“I mentioned something about stitching and Rarity was really surprised I knew something about it. I mostly stick to the basics and a bit of knitting on the side. That one’s still not great, although Discord seemed to like the tea cozy I gave him.” 

The pegasus then walked up to Nerzhei with an inquisitive eye. Taking a look at the patchwork shows it is clearly in need of some rework, not to mention the possibility of requiring new fabric. 

“Hmm…. Uneven stitches like these could unravel at the wrong moment. These look like they need a good running stitch, or maybe change the fabric and use a backstitch to hold them together in two layers. How about I gather my things and get some fabric to replace these patches? As Rarity says, what you wear needs to make you look good and feel good! Oh, and for the record, I don’t collect animals. I simply take care of them.”

Edited November 26, 2018 by EQ_Theta