open Casual stroll

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom

Lucid looked at Anomaly with a smug smile.

"At least my death count is at zero. You can't say the same."

"Pringle is a very good lizard and he has zero spatulas."

"What's so bad about spatulas?"

[Early Sunsets 2,106]

@Blitz Boom

Zephyr and Sun Fire stepped out of the shop into the afternoon sun with Briar and Brittle. It wasn't as crowded as earlier, but there were still quite a few ponies around. Sun Fire was used to other ponies recognizing her, but it felt different after leaving Songbird Serenade's group.

Sun Fire ducked her head. "I expected to be recognized. I'm used to it, so I don't mind. I just worry about the questions they might ask, especially once my story from Manehattan reaches Ponyville. I know I'll have to answer them eventually, and every pony must be curious, but that doesn't make the thought of it any easier. I don't want to be surrounded by a mob of ponies all shouting personal questions." She said, glancing at a group as they walked by.

[EQ_Theta 458]

@Blitz Boom

Acting strange, that's one way of putting things in perspective. As much as he wanted to boast about being able to maintain his composure and make it look like he wasn't going to budge or give in to the urge to make a fuss of what was happening to him, he really couldn't keep it up. Sad but he wasn't one of those stoic types who could appear to feel nothing. But it is good to see some familiar faces again just to break the monotony. 

"The little kittens around here are really testing my patience, Omen. Little illusions first and while they were a nice distraction for a while, it was starting to get very annoying. Poking me here and there, whispering out of sight but just loud enough for me to hear bits of their conversation.... It's good you and Lin came when you did."

Sen clutched his head, trying to ease some of his pain away. It brought back familiar feelings of Malvernis and Legion worming their way around his head, putting all of their twisted thoughts into him. At least the kittens weren't on their level of evil or he would've done something regrettable. That would've been it and he would return to his rest if it weren't for the sound of another unseen individual amongst the three of them present and hiding out of sight talking and grabbing their attention.

"She knows you're around so being hidden isn't going to stop her from looking in your direction. She's got a good sense of smell, you know. Anyway, would you mind showing yourself? It's safe for you to be visible. Not like we're here to do anything else except wait and talk." 

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@Blitz Boom

"It's alright for you keep the bits you find, Lyriel. I can get by just fine with what I have. Perhaps you might see something in town that really catches your eye and you can use the bits to buy them."

It is of little known fact that the antique store in town had something of a neighbor in a souvenir store just across it. Of course, a shop of curios might be more interesting but eventually, that venture didn't last long and the owners of the two decided to let the souvenir shop open a small stall next to the antiques as a joint venture for peak visitation periods. It wasn't really something ponies agreed with and the store just close shop for good. Some of those items eventually found their way onto the counter of the antique shop in case anyone wanted to buy them. That is, if anyone ever really showed interest in them to begin with.  

"I suppose that's something we can help her with. With Spike and Twilight already making connections in the Dragon Lands, it seems like relations between them are off to a good start. Dragon Lord Ember has already visited Ponyville more than once and after a bit of time, everypony sort of began accepting the fact that not all dragons are scary jerks. Ember sets a good example for the other dragons to follow. I'm sure Nerzhei is good at heart and she'd be welcomed in town given enough time. She and Twilight seem to get along well and have already found common ground with seeking knowledge. Twilight loves to learn new things after all."

"If acceptance is an issue, we could always try to ease her in for both her and everypony else's benefit. I wouldn't want to pry in this matter but if you ever need help with that, you only need to ask. Nerzhei doesn't have any issues with massages, does she?"

[Catpone Cerberus 23,591]

@Blitz Boom @Moonlit
Nada hummed thoughtfully at Serenade's explanation, she had no frame of reference for something like that, but it did sound good. She turned towards Cherish after she had finished her comment "Don't worry about me, there's nothing more I need to ask at the moment, and I have no hurry in learning about the current culture until I have place to stay." "So you can feel free to...be moved where ever you feel like you want to be"

@Blitz Boom

Marley's answer was unnecessarily long in Ruby's opinion, simple yes or no would have been better, but she got the answer she was looking for "So that's one more thing making them different to my kind." she noted "My kind doesn't really have the whole family thing, we stay with our mother until we are strong enough to survive by ourselves and then get chased off the mother's territory by said mother." she sounded nonchalant about it. "And I can understand why you would find relationship between different creatures odd, but it's not unheard of in the nature." "Though in nature it's closer to a close friendship than romantic relationship, because love isn't really a thing there."

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom @Catpone Cerberus Serenade nods "Well, feel free to partake in anything here." She grabs Cherish's...piece of wood, puts into her saddlebags and heads out, heading for Princess Twilight's Castle. 

Edited February 7, 2019 by Moonlit

[Rising Dusk 27,542]

@Blitz Boom

The silver flame produced no heat that anypony else could feel, other than the one doused in the silver liquid that is.  No sense in running the risk of the flames jumping to something else to burn.  While it would appear that the silver flames burned away the wicker bear, Felicia was not mistaken in that now ashes were left behind.  The wicker bear was reduced in appearance, but it was instead burned away only to be cast away to its origin to reform at a later time when it could regather its strength.

Scarlet had already flown away to prepare the way for Felicia into the O.M.I. building to notice she was scratching something out on the floor with one of those bladed legs.  Bash was close enough though to notice it and read it.  Not actually sure that the sounds she was making were words or just the nature of all the mechanical parts that made her work.  Written words were easier to understand though.  The larger stallion nodding his head, "Thank you," he grunted out and turning to follow the pair inside.  If whatever was targeting the city was so quick to attack the O.M.I., they'd need to raise the security level a bit.  Hopefully soon Tussle will be returning with the good news of having delivered all the letters to the other agencies.

Scarlet tugged the cage with a powerful beat of her wings to drag the cage through the lobby to get a head start while Felicia squeezed her larger mechanical body through the smaller door frame. "Bash can be a bit gruff, but he's got a big heart.  Both literally and figuratively.  His grunts are like a language of their own, once you get the hang of it," she informed the mechanical spider between grunts of her own of dragging the heavy cage across the floor.  And to the point the ivory stallion entered the lobby with an affirmative grunt to assist in the getting of the cage into the cell room.  As the door behind him closed, the wards returned it to its rubber like state.

The cell room at the back of the O.M.I. was pretty small and quite simple.  They weren't really designed to hold prisoners, usually just taking criminals to the local PD for holding.  On occasion though, they needed to keep ponies in the agency for a short time.  The room only had three cells in it with basic services such as a bed and toilet.  Unlock the regular cells at the PD, these had a little extra ward protection.  They were empty except for the middle one that still contained the blanket wrapped witch of the wilds.  Once they got the cage inside, it'd be time to test it out.  They should be able to just toss the filly inside the cage still wrapped in the blanket, as it'll nullify the magic of the blanket and allow her to wake up on her own.  Only one way to find out.

Rising Dusk appeared before the seventh flower, letting out his held breath.  The pocket watch was starting to get warm from all the usage it wasn't use to.  Quickly getting to work on rewriting this flower as well so that it would expel his newly designed spores.  With how saturated the city was becoming with them, it was getting hard to hide their purpose anymore.  Individually they didn't seem like much, but neither did a single ant.  Each producing a small tiny field that was pretty unnoticeable.  Until a they start to add up in the millions, then the field becomes quite large and thick.  Coating the city is a snug blanket of dampening fields geared toward a specific signature.  He'd never be able to cast a suppression spell over the whole city, heck doing it toward a single pony was hard enough.  But when a pony was nice enough to already create a flower he could use to spew out spores that then could have their own enchantments, who was he to pass up the chance.  The field would never be able to stop the Master's magic completely, far from it.  Instead, if he would just make it harder for him to use his magic in the city, use more energy, make his spells less effective, then it was a good start. 

One more flower and the spores should be able to take out the other four on their own.  He needed to regroup at the O.M.I. and find out what's been going on.  Hopefully The Captain was back.  Pulling out the pocket watch to teleport again.

[Blitz Boom 4,621]

@EQ_Theta

"...Fine."

He didn't like to have to show himself, but it wasn't like at least one of them didn't know exactly where he were, as he tested by moving around, which she followed without delay. Many a pony had crossed his path in his days, and most of them had been dancing along like the little puppets they were in a kitsune's theater, but this one were different, and frankly disturbing. It shouldn't be this easy to track a member of the greatest illusionists in the world. A claim that certainly had some other competitors to the title, but their kind never would admit to anyone being better than them, and it wasn't like the lot of them met up to test one another. They had better things to spend their time on, plus most others who would dispute the claim were voracious predators, and wouldn't be welcomed within fifty miles of their villages.

The air fizzled and gradually, a dark grey fox around one and a half times bigger than Yazma showed himself. He were quite a bit more muscular and wore thick leather armor with ashen scales padding the exterior, which they might be able to identify as dragon scales, yet beyond that, he didn't seem out of the ordinary. Just one more suited for guard duty than the more frail teachers and students.

"And for the record, they're called kits, not kittens. We're kitsune, not cats or serpanthers."

The last word were said with disdain, as he were no fan of the snake and feline combined race that they sometimes had to deal with in Neighpon. There weren't enough to provide a force to threaten them in the slightest, and their magic - among those who had it - were pathetic compared to theirs, yet they could be formidable physical fighters and launch some impressive ambushes, which he had found himself in some years back. To say that he wished to have a set of armor made from their hides after that were barely touching upon his opinion of them post ambush.

"In regards to the thestral, if you had any idea about how magic worked, you'd be able to tell that they're finishing up in there, so you can go to him soon. Hopefully they haven't found anything in his head, so we can get rid of the lot of you quicker."

Yazma might be more open to a teachable moment with these outsiders, and willing to give them some leash, but he did not like having outsiders in here. it was his job to keep the kits safe, and in his eyes, any outsider were just a threat to them that had no place in here, no matter how hurt one of their team members were. Unfortunately Yazma had authority over him, and she knew that he would not disobey an order, so there wasn't really anything he could do beyond verbally expressing his disdain over their presence. She had even told him not to interfere with the kits getting near them, unless they tried to strike back at the small ones! How could she even think to make such a demand, even if it had only been one who stayed behind, who had at least managed to keep himself in check? The principal were going to hear about this once he were able to get away from this point... Surely something would happen then to correct this grave mistake of an approach to the outsiders, who should have just been patched up, then mind wiped and booted out at once.

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

 

@EQ_Theta

"The dragons lord have visited this town?"

Lyriel had heard quite a few surprising things today, but knowing that the dragons lord herself had actually left the Dragon Isles and visited this town several times, were one of the larger ones, if she excluded everything that happened with the sphinx.

"I'm sorry if I sounded doubtful, I just thought that the dragon lord would have many things to do in her own lands. To think that she would take the time to arrive here, among the beings that the dragons for reasons I cannot fathom looks down upon the most, is just surprising to me.

Nerzhei might well be thrilled to hear this though. She have sometimes spoken of wanting to eventually meet with the dragon lord and have her exile discussed with the highest authority there is among her kind, though I doubt she would return. I cannot say that I understand her reasons to want to have it taken up again though."

Nerzhei had just mumbled something about *principles* when they had last discussed this, and then refused to bring up the conversation again any other time, so there weren't much to go by from Lyriel's stand point. In all honesty, it likely didn't concern her, but the news of the dragon lord perhaps showing one day were something that she could pass along regardless. It would likely make her draconic guardian somewhat happy.

"I'm sorry to linger on that point, but it is important news, that I thank you for sharing. I cannot say how it will make her think to be confronted with this, or this amount of support from all of you friendly ponies, yet I know that she at heart wishes to make connections with others. It is why she is so eager to help you, and speak history with the princess. She may hide it as simply being about honor and finding someone to listen to her words without judgement, but at least to me, it seems like her way of taking the first step. We will see in due time though.

As for the massage... I'm afraid I don't now what that is, so I cannot tell if Nerzhei would enjoy it. Is it something that can be enjoyed by a large flock? Some kind of music perhaps?"

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

 

@Zephyr / Karou

"I wouldn't worry of that if I were you. This town appears to want the best for their fellow ponies, and though they will of course be curious, from what I have heard in the time I have been here, I find it more likely that you will be offered sympathy, and best wishes with your health. I highly doubt that anypony here will actively try to make it worse by asking a mountain of questions that are likely too personal and which will invoke you pain and distress to go through. Well... Anypony but Pinkie Pie, now that I think of it."

Briar felt Brittle shiver as that name were mentioned again. The two of them had never met, but hearing of how the pink pony interacted with others she had not seen before, the changeling had become terrified of the mere notion of meeting her, and ending up being on the side of one of her party barrages. It were meant with the best of wills of course, but brittle were not one who wanted the ramp light on her, and feel as if there were an audience watching her. Even mentioning it in those terms tended to send her into a horrified state from bad memories, so he had found that he needed to watch his phrasing around her a lot. A bit troublesome, yet she were his responsibility, so he would make whatever effort it took to keep her from experiencing such things. Something which worked to a degree,l as even with the ponies watching and starring, she were only whimpering, and not having one of her episodes. It were still heartbreaking to listen to - which even if it were low, were easy to snap up by his sensitive ears - yet it did represent progress. Albeit a small step.

"Make no mistake, I doubt there is even a single evil bone within her being, but she is a very... Intense pony with seemingly little understanding of personal space, which combined with her wanting to make everypony new in town feel welcome, can make for some hectic situations and rather personal questions to try and make a connection and show that she cares. She will likely stop if you inform her that some things are painful to speak of, but just be advised that it may happen as she ambushes you with a party, and oddly enough, choreographed singing. I still don't know how she makes that happen out of nowhere.

Regardless, if I hear right, we are about to get out of the main street and head on the more direct road towards the castle, so things should calm up around us soon."

Going a few meters more, Briar made a turn- And slammed directly into a low hanging metal sign. The action disoriented him slightly, and he heard giggling from some nearby foals who appreciated some slapstick humor by the sound of it, yet he'd be fine, as his speed had not been incredible after all. Brittle on he other hoof, had gotten a shock, and the commonly known green flame of the changelings covered her as she changed her form somewhat from the sudden jolt that went through her. The change consisted of her tail vanishing, long, grey feathers growing from her eyebrows, and green spikes appearing down her spine, though other than that, it seemed like nothing had happened.

"My apologies. For reasons not completely understood by me, I have issues sensing metal, and the wind is not a foolproof thing to go by when it comes to orienting oneself. Let us be on our way again, shall we?"

He'd keep leading the way to the castle, along with Brittle, who hadn't changed back from her weird appearance slip so far. It didn't detriment her walking though, so it were nothing that would slow them down.

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

 

@Lucid_Nightlight

Anomaly pulled her tongue at Lucid, which would then open the tip to pull another tongue, and so forth about four times more.

"Heey, cheap shot. I don't mock you for being born a pony or anything. That much.

And spatulas aren't evil alone, but in a pair, they start getting antsy, and soon as you have four? Eat the mind of the being holding them, and then yada yada, the ducks are all dead. Everypony knows That."

A snap of her tail, and a dunce hat fell on Lucid from... Somewhere. Clearly he hadn't been paying attention in Crazy Talk 101, and if he wouldn't even make an effort there, how could he expect to become a draconequus? By cheating?

Okay, he totally did actually, and it were exactly what a draconequus would do, but he should still know the basic stuff like spatulas, the taste of the color red, and who Darkman were. Essential stuff people.

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

 

@Rising Dusk

So this were where Rising worked? Not what she had been expecting.

Felicia had helped push the cage along as best she could, though with the angle she had to take to pass through, the entrance had been a bit of a hassle. She could help much more afterwards, as she'd effortlessly lift it up with her front legs and just re-calibrate her balance to cause her movement to not be impacted. They'd have to go through this again with every other narrow path, but she'd manage one way or another.

As for this place itself, it were more of an office space than what Felicia had been expecting out of Rising's work space. From what he had said, she expected something like large rooms with circles full of symbols meant to work as magical focus points, tools of his trade covering every wall, and at least a dozen or so enclosed areas for prisoners. This were far more mundane, and that came from one who had never seen another living area than the one from the Boom's workshop. It just seemed like more of a place for paper pushers, as her systems told her they were called, and barely had any functional prison areas.

Still, looks might be deceiving, and all the important things could be hidden. Might also be that she had misunderstood how a work environment should be, given that she came from an area where tools lined several walls, yet she'd need a bigger sample size of interiors to gauge that herself.

One thing that she had not expected were the late teen filly in question who the cage were for, who seemed to be wrapped up in a blanket. A strange sight to say the least, but Bash and Scarlet appeared to not find it a weird thing at all, so she'd have patience, and see what would happen. She might be surprised, just as she had been when Bash had thanked her before. Considering his initial response to her, that had not seemed like it were going to happen anytime soon.

They'd see soon enough, as Felicia would help push the cage inside the room, and watch as the pony got placed inside, and almost immediately started to move around. The blanket would be successfully repressed it seemed, and it appeared as if the cage were going to hold so far as it got closed, which made sure to keep the occupant inside.

"Urgh... Annoying headache..."

She'd be slow to get out of the blanket, as a possible side effect of the cage manifested itself. Likely from the strong suppression of magic happening within, which seemed a small quirk, but one that would need to be fixed in the long run.

Eventually her eyes would focus on the ponies, through the bars of her her prison, within her prison.

"So the sidekick is still here? Guess I wasn't out for long then."

Meanwhile, elsewhere, the master would bring a bowl towards something in the corner of the room, whereupon he began chanting. The words were essentially gibberish to anypony who'd listen, if anypony had been there, but it seemed to have an effect, as a pale glow pulsated in front of him, and something oozed down to mix into the liquid in the bowl.

"It is nothing but a small setback. I have not lost this war yet."

It were annoying that he had to go to this extend, but the corrupted spores were spreading too fast, and his own methods alone weren't going to do much in itself. This however, should help do the trick, even though it would ruin his own setup. Not that it mattered really. His adversary in Equestria had already done plenty enough to do that, and attempting to reset everything would just waste precious energy.

Raising the bowl, he'd open a rift high in the sky above the city he had tried to set under siege, and slowly pour the pale, misty liquid down from above. It would spread on the wind and attack the spores, along with the flowers he had set up, showing nothing to the regular ponies in the area, yet Rising should be able to see a familiar green thread, along with a new addition to it devour the entire thing, including the flower, which seemed to just pulverize right in front of him, a little after he got to the last one on his route.

The new magic would be a very pale, dimmed green, resembling more a puff of smoke that engulfed what it had been sent for than anything else, whereupon it would seemingly just absorb it, and begin to vanish into thin air. Rising should be able to find some connection to the magic that had been used, though this would carry a sickness to it that betrayed the seemingly innocent look. Whoever or whatever had spawned this were potentially even worse news than the unnamed master, who would attempt to open the link with Rising as he went through removing every trace of his normally effective weapon of corrupted spores. If the line were picked up, he'd start the conversation with a few, bitter words, then wait and see if there would be a response. Much as he didn't want to hear what the pony had to say after this meager victory, he were reluctantly curious.

"You win the first round, Equestrian."

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus @Moonlit

"Well okay then Nada. Take care, and try to stay out of sight until everything have been sorted, please? You're a nice creature, and I don't want to see you hurt by somepony who doesn't know what's going on and thinks the worst."

Cherish were more or less dragged along as the little slab of metal that clung her to this place - part of an old door hinge of some kind - were taken up by Serenade, who believed it time for them to get a move on.

"I'll uh... Stay out of sight until we're there Serenade. It's for the best."

The spirit gave a wave towards Nada, with worry lingering in her eyes, before fizzling out of sight.

Much as Cherish wanted to hope for the best, she were concerned that things wouldn't keep going well, and that Nada would end up in hot waters. Her being alone would just make that even more of a danger, as they couldn't try and help her.

Celestia be willing, she were going to be okay, though there weren't anything Cherish could do right now, except heading back, and she didn't know if the siren even wanted to have others with her right now. *sigh* Guess the dice had been thrown on this. Time to worry if Princess Twilight would be okay with the undead visitor.

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"Don't get me wrong, I strongly promote interracial friendships, as it can prove highly interesting and give you some fresh outlooks on the world, but I don't personally favor being romantic partners if there is no chance of offspring.

Exceptions can be made if the couple in question considers adoption, though a foal raised by a mare and dragon? It seems a disaster waiting to happen."

Now, Marley wasn't going to confront the strange couple or try to have them torn apart. He wasn't so insecure in himself that he had to destroy the happiness of others, just because he didn't agree with it. However, he were a more traditional griffon in some aspects, and wouldn't enjoy hanging around others that were like that for prolonged periods of time, so he just avoided them if possible.

"As for how things are in your part of the world... I must admit, it saddens me to hear it. A bird must of course fly from the nest in due time, so to speak, but being driven away, and not have any family connections from there on out, seems a harsh way to get through life from my perspective. It does explain a few things though, by which I mean no disrespect.

I take it from your explanation that a father is only there for mating purposes, and have moved on before the eggs are laid? Or is his fate more akin to that of a typical male spider?"

He considered a joke at this point, but this were a more serious topic currently, so such a thing would have to wait for a more appropriate time.

Edited February 8, 2019 by Blitz Boom

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom

"I must've fell asleep during that lesson."

Lucid looked at the fruit.

"Ok, this is getting boring."

He stomped a hoof on the ground and the lemon was suddenly in a mech suit.

"Also, I'm a poquus, not a draconequus."

"That means you look like a boring pony! A draconequus is cooler because we look like a monkey attempted a jigsaw puzzle!"

"Well... I'm still powerful though!"

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom Serenade walked toward the Castle. "Cherish, trust me...Nada will be fine. I..." She looked from side to side "I Pinkie Promise she'll be fine. Luna is a good Pony, an excellent Princess and she helped me."  

@Dji Once Serenade reached the front gates, she gave the door a good number of thumps, hopefully Princess Sparkle was at home and she wasn't too busy. I mean, it's not a Saturday

[Early Sunsets 2,106]

@Blitz Boom

"Good to know. I had hoped the townsfolk here were as nice as I had heard before we moved here." Zephyr said.

Sun Fire nodded. "That is nice, but it's still easy for crowds of ponies to get carried away, especially excited ones. Mob mentality and all goes a long way. Maybe they'll be more careful after they hear about what happened."

Zephyr thought for a few moments after Briar mentioned Pinkie. "Pinkie Pie... I feel like I've heard that name somewhere. Can't remember where, though. She sounds chaotic, but not in a bad way." Zephyr was sure he's heard her name mentioned somewhere, but he just couldn't put his hoof on it. Moments like this are common for Zephyr, where he feels like there's something just at the edge of his brain that he can't recall. He shrugged. He'd probably remember at night when he's trying to fall asleep, as usual.

Sun Fire glanced at Briar after he hit the sign, startled. She had been lost in thought, and the sound brought her back to Earth. "Oh! You're not hurt, are you?" She asked.

Edited February 9, 2019 by Zephyr / Karou

[EQ_Theta 458]

@Blitz Boom

"Believe me, as much as we'd want to linger, we have other matters to attend to. We'll be out of here as soon as our friend is up and about."

Sen replied, the sound of disdain in his voice made apparent. If this conversation taught him anything, it was that the longma had something in common with the kitsune: they'd much rather be away from anyone who isn't them. He felt himself lapse into the persona the villagers took whenever an outsider were about to enter their abode: threatening but only barely hiding it. He still respected Yazma despite this and he couldn't stay this way for the other kitsune who didn't deserve to be treated with this kind of attitude, but he learned he had to keep himself in check lest he gives the kitsune in general the wrong impression. 

At least now they know they'll be able to see Rosa soon. As much as Lin could see Sen's anger seething just below the surface, she could understand it. Still, she went over to him and got him to calm down with a claw over his shoulder. The guard has his reason for being suspicious of them. If their positions were switched, she would just be as suspicious and probably be as hostile. In a way, even the longma seemed understandable now. But this wasn't the time to go about picking fights or having staring contests. They only had to wait for a while longer.  

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

@Blitz Boom

"Nerzhei knows about the dragon lord visiting Ponyville. She was just as surprised as you, really. Frankly, a lot of us here in Ponyville didn't expect someone like her to come along one day and take the time to meet us. Actually, that was Spike's idea and at the end of the day, Ember befriended the changeling's leader, Thorax. We didn't expect that to happen but I've never seen a dragon mellow out after spending a day here. I heard Ember and Thorax had an exchange of advice on how to rule their respective subjects." 

That last part was something Fluttershy heard as a rumor, as she did not have any contact with the two after their meeting in Ponyville. Even Spike didn't have information on this and he is close with both Ember and Thorax. Though, it was in his best interest to let the two heated heads cool off as they were angry with him at the time. Eventually, the two patched things up with the young dragon and their day went along like it never happened. That was also the time she learned about how the castle's throne room was half-eaten; the bite marks on the walls spoke for themselves. 

Fluttershy took a bite out of her doughnut and let the thought of Nerzhei's intentions simmer in her head for a while. A good one a heart and one that genuinely would strike up a friendship with Twilight and maybe even Celestia if given a chance to meet her. 

"I think you and Nerzhei will enjoy a massage. I know! Rarity might still be away for who knows how long but she says the spa is a destination you shouldn't miss out. I can take you and Nerzhei there tomorrow! Imagine feeling every inch of your body relaxed and loose. It's not music but lots of ponies enjoy it! Once we're done here, we could head back to the castle and let Nerzhei know about this."

[Catpone Cerberus 23,591]

@Moonlit @Blitz Boom

Nada waved after the two as they left, and after making sure they locked the door after them, she dove into the pool and followed it into the river, exploring it to see how deep it was, how far it went, and all such details, since not knowing how long she would need to live there, it was important to know everything about it.

@Blitz Boom

Ruby just shrugged at Marley's comment about the relationship, because she didn't really have a opinion about it, since the whole romance thing in general was something she didn't care about, and though she agreed with the offspring part, she didn't see as her business, besides, less dragons meant less competition in power to her in the future. "Share me from your pity please, I know it sounds harsh for creatures like you, but it is what has made us the rulers of our homelands where there is no economy, law or order, where there is only one thing sure...and it's that only the strongest survives." "And to answer your question, it's the former, though it's not unheard of male getting killed after it if they make the mistake to stay on the territory for too long." 

[Rising Dusk 27,542]

@Blitz Boom

Scarlet wiped the sweat from her brow as the trio finally managed to get the cage set up in their small little cell room, "Phew".  The agency building was not designed for large mechanical spiders in mind, so her help was limited in the end.  With the three of them though, it was mission accomplished.  The pegasus leaving the transfer of the witch of the wilds to the larger stallion.  It was only fair seeing as she was the one that brought her up from the basement to begin with.  To the ivory officer though, the smaller filly wrapped in a blanket was easy for him to sling over his shoulder after entering the cell and picking her up.  She waited with the door to the cage open while he placed the witch into the cage.  After he exited, she locked the cage door behind him with a satisfying clank.  Surprised though with how quick the magic of the blanket was suppressed and she was awake right away.

Of course though she came to the waking world suppressed of her magic and under the affects of increased gravity only to use that trigger world again.  Scarlet growled at the imprisoned witch, "That's Junior Officer Scarlet to you!"  With her front legs crossed while still fluttering in the air in front of the cage.  Bash grunted and Scarlet gasped, "I'm not letting her get to me!" she exclaimed, waving her hoofs in the air angrily in Bash's direction.  Whose only reaction was to raise his eyebrow.  Scarlet let how a hmph and turned away from the witch and Bash with her front legs crossed again.  "Oh, and this is Felicia, she's really awesome," the pegasus introduced the large spider in the room while gliding over to land on her cool metal surface.

Rising Dusk arrived at his last target for the day.  Already working to ignite his magic when the sense of a powerful force turned his attention away from it.  Tugging his gaze to the sky above the city, he witnessed the rift opening and the pale green liquid being cast to the wind.  Although, the detective saw what it truly was, and it sure wasn't the punch from last year's Nightmare Night.  He could see the vile dark magics that clung to the liquid in all its green foulness.  It did not have the same signature the Master had, so it was sourced from else where.  The signature did resemble something he recently dispelled however... That stone bust the sisters of Troy brought him.  Already he traced the spell work to come up with a counter spell, but it was too late before the wind carried it around the city and devoured the spores and flowers the Master created.  Even his altered spores weren't spared from the magics of that liquid.  And because it wasn't a spell from the Master himself, it bypassed the dampening affects of his spores.  At least from what Rising could tell from the spell, it wasn't meant to harm anypony, simply the flowers and spores. 

Soon after he felt that familiar link with the Master and his voice ringing in his mind.  Huh, no monologue this time, even though he didn't sound all that happy to admit a defeat no matter how small in his grand scheme.  Interesting how Rising was soloed out in the victory though, only making the detective more curious how the O.M.I. managed against the little side assault the Master mentioned earlier.  "Leave Equestria be, then everypony wins," the detective offered.  Not a likely outcome, hope for the best, plan for the worst.  Taking out the pocket watch one last time to teleport himself back to the O.M.I.

Only to reappear on top of a large mechanical spider that he wasn't expecting to be sitting in the cell room of the agency. "Oh, hey Felicia.  Welcome to the O.M.I."

 

Edited February 10, 2019 by Rising Dusk

[Blitz Boom 4,621]

@Lucid_Nightlight

"Hah! I knew you'd cheat."

Anomaly looked at the mech-suited fruit, then snapped her tail to give her mango some fighting power of it's own via a thick layer of tough bark, along with various tentacles with suction openings at the end to either suck on to something like an octopus, or spew out stuff. In this case, acid.

What? Metal was tough, and if one cheated, all of them could. Only fair.

The thought that perhaps doing stuff like what they were about to do in a store were a bad idea didn't cross her mind, as she just looked over to the other fruit in the fight, waiting to see what they'd do to get back into it now that cheating was on the table. Could end in all sorts of weird things.

"And being powerfull alone is booooring. You'd need some mutations like an extra head, scales, and spider legs. Different spiders of course, since y'know, duh!

And that's just a start. You're too... Samey samey right now. Like a pony. Way too lame."

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@Moonlit

"I don't doubt the princess. It's the rest of them..."

The voice came out of thin air a little to Serenade's left, after the unseen ghost were sure that nopony were near enough to hear her. Not just because the words she said weren't all that kind towards the ponies in the area, but also because hearing a voice come out of nowhere were gonna raise some red flags, and then everything would just snowball from there. The point were that she wanted to not be taken notice of right now after all, not make everypony else paranoid about some sort of invisible entity. There'd be a time for that sort of thing in the future when she'd eventually even be found out, or allowed to float around on her own accord somehow.

"Hopefully I'm just being paranoid, but I have seen how ponies react to the unusual when I've shown myself back in the old castle, to warn them away from the other one. I still look like a pony, and they were horrified. Nada and you though, you also have the history of the sirens to deal with. It makes me worried what the reaction to her will be, especially if she's spotted before the princess clears her."

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@Catpone Cerberus

What an interesting view into how things were in Ruby's part of the world. A place where the females seemed to rule over areas, and only met up with males for the sake of mating, which as much as he had hoped it would not be like that, made Marley think of Ruby's branch of dragons as a bunch of primitive savages, barely any different from animals.

Sure the other dragons that he knew off weren't exactly pillars of society, but they knew how a society worked best, and actively build towns where they came from. Ruby's kind sounded as if they had not even reached that stage yet, and were more akin to wolverines, which honestly saddened him. He had hopes that this branch of dragons would be more sophisticated, though of course, saying that to Ruby were not a good idea, as he didn't want to fight her off right now. Besides, who knew? Perhaps he might be able to change her perspective if she hung around Spicy and him for a long period of time, and then at least someone from her area would work on becoming civilized.

"Different worlds gives one different perspectives I suppose. I must say that I personally prefer this more calm land, as opposed to being somewhere that only the strong survive. Here I can eventually raise a family in relative peace, rather than consider myself more of a temporary guest in someone else's life. Heh, but I suppose we each have our idea of how a good life should be lived, yes?"

Marley chomped down the last piece of fish he had gotten ready for their little dinner and a talk, which had taken quite a strange turn honestly. Where things would go from this point forward would certainly be a peculiar experience.

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

Nada would eventually find that besides the large fish - of which some had some rather impressive teeth - she'd have some other company trailing about twenty seconds behind her at first, but catching up the more she started to halt and explore things.

The mimic Fah'lina had woken up and wanted to go for a swim, and seeing a siren go down, she had figured that it were Serenade and followed, since the large fish tried to stay away from her, so there were a sneaking point of safety where she wouldn't get eaten. had turned out to be the wrong siren, but the fish didn't know better, and she had slipped through without much of an issue.

If she looked, Nada would see that it were mainly the tail that pushed the mimic through the water. Kinda like a crocodile, just smaller and having less force moving forward, yet more maneuverability to change directions, which were far more fitting of a creature that needed to be nimble in the water, as opposed to a huge, armor-clad biting machine that were more likely to stay and fight.

She'd try to approach with stealth, which included hiding behind things she could see, and aiming for shadows if it looked like Nada were watching in her direction, though if she were spotted, she'd just swim out in the open and give a wave with her right paw. The gills would weren't easy to see, so the siren might wonder if the thing were drowning, yet as another creature who possessed such things, she'd likely be able to spot the subtle clues, such as Fah'lina not looking like she were panicking and aiming for the surface.

If the siren didn't take notice of the mimic that followed her however, she'd wait until Nada had breached the surface, and then make a dash for it, aiming for Nada's head where she'd latch on like some sort of squid and hiss loudly. A few seconds later that would be followed by a squeaky laughter from the little thing that just wanted to give a scare to the new siren for no other reason than she figured it was funny.

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@Rising Dusk

12 hours ago, Rising Dusk said:

"That's Junior Officer Scarlet to you!"  With her front legs crossed while still fluttering in the air in front of the cage.  Bash grunted and Scarlet gasped, "I'm not letting her get to me!"

"Only a junior officer? As I said, a sidekick, or perhaps a mascot? Like a little squirrel given a uniform."

Lily deliberately poked at Scarlet verbally to get more of a reaction from the easily offended pegasi. Had to hit a nerve since she got so riled up, so were there no truth to what she said? Lily would think so, and with defensive outbursts like this, Scarlet were not doing well in convincing her otherwise, which just made the witch continue, with a smirk spread on her face.

Weren't like she could do anything else. She could feel the magic she had with her either drained out or held away, and for some reason the air in this place felt heavier. Like being in a swamp, which would also fit the strange feeling of her movements being sluggy, as if she were wandering through said swamp on bare hooves.

When the spider got introduced, the smile faltered some however. Especially as Felicia took a step closer and let out a sound that reminded her of a mixture between a buzz saw and a cat growling. She didn't know that the spider weren't going to hurt her, but merely did one of the things she were programmed to do against enemies (intimidation), so this were a pretty direct threat, that made her think that she weren't as safe in here as she could be.

Said spider had a surprise when suddenly Rising landed on top of her, joining the weight from Scarlet, which even combined didn't really register to her as anything large, but more akin to how a pony would feel if a leaf fell on them. It would get noticed, and it could be somewhat annoying depending on the situation, but weight weren't a problem.

As for the surprise, there weren't any outside signs that she had been through that, as her systems were quick in grasping who were actually there, before her defense mechanisms set in. She didn't even raise a claw or begin to swirl around, which granted, would not be easy in this place regardless, considering the room available.

"𝕀 𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕤𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕤𝕒𝕗𝕖, 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕝𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕣. 𝕐𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕡𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕖𝕤 𝕛𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕡𝕦𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕞𝕪 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕒𝕘𝕖."

He didn't sound in pain, or let out any fluids from his mouth or open wounds to her frame, so the odds of him being fine were high, unless he'd suddenly slump over in the next few seconds. Beings of flesh were some fragile creatures sometimes.

"Been trying to find my master? It's no use, he won't show himself before it's too late, and when the time comes, you're all damned. Everyone that goes against him is."

"So very true, though I do sometimes spare the ones showing potential. They can be useful if you mold them the right way."

Rising hadn't cut the link as he teleported, and whilst the link were fragile now that he were within this building, it were still there, though the pony on the other end had to spend more energy to keep it active enough for their conversation to go on. Rising could dismiss it with hardly a thought though in the current state, or dispel it entirely if he so wished to. He could also try to goat some information out of him, or one of several other things that might include deceiving or threatening the master.

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@EQ_Theta

What followed were ten minutes of deafening silence, only occasionally broken by the guard looking at an invisible kit, sneer, and then occasionally getting a small yip back before whoever had come to gawk had left. There were quite a few here right now, but that particular one were a big troublemaker that he didn't want around here. Thankfully the kit were also an incredible coward, so getting him to get away weren't tough, though it didn't stop him from coming back from time to time to see if the coast were clear.

The others kits checking about now were older, and content with just wandering silently around and looking over the strange ones, with Omen looking back at every last one who got close enough to catch her attention. Whereas the guard were annoyed, the students seemed fairly curious about her, and started to have more of a gathering around her than the two others, with Lin being second and Sen third. A lot had already seen Sen, so he were somewhat considered *old news* by now, which might suit him perfectly well. Not getting poked again were likely a relief, though Lin were not safe from it. It weren't often, but every now and again, she'd be able to feel a tentative poke, or a brief stroke of a part of her hair from the more curious sorts. Omen felt that too, and it were actually visible how much her tail and mane got pulled around now and again, but she didn't really care and just let it happen. They had thankfully been smart enough to not get too close to Shrimp, who might otherwise had instinctively snapped out at whoever disturbed his nap.

After the aforementioned ten minutes had passed however, the outline of a door would begin to cut itself into the wooden wall, and soon thereafter, an old, mostly grey kitsune with glasses and a well worn, faded blue robe opened the door outwards and stepped out with a long, drawn out sigh.

"Is the thestral alive?"

"Healed up and scanned. Go ask Hizhel about it."

The guard rose his eyebrow as the elderly kitsune went away, followed by a few more, until there were only one left in there. Considering her hat, that one seemed to be the one in charge, or a dunce of some kind, but the way she stood rank and serious didn't make her seem like that kind of target. The spectacle-wearing, pale-blue fox with brown markings on her belly and paws were using magic to hang up half a dozen tools that were spread around a large, moss-clad slab of stone where Rosa laid upon and seemed to be resting.

Oddly enough, Hizhel only wore the hat, as well as a belt with various pouches in it, and a thin, white undershirt that could barely contain her thick belly fluff, instead of armor, robes, or other sorts of clothing, as every other kitsune had so far. A red robe with a myriad of varied golden birds patterned into the clothing were hung up on the wall, but it seemed like she were in no hurry to get it as her eyes fell on the three visitors.

"You must be the outsiders, yes? Come in, come in. He'll need a few minutes before he wakes up, but you can go along and examine him if you wish to."

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

 

@EQ_Theta

On 2/9/2019 at 3:26 AM, EQ_Theta said:

"Nerzhei knows about the dragon lord visiting Ponyville. She was just as surprised as you, really. Frankly, a lot of us here in Ponyville didn't expect someone like her to come along one day and take the time to meet us. Actually, that was Spike's idea and at the end of the day, Ember befriended the changeling's leader, Thorax. We didn't expect that to happen but I've never seen a dragon mellow out after spending a day here. I heard Ember and Thorax had an exchange of advice on how to rule their respective subjects." 

"Ponyville seems to be a town of many stories and strange connections. I mean no disrespect with this, it is simply that I have heard some things already, and then this tale of two rulers from distant places, connected by a dragon in employment of your princess, comes into the picture, and I find myself impressed with how incredible it sounds that all of that takes place in what I've been told is not even a large town.

As for the tale itself, it sounds as if Spike is an influential dragon. Is he a speaker for your princess? Or does he make these connections of his own accord?"

Spike were just a name before this, but to think that he were a connection between two kingdoms - one of which represented beings that Lyriel knew were not fans of equines - made her think of him as a great member of the draconic race. Akin to one of the great ones she had seen in the valley in better times, who rose as high as the pillars of the castle, and whose bellowing voice would shake the ground as much as his meaty steps. An impressive figure that were impossible to ignore, yet one she had found generally a kind soul when he let himself, even when he held part in Nerzhei's exile.

Ah, but Spike couldn't be as large,or he could not be within the castle... Yet these creatures had strange, and seemingly powerful magic. Who could tell what they might be able to do about something like that?

Lyriel took another bite of the doughnut she had been given by Fluttershy in the shop. The cup and it were wrapped around each of their own vine that she had grown from her shoulders to hold them as she wandered along. With no wings or magic like the ponies possessed, it had seemed that she needed to do this, or simply leave them behind, and that seemed highly rude considering how Fluttershy had bought this for her.

It had given a few glances so far that she had noticed, but Lyriel cared not. It weren't as if her form were perfect regardless, as she were still made of natural elements, such as moss, wood and dirt. Look hard enough and it would be apparent.

On 2/9/2019 at 3:26 AM, EQ_Theta said:

"I think you and Nerzhei will enjoy a massage. I know! Rarity might still be away for who knows how long but she says the spa is a destination you shouldn't miss out. I can take you and Nerzhei there tomorrow! Imagine feeling every inch of your body relaxed and loose. It's not music but lots of ponies enjoy it! Once we're done here, we could head back to the castle and let Nerzhei know about this."

Lyriel wrinkled her nose in confusion about what she were told for a moment, before finally the bit dropped.

"Hehe, I see. For a moment I thought you meant that they took you apart for some reason.

A spot of relaxation may be good, yet still I wonder what this will entail, if it is not music. Does it involve touching of some kind then? I don't mean to pry too much, but if I am to speak with Nerzhei about this, it would help if I could be told what massages and spas are, to a point where I would understand it. Personally I don't mind surprises, but our draconic friend is different in my experience.

Ah, may I also ask, does the place welcome animals? It is not easy to separate Lotus and Nerzhei from what I know, which could make things difficult."

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

 

@Zephyr / Karou

"Worry not, a small boop such as that will not do me any harm, nor shed my essence. The vessels of my kind work somewhat different than yours, as well as certain internal organs and such to accommodate certain things, such as my vines. It is a long, tedious thing to go through, but for the time being, let it be said that I am incapable of gaining a nosebleed. My sense of smell can become momentarily erratic though, if the hit is sufficiently hard enough.

Heh. I remember one time when I accidentally fell down a ditch with bricks, and hit my nose quite severely. Spent the next three hours swearing that I could smell honey-roasted nuts wherever I went. I was a stumbling mess for the entire process."

He could look back on it and laugh now, though in the moment, the laughter had primarily come from other sources around him, who thought it looked rather funny. They did have the common decency to ask if he were okay first though, which he appreciated greatly.

"It is not much of an issue for the regular members of my kind, but I can assure you that snaproots like myself are highly reliant on our sense of smell, so it can actually be quite the detrimental thing to go through, depending on the circumstances. I consider myself lucky to have been in a friendly part of a town at the time being, rather than in the wilderness where one could never know what may jump out of a nearby bush.

Regardless, let us move along now, shall we? Ah, and while I do remember it, may I suggest that if you wish for the town to know of what happened first, so that they may mull over things and take that into consideration before approaching them, you inform a local news agency of it, so that it spreads at once rather than through gossip, where one can never be certain if all the details are there? It is of course just a suggestion, yet one that I think may have some merit, depending on how you feel about doing such a thing."

Whilst talking, he'd keep moving on and guide them towards the castle, on a route that were taking them away from the main action of town a little by little. They should be there in about five minutes with this pace, provided that nothing happened.

Edited February 11, 2019 by Blitz Boom

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom

Novia's fruit simply exploded into confetti knowing it could not win.

"It went out on its own terms."

The lemon quickly punched Anomaly's fruit with a lot of force.

"What do you mean boring? I like being this handsome!"

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom Serenade rolls her eyes, "It's Ponyville...they'll FREAK out, the Flower Ponies will feint, somepony will go running to the Mane Six, they will overreact and it could all have been solved if they just kept their heads. I mean, honestly, Ponies are not the only creatures on this planet."

[Early Sunsets 2,106]

@Blitz Boom

"That's good. I guess it makes sense that our races would have differences like that," Zephyr said.

Sun Fire thought for a moment. "I hadn't considered that. That sounds like a great idea. I'll have to look into that later today, or maybe tomorrow depending on when I have time. Thanks for the advice," she said.

Zephyr and Sun Fire looked out at the decreasingly crowded streets. It felt even more like home with so few ponies around, and it made them feel a lot more at ease.

[EQ_Theta 458]

@Blitz Boom

Lin knew just what her brother was going on about, with the incessant tapping and poking around her. It was somewhat of a relief that some of them were poking around the smoke-like webbing on her neck and head. Once they were organic, part of her that could still feel when touched but now, they were more like vapors than an actually tangible body part. She could exert control over it just like she used to but now to an even greater degree. It was like adding fuel to a fire, letting it grow just by thinking about it. Lin felt the little pokes all over her, running across her back and up her neck. And just when the kits got close to her webbing, she'd let it expand little by little, then suddenly let loose. Of course, it really won't hurt; after all, it felt more like a burst of air running against fur or skin. 

Mischievous as it was, Lin wanted to stir up a reaction out of the kits. She wouldn't go overboard with it. Just a confirmation to know just how many were curiously poking around her. It was sort of fun to try out and she was getting some use out of the changes her body received. She never got a chance to use it. Even Sen took notice of this and the tense stance he took while the guard was nearby gradually relaxed.

Eventually, the sound of a door opening nearby got the two to stop and turn their attention to the tree they were waiting by. After being given the all-clear by the remaining kitsune, the siblings stepped into the tree and their eyes fell on Rosa, resting quietly nearby. Sen immediately turned to the lone kitsune in the room with them, Hizhel, grateful more than anything else.

"Thank you for helping our friend. Are his wounds bad? How soon will he be up and about?"

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

@Blitz Boom

Fluttershy chuckled at the idea that Spike might be some kind of emissary to other races. To a certain extent, he has kind of fulfilled that role even if it isn't in an official capacity. Being friends with the changeling hive leader and a dragon lord makes gives him an air of importance, especially considering he is still a child just about age readying to enter adolescence. Then again, what would the pegasus know? Dragon lifespans, among other subjects, are still a mystery to ponies. For the longest time, their only exposure to a dragon is Spike, and he was very young when they first met. Since then, he's grown up like other ponies to the point he probably sees more pony-like traits in himself than dragon ones. Behaviorally speaking, that is. 

"Meeting Ember was more like a chance encounter. He was called to the dragon lands to participate in the gauntlet of fire and after that, they just sort of got along. He is still a child, older than the baby dragon I remembered meeting the first time he came to Ponyville with Twilight. Now he's still going about his duties maintaining the castle library just like before but gets into enough adventures here in Ponyville."

The pegasus was just finishing up on her meal when she noticed a few ponies passing by, still unsure what to make of Lyriel and her odd form. For the most part, it seemed they were curious, though the staring might leave a different impression on them. Some probably didn't see the dryad until now. 

"Massages involve touching, yes. It's a little difficult to describe without experiencing it first-hoof. Even I couldn't give you the exact words to describe it. But maybe this can help?"

Fluttershy flew up from her seat and moved beside Lyriel. She took her foreleg and began running her own hoof across the length of it, applying a generous amount of downward pressure going all the way to the most distal point possible, then moving her hoof clockwise before moving back along Lyriel's foreleg. She repeated this motion three more times, applying the same amount of pressure, before returning to her seat.

"What I did just now is a massage, though the masseuses at the spa can do it better than me. I doubt Lotus will be allowed to stay there because the spa has this policy against bringing animals to the establishment but I'll see if I can work something out with them. If not, I could always forgo my massage and give one to Lotus so she wouldn't be left out."

[Catpone Cerberus 23,591]

@Blitz Boom
"I never said our way of life is necessary a good life." Ruby pointed out as she finished the last piece of meat "It is a gamble really, since you can't really choose if you are born weak, but it has made us superior to other creatures." "I still like my kind's way of life, and don't really like how far ponies and your kind are from your nature." "And I find it laughable that your kind and ponies think you're above us other animals only because you have society that has lasted few thousand years." "We used to have that too long before any of you creatures were anything more than mindless herds." "But eventually all of it collapsed, this was of course long before my time, but we have our history too." she was bit surprised that Marley hadn't questioned why she had left her homelands, but she figured it was because he had believed her original explanation of coming collect riches to be the only reason, which she didn't blame he on, since it was one of the main reasons.

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

Nada could tell something was swimming after her, but didn't pay much attention to it, as she figured it was either the fish she had noticed earlier or some other creature living in the river, and she didn't sense any danger from it. She kept swimming for a while, before she finally decided to go to the surface to see where she was location wise. She naturally got scared when the creature first latched on her head, and out of reflex sank back underwater, but she soon calmed down as she realized what was going on, and rose back up to the surface "So it was you who followed me, your really gave me a fright, now, could you please release me so I can see something?"

 

[Rising Dusk 27,542]

@Blitz Boom

Well, things seem to be going swimmingly while he was out and about tending to a dark garden.  Lily was even continuing her work at getting Scarlet all riled up.  Hm, this room was not all that big enough for the company it was currently keeping though.  A large earth pony, a prisoner in a cage, three empty cells, a pegasus, a mechanical spider and now a unicorn.  Tight fit.  Being polite and not wanting to stand upon his mechanical friend, he slide off to put his hoofs to the floor.  "No worse for wear," he assured Felicia and anypony else in the room that had any interest.  Receiving an affirmed grunt from the ivory stallion and then the other end of the extreme as a shriek came from the pegasus.  Taking to the air out of a mix of surprise and happiness to see her mentor's safe return.  "You're in one piece!" she bounced in the air with glee.  Quickly collecting herself, "I mean... Good to have you back, Sir~  My pocket watch!" well that didn't last long.  She zoomed down and snatched the hot teleportation artifact out of his hoof then back into the air to examine.  Flipping it over and over while testing the winding dial, "You sure did a number on it," she grumbled and giving the detective a disapproving glare.  "Haha, sorry about that.  Had to act fast," he chuckled nervously and offered an apologetic smile.

His attention was drawn to the matter at hoof though when Lily spoke to him, only for the Master's voice to sound in his head.  It was weak and dull with the link having to work through the wards.  Teleporting in here using the pocket watch helped it bypass the more critical ones that would have ended it instantly.  Even in its weakened state, the fact the Master would hear what was going on around the detective and not just the communication between the two, was rather impressive.  He didn't have to do much of anything though as even if he pulled the link with him, the wards of the O.M.I. would soon erode away the ever weakening spell.  Might as well let the Master waste energy in maintaining it until the building ate it on its own.  "I wasn't looking for him at all," he admitted easily.  "He was attacking the city with dark magic and I turned it against him until he had to destroy his own work," Rising informed the group over all as well as Lily.  "And I think we had a good talk.  Hopefully we can close this case soon and end the attack on Equestria," the detective concluded, now addressing all in attendance even though no pony else in the room knew him and the Master were communicating.  Never hurt to try.

Stepping up to the cage, he inspected the Deep Iron prison enchanted with the spell Rising Dusk had created.  Molotov did a great job both in its construction and using the magic circle he left behind to get the suppression spell in place.  Running one of his hoofs over a bar, feeling to cool metal and the dull field of the suppression magic.  "Molotov did great on his," the commented out loud, very impressed with what had been accomplished in such a short amount of time.

[Blitz Boom 4,621]

@Rising Dusk

Lily walked closer to the bars of the cage as Rising got near to inspect the work and starred him straight in the eyes.

"You have no idea what you're up against, Equestrian. Not before you stand in the rubble of your town, with the empty husks of your friends strewn around you, and by then it's too late."

Though she had been cocky for a lot of this, there were a certain fear in Lily's eyes as she said her piece to the detective. Something born of personal experience, that were not to be spoken, in case her master could somehow hear her. Even in this secure building, there would surely be a way for him to slither in, and with Her supporting him, there wouldn't be a place in the end where anyone could feel safe. Including Lily.

She took a few steps back and sat down in what sounded like a work by somepony calling himself Molotov. A blacksmith of some kind likely, and one who were not going to be looked upon favorably by her master when the time came for judgement over this town. A thing that seemed to be destined to happen, considering the resistance he met.

"But you'll see. Just like anyone else who stood up against him."

The sudden sound of the cage creaking got her attention, and she looked up into the right corner. Didn't seem to be anything there though. Had she just imagined it? Or had it come from the spider perhaps, as it turned to look after the strange pocket watch that were likely a magical artifact of some kind? She couldn't tell right now, but she'd keep her ears up, just in case.

"𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕒 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕥𝕠𝕥𝕪𝕡𝕖. ℂ𝕒𝕥𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕙𝕚𝕔 𝕗𝕒𝕚𝕝𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕞𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕠𝕔𝕔𝕦𝕣 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟 𝟜𝟠 𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕤."

Rising were likely still the only one here who knew what Felicia said as she spoke, and her message wasn't encouraging, yet it should have been expected. This were the first attempt that had actually managed to keep the cage in one piece, but it hadn't been properly tested, and the measures taken to try and keep it intact were just an idea. There were no way to say how long this might last, though the fact remained that the likelihood of it being a complete success were pretty slim, as the kinks hadn't been tested out. Of course there were the moments when everything just all of a sudden worked perfectly, but judging by the slight creak from before, it seemed unlikely to be one of those situations, unless it were just the metal settling in, as it weren't long ago that it had been finished.

"Hardly seems fun when you don't answer. Farewell for now."

The master's last message were weak as he finally cut the connection for good. Annoying building were efficiently warded against invaders, and even with his way in via the connection with Rising, it were being eaten away at constantly. Even pressing as much energy into it as he could, the wards would have won eventually.

Besides, he had learned something of interest here. A name of someone called Molotov, that seemed to be the creator of this cage, and potentially the spider. A mechanic of sorts, and one that were close to at least Rising. Perhaps if he went and kidnapped that nuisance, the pony would suddenly be far more willing to trade. If nothing else, it would give him some degree of satisfaction to have taken someone from this meddling Equestrian.

As for how to find the pony... Perhaps it were time to send some unwilling scouts out. Wasn't too far away from his current location to a village where he could go and *convince* some locals to do as he said.

Rising would have some time to work things out as the master focused on this instead, but it likely weren't a massive amount of time. A half or whole hour tops.

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

 

@EQ_Theta

"He's stable and should be up in a few minutes. However, he needs to take it with some degree of ease the next few days. His wounds were severe, and though we've patched him up, he will still need some degree of time not dealing with fetch quests, like the one you were sent on."

Hizhel went over to a corner and pulled out a small leather pouch. Afterwards, she'd go down and pull out a drawer from the wall, wherein several glass containers with pills in were. She'd crack one open and rolling it between her claws, before shaking her head ad putting it down again. It wasn't going to be good enough in this situation she'd recon, so instead, the kitsune went for the small container next to it, and drew out three pills, that she placed in the pouch and laid on top of the resting bat pony.

"We ran a mind scan after the healing was completed, and from what I can tell, he'd be too stubborn to just take these with him on his own accord, so if needed, force them down his throat. One every day after the sun sets will help with his recovery."

"What did you find in his head?"

She glanced over to the guard who had followed the outsiders into the room, but her gaze didn't linger. This particular guard weren't really worth that much of her time or attention.

"You can tell the principal that this particular thestral doesn't work for our enemies. Shoo."

The guard didn't look particularly happy at the dismissive tone and the paw waving him away like he were some sort of pet, but he left anyway. He had a job to do that didn't include playing babysitter for outsiders.

"That annoyance aside, you should consider yourself clear as well. We pulled some information on you three whilst examining him, and you don't seem like enemies from what we could tell. My colleague wanted to say this to you, but some of the things he saw made him queasy, so he had to excuse himself for the time being, along with the others. They must really start to learn to stay impartial if they want to keep doing this.

Anyway, you're in the clear. Does any of you need an examination whilst you're waiting? I wouldn't mind giving a physical to peculiar folks like you, and once Yazma's class are over, I can imagine I won't get the chance anymore. *sigh* Hoards like a dragon that one."

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

 

@EQ_Theta

On 2/11/2019 at 9:35 AM, EQ_Theta said:

"Meeting Ember was more like a chance encounter. He was called to the dragon lands to participate in the gauntlet of fire and after that, they just sort of got along. He is still a child, older than the baby dragon I remembered meeting the first time he came to Ponyville with Twilight. Now he's still going about his duties maintaining the castle library just like before but gets into enough adventures here in Ponyville."

"So Twilight is his caretaker? What a curious situation."

The princess had seemed like a young mare herself, yet now it came forth that she had a ward, or adopted child of some kind? Dragons grew slowly after their teens ended from what Lyriel knew, but before that they were akin to regular creatures, and if he were old enough to maintain the library and go off to what she assumed were some kind of competition for mature dragons, Twilight must be older than she appeared. And here Lyriel had though that she had finally gotten some degree of a grasp on what ponies at varied ages looked like. Seems like she had to reevaluate that observation.

Seemed like another lesson were on the way, as Fluttershy spoke some about what a massage were, and then wandered closer to Lyriel, who stood completely still and awaited what curiosity were about to befall her. A few onlookers seemed to have halted a bit in their walk to see what were going on, but they weren't being approached yet. Might change depending on what were going on perhaps? She'd see soon en- Oh my.

On 2/11/2019 at 9:35 AM, EQ_Theta said:

Fluttershy flew up from her seat and moved beside Lyriel. She took her foreleg and began running her own hoof across the length of it, applying a generous amount of downward pressure going all the way to the most distal point possible, then moving her hoof clockwise before moving back along Lyriel's foreleg. She repeated this motion three more times, applying the same amount of pressure, before returning to her seat.

"What I did just now is a massage, though the masseuses at the spa can do it better than me. I doubt Lotus will be allowed to stay there because the spa has this policy against bringing animals to the establishment but I'll see if I can work something out with them. If not, I could always forgo my massage and give one to Lotus so she wouldn't be left out."

Fluttershy would end up having a strange experience with attempting to give Lyriel a massage.

First were merely the sensation of wandering on grass and moss growing on bark rather than flesh and fur like a pony normally were. Much akin to stepping off the path in the forest, though more robust.

The second thing would be a certain creaking that would increase with every level of pressure applied to the dryad. She weren't build up under the surface like a pony, so not only did she creak like a tree in a stiff breeze, she also didn't get what ponies would consider a benefit from this sort of thing. In fact, the vines and such that made her motor functions work started to feel irritated by the motions, and at the end of Fluttershy's performance, Lyriel were groaning slightly, as the bark visibly moved whilst the affected parts of her body settled itself more comfortably again.

"I thank you for sharing with me what a massage are, but perhaps it is better if only Nerzhei and you attempt it? I mean no disrespect, but it were a rather uncomfortable experience. You must understand, that whilst I attempt to look like one of you, I am not made the same way or of the same things that ponies are. This seems like one of those things that I am not grown to go through, though again, I thank you for sharing the experience with me. At least I know now.

Perhaps it is for the better too. Nerzhei trusts that I would never harm Lotus, so I could watch her whilst you two were relaxing, yes?"

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

 

@Zephyr / Karou @Moonlit

"I relish being of service, Zephyr."

Briar chuckled slightly as he kept moving away from the main street and head towards the glimmering castle. Honestly it felt rather good to help these two get settled in, sort some potential issues out, and showing them around the place, even if not everything might work out well in the long run and he ended up with a few bruises here and there. It made him feel useful, and really, he had been welcomed to this town too when he had first arrived, despite some ponies being cautious around him. That he could take this and share the welcoming experience felt rather great.

they wouldn't end having more strange experiences towards the castle, yet as said castle got in sight, the garden might catch some weird looks by the three who had actively open eyes.

A remnant of when a few draconequui were bored and figured they'd surprise the princess with a garden. The lush grass, rose bushes, three layered fountain, and the large tree would make for a beautiful picture. Along with the flowers, the walking path, and the stone arc with hanging flower baskets that framed the entrance quite beautifully.

However, the garden also had a curiously short fence, benches wandering around like they were cattle, and small bubble creatures of varied sizes coming from mainly around the fountain, floating through the air and trying to escape from slightly larger ones that seemed like it were hunting them. The tree in question also seemed to have around two dozen known fruits growing from it, and just about the same amount of unknown sorts that were not guaranteed to be edible.

Of course, they could just ignore all of it and head for the open door, though at least Brittle's eyes were drawn to the strange sight over the castle that she had seen a few times already. From a distance yes, but it still counted.

They might also bit notice in another one headed for the castle, however this one were wandering at a different angle and stationed further back than them, so it were likely that the pony in question were the one to see them first. A mare that were some ways away and seemed to be talking to herself, though beyond Briar, nopony would  be able to hear the conversation as it were some distance away. The evergrown however, didn't wish to be rude, so he tuned out what he were able to hear and simply kept his course for the time being.

Over with Serenade, Cherish gave out a ethereal sigh at what the siren had just told her.

"That's what I'm afraid is going to happen too, and if that's the response, she's just gonna run away. Neither of you deserve to go through something like that just because they're afraid. Hopefully when the princesses gets things done, they will help ease their minds. Ponies still trust what they say, r-right?"

Cherish wanted to believe that, and Serenade did seem to have a lot of faith in the princesses, but the nagging concern were still there as they approached the castle.

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

 

 

@Lucid_Nightlight

The lemon got a nice hit on the mango, but the fruit weren't done fighting even though it had a fist in it.

Lashing the vines upwards, it stuck on the suit with the suction cups and started to spew acid into various parts of the mech suit whilst climbing up and forcing itself the arm via the vines to force more of the arm into it's cracked shell, now technically mouth as the acid inside started doing some good work on the metallic creation. It should at least, though this was a chaos fight basically, so immense amounts of cheating were pretty much as could be expected. Like with what Novia did. Sure she didn't win, but she didn't lose either, which were a pretty important thing, And her fighter went out in style. That sorta display got you points.

"Peh, not even for a pony are you handsome. You're too ordinary. At least wear something ugly with lights on so you stand out or something, otherwise you're just a big dull dull."

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"I understand the concept of *Survival of the fittest*, and how it produces a stronger genetic line. I merely think that from my objectively more cozy life, it seems a rather harsh way to live. To each their own of course.

As for the subject of superiority, I believe that neither you nor us are wrong in thinking themselves the one on the very top, it simply depends on the situation.

Say if this country suddenly plunged into chaotic anarchy, your experience would objectively make you a force to be reckoned with, whereas how things stand now, you would be subdued and find yourself trapped surprisingly fast, as part of this society includes several agencies specialized in everything from physically restraining others, to magical and anti-magical means.

It all really depends on the situation, setting, and numbers on each side. Personally, I consider myself as being higher up the food chain than some, yet I don't disregard the danger that can come from those below, so I don't sit firmly with my nose high in the sky and consider myself invulnerable. Capable and certain of my abilities yes, but there is a line between that and underestimating those I meet that seems like a fools decision to cross.

Since I think we will mostly rotate around the same angles if this goes on, I wonder if I may ask you a question that is somewhat related to the subject of home? Nothing relating to personal details though, as have been mentioned, you are entitled to your privacy, and it would go against that if I ask for things like why you are in Equestria.

I just wonder, if your home have mostly focus on strength and solidarity, what purpose do you have in seeking riches? I know dragons who does that, but most have a reason for building such a hoard that relates to influence, or traps to lure in prey. Sometimes an incredible sense of vanity or as trophies, though I can't so far place your reasons on any of those, and what you have said of your home makes me uncertain about what value they'd hold in your world."

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

Fah'lina had her fun, so she let go of Nada as she were asked for it, and dove down into the river head first. She'd breach the surface a little afterwards, and look up at Nada, whereupon she'd reenact the siren's reaction to the ambush, complete with gasps, exaggerated faces and waving paws.

Once she were done, and had popped up the water after the *got really scared and dove down* part of it, she just started laughing, clearly enjoying herself.

Her kind had come forth through untold generations of breeding under the chaos-filled realm when Discord ruled, on top of the alterations he had done from the start out of mostly entertainment, and though they had changed some during the years after his defeat, the alterations had been far too ingrained to just vanish.

Some of their more abnormal abilities had gone though, which made them weaker and leading to a need to stay together in large communities, and for certain traits to be less favored compared to others that suited their new way of life, so in the end, this were what they had become.

Through it all though, they still retained their mischievous, prank loving nature that were as much a part of their beings as their teeth or tails. They were just more cautious about who they'd go for, and especially when they were alone, like this particular critter were.

Not story that many knew though, beyond the princesses. Most had considered these mimics extinct several centuries ago, after the last tribe left the rivers near Canterlot, but had unbeknownst to most found shelter in other water-filled areas that were either hard to get to for beings like Ponies, or had some hazards that kept them af bay, so that they may get some peace from the ponies that they had to constantly stay on guard around, as they had started to be considered exotic pets by some, and didn't want to risk their young being taken away.

Edited February 12, 2019 by Blitz Boom

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom

The lemon hopped out of the mech and grew muscular arms and no legs. It walked using its fists and elbow dropped the mango.

As for what Anomaly said about Lucid being dull...

"Lucid looks pretty good by pony standards. Sure he's doesn't look chaotic, but he makes up for it by BEING chaotic."

"Yeah! Just look at this!"

Lucid stomped a hoof and things around the bakery started to change. All the tables turned into giant fish with antlers, the chairs turned into monkey bears with stone spears, and for his best move yet... he turned the coffee of a nearby pony into decaf which the pony quickly spit out.

"Chaotic enough for you?"

[Catpone Cerberus 23,591]

@Blitz Boom
"I am aware that me being superior as a creature doesn't mean I'm invulnerable, if I thought so, I would have just attacked your leadership and attempted to tear down your whole civilization." Ruby pointed out "But that doesn't mean I think ponies, or your kind anything else than the weak creatures you are, ponies just happen to have strong magic that I unfortunately can't compete with, but it will fail eventually, everything has a time limit, I just need to be patient." "Because without magic ponies are ultimately just prey with pointy sticks, and with the local creatures being less adapted for fighting for their lives, I would have basically no competition in that point until my own kind would hear about it." she smirked, clearly enjoying her little vision of future.

"And to answers your question." she continued "Seeking riches, or in our case anything that shines has no meaning outside our greedy nature, we just by our nature want to have as much of them as possible, and it's not matter of choice, as it comes from deep within our natural instincts." "I don't know if it has had some practical use at some point in our history, but currently it is only to satisfy our hunger like greed." 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nada looked at the creature as it reenacted her previous actions, and started chuckling herself too, it wasn't  any less funny when it had happened to her herself, and that made her feel less bad for laughing at Berry when she was going through it. She didn't know much about these creatures, or really nothing at all, but it didn't really bother her as based on Fah'lina, they seemed like amusing friends to have, and she wouldn't have minded to have her own at some point after settling in.

 

 

[EQ_Theta 458]

@Blitz Boom

"That's good to hear. We'll make sure he takes his medicine like he should."

"You don't seem to be as cautiously hostile as the guard back there. I guess this might be a once in a lifetime opportunity to examine a longma up close. Wouldn't want to leave you feeling disappointed and I think I need one of those examinations after I broke one of my forelegs. There were some nice kits who were looking into my injuries earlier. Sen, could you take these for a moment?"

Sen gathered Lin's saddle bag, including the documents picked up from Scarcity earlier. He walked to Rosa's side and sat there for a moment looking over him to see how his wounds are healing up. After getting a glimpse of the liquids pooling and drying up around his suit, that sight gave him quite a scare. He wondered if he might have found himself standing over Lin and seeing the same thing when they first found each other on that desolate mountaintop. Other than that, he was content seeing things are turning out well, breathing a sigh of relief knowing Rosa will be alright. 

As for Lin, she took her position next to Hizhel and waited for this medical examination to start. Though she will probably expect to hear something along the lines of taking it easy with her left foreleg as it is still recovering, she'll be fine with knowing just what the whole procedure will entail. This kind of medicinal process is a new thing she's never seen up close, and it will definitely be a stark contrast to the more herbal-based traditional methods she grew up with.

"I hope the temporary solution to stop our friend's wounds from getting worse didn't have any unintended side effects. My brother used what elfroot and cloth we had to make some bandages for him but we didn't have enough time to get those cleaned properly. So, what exactly happens in these sort of examinations?"

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

@Blitz Boom

"Oh... I-I'm sorry if I was presuming too much. I hope I didn't hurt you."

It probably was a lot of forgetting that being a little more plant-like compared to ponies had the possibility that dryads would be different on a fundamentally anatomical level. Fluttershy caught on to the groan Lyriel let out and suspected she might have hit a nerve but being told that a dryad taking on a more equine form would mean she wasn't closer to a pony beyond appearances. Just learning this now had the pegasus make herself appear smaller, sitting at the edge of her seat feeling a little guilty about what she did. 

Perhaps there was a lot more for Fluttershy to learn about dryads and about Lyriel. Even if this was an innocent mistake, it wasn't one that the pegasus was likely to forget anytime soon. Sure enough, she may have to go on that spa session with Nerzhei but it wouldn't feel right if Lyriel and Lotus were to just watch from the outside. The spa had a policy about not letting anyone in if they were to just watch someone else get their massage. But if there was anything her spa dates with Rarity taught her, there was plenty more to do than just getting a massage. 

"It's just that I didn't want you to feel left out. It wouldn't be right to let you stand outside the spa and watch with Lotus. Maybe there might be something else? Steam rooms, saunas, herbal baths, or seaweed wraps with mud facials? I can ask the masseuses to hold off on the massages."

[Early Sunsets 2,106]

@Blitz Boom @Moonlit

Zephyr and Sun Fire stared at the garden in the near distance, their mouths agape. Their full attention was on the otherworldly scene, so they didn't notice the other mare.

"What...?" Zephyr began.

"Umm... Briar, is the garden usually so... how do I put this... chaotic?" Sun Fire asked. "Is it supposed to be abstract or something? There are certainly a lot of, uh-" Sun Fire eyed one of the sentient benches, "-unusual things about this place. I don't think furniture is supposed to walk around on its own."

Edited February 14, 2019 by Zephyr / Karou