open Casual stroll

[Rising Dusk 27,542]

@Blitz Boom

Rising Dusk could feel his blinks getting long and heavy.  His body already numb from the side effects of the red pill and the antidote that was the green pill, but the floating didn't help either.  Not really wanting to move his limbs was ideal and time in perspective was starting to slip away.  Every time he blinked he could tell they had moved a good distance even through his slightly blurred vision.  The magic he could sense was changing the further they moved away from the alter of the Dark God, although it was easy to tell he was still in Harrowmark.  His extra sense was the only one he could trust right now under the effects of the antidote, which was limited.

Another blink and he could hear muffled voices.  Blurred shadows played at the edges of his vision as the town ponies scurried into their homes scared of the outsider.  It was pretty easy to tell via the tone though, he wasn't welcome.  He's been kicked out of a bar before, once he was identified as a law enforcement officer, but a town was a new one.  The detective's companion wasn't having it though and felt it necessary to display her power and authority with use of light power.  Which to Rising Dusk's currently oversensitive extra sense, was a rather assertive weave.  Luckily it didn't have to last too long before the town ponies were convinced this was no test or invasion from Equestria.  Whole militia fought against Twisted Gears before?  Numbers weren't always the answer to a problem and he could only imagine how many of their souls further fed the Dark God.

He blinked again and finally he felt just a little something.  A blurry ceiling filled his vision and he felt pretty confident he was now laying on a bed.  Probably getting it all dirty with the swamp muck that had been covering his body and hoodie at the time.  Not that he could do much about it at the moment, he'll just have to apologize later.  Going for another blink cast the detective into darkness.

Another dark room, an unknown light source shining down on the sitting detective.  Not all that alone though.  The light tainted wisp fluttered around the unicorn's head, but otherwise wasn't up to much.  Whispers crept up from the darkness at the edge of the light.  The riling inky mass kept at the edge as the bubbles took up the shape of ponies before popping.  Their whispers were a lot more different than their first meeting.  They were more upbeat, as if cheering, but with all of them trying to speak at the same time, it was still difficult to make anything out.  Definitely no longer in the category of nightmare though, it wasn't hard to pick it out as a dream.  His perfectly clean hoodie and lack of numbness to his body was a pretty big give away.  Might need to see a pony about why he often dreams in a dark single source light room.  Meh, a letter to Princess Luna would never hurt.

With a smile his horn ignited and he took control of the white wisp.  "Be free," he told the trapped souls that clung to his body.  He cast the wisp at the vile inky black mass.  The tendrils thrashed and withered under the presence of the light tainted wisp.  It hissed and screamed, the bubbles popping one more time to let out a small glowing mass that he figured his subconscious translated as a soul in the dream realm.  The final ends of the magics left over from the first artifact Rising Dusk dispelled that started this whole mess, were extinguished and the remaining souls were released. 

With the last of the darkness erased, the light wisp came flying back to him like a rubber band.  Resounding snap included.  The light source above him went out and he could feel himself falling.

A loud thud rang out in the small hovel he was staying in.  The unicorn laying half in bed and half on the floor.  Oh sweet floor, we meet again.  "Ow..."

[Blitz Boom 4,621]

@Catpone Cerberus

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. The world's a smaller place than you think, and sometimes it makes folks run into eachother again at some really weird moments. Sides, I like to have you around, so I'm thinking that when you eventually crack this one right open, my charm and winning personality will have made you go all dependent, and you'll stick around so you won't have to miss me."

The mare laughed a little. Sure she had some of the charm and personality she were speaking off, but that didn't hold on to folks. Cold cash did that, as were evident by Marley's presence in general. She were pretty sure that if he didn't get a paycheck, he'd be gone within the hour, no matter how many fun stories the two of 'em had. Just how things worked.

"Heh, all joking aside, we'll see what time brings. If it splits us, then eh, might as well enjoy the good, profitable times while they're here."

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"Smart moves. Let's go check the edge and see what's lurking in there."

It'd be a short travel to get to the edge of the desert area. The animals were still disturbed by the presence of this, yet it seemed that certain sturdy creatures were starting to make an advance on the area, as whilst the resources were low, it were currently safe from many predators, as for example the timberwolves seemed to avoid the place like the plague.

The area were larger than they could eye from their current position, and in the distance (marking the middle of the desert) could be seen a temple of sorts, though it were too far away to really get any details.

"Seems like there's something in there. Pity I didn't bring my binoculars for this. I could've gotten a might good look at... Wait, something's headed our way."

That something were little more than a blur at first, but as it got rapidly closer, the form of a changeling of sorts would get more prominent. And she seemed both annoyed, and focused on Nada, who she'd address first once she stopped buzzing towards them, around two meters from the edge where the two of them stood/floated.

"This desert is my domain, and sirens are not welcome to set even a single fin upon the sands. You can feast on the negativity of your prey animal elsewhere."

The changeling waved a hoof towards Berry, whom she were certain were just there because the siren had used her song to force the pony with her.

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

 

@Moonlit

"Hehe, it's okay. I move around a lot normally, so I burn off a ton of calories. You should see the sorta stuff I sometimes lived on in Las Pegasus, and just at me, fit and healthy."

Fah'lina's response to the promise of food were joyful too, with the critter currently clinging to Ziggy's recently mended leg with her tail and feet, raising her front paws up and clapping enthusiastically with a grin on her face. The promise of food always made her interested, and really started to make her feel good about not being part of her colony anymore. Less mouths to share with, at least for now. They'd see once mating season started and she had to figure out if she were going to start her own colony.

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

 

@EQ_Theta

On 5/23/2019 at 3:03 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“I'm guessing Filigree had an agreement with those diamond dogs before we got involved. She was trying to get rid of everyone who worked with her in the mines and if the jewelry business makes her rich, she likely had the means to pay them well. Your thoughts, Omen? You have a guess?”

"No. Little time I had with her, she just wanted me to hold the gem. Stand still when she said weird words. Then suddenly you were there."

Filigree hadn't been keen on sharing details about herself, and especially not once she quickly realized that Omen weren't exactly the quickest mind in Equestria, and only asked why she were in crystal. It had been easy to just tell her that she'd explain later and then get the ki'nathar to stand in the right spot as she completed the work that had been denied her ten years prior.

"Whatever the case, you'll come back here and let me know when you catch her again, you hear? And next time, put her in a cage at Shark Bay. The Coast Guard's got some good ones hanging above the water that can't be dug into, and hopefully not anypony who'd be possible to bribe to just let her go."

If there were one thing Stud loathed more than a smart villain, it were a smart villain with deep pockets. That allowed some degree of resourcefulness that allowed for some far reaching issues and problems solving, such as this alleged pay to the diamond dog gang that had broken her out.

They'd soon enough get to near the bottom of the mine, and end up at a cluster bigger than they had asked for, but it were the only one who'd do right now. There were four miners trying to get it loose at the current moment, and they seemed like they almost got it too, with a padded cart ready to catch it the second they got it down.

"Few more minutes and this'll be free. You folks think you can lift it? It ain't hollow ya know."

On 5/23/2019 at 3:03 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Yes, please,” Lin said, bowing her head as she took the cup and accepted Amethyst’s offer. “This reminds me of my mother. She’d brew a batch after evening meals over a fire using her mixture of aromatic leaves. The scent was very relaxing, almost making me fall asleep sometimes. What kinds of leaves do you use?”

"I have a friend to ensures I get a good specialty box like this every few months. This current one are focused on tastes from the northern countries like Harrowmark, Norwhinny, and Germane. The selection are focused on strong, earthy blends of mostly sweet or bitter tastes.If you prefer bitter, a crimsonleaf mixture from Harrowmark will be best, whereas one hardly goes wrong with a frenzyroot for a more sweet taste. One of the better ones from Norwhinny I must say. Ah, but my personal suggestion if you want something refreshing, will always be this."

Amethyst pointed towards a particular, frosty-looking thing that almost looked like a flower petal.

"The famous Germane mint tulip. I don't know how they make these grow, but the taste of delightful and refreshing. Please though, take your pick of any in the box. I believe she have carved into the lid what each one is."

The one making these had indeed done that, and they could find a brief description of the base taste, and where it were from from that. Lin should have a good variety, unless she liked more subtle tastes. These were more meant as surprisingly powerful ones that you couldn't avoid tasting.

"May I ask what kinds of tea you and your mother enjoyed dear? Never seen an area with creatures quite like you after all, and I wonder what your tastes, or accessibility may be when it comes to things like this."

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

 

@FanOfManyShows

"Yeah, weathers looking mighty fine... Thinking it might start to rain punches with how this is going though."

This whole thing had been a right mess ever since Chow opened the door and saw Iron there. A happy sight at first, since he figured this would really help Astral relax, but it snowballed downhill once the barrier got activated. Then Astral showed up, thundering about, saying that Iron were actually working with her mom and aunt, and... Yeah, it was a giant mess. Positive note, none of them were on fire yet, so that were something. Negative note: Basically everything, as the aspect of some traitor stuff going on here were starting to stink up the air, and Iron better have a real good explanation for this, as well as why he were trying to use Chow as a shield by trying to get him on his side. Kind of a harsh move, but Astral turned out to have none of that.

Moving aside so that they could get him in, Chow kept close to Misty, just in case something were going down and he had to dive down to avoid her getting hit by some random spell or debris from an impulsive attack. He didn't think it'd happen, but the chance were there, and that were more than enough to make him cautious and prepared for the worst. Weren't like he could actually fight these, so yeah, pony shield it were. Weren't much, but it were an honest living.

Once they got up there to a secure enough room, Chow would keep his muzzle shut and let Astral lead this on. She'd likely have plenty enough to ask for all of 'em.

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

 

@FanOfManyShows

Emerald used some of her magic to catch the gem, and floated it in front of her cloudy form. To think how much she had gone through to try and get control of this, and now it were within reach, yet unusable for her... What a cruel irony, yet there were not time to think on that, as she placed the gem on a nearby pillow and floated out of the room again. She'd return within thirty minutes, inhabiting the body of a rat, and with a story to tell that had gotten her quite rattled, no pun intended. Yet that could wait until Sapphire were awake again. Until that time, she'd lay down nearby and try to rest too. With a body, even as small as this, she could at least do that, rather than float around like swamp gas and wait. It got tiring.

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

 

@FanOfManyShows

"You better, 'cause this here's your job now mate. At least until you find a replacement, dies, or gets thrown out in disgrace. It ain't like in the Coast Guard where we compete over who's general every year, so you're in for a long run, or an embarrassing short one, though so far, it's going pretty good for ya. You already caught your first threat to the kingdom, and you hadn't even gotten the reigns then. Pretty good start."

Tidal Wave grinned and gave the new general a small pat with her hoof. A good kid, but he had a good deal of growing into this role to do. Dew hadn't been much different when he first took charge, so y'know, Wings here would probably be fine, long as he got the necessary support from the other generals, the guards, and varied legal agencies, such as the Manehatten O.M.I. They're really making a push on things these days, what with their fixing of magical issues like cursed and nasty looking trinkets. A nice bunch, and their captain was quite the imposing sight once she got riled up.

"Say, speaking about starts, we're holding the next competition in around June next year. What do you say you come 'round and have a looksie? I kept asking Dew, but he kept avoiding it, and Screecher only shows now and again to see if there'd be somepony new leading us. Come on, it'll be fun, and you get to see if I can keep my job five years running."

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

 

@FanOfManyShows

It wouldn't be long before the medical team with Hogweed in front came around, and wandered over to the cell.

"Sorry for the wait. Things got a little uhm... Yeah, hectic I guess. A-Anyway, thank you for keep an eye on him. We'll take care of things from here."

The lieutenant would direct the ones she had brought to get Chariot on the bier and secure him so that he wouldn't fall off, as well as ensuring that the chains remained where they were, so that he couldn't use magic. They'd be on their way to the special room within the next few minutes.

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

 

@Rising Dusk

Rising would find that a good deal of the souls would vanish in a small flutter of light, with the sound of tiny wings flapping around them. They seemed happy nonetheless, yet it appeared as if Viz'nay were taking or guiding them as they left his presence, helped by the light that Rising had carried of hers. It eased the process, even if it were a very small piece of her light.

As Rising fell to the floor, he'd find that there were a pair of hooves grabbing him nearly instantaneously and with some degree of trouble, would get him pushed back into the bed.

"Ease yourself, great outsider. You're safe in our town."

The soft but nervous voice belonged to a unicorn mare in her twenties, looking at him with big, pale-blue eyes filled with both awe and concern. Her mane were as long and flowing as her tail, colored in dark blue and with a line of golden blond hair going down the midst of it. Her coat were light blue as water in a pool, and she wore an outfit that were reminiscent of what the witch in Manehattan wore, just in a brighter shade of brown, no hat, and a longer skirt. She wished she had been able to present herself better than this, but they needed her to help this warrior from lands far beyond their shores with some degree of haste, so there had been no time.

A tray consistent of a warm, nutritious root stew were placed on a tray next to Rising's current bed, along with a bowl of fresh water, a couple of sugar cubes, and some local specialties she'd found whilst getting this meal ready in a hurry. Mainly some oat brownies with a bitter aftertaste that the locals considered hearty, and a bowl of some random berries covered in a pale, icy glazing of undetermined origins. It'd taste rather sweet though, with a good crunch, though it certainly weren't sugar.

Putting the blanket over Rising again, she'd look at him to see if he stayed awake, though whatever he did or not, she'd start talking all the same.

"You have endured much, but you need your strength. Please, when you are ready, I have prepared a meal for you that should help."

The tip of her horn flared with a small, blue ember, and the stew would get a stir with the wooden spoon, and start to bubble ever so slightly. This mare had some strong, yet controlled pyrotelekinesis abilities, so moving around things and warming/quickly preparing food like this were not an issue for her. It also proved useful in case the creatures from the swamp got a little too confident and went towards their town. Fire had a way of solving many things like that.

One might question though why she had moved Rising up on the bed using her hooves instead of her horn though, once she saw that he had fallen out of it, yet that were just one of around three dozens that should already be possible to ask for Rising, if he got the chance between eating/getting fed. Which version depended on if he had the energy to lift the spoon himself.

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

 

@Lucid_Nightlight

"Hey! We do this right. You spin the wheel, and then we take whoever it lands on to do this."

Even the giant octopus?

"Yep. Totally legal here on my isle. Now come on, someone spinny the wheelie! Your human can decide what it lands on, and then if everything goes wrong, we can blame him. Hehe, human in pony prison sounds like fun."

I feel sorry for him, yet at the same time, at least it's not me for once.

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom

Lucid spun the wheel and waited until it eventually landed on... the other author's life savings? Well, it's Anomaly's wheel, so you can blame her.

"Hey! Anomaly's author! Hand over your life savings!"

"I don't think can send it since he is normal and stuff."

"Send Anomaly in there to retrieve it then."

Lucid opened a portal, went in so that he could eat all the iron and silver that was in the house. When he was done, he came back to Anomaly's island.

"Okay, it should be safe for you to enter. Also, author guy, your house is a mess and looks like an animal ran through it."

[EQ_Theta 458]

@Blitz Boom

“Yeah, I remember what happened at the mines,” Sen replied to Omen, still somewhat uneasy about that memory lingering in his mind. After what he did to put the entire rescue effort at risk, he feels ashamed about taking that risk. He knew it would be faster but disastrous in the long run. As much as how things still went well in the end, the guilt weighs heavy even now. “She is persistent about getting things her way no matter the situation.”

Once they were approaching the bottom of the mine, Sen took a moment to really take in the size of the diamond. It looked like the right kind of size for the job and he’d prefer it if this is the one they need. No unnecessary trips back and forth; just enough time needed to pass in order to get everything set up here and back at Amethyst’s shop so Shrimp could begin his part in all of this.

“I think I might be able to lift that back to Canterlot. And I’ll take your suggestion to the Canterlot guards. They’ll probably want another place to hold her while they repair the dug out floor of their cell. Here’s hoping Filigree hasn’t paid off any sea creatures near the bay as well.” Sen chuckled at that last remark but quickly let out a cough before regaining his more serious composure. 

As for Lin, she wasn’t quite sure what to pick. Looking over the selection, she was certain she wanted to try all of them but asked herself what one option she would pick. It boiled down to Amethyst’s suggestion and chose the Germane Mint Tulip, taking about two leaves and adding it to her cup.

“Mother often used ginger root or Osmanthus but would sometimes add Jasmine leaves. On the occasion a trading caravan from another village stops by, she’d also use the petals of the rare Jade Orchid. It has a strong, sweet taste with an equally powerful scent once heated. They say the scent alone is powerful enough to clear a headache within minutes! I wouldn’t know about that claim since I haven’t had a chance to test it. Those are very difficult to get a hold of since they only grow on specific trees and so few ever fully blossom. Otherwise, mother would stick to Osmathus since their buds are more commonly found and harvested, not to mention having a preferable fruity taste over the bitter ginger root. She preferred the latter though.”

After about a minute or two has passed, Lin took a sip from her cup and allowed the taste to settle in her mouth. She moved the liquid around, left and right, taking in everything she could from her beverage. Once she downed the first sip, she smiled and sipped another.

“This is delicious! I feel like I’ve woken up from a good nap and ready to take on anything!”

Edited May 25, 2019 by EQ_Theta

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom Serenade smiles, "I got three tickets for the Friendship Express to Manehatten, and it leaves in about half a hour" She turns and waits for Ziggy, she tries to stop from giggling. Her Dad will spoil Fah'lina rotten, and she knows it. 

[Catpone Cerberus 23,591]

@Blitz Boom
"The world is small place yes, but I assure you, if I was to decide we wouldn't meet again, we wouldn't." "Like you know your way in the criminal world, I know my way in other things." Ruby responded, even though Spicy had made it clear she understood that without her saying that "But it is like you said indeed, it's best to enjoy our partnership as long as it lasts." she would of course take all use from it that she could, but if she ever managed to find the right information to use her new tools to her advantage, she would return to her homelands and take over few treasure piles.

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

Nada was quiet as she observed the desert and focused on what looked like some kind of building, and she didn't notice the creature before Berry mentioned about it. She tilted her head curiously when the creature came to view, as she had never seen changelings in any form, and in fact didn't even know they were a thing, so she was curious about what for her was totally new creature. When the creature spoke, accusing Nada of planning to collect negativity, she seemed like she had expected it to some extend, though she was clearly disappointed . "Don't worry, I haven't done that for over a millennia, and I'm not sure if I even can consume negativity anymore." "Though I wasn't planning to come to the desert regardless, because besides some personal reasons, the dryness of it doesn't exactly attract me, I just wanted to see if it was really there." "But even if you don't believe me, do you really think that an empty looking desert would be my go to place for negativity? When there's a town full of ponies not far from here?" she knew she could have chosen a bit nicer way to response, but after being driven to hiding for so long, and meeting a nice pony like Berry after that, she had decided to treat others based on how they treated her.

 

 

[Rising Dusk 27,542]

@Blitz Boom

Pain had always been a good teacher, but right now it served another important purpose.  Feeling pain right now was good as it meant he was out of danger from the poison of the power pill killing him.  The side effects from the antidote counteracting the red pill were, for the most part, gone.  Now only having to deal with the bump that would form latter from his encounter with the floor.  It was also nice to have use of all six of his senses again.  Sounds weren't muffled like he was at the bottom of a well anymore, his vision was clear and everything wasn't saturated in light.  With everything else up and running, focus wasn't as put heavily on his extra sense and he didn't need to observe the world through only magic.

Rising Dusk's meeting with the floor though was to be short lived as a pair of hoofs were quick to scoop him up and shuffle him back into the bed.  He blinked and took in his surroundings, having not gotten the chance with all his senses upon his entrance to the village, and hovel over all.  It was small and simple, something he'd expect in a land under the iron hoof of Twisted Gears.  So much taken from them that it was difficult to really advance one's village.  The detective wasn't alone in this room though, evident by the helping back into bed, and the voice in greeting.  Turning his attention to the mare unicorn dressed in what he's identified as rather common attire in this land with those he's met so far.  Not that he was one to comment on fashion, but he was pretty sure his sister would have a thing or two to say.  Something about earth tones being out in mainstream fashion these days.

Safe was yet to he a term he'd consider attached to a place like Harrowmark thus far, but even when no longer in a state of dying, he was still pretty weak.  So he'd have to trust the stranger for now.  At least he had to the energy to sit up in the bed and not need to be tucked in like a foal.  Moving his gaze to the aforementioned food, which in his current condition wouldn't be a bad idea to help regain some strength.  The water in of itself was rather desirable.  Nodding his head, accepting her kindness of food.  Getting an extra treat in watching the magic she used to heat up his soup.  New spells were always interesting to see.  A fiery weave that marked a beautifully crafted pyrotelekinesis spell that warmed his soup.  A very useful skill for any unicorn wishing to be a cook.  She'd get along with Flare Blitz quite well.

With the cooking down, he gladly accepted the food.  Igniting his own horn to collect the items he needed to feed himself.  "Thank you," he told the stranger with a tired smile.  Sampling some berries and the soup.  Nothing one would get from Manehatten, but being in a different country was a whole other story.  It was pleasant though, and warm, and gave him energy so he wasn't going to complain.  "I'm Detective Rising Dusk," he introduced himself after swallowing some of her soup.

[Blitz Boom 4,621]

@Catpone Cerberus

"Alright, I'll take your word for it, but I tell ya, you never know how the world spins 'round. A lot of weird stuff happening everywhere."

Was gonna be a weird thing when this one went away honestly. Been a short time, but Spicy liked having Ruby around. She were fun in her own way, and certainly useful. That shiny radar of hers were great.

"When time comes for us to split though, here's hoping all three of us are alive, free, and first and foremost: Loaded with riches. Ain't nothing like the sound of jingling coins."

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

On 5/25/2019 at 9:32 PM, Catpone Cerberus said:

"Don't worry, I haven't done that for over a millennia, and I'm not sure if I even can consume negativity anymore." "Though I wasn't planning to come to the desert regardless, because besides some personal reasons, the dryness of it doesn't exactly attract me, I just wanted to see if it was really there." "But even if you don't believe me, do you really think that an empty looking desert would be my go to place for negativity? When there's a town full of ponies not far from here?"

"Ponies who can also fight back and disrupt your feast. It's safer to enthrall a single prey and leave with them."

"Alright, alright, you two put a lid on it. I'm not prey. Nada here's my friend, and no fluffy bug is gonna tell me otherwise."'

The glare that Berry got for that *fluffy bug* comment were unnerving her for some reason, as were the strange sound of fluttering wings that seemed to surround them as the changeling's horn glowed ever so slightly, yet there were nothing to be seen. Were she playing tricks on them?

"How curious, your mind haven't been touched. Not recently at least."

Her gaze refocused on Nada, yet were curious, as she stepped a little closer to the aquatic equine.

"So it have come to this then? Dragons, draconequui, changelings, and now even sirens. The ponies are making peace with many of their old enemies."

She stood and pondered things for a little after that. This situation were... Peculiar. Dangerous even, with what it implied, yet she hadn't much of a choice but to accept these new times now, did she? If the ponies could accept the siren's presence, then sadly, so would she.

"...The feud between our kind is a long and bloody one, but if this is how times are going, then I presume I simply have to accept that those ties are changing too. I guess I can welcome you then, to the edge of my domain."

"Alright, getting somewhere, so... Who are you, and why have you turned this into a desert? Have Thorax ordered you to mess something up here?"

A small smirk/smile were seen briefly on the changeling's face at this, showing her amusement over this comment, as well as her reluctance to be perceived as a happy creature. Force of habit that may change in due time.

"Thorax have never been a king of mine. I am the queen of my own domain, given to me by the sphinx who passed through earlier, after I accepted this... Change. A bitter pill to swallow, yet one that were sadly needed.

As for who I am, I am Queen Onache. Formerly known as-"

"The slaver queen? Seriously? They reformed YOU?!"

Berry's jaw almost dropped to the ground as she gawked in disbelief at this changeling. Were she actually serious here?

"So some do know of changelings from far beyond these shores. Peculiar...

Be that as it may though, I have no need to enslave prey anymore, so my title is forfeit."

Onache were visibly pleased this time that there were somepony who knew of her, even though the mixture of disbelief and concern that she were given from the pony weren't the usual response to one who knew her. That tended to be more along the lines of fear of panic, though recognition would suffice for now at least. It may make the transition phase... Difficult though, yet they'd see. She may be worried about nothing.

"What of you though, siren? Who are you, who claims to have been around for millennia? One who made a name and a title for herself too perhaps? One whom I may have heard off?"

Onache had a definite tone of one who were used to be risen above others, yet she were trying to be somewhat kind to whom she less than a day ago would consider a mortal enemy, as well as a prey animal. It were not easy to get away from this sort of mindset, even though the second she accepted to change like this, she knew that she had to change her viewpoint and tone when it came to ponies, and their allies. That said allies would then quickly turn out to include sirens were a blow that she had not anticipated though, and it may well had made her reconsider her choice to go down the path she now wandered upon.

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

 

@Moonlit

"Hehe, goodie. Then let's g-Auw."

Ziggy cringed a bit as the needle the doctor had jammed into her leg administered it's medicine and got pulled out. A quick and easy process, done while she weren't paying attention. Tricky old mare this one.

"Remember to take your medicine every six hours to keep your energy level down, and no food for at least three, until everything have cleaned from your system. Water only."

After that, the mare would give Ziggy a stern look, and then get on her way. She had other patients to deal with.

"She's a good doctor, but boy howdy is she a stubborn one. And I think she's kinda paranoid since she gave me another sedative. I mean jeez, I know what the medicine are for, and to take it until the last of it is gone. The needle was just, y'know, overkill."

Ziggy leaned in and whispered most of what she said, in case the doctor were around here somewhere and could hear her.

"Sooo... What're we gonna do for a half hour? Jog down there and wait? I'll race y-No wait, I won't! I swear."

Her eyes darted around, looking for a sign of somepony looking at her, though the grin on her face should tell well that she were just goofing around.

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

 

@EQ_Theta

On 5/25/2019 at 3:01 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“I think I might be able to lift that back to Canterlot. And I’ll take your suggestion to the Canterlot guards. They’ll probably want another place to hold her while they repair the dug out floor of their cell. Here’s hoping Filigree hasn’t paid off any sea creatures near the bay as well.” Sen chuckled at that last remark but quickly let out a cough before regaining his more serious composure.

"It's not called Shark Bay for nothing. The Coast Guard headquarters are overseeing the biggest shark infested piece of ocean Equestria have to offer, and the guards are fiercely protective of keeping this shark reservation safe. Nothing that can be bribed by some random pony swims there, so unless she have some Coast Guards on her payroll, she ain't going anywhere if she gets one of their cages.

And don't get ideas if you ever go there. The Coast Guard might make companions of the sharks, and have gotten most of them tamed throughout the generations, but they're still full of sharp teeth and a want for meat. At best they'll snap after you for fun, at worst they're aiming for a leg. Both cases, you're gonna get face to face with a maw full of teeth.

Believe me, there's a reason why no sane pony chooses to serve their time anywhere near Shark Bay, even if it'd get reduced."

Other branches made use of what animals were in their area, but for the top branch, it were sharks all the way, and they made good use of it. Tourists loved to see them ride around on 'em, nature lovers enjoyed seeing the thriving animals and the coral reef, and of course, you couldn't miss their famous shark wrestling tournaments. Bunch of crazies who'd be willing to wrestle a shark in his mind, but it were something that were undeniably entertaining, and the current general were a pro there. Wouldn't think so when looking at her, but she were the best they'd had in generations, and she sure liked to show off. Even got some more feral specimens in at times to show she got what it took to prove her superiority. Again, crazies, but that were the Coast Guard for you. 

Looking at the workers going at loosening the diamond, Stud suddenly went over and grabbed hold of one of the ponies pick, which made him instantly stop and look over  on his boss, who just glared back at him until the pick were let go off.

Twirling it in his hoof, Stud then went over and hacked straight into the rock beneath the cluster. One hit, some stones cracking, and then soon after, the cluster fell out and rolled down into the padded cart.

"There, it's done. Go get it ready, and don't show here again before she's back in jail where she belongs."

"...Thank you."

Omen were still wary about whatever or not this were the right time, but it seemed to go over well. Kinda? maybe? Stud just nodded in their direction and went back to work, so she weren't sure. He hadn't yelled though, so that were good. Had to be positive then.

Regardless, she'd open a gate back to where Lin would be. Sen would be expected by her to go first, once he had the gem ready, though if it proved too heavy, she'd help him. Starting by using her tongue as a sort of rope to tie around the gem, so that it, and the cart it were in, could be dragged with them. A weird sight, but that would only be a thing if Sen couldn't handle the load. He might be strong, but this were a big gem after all. Who could say if he had the strength?

On 5/25/2019 at 3:01 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Mother often used ginger root or Osmanthus but would sometimes add Jasmine leaves. On the occasion a trading caravan from another village stops by, she’d also use the petals of the rare Jade Orchid. It has a strong, sweet taste with an equally powerful scent once heated. They say the scent alone is powerful enough to clear a headache within minutes! I wouldn’t know about that claim since I haven’t had a chance to test it. Those are very difficult to get a hold of since they only grow on specific trees and so few ever fully blossom. Otherwise, mother would stick to Osmathus since their buds are more commonly found and harvested, not to mention having a preferable fruity taste over the bitter ginger root. She preferred the latter though.

Amethyst listened with interest to Lin'd story, as she slowly drank her own tea. She had gone with a Harrowmark blend, as the bitter taste were rather refreshing to her, and something which she thought would be good to pep her up a little. Not unlike how most had it with coffee honestly, though that never really fell well in her taste. Something about how the water blended she supposed.

The tale of Lin's mother using some herbs that the mare had mostly just heard off were quite interesting too, and made for a good conversation piece over the warm cups that they sat with. Osmanthus were for one a herb that Amethyst had never even heard off, but perhaps it were a local specialty where Lin came from? She could ask a few in the know, and see what they said. Perhaps she could find some of it, and see for herself how it would blend. From how it were described, it sounded lovely at least, and would fit well in a package of summer tea.

On 5/25/2019 at 3:01 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“This is delicious! I feel like I’ve woken up from a good nap and ready to take on anything!”

Amethyst smiled at the enthusiastic response to the Germane blend. She would lie if she said her own had not been similarly pleasing the first time, as it were very rejuvenating, and there were just something about seeing the response from another that made her feel all warm and fuzzy with delight. As did it when she saw that Lin tasted the tea, instead of just gulping it down, and savored the first taste of the cup. There were far too many that wanted to just down it and be done with it, but one should savor new flavors like this, not just chug it like a barbarian. It were pleasing to see that Lin were a step above those when it came to new sensations.

"I must admit a fondness for it myself, yet it is hardly anything compared to the famed Jade Orchid Tea. The stories I have heard makes it sound like little more than a legend, but it sounds as if there are an origin after all. That they rarely bloom sadly explains why it is hardly ever found. Are they simply hard to cultivate, or are there some outside forces working against them, such as particular insects? And if not, have your kind potentially considered trying to farm a large area with said trees, and then have focused cultivators there, to ensure a steady growth and harvest? I'm sure that there would be some gardeners who'd be more than happy to offer you some advice on troublesome plant-life."

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

 

@Lucid_Nightlight

Alright, that's it, I quit. Have fun you... Weirdoes.

"Hey wait, come back here!

Awh phooey, he's not even narrating this anymore. Uhm... *Anomaly jumped through the portal, didn't see anyone in there, and no trace of the author*

...Heeeey, wait a minute, this isn't his place! There's pictures of some other people in here, and the walls are different. I think he broke in or squatted after the snake incident. Weak sauce!

Peh, lame human. Whatever, he'll be back later. Let's find out which one we'll kidnap. Not sure how his life savings even got on the board, I didn't write it there. Did you two cheat? I mean, I'm totally for that, just wondering."

*This was gonna be totally lame, but the narration would at least be better. Nooooo doubt about that.*

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

 

@Rising Dusk

6 hours ago, Rising Dusk said:

"I'm Detective Rising Dusk,"

"It's an honor to meet you, Dusk. My name is Will-O Wisp, but many just calls me Willow, or merely Wisp. You may call me whatever you wish to though."

A smile and a slight blush went over her face as she saw Rising eat of her stew. It were somewhat rushed, but thankfully, her abilities made it easier to create a simple meal such as this, yet she had been afraid that perhaps the flavor were not to his liking. He were no local after all, and might not enjoy the simple tastes they were able to offer on such short notice. That she had been able to crush enough Mold Beetles to create the sugary coating for the berries were a minor miracle in itself, yet she wished dearly that she had been able to get enough time to provide him with a feast unlike any he had seen before. For what he had done for them, it were the very least they should be doing for him.

"The priestess will not be long, but she needs time to provide guidance. We have been in darkness for so long, that we have forgotten the light. It would have remained so, had you not entered our country, great o- I mean, Dusk."

Going over and opening a window to allow some air to enter, the mare would also light a few blue wisps around the bed, which should ensure that it would not get too cold, yet without setting something ablaze. It were all a matter of distance really, and controlling the small balls of floating fire, which hardly took any effort. She had potential, and that were unfortunately the sort of thing that would catch the eye of Twisted, who had started to eye the mare whenever he had been in the area, and not in the sense that he liked her pretty face. He only saw the magical potential that laid in someone being this good at controlling both fire and telekinesis, despite having no formal trainer, and needing to try and keep it hidden from him. Twisted had been interested in seeing how far she could go if she had no restrictions on her, and let go of those pesky morals of hers, but fortunately, that had been denied him.

"Is there anything you need right now? More pillows? Something strong to drink? Anything you wish for, I will do whatever I can to make it yours."

The loo kin her eyes told volumes of her meaning exactly what she said. Had Rising any want, he would be treated to it, if it were possible to get for him. Provided it were not a sacrifice. She would be loathe to bring him the body of someone in their village, as that would hardly be better than how it had been with Twisted, though she were sure that this one had no desire for that. He were from the outside. Surely he would have wants of another nature.

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom Serenade shrugs, "I leave that up to you, and no. racing." She gives Ziggy a blank look, then smiles "Doctor's Orders" She smiles like the deep sea predator she is. "You need anything for the trip?"

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom

"I didn't write it."

"Wasn't me."

Both Lucid and Novia looked at Lumen.

"Don't look at me."

Lucid looked at the wheel and noticed Pringle standing on it with a marker in his mouth.

"Well the life savings are not going to happen, sure I could open a portal to his actual house, but I don't feel like it. How about since Pringle is the one who wrote it down, he has to do it."

[Seamore Sandwich 471]

@Blitz Boom

 

[continued from page 343]

 

“Wha... what happened?  Did it work?”  Charlie was barely glowing.  Their voice was very soft.  The burst of energy took a lot out of them.  Signs of the sliver of soul inside the changeling body were faint, but it was definitely there, and it was growing, albeit slowly.  Only time would tell what would become of this.  The body was not conscious, but it still occasionally twitched.  Charlie had no idea of knowing how things like this worked.  Was their soul now inside the body?  Their senses were weak, was this a side effect?  Was this lack of sensation temporary?  Would they regain some form of sight soon?  The questions swirled around Charlie’s mind as they lay there on the floor, a motionless, slightly glowing stick, powerless to find answers for themself.  

[EQ_Theta 458]

@Blitz Boom

“Thank you again for your help. We’ll do what we can to make sure she stays locked up this time around.”

Once he said his piece, Sen turned to the chunk of diamond and attempted to lift it. A fairly heavy piece, much more than what he expected but as he heaved and dug his claws under, it became a little easier. He was still exerting plenty of effort before realizing he could tip it over to the side and roll it along the ground. With more room for his claws to grip, he lifted and placed the chunk on his back and walked towards the gate Omen opened up for him. 

But back at the shop, Lin was merrily chatting and taking regular sips of tea. It wasn’t everyday she got a chance to simply let her worries go for a while and talk about her home a little bit. That and the warmth of her beverage slowly trickling down her throat was relaxing feeling, almost forgetting she was there on important business. Until Sen and Omen returned, there wasn’t much to do besides make conversation, something she was enjoying at the moment. 

“We… we don’t really use our forest home for farming. Much as there is potential in building cities or farms, all we longma have is the forest home our ancestors left us with, living using the blessings nature provides. From birth, all longma grow up learning to never take more than what is necessary and give back to nature, understanding that even we will return to it one day.”

“As far as I know, the jade orchids only grow on select trees in a small section of the forest and those that do grow there are eaten by some kind of tree-dwelling insect. I don’t know what it is since no one talks about it openly and I’m certain there are other things that influence its growth. I’m actually surprised knowledge of the jade orchid is spread outside of our forest. How did ponies learn about it? Does it also grow all over Equestria?”

Lin had so many more questions she wanted to ask, genuinely intrigued that, within this conversation alone, already revealed how similar the ponies likely had with the longma. These findings would certainly come in handy when bringing up the possibility of sending representatives to Equestria’s major settlements one day. Before she could ask any more, Lin was interrupted by the opening of a gate close to her and with Sen stepping out of it, knew they were about to get busy once more.

“You have it! Looks like its time to get it ready.” 

Sen slowly grabbed the diamond chunk and placed it gently on the table, trying to avoid messing up the little set-up Lin and Amethyst had laid about. 

“Sorry if we interrupted something, Amethyst. You said we need a refraction for the this?”

[Widdershins 9,959]

@Catpone Cerberus

 Slumped down where he laid, pulled out from the now vanished point he had originated from, like a pile of Pool Noodle; Widdershins baffles at the inherent comparison.

What? Discord again? Everybeing acts like he's the sole representative of this species! Like it was made up on the spot solely for him to star in! 

 I'll have you know none of that's "original" body. Toootally fabricated his whole being from scratch! Most unorthodox! ...then again, I don't know what that word means. Butt.

 Regardless!

 You're one to talk!

 Head swaying from side to side as he had talked, mouth somehow never opening despite the breathless speed the wiirm babbled on in, Widders unfolded his long right ear out from under his head which, in turn, laid pinned under the rest of its coils. Placing his soft ear made entirely out of dense hair right on Cerberus face, entirely without asking.

  What's YOUR character made of?

 

@Dji

Despite not moving from where his muzzle lay, Kaltrop lets out a grumpy harrumph.

 "Well, you jumped on me and grabbed me first.

  ...you gonna get down n-... want my help getting off here?  ...or would you rather try pinning me with your little horsey legs again?

… N-not that I care anything about your legs, or anything."

[Catpone Cerberus 23,591]

@Blitz Boom
Ruby just nodded, she didn't have anything to add to the topic.

After some silence she asked "When does the auction end?" "Just wondering when we should start making our way back to Marley." she didn't necessarily care if they returned to him or not, but she wanted to know when the auction ended, but didn't want to sound inpatient.

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

Nada shook her head "I have been hiding in a lake since the banishment of the three sirens." she admitted right away "Besides the two pony princesses, no creature probably knows me, if not counting those I have met after coming out of hiding that is." "And I have no idea who you...or your kind is, nor do I know anything about any bloody feud." "Though if I did understand right, there are ghost stories or something going around among ponies about me, or well, about my singing, if that counts for anything." she figured this..changeling? would be able to tell that she really wasn't like the sirens she may know, since she was so little for a siren.

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

@Widdershins
"He just happens to be a bit more famous than you, having tried to take over Equestria and all that...twice." Cerberus responded with quite different tone of voice, sounding almost like a totally different pony...or cat, before returning to his usual tone "I don't really know if I understand you question, but I'm a cat, and a pony, and I have a great urge to start playing with that ear of yours that is on my face, and though I know that would be awfully rude to do, I won't be able to stop myself forever." he would fulfill his...threat?....warning?...if Widdershins's didn't move his ear. 

[Blitz Boom 4,621]

@Moonlit

"I can't really anyway. I've been given a pretty good sedative. When I grew up, the doctors kept wafting the idea that I should have to be on this sorta thing for my entire life, but nuhuh. Mom and dad didn't like it, and I didn't want it either. Long as I stay active, it's noooo biggie. Well, unless my wing and leg are hurt, in which case, phooey."

Ziggy didn't like having this sorta thing too long. It made her feel all drowsy and dull the longer she got it, and she didn't want that. She wanted to be happy, and brimming with so much energy that it got infectious. It was a far more entertaining way to live life. Sure, she needed to fly around like a maniac every few hours, but that weren't an issue, and really, keeping active were good for her health. No losing there she'd say.

"Anyway, I'm all set. All the stuff I really need are in my pockets, and I'm all dressed up and ready to paint the town pink, hehe."

A small yawn followed the grin that saying this brought over her face. Stupid drowsy meds...

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

 

@Seamore Sandwich

"No, the body rejected you."

Vivid could really use a trip to the Veil for an hour or so (in this world's time) right about now, to recharge herself and mend her aching body. Much as she were thankful that Charlie were still sentient, and that she were at least alive, and didn't need to repair her own body again, she were feeling like a well wrung out piece of cloth, that had been used one too many times and had just been thrown aside.

"There's something about the body that your spirit can't share in. Perhaps it is the magic? It's rare, but I have heard of something like that before, from other worlds. Once I catch my strength, we will have to find out. I barely got you separated before. If it happens again, I can't guarantee you will survive. How you even managed now, when a part of you were left behind, is already unfathomable. As is it that whatever remains are growing. A soul is not supposed to become stronger and grow into separate ones when it is torn apart."

She had lived for a long, long time, and had seen souls go through a lot of things that had left them in pieces, yet this were the first time she had ever seen, nor heard of, a fragment of a soul that developed into something new, and quite frankly, she weren't sure if she should be intrigued or terrified. Who knew what might come of this, and she barely had anything left in her by the way of energy. Perhaps a gateway or two, or a single, feeble shield, but that then would be it. Basically, they were going to end up in a lot of trouble right now if this new soul were somehow evil.

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

 

@EQ_Theta

"Yes, your little friend here will do well in cleaning it for unwanted things. I'm sure you have seen how it drains the colors of whatever he feasts upon, rather than simply eat the gem? Whilst refractions have some blood relations to dragons, they eat the minerals within the gem, whereas the dragons themselves eat the gems. There were once a strong trade going between them, yet as things are now, things have gotten... Complicated on that front, unfortunately. Perhaps if a resurgence one day happens, and the new dragon lord are open-minded, things may yet return to the golden days again.

Ah, but I digress. Have Shrimp here feast upon this in an open area, as I'm certain you have seen what happens to excess energy when they feast too much, and give him time to go through it. A gem this size, with optimal feeding times, and accounting for his size and need of vegetables as well... I'd say it will take 4-6 days before it is properly cleansed. Long as you do not feed him any other gems to spoil his appetite that is.

In the meantime, I would think you best go and care for your own business. Filigree will be tracked, and you can now safely house the heart, so you can have some room to breathe. To be quite honest dear, you both seem like you have had a rather stressful time, and could use a break from things. Let the little one do what his kind is prone to do, and simply give it time. He seems very healthy for a hatchling."

She reached a hoof forth towards the Shrimp, who snapped out at her hoof and hissed. Amethyst did not try to push it further, but simply laughed a little at the response she had gotten from getting too close to both him, and for that matter, Omen. The way he slithered around her neck and the angle he had snapped out after her in, deemed him to be rather protective, and she could imagine that it were the case with all of them in his eyes. 

"Make sure to file his claws now and again, to ensure they don't end up growing so big that they hurt him. Depending on his diet over the years, you may need a strong file though. At this age, they merely seem golden, yet if he feasts on enough gems of the right kind, the minerals may end up giving a genuine golden coating, though other variants are there too. I have some... Personal experiences with their kind, so please, if you have any questions, do feel free to visit at any point. It is likely that I may help.

Now then, may I offer you two a cup of tea, Sen and Omen? We have a varied arrangement here that you can pick from, and the water is quite warm."

These youngsters likely wished to just force ahead and get to work with something important here, but fact remained that as it stood now, the only thing they could really do were to wait. Shrimp needed time, Filigree were gone without a trace, and they had no clue to go by there. Surely the best they could do were to slow down and enjoy themselves for a time, yes? Leave the tracking of the escaped mare to the professionals, and focus on other things. Celestia knows that they surely would have other things to attend as well in their personal lives, given the chance to attend them.

Now were as good a chance as ever she'd say, and they could start by drinking some tea and try to wind down a little.

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"You've seen the size of this place? This auction's gonna take bloody hours. Riveting, right?"

Spicy rolled her eyes as she said that clearly sarcastic few words at the end.

"Real snoozer frankly. I'm mostly just at these to sell stuff, and only stick around if I see something good in the halls beforehoof. But here? I got what I wanted, and clearly, you did too, so... What's your thoughts on ditching this place and leaving Marley to catch up once his feathery rear have finally gone numb from sitting around this place? He'll track us down, soon as he stashed the gold back at my home. Come on, it'll be fun. Just a little trip, mare and mare. We could go have some fun, and celebrate the great sale we got.

Ever gotten hammered on Moonglaze in Las Pegasus before? Now There's an experience."

Frankly she didn't know if Ruby drank, but eh, never knew until you asked, right? And if that wasn't a go, they could go do something else. Like shooting clay pigeons or something. All about finding a good enough place with those enchanted slingshots that caused them to pack an extra punch, and it'd be a riot. Hugely popular among griffons, though they got mighty mad when they lost.

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

Onache raised an eyebrow a the response she got. Quite a few levels of surprises there, to say the least.

"In hiding since the three sisters? I have heard of those. Their actions made sure that my kind stays far away from the shores of Equestria during their reign, which may explain why you know nothing of us. Your meager size have some merit too, if you have truly been in hiding since. Without negativity, you could well become... Stunted."

So this were one back from the time where the more infamous of siren kind were roaming Equestria then? interesting... If one of this age and potential connection to some of the country's greatest enemies had been accepted, then there were some degree of chance for herself too. It may be something she could leverage to some point, provided that she did not follow her instincts and try to rid the world of yet another fish pony, no matter how easy a fight this may well be. Well, outside the desert at least. Within it, the large, almost see-through gem that the sphinx had placed above the temple were still in action, and absorbed what magic were used in the desert area. She would have to figure out something regarding that one of these days.

"Not many of your ancients left anymore. I know of the brothers and their arena, and have been informed of some rumors regarding one of your queens of old, Melpomane, whom have potentially been heard near the oceans of Germane in recent times. If others are out there, they stay away from us, or destroy every hive they come near so that word doesn't spread, as history have often shown them to want.

There is no grand story behind our feud, if you care to know it. It is simply a matter of prey. Both of our kinds feast upon the emotions of ponies, yet mostly on opposites, so we fight to keep more prey to ourselves. As we have taken down many of your ancients, so too have yours crushed many of ours. It is an animosity that is not simple to just walk away from.

Yet, it were a matter of dispute around food, and neither of us seem to have a need of harvesting from them anymore. I assume we can come to some sort of peaceful arrangement."

"Yeah, talk peace with the queen who earned her title by twisting the minds of ponies into willing slaves."

Onache and Berry locked eyes for a moment, though Berry ended up averted her eyes from the segmented ones of the queen.

"I do what I must to feed my hive, by whatever means necessary. If it includes enslaving some, then that is what I would do, just as readily as I accepted this... Degradation, when I learned that as I were, I could never provide enough food to ever fill the stomachs of my drones.

Judge me if you will, pony, but try first to ask yourself what you would be willing to do to keep your children from starving. Tell me then how you would be any better in my place?"

Berry opened her muzzle to say something after that, but just shut it again silently, and grumbled whilst looking away from the changeling.

"As expected. Now, I have something I wish to know of you, siren. What happened to cause your kind to work with ponies, where millennia of history have marked ponies and your ilk's relationship as merely predator and prey? Have they changed the mind of one of your ancients? Or are you the first, and truly know nothing of what have happened with the others of your kind?"

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

 

@Lucid_Nightlight

"Naughty lizard, causing trouble. He's evil! I see in his cold little eyes. Evil I tell you!"

The evil lizard would stand and likely think eeeevil lizard thoughts, whilst the brave, intelligent draconequui would stand and think long and hard over the very complex dillemme they were in now.

"Okay, so... I think no? I'm totally game for him wrecking havoc, but he might set fire to the author, and then we'll have no narration. I'm not gonna put voice to every single guest at the wedding!

Buuuut, if you could make Pringle Threaten him, that'd be completely fine, right? Just... Hiss at him, or eat his foot or something. Not the hands! He'll need them to be useful.

Also, I miiight've looked at his savings when I last checked, and I have more than that hidden in my wings. No gold there at all. Like, jeez. How do you get anywhere without at least six bars of gold and a rusty statue of a watermelon, right?"

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom Serenade nods, then starts walking toward the train station. "Same here, I've got everything with me." She takes her time, making sure Ziggy is not sleep flying. "Just look on the bright side, in about 4 hours, you'll get to see if Fah'lina can become a puffball"

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom

Pringle would grow to his maximum size and walk over to Anomaly in attempt to scare her. Would it work, probably not.

"No Pringle, I am not going to give you silver for you to force feed her. Besides, how wouls you even hold it?"

"You could give him copper and pretend it's silver. She hates that."

"I will bite you, Lucid."

[Catpone Cerberus 23,591]

@Blitz Boom
"We could do that, but I'd like to be able to get these somewhere safe first." "Anything with a lock will do, as long as nobody else have a reason to go there." Ruby replied, though she wasn't one to get hammered, because being a dragon, she needed quite a lot more alcohol than a pony for that, and drinking that much would have revealed something wasn't right since such amounts for a pony could be rather damaging, so she had to act drunk whenever she went to places where she needed to drink. 

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

Nada seemed interested when Onache talked about the other sirens that were still around, and just nodded to the explanation about the feud, so these creatures used to feed on some positive emotion. "I don't know anything about others of my kind, I wasn't really that active among my own kind even back before the sisters, and after them I have only met one other Siren after coming out of hiding, a young one who has been raised by ponies." "I personally never really followed the prey and predator mindset, sure I did gather negativity like others my kind at one point, but I always have found it to be...unpleasant, because I don't like to hurt other creatures." "I stopped doing it at one point long time ago, and before the sisters, I had sang to the ponies for some time already, that's why the princesses know me." "I have yet to become part of their world again, but I have high hopes for it, even if there will most likely always be a level of distrust between us." 

 

 

[EQ_Theta 458]

@Blitz Boom

Sen panted for a little bit, just needing to get his breath back and for a moment, didn’t respond to Amethyst. Winded, indeed, but not absentminded or centered on his own problems; he immediately turned to look at the mare and the chunk of diamond before proceeding. 

“I think I know how we can go about this. Just need to keep other gems away and provide other kinds of food so he’ll stay healthy, right? Yeah, we can provide that.”

“You have experience with refractions? The way you speak about them sounds like you’ve spent time with them. Can you tell us more? Like about filing claws? Do we need something specific for that?” Lin's reply was filled with excitement and curiosity, eager to learn as traces of her younger self began to show. This time spent at rest was as good a moment as any to find out more about Shrimp's kind. They're pretty much bound to care for him and if there was a future prospect of helping more later on, Lin would love the opportunity to gather as much information as she can. 

At the moment, Sen noticed the setup before him and without further prompting by Lin, or her even offering to go about it, he took two cups and proceeded adding water and tea leaves in just one. Two from the crimsonleaf mixture and allowed it to soak. He wanted to see what Omen would pick from the selection, waiting to know what kind of taste she would want. Of course, even Sen isn’t quite sure what his tea would taste like as his process of choosing boiled down to taking the first thing he saw and going along with it. Seems like both of them will be surprised. For now, the longma waited until his beverage is ready while passing the second cup to Omen. 

“You’ll want to take a few leaves and put them in the cup,” Sen said to the Ki’Nathar.  “Not all of them though, I don’t think they’ll taste good if you mix them all. Pick a box and take about two leaves, then let them soak in the water. After a few minutes, you can drink it. Try it out!”

Lin smiled as she turned her attention to Shrimp. She wouldn’t bother him for the meantime and at the moment, realized that they would need to remain close to Canterlot in case Rosa, Stargazer, or a guard would come looking for them. The cave outside the city limits would serve this purpose well but their time away would be extended a little more than they expected. Perhaps later in the day she would go back home to pass on a message or speak with Elder Ghilan if he caught her. The last time they spoke, there didn’t seem to be anything important happening that needed either Sen or Lin to be present. Ghilan just needed to ease his worries though he will need another heads up soon.

[Rising Dusk 27,542]

@Blitz Boom

These kinds of reactions weren't all that strange to the detective.  Many a times was Rising Dusk given laurels by fillies, colts, mares and stallions alike.  All the visits he was requested to make to the Manehatten hospital when a hex, curse or jinx placed on a loved one reached outside the capabilities of the doctors.  Their reactions were understandable and it was always a battle to refuse gifts or payment.  It was all part of the job.  Not to sound cold hearted, of course, but the unicorn dispels such things because he loves helping others.  The only extra payment he needs is seeing the joy of a family embracing one whom they thought they'd be losing.  Rather sappy, he knows, but that's completely fine with him.  The O.M.I. pays well enough for the unicorn to live rather comfortably, no need to fill his life with extra gifts.

It was nice of her not to mention what he was actually eating, and he didn't really want to illusion of how good this meal was shattered by finding out.  Continuing to eat while the mare taking care of him filled him in on a bit of what was going on.  So Thistle was out spreading the word and the Light back to the citizens of Harrowmark.  Her little slip up of trying to refer to him as the Great Outsider was starting to tell him that Thistle might be placing him on a higher pedestal than needed.  While the result was the same, Rising Dusk had come here on a mission from The Captain in the name of Equestria.  Not really as noble to point out that he was to protect his own city.  But during his short time in the swamp, the detective sure learned a lot about Harrowmark.  Twisted Gears and Lily were not the best examples of what he should have expected, regardless of how much they claimed to represent the country as a whole.  Plus it was nice that he didn't have to fight his way back home while in that weakened state.  Taking in the weaves of magic cast off by this floating blue flames that kept him warms.  Nothing like the sickly tapestries of the swamp.  Very strong and study, the mark of a talented unicorn.

Munching through a few more sweet coated berries, he cast his gaze out of the window as it was opened and into what little he could see of the town that was giving care to him.  Not having much time to take it in, even if the view was burned into his memory.  He knew the look, having seen something eerily similar from his apprentice when she was working so hard to join the O.M.I. and become his pupil.  Ears flat and leaning back every so slightly from the over eager mare, he quickly ran through the layout of the room in his mind and flicked his gaze to the pile of books.  "A book would be nice while I wait.  Maybe my saddle bag, Ms. Wisp," he requested, keeping it simple.

[Sekel 692]

@Blitz Boom

TWILIGHT SPARKLE

"Exorcisms are for possessions who don't want to leave their host anyway," Twilight chuckled nervously and floated the  remaining book back into its place on the bookshelf. She trotted over to the other book on the table and began to slowly flip through it. "You can come over here and see which one may suit you the best. As for being a night assistant ... I used to have one. It could be nice to have another night assistant while Spike's asleep."

@Blitz Boom

AURORA LIGHTS

"You said to relax! You said there wasn't going to be any mishaps!" Aurora shrieked when the Timberwolves attacked them  and more or less huddled behind the cart Happy had been pulling. She winced at each sound of the fight and screamed a small bit when a previously unseen Timberwolf leap at her. She scrambled away from it and watched its jaws snap at empty air.

@Blitz Boom

KARMIC FATE

"Um, no, sorry," Karmic replied apologetically. Luckily for her, Atzy had gone silent and she breathed a small sigh of relief. "The ritual sounds awkward at the very least. Do you know if it will be painful or not?"

@FanOfManyShows

WATTS MECHANO

"It's up ahead of you, can't you see it?" Watts said incredulously, pointing out the plain door with a shop sign that had a symbol of odd gizmos of trinkets. "Who knew stallions could be thick at times?"

@Widdershins

DAWN STREAK

"N-No ... I didn't jump on you. You forced me to do that," Dawn insisted and struggled to move out from under Kaltrops' chin. "You want me to move so why aren't you moving so I can move!?"

[Blitz Boom 4,621]

@Moonlit

"Hehe, she's gonna end up passed out and rolling around like a fuzzy hoofball."

The image of Fah'lina as a puffer fish got into Ziggy's mind and made her laugh for a half dozen seconds or so. There was just something precious about that image, though it were unlikely to go that far. Ziggy had seen the mimic eat fish larger than herself, and not bulge noticeably. Whatever weird, unnatural way these creatures had evolved, they seemed to be able to deal with gluttony in ways that she had never seen another creature do, though they'd see. Perhaps this would finally be the point where Fah'lina would be forced to surrender? 

"I'm really looking forward to meeting your parents. You make them sound like amazing ponies, even if they're gonna make Fah'lina into a food balloon."

Hehe, another funny picture for the head space.

"Oh! Wait!!! Should we get something for the trip? We got a bit of time, and we're still in Ponyville. We could get some water, juice, uuuuh, maybe even doughnuts? Or do they sell that on the train? I flew to this town, so I dunno."

Ziggy had halted right away, and looked at Serenade as she asked this. The train station were like, five minutes away or so from where they were now, so they could take a quick detour if it were that Serenade figured she'd need something.

What? Just because they were going to eat with her parents eventually, that didn't mean that they should starve before that. It weren't healthy to not eat over long periods of time.

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

 

@EQ_Theta

"Only fruits and vegetables dear. As said, refractions are related to dragons, yet they are down a different path in many aspects. Among them are the diets. Whereas dragons are known to be able to eat meat, refractions are strictly vegetarian. Meat can make them very unwell, though small things like a butterfly for example is not so bad. At worst a bug like that will make him slightly nauseous, and serve as a teachable moment more than anything.

And yes, I have some in depth knowledge of them, though I am afraid that I will have to keep certain things to myself. Their matriarch were loathe to meet me the first time as it were, and our trust is still somewhat fragile, and reliant on some degree of secrecy on my behalf. As such, I cannot tell you how, or exactly when I got into contact with their kind at first, but I will share that it were in relation to the changeling emeralds, before I started working at the mine, and that I still have talks going with them from time to time.

However, I can share what I can of the care their young are supposed to take. It's rather simple though, as they are surprisingly self sufficient at this more... Feral age, if you would. It will be quite a change for you once the dear thing eventually grows up enough to talk and understand things fully, yet you will have some time to go with before that. Usually their brain is not advanced enough until they are around three to seven months old or so. You should try and foster that budding intelligence with books and other studies at that point, much like you would any child of your own. But I digress."

Amethyst took a small break to take a sip of tea, and observe how Sen attempted to learn Omen how to mix a cup of tea. He took his time and went through it with her step by step, which seemed to help a good deal on her understanding of this, and after taking a few leaves of what she could see Lin were drinking, then giving it a stir, she would stand with a cup of mint tea herself. As well as a wet patch on her coat where she had spilled some scolding water on. An action that had made Amethyst cringe, yet didn't seem to bother Omen, as she had just kept going on with following instructions. Remarkable pain tolerance this one seemed to have.

By Celestia though were her drinking manner abhorrent though. She just stuck her muzzle almost into the cup, and lap the drink in her like a cat.

*sigh* Hopefully Sen and Lin could also educate her in some proper table manners, whilst they were thinking on how to deal with Shrimp eventually.

"Provide him with a mixture of fresh and dried fruits and vegetables when he seems hungry, ensure that he have some chewing toys that he can play around with, and engage him in some small hunting games. A small snack on a string for example, or a rope that he will try and wrestle from you. It helps strengthening his jaws and teeth.

And as for teeth, they will periodically fall out, but you needn't worry. Much like sharks, they regrow them throughout their lives, so mostly it is merely a form of shedding that you will see, so that new and stronger teeth can take over. They tend to hoard them at this age, along with whatever shiny items they can find. I'm sure you will have noticed small things vanish, like shards of glass, bottle caps, that kind of thing? This is the greatest part where you can see their connection to regular dragons, as refractions too tend to love having a large hoard. You will likely be able to find whatever he have stashed somewhere dark like a hole in a wall, under some blankets, or whatever else he could find that seemed like a cave. And yes, this tendency to hoard is something you will have to deal with throughout his life, yet how bad it is will depend on how he is raised. May be that he will simply be an avid collector at some point, or pocket a few things now and again.

As for the aforementioned lifespan, unless something terrible happens, he should be able to get to a decent twenty thousand years or more, so you should expect him to outlive you all rather significantly. He will reach maturity around age 20 though, so you can manage through his early stages I would imagine.

I think that is essentially it. You are most likely aware of how clingy they are towards the ones they perceive as family or their mother, which may wear off to some degree in the long run, and their diet and need of energy is rather simple. As is filing their claws. Just do so everytime you see him start to bite them. It's his way of saying that it's becoming uncomfortable.

Ah, there is one more thing I assume I can inform you of. No, two actually, now that I think of it.

The first is that the more he grows, the more scales and hair you will start to see around, and as they are rather sturdy, you may end up hurting your feet if you step on them at a bad angle. Just be aware of it, and broom regularly.

The second is how gems work within their diet. The short version is simply that they deprive power and energy from this, as well as the minerals they need. When it crackles over and he starts breathing that glittery fire I know you have seen, it means he is full, and are trying to get rid of excess energy. Consider gems a kind of... Power-up with added vitamins. If you see him being sluggish and weakened at some point, it means he needs gems to feast on, though it will always be a thing they like to eat in excess. Unless you want a rather holed house, I would suggest that you limit how much and where he eats that.

Now, do you have further questions on the subject? I cannot say if I know all answers, but I can provide what I know, and what I am allowed to share."

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"Somewhere safe, with a lot of locks, and no way there's a chance for anypony to touch your moolah, eh?"

Spicy chuckled thoughtfully. Ruby were a good mare, and she were sure they'd have a good deal of fun throughout the time they got before she'd skedaddle right out of her and Marley's lives, but she were still so very green when it came to the seedy underbelly of the world, and honestly it were kinda fun holding a good deal of useful information to toss around, since Spicy had been part of this ever since she went through that first smuggling operation. Ah, the good old days where she couldn't be charged as an adult... Anyway, better start answering here before the mare started hitting her to see if some answers would shake out then. Which frankly would work eventually. Spicy generally didn't like getting beaten up. That's what she had Marley to deal with.

So she leaned a bit towards Ruby and with a mischievous little grin on her muzzle started giving off an answer to the big question of how to keep her cash safe and sound.

"Real questions here is, exactly How safe do you want it? Safe enough that you have to go through a long process to access it, or more like a lockerbox where you can just draw an amount when ya need it? 'cause there's a whole world of specialists who knows how to make sure that nopony's ever going to see as much as a glimpse of your riches - some by stashing it off world - that can keep things as safe as anything. Hay, in case the IRS starts breathing down your neck, some of them even provides whitewashing as a bonus service. Been using a particular one for years, and I've never had as much as an audit.

But y'know, if you just want it secure and don't care for the IRS or feed, I got a vault in my manor. You can drop it off there and go get what ya need, when you need it. Got some state of the art security banged in there, so it's pretty safe. Troy branded even, which let me tell ya, is Not easy to get into Equestria. Bloody ban on Trojan wares are a pain in my flank sometimes."

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"You will get accepted by most of them Nada, don't you worry. Soon as they find out that you're endorsed by the princesses and had long since chosen not to start wars to get stronger, they'll warm up to you. Unlikely certain others who've gotten some red rivers in her wake."

"The siren had the luxury of choice, little mare. Negativity is their power, not their food."

Onache gave an annoyed look towards the snarky mare. If the siren had not been here... Oh the things she could do, even though she were supposed to not go down that route anymore. Alas, she needed the favor of this fish pony, so sadly, making her delusional friend pay for her mocking tone were not a choice right now. So instead, she'd have to educate this lesser being in a little changeling biology, to get her point across.

"Do you even know what happens if a changeling is not fed enough love? We lose our minds, and go feral. An irreversible state which many of Chrysalis's drones - both her own and those she overtook - underwent, because she could not grasp that she could never feed a hive that size, even if she took over the entirety of Equestria.

They were left as mere beasts, roaming and attacking everything they came in contact with, and those that Equestria did not hunt, we were sent to strike down ourselves. Some of them used to be mine."

An angry tone had entered her voice at that point, as she recalled what she were sure Chrysalis had forced her to do to try and break her spirit. It had not worked. It only made her resent the fallen queen more, and make it that much easier to turn her back on Chrysalis, once Thorax had taken her kingdom, and proven that she were no longer strong enough to claim ownership of the slaver queen. If only she had been strong enough after that, Chrysalis would've never been able to leave the area...

"Oh..."

Berry tried to find more words to use than this in the face of the increasingly angry looking queen, but there just seemed to be an amazing amount of metaphorical hoof she had forced down her own throat, that were just blocking for an actual, sensible response.

"And then she had the gall to simply lay new eggs by the hundreds, when she still hadn't enough food to even feed the hive she had left after her failed attack on your precious capitol. Do you have any idea how many eggs we had to cull, because we knew the nymphs would either hatch feral, or without any brain function at all? The hardest part of a queen's duty, and she didn't even flinch whilst ordering it done."

Onache growled slightly, then stopped up and began taking some deep breaths after that, trying to calm herself again. Annoying new form seemed to have also come with an increasing emotional imbalance that she hadn't expected. Perhaps that *sharing love* thing were muddling her up or something. Usually she could keep herself more composed, but whatever the reason, she had to stop up and get herself under control before she did something she'd ultimately regret.

"Now, be that as it may, you say there are two of you then, who is friendly towards ponies? So after you have both become recognized by the princesses, do you then plan on bringing this ideal to the rest of your kind, as Thorax have tried to do to the other hives? From personal experience, I can assure you that you will not have an easy time if that is so. Siding with what most of your kind considers to be prey is not a welcome view to most predators."

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

 

@Lucid_Nightlight

"I'm not scared of you, lizard nemesis. I made sure that your fire can't burn me, and I'll give you a tummy ache if you try to eat me, so hah!"

For the love of everything, eat her, and free me from her presence.

"Huh, that was quick you got back. Finally ready to get back to work you lazy person thing?"

Not until I know that you leave my house, and everything in it alone. I'm just here to encourage you getting eaten to give me a few, precious minutes without your presence. After that, I hope he eats the others. Especially Lucid.

"Well somepony's being a grumpy grump. This is our wedding day dude. You're kinda spoiling the mood."

Dude? Really going with that?

"What? It felt right."

...Please eat her head at least.

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

 

@Dji

"If I can be unbound from the castle and roam free, I will happily do anything I can for you, princess. It's very lonely at the old castle. Especially after my friend went to the great beyond."

Cherish floated over and started looking through the book. There were a tinge of sadness on her face as she spoke of being left behind, as she missed her friend terribly. They had been stuck in the castle for centuries, yet now he had found his peace and moved on to whatever came after this waiting stage that they were part of. He had seemed so happy too, and she swore that she had heard happy, elder voices, urging him to come to them from that strange, glowing rift in the air that he had been beckoned towards. She were sure that he were in a better place, with ponies who loved him, and she were happy for him. It still didn't mean that she couldn't miss him though.

Flapping through the pages a little, Cherish stopped on one page that seemed to say something important about what they had been looking for.

"Princess Sparkle? I think it's saying something here about releasing a soul. It's worded a little strangely though. *Complete the ritual of Grief, and the soul shall be bound no more." Not sure if that means what I hope though. Could you try and have a look please? Might be more on the next pages that could say something about this."

Perhaps Twilight were more used to this sort of writing, and could determine if this were some sort of exorcism, or the real deal, regarding what they were looking for. It seemed a little easy if it were, even though the magic spell she assumed the half-glowing runes were spelling out were far beyond her knowledge. She hadn't a clue if it were legit, but Twilight were a strong magic user. Surely she'd know, right?

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

 

@Dji

The timberwolf wouldn't get more than that single chance, before he'd get his tail grabbed by Happy, who had gotten off the cart and let go of this costume of his. So there he stood, tall, humanoid, and yet rather un-intimidating honestly, considering the colorful themes and huge chest and neck fluff. A little different for the timberwolf though, who whilst trying to squirm away and snap at Happy, would end up getting pinned to a tree with a sharp-taloned hand from Happy grasping it at the neck, whilst the other held one of the golden sickle he usually had down the side, with the tip inside the maw of the creature, poking at the right cheek from the inside. There weren't any way that he'd lose the attention of this one, that were for sure.

"Next one who tries anything, will get itself lit on fire. I don't care if it's you, or that mutt of a matriarch. I'll destroy whoever tries to harm this one."

To show his point, his horn suddenly got an ember flaring at the tip. Something which made the timberwolf struggle all it could to get out of his grip, even when the sickle poked it, yet it didn't get away before he let go. It would bugger off after that in a hurry though, as would the ones who had been smashed who had gotten themselves gathered up again.

He'd stand ready, muscles tense and wait to see if there were any more who'd try anything funny, but it seemed like they had finally gotten the message and left. So after a few minutes, Happy would look down on Aurora with a worried expression going over his face, and a hand going down his long, flowing hair to push it back behind his head. Sometimes it were a real pain to have it this long, but by the gods did he like how good he looked with it.

What? Changelings could be vain too.

"I was hoping we wouldn't get ambushed, but these mutts must've thought we were getting careless and easy to strike down. If this doesn't teach them to leave us be, I weren't kidding. I'm torching a few. Gotta put yourself in respect with these wood puppies, or they're just gonna keep coming back for more.

So... You doing alright down there? It didn't hit ya, right?"

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

 

@Dji

"It's extracting a soul. If it doesn't hurt, I doubt it have worked."

It were a little brutal, but Enzo respected this small pony enough to give her an honest answer. If the roles were reversed, he would certainly prefer to be told a harsh truth over having a veil in front of his eyes. It would just hurt more when that would eventually be removed, and you had to content to someone you trusted also lying towards you.

"That you know not of a necromancer is unfortunate, yet the stench of death will be found eventually. So first, we must extract a suitable diamond, and have it cut to size. I know of a source on the isle next to where I were held captured. The dragons spoke of it often, and feasted upon its content. There may still be some lingering there."

Enzo were determined to get this done, yet at the same time, he couldn't help but feel a little down all of a sudden, as it seemed they had to chase a necromancer down. In a land of harmony, those who practiced it would likely do so in secrecy, so this would not be an easy task to complete.

*sigh* It made him feel some as if the air had gone out of his balloon, yet still, they had to press on. His word were his bond, and he had given it to assist in the splitting of Karmic and Atzy. It were something which must be done, though Karmic would likely be able to tell that something were off from both Enzo's hanging neck and slower pace, as well as the somewhat more monotone tone that came from him as he yet again spoke.

"Do you know of any seer or zebra? They may hold an answer."

They would not be far from the ocean as he said this, and when that happened, there would only be ten minutes at worst for the large sphinx before they reached their destination. 

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

 

@Rising Dusk

"Of course."

As the request were made, Wisp would float the somewhat muddied bag over that had been on the outsider as he had entered this room. She had polished the worst dirt off before he woke up, as she were prone to multitasking as much as she could to ensure everything went smoothly, yet it would require an actual wash to get completely clean. Until then, it would unfortunately smell of swamp muck and decaying wood, though at least the inside were mostly safe. How well put together it were would determine how the insides were. She weren't aware at least, as she hadn't dared opening it. She were certainly curious about what their savior held in his bag, yet at the same time, violating his privacy seemed far too harsh considering the service he had done to them, so she had not even attempted to get an answer to what it may contain. Perhaps at least a partial answer would be given now?

After that, she would once more warm his stew carefully, making sure the heat were only in the bowl itself, so that he didn't end up getting burned somehow, and floated the books in the room out of the shelves. It were not many, yet all would count, as she arranged them to float above Rising, in an angle where he would not have to turn or bend his neck to see them.

It would be books about dark arts - which seemed mostly unread - two history books lacking a number of pages, a couple of faerie tales of a rather dark variation, where a happy ending were nowhere to be seen, a book about the town of Oaksbrook's history, lacking only a couple of the first pages, and then a final book, which were looking quite a bit older than the rest, and written in an ancient tongue. The mayor had a fascination with old books, even if he couldn't understand them, and once it had been confirmed that this were not a rebellious tale of some kind, Twisted had let it slide.

If Rising were to look in the later one, he'd find the text seemingly written with sticks of coal all over the pages, and not in the usual lines. It seemed more like a log book of some kind, with crude drawings of dark shades and wicker creatures on several pages. If he had any idea how to read Old Germane, he'd be able to tell that it were an outside observers logbook, describing his experiences being trapped in Harrowmark as he slowly lost his mind. The pages would show this deterioration the further it went along, but would have some good observations here and there, even in the more crazed state.

Still, he may elect to ignore that, and take another book. Several even if it pleased him. Wisp would take every book from every house and stack them next to him if that is what it took to keep him satisfied.

"Is there any other thing I could do for you? Perhaps you have some questions about our town I could answer? Wounds you need salved? Some paper and a quill perhaps, so that you could sent a letter to your friends, that they may know you are okay? It will take a long time to get there, but we could sent a messenger raven to Copperhagen, and they could have it teleported to wherever you came from. A few days maybe? Most of Harrowmark haven't talked with other countries for centuries, so it's not as smooth as it likely once were."

Edited June 1, 2019 by Blitz Boom

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom Serenade nods, "Actually I did promise that I'd bring some doughnuts from Sugercube Corner. Dad needs to keep his energy levels up, and Mom well...she's got a sweet tooth." She leans in and whispers "I blame the Night Guard for that". She heads to the confectionery shop to purchase two dozen of their finest. 

 

[Catpone Cerberus 23,591]

@Blitz Boom
"I just need a place to keep it until we he head back to Ponyville, I don't like carrying it around when it's not necessary." Ruby simply responded "So I guess that vault of yours  will do if it's somewhere close." "But ultimately it just needs to be somewhere with a lock, I know how to secure even the most non-secure locked place." or non-locked, but she knew that could bring up too many questions.

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

Nada listened well during the argument between Berry and Onache, in hopes of learning something knew, as she eventually did, but she acted like she wasn't listening and instead of just patiently waiting for it to calm down. For the question given to her, she thought for a second before shaking her head "Like I said I have never really been active with my kind, and now even less so, so I know that if they don't decide to do it themselves, someone like me can't convince the otherwise." "But I will attempt to show the ponies that not all of us are like the sister." "And for the young siren, I can't answer in her place, we haven't discussed it." 

 

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom

Pringle's beard thing puffed up as a sign of aggression. He clearly didn't appreciate the insults from Anomaly.

"Pringle, you cannot eat the ladybug pumpkin thing. That is not polite."

"Eat the author instead!"

"Nah, who would do all the narrations then? Sure, Anomaly could do it, but the author is easier to mess with."

"That is true, but we could also mess with the weird nature lady."

"I don't know about doing that. We can't have a wedding on this island if she destroys it."