open Casual stroll

[Blitz Boom 4,621]

@Catpone Cerberus

20 hours ago, Catpone Cerberus said:

"I'm also curious to see how exactly he does it." She didn't share Leviathan's hate towards Ludvig, sure she despised him like she did everyone else, but weaker creatures who managed to not only kill, but hunt dragons, were interesting. "Would be lot more entertaining than the one or ones currently after us."

"Whoever's after us now, is probably safer to deal with though. I know you like a fight, Ruby, but Ludvig is a hunter so vile, that even his own kin exiled him. Do you have any idea how much it take for them, to exile one of their own? I can tell you, that it's quite a lot, and I hope to never be within ten miles of him. I have safer things to do with my life. Like flipping off the dragon lord, or go to the Crystal Kingdom, and proclaim that I am there to eat the princesses daughter."

Neither thing would likely get her killed per se, but they would have consequences, and were just the most readily available examples that she could think of, at the time. The real part were just that she wanted nothing to do with Ludvig, nor the area he were in, and that she'd rather be doing basically anything else. And unless more were brought up, she'd let this subject go now, before she started to go down a tangent. Which included a long line of beings she knew off, who were eagerly awaiting the day, when they could dance on is grave. And honestly, she knew plenty of things they could do, that were more worth their time with that.

Oene in fact, showed up mere moments later. A very unexpected one, from everyone involved, as Charir made contact with the sky, and caused a small bolt to spark inside the cloud? This wasn't normal. Regular magic didn't just do something like that. It took elemental magic to interact with a cloud like that, and according to Ruby, that just weren't a thing with them.

Maybe... This maybe this were just a fluke? There'd only be one way to find out, and right now, she felt as if they had to. It might be incredibly important, later on.

Swinging her claw, she made the cloud halt its movement, and stop over with Charir. Afterwards, she'd move towards it herself, slowly and carefully. When she got there, she'd rise her hand up, to show a small spark buzzing around the tip of her claw, which she poked into the cloud. From that, a small lightning bolt would reach downwards, as the magic interacted with the cloud, in the way that it were supposed to.

After that, she'd pull her claw out, and signal that Charir should try to do this too, one more time.

"I don't know exactly what's going on here, but he might have just used some degree of weather magic. It wasn't me at least. That much I know."

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@Catpone Cerberus

The mare were surprised to hear the other voice, and turned around to face Nada, through the red patch of water she were swimming in, after her meal.

Weren't any hostility, or fear in her gaze, as she looked at Nada. More a sort of innocent curiosity, along with a matter of respect, at seeing this other odd, somewhat equine water predator here.

She'd dive down a half meter, and start to swim forward towards the siren. Using her strong tail, she'd be able to propel through the water at a surprising speed, in a pattern akin to that of an eel, or perhaps coral snake. When she got close, she'd pop up again, and look at Nada in awe, through her wet mane.

"...Not frog. *sniff sniff* Not friend?"

She sounded confused, as she sniffed in Nada's general direction. She were unsure of what kind of creature this were. It wasn't a frog, but not a pony either. What she had been told were a *Friend*. Although she looked kind of like the four legged ones.

"B-iiiig. Big. Big friend, hunt frog?"

It sounded as if she were trying out words, as she tried to figure out what the deal were with Nada. The best guess she had right now, were that she were sort of like herself. Looked like a friend, but hunted frogs too. Nada had sharp teeth too. So maybe another kind of frog hunting friend?

In case Nada had taken off, when the unnamed mare swam after her, the interaction would likely come later, as she was just going to chase the siren down. It'd seem like a fun game for her. And since she had just eaten, she had time for fun.

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@Catpone Cerberus

Lyriel accepted the offered walnuts, though looked at him concerned, as Scarecrow explained more of how his body worked. Or she supposed, how it didn't, since what he told her were most definitely, not how regular beings functioned.

"Never have I heard of any creature, who described their own spine in this manner. It is somewhat concerning, if I am to be honest. Though I can see it being useful, in some ways. Certain creatures attacking that area of your body, would have less of an advantage."

It felt sometimes, like the more she learned about Scarecrow, the more she had to subvert all the ideas she had, of how creatures functioned. Were this what undeath were? The perversion of life, where everything acted the opposite. No bone required to maintain yourself. No flesh torn, debilitating you. No breath needed, when others would perish from the lack thereof. If next she learned that he could only multiply, by not giving life, but rather taking it, she would be horrified. And yet, somehow not surprised, as it truly seemed like he were the opposite, of all which she treasured. At least he were not hostile, or an all consuming, hungry maw, as the other one had been. Yet it still made her question things.

If they called for Anomaly, a small flower would pop up, out of the ground, and puff up some pollen into the air. Said pollen, would form words, which were probably directly from her.

"Princess got mean, and attacked Ponyville, so I'm a little busy. It's a right mess right now. Go... Get a couple of vases from the old castle, to put all the stuff in."

The flower would pop back into the ground, before any protest could be made. Lyriel however, did not seem relieved of the development, they had just been presented with. Even if the next task were a fairly easy one.

"That creature seemed a great danger, when we encountered it. I hope Ponyville have not gotten in more trouble, than they can deal with. May the Earth Mother protect them."

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@EQ_Theta

On 9/27/2020 at 3:57 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Oh, yes. You’re right, though I think I should make a distinction before we get carried away,” Lin chimed as she stepped forward. “When I mentioned Omen and I could open gates earlier, they don’t work the same way. My gates can open straight to my destination but I need to know exactly where I need to go. And without Omen’s powerful sense of smell, I’d need a mental image to travel this way. Don’t worry though, when I figure out where Cumulonimbus Way 12 is, travel will be much faster!”

“We’d like to explore the town some more, and we shouldn’t be keeping you when you’ve got a show coming up. Thank you for the opportunity to meet and learn about you, Queen Cheshire. We’re looking forward to seeing you again!”

"Something tells me that we'll be seeing one another sooner, rather than later. And I will look forward to it. I know it might not have seemed like that, due to how I acted before, but I just need a bit of time to swallow what I've seen. Though it is good to hear that only she can track me that way then. It'd be unnerving, if it were all of you. Until we meet again, may you have a grand festival."

She'd do a deep bow, then slowly vaporize out of view. It'd be a lot more impressive, if they couldn't figure out where she were, by looking at how Omen slowly turned her head, to follow the queen, as she were obscured from view. Some folks just took all the fun out of dramatic exits.

"Seems like you folks are making quite the impression at our festival. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if you drew even more important eyes upon yourself. Though, maybe try and enjoy the evening a bit first. Heh... Heh...

I need to go get something for Banshee to drink. If you want the varied games to feud at, the best place would be to go to the left, over there. You'll have to pass some food vendors, but I'm sure that you won't mind that, at this point in the evening."

Tomb would give them a kind, tired smile, before giving her farewells. Unless of course, they had more to say. If not, she'd be on her way, somewhere to the right, where she quickly mingled in with the crowd.

"I suppose, after all this activity, it could not hurt to procure some nourishments. Quick advise though: Anything sold as *Mystery* anything, you do not eat. Just trust me on this. Furthermore, if you're not sure what something is, don't hesitate to ask for specifics, but make it brief. Such as *Are there meat in this?* or *Does this contain pineapple?* if that is an allergen or dietary concern. They usually know not to sell things with meat in them to ponies, and warns in advance, but you're not a usual sight for them. They are likely requiring you to tell them, if something shouldn't be in there."

After saying this, to Sen and Lin, he'd turn to face Omen, who rightly so, looked confused at what he had just said.

"And Omen... Just eat what is on the tray, and the tray itself, if it is. Try not to eat their wagons."

"Okay."

With this sorted, it seemed they could get on their way. And the first few wagons they'd pass, would be typical carnie food. Which yes, included meat options.

(imagine regular fair food, and/or go wild)

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@NeighingMare

Sorrow would steel herself, and get in front of Windy, to shield her from what were to come. This were going to get dangerous, but for Windy especially, since she were already injured. Sorrow weren't, and could take the next hit.

Also... She had some vague semblance of a plan. But it required to get Autumn very close to her. Actually enough to physically touch, in fact. Which considering her current state, were going to become extremely dangerous.

The plan? It kinda hinged on Legion. It sounded earlier, as if they knew what to do, but had to be brought close to her. Maybe they wanted to try and directly reason with her, rather than work through Sorrow. Maybe they'd attempt to wrestle her down, and force her to see the truth. Normally she'd say that were impossible, but the air here were thick with energy, radiating from Autumn's overwhelming presence and power. Normally, they wouldn't even be able to manifest at all, like they did before, in a way so that regular beings could see them. So she weren't sure what to expect anymore.

"If you don't want to believe me, then listen to them instead, Autumn. Come closer, and hear what they have to say. Or are you afraid to face us?"

Teasing an angry, high end poltergeist... Seems like aunt Tomb were right. She'd end up way in over her head, sooner than she expected. *gulp* Best hope they'd survive this...

[Windy Breeze 15,189]

@Blitz Boom

“RAAAAAAAAAGH!”

Autumn let out a yell of rage. Was this mare taunting her? How dare she! She reared up, spread her ghostly wings and flew straight at them.

“I'M GOING TO ENJOY TEARING YOU TO PIECES!!”

Windy manage to go into a sitting position, she instincally put her forehooves in front of her, she didn't even notice Sorrow. She gasped.

“...!”

Razor was sobbing quietly to himself, wanting the fight to end, wanted to end Autumn's suffering, but he couldn't do anything other than watch as the poltergeist attempts to kill the living. He was surprised to hear Sorrow tease her. He covered his face with his claws, not wishing to see what is expecting.

[EQ_Theta 458]

@Blitz Boom

The siblings bid Tomb farewell for now before turning their attention at their next destination. There was plenty more to do, especially with the night still young. Of course, talking about food got them slowly salivating at the many choices they’ll get to try. That is especially true for Lin, who couldn’t help herself ever since she heard about the myriad of options available to them.

“Ooh, I really wouldn’t know what to try first! I don’t know if I am going to get sick of eating something I don’t know but I probably couldn’t resist!”

“Lin, getting sick at this time doesn’t sound like a good idea,” Sen chimed in, suddenly finding himself to be the more sensible one in a strange twist. “Look, how about we go with something a little more safe.”

“Says the longma who couldn’t resist buying a box of assorted donuts whenever he's feeling grateful about something. Come on, isn't there something you've always wanted to try?"

“If I see something interesting, you’d know about it. Come on, everyone. Let’s get something to eat.”

Sen led everyone to the wagons ahead save for Lin, who happened to have already dashed towards the first few food stalls and examined what they had to offer. Cotton candy, pretzels, kettle corn… it looked like a paradise already with the seemingly endless choices. This was a nice change to the mostly leafy plant diet she grew up with back home. 

“I know I should be trying the food I find interesting but what do you recommend, Rosa? Do you have any favorites? Also, did you mean what you said about telling Omen to, umm… eat the tray itself? Don’t the food vendors want those back?”

[Catpone Cerberus 23,591]

@Blitz Boom
Ruby didn't seem fazed by Leviathan's argument, in fact it seemed like she became only more intrigued, and it wasn't far from the truth, because hearing all this did make her want to hunt Ludvig even more.

 

Ruby stayed silent as Leviathan interacted with Charir, but it was clear from her expression that her mind was running as she was trying to figure this out. Charir observed Leviathan's actions curiously and would take a second before he realized she had asked him to do the same.

He imitated her movements as perfectly as he could, but nothing seemed to happen, he did it few times without result, and paused for a moment. He then did the same thing he had done when it had happened, just with two claws this time, but again nothing seemed to happen...until he started moving his claws around inside the cloud like he had planned to do previously, as after few seconds both of them sent out a spark, causing a bit bigger small lighting bolt. 

He clearly didn't know what was going on, as evidenced by the fact that he jumped a bit when the sparks were created and again stared at his claws confused and now even bit frightened. 

Ruby then spoke, in their native language, and it sounded like she was asking him something, and Charir responded with defensive tone, like a kid trying to convince their parent to not punish them. This went for few moments before Ruby addressed Leviathan "He says he doesn't know what's happening, he apparently just wanted to cut the cloud into smaller pieces." "This is very...unexpected." she seemed thoughtful.

Assuming the cloud was still there, Charir would try again, but there didn't seem to be any further success, regardless of what he did.

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Nada didn't have any reason to flee, so she stayed put, trying to figure out this creature, it sounded like she wasn't great at language, so Nada tried to keep her response simple "I can be your friend." "And I hunt frogs sometimes." though she preferred fish, frogs weren't awful. "I can help you find frogs." she offered, she didn't know if she responded in the best way possible, but she hoped she had, she wasn't certain she had understood everything right. 

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"As far as I have seen, that town is more than well prepared for creature attacks." Scarecrow assured "Though I wonder why they haven't build a wall." he had sometimes gone to the edge to look at the town, and sometimes that had been during an attack "And why build next to a forest like this in the first place?" for creature unable to die, he thought surprisingly lot about how living could avoid death and injury better. He didn't comment on Lyriel's concern relating to him as it was understandable even if unnecessary, he just hoped he wasn't too frightening for the dryad, since she was so close to nature and thus life...usually at least, while he was unnatural creation of undeath.

[Blitz Boom 4,621]

@Catpone Cerberus

19 hours ago, Catpone Cerberus said:

Ruby then spoke, in their native language, and it sounded like she was asking him something, and Charir responded with defensive tone, like a kid trying to convince their parent to not punish them. This went for few moments before Ruby addressed Leviathan "He says he doesn't know what's happening, he apparently just wanted to cut the cloud into smaller pieces." "This is very...unexpected." she seemed thoughtful.

"I swear on my future eggs, that I did not cause it. Whatever just happened, it was by his own making, not mine.

And this isn't just a small thing. This is not just *Charir caused a spark*, like if you clash to flint rocks together. Interacting this way with a cloud, take elemental magic. Specifically, the sort that goes into weather manipulation. Even for dragons of this region, that's rare among those who harness magic. And the way you've spoken about your kind, it seems wholly implausible. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it."

Leviathan observed Charir, as he poked at the cloud some more, yet nothing further happened with it.

"Hmm... Seems like his magic reserves might be drained for now though, since he can't do it anymore. Considering everything, he probably doesn't have access to most of it, since he have no real training in this. Plus he's still not at his best, after his travels."

She'd scratch her head, and look at him with thoughtful eyes. It were perhaps a bit presumptuous to speak about him like he had magic as a guarantee, but she knew what she saw. Heck, she had almost a millennia of training in doing what he had just dipped his toe into, so she knew what she were talking about, when it came to weather magic. It just seemed odd that this could happen, if the dragons of Ruby's region, weren't magic users like them. Ruby used something more arcane in it after all, not elemental based magic, from what any of them could tell.

Then again... There Were perhaps an explanation for what were going on here.

"...Is it possible that one of our region dragons, got into your lands, and found your mother in an *amorous* mood? It'd probably have to be at least connected to a water or wind dragon though, if he's playing with sparks. Wind ones more than anything, though they're usually more lean than Charir. Genes are a funny thing though. Hard to tell what'll come from a mixed egg.

And would you please tell him, that I think he has magic, and that I could maybe help him with it? He's not gonna be at my level for centuries, if ever, but there might be a storm inside him, roaring to be let out. Depending on how willing he is to learn, I should at least be able to show him how to unlock that cage, and harness it, within a relatively short amount of time. How long it'll take to get there, and then learn how to manipulate it right though, depends on him. Magic is like muscles: It takes effort."

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@Catpone Cerberus

"Big friend."

It seemed to cheer her up, to hear that Nada were a friend too, and she swam a little closer. When she got near enough, she'd boop her snoot against Nada, with a big, toothy smile on her face. Likely her version of hugging, and maybe better for Nada, as it were a shorter experience. Especially when the hug came from Ziggy, as she were somewhat clingy.

"Hunt frog. Frog food. Friend not food."

She'd look up at Nada, as she explained the very basics of what she knew. The bare minimum to put it bluntly, which were likely needed with this one, as she didn't appear to understand big words, and had trouble with her own. In some ways, not too different from Feather Down, but even he were able to string together sentences. Even if he stumbled a few times.

"S-aaaaid. Said. Friend said hunt frogs. I hunt. You hunt. Frog!"

Suddenly, she'd propel out of the water, and start fluttering around in the air, on thin wings. A pair which seemed like there were no reasonable way, that they should be able to keep anypony up in the air. Not that she stayed there much. Soon after flying up, with a smile on her face, she'd dive down into the river again. Flying were a fun experience, but she much prefered the water. It felt more natural to her. As did biting most things that moved, but the strange one had told her that friends weren't food, so she'd make sure if things were friends first, or frogs. And if they were neither, she weren't sure what to do. Boop them?

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@Catpone Cerberus

"Nerzhei and I too asked, why they did not prioritize more safety in their town. As far as I understand, they feel they do not need it, as they have powerful protectors. Yet I fear it is unwise to count on them alone, rather than prepare the town to endure better, rather than simply run, and hold faith that others will deal with it.

I have seen one wander with the princess recently. A dark mare, with an icy glare, that speaks of violence and unyielding devotion. She does not wander far from the princesses side, so it might be she have begun to understand, that more safety is needed? I would hope so. The town could very well be safe, if only they tried to prepare better, I would think."

Lyriel were not sure what to think of Last, as she had hardly seen the mare, but she trusted that whatever she had in mind, she would fight for. The look of one devoted to their cause, were well known to the dryad after all. Oftentimes when she looked in the water, and questioned how to carry one, she found that samme glimmer in her reflection. A purpose. Even if hers were different from Last's, which seemed to revolve around the princess.

Yet still, she were a young pony, with the look of a grizzled veteran. That much she could also see in the pony's eyes, and it worried her some. What sort of mare were this, who had such unbridled devotion, which rivalled even that, which Lyriel felt for her goddess? And what might come of that being combined with clearly not being opposed to violence? At best, a stoic protector, who would lay her life down for her princess. At worst, an abusive tyrant, who would treat the princess as a commodity. Or perhaps, entrap her, as she'd think it the only way, that Twilight were safe. The future on this endeavor, were uncertain.

"Regardless, it seems as if we have a simple task, whilst they deal with Princess. The old castle can only be one place after all, though I will admit, that this is the first time, that I am to step into that building. So far, I have not had the time to simply just explore such a place. Have you been there before?"

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@EQ_Theta

On 9/30/2020 at 4:56 PM, EQ_Theta said:

home. 

“I know I should be trying the food I find interesting but what do you recommend, Rosa? Do you have any favorites? Also, did you mean what you said about telling Omen to, umm… eat the tray itself? Don’t the food vendors want those back?”

"Fair food is usually delivered in disposable trays, actually. And by Equestrian Law, they have to be recyclable, to avoid hurting the nature of Equestria. If you look around, you will see varied trash cans set up, ready to take them in, as well as other trash. After the carnival, those are then gathered up, along with whatever is laying around on the street, and the few things not meant to be there, will be sorted away, and sent to other places that deal with those. Which generally means plastic and metal.

As for my comment regarding the tray and Omen specifically- It's not something most would do, but I've seen her eat fire, rocks, and a few other things, which to most are not considered edible. Including a substantial amount of actual gold, very recently. I don't see it as being an issue for her. So if she feels as if she wants to try the tray itself, then she is free to do so. Unless of course she cannot contain more, due to the bits she ate."

"They are in one stomach. I have more."

"Of course you do. Hopefully you will not mix them up, or the bits could end up looking fairly nasty."

As for suggestions on what to eat... Hmm, there were a lot of options nearby. Ranging from the more exotic, to the tried and true classics, such as popcorn. He did get mighty curious about the one, where it said *Caramelized cricket, dipped in chocolate*, but he had patience. A little anyway. It were better to first have the others try some things, and for that, it were likely better to start with the baseline things.

"The best to do I would say, were to try a sample platter, of varied things. I believe I can see a wagon where one of the options are a combination bucket, of popcorn, pretzels, caramelized corn, and... Acorn crisps, I think. I think if we got that, along with a few cotton candy sticks, we'd be able to try out the baseline tastes of the fair. We can move on to more specialized things afterwards, or pace ourselves some, and just circle back when we feel ready for another snack.

Omen? Would you please cough out about 20 bits? It is likely less than that, but it is better to be on the safe side."

Omen would nod, and start to do so. Though she weren't sure where to keep them, so she put them back inside her muzzle, and just kept them in her cheek, until further notice.

"I am personally eyeing the sign with caramelized crickets for later. Anything that seems odd to you, which you'd like explained, while we move to the wagon in question? And before you ask: Yes, the buckets are also recyclable. Though that also means that grease tends to moisten it eventually, so I can not advice you, to try and hold on to things for too long."

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@NeighingMare

This was it then. Either this were going to work, or Autumn were going to tear her to shreds. Either way Windy might get the chance to escape, so at least Sorrow's death, would not be for nothing.

*gulp* Ancestors protect her...

As Autumn got close, Sorrow would suddenly lounge forward, and puff out her chest. Sadly, a care-beam did not radiate from her stomach at that point, spreading happy feelings. Yet what did spring forward, were Legion, who'd then finally be able to make contact with Autumn. And boy howdy, had they some words to say to her. Along with a few visions. They'd assault her with views of how it looked outside, seen from their perspective. The look of the small foal, caught in anger and yelling at the others as they rose from the ground. The wounded Rose, caught in her own madness, and running away, where she might end up dying from her wounds on the street.

Countless faces they had more or less just glimpsed, trapped in some version of anger and/or famine, after the prolonged capture. And of course, the one whom had reluctantly brought them into town, and insulted Windy. Autumn's own neighbor, who did not wish to be faced with what Autumn had become, yet had ended up trapped in her misery as well.

Many of these sights, they had comments to. A unified chorus of voices, telling her of the damage she had wrought on the town, and those who lived in it. They were forcing her to face the pain she had inflicted, and pleading her to stop, before those she had once known, and maybe even cared deeply for, would end up as damned as she were, before their voices would fragment, as they spoke in sequence.

"Do you finally see what you've wrought?"

"Please. Stop this madness -"

"- you're hurting yourself -"

"- and everyone else. Join us -"

"- and let us help you -"

" - before more dies because of you."

"And we can assure you, that - "

" - you're not taking the nice lady -"

" - or her friend. Even if -"

"- we have to stop you ourselves."

The last voice came from the spirit who laid the deepest in Legion. Hidden so far down, that she were rarely seen, yet the deep, grumbling voice would rise out, and reveal itself as an old mare, with a long, flowing mane and tail. Color seemed to have completely drained from her, as if she were standing in an old, black and white photography. Her presence though, were tangible, and she looked at Autumn with this steely glare in her eyes, whilst she stepped further forth, to confront this powerful poltergeist. A problem for any one soul to face, yet this were not just one soul. This one, had a thin line going from herself, to all of the others. She were the gathering point, and the prime vessel, in which everything were one. She were Legion, and she wanted to add two more troubled souls, to the collective. Starting with Autumn.

This whole thing, took only about a second for the living, and they would be able to see little, beyond the front half of a mare pushing forward, all of a sudden. It would be more drawn out for the spirits though.

However, despite all of this Autumn might still hurt Sorrow. It would take time for Legion to counteract her, in any meaningful way, if she did not submit, or at least recoil, so she might still pass through and harm their carrier, before anything could be done. Hopefully not fatally.

[Windy Breeze 15,189]

@Blitz Boom

The debris froze in mid-air the same time Autumn is confronted by Legion. Her eyes widened at the visions she is seeing; her neighbors, her family, and her former fellow neighbors and the few kidnapping victims whom she dragged into her curse. Her mouth gaped, starting at one spirit whom will confront her. Unlike any other spirits, this one has no color. Some of the visions she saw was from another strangers' perspective, showing how they tragically died, some horrifying than hers, some so isolated they are never found. There is still signs of fighting back such as her attempts to back away and the wiggling of the debris surrounding her, Sorrow, and Windy.

One tear went down her eye, then another one. Soon, it became a waterfall. She knelt down, staring at the colorless spirit.

Despite this, there was one flaw they haven't noticed.

Once Autumn fell down to her rump, she intentionally 'let go' of the debris, sending them falling below, including at Sorrow and Windy. One debris is heading straight for Sorrow's head. But before it could impale her, Windy shoved away, yelling “Look out!” and the Wonderbolt is just lucky that the debris only managed to graze her ear and not tearing into her ear and removing it from her head. She yelped and fell on the floor. Again.

But somewhere far away, a wandering spirit of a zebra and few other isolated ghosts stopped at what they are doing to stare at the direction of Fillydelphia. They have sensed something they couldn't understand, but they knew they soon encounter this source, only they don't know what this source is.

Then a massive herd of ghosts on a cliffside also sensed this. They began muttering with despise and jealousy, and this echoed throughout the seaside.

“No fair”

“Someone is getting rescued”

“Curse them”

“No fair, no fair”

Back at Fillydelphia, Razor looked up, hearing the voice of what it seems to be an old mare. He watched as his former wife is being confronted by Legion. To him, all of this was his fault but it was now a tiny echo in his mind to the point he could not hear it.

Edited October 4, 2020 by NeighingMare

[EQ_Theta 458]

@Blitz Boom

“I suppose that makes sense, trying as many things at once. You know, this whole row of food vendors reminds me of a similar thing back in Canterlot. They had something called a food fair, and lots of ponies were selling these fancy dishes in small amounts. Kinda made me wonder how visitors would be full if they weren’t eating much.”

“I wanted to go in and try some but the fair had guards posted by the entrances. They kept me from going in and told me how I looked like trouble and I couldn’t afford anything in there. As much as I could try to convince them to let me in, they already made up their minds. Guess this will be the next closest thing.”

Sen didn’t let Omen or Rosa know any more than what he mentioned. He seemed to shrug off that memory as if it was nothing, but his younger self was hurt by that. He wasn’t there to cause trouble and he scrounged up some bits to get something better than leftovers for once. Seemed like there were some things that just couldn’t confirm the supposed friendliness of the ponies he’s heard before meeting them. By then, the younger Sen no longer had any more reason to stay in Canterlot, leaving the place for Ponyville to resume his search for Lin. At least he saved up those bits for another occasion. 

The longma wanted to head closer to the nearby vendors to see what they had. Caramelized corn sounded good, and if the vendor also had apples, he’d try one as well. Might be a place that had a little of everything, but he’d take up Rosa’s suggestion try a combo platter first before moving to something else.

“Some of these things are still unfamiliar to me, like grease. I’ve heard of ponies coating their food with chocolate or caramel to make them sweet, but I’ve never heard of grease. Does it do the same thing, making food sweet?" 

[FanOfManyShows 396]

@Blitz Boom

Skall shifted his form into that of a doctor, cracking his knuckles
"Then we appear to take care of him, separate him from them, and then extract the information."

He teleported away, appearing in Canterlot stepping forth and beginning to head towards the hospital wing as he tucked away the element
"Lead the way." he whispered, then letting the element guide him through the hospital

It would take him some time to blend in, seeing the work patterns, even using some illusion magic to avoid suspicion. To the element it was a rather familiar process as they did this to stay in hiding. Eventually he got near where the seer was, finding a quiet corner to speak to the element

"Now that we are here, how should we get the doctors out of the way?"

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

Astral  sighed to herself as she looked to the general
"Things are really complicated right now."
"I don't actually know too much about Emerald specifically, I don't wish to prod either, at least until things settle down."
"It's also weird because she's basically in my friends body right now."

[Catpone Cerberus 23,591]

@Blitz Boom
Ruby shook her head "Though it is possible that my mother has been....desperate, I don't believe she would have accepted Equestrian kind, because even she has standards." this wasn't meant as insult to Leviathan, since Ruby was talking about the males of her kind specifically, but she wouldn't judge her for thinking it was since there wasn't really clear indicator about her meaning "But you aren't far from the truth, because if that truly was his magic rather the cloud acting weird, it means that he, and I, are bit more mixed blood than I have thought, because change like this doesn't happen in one generation considering how strongly our genes favor the mother." "It would explain my extra sense too, since it's not something we naturally have." she wasn't sure if she had mentioned her extra sense to Leviathan yet, not that it really mattered since she had now.

She then said something to Charir, and based on the way he looked Leviathan before continuing in his attempts to replicate what happened earlier, one could assume it was something along the lines that Leviathan had asked Ruby to say. 

-------------------------------------------------------
Nada just smiled at the shark-pony, she wasn't really sure what she was supposed to do or say, so she decided to hold herself on the promise she had made, she thought about what was the last place she had seen normal frogs in while the frog loving pony flew in the air. She would start swimming after her new weird friend had landed back into the water and turned to see if she followed, speaking while she did "Think I saw frogs one day." she remembered there being a small swamp not far from where they were and remembered hearing the sounds of frogs around there, so she figured they could go there assuming she remembered right.

------------------------------------------------
Scarecrow didn't say anything to Lyriel's mention of the dark mare, but he put his hoof under his chin thoughtfully, trying to remember if he knew any dark mares, but only thing he could come up with was that he remembered hearing or reading somewhere that one of the princesses was dark. His response to Lyriel was thoughtful hum of agreement, which probably sounded bit weird since his mouth was technically speaking always open. 

"Yes I have actually, but I'm not really sure when." he responded to Lyriel's question "I once went there in search of information about my fate." "I came out empty hoofed, not that I was that surprised, the books there were very old, and even if I'm not sure how long I have been like this, I know that the castle is older than my current existence, so if my fate is a new thing, there is no old books written about it."

[Blitz Boom 4,621]

@EQ_Theta

19 hours ago, EQ_Theta said:

“I suppose that makes sense, trying as many things at once. You know, this whole row of food vendors reminds me of a similar thing back in Canterlot. They had something called a food fair, and lots of ponies were selling these fancy dishes in small amounts. Kinda made me wonder how visitors would be full if they weren’t eating much.”

“I wanted to go in and try some but the fair had guards posted by the entrances. They kept me from going in and told me how I looked like trouble and I couldn’t afford anything in there. As much as I could try to convince them to let me in, they already made up their minds. Guess this will be the next closest thing.”

"You didn't miss much. I have observed and infiltrated what you're describing before, though their names tends to vary. It's a gathering for the opulent, where they try food in miniscule amounts, prepared by cooks who are paid far too much, for what they're doing. It is exceedingly rare that anything they serve is actually what I would describe as good food, but the rich likes to eat things that they consider to be too good, for the lower classes to afford.

It is not to say that at times, I have found that there are surprisingly good dishes too, but as you said, the meals are incredibly small, as they are mostly meant to be taste tests. And if they ordered a full meal of whatever they tried at a restaurant, the portions would likely not be much bigger. It's designed to more or less only take care of the hunger itself, but without leaving you full. Likely to have room for expensive wine as well, though of course, it varies.

I personally find that street vendors, tend to hit a more adequate mark for food. Perhaps it is not the best quality you can find, but it is accessible, with a generally low price, and they are less likely to exclude others, based merely on looks. Restaurants are big problems in this regard, as the owners keep thinking of how their usual clientele will perceive things. Hence, if it is a place for families, they are more likely to exclude more predatory races, like dragons and changelings, as it makes those sorts nervous. The same goes for high end establishments, where they do not wish to have their patrons deal with the poor, low income, middle, or higher middle class. A blessing more than a curse really. They're irritating, so having them segregate themselves to their own corners, makes it more tolerable for the rest of us.

My personal opinion aside though, street vendors as said, have less judgement, as they live off every sort who comes around and purchase things. They cannot afford to turn others away that much, and since whoever buys from them does not linger around, there is not much to worry about for the regulars. Some I could mention, also have some fairly impressive skills in food. If ever you found yourself in Manehattan, I would recommend trying Jib Jab's Chili Cauldron. If you can stomach the heat that is."

It were sad to hear how Sen had run into things like this, time and time again. And yet again, this were an issue that came from those of opulence, who enjoyed little more, than to look down on those who did not have as much as they did. Despicable creatures really, in his opinion. And often, it came from beings who had not worked hard for their wealth at all. Mere inherited monopoly, and cheating the system, which he did not count as doing an honest days work for a single bit they owned. Even what he did, were more honest work than that, and it wasn't like he were swimming in bits. Unless you went independent, being a spy were a surprisingly low income job, and going solo were dangerous for those in their profession. Very few managed to juggle it right, and he envied those who could, quite frankly. He couldn't do it. Or at least he had never believed he could. It always seemed safer for him, to be with a faction. *sigh* And see where that got him...

It would be best not to think of this, and instead focus on how there were almost a spot he could get in on then, and get them some varied things to eat. Including a few things that he noticed their eyes wandering towards. Or rather, Sen and Lin's eyes. Omen seemed to be focused on the popcorn machine, and the glittering light of the sign, and that were likely not good for her to eat. It wouldn't make her popular, and surely glass weren't good for her. Had to be something that wasn't good for her to eat or drink, right?

Regardless, he should focus on this, rather than what were to come when the sun rose, and Canterlot called. Though he did have time to address something else quickly, as best he could.

19 hours ago, EQ_Theta said:

“Some of these things are still unfamiliar to me, like grease. I’ve heard of ponies coating their food with chocolate or caramel to make them sweet, but I’ve never heard of grease. Does it do the same thing, making food sweet?" 

"Depends on the grease. Most that serves to equines, use sunflower oil, which adds a slightly greasy taste to things, if they are cooked inappropriately. If done right, it will more or less just make sure to moisten the breading around the things fried up, as it absorb it, to make it less dry and coarse. The taste still mainly comes from the spices added to the breading, than anything with the oil. Also, if done wrong, it all becomes a sloppy, greasy mess. Doubly so if it is not allowed to drip the worst off for a few seconds, but we should be fine.

The other sort of grease is based off animal fat. I have been told that it adds some degree of flavor, but for understandable reasons, I have not been able to try so myself. Meat and equines does not mix well."

Ah, and there were their opening. He'd take Omen along up front, as they got to the big wagon, and a smiling bat pony spun around to look down on them with a big, goofy grin on his face. He were already busy, and he loved it. Meant business were going well, and he could relax for a good while after tonight, until the next big event came around. Or until he got bored. The locals liked their snacks too after all. Just not in as big quantities.

"Hello hello, what can I help you with?"

"A family sized mixture bucket, two candied apples, and some habanero rolls, please."

"You got it. You want some sauce with the rolls?"

"If possible, yes. The spiciest one you have."

"Oooh, somepony's feeling like they need a good burn, huh? Well don't you worry, I got just the thing."

Whilst taking a small spade around to the various tanks, and filling it in a bucket that were about the same size and Sen and Lin's heads combined, plus a little something, he'd also get to work on a tray. Some sort of carton it appeared, wherein he'd first line up a half dozen uncooked, breaded rolls, before rolling them into a vat of oil. While they were bubbling and fizzling in there, he'd pull out a small tube beneath the counter, and pour a nice, big swirl of a dark-red, thick liquid on one third of it, before putting it next to the vat, and waiting for it to finish up.

While waiting for that, he'd put two of the candied apples into a paper bag, and put that up on the counter, along with the large bucket, that were filled up to the edge.

"You want anything to drink with this? I'd suggest a milkshake perhaps, if you're planning on eating the habanero rolls."

"It's not for me, it's for her. And she enjoys the burn."

He'd point at Omen, who looked at the vendor with big, curious eyes. Didn't seem like a chili eater to him, but hey? Who were he to judge?

"That being said I would like a Strawberry Milkshake please, and Omen I think would enjoy a Prickle Juice."

"Going for all the strong flavors, eh? I like it. What about you two... Folks? We have a few variants of milkshake, three types of juice, water, and four soda variants. My advise? Definitely the caramel milkshake, or grape soda. They go with basically everything."

They'd have about ten seconds to answer, before the smiling bat pony, had to turn around and get the rolls out of the fryer. They would've gone large, puffy, and with a nice, golden shine to them, with oil just dripping off the side. A bad vendor would then put it right on the tray, but this one had a few standards, so he'd put them on a sheet to dry off the excess oil. Couldn't have the tray disintegrate halfway through the meal. The meal itself, were gonna do well in causing enough melting as it were.

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"I suppose it being multigenerational would work. Though that does raise the question of what She is capable of doing then. If both of you have it, it must come from her side of the family, and it seems odd if it skipped her over."

Leviathan weren't entirely sure what sort of thing Ruby were referring to, when she said that she had an extra sense. One for magic? Could she sense that, by chance? So far, all that Leviathan had seemed, seemed to be heightened senses of all the regular ones, but not one out of the ordinary. Perhaps it just hadn't manifested itself yet? Or she just hadn't focused on it, for some reason? Something to question for sure, though her mind still kept going back to wonder what their mother were able to do.

If they had some magical blood in their genes, and she had some sort of power, what could that then be? it might well be something that'd cause Ruby to have a large disadvantage, and not get out of their next fight, as well as she had hoped. Something with Leviathan, had no interest in happening, as she much preferred Ruby alive. Charir would too, in due time, regardless of how he might feel towards her currently. That she were sure of.

And as for Charir... If he had weather magic, and Ruby some sort of sense, what kind of strange blood had they gathered up exactly? Seemed like things rather far from one another, right? Urgh, she needed a geek for these sorts of things. Her own knowledge on this weren't working well enough to cover it all.

So many things this could mean, and yet little to go on right now. Maybe it were best to just not think on it too much, and try to focus on the here and now. Which currently, meant Charir. Who seemed to be open somewhat to the idea, of what she wanted to teach him. What joy she got out of seeing another weather manipulator, whom she could train, were a far better thing to keep focus on, than what might happen if Ruby went into a fight with her mother, and were unprepared.

"I don't think he can do more magic right now. Unless his reserves are incredibly tiny, it's more likely that he's just not able to tap into it, and to do that, he have to learn how to feel it out. Soon as he can connect to the raw magic, it will make him able to learn how to form it. Though he'd probably end up causing some sort of over the top effect when he first gets to it, as many others who finds their magical center, and finally taps into it. First time I did it, I caused a hail storm that scared the entire flock into hiding for hours. For all we know, Charir could end up causing a hurricane, but at least I'd be there to counteract it.

As for how to tap into it... It's not easy to get thes through, when he can't understand what I am saying, but he needs to be relaxed. Deep breaths, and just let his worries ebb out from him. When he's one day able to do that, he have to learn how to meditate. Which he can't, if he's constantly worried or afraid. Only then, can he seek it out.

Though there's also the old school method, of throwing whoever needed to learn quickly, out from a cliff. The adrenaline and survival instinct will either kick in, and force it open, or you fall to your death. Since I'm not a barbarian, that is out of the question. I don't want to play with his life, just to try and get his system up into such a high gear, that this might happen. Plus, it'd just be extra unwieldy there, and not easy to work with. It's better that he tried to find his center.

Though that's how I found my magic. How did you do it, Ruby? Maybe there's another way that works for your area, that'd help him? Might be easier to explain, that meditation too. At least until he'd one day be able to understand what I'm saying."

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

The odd mare were indeed following, and looking excited at Nada, as she swam along, and talked about how she had found frogs.

"T-hiiiink. Think."

She tasted the word as they swam along, trying to make it sound right. Words were important, and she liked to learn and use new ones. It were something she never could before the draconequus suddenly had her floating in Ponyville, and changed her, before sending her out to hunt down the frogs.

It had only meant to be in town though, and specifically, the monsters. Though they were gone now. Some she had taken away, most she had hunted down herself, and torn to shreds. She hadn't eaten many of them though. She had been very hungry at first and needed it, but her stomach were full now. Especially after the fish. She just didn't know what else to do. It were the only thing she had been told to do, and it wasn't like her former life, were one of many high thoughts before that either.

So she were happy that Nada were there now. She seemed to know where there were frogs, and sounded smart, so maybe she could tell her what to do now. Or if not that, at least hunt frogs with her, so she'd have a fun friend to do that with, rather than chasing them on her own, while others looked funny at her.

When eventually they'd reach the swamp, the loud croaking said that there indeed were frogs, and the unnamed mare seemed to perk her ears as soon as she heard the first one, and excitedly pointed in the direction of the noise.

"Frog! I think I h-eeear. Hear. Hear frog. You hear, friend?"

She'd lick herself around the muzzle, and snap a few times with her sharp teeth. All with a smile on her face. For a being who so clearly were able to cause severe damage upon others, she almost seemed playfully innocent. Likely not the phrase her prey would use for her though. Frogs in particular, might end up having her as a nightmare tale in this forest, to warn their tadpoles about. As if this forest needed more of those, right?

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"Maybe not yours exactly, but there is a chance that there is something that might be related to it? And I have been told that Princess Twilight went there, and brought a lot of books with her, back to her castle. There could be some among them. I have mercifully been granted an audience with her before, so perhaps next time, I could ask if she knew something about this? She surely must be knowledgeable, if she collects tomes this readily."

Were she to have guessed what went on with Scarecrow, when first they met, she would have said that natural order itself had been defiled, in the worst, possible way. She did not understand how he worked then. Something which had not changed, but her perception of him had, and her limited, yet growing understanding of the magic that were used in these lands, had expanded enough to instead think of him as a tormented soul, whom had been forced to stay here, through unknown means. His existence went against everything she knew about life, yet she didn't despise him, or think he were a monster for that. She felt sorry for him. And Earth Mother be willing, they'd one day find a way for him to return to the cycle. When he were ready to do so, of course. It would just be good to have the tools at hand, for when he decided it was his time.

"In any case, it seems we have an easy task now, and the final one at that, as it appears only to be whilst she is stalling for time. This nightmare is soon at an end, and so far, we have done all which were asked of us. Soon we will return to normal, and reap our just rewards for this monstrous game."

The trickster would let out a hollow coo, whilst spreading its wings, to gain some semblance of attention.

"Yes, and you will be granted freedom from her, and linked with Scarecrow.

Which does remind me: You might wish to think of a name for it, Scarecrow. Unless it already have one, it seems like something you might need to think of, for when this ordeal is over.

IN any case, let us move. There is a long way to go, and Earth Mother be willing, it will go without further issues."

And be done quickly. She tired of this deafening silence, and torn connection to the very nature she were part of. Scarecrows presence helped her, but it could not last forever. She'd end up mad, and throwing herself in a pyre to make it stop, if this seemingly had no end.

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

 

@FanOfManyShows

"We just have to show them something they care more about. Let me handle it. I feel enough of my power have returned, to show them a cruel lie."

It were bound to happen even if her power had been nearly nullified earlier. Skall had used a good deal of energy himself, and her element, which charged herself up. Which meant that though she couldn't even manifest a form vaguely for Skall, he'd be able to start seeing the shifting outline of her in the corner of his eyes, as she looked over the scene before them with a cruel glance in her eyes.

Suddenly, in the room opposite the one the seer were trapped in, a sleeping patient would suddenly open his eyes wide up, and start screaming. A natural response to the fire that suddenly engulfed him, she'd say. And as intended, it drew much attention. Staff, regular patients, and event he guards that had guarded the door to the seer, responded instinctively to the scream of agony. The latter and former by rushing towards the patient, and trying to both douse the flames in said patient, save the pony, and try not to have the flames engulf the rest of the room. If it spread, the hospital would burn down, and countless lives would be lost.

At least, if it were real it would. Yet it were all an illusion. The pony in question were not even there, but hidden from view in the bed next to it. They were working on something which were not there, and soaking the room in water, to douse flames that had never been. Ah, how foolish they were going to feel eventually, when the mirage faltered. Though for now, they'd have easy access to where they had to go.

"Reality is but a simple truth. And every truth, can be twisted into a lie."

A raspy laughter were resonating from her, as she started to fade more from vision. She needed to maintain her strength to keep this illusion going, as long as she could. Manifesting even slightly, took away from that. Not a lot, but it might end up becoming a close call.

Inside the room, they'd find that there were just a single being. A serpanther - feline torso and legs, with a snakes head and tail - laying on a bed, with chains laying on the ground next to the bed. It appeared he had at one point been chained, but said chains had faltered. Likely without the guards noticing. Surprising that he hadn't tried to escape then, but maybe he were wounded. It were hard to tell, as he laid there under the blanket, with his eyes closed.

This one seemed a tiger variant of serpanther, judging by the striped fut and scales. Didn't make much of a difference though. It were but a minor, visual thing, with no real change to how one would approach their kind. Though his scales did seem raised, in a way that almost made it seem, as if the fur went on. Not quite though.

"For the longest time, I did not know whom you went to see this day. Not until I began to understand, that my own future were not visible by me. The voids that I faced, were but parts were I had been removed, and it made the future of others clearer. Such as yours, Skall. The carrier whom aim to harness the power to rule the lands, and make everyone beg for his mercy."

The seer's voice were neutral, and did not speak of judgement, nor excitement for what Skall had planned. It almost seemed like he didn't care even, if that were possible, considering he'd surely be made to bend the knee as well.

"I am Zhu. He who is cursed with true sight. What have you come to ask of me?"

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

 

@FanOfManyShows

"Double Chow, if my paperwork is correct, yes? I am surprised to see that he were being used. Emerald were given temporary usage of a coma patient, to complete this task, and then return said patient to her family. Unharmed, and awake. A simple deal, which seems to have been altered. Were there a problem with the previous vessel, and he needed to step in? An interesting sacrifice if he did, for the mother of his friend. I cannot say that I have ever had a friend willing to do that."

If this were the case, Screecher had some doubt that this were as simple, as Astral put it. Agreeing to become a skin suit like this, were a substantial ask from anypony. For friends, family, or the kingdom, it weren't something which most would agree to even consider, unless there were more to it than met the eyes. Though from what angle, were the question then. Were he simply more self-sacrificing? Were there more to this friendship, than were lead on? Did he owe Sapphire this, for some reason? Perhaps he believed it were important for the kingdom? The options were many, and these were just the ones mainly revolving around him. There could be further reasons, if she focused on the others in this coven.

"Unless this were not voluntary? Have he been overtaken against his will? If so, it goes against the agreement that Emerald signed with the kingdom. I do not take kindly to a breach of contract. Especially not with those who are only free, on a provisional basis."

They were waiting for Sapphire to return from her shower, so they had little else to do, than to talk. So the general figured she may as well follow this thread, and see if there were a need for her to uphold the law here.

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

 

@NeighingMare

On 10/2/2020 at 12:57 AM, NeighingMare said:

Some of the visions she saw was from another strangers' perspective, showing how they tragically died, some horrifying than hers, some so isolated they are never found. There is still signs of fighting back such as her attempts to back away and the wiggling of the debris surrounding her, Sorrow, and Windy.

The ways they had ended, were not kind. Nor were the aftermath. It rarely were, when the spirit decided to linger like this.

The dragons had fallen to his own hubris, and had been letting out the last wheezes of breath, when the hunter who fell him, pried off his largest scale. That were all he had been to the minotaur. Prey, who after the hunt, were suitable for nothing more, than a trophy for his collection. The last he had seen, were the minotaur starring down silently at him, before delivering the final blow.

He had been stuck there for years after this. Unable to accept that he had been defeated like this, and angry that he were not found. Had all his life meant so little to others, that they did not even bother to look for him?  It gnawed at him, as the isolation went on, and he had to look at himself decaying on the ground. When he were finally found, he had been nearly giving in to anger, from the things piling in his mind, and were struggling constantly to remain alert. He had been unable to be reasoned with too, until Sorrow had done what none other had bothered to do, and given him a proper funeral. WHich mostly meant burning him down to the bones. Dragons were old fashioned like that.

The colt were... The things he had seen in his short life, which haunted him well after death, were unbearable, and not something a kind soul could describe. He wished he had been able to be lost in some emotion, but he remained aware as the years went on, and he cried out for answers, on why he were treated like this. He were but a colt. He didn't understand it, nor why they were allowed to stay free after all of it.

It took Sorrow three weeks of chasing the scared ghost around town, a further week in prison, for irritating a rather vindictive old guard, and somepony else to finally open the case file, and listen to what she had to say, before he finally stopped up, and let her talk. Hours upon hours between him, her, and Legion, while his at that point elderly parents, were dragged away to prison, before he tentatively embraced the collective.

Another mare were more akin to Autumn, and might understand her better because of it. She too had been struck down by her husband, but in her case, the stallion had not mourned the act. He had been thrilled, as he stole everything he could from her, and went on with her money, and a younger mare, whom he had seen on the side for years. Grief and anger had kept her trapped for a long time, unable to see anything else, than the two of them, merrily wandering around and living their life in the mansion she had bought with her own, hard earned bits. All because he had said that they needed a large place, for when they started a family, that he never intended to give her.

She were not able to get justice. When the fog were lifted from her eyes, she found that the mansion were empty and ravaged. Worn down and barely keeping together, after centuries of neglect, due to none being willing to move in, due to the ghost inhabiting it. She were one who had to learn to let the past go and forget, which were a hard ask then. Further were it to simply move on, and if not forgive her husband, then accept what had happened, and find peace.

All of them had their own stories. Some involving violence, some illness. Bodies found and buried, or corpses ground to dust by time, and scattered by the wind long ago. They each had their own stories, and in sharing them between one another, they managed to find others who understood them, and could talk them through how they dealt with their struggles. In many ways, the collective known as Legion, were a support group for those who needed it the most. The damned, who others had either forgotten, or left behind.

On 10/2/2020 at 12:57 AM, NeighingMare said:

“Look out!” and the Wonderbolt is just lucky that the debris only managed to graze her ear and not tearing into her ear and removing it from her head. She yelped and fell on the floor. Again.

Sorrow hadn't been able to get away on her own, trapped as she were in this moment, but Windy saved her. From death at least. It did not stop her from getting hit with a large chunk of rock on her shoulder, and feel her wing dislocating with a yelp of pain.

She'd slowly get up from the floor again, whimpering slightly, and shaking, with her wing hanging limp from her side. This were rather painful, but she still lifted her head,a nd looked at Autumn with compassion and pain, radiating from her eyes.

"They all suffered, Autumn. That's why I came for them, and it is why I am here for you. You don't have to deal with this on your own anymore. All of them understand you more than anypony else could, because they know your pain. What it's like to suffer meaninglessly, and not being able to let go. Please, come with us. You won't have to suffer anymore, and all of the others- Your friends and neighbors, they'll be saved, and told about what happened. They won't be angry with you, Autumn. They'll be sad for you, and if you want, I will be sure to say your final goodbyes to them, and your family. Don't you think they'd like to know that you're not in pain anymore?"

They'd get to Razor eventually, but right now, She'd scramble slowly towards the weeping Autumn, and if nothing happened on the way there, she'd kneel down, and embrace the spirit, as she had done with Razor earlier. And with her, the spirits would come too, and show their sympathies.

The colt were not the most vocal one here this time though, but rather, the mare who had also been struck down by her husband were, who'd lean down, and look at her with a tired smile on her face.

"It will take time, but we will listen to your tale, and talk you through it. As many times as you want, for as long as you wish."

The prime spirit would not touch her, but stand near Autumn, and look down on her with the grey eyes and a hoof reached forward.

"Will you give us a chance, to save you, as we have saved so many others?"

[Rising Dusk 27,537]

@Blitz Boom

Rising Dusk was quickly starting to feel the nerves creep up on him now that he became most aware that an audience was going to be present for this event.  Let alone having to make terms with his subconscious to not make a fool of himself.  Last thing he needed was for his dream to shift to something embarrassing at an inconvenient moment.  Thinking about it more, the Dream Realm didn't seem the best place for this kind of thing.  He did suppose it might give him unique points as the list of ponies that could interact with the Dream Wardens like him, was very small.  Here he was though, getting nerves over something a pony his age shouldn't be.  He recently just went and faced his death in Harrowmark while fighting Twisted.  Everypony had their elements that they thrived in.  Ignoring this one as long as he did wasn't helping.  That and he could already here the 'I told you sos' from Dawn and his mother.  It was a long time coming though.

 

Starbright tapped the edge of her note book against her chin in thought.  She did indeed misunderstand the situation as presented to the two officers.  It did make the boundaries to developing a barrier for the mare a little easier though.  "The barrier I hope we can create should just be a safety net until everything is in control," the officer added before placing her notebook back into her saddle bag.  "So you're more elemental than pony now..." the cowboy pony tried to wrap his mind around that.  "That's a new one," he scratched under his hat.  The growing fields of magic sweeping over Equestria was getting quite overwhelming for the small O.M.I. office.  Not helping with the fact only Black Jack and Rising Dusk had permission to pursue cases outside of Manehatten at the moment.  Rapid expansion was in order and the O.M.I. knew it.  The attack on Manehatten could hoping give the poke necessary to make it happen.  "We need Bash," the two officers spoke over each other.  "If you'd please come with use ma'am, we'll get all this sorted out," Flare offered with a smiled, motioning in the direction of the O.M.I.  Starbright and Flare started to head that way.  Flare Blitz had to think on Magma's inquiry about the time he turned into a butterfly.  "I'm afraid you'll need to ask Bash the details.  All I know is that I took a second cookie on Celebration Day, Bash poured a potion on me and then I was a butterfly.  There was a lot of laughing, and I'll admit there was something enjoyable about flying around in a tiny form.  Luckily I still had a degree of my magic to use, so when a bird started chasing me I proved the stronger," such details of the how weren't as important to the cowboy pony as much as the adventure that came with it.

 

One particular comment stood out to the two officers above all that transpired when the officers heard the mention of Harrowmark.  "Harrowmark you say?" Gold Mane inquired.  "We've been hearing a lot about Harrowmark these days," Cork conversed with Gold Mane.  "First a dark wizard from there attacks our city.  Detective Rising Dusk travels there to put a stop to him and upon his return The Captain is already in work with the Princesses to engage in diplomacy with the far away land."  "Keep in mind the Dark Wizard was harming the land as well," Cork reminded the other officer that Harrowmark itself wasn't to blame.  "Of course.  This does explain Ms. Omen a little more though.  But it's only been a few days and here we have more creatures from Harrowmark peeping through mirrors now," Gold Mane tsked.

[Windy Breeze 15,189]

@Blitz Boom

Autumn could only stare in tears, pain, guilt, and a forming pool of regret as she stared at the faces of everyone in the room, starting from the mare who had died of tearayal of her husband similar her, to Razor, who was now slowly approaching.

“Autumn I beg you, forget everything and rest, release the others from the curse we have spawned,” like Sorrow, he knelt and pulled into a hug “and embrace the textures of peace and the warm feeling of rest” at this point, Razor is also in the verge of tears, evident by his occasional hiccups “I'm sorry for all of this, I am the reason why you are in this kind of state”

Autumn gasped, and a glare began to form. Before anyone could react, she accepted the snuggles of Autumn and Razor and hugged them back, tearfully saying “Idiot” to her deceased husband.

As Autumn's rage dwindle, so does the influence on the town. The first one's to vanish are the entities she created, including, then black ectoplasms began melting from their victims' bodies, releasing them from the uncontrollable rage they have ever experienced during the times they are possessed, then godly, the houses that only stood because of the said influence. They began to topple like cards one-by-one and they are soon vanished within a thick fog of dust. And one of these buildings is Autumn and Razor's house.

The floor began to shake, the wood began to groan, Windy looked around in alarm “Wait, what is happening?”

Autumn closely shut her eyes, unaware of what is happening. Razor glanced at Sorrow, knowing what is really happening.

“With no rage to keep the house stable, the house is going to collapse. You and your friend has to leave!”

Edited October 4, 2020 by NeighingMare

[Catpone Cerberus 23,591]

@Blitz Boom
"I didn't find my magic, I studied it." Ruby pointed out "And if you mean my extra sense, it was always there, I first though everyone could sense treasure like I do, but as I got older I realized it wasn't the case." "I would otherwise suggest the cliff method, but the problem is that we don't know what kind of magic it is exactly, we could end up putting him in wrong type of danger." 

"And regarding our mother, though I understand why you think she can do something too, she necessarily can't." "It may be that she isn't special, that it skipped her over, or she is, but she just has never realized it." "I believe it's the first one, because like I said, our genes strongly favor the mother, that's why I look so much like my mother, so if she did have special capabilities, most if not all of her offspring would most likely share it, yet Charir and I don't share one ability and instead got very different ones." 

----------------------------------------
"Yes, I hear them." Nada simply responded as she made her way towards the swamp, floating out of the water if necessary. She wasn't big fan of swamps, she liked the fresh water of rivers and lakes more, but she wouldn't complain, she was getting hungry at this point so may as well get some frogs or even toads to eat. She would wait for the shark-pony to catch one or two frogs before doing anything herself, but she too would go after them after that. 

There would be two ways she would try to catch them, sneaking on them in places where there was deep enough water for her to hide herself, covering herself with some of the flora if necessary, or quietly singing in similar frequency to the sounds that the frogs/toads made to in places she couldn't hide, she may have lost her magic, but she still knew how to influence the less intelligent creatures enough to catch them, though thinking them as less intellect made her feel bit bad due to what she had learned from meeting Lyriel. 

--------------------------------------
Scarecrow acknowledged the mention about the princess with a nod, but didn't really react to the comment about this ending soon, because he didn't want to give Anomaly any ideas.
"I haven't actually even thought about it, I'm not really good at names, I didn't even have a name for myself until the last pony I helped." he said as they started making their way back towards the castle "But I think I will start calling it 'Crow'...." he faced the 'bird' "...until you have something against it?" Scarecrow and his weird bird called Crow, in his opinion that sounded like a good idea, and he was sure his companion would prefer that over him calling it just 'bird'.

[EQ_Theta 458]

@Blitz Boom

“We’ll take your suggestion and go with one caramel milkshake and one grape soda, please.”

That moment went by without Sen even thinking too much about what he just said. It sounded good, though, and that was not just because he wanted to try these things. He’s seen a milkshake from Sugarcube Corner when he bought some donuts there before, and once when he passed by Pony Joe’s donut shop. Might be better off calling it an emporium of sorts because he could make some interesting works of art with just donuts on display. 

“Ooh, this looks like a good start,” Lin examined the happenings at the wagon her brother was at, watching as the food was being prepared. There was nothing like it back home; preparing dried berries or harvesting fresh vegetation for meals usually happened in advance. Fish from the freshwater streams that pass through the forest were also part of the diet but were not consumed as often as vegetables. 

“Better to get a little bit of everything. Didn’t see anything you wanted to try?”

“More like too many things and having no idea where to start. The candied applies and the pretzels look good, though. Everything looks and smells so good here, it’s overwhelming. I’m afraid I wouldn’t want to go back to vegetables and berries by the time were done eating.”

Sen and Lin let out a hearty laugh, enjoying themselves in the uplifting atmosphere. It may not be much but there were times when both siblings would wonder if they could ever see themselves doing this kind of thing. Seeing a carnival, taking in the smells and sights they didn’t think they’d ever experience... Their attention would be brought back to Rosa ordering the spiciest thing on the menu for Omen. As much as they could guess how that would turn out, the outcome still piqued their interest. 

“Omen, Rosa, since we’re about to gorge ourselves on food, what’s the best meal you’ve ever had? What kinds of flavors do you prefer?”

Those questions sounded a little better in Lin’s head but seeing as they were planning to just have fun for the evening, the longma decided to start with a little small talk. After everything that's happened to them over the last few days, she felt like it was high time to wind down and just talk about fun and unimportant things with good friends, a stark difference from her younger, more reserved self. 

Edited October 4, 2020 by EQ_Theta

[Blitz Boom 4,621]

@Rising Dusk

(Dream)

On 10/4/2020 at 1:59 AM, Rising Dusk said:

Rising Dusk was quickly starting to feel the nerves creep up on him now that he became most aware that an audience was going to be present for this event.

"𝕰𝖆𝖘𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖘𝖊𝖑𝖋, 𝕽𝖎𝖘𝖎𝖓𝖌. 𝕯𝖔 𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖋𝖊𝖆𝖗 𝖆 𝖕𝖔𝖘𝖘𝖎𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝖋𝖆𝖎𝖑𝖚𝖗𝖊, 𝖇𝖚𝖙 𝖍𝖔𝖕𝖊 𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖘𝖚𝖈𝖈𝖊𝖘𝖘. 𝕴𝖙 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖍𝖊𝖑𝖕 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖈𝖆𝖚𝖘𝖊, 𝖎𝖋 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖊𝖗𝖔𝖉𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖔𝖜𝖓 𝖈𝖔𝖓𝖋𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖓𝖈𝖊."

It were up to him how to approach this, of course, but far as she were aware, most mortal females, liked a confident male. If Rising were to face her nervous, and with a shifting dreamscape because of it, his endeavor might fail before it even started.

That were not to say, that some females she knew of, did not like a more shy, goofy male. She only judged but what she saw as the norm, with those she had known. It may well be that in Equestria, being uncertain and jittery, were the attractive quality, that mares sought in their partners. Though she assumed it were his nerves getting to him, more than anything. To think, one who faced off against the herald of a god, now feared the rejection of a mare. You would think his confidence were higher than that, considering his experiences.

"𝕻𝖊𝖗𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖘 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖘𝖊𝖙𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌, 𝖎𝖘 𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖍𝖊𝖑𝖕𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖉. 𝕳𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖔𝖜𝖒𝖆𝖗𝖐 𝖈𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖘 𝖆 𝖉𝖆𝖗𝖐 𝖇𝖊𝖆𝖚𝖙𝖞 𝖙𝖔 𝖎𝖙, 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖒𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖇𝖊 𝖑𝖔𝖘𝖙 𝖙𝖔 𝖒𝖆𝖓𝖞 𝖔𝖋 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖙𝖗𝖞𝖒𝖊𝖓, 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖒𝖊𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖘 𝖜𝖍𝖎𝖈𝖍 𝖒𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖇𝖊 𝖆𝖋𝖋𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖓𝖔𝖜. 𝕾𝖍𝖊 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖞𝖊𝖙 𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖎𝖛𝖊𝖉, 𝖘𝖔 𝖕𝖊𝖗𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖘 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖑𝖉 𝖋𝖎𝖓𝖉 𝖆 𝖒𝖊𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖞 𝖔𝖋 𝖆 𝖕𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖊, 𝖜𝖍𝖎𝖈𝖍 𝖇𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖊 𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖙? 𝕺𝖗 𝖉𝖔 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖜𝖎𝖘𝖍 𝖙𝖔 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖛𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖉𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖒 𝖜𝖆𝖗𝖉𝖊𝖓, 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖜𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖙𝖗𝖚𝖑𝖞 𝖎𝖓 𝕳𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖔𝖜𝖒𝖆𝖗𝖐, 𝖇𝖞 𝖘𝖍𝖔𝖜𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖒𝖊𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖞 𝖔𝖋 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖛𝖎𝖈𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖞?"

It might be a little boastful, but that could well prove efficient in its own way. Show to her a memory in his dream, of the first place, that celebrated in his honor. One of many, over the following days and weeks, until his name were known and roared with cheer, all over the country. Maybe she'd find it attractive to see him a celebrated hero of this faraway country? Viz'nay had known heroes who did this before, with one spawning many pups because of it. Yet that were a diamond dog, and this were a pony. They did not always see things the same way, even in Harrowmark. How were she to tell, how it might be in Equestria?

(Candy Shop)

On 10/4/2020 at 1:59 AM, Rising Dusk said:

"So you're more elemental than pony now..." the cowboy pony tried to wrap his mind around that.  "That's a new one,"

"It's not a well known phenomenon for me either. I have studied elementals for a long time, and have books from many scholars to go by, and yet this is the first instance I know of, resulting in a transmutation of this caliber. It's strange, and some days, terribly frightening to think about, yet there is much to learn from this too. Elementals as we know them, are not keen on divulging their secrets. So what we know of them, compared to for example other ponies, dragons, and even zebras, are scarce and incomplete. Considering that many things learned are from those using less than kind methods against them, it is not as if I blame the elementals in general, for not trusting anypony wishing to learn substantial amounts from them.

Somewhat ironic, is it not? The more we strive to test the boundaries to learn from them, the more they will refuse to share.

In any case, as a scientist, I do find my current situation to be interesting, and definitely something that needs to be studied, and learned from. Yet when it went so far as to keep me trapped just to know where I were, only communicating with me to gain samples, or run tests, rather than share findings with me, and replace my name with a serial number, the line is crossed. I'm a scientist, not a lab rat."

Being kept where she had, she understood that. It seemed the safer thing really, considering how little they knew of what her condition might cause. And she volunteered a lot of samples, and ideas of how to test things herself. But when the professor eventually stopped sharing results with her, and began to refer to her as mostly just a number, whilst correcting anypony else, still calling her by her name, to deequinize her, it had been clear to her that she had to go.

Regardless, it seemed like it were time to go, as she were encouraged to follow the O.M.I. agents back to what she assumed were their office. Keeping calm as she were now, she wouldn't cause anymore melting issues. Though with how her mane and tail functioned, it were inevitable that a few heads were turned towards her, as they moved down the streets. There were nothing overly dangerous about how it looked though. Just a flowing effect that made a few beings here and there, unsure if they saw it right, and then afterwards, got curious. They'd likely chalk it up to some new styling fad, involving a weird spell. Trying to do special things like that, had started to get popular in some places, the last year and a half, and weird things tended to pop up every so often. Rarely anything that lasted long though.

On 10/4/2020 at 1:59 AM, Rising Dusk said:

"I'm afraid you'll need to ask Bash the details.  All I know is that I took a second cookie on Celebration Day, Bash poured a potion on me and then I was a butterfly.  There was a lot of laughing, and I'll admit there was something enjoyable about flying around in a tiny form.  Luckily I still had a degree of my magic to use, so when a bird started chasing me I proved the stronger,"

"Fascinating. So you maintained some degree of magical ability after the process, and were able to use it to your advantage even? Considering the physical changes, and potential disruption in your DNA, that is quite the accomplishment. And you say the potion were poured on you, rather than ingested? Ingestion still remains the easiest way of causing any sort of alchemical effect on living creatures, so this speaks volumes about this Bash's expertise. Especially as the dosage levels, and concentration, tends to be harder to regulate when applies externally like that. At least for effects like this.

I only get more and more interested in meeting Bash, the more I hear of this. Just imagine all the things you could learn from such a mind."

Bash might have other things occupying his mind currently though, depending on whatever or not Minty remembered to deliver the flower to him. As an alchemist, he might have a grad time studying it, and ensuring that the way it were supposed to be cared for, were adhered to properly, so that he could get a fine harvest one of these days. Hard to tell though, but they'd likely see soon enough.

(Clothes Shop)

On 10/4/2020 at 1:59 AM, Rising Dusk said:

"Of course.  This does explain Ms. Omen a little more though.  But it's only been a few days and here we have more creatures from Harrowmark peeping through mirrors now," Gold Mane tsked

"Wait, there were one of the wilderness witches here? Is that why I get this vague smell of dark magic and malice, wafting through the air sometimes?

Really sorry you had to deal with one of those. Some of them crazy beings, but it's not like it describes all of us. Just the ones who can't deal with the isolation, and of course, Twisted."

Grave shivered a little, and looked fairly uncomfortable as she took the name of the tyrant in her muzzle.

"Really happy I don't have to deal with him anymore. He's caused so much trouble, and messed up the balance in ways that's really come around, and bite everyone in the flank sooner or later. And he's not done with it. Long as he's around, nothing good happens, and he won't allow whatever place this is, to take contact with Harrowmark, and talk of diplomacy and stuff. He doesn't want outsiders coming in and meddling with things, and if he comes around here, it's go-"

She suddenly went very silent, as she wandered a little towards the main street, and caught a familiar magical scent. Vague, as it were clearly cast some time ago, but this much dark malice, and primordial energy, did not just waft away like it were nothing. Even with what Rising had done, the smell of it were going to linger for a few days, and there might be a little broken up magic wafting around for him to see too. Inert stuff that were going to do nothing though, so they were safe.

"H-H-He's been here! I can smell it. Almighty Suusha, what are we going to do?! He's going to leave this town as a crater. And... Oh gods, did that group look here to find that detective that you talked about? You have to hide him. Twisted don't let anyone run away from his fights. He'll come to find him, and he'll be more than happy to zombify this entire town to get to him. Or worse. And there's way worse than being a risen these days, that he could do. You don't wanna end up as one of his abominations. It's... It's vile and horrendous."

Grave were about to go into a minor panic attack from this, as it were nothing but bad news she were hearing. Twisted having been here, or scouting the area, looking for someone, were going to mean doom for them all, if they didn't react. He were far too vindictive to think he'd just let some stranger come in, challenge him, and then get away scotch free. On a good day, he'd just be satisfied getting this detective, and war this place to stay out of his business. On a bad one, he'd take a lot back with him, as a sort of price to be paid.

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

 

@NeighingMare

As Autumn's rage subsided, and she finally saw everything clear again, Sorrow let out a sigh of relief. It had been a tough situation, and she were in a good deal of pain right now, but they had done it. Autumn had been reached. Not it were just to take her with them, as well as Razor.

Before she had the chance to open her muzzle and say something though, the house began to shake. As Razor said: Without Autumn's rage, fueling her power, the structures she infested - such as this house - couldn't remain up that much longer. The lesser ruins had probably already toppled, with several of the other houses starting to follow troop. Including this one, which had clearly seen better days, and now, were at its end. As would they be, if they did not get out of here soon.

"We're leaving, but so are you two. Will you come with us Autumn?"

If the mare said yes, a pale string would flow from the rapidly fading outline of the greyed out mare, and connect to Autumn. Once that connection were made, she would join the collective, and both hear them all, and speak with them all, at her leisure. Though, it were not entirely like talking. It were more as if they were all part of the same brain, and shared their thoughts and memories between one another. Said brain, were then housed in the prime spirit, which were the greyed out mare, that would speak with their shared voices.

They weren't consumed by the collective though. There were autotomy, and they could hold individual conversations between one another, were they discussed things, or voices an opinion to Sorrow, if they so wished. It were more that the primary voice of them, were the one that carried the things they shared, were spoken in unison. Sort of like the appointed leader of a jury. The lot of them would discuss things, and could voice individual thoughts and objections, but there would still be one individual to stand in front, and let others know their verdict.

It were complicated to explain fully, even for themselves, but they didn't try to a whole lot. Way they saw it, they had a vessel, within this vessel, through which they could see the world around them, as they sat in their metaphorical circle, and shared stories between themselves. She would mostly be silent and only step in, in case there were heated arguments that needed to be calmed down, and then function as the vessel's vessel, through which they could interact with the world. And if ever one of them wished to leave, they were free to do so. The door were open, and nothing forced them to remain. It were just exceedingly rare that any of them did, unless it were because they had finally been able to let go, and find the last few ties to this world, snapping away, so they could move on to the great unknown.

Regardless, Sorrow would moan as she rose up again, and looked hastily over at Razor.

"You can't be trapped here forever either. Come with us."

Assuming he did, they'd get this done quickly, before Sorrow would wince all the way, as she ran towards the door so they could get downstairs. Which might be an issue, considering the stairs collapsed before. At which point, she'd look to Windy, with a somewhat harrowed look on her face.

"I.. I think we need to try and jump out a window. Unless you have a better idea? And fast."

If Razor, nor Autumn, agreed to come with them, Sorrow would nod, and proclaim that once the building were done collapsing, she'd come back for them. As ghosts, a collapsing pile of stone should not be doing them any harm at all.

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"Either way, might explain why she were harsher to you than need be. Anger because you had some sort of magic, or jealousy because she didn't. Some food for thought there I suppose.

Though about his magic- As you say, it's different from yours. Which for the record, I have never heard of before. And I've seen plenty of odd types of magic in my days. His I get, but if the source of his magic is different, then I don't know for sure. He just activated a small sliver of it a few times before, so he is somewhat in tune with it, but it just seem like he can't access it all. Or maybe he just don't know how to form it?

*sigh* Try and tell him to do something here. Place a claw in the cloud, and focus. Not on making a bolt, but something simpler, like darkening it. Tell him to focus on it, and imagine that it will become a rain cloud. And if he feels any sort of energy coursing through him, he does not need to get jittery, or nervous about it. It's just magic. There's nothing to be worried about."

Doing this were a very small thing, all things considered, but it might well be an important one, as it'd show if he could harness it already, but just had no idea how to use it. A *focus, and try to imagine it happen* thing sounded a little stupid. She knew that. But it were surprisingly true to form. At least in the beginning, until it would feel like second nature, to tap into an energy reserve like this.

So she'd maintain the sky, and keep it clear, as she waited to see what would happen. Maybe nothing, but they'd see. She were surely curious about the results though, and it would not end up being the last time she tried to run these sorts of minor training sessions then, regardless of the result. Though it would determine how she'd approach this, if it failed or succeeded.

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

Nada might be surprised to find that the mare did indeed capture a frog rather quickly, but she wasn't eating it. Instead, she stood hollered over it, and pressing it into the dirt with her snout on it's tummy, and sniffed it.

After about twenty seconds of this, and the frog continuing to squirm about, she'd grab it by one of its legs, and hold it up in the air, in her mouth. She wasn't holding hard enough to bite through, but it wasn't going anywhere. And due to the nature of said teeth holding it, it appeared to be too scared to try and move too much.

She'd move over to Nada, wherever she might be at that point, and look at her with big, confused eyes.

"W-roooong. Wrong. Frog wrong. Hear frog, smell frog... Not frog?"

The frogs she had been changed to hunt were not like this. It were mutating monsters, changing and growing bigger, whilst spewing swamp ooze at others. This however, were just a normal frog. It smelled a little like what she had sought, and it sounded almost like it too, but it weren't the same, and it confused her. She wasn't sure what to do with this thing. Eat it? She weren't hungry, and this wasn't what she had thought she should chase.

So she brought it to her smart friend, and hoped that she would know what to do with it. Maybe explain to her what were happening.

She'd reach her tail up high, and used it to indicate something about one and half times her own height.

"Big frog."

Then she'd use her tail to poke at the one she had in her teeth, that croaked worriedly, over what were going on. It wasn't a greatly smart creature, as amphibians tended to be somewhat dense, but it got that some sort of predator had hold of it, and it were afraid of being eaten if it didn't comply to whatever were going on.

"Wrong frog."

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

The thing would land on the ground, and jump a little closer, before starting to write a reply to what had been said, with it's right talon. A somewhat lengthy one at that, which made Lyriel think that it were not pleased, and were about to say something rude again.

"Makes sense. Now we need someone called Corn Field to complete the set."

Lyriel weren't able to raise her hoof in front of her muzzle in time, to stifle the laugh she had at the little joke it had given off. It seemed like Crow were accepted, and it were now using it to fire off bad jokes. What a thing for a newly named creature to do, but Lyriel surely welcomed the laugh. It helped in this otherwise dismal endeavor.

"M-My apologies, I didn't mean to do that. It were simply a welcome spot of amusement. And it seems as if it have accepted the name, so that is good. Please, let us be on our way. And be careful. We will pass closely by the trees we had to ask for help from earlier. I think it best if we do not disturb them further, and try to avoid that."

If nothing else happened, they'd eventually find themselves at the castle, with Crow flying first and perching on a piece of the wall, next to the gate. It appeared as if it were amusing itself, by playing into the role of its namesake. Though it were unable to produce the right sort of caw. It sounded too hollow for that.

As for all intents and purposes, they seemed to be alone here too, currently. At least for now.

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

 

@EQ_Theta

On 10/4/2020 at 3:10 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“We’ll take your suggestion and go with one caramel milkshake and one grape soda, please.”

"Excellent. I'll get you hooked up with those right away."

The milkshake were rolling in a large tube beside him, with vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, as the described tastes on the three glass tubes. A pretty simple piece of machinery, sprinkled with some weaker ice crystals on the spade turning it around, to make sure that it kept the milkshake at the right sort of temperature. And of course, the energy keeping everything running here, but every piece of machinery were connected to that one. This were about the milkshakes themselves, which were poured from a faucet, into a nice, big cup of some sort of styrofoam, toppled up to just above the edge, in a swirly motion. After that, it were just a bamboo straw taken out of one of the packs beneath his desk, and that got put on the desk.

The caramel milkshake were prepared right after, and were both served and prepared the same way. Sure this were one of the last ones ordered, but it were closest, so it were by far the smartest thing to get out of the way at the same time.

Next came the grape soda, which were a good deal simpler. It were taken out of a chilly box, and were served in a wooden can. He used to have a machine for this sort too, but this turned out to be way cheaper in the long run, and frankly in his opinion, a good deal cooler looking too. Especially since this had *Grape* carved into the side, along with of course, the name of the brand. Which in this case, were a *Fizzy Glub* branded can. Not a big name, but considering the taste of these things, he didn't doubt that it were going to be eventually.

The prickle juice for Omen came last, which were taken out of a can, stored in a box by the side. Not a large can either, which suggested that this were not the most popular drink he had in storage, nor one advertised, beyond the sign on said box, with a price tag. A funky looking concoction too, as it appeared to be rather thick, with small kernels of something rummaging around the orange drink. Seeds maybe, though it were hard to tell for sure. This whole thing were also served in a styrofoam cup, but with a sturdier looking, thicker bamboo straw.

He'd eye her as he put that on the disk, with a small glimmer in his eyes.

"Don't drink it too fast, or you're gonna scorch your muzzle."

This just made Omen more curious, though she didn't say anything, as she observed further what he were doing. Which this time, were to put the habanero rolls on the tray, side by side, which would fit with only a few inched between that, and the sauce. Weren't his first time dealing with this, that were for sure.

While he went over everything though, and made sure that it were all there, and tallied up, they'd have a few seconds to deal with one of Lin's questions. One which came shortly after she declared that she might not be able to go back to plain foods after this. Something which Rosa could not blame her. The tastes in these places were delicious.

On 10/4/2020 at 3:10 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Omen, Rosa, since we’re about to gorge ourselves on food, what’s the best meal you’ve ever had? What kinds of flavors do you prefer?”

"Rum-Soaked Mehringa Balls. It includes a lot of sour and earthy tastes, along with some crunches up bugs from the east. I like the more foresty tastes.

And speaking of tastes, you're right that the regular tastes you have will feel more flat after this, Lin. But at the same time, it is healthier for you. It is not good for you to feast on things like this too often. Though it is a lovely treat for sure, and if need be, you can add certain spices to pique your regular meals up some. I can come with some recommendations at a later time."

"I like fire."

While Rosa babbles on, Omen's answer were a good deal more direct, and not too surprising. She had expressed her interest in eating things that were literally on fire before, thinking that it had a varm taste. Which were also why Rosa had ordered her spicy things. It were not as hot, but it might still tickle her fancy.

"Well, plenty of burn in this. All in all, that'll be 19 bits please."

Omen would get up to the counter, as the money were mentioned, and spit out the bits she had kept in her muzzle. The clerk looked a little confused, but grabbed a towel, and got ready to dry them off regardless. And were then surprised to find that they were completely dry. Were this bunch playing a prank on him? Probably, but the important part were that these were still clearly real bits. That's all that really mattered, right?

"Alright, that's twenty, and here's one back miss. All of you, enjoy the carnival, and stop by if you need more."

One of the bits would be pushed back towards omen, who calmly gobbled it up, and swallowed it. These folks were definitely messing with him. Maybe they were some of Cheshire's changelings? They were known for playing a harmless prank on folks here and there. Yeah, he could see that being the case.

Omen would grab most of the things here, taking advantage of her flexible, prehensile tongue to wrap itself around the bucket, her own drink, and the two milkshakes. Unless Sen or Lin had already grabbed hold of them, in which case, she'd instead take the bag with the candied apples in, and Rosa's drink. Rosa would carry his own drink, the apples, and the habanero rolls, if Omen carried the others drinks, or just the rolls if she didn't. The bag were fairly easy to transport by holding it in his teeth, and the tray balanced well enough on his back, long as he gave his wings a minor stretch to about the first bend, to give some more stability and security. The drink he'd hold in his hoof, and wander on three hooves.

Regardless of how it were done, he'd lead them to a nearby bench, were they could start to eat and drink. Omen would wait until the other started to eat herself, and generally had to anyway, as she needed to put down the things she carried first.

"There. This should sate us well. Please, dig in, and let me know what you think of the tastes. Though I would warn you against trying Omen's order. I ordered it specifically, to maximize what sort of burn she might have. Quite honestly, you should consider entering her into chili eating contests, if you run low on bits. Some of those things are warm, but it is hard to beat the ability to safely eat actual fire."

[Windy Breeze 15,189]

@Blitz Boom

Autumn looked at Sorrow with a tired and calm expression. She nodded weakly at the mare. Seeing this answer made Razor smile but his answer is different from her.

“I want to stay in this town” he said, “I have may taken one life from a disgusting organization, they will still run around the place, seeking to destroy more lives. I wanted to make sure everyone in Fillydelphia doesn't suffer the same fate as me and Autumn”

3 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

"I.. I think we need to try and jump out a window. Unless you have a better idea? And fast."

“I think I might already seen a 'window'” Windy stumbled to the portion of the wall she hit earlier. She turn around and bucked, causing a large portion of the wall to collapse, allowing for them to escape and to view the remains of once the neighboring houses and a few other houses that are currently breaking into pieces. They could hear several screams, possibly from the ponies who are set free from possession.

As more cracks appear, the first part of Autumn and Razor's house to collapse was the kitchen, followed by the rooms above it. Windy spread her wings but didn't fly, waiting for Sorrow to go.

Edited October 5, 2020 by NeighingMare

[EQ_Theta 458]

@Blitz Boom

As much as the tools of the trade seemed mundane to the food vendors, Sen and Lin likely would never grow tired of their novelty. Coming from a home where nature is the predominant force, seeing technology at work felt like stepping into a completely different world. They could probably watch someone work the milkshake machine or a deep fryer and see the goodies that emerge from the process. Alas, they had to make room for the other customers, and so they grabbed their drinks and joined Rosa and Omen at the nearby, but not before thanking the vendor.

“Shame the fun with eating good food has to end every now and again. As much as I like having dried berries and river cabbage often, the taste really starts to get stale.”

“There’s always watercress, but only if you pick and eat them at the right time. Otherwise, your mouth and stomach will hate you.”

Sen chuckled as he picked a pretzel and started munching. Lin grabbed some caramel corn and slowly took bites out of it, owing to its stickiness. She didn’t mind too much, clearly showing a big smile before downing another bite. Nothing could compare to the sweetness and crispness of the food the longma ate; back home, most of the things they ate were dried or cooked over a fire, but the taste and textures were familiar. Here? It was an explosion of flavors unknown or unfamiliar to them. 

"Oh, wow! This food is great! I'd be in paradise if I could eat all of this and never go unhealthy."

“Chili eating contests, Rosa? Ponies do that kind of thing? Seems like ponies can make a pastime out of anything, but eating is one of the last things I’d expect.”

“Yeah. Going by what you ordered for Omen, it might send ponies down a path of regret if what they’re eating could figuratively catch their mouths on fire.” 

They wouldn’t say it at the moment but the siblings had this terrible idea brewing in their heads. No way they’d admit it on the get-go but they considered tasting a little bit of the sauce that came with Omen’s habanero rolls. They were familiar with things tasting a little hot and spicy but this idea could be somewhere past daring all the way up to instant regret. 

[Blitz Boom 4,621]

@EQ_Theta

17 hours ago, EQ_Theta said:

“Shame the fun with eating good food has to end every now and again. As much as I like having dried berries and river cabbage often, the taste really starts to get stale.”

“There’s always watercress, but only if you pick and eat them at the right time. Otherwise, your mouth and stomach will hate you.”

Rosa chomped down on a pretzel as well, so it took a little before he answered this one. Which weren't all bad really. It gave him time to think over how to put this, alternatives, and implications of a few variables. Which were probably overthinking it for something this simple, but spy work had job hazards. Overthinking and paranoia tended to be some of the most common ones, among those he knew.

"I might suggest you acquired a cookbook or five then, so that you could learn other things, and how to work with certain ingredients, to make them taste differently. Cabbage and berries are vegetables, so equine cook books would work there. Though if you also want meat, griffon ones might be better. They are primarily fish based however, but there are exceptions.

I'd be wary of any of the few dragon ones. Considering they like gems, it may well be dangerous to try for other races. Though they do like spicy food, so if that is an interest of yours, you can attempt some of that."

While he went on talking, Omen would start to munch on one of her habanero rolls. A tentative bite first, before slowly dipping one in the sauce, and trying how that tasted. After that, she'd try to lap up some of her drink, which stuck to her tongue. Not something she were used to, and it wasn't all of it, but it were different from water. And it seemed to be interesting to her, considering she were focused on the prickle juice more than the rest for a while after that.

18 hours ago, EQ_Theta said:

"Oh, wow! This food is great! I'd be in paradise if I could eat all of this and never go unhealthy."

“Chili eating contests, Rosa? Ponies do that kind of thing? Seems like ponies can make a pastime out of anything, but eating is one of the last things I’d expect.”

“Yeah. Going by what you ordered for Omen, it might send ponies down a path of regret if what they’re eating could figuratively catch their mouths on fire.” 

"If it involves Dragonsbane Chili, it will actually be literally on fire. It causes some kind of chemical reaction that I don't know too many details about. Simply that it can result in minor flame spouting, for some reason. Major if it is not diluted enough, though in each case, suddenly having a flame bursting out of your mouth, will cause blisters inside your mouth, which is not pleasant, to put it mildly. Dragons enjoy it, as flames are natural for them, and they are immune to such a thing harming their mouths, or cause much of an issue for their digestive tract. However, most others are best off not touching it, unless it it diluted to a mild status. Which still puts it as the strongest chili I am aware of. It just means it is feasible for regular beings to eat too.

Omen may well find her match in trying one of the dishes, prepared for a dragon. Or a delightful meal. I'd advise caution when trying it anyway.

And yes, you'd be amazed what sort of things can be competitive. Eating contest of varied kinds, are but one of them. usually divided into the categories of either trying to eat a meal that is very large in time, competing against others to see who can eat something with a very powerful taste, such as chili, or try to see who can eat the most, in a set amount of time. Haydogs tends to be the one most used for the third, whilst the second one, are more often chili, or something overbearingly sweet. The first one is mostly restaurants, making something to entice beings to come in, and see if they can defeat the food challenge. Many do tend to have a competitive gene, and it draws in customers. Long as it is edible, of course. It has to be fair.

I still think one of the weirder ones I have seen, are competitive basket weaving. There's something both absurd and oddly mesmerizing, in seeing a bunch of generally mares, attempt to weave a specific kind of basket, before anyone else.

That being said- Omen? is the food okay?"

"It is warm."

"And compared to fire?"

"It reminds me of it."

"That's good then. Would it be okay if Sen and Lin tried a roll, and some of the sauce? I'm curious how they deal with spicy things, and they may want to try a few, varied tasted."

"Okay."

So they had a green light to try then, if they wanted to. Rosa wouldn't. He were not much of a fan of overly spicy food, and enjoyed some caramelized corn instead, after the pretzel. He had to find something seeming like a real meal later, but this were a nice snack.

As for Omen, her focus were mostly on the drink right now, which she were lathering as much of her tongue in as she could, before sliding it back into her muzzle. Rinse and repeat, whilst looking into the cup itself. It seemed like she had found something that enticed her. Probably best that Sen and Lin couldn't try that though. It were some rather spicy stuff, that really went into the taste buds, and stuck there for a time. The habanero rolls were more of a regular spice, with a juicy crunch, and a fleeting, yet higher medium burn to it. Add the sauce though, and the fleeting part would go away, and you'd be looking at a more lingering, lower high burn. The sort you'd need milk to dilute the best, so good they had a milkshake. The soda were not gonna help a lot on that though.

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

 

@NeighingMare

As she agreed, Autumn were accepted by Legion, and would join them. Just as had been the goal from the start. Hopefully as part of the collective, she'd now be able to find some who understood her, and in time, gain some degree of peace.

On 10/6/2020 at 12:51 AM, NeighingMare said:

“I want to stay in this town” he said, “I have may taken one life from a disgusting organization, they will still run around the place, seeking to destroy more lives. I wanted to make sure everyone in Fillydelphia doesn't suffer the same fate as me and Autumn”

"You can't stop anypony like this, Razor. But I understand. When I get home, I'll try and see if I can get one of my cousins to come and help you, that're stronger than me. You'll need the help to influence anything."

She had a few in mind, that'd do well here. Optimally of course, it'd be Soul prison, considering he had little in the way of scruples when it came to... Problem solving. Yet she had no idea where he even were these days. Frankly she hadn't seen him for years, and had no idea if she were even still alive. His mom claimed he were though, so that were about the best she had to work with currently.

She supposed that Puppet wouldn't be adverse to causing havoc either, but she still did not wish to run into her. There were limits to what she could deal with, and Puppet were creepy.

Maybe Banshee would like this, actually. They were cheery, and liked to help around. And if they brought some of their pets... That might work. Though Tomb could too, and were able to show others any ghost that wandered near them, regardless of whatever or not they had the gift. Frankly, she had a lot of family, so the question more became who had the time, than anything else. She'd look into that when she had the chance.

On 10/6/2020 at 12:51 AM, NeighingMare said:

As more cracks appear, the first part of Autumn and Razor's house to collapse was the kitchen, followed by the rooms above it. Windy spread her wings but didn't fly, waiting for Sorrow to go.

But right now, they had to sort themselves out, so they didn't end up dying themselves. Windy had thankfully been insanely resourceful, and caused there to be a hole they could escape from - as well as view the collapse of this part of town from - if they hurried. From the sound of things, the house were already collapsing beneath them, so it were a question of seconds, rather than minutes they had to work with. Windy clearly knew that, as she stood ready to fly off, but looked at Sorrow to see if she were ready.

To which, Sorrow would gulp. She were about as ready as she would be, though not to fly. With her dislocated wing, that were impossible. So she had to try and make as least bad of a fall as she could, and try not to land on her limp wing. A dislocation could be set back. If she broke it though, that'd take a long time to get better.

"H-Here goes nothing."

She'd take a cautious step, but then speed up substantially, as the floor underneath her hooves began to collapse, when the bearing walls beneath them gave in.

She would jump out the side, and aim for a piece of already collapsed rubble, which created a sort of hill, and begged her stars that she'd both hit with her hooves, and that her knees wouldn't give in from this. And she did as planned. Sort of.

As she were about to hit the rubble, and closed her eyes, bracing for impact, she'd find that it weren't as solid ground as one might hope. Hence, it gave in when she hit the top rocks, and she slipped to the side, tumbling down, and landing on her stomach. Good news were that she had broken nothing new, nor dislocated other things. She had just gotten beaten up some, and were gonna get some bumps and bruises showing up over the next few days.

Bad news were that whilst tumbling, she had also rolled on her dislocated wing, and gotten the air beaten out of her. So she had to gasp for a few seconds between the floods of pain, whilst the house collapsed not more than a meter or so to her side. That she wasn't hit by more than a lot of dust, were frankly rather lucky.

She'd be able to roll over and crawl further away soon as she got a bit of air back in her lungs. Which were used to whimper in pain, more than anything, but she were alive. That remained the important part. Hopefully Windy had gotten away safely too, though she should be able to, as the Wonderbolt's wings functioned well, from the looks of things.

[Windy Breeze 15,189]

@Blitz Boom

Once Sorrow went out of the house, Windy followed just in time for the entire homee to collapse, forming a large cloud of dust. What alarmed her was Sorrow, whom she had forgotten was hit by a piece of the ceiling has just tumbled down a hill of debris and is a few meters away from the large pile which where once Autumn and Razor lived.

“Sorrow,” Windy flew down and landed beside Sorrow. She suddenly grimaced when she felt a searing pain from one of her ears but she ignored it. She took hold one of her friend's wings “Oh Celestia. Your wings are in a pretty bad shape. I'm glad we got out of time”

[EQ_Theta 458]

@Blitz Boom

Rosa’s suggestion for cookbooks sounded reasonable, though it may not really translate well into actual recipes if those called for equipment such as ovens, pots, and pans. Finding an outlet for things like gasoline isn’t going to lead to anything in the forest and relying on specific heat is a no-go when working with fire pits. Still, finding a few recipes that could work with little in the way of tools may still be worth a few bits. Otherwise, it might just be good reading material. 

Now that Omen started eating her habanero rolls and expecting her response, it seemed it was the siblings’ turn to try spicy dish. If what Rosa said was true and having flames come out of their mouths led to painful blisters, eating really spicy food might just lead to something similar. If not blisters, then painful throbbing and numbed gums are next. The thought got Sen and Lin to hesitate picking up one of Omen’s rolls and wipe some of the sauce.

“Omen, if this roll’s taste reminds you of fire, then I am already fearing for my life,” Sen remarked, attempting to downplay his concern while trying to come off as humorous. One could already sense the fear leaving his lips. 

“Never let it be said that we didn’t try the spiciest habanero rolls we’ve ever encountered. We go on the count of three. Ready, Sen?” The longma nodded and anticipated the countdown. 

“3… 2… 1…”

Both Sen and Lin ingested their half of the roll and allowed the taste to reach their tongues, swirling the food in their mouth. In that instant, they could feel the heat rise and burn that followed could set their mouth ablaze. Sweat dripped down their faces, and if Rosa and Omen were to examine the siblings, they could see their hides turning red. There was agony, the rush to get the taste out of their mouths intensified as the siblings attempted to one-up each other by showing who could outlast the other.

“Hothothothot! Aaahhh!”

“This… bad… idea! Too…aaah! Hot!” Lin exclaimed as she hyperventilated, attempting to do something to stave off the heat. She immediately eyed the milkshake and gulped through half of it before slumping down to regain her composure, though that would take a while. 

“Gimme that!” Sen immediately picked up what’s left of the milkshake and downed the rest, swallowing everything in his mouth and dropping to the ground. Meanwhile, Lin began chugging some soda in a futile attempt to get the heat out before passing whatever was left to her brother. “Can’t. Feel. M-m-moufff. Worsth idea. Evfffer.”

“No… laughffing, you.. th-thhwooo.” Lin pointed at both Rosa and Omen, but given how disoriented she sounded, her claw appeared to drift around the air until her foreleg was just swinging around in circles. It would take about several minutes for the heat to dissipate, but the thestral and the Ki’nathar would find some amusement in the siblings talking funny for a while on account of their mouths feeling swollen. 

Edited October 7, 2020 by EQ_Theta

[Catpone Cerberus 23,591]

@Blitz Boom
Ruby just shrugged at Leviathan's thoughts, she may have been right, or may have not, Ruby's own guess was shame, because being or having mixed-blood offspring was very much looked down upon if it was ever revealed, and while it was most likely her mother's own decision, Ruby knew from experience that it was hard to not see oneself as a weakling due to your own actions that you have been taught to look down upon, even if you made them out of your own will. Their way of coping was also similar, the feeling of power.

She said something to Charir, and since Charir put his claw into the cloud, it could be assumed she had said as Leviathan had asked. 

"I have a guess on why we are so different regardless of being from the same mother." Ruby said to leviathan as Charir tried to make anything happen "Like I said, it is unlikely that my mother is a pure-blood either, it could be that even her mother wasn't, or her mother, and so on." "It may be that we are just the first generation with visible changes, and because of that, our fathers' genes matter more than they usually do." "Maybe, generation by generation our bloodline's natural magic has increased, and my mother, and possibly her sisters, have reached some kind of...neutral state, where they have magic, but they lack the specific genes to allow the effective use of it, so when our different fathers, both possibly part of a lesser kind, got their genes mixed in, our magic got more...specific." she thought for a second "More I think about it, more certain I am, maybe this magic is also why I'm still alive." she was referring at the event she had told Leviathan about, she didn't remember if she had said it out loud, but she still to this day was surprised that she had made it out of that hole not only alive, but in a shape like nothing had even happened, because while it wasn't unexpected that her body could fix itself, it was very unexpected that it managed it while she was already starving.

One could think that she would despise herself after learning that she wasn't what she thought, and in usual situation she would, but since she had already been on the rock bottom, and hadn't really gotten up from there yet, she didn't really have anything to lose at this point when it came to her pride, the only way from here was up, and there would be only two possible end results, she would either rise to the top, or she would die trying.

Charir didn't succeed with anything he tried, and he truly did try, as it would take several minutes, but he was getting frustrated, so after a while he slashed the cloud out of frustration, and all of his claws let out sparks, though this time, because his claws were quickly outside the cloud, instead of creating a lightning bolt, it caused electricity to arch between his claws for few seconds before travelling through his scales to the ground. He looked very confused as he looked at his claws, he may have been a young dragon, but even he knew that his claws weren't supposed to do that.

-------------------------------------------
Nada tilted her head "These are the only frogs I know..." besides toads, but even though they tended to be bigger, even they weren't as big as the shark-pony seemed to indicate "...until, ..you mean that monster frog that attacked the town?" "That I don't know where it is, I heard the town dealt with it but that's all I know." could it be that she was really talking about that thing? It was big...as far as she knew, and it certainly was weird enough to have a shark-pony from all possible things as its predator. Ultimately those 3 things were the only things that came to mind from the word 'frog', so if the big frog didn't mean the monster-frog, she didn't know what it could be.

If she was offered the frog by the shark-pony, Nada would take it and then let it go, she felt bad for the poor thing so she didn't want to end its life after such experience, and if she asked Nada about what to do with it, she'd tell her to either eat it or let it go.

------------------------
"No worries, laugh as much as you want." Scarecrow said in his usual tone "And Crow it is then, I'm glad we came to an easy agreement." 
He wouldn't say anything else if nobody said anything to him, he agreed with Lyriel about the trees, but didn't have anything to add, and since nothing special seemed to happen during their travel, there wasn't much to talk about.

When they arrived to the castle, he would again break the silence "Here we are, be careful and keep your eyes open, there's traps in the castle, though I at least hope the most dangerous ones have been disabled, and we can never know if the lovely hostess of our game has few more tricks planned for us." The part about Anomaly being lovely was sarcasm of course, but considering his voice, it wasn't necessarily as obvious from his tone as it could be. 

[Blitz Boom 4,621]

@Windy Breeze

"I'm fine. Just... Need some air."

Bruised and beaten  but not broken, or dead. Honestly, she had gotten off very easy, considering she jumped out of a collapsing building, and she knew it. Even if it hurt when she started to get up, and grimmaced.

"Whaf about you? Are you okay?"

Before Windy would be able to respond, it seemed as if Legion said something, which made Sorrow react in slight confusion.

"Huh? Her ear? Wha- Ooooh, that's not good."

Sorrow would look right at Windy, and cringe from the sight. The mare were not as clear from issues as Sorrow had hoped it seemed.

"You have to fly to the hospital right away, and have that checked on, Windy. Don't worry about us. We'll be there soon."

From what she understood, this were just part of the town, and as such, there'd be more of it unaffected. Among that, there surely had to be a hospital, and Windy needed to get to one. Fast as possible. Which weren't gonna happen if she waited for Sorrow, considering her limp wing.

If Windy took off, Sorrow would get to ther same hospital within the hour. Along with the most injured townsfolks, who hadn't gotten there themselves earlier. And the second thing she'd do, were asking about Windy. Right after helping Rose from earlier to the front, as she needed help rather badly too. If Rose had hadn't perished, but she should be alive, even if she were likely not in tip top shape.

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

 

@EQ_Theta

On 10/7/2020 at 4:05 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Never let it be said that we didn’t try the spiciest habanero rolls we’ve ever encountered. We go on the count of three. Ready, Sen?” The longma nodded and anticipated the countdown. 

“3… 2… 1…”

Neither Rosa, nor Omen, said anything while Sen and Lin counted down, and prepared to chomp down on the sauce-dipped rolls. Omen were mostly just curious how they'd like it, while she had her glas of Prickle Juice about halfway empty next to her, as her tongue brought the lastest portion of it to her muzzle.

Rosa on the other hoof, spent his silence with a small smirk on his face. As if he were expecting something to happen, and already found it bemusing. This maybe should have been a warning sign for the siblings, but alas, the dice were thrown, and now it were just to see how they'd handle themselves. 

On 10/7/2020 at 4:05 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Hothothothot! Aaahhh!”

“This… bad… idea! Too…aaah! Hot!”

The thestral got a good chuckle out of seeing them reacting just as he had hoped. First with sweat, and trying to see who'd break the first. And then with yelps of chili regret, as they sought relief, and the milkshake became their most valuable possession. Funny how milk hampered chili, to a certain point at least, but it were certainly practical. It were just lucky for the siblings, that they did not have something stronger, as they'd need a jug of milk then, rather than a single milkshake.

On 10/7/2020 at 4:05 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Can’t. Feel. M-m-moufff. Worsth idea. Evfffer.”

“No… laughffing, you.. th-thhwooo.”

Far too late for that, as Rosa were having a hearty laugh at seeing this. Though he'd be nice to them. They had just experienced their first regret from overconfidence towards the equine kitchen, and could likely not see the funny part in this, like he could.

So he'd reach his milkshake forth, and shake the almost full cup a little, to indicate it had some of the precious relief within, which they sought.

"Might I offer you my assistance?"

He'd probably not get through the sentence, before the cup were snatched away from him, by either of the longma. A shame he wouldn't get to enjoy this himself, but he'd have the chance to get more later, whereas this spectacle were utterly priceless. He doubted there'd be anything he could buy, that'd give him more enjoyment than wayching Sen and Lin right now.

Omen wouldn't laugh though, or even smile. Just observe, with her head tilting from side to side, with random intervals.

"I have seen others do that before. Is it strong?"

"It is likely on the stronger side, considering the sauce were also added. Though compared ro competitive chili variants, this is rather tame. How does it compare to fire, Omen?"

"It is warm. The juice is warmer. Fire is much warmer. It reminds me of fire a little."

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"Genrtics is a complicated thing. Sometimes things like magic skip a generation or five. Other times, you end up with a whelp with two heads, or diamon encrusted scales. It's more guess than facts how these things works sometimes, far as I'm concerned. Though whatever's the case, I'm happy that your magic helped you survive. Things would be a lot less interesting, had I never met you."

And wasn't that the truth? Before running into Ruby, she hadn't had a companion for years, and most of the other dragons she had hung out with, were dull, or started to irritate, or bore her for one reason or another, fairly quickly. Or they were too stationary, while she were a more migratory sort, always looking for that place to belong in the world, or the next treasure to add to her pile.

She spend time with lesser races too, but it weren't the same. Closest were the diamond dogs, and bless their little pelts, but they weren't like her. There were things they could not understand, and which she couldn't explain adequately, so it put a halt on things eventually. Plus, she outlived most other races substantially, and didn't like to linger around where friends of hers had died, among other things.

Frankly there were a lot of reasons for her to move around, and during that time, she rarely met some whom she felt much of a connection to, that were also a dragon.

Yet here were Ruby and Charir. One whkm she had sruck to out of a degree of pity and stubbornness, but assumed she'd leave behind eventually, with the dragoness leaving but a small mark on her life. The other, a new addition, whom had shown to be kindred in a way she had never met another dragon who were before.

Charir were somewhat explainable, in her fondness for him. He were young, needed help, and were a weather manipulator like herself, in his magic's infant state. He needed her, and though it may seem silly, she kind of saw him as the child she so far never had, but wished to one day raise.

Ruby had surprised her, with how much she had come to care about her though. Leviathan weren't sure exactly at what point it happened, but she felt like she'd genuinly be greatly saddened, were Ruby to suddenly wander away, and never come back. Honestly, she might end up chasing the larger dragoness if it came to that, unwilling to let go, which usually didn't happen in such a short amount of time. These clingy thoughts tended to take years to begin, not mere days.

On 10/7/2020 at 8:20 PM, Catpone Cerberus said:

Charir didn't succeed with anything he tried, and he truly did try, as it would take several minutes, but he was getting frustrated, so after a while he slashed the cloud out of frustration, and all of his claws let out sparks, though this time, because his claws were quickly outside the cloud, instead of creating a lightning bolt, it caused electricity to arch between his claws for few seconds before travelling through his scales to the ground. He looked very confused as he looked at his claws, he may have been a young dragon, but even he knew that his claws weren't supposed to do that.

She'd soon find herself wandering away from these thoughts though, as Charir made a minor step back, and two steps forward, as his frustration caused another magical effect to happen. Much to his great confusion it seemed.

"...I think I understand. He's too inexperienced with magic to understand how to wield it, but it reacts to his emotional state, and he ends up instinctually do somehing without thinking about it then. Maybe it's his subconsciousness? It's hard to say, but I think if push come to shove, he'd be able to do something fairly dangerous.

I still think it best that we don't throw him over a cliff, or attack him, or something else like it. There's trial by fire, and there's mortifying him. The latter is not gonna help at all.

Could you please tell him that he did well, and that we will try again, when he have gotten his energy back? I think it's best not to press him too much too fast, after the trip he had.

Also, if he wants some motivation, tell him that if he studies well, maybe he will far more powerful, than anyone have told him he could be, and do something like this someday."

Leviathan would clench the ground together, and lightning started to run up and down her arm, surging stronger and stronger, until it suddenly arced away from them, and struck the wall, scorching it. Nor massively, but enough to prove a point. Then it'd fizzle out, as her demonstration were over. At a safe distance mind you, as she tried to scare him as little as she could.

"And much, much more."

He were frustrated now, but maybe the promise of power, would motivate him. After all, if there were two things that dragons could use to keep them going, it were spite, and greed. Maybe he would understand that too someday, and defy the weaknesses his mother had broken him with.

Or he'd get spooked, and she had to try and get on his good side again somehow. She tried to keep it relatively low brow, to avoid that, but it were hard to tell if it'd work.

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

On 10/7/2020 at 8:20 PM, Catpone Cerberus said:

"These are the only frogs I know..." besides toads, but even though they tended to be bigger, even they weren't as big as the shark-pony seemed to indicate "...until, ..you mean that monster frog that attacked the town?" "That I don't know where it is, I heard the town dealt with it but that's all I know."

"M-oooonster. Monster. Frog monster, food. Food... Gone?"

She seemed to be thinking this over, tilting her head from side to side for a while, before she slowly went down to the ground, and let the frog's leg out of her maw.

"Not food. Bye."

The frog were not sure what were going on, but it were free, and were not gonna ask it. It were just jumping out of here, while the mare stood back and looked at it get away.

She were used to another sort of frog, and sadly, it sounded like that were gone. So she could hunt these small ones, even when she weren't hungry, or do something else. The little one were not what she had been made to hunt, and didn't seem like the challenge she wanted. So she'd leave them alone. At least until she got hungry, and wondered what they tasted like.

Afterwards, she'd just stand there, and listen to the frogs croaking for a time, and enjoy the sound. If Nada hunted, she'd instead watch that with great enthusiasm, and revel in how her new friend seemed like she were a good huntress herself.

"Friend good hunter? Hunt monsters?"

She looked up at Nada with joy, and even kind of reverence in her eyes. The food chain was a pecking order, and when faced with one above you, it were either best to fear it, or admire it. She chose the latter, since Nada did not seem interested in eating her.

Working for said entity also worked, and if Nada asked her to do stuff, she'd likely do that. Joyfully even, as she were rather naive.

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"...I did not think of that possibility. And here I were thinking some fallen rocks, were all we'd have to be worried about."

"I weren't gonna do anything. Buuuut, if you insist, let's have some fun."

The voice came out from nowhere. Yet all they'd hear after that, before rhey could find out where the voice were from, were a snap. And then, the earth swallowed them both whole.

Scarecrow would find himself in a basement not long after. The place were a wreck of debris that had been there a while, and a rickety stair in wood, leading upwards to the right.

"Oooh, this here's quite the funny little situation, huh? Wait, what's thi-"

A large, hollow hissing sound came, right after the little cheerg voice erupted, and whoever spoke, rushed out of the corner.

"Eek! It have stomach tentacles!"

The little thing would fly behind Scarecrow, and hide from what sounded like Crow. Seemingly stuck halfway under a pile of wood, rummaging to get free.

As for the small one, it were a fairy it seemed. Had the right size, a dress, small wings and antenna. Granted though, the dress were made of animal hide, her teeth were razor sharp, and her fingers and toes seemed to be sharp too. But sure, some sort of human-like, short green fur-covered fairy.

"Save me, odd rotty man! It's gonna make me into monster munch."

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom

Lucid opened a portal and dragged his writer by the ear.

"Get back to the story!"

Okay! I forgot!

Lucid jumped through the portal.

Where were we?

"Drink time, but that just ended. You missed the nuclear launch, but Novia was like 'no don't nuke Ponyville! Anomaly's author will get mad!' And she turned it into a radioactive bird."

"So... we're not allowed to nuke Ponyville, we could drive a tank through town hall. Nah... that's illegal. Hmm... any idea Anomaly?"

[Windy Breeze 15,189]

@Blitz Boom

“No, I'm fine” Windy hissed. Not only her ear hurts but she also felt a strong pain in her ribcage area and she was trying her best to ignore it “You should go to the hospital first. I'll go and find Quill, Rose, Sandy, and everypony else who got involved” she let out a sigh of fatigue and looked around the place, taking notes of the destruction surrounding them “This residential area is completely flattened, i hope no-one got hurt that serious” she face her back at Sorrow and began thinking. She and Sorrow really need to go to the hospital, but she or none of them knew where the hospital stands. Maybe legion can help them.

Suddenly, she felt another ache from her chest and her ear. Looking at Sorrow and at Legion, she asked “Does Legion know where the hospital is located?”

[Rising Dusk 27,537]

@Blitz Boom

What better place to feel more comfortable now than in one's own dreams.  For the mind that is.  His body was off in his apartment, hopefully getting the rest it needed even with all this mental activity going on.  The Dream Realm is still a world of collective memories and desires, left on auto pilot to the subconscious.  Usually resulting in the not more ideal locations being presented to the dreamer.  The question remained though, where is most comfortable to the detective?  Is his subconscious going to play along?  Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Rising focused, the effort upon him more evident than how he so easily controlled the dream scape before. 

The banquet in Harrowmark fell flat, losing all form of being in a 3D environment.  Now a living painting upon the floor, but it needed not last long.  The now 2D painting moved aside like the flipping of the page in a story book.  A pop-up book at that as the new scene bounced free of its 2D prison into the 3D scape.  Rising and the avatar found themselves now in a park.  Nothing as glamorous as the park he and Lily ate hayburgers by in the high class district of the city or as massive as Manehatten's Central Park.  No, instead a simple neighborhood park.  The sun was slowly descending over the skyscrapers in the background, Princess Celestria and Princess Luna preparing to change shifts.  The sky casting those soft oranges, pinks and purples of dusk as the first stars just started to twinkle in the sky.  It was the middle of Autumn, the leaves of the trees having turned their reds, yellows and oranges.  The park was a bustle of evening energy.  A large stage had been erected toward the back of the stone walled interior.  Vendor booths of many sorts lined along the rest of the walls to the entrance.  Long picnic tables with patterned table cloths filled much of the remaining innards.  Small bulbs of light strung together spun their way through the tress providing the park with the light it needed when the Sun was gone.  A nightly Autumn chill caused many in attendance to bundle in at least a scarf or light jacket of some sort.  Fillies and colts ran about, playing games offered by the booths or games they brought themselves.  Other city ponies walked about, enjoying the good company of conversation, food or wears offered by other booths that didn't provide games.  As of yet, nothing was happening on the main stage.

"The Mid-Autumn Festival," Rising mused.  The park in his neighborhood often had such festivals dedicated to their neighborhood.  The residents and shop owners of the few city blocks that made up their neighborhood all pitching in for an evening of entertainment.  The hustle and bustle of everyday city life was but a mask to what truly made this city and Equestria great.  The creatures that lived in it.

So distracted by the choice in location the dream shifted to, he'd almost missed the sound of a creaking door.

 

 The O.M.I. office wasn't all that far from the candy store they found Magma outside of.  Granted they didn't need to sprint to their location as quickly.  Flare Blitz had continued to regal her with the story of him as a butterfly triumphing over a bird that was trying to eat him.  All fashioned in more a tone of that of a Western Tall Tale.  They were on the move with purpose so Starbright didn't bother to correct 90% of the facts that were blown out of proportion in a tale where the bird got bigger with each telling. 

Entering the agency proper, they found Bash dutifully at the front desk, working on his own little project in the mean time.  The pair had only been brief that it came from Harrowmark, but Bash looked to be in some sort of staring contest with a ghostly almost ethereal plant The Captain and Rising had brought back.  Thus far, Bash had been tending to it per the instructions given by the alchemist in Stonesbrook.  Thinking, analyzing the plant while he ran his own experiments.  It took a long moment before the stallion even blinked and finally turned his stone gaze toward the ponies that occupied his lobby.  Flare Blitz approached the desk and stood up on hindlegs to put his hoofs on the desk, "Howdy partner, we have a doosy for ya in this case and could use some of that alchemy knowledge of yours~ Ow!" Flare Blitz exclaimed.  One of his hoofs had wandered too close to the plant in Bash's care and the large stallion had smacked his hoof with a Steel Cat's Tail Weed.  The cowboy pony quickly put his hoofs back solid floor.  Flare had been wanting to touch the ghostly plant ever since he'd first saw it, although he didn't actually mean to this time.  Don't cry wolf.

Starbright rolled her eyes and walked up to the desk, "This here is Magma.  We found her at the candy store the Solar Guard directed us to.  She's from Center Zero and has had a bit of an incident with an experiment on elementals.  Sort of becoming one and a pony's body doesn't appear equipped for such a thing..."  Bash's gaze moved from Starbright to the molten pony in his lobby.  He tapped his hoofs together in thought for a second before removing a crystal from his saddle back and looking through it at her like an eyepiece, "Hot?" he grunted in inquiry, voice like gravel.

 

Gold Mane nodded to affirm, "We indeed caught a Witch of the Wilds.  Had to detain her a few days on charges of Peeping.  Rather foolish of her to attempt a Scry spell right on our door step."  Cork nodded in agreement.  At least for O.M.I. agents such things might appear daft, but to an outsider it might not seem as big a deal.  Or what kind of time wasted could be on doing such a spell on such a heavily warded building.  Fewer still probably had much worry about having their own spells turn around a poke them right back in the eye, but that was rather a more unique situation.

Either officer was prepared for Omen to go suddenly into panic mode to something neither could sense themselves.  The bliss of no being as entuned to magic was some.  Was this our Detective Rising Dusk felt everyday? "Shh shh shh, calm down dear," Cork hustled to be near the panicking pony.  Her horn aglow, ready for a fight to whomever might be 'here' as Omen had said.  Gold Mane was a little more attentive of Omen's words though, "Wait, Twisted?  As in Twisted Gear?" the officer inquired.  Now putting a bit more together when Omen first mentioned him and the Witches.  "The dark wizard Rising defeated in Harrowmark?" not that it appeared Omen was all to up to date with current events in that dark land.  "It's alright darling, no need to worry.  The dark wizard attacked our city, but Detective Rising Dusk traveled to Harrowmark and vanquished him days ago."