open Casual stroll

[GingerLightning 258]

@Blitz Boom

"I think I'll just stay here and enjoy the food and company." Ginger smiled. 

 

"Maybe you guys could tell me about  Changelings and hive life." She seemed excited to learn more about Changelings. 

"I have a lot of questions too, I just don't have the words to explain how happy and excited I am to be here."  she practically started bouncing with excitement, she was a lot more peppy and energetic since she was more awake. 

[Catpone Cerberus 23,453]

@Blitz Boom
Ruby just shrugged regarding the hybrid, she didn't really have anything to add since she never really thought about it, as she saw it, Marley was probably right, that Equestrian dragons would teach that halfbreeds are not a thing, it made sense. What came to her and her kind, they weren't taught that halfbreeds were impossible, they weren't taught they were possible either, they were never mentioned, since why would they? they were the only intelligent species in their land, a land that it was assumed nobody would ever leave, and even if they did leave, the likelihood that a species that was almost too hostile to get together with their own long enough to have offspring would get together with entirely different creature, was slim at best.

"I don't know if it was purposely filled or if it collapsed with time, but as evidenced by there being a solid wall in front of the entrance on this side, the route has been unused for a while, and since the sellers didn't mention it, it probably was already blocked when they moved in." "Not that I mind, as I would have probably filled it myself if it was still there, the other house is rotten beyond repair, so it would have only served as an easy way for intruders to get in my house." 

When everyone was inside and the door closed, Ruby would head to a door that lead to the basement, again she took off a magical seal before opening it, and behind was stairs down to a normal looking basement, where the only thing of note was the stairs themselves, as part of them had been converted into a ramp, the purpose of which would become apparent when the treasure was taken off the wagon and moved, as when they reached the top of the stairs, Ruby just pushed the stuff down the ramp, where it smoothly slid into the basement.

In the basement there was another, notably more durable looking door, to where Ruby would move the treasure, and besides a normal looking basement room, what was behind it would stay unknown, as Ruby closed the door behind her without letting anyone in. There would be a sound of moving stone, followed by the sound of the treasure being moved, and after the latter ended, there was a moment of silence, before a distant, echoing bang, like a bag of metal being dropped in to bottom of a ravine or something similar was heard. Following that was more sounds of moving stone before Ruby came out of the room.

If the others spend the short moment to look around, they would find the basement, or the living floor depending on their location, to be mostly what one would expect from a pony resident, the only real difference being the before stated changes to make moving heavy things into the basement easier. In the basement one could also notice that the floor wasn't perfectly straight, as it seemed that the middle of it had sank a bit downwards, but other that that it seemed perfectly fine. Other than that, the only thing of note was a layer of dust covering pretty much everything, telling of the fact that Ruby didn't really spend time in the house itself. 

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

Scarecrow spend his time observing his surroundings, it was bit hard to eavesdrop here, since even for someone with normal hearing there was many sources of speech, and with his hearing being better than average, it was only worse, so he focused more on the visual side of things, facial expressions, gestures, things like that, but any time he did manage to isolate one conversation from among the many, he would focus on that. 

At one point his eyes stuck to something, or well, somepony, a guard that was seemingly half-metal (solar), though his weird appearance wasn't what caught Scarecrow's attention, and rather the way the guard looked at him through the crowd, it lasted only few seconds before the guard went on his way, so it was possible Lyriel or Crow wouldn't have time to notice him, but Scarecrow could tell from the seconds their eyes met that he had been spotted, though it seemed that the guard had decided Scarecrow was not a threat.

After a moment of thinking about it, Scarecrow returned to general observation. 

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The siblings stayed put and watched as the creature went past them, "Haven't seen one of those before." it was telling how unfazed they were, it may have been a weird sight but they had seen a lot during their relatively short lives "Could be a result of chaos magic, don't think they would evolve like that naturally." "Hope the creature wants a friend and not lunch." while Sheska's word told of concern, neither kobold were planning to do anything about it. 

The route they would take fully depended on where Knick Knacks'N Snaxx, if it was in the bakery's direction, it was likely they had seen it and thus would vaguely remember something like that being there, but if it wasn't, or if it was somewhere they couldn't spot it in when they came here, they would take the opposite direction, the logic being, it was few houses down from right down the street, so as they saw it, they would have most likely seen it if it was in the direction they came from, thus, with that reasoning, if they didn't remember seeing any shops with such a weird name, it had to be in the other direction. The existence of Pinkie and the shark-pony didn't affect their decision. 

[Fuchsia]

 

  

On 2021-07-19 at 11:53 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"I will do no such thing, madamme. You're our guest, and you won't be awakened by something like that. I'll have some of the staff help me to keep an eye out for unsavory things, like what you've described, and go prepare a few things in the meantime. Something like this, I do not believe we can wait for him to awaken, before preparations begins. Leave all of that to me though. You simply focus on getting some rest, and get some energy back. And if you wish to clean up first, the nearest bathroom is right over there."

Grim would point at the room across the hall, which would be a luxurious room, with clean marble, a full body mirror, and though spartanic, looked to be pleasant to be in. If it were to use to bidet, the sink, or the spa, or the large bath tub, with oils and salts ready on the side, in case one wanted a long, relaxing bath, there were plenty to pick from. About a dozen clean towels were beneath the sink, and if she looked in the cabinet, she'd find several perfumes to use of, if she so wished to. There'd also be an assortment of pain medication, bandages, and gauze on one shelf, showing that they were prepared for Billowing to come back in a less than perfect condition.

Grim would be gone once she returned, and thus, she could rest soundly, without being interrupted.

Far away, out of sight, the cave entrance would begin to stir ever so slightly, as the morning sun broke through, and shone down on it. Not from something breaking out though. Some more of the close by section mountain outside of the entrance collapsed, after the opening had gotten unstable, and build a little, so the entrance got another meter of stone blocking it. They remained safe, it seemed. For now.

As the morning began, and the sun set its first, stubborn lights through the window, and upon the curtains, a sound of two ponies arguing could be heard getting closer. One being Grim, another being an unknown female of some kind.

"- Irresponsible! I'm gone for two days, and this is what happens?!"

"Keep your voice down, Rose. They're still resting. And you know as well as I do, that holding him back from these things are impossible."

"I just... *sigh* Sometimes, he's just so stupid."

"I know of a certain young lady who have done her fair share of bad decisions too. Must I retell the Plunderseed incident once more?"

"Urgh, not again. The less remembered about that, the better."

"Good. Now go elsewhere for now, Rose. And don't try and think you can sneak in there. The staff keeps their eyes open along with me. Let them rest."

The voices would wander away more after this, and not a few moments later, Billowing would start to stir, and slowly open his eyes.

"...Either I'm home, or the afterlife is not as complicated as I were lead to believe."

A bright pink and fluffy Fuchsia, smelling of exotic soaps and scent, her full bodied, brushed and conditioned mane and tail poking out of the covers, sleeps soundly under the expensive bedlinen. She had allowed herself to be persuaded by the servants - she was utterly exhausted after the journey. 

In her dreams she is back in the dark of the temple, she knows she shouldn't be there because her mother told her not to play in the temple and she is worried about being caught. All of a sudden she sees her mother's skeleton on the floor. She howls when it moves! Its empty eye-sockets stare at her accusingly and it says in a terrible voice, "Irresponsible!" Fuchsia screams and wakes up. She had been galloping so much in her sleep that the covers were all pushed onto the floor. 

As she regains her senses and remembers where she is, her ears perk up, hearing an unfamiliar voice talking to one of the servants. She remembered Billowing talking about a Rose - his cousin - and was glad to hear that Billowing would be looked after, although she was a bit worried about her reaction to Fuchsia - would Rose blame her for accompanying him to the temple? She hoped that Rose wouldn't send her away - she needed Billowing to make things right and deal with the temple horror they had awoken.

On hearing Billowing's voice she jumps happily out of bed. "Billowing! You're awake!" she trots to the bed and nuzzles him affectionately, relieved that he sounded recovered. Billowing would see a bright pink earth pony with merry smiling sun-flowers on her flank and a brightly coloured mane/tail - a little bed-maneish after the night, but still very full and flowing. As she goes in to nuzzle him he smells the familiar scent of his exotic soaps and scents. The muddy, smelly adventure-grimey pony he had known was transformed. 

"After you cast that spell, the thing was trapped but you collapsed. I was afraid you'd never wake up. You told me you lived in Canterlot so I brought you back, asked around, and found out you lived in this crazy mansion. I never doubted you for a second..." she babbled with relief (incidentally she had very much thought Billowing might have been exaggerating about his home-life  but if anything, the stallion had undersold it). 

[EQ_Theta 428]

@Blitz Boom

“Thanks! This is mostly my father’s work, but he’s teaching me his ways so I can help him run the place. What you see here is the work of a family. Father is a good woodworker and mother handles the business side, customers and whatnot. I sort of handle both depending on where I’m needed.”

“And can I just say it’s certainly unexpected to meet another longma? You’ve definitely got some interesting friends here, Sub Rosa.”

Kiba didn’t seem to look the type to judge the siblings here, though it may be possible that he was born away from the village. Might be something that his parents would know more about, but as it is, Sen and Lin were still rather silently surprised at the recent developments. This would be especially true about Sen, who initially only learned about other exiles from Tomb from the night before, and now he meets a longma who is integrated in Equestria. 

As for Shade, he seemed to be rather off-put by Omen’s poking, though it was apparent that he was also attracting a lot more attention than normal. He’d normally slink along the dark corners of the shop and observe what was happening, but today was very different. For now, he would stay off to the side and humor the strange creatures, even if he had to do it silently. Frankly, meeting creatures that didn’t actively back away from him was certainly new and unexpected.

“Don’t worry about Shade, by the way. He runs security here, and looking intimidating gives him the advantage. After he came along, my parents never had to worry about the place being robbed. He can be very persuasive despite not saying much.”

“So, you see anything interesting you and your friends like? There’s a nice antler chandelier on display! Or how about we start with something smaller? These candelabra may look like trees branches but the vines here will hold your candles in place as if they’re gripping them! Maybe you’d like a wooden trunk for storage?”

The siblings had much to ask, though this didn't seem like the opportune moment. They'd wait for a while until there was a better time to ask their questions. Between Kiba's family, the business, and Shade, they were hoping to be more informed about what went on in this place. There'd be a bonus for Rosa as well as he was getting acquainted with a local, and it wouldn't hurt to know a friendly face in the neighborhood. 

[Rising Dusk 26,355]

@Blitz Boom

"Difficult to tell, without further research into these primordial.  Are Alicorns themselves primordials?  Fletching primordials waiting to ascend?  Perhaps avatars gifted power by a yet known Equestrian primordial?  Or maybe tapping into some sort of primordial source is what made them Alicorns.  So many possibilities. Our two most recent Alicorn Princesses were once a Pegasus and Unicorn.  After achieving some unknown accomplishment, they became Alicorns.  To know how similar their magics are to primordials, we'd have to ask my darling brother.  He just loooooves staring at Alicorn magic," Dawn chuckled mockingly.  Odd thing to be so attracted to, but to each their own she supposes.  Rising sees the world differently, literally, than the average creature in Equestria.  The younger mare reached up and tapped her horn, "And here I thought it was unique because I was so fabulous."  "It is the only multi-colored aura I've seen before.  Not that I'm an expert, but I've seen my good share of glow horns in the theater," the mother added.  "Rising's magic has two colors," Dawn countered.  "Does that count?  The black wisps aren't always present," Grace mused.  "A mystery in of themselves," Dawn responded in a jokingly ominous voice.

"Speaking of whom..." Dawn commented without looking, moments before the double doors Rising had disappeared through burst open.  Her Twinsenses were tingling to foretell his approach.  The Detective was laying on a bed with wheels that looked like a comfy stretcher.  Rising himself looked less comfortable, the unicorn wrapped up like a mummy.  If mummies were wrapped in wet seaweed.  So more like a sea monster from the Great Deeps.  Two Lotus Spa ponies were pushing the bed is a rapid fashion, zooming through the main spa area.  Dawn idly lifted her hoof from the bath and dismissively waved at the passing fourth party member, "Hang in there little brother, you're doing great."  Shortly after, Rising was rushed into another pair of double doors before he could respond.  Not that he needed to, Dawn could feel his ire.

Lily had the mare's attention again though, "A book you say?"  Tapping her hoofing together.  Something that might hold secrets that her brother doesn't know yet.  Keyword on the yet.  He may have been unprepared for his first encounter with the primordial artifact, but it was only a matter of time.  Rising had seen the spell tapestry, something he can go over in his head as much as he wants.  Was he already working to undo what he had seen?  "None of our stories tell of anypony doing anything with the dead other than making them scary zombies," Grace not having the basic foundation to grasp the other rolls Lily mentioned.  "How fascinating," the Pegasus expressed.

[Blitz Boom 4,463]

@Rising Dusk

8 hours ago, Rising Dusk said:

"Difficult to tell, without further research into these primordial.  Are Alicorns themselves primordials?  Fletching primordials waiting to ascend?  Perhaps avatars gifted power by a yet known Equestrian primordial?  Or maybe tapping into some sort of primordial source is what made them Alicorns.  So many possibilities. Our two most recent Alicorn Princesses were once a Pegasus and Unicorn.  After achieving some unknown accomplishment, they became Alicorns.  To know how similar their magics are to primordials, we'd have to ask my darling brother.  He just loooooves staring at Alicorn magic," Dawn chuckled mockingly.  Odd thing to be so attracted to, but to each their own she supposes.  Rising sees the world differently, literally, than the average creature in Equestria.  The younger mare reached up and tapped her horn, "And here I thought it was unique because I was so fabulous."  "It is the only multi-colored aura I've seen before.  Not that I'm an expert, but I've seen my good share of glow horns in the theater," the mother added.  "Rising's magic has two colors," Dawn countered.  "Does that count?  The black wisps aren't always present," Grace mused.  "A mystery in of themselves," Dawn responded in a jokingly ominous voice.

"I can only muse on both the primordial powers, and your aura, but I do suspect that Equestria does not have gods. They require worship, or they grow weak, and their powers fade. In time, they may fade too, and another would need to take their place. If you don't know of any god, they would have to rely solely on the worship of your alicorns, and it does not sound like you have enough to sustain them. Even if they were avatars, and the worship of them, went to one or more gods behind them, you would have known by now. Gods want to be known, so they can be worshipped, and treasured by the mortals.

Also, we have no history in Harrowmark of alicorns, yet we have gods. Could it not be that the same power that coalescent into gods, is what fuels their ascension? If that were, your alicorns wouldn't be heralds, or gods. But more akin to demigods. Just a thought, but an interesting one."

It would be strange to have those in pony form, if it were. In harrowmark, they only had one that were known off, and that were the dark, seething abomination Suusha had spawned, and then subsequently locked into the darkest, deepest part of the magical web, sparling through their country. Far held from anything resembling a pony.

Scattered legends said they had one from Viz'nay's powers too, but there had not been seen anything that would resemble that being true for over half a millennia, and no descriptions. It were generally believed these were just scattered remnants of hope, with no proof to it.

A minor intermission would then come, when she lazily noticed Rising be trolleys through the room, looking as if he had fallen into a pond. She sensed he likely were feeling about as happy right now, as one who had done exactly that too. This did not seem his environment, but at least it seemed to amuse his sister. Such quaint, sibling rivalry. Did not matter the species, nor the country, siblings being siblings never truly changed.

8 hours ago, Rising Dusk said:

Lily had the mare's attention again though, "A book you say?"  Tapping her hoofing together.  Something that might hold secrets that her brother doesn't know yet.  Keyword on the yet.  He may have been unprepared for his first encounter with the primordial artifact, but it was only a matter of time.  Rising had seen the spell tapestry, something he can go over in his head as much as he wants.  Was he already working to undo what he had seen?  "None of our stories tell of anypony doing anything with the dead other than making them scary zombies," Grace not having the basic foundation to grasp the other rolls Lily mentioned.  "How fascinating," the Pegasus expressed.

Lily nodded slowly, not wanting to really use many muscles, as she laid here in this relaxing pool of warm, scented water.

"Nothing is truly evil, or truly good. Not even magic. It is all about how it is used. So is it for primordial magic, dangerous as it is for a mere mortal to utilize. *siiiigh* But using the right sort of trinkets and vessels, while you slowly sift it through, careful to not take in too much, it can be wielded. I'll copy some of the literature for you, Dawn. Long as you do not tell Rising of it. Even if I edit out the things Twisted wrote, I doubt he would like it.

And speaking of, is it just me, or did he not seem overly pleased before? Is it truly so tough for him to just give in, and relax?"

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

 

@EQ_Theta

On 2021-08-07 at 2:11 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Thanks! This is mostly my father’s work, but he’s teaching me his ways so I can help him run the place. What you see here is the work of a family. Father is a good woodworker and mother handles the business side, customers and whatnot. I sort of handle both depending on where I’m needed.”

“And can I just say it’s certainly unexpected to meet another longma? You’ve definitely got some interesting friends here, Sub Rosa.”

"I live an interesting life, with quite a few interesting beings within it. As do you, considering living shadows are not something to be considered commonplace."

He'd glance over, and see that emboldened by her sisters actions, Hammond would also go over and cautiously try and touch the shadow. If there were anything resembling resistance, that meant it were solid enough to grasp, he'd then attempt to climb the creature. If not, he'd keep bashing his webbed fingers through the shadowy creature, curious as to what this were. Omen were somewhat sure this were not a sibling though, and just to attempt making sure, would speak to it in their native tongue. The whispering, multi-tongued words, that were impossible to understand for regular beings, would translate be her saying *Hello. I am Omen. Who are you?*. Seeing as the longma were also in range though, hearing these words whispering in his mind, would likely be a little concerning.

"Try not to mind the voice in your head. Omen communicated entirely telepathically. You get used to it."

As with many other things about Omen, it were a matter of not trying to analyze it, but simply accepting it. That tended to be the best way to approach her oddities, as trying to find meaning in her actions, and ways of being, might well be somewhat impossible. Seeing how she were partially made of chaos, that should not really be a surprise either, he supposed.

On 2021-08-07 at 2:11 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Don’t worry about Shade, by the way. He runs security here, and looking intimidating gives him the advantage. After he came along, my parents never had to worry about the place being robbed. He can be very persuasive despite not saying much.”

“So, you see anything interesting you and your friends like? There’s a nice antler chandelier on display! Or how about we start with something smaller? These candelabra may look like trees branches but the vines here will hold your candles in place as if they’re gripping them! Maybe you’d like a wooden trunk for storage?”

"I'm still getting situated, so I will need to get a feel of things before I start to acquire furniture. That being said, I do so love a good trunk. I'd be happy to see what you have in store, and prepare for such an acquisition once I've gotten situated. The theme of these items are quite homely, and I do enjoy that theme quite a bit.

What sizes of trunks are we talking about though? Only large ones meant for the foot of your bed, or are there in more varied sizes, which for example you could hide beneath a floorboard? I'm somewhat paranoid about robbers you see."

Not the entire truth, but he couldn't well just say that he really wanted to hide some things from prying eyes. That'd make him seem suspicious.

Rosa would follow and marvel at whatever might be in stock, and make a strong, mental note of it. There were quite a few things here he'd probably end up purchasing, once he had gotten situated, and had an overview of his income, and what he could use after living expenses and taxes.

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

 

@abrony-mouse

On 2021-08-07 at 1:55 PM, Fuchsia said:

On hearing Billowing's voice she jumps happily out of bed. "Billowing! You're awake!" she trots to the bed and nuzzles him affectionately, relieved that he sounded recovered. Billowing would see a bright pink earth pony with merry smiling sun-flowers on her flank and a brightly coloured mane/tail - a little bed-maneish after the night, but still very full and flowing. As she goes in to nuzzle him he smells the familiar scent of his exotic soaps and scents. The muddy, smelly adventure-grimey pony he had known was transformed. 

For a brief moment, there were horror in Billowing's eyes, as he gazed upon the fluffed up, pink pony standing near him. Until her face registered more clearly, and he calmed down again.

"By the gods. For a moment there, I feared somepony had invited Pinkie Pie into my room."

Pinkie were a... Challenging pony to be around, in his opinion. He could usually tolerate her in minor increments, where there were others she could focus on too, and he were at a good, mental and physical health. Right now however, he were not, and would have potentially gotten her undivided attention, as she'd try to *cheer up the sick pony*. What a horrifying thought that were.

Why she'd be here? He didn't know for sure, but it wasn't as if he knew many pink ponies, and she did still have manners to attend in this town, due to the princesses. It may well have been that she had been to do that, heard about him being ill, and figured she'd come to cheer him up. What security he had,. couldn't keep her out. Quite frankly, he wasn't sure what exactly could. She was an unknowable force, beyond comprehension sometimes.

Fuchsia was an unknown force too, but one whom had helped him, were a fellow adventurer. And judging by the aroma, as she leaned in to gleefully nuzzle him - an unusual, but welcome gesture, if he were to be honest - one whom had taken the offer of getting a bath, and enjoyed it. Which were just good. Some of the oils and such might not be cheap, but they were there to be used, and enjoyed. And he had offered her a visit. If he did that, but then dictated what she could and could not use in the bathroom, Grim would rightly smack him in the back of the head.

On 2021-08-07 at 1:55 PM, Fuchsia said:

"After you cast that spell, the thing was trapped but you collapsed. I was afraid you'd never wake up. You told me you lived in Canterlot so I brought you back, asked around, and found out you lived in this crazy mansion. I never doubted you for a second..." she babbled with relief (incidentally she had very much thought Billowing might have been exaggerating about his home-life  but if anything, the stallion had undersold it). 

"You're not the first to be surprised. Adventurers rarely make it so, but I got lucky on some trips, and made some sound investments, that have compounded quite well. It's not as impressive as all that though. Most furniture and such are replicas, as antiques seemed like a bad investment in my eyes.

Regardless, I thank you for getting me back here, and to hear that our actions were not in vain. I hope Grim were hospitable to you? Ah, or perhaps more accurately, I hope you did not encounter my cousin. She gets overly worried when I return home in a less than perfect state, and can get a little emotional then."

He'd start to get out of bed, and grimace a little, as he still felt his head ache some. He were going to need some water, and an aspirin. That would help. But one thing at a time. First he had to take stock of the new look of his companion in the wild.

"You're looking like a whole new mare, Fuchsia. It's wondrous what a nice, relaxing bath can do for a pony, after a long trip into the world, wouldn't you agree? It really helps loosening up those aching muscles.

*yawn* But we can't sit here all day. Surely you must be hungry. I know I am at least. Would you like to join me in the kitchen, Fuchsia? Ah, after I get a brush through this mane. I look like an unkempt racoon, next to you."

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

On 2021-08-07 at 10:27 AM, Catpone Cerberus said:

"I don't know if it was purposely filled or if it collapsed with time, but as evidenced by there being a solid wall in front of the entrance on this side, the route has been unused for a while, and since the sellers didn't mention it, it probably was already blocked when they moved in." "Not that I mind, as I would have probably filled it myself if it was still there, the other house is rotten beyond repair, so it would have only served as an easy way for intruders to get in my house." 

"Fair points. I just assumed you'd consider using it as an extension to your treasure lair, and then seal off the house area on the surface level. But your idea is probably better. Best to not take any risks. Equines might not often be thieving little things, but there is a lot of them, so even a small percentage is still a fair number that'd be happy to try."

Stealing from a dragon were rightfully seen as something akin to a death wish. Their kind was prideful and vengeful, as well as the greatest, most expansive hoarders there ever were, and ever would be. And they would know if anything were missing.

Ruby did not look like a dragon, so much like how Leviathan had tried to steal from her, so might others, unaware of what a mistake they made. And unlike her, they would probably be too late to correct their mistake, and would face judgement for it. Unless Ruby were in a good mood, and they begged for their lives, swearing they'd bring her a thousand pieces more, for every one they took. Might well be she'd be somewhat agreeable then. For a dragon, so... Minor scorching as a warning.

Personally, Leviathan did not go that far. She just scared the ever-loving Tartarus out of the offender, took back wheat she owned, and nicked something from the offender, for good measure. Dealing with corpses could be a messy business, and she didn't want folks around looking for the missing ones. Also scaring them meant they could spread the word, whereas killing them would mean that no one would know to stay away.

On 2021-08-07 at 10:27 AM, Catpone Cerberus said:

If the others spend the short moment to look around, they would find the basement, or the living floor depending on their location, to be mostly what one would expect from a pony resident, the only real difference being the before stated changes to make moving heavy things into the basement easier. In the basement one could also notice that the floor wasn't perfectly straight, as it seemed that the middle of it had sank a bit downwards, but other that that it seemed perfectly fine. Other than that, the only thing of note was a layer of dust covering pretty much everything, telling of the fact that Ruby didn't really spend time in the house itself. 

The outside had been something, but going inside were a good deal more interesting. Not the majority of the house itself. It looked like any standard, pony establishment, minus family photos, and the smell of baked goods wafting around. Ponies had a fascination with sugary, warm food, but she couldn't fault them that. They were pretty tasty at times.

In any case, what was interesting in here, were below the surface, in the basement. The ramp for a starter, were intriguing at first, as she thought maybe Ruby had a kind of playful side to her, but as the bags of bits were pulled in, and she slid them down the ramp, she got a better look at the real reason. A fair one too, as it were honestly rather simple, and Leviathan kinda now wished she had one of her own too. It would be fun, and she could pretend it were for pushing gold and stuff down.

What? She were allowed to have some joy in her life. Age didn't mean that you should remain completely serious and dry.

It wasn't a perfect basement though, but she assumed this bump had maybe been caused by something heavy going down it. Perhaps an extra large pack of gold? She ran a scaled finger over it, getting a good feel for the dent, before looking towards where Ruby had gone. A place with a lot of sound inside, that made her mighty, mighty curious, but this was clearly Ruby's actual treasury, meant only for her. And she should be shown enough respect to not have any of them go in and try to meddle things.

So she'd stay out here, in the basement, and would try to see if she could go over and stroke her little brother for now, to try and show him some more healthy affection, rather than the crude one he were used to. Marley meanwhile, would look around, dismayed by the dust, but keeping his beak to himself. Though he did use one of his wings to brush off the wall before leaning against it. He didn't want his whole body covered with such an unseemly amount of dust.

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

On 2021-08-07 at 10:27 AM, Catpone Cerberus said:

At one point his eyes stuck to something, or well, somepony, a guard that was seemingly half-metal (solar), though his weird appearance wasn't what caught Scarecrow's attention, and rather the way the guard looked at him through the crowd, it lasted only few seconds before the guard went on his way, so it was possible Lyriel or Crow wouldn't have time to notice him, but Scarecrow could tell from the seconds their eyes met that he had been spotted, though it seemed that the guard had decided Scarecrow was not a threat.

Crow did bite note in the guard actually, and stared him down, though likely not being acknowledged in the slightest. Due to their link, hit could sense Scarecrow's interest, and had looked around, to just the last second seen this odd one, made partially of metal. It weren't sure of too much yet, when it came to ponies, but this seemed unnatural. At least when comparing that one, to everyone else they were encountering.

He'd let out some clucks and chirps, which in turn, would then catch Lyriel's ears, and she'd start to look around.

"A pony of metal? Where?"

She'd continue to look, but wouldn't be able to spot whoever it had been, that Crow had been sort of mumbling about.

"That's odd. Why would one gaze upon you and then vanish? Should we try and find this equine?"

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

On 2021-08-07 at 10:27 AM, Catpone Cerberus said:

The siblings stayed put and watched as the creature went past them, "Haven't seen one of those before." it was telling how unfazed they were, it may have been a weird sight but they had seen a lot during their relatively short lives "Could be a result of chaos magic, don't think they would evolve like that naturally." "Hope the creature wants a friend and not lunch." while Sheska's word told of concern, neither kobold were planning to do anything about it. 

Onache's horn would glow, and she'd focus intently on the creature as it wandered past, with the unwilling stallion in her grasp.

Without a word, she's wander closer, and start to speak slowly, and at a low volume, to the odd pony, and after a few minutes, she'd let go of her grasp in the stallion's tail. Who'd then promptly get on his hooves, and take off as quickly as he could.

The odd pony then booped her snout into Onache's chest a few times, then skipped off, back in the direction of the main town. The changeling queen would return shortly after that, and roll her eyes with an annoyed expression on her face.

"Hmph. A chaos result indeed. I scanned her mind, and it was so shallow and simplistic, I needed to make sure I read it right. A shark made a pony, hunting stallions, but not for food. No, because everything must be mad with draconequii and their ilk, she were hunting for a mate, and just picked one she saw walked alone. All because she had seen ponies walk together, and thought this meant any that were alone, were fair game.

Sometimes I truly wonder if draconequui were placed on this earth, simply to be frustrating to deal with, even when they are not present."

On 2021-08-07 at 10:27 AM, Catpone Cerberus said:

The route they would take fully depended on where Knick Knacks'N Snaxx, if it was in the bakery's direction, it was likely they had seen it and thus would vaguely remember something like that being there, but if it wasn't, or if it was somewhere they couldn't spot it in when they came here, they would take the opposite direction, the logic being, it was few houses down from right down the street, so as they saw it, they would have most likely seen it if it was in the direction they came from, thus, with that reasoning, if they didn't remember seeing any shops with such a weird name, it had to be in the other direction. The existence of Pinkie and the shark-pony didn't affect their decision. 

Going down the same route, and past the bakery, where Pinkie seemed to either not be present, or busy, as she did not come out to assault them again, would soon get them to their destination. A hard building to miss, considering that among the normal ones around it, this one were painted in yellow, lime-green, and orange stripes, with the sign going *Knick Knacks'N Snaxx* standing in a gaudy, neon green. Advertisement spoke that it had all the things any tourist could want, including but limited to, pictures of the famous Bearers of Harmony, maps of the area - with all the important ponies around marked up - and various knick knacks, made by local residents. A lot of them having a theme of the bearers, the castle, Princess Twilight in general- that kind of thing. It was a tourist trap of the sort that were impossible to ignore, and in hindsight, would be just ridiculous. But it also seemed to be working well, as there were several creatures in here, gladly buying various things they found on the shelves, whilst wearing things like T-shirts with a picture of Princess Twilight on, and some text. Or a har that looked like Rainbow Dash's mane, or a bunny plushie that looked like Angel. Whoever ran this place, were hardcore into selling out to visitors.

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

 

@GingerLightning

On 2021-08-07 at 2:54 AM, GingerLightning said:

"Maybe you guys could tell me about  Changelings and hive life." She seemed excited to learn more about Changelings. 

"I have a lot of questions too, I just don't have the words to explain how happy and excited I am to be here."  she practically started bouncing with excitement, she was a lot more peppy and energetic since she was more awake. 

"And we're happy to have you here."

If she looked down, she'd find that a cat were currently looking up at her. A simple, orange tabby, that were also speaking with the changeling. As the pupper were done with his meal,. he'd see this animal, which were smaller than him, and ran over, as he thought this a prey animal. A bit of a wild thing that he still hadn't gotten trained away from, which usually meant he had to be in a leash around other pets, or have something said to him in a stern tone. He understood enough that meant that he had done something bad, and would stop.

As he got near this one though, the cat would jump in two different directions as it split. Then did it again. And again, and- After a bit, there were over two dozen cats, all starring at him, and Meiko were getting very, very confused. 

"Here's one lesson: My hive is experts at illusions, but many hives have varied specialties. Like mind reading, mind altering, or transformation. We can all do it, but it varies how good we are at it."

The cats would suddenly all jump together, and mash into a fuzzy ball, that'd then mold around, and stretch out, into the shape of a pony. Then the hair would start to go, more features be added, such as a horn, and not long after, Queen Cheshire would be there, looking down at them amused.

"I also kind of like making an entrance, and the theater work isn't helping to discourage it.

*giggle* But teasing aside, go and ask away, while she finishes breakfast. The others are gonna show up hungry and curious about you, so best you get your questions out before them."

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

 

@Windy Breeze

On 2021-08-07 at 2:27 AM, Windy Breeze said:

Tepe and Razor are concerned when they saw Windy suddenly shudder, her ears pinned down hinting negative emotion. “Are you okay, Windy?” Razor asked.

“Ah, I'm fine” Windy told them, “I...just felt a disturbance. Dunno what it is about, but whatever it was, it's scary” Windy wondered what it really was. It sounded pretty far away from them, she didn't want to know as her mind registered it a threat. Last she checked, Spike threw them at a mountain and covered them in a giant water tank.

"You shouldn't ignore your intuition. It's sometimes right. Hoping it isn't there, since whatever rattled you, appear to have been spooky. You don't get these sorts of feelings often, right?"

She were worried about her friend, since apparently she could sense bad omens ahead of time. It might be infrequent, and just because of the tense situation they were already in, but if this were a more normal occurrence Well, she hated to bring up the topic of a doomsayer, but it was a real thing. Not the most liked kind of oracles and seers of course, but important regardless, as listening to them could help you avoid the bad things they foresaw sometimes.

She had been told a distant aunt of hers were one, and she had gone to live in solitude, to not scare those around her. She apparently just sent messages via one that came around with groceries now and again, to warn others of coming omens. At various kinds of accuracy and details of course, but the future were a murky thing to look into, from what she understood. Sometimes it were clear, sometimes you got some metaphorical stuff.

On 2021-08-07 at 2:27 AM, Windy Breeze said:

“I'm not from the Frozen North. I first met Stormlight when we were both living at Cloudsdale. She urged me to move to Ponyville after a tornado ruined our homes so we went there and found Ire at the earth pony village. Needless to say, her first impression with me wasn't too bad- I mean, you'll be alarmed if you saw a stranger walking with your friend, right?”

"Not really. I'd just ask who this were, and try to be friendly. A friend of a friend, right? I'd never think I was being replaced, as just meeting someone that my friend thought were nice enough to speak with. The more the merrier."

On 2021-08-07 at 2:27 AM, Windy Breeze said:

“Also, I first met Writer Rhyme of the three of them. I met him at Coltagan when we were both young, he and his parents are visiting my mom's resort to stay in her hotel. I got the chance to talk to them because I worked as a receptionist. The mother? Well, she was super kind and we even hang out a bit to talk about a few stuff, the dad? ...not so much. He was pretty rude and he would often complain about our customer service and even wanted to sue one of my co-workers for accidentally spilling iced tea at him”

As she was talking, the oven suddenly made a ding, marking the end of the baking of Cimex's tarts.

"Well, at least one of them were nice to be around. I never get those who are rude to those working in the service industry. Most of them are just workers, trying to make an honest living, and do their best. Sure accidents can happen, but that's no reason to try and sue them, and just being mean in general doesn't get you anything. Well, except for spit in your food, but that might just be a rumor. I dunno myself. I've never been rude to the ones handling my food. Even when they were kind of themselves. I just figure they had a bad day, and accidentally vented some frustrations.

Sorry, I went off a bit there. It sounds like you and Writer have a long history together. It's nice having someone you know you can rely on like that. Same with Stormlight, even if I kind of get the feeling the encounter between you and Ire were shaky at the start."

While speaking, she would wander over and check on the oven, and see how it looked with what were inside. Likely done, and the oven heating down, so that would mean two things: 1 Cimex would likely be here soon, and 2. Windy were going to grow ever more persistent now, that she could probably smell the baked goods. This were onna be tough.

On 2021-08-07 at 2:27 AM, Windy Breeze said:

Speaking of Cimex, she wasn't pleased to hear a member of the Canterlot Press is here, “What does a mere journalist want from me? There are about twenty-six changelings out in the city and they have a lot of speak than me”

“Ah, there were?” Flinty feinted surprise and stumble back a little, “I didn't know that. This was actually one of my first time in the newspapers and my first time going into Fillydelphia. I want out meeting to be a low-key profile, so can you follow me to the alley? We won't be taking long”

Pop stood in the alley, and looked confused, as her large ears caught what were being said. How was the pony supposed to fall for this, and come back here? She were not the smarted pup within a hundred kilometers, but even Pop wouldn't fall for this sort of excuse. Why would a journalist need to have you in an alley? Even if it were to be low profile, why not somewhere like a shed, or a side room, rather than an alley? It sounded like a trap. And if even Pop could hear that, then surely the changeling could too.

This may go badly, but right now, all she could do were to wait, and see how things went.

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

 

@Windy Breeze @Kujamih @Starforce

On 2021-08-07 at 12:33 AM, Cali said:

Her eyes maintained the salmon redness and around them were black framed glasses. She stood at about the height of Celestia as a human. Her hair was quite blond. Around her, she was wearing a vaguely cape like attire. It was red on the outside and white on the interior and seemed to be well formed. She was wearing blue jean like pants with white boots. In her hands was a scythe made out of wood with various markings engraved onto it. She strikes up a pose with her scythe.

"What do ya think?" she asks with an accent nobody here had heard before.

The general reaction from those around, were silent staring, with their jaws hanging low. Big eyes that didn't know what to think, as they gazed upon this mythological creature before them, all caught in a trance, while waiting for somepony to break the silence, and do or say something that they could react from.

On 2021-08-07 at 12:44 AM, Kujamih said:

The crowd was shocked and amazed at the transformation of Cali that the crowd grew silent.

But light shouted at the background and broke the silence.

"You look like a hairless chimp!" 

The words of Light were the first to rise, and it caused a good deal of smiles, and a few giggles, while the ones with cameras began to take pictures. Mit seemed the mood had gone to delighted and amazed, with most being really curious, and if not taking pictures, coming closer to really get a better look at her. Even if some had laughed at the comment, they were not mocking, or teasing her in any fashion. They were genuinely fascinated, and not that afraid. The feeling going around being, that this were a new part of the tour. One showing off a fascinating creature of myth, from a pecular changeling actor.

On 2021-08-07 at 2:27 AM, Windy Breeze said:

“I'm bad at the landing and I always ended up crashing” Blue felt the urge to rub her face, “Entering the Wonderbolts Academy was my goal ever since knowing who they are, to know they can perform amazing acrobatic tricks, zooming into the sky like lightning during a storm!”

"I crash when I run. It's hard to stop up sometimes, hehe. Maybe you should fly with a pillow, and when you land, just right in front of your face, and it takes the ouchies?

Oooh, or a parachute! Just pop than and then float nice and slow down, all safe and snug."

Blitz were imagining Blue with a big pillow wrapped around her belly as she flew, and then as she were about to land, just stuffing it in front of her face, and hoping for the best. It looked funny in her head, and totally safe. It just had to be a good pillow, and not one of them thin ones without any real resistance in. Those were bad, and no good for sleeping on. Would help you from a big boop from a mountain either.

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

 

@Starforce

"That was... W-Woah, that was more intense than I thought it would be."

She had seen her own shadow being swirled in and used to, and gotten an odd, chilly feeling as it were driven from her base where it belonged, until the tendril had finished, and everything returned to where it had been before. She wasn't sure if this were a side effect, or if it were just something she imagined though. It wasn't as if she had ever had another creature mess with her shadow before, so she had no idea what to espect. Certainly wasn't what she had seen though.

She'd slowly take hold of the vial though, and examine that first and foremost. Her horn would glow, and thing, almost invisible strains would be barely visible around the vial, as it slowly moved up, and coalesced in a single, pure drop of shadow magic. The only thing that would be left behind, as magical residue were not easy to deal with.

"Here, that's the only thing I can find on it. The rest looks spotless in every way. It's very impressive, though uh... Is it supposed to feel chilly, when my shadow gets tangled around? I don't really know."

[Props Valroa 26,202]

@Blitz Boom @Kujamih @Windy Breeze

Cali glares slightly at light. "Leave it to light to say something like that." she joked with a slight blush there as she approached the others who were taking pictures of her in order for them to get a good view of herself here. She looks across the cloud. "Right! I suppose you all are curious about humans then. Ask away, hold nothing back. This will be a once in a lifetime opportunity for most of you. Hold nothing back, ask anything thats on your minds no matter how personal, violent, or gross it may be." she stated and reached forward and gently patted one of the ponies on the head. 

[Magnolia]

@Blitz Boom

Magnolia posed there pridefully. "I am always intense, friend." Magnolia joked lightly as she strode closer to give the beaker a closer look at the beaker as she pondered. "Well, I never really knew why it feels chilly. Perhaps that's just an after-effect of the spell but I never really knew why that was. Perhaps it is chilly because shadows are collectively cooler than the surrounding air and combining them somehow makes it colder?" she suggested.

[GingerLightning 258]

@Blitz Boom

"Woah, how'd you do that? Was it just magic?  Is it possible for somepony like me to do that? " She took a deep breath.

"How does the weird green stuff work? What's  with the holes in our legs? Is it normal for the holes to itch sometimes? Is it normal  for my tongue to flick like a snake's when I'm really hungry? What's hive life like?  Is the queen the mom of all the changelings in the hive like bees? Are there others like me? Are there changeling specific holidays?  Oh! Is there a hivemind?  Can you sense when there's other changelings nearby? " she took a minute to  breathe.

"where do changelings come from? Do changelings have to feed off emotions to survive or can they live off food? How long do changelings live for? If I had a more changeling name what would it be?" She asked before adding "I think that's all the questions I have...I might  have more later."

[Windy Breeze 15,177]

@Blitz Boom

“His father is always much, much rude and harsh than Ire” Windy continued even as she watches Sorrow check the oven; all the blueberry tarts inside were cooled perfectly, no burns or tears. The aroma flew out the oven and reached everypony's noses, including Windy who audible sniffed at the air, sighing in satisfaction as the scent called out for her, “Sometimes, Writer would tell me he regret not making his father change. That was a long time ago. Now, he despise his father so much he would forbid anyone from mentioning his father, if somepony talks about his father, he would snap at that pony”

A picture of her, asking Writer about his father make image in her mind, she will never forgot the face when he turned around and screamed at her as if she said something disgusting, she could feel the intense heat of his anger burn Into her brain, stuck in her head for eternity.

***

“Why the alley?”

Flinty was not the brightest member nor a cunning type of gang member, she can accept that fact as it is always true, success only comes when luck comes to her rescue. It is always questionable why would somepony need you In an alley of all places when there are other places to have a conversation, including the Inn and the bar. Still, she'll try make this right even if her plan is destined to fail.

“I understood what you're getting there. Alleyways are dark, dirty, and sometimes smell like rotting eggs, but if somepony hears us, then every words we spoke will be shared to the public and other newspaper companies and journalist would take advantage of these and twist the storey. We don't want that to happen, don't we?”

***

@Blitz Boom @Kujamih @Starforce

Blue was about to reply to Blitz when Cali's transformation attracted her and Luna's attention.

It was the strangest creature Cali would make, a hairless bipedal animal stood on her two legs, the only part of her which has hair was her head, her eyes were smaller, she was also larger than the alicorn sisters!

15 hours ago, Cali said:

Cali glares slightly at light. "Leave it to light to say something like that." she joked with a slight blush there as she approached the others who were taking pictures of her in order for them to get a good view of herself here. She looks across the cloud. "Right! I suppose you all are curious about humans then. Ask away, hold nothing back. This will be a once in a lifetime opportunity for most of you. Hold nothing back, ask anything thats on your minds no matter how personal, violent, or gross it may be." she stated and reached forward and gently patted one of the ponies on the head

It was Luna who first spoke up “Is that the general height of your race, Cali?” 

[EQ_Theta 428]

@Blitz Boom

“Wooden trunks for storing anything you like! There are a couple of pre-made ones over here, good enough for the foot of your bed. Then there are much larger ones because ponies sometimes want a large box you can put stuff in and save space in an attic. If you want to keep this under the floorboards, I think I can arrange to take some measurements because that sounds like you’d want a custom trunk. Ample space for storage while making it look like it can blend in with the room or the floorboards.”

Kiba walked over to a corner of the room where all of the trunks were stored. There are some simple-looking ones that looked like the kind of footlockers that traveling magicians or stage performers used. A few others looked like treasure chests with ornate engravings carved into the exterior. Some of the smaller trunks spread out appeared more unremarkable, but those weren’t quite ready yet. Regardless of what trunk Rosa wanted, there’s bound to be something for him. And if there isn’t one already prepared, he was at a custom furniture shop. There’s an option to have one custom-made for his specific needs. 

Meanwhile, the poking and prodding of the curious Omen and Hammond would get anywhere. A living shadow wouldn’t have a physical body, and Hammond would waft away the equivalent of smoke before it would reconstitute itself. Shade wouldn’t reply to Omen’s question, only continue to stare at her. It seemed like he wouldn’t know what to do with with a creature that wasn’t intimidated by his seemingly unnatural appearance, a first as Omen was unfamiliar to him. 

“Well… looks like Shade is in a bit of a bind. Creatures unafraid of him? Not what he expected. This telepathic form of communication isn’t entirely new to me, though. Shade also does that, but not like how Omen does it.”

“So… how does a shadow talk to you, if you don’t mind us asking? What is Shade exactly?”

“Three ways. First, he could implant little thoughts into your head. Short sentences or words, but he gets straight to the point. That’s how he gets would-be thieves to change their minds about robbing the place. The second is to change into a physical form to talk to you, and even then he isn’t the talkative type. Guess you can say that’s what he prefers to be when he needs to eat. The last one involves him forcing an unfortunate soul to be his mouthpiece.”

“As for what he is… you probably might not like it.” Kiba paused and steeled himself for the others’ reactions. He’s tried this explanation before to mixed results, but he wondered exactly how this group would respond. The shadow looked at him and subtly nodded as if he gave his approval for what was to come. “Ever heard of King Sombra? An evil unicorn who enslaved the Crystal Empire until Celestia and Luna stopped him and sealed him away? Well, some say he isn’t a unicorn at all, but a powerful umbra or shadow creature that took the form of a unicorn. Shade is also an umbra and possesses similar powers, but I trust him to use his powers for good.”

The siblings wouldn’t know who King Sombra is, but a brief description of him was enough to get an idea across. A tyrannical overlord who consolidated his power on the backs of others. The last part hit a little too close to home, and they gave the shadow creature an aside glance. They wouldn't be surprised there were more odd creatures hanging around the store.

[Blitz Boom 4,463]

@Starforce

"Maybe... I dunno, felt odd. Perhaps something to read up on someday, if I stumble over a book about it. Anyway, it's nice and clean now, so that's gonna be nice, but I think it'd best to wait with the others, until we're about to pour. Make sure to keep them all as nice and clean as possible."

With that, Zeehva would make sure that she had everything packed down in her saddlebag, and then head for the door. This time however, they wouldn't manage to get out without a visit from the innkeeper, as at the bottom of the stairs, Fishbone would suddenly fall down, hanging in her tail like a bat pony, and facing them with a grin.

"Up bright and early are we? And here I took you for a pair of night owls. How are you finding the inn so far? I like to get feedback on things. Unless you're busy? It can wait."

She wouldn't pester them long, lest she got a reason for it, so may well be that they could get to the forest soon, after a small bit of feedback. Or just keep on moving. She'd be around to ask more later anyway.

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

 

@Starforce @Kujamih @Windy Breeze

On 2021-08-08 at 7:58 PM, Cali said:

Cali glares slightly at light. "Leave it to light to say something like that." she joked with a slight blush there as she approached the others who were taking pictures of her in order for them to get a good view of herself here. She looks across the cloud. "Right! I suppose you all are curious about humans then. Ask away, hold nothing back. This will be a once in a lifetime opportunity for most of you. Hold nothing back, ask anything thats on your minds no matter how personal, violent, or gross it may be." she stated and reached forward and gently patted one of the ponies on the head. 

The pony getting patted were very excited about the touch. This was a whole new level of interactive display, that they hadn't expected in a museum of all places. But it was definitely exciting, and Cali were getting a lot of positive attention right now due to it. None of them believed she were a real human of course, as those things were just mythology, but it was still amazing to witness this whole thing. And she asked for questions, so they would come. Three hitting fairly quickly, from first the one she patted, then an older one a little further behind, and at the end, a foal.

"Does all humans have soft fingers?"

"How long is an average human lifespan?"

"You're pretty. Can I touch your mane?"

On 2021-08-09 at 11:01 AM, Windy Breeze said:

It was Luna who first spoke up “Is that the general height of your race, Cali?”

That question drew attention too. From Blitz as well, who came over to nuzzle her head against Cali's leg. She wanted to feel how soft a human was. There truly were no greater reason for her actions than that.

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

 

@GingerLightning

"Well, let's take it one at a time.

First off, you probably could do this, if you practiced a lot. I'm really good at transformations and illusions, so I make myself look like a cat, spread some illusory clones around, and morph them around willy nilly. It can be pretty fun. Though most illusions you can't feel. So if you touch them, it's just air. If you put in the effort though, and know what you're doing, you can make them feel real. It helps to sell it a good deal better.

But it's a tradeoff how you want to use your time. I got a good head start since as a queen, I'm more magical in the first place, and I also don't practice any sort of combat skills. We don't have time for everything after all, and frankly, I don't want my hive to be hostile.

With the green stuff, do you mean the fire? that's just the usual, magical aura of us. Sometimes, that have different colors.

The holes are a racial thing for us changelings. There's not really a good explanation for it. And yeah, it can get a bit itchy. The trick is to make sure to wash the holes at least once, every few days. It's kinda like itchy skin with others, but with an exoskeleton. Some also use a creme made of mud, water, and changeling bile to alleviate the worst itching, sometimes. I can show you how to do it later.

The tongue thing is normal too. Since we can eat emotions right out of the air, if we know what we're doing, it's your body basically trying to get a taste of the free flowing stuff.

Hive life is really varied, but ours, you'll get to see during your internship here. Don't wanna spoil it too quickly.

A queen is the mother - or in case of kings, the father - of all changelings in their hives, yes. Only a royal changeling can lay eggs, hence a hive lives and dies by their royals. The bee comparison is a touchy subject for some, so try not to just say that to any and all changelings. Some get kinda offended by it.

And if you wonder why they don't call me mother, or queen, it's because we're very informal. They're all my darling children, but they're also my colleagues, my dearest friends, and if we were to get more eggs, some of them would be the father. Try not to look on it from a pony perspective though. As I understand it, that's weird for them.

I don't know of any other halflings, but I'm sure there are some, somewhere. Hive life isn't for all, so gotta be more. I just kinda assumed it wasn't a possible mixture, until I were told about you.

There is two changeling holidays actually. One is fluent, and is based on the the hive. Ascension Day. It's kinda like the birthday, when a nymph becomes a changeling royal. The other is Prism Eve. Every year, on the sixth of March, hives will welcome members from other hives as brothers and sisters, while the queens and kings lights up the chitin in the hive in their color. Visitors will then use their magic to add a little of their hives color, and keep that going until 3 in the night. Not all hives celebrates this, so it can be kinda dangerous to do sometimes, but hopefully it will be more of a thing over time. Back when there weren't many hives, there were also a large gathering in the mountains, but there's too many hives for that sort now. At least when we had to stay hidden. Hopefully this can return too.

The hivemind is a myth, though we can sense other changelings, to varying degrees. Good spotters can sense those in hiding, some wouldn't know it if one stood right in front of them. Queens like me can use some pheromones to give out some general idea of what they'd like others to do though, like hunt, defend, come to me, and such. It's nothing forced though.

I don't know where changelings started. Somewhere out west of Equestria, I think.

A pure changeling needs emotions, like a pony needs greens. We can eat other stuff, but without emotions, we'd starve. Starve enough, and we could end up in the dreaded mindless state, where we lose what we are, and become feral, ever hungry things. No one wants that to happen. It's why some queens do horrible things, to feed their hives. Sometimes it's pure desperation.

Changelings are named after what the queen feels like. I want us to mingle, so we're using names like ponies would. And we live around the same amount of time as ponies, with queens living one and a half times longer, roughly. We mature faster though. From newly hatched nymph to adult drone, is about two years."

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

 

@Windy Breeze

On 2021-08-09 at 11:01 AM, Windy Breeze said:

“His father is always much, much rude and harsh than Ire” Windy continued even as she watches Sorrow check the oven; all the blueberry tarts inside were cooled perfectly, no burns or tears. The aroma flew out the oven and reached everypony's noses, including Windy who audible sniffed at the air, sighing in satisfaction as the scent called out for her, “Sometimes, Writer would tell me he regret not making his father change. That was a long time ago. Now, he despise his father so much he would forbid anyone from mentioning his father, if somepony talks about his father, he would snap at that pony”

"*sigh* We reap what we sow, don't we? I feel bad for Writer, that he lost a father in his life like this, but it sounds as if his father have only himself to blame for this. If ever I meet him, I promise I won't bring up his father to him. That's a personal scar for him, that I don't want to tear into.

It's just sad, y'know, since it sounds as if they could have reconciled, if his father had only just changed a little. I have a cousin like this, who did... Well, he broke some fundamental rules of our clan, to save his favorite cousins. It worked, but then grandma came after him, and they got into a huge fight... *sigh* It was a mess, and he ended up banished. I know she'd like to speak with him, but they're both stubborn, and don't want to admit any of them were in the wrong. Hearing about Writer, I kinda fear that might be how it could end up with them too.

I'd go shake him up and get some sense into his head, but Soul Prison isn't easy to find. Banshee claims he's doing okay though. They keep in contact. And nopony tries to shake up grandma. She might be old, but she'd make Princess Celestia herself shake in her shoes. She can be pretty scary when she wants to be."

Also didn't help with the spirits she had with her, but urgh... best not to dwell on that just yet. Windy would see in time, when they could go and visit her village. With her spiritual awakening, she'd do well in getting there at least, before she sights and sounds of death grew more clear than just Legion, Tepe, and Razor, and she'd question her sanity.

On 2021-08-09 at 11:01 AM, Windy Breeze said:

“I understood what you're getting there. Alleyways are dark, dirty, and sometimes smell like rotting eggs, but if somepony hears us, then every words we spoke will be shared to the public and other newspaper companies and journalist would take advantage of these and twist the storey. We don't want that to happen, don't we?”

Ooooh, Flinty Were a smart pony after all. The way she put it, made it sound a lot more reasonable, and like she had some kind of dirt on Cimex. The sort you wouldn't want said out in public. Or just in general, tried to say that something might accidentally come up, that she didn't want to spread like a wildfire. Clever pony. Definitely better than your average grunt, yes. Mistress Needle might need to hear this. She kept saying most grunts weren't smart enough to entrust with something more complicated than picking up a newspaper. She might want to hear about smarter grunt, like Flinty.

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

 

@EQ_Theta

On 2021-08-09 at 4:34 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Wooden trunks for storing anything you like! There are a couple of pre-made ones over here, good enough for the foot of your bed. Then there are much larger ones because ponies sometimes want a large box you can put stuff in and save space in an attic. If you want to keep this under the floorboards, I think I can arrange to take some measurements because that sounds like you’d want a custom trunk. Ample space for storage while making it look like it can blend in with the room or the floorboards.”

"There's nothing like a proper heavy, wooden storage trunk, to place at the end of the bed. I know closets are seen as so more convenient these days, but I miss these older furniture options at times. Especially since it's easier to have a fake bottom in those. I've hidden many an important item like that. Emergency savings for example, in case something goes wrong.

As for what I wanted, I think you are referring to a drop trunk of sorts, yes? One where it looks like part of the floorboards, rather than being beneath it? I do like the sound of that. It's make for a convenient storage for certain kitchen apparatuses... I'll need to think about that, but I am most certainly intrigued."

He had a home for less than two hours, and already he were thinking about decorations. Things were evolving rather quickly, though at least this were for practical reasons. He could use some places to storage poisons, weaponry, forged papers, and so forth. Sure he were no longer technically a spy, but he suspected that Scarcity still wanted him for this expertise, and that'd mean he needed to have the tools of his craft at hoof.

He'd gladly go over and look at the the ones presented, and would go straight for a spacious one, where you could have a pony lay within. A great way of measuring both space for various bed sheets and such, as well as an emergency hiding place, in case you needed to ambush another. Aah, would you ever forget your first time, hiding in a chest, and getting ready to knock out another? He certainly wouldn't. Nor would he forget the stories of those who tried to do that in abandoned places, just to learn what a real mimic were. It wasn't just adventurers those things got to chomp down on, every now and again.

"Nice and spacious. Solid hinges too, and a nice, heavy thud from the lid... Yes, this is rather remarkable craftsmanship. You don't get a sense for details on these things, in general stores."

Meanwhile, Omen would stop poking at Shade, once it didn't seem to do a lot, and mostly just stare, without blinking, right into Shade's eyes. Hammond would still touch the shadow though, and run his webbed paws curiously through the shadow several time. Eventually, he'd open his mouth and try to see what'd happen, if he tried to put the shadow in there. Likely nothing at all. He wouldn't try to chew though. Just put the shadow creature in there a few times, before giving up, and starting to stare up as well.

On 2021-08-09 at 4:34 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Well… looks like Shade is in a bit of a bind. Creatures unafraid of him? Not what he expected. This telepathic form of communication isn’t entirely new to me, though. Shade also does that, but not like how Omen does it.”

“So… how does a shadow talk to you, if you don’t mind us asking? What is Shade exactly?”

“Three ways. First, he could implant little thoughts into your head. Short sentences or words, but he gets straight to the point. That’s how he gets would-be thieves to change their minds about robbing the place. The second is to change into a physical form to talk to you, and even then he isn’t the talkative type. Guess you can say that’s what he prefers to be when he needs to eat. The last one involves him forcing an unfortunate soul to be his mouthpiece.”

“As for what he is… you probably might not like it.” Kiba paused and steeled himself for the others’ reactions. He’s tried this explanation before to mixed results, but he wondered exactly how this group would respond. The shadow looked at him and subtly nodded as if he gave his approval for what was to come. “Ever heard of King Sombra? An evil unicorn who enslaved the Crystal Empire until Celestia and Luna stopped him and sealed him away? Well, some say he isn’t a unicorn at all, but a powerful umbra or shadow creature that took the form of a unicorn. Shade is also an umbra and possesses similar powers, but I trust him to use his powers for good.”

"...Not sibling?"

"I don't know a lot about Umbra's, but enough to say that no, Omen. You're different beings.

And just for the record, King Sombra does have a birth certificate, so there have at the very least existed a pony called that in the past. That being said, if the king variant were an umbra, he could well have killed the real one for the name, or just taken it. It's somewhat murky when Sombra took control, and what historical records can be trusted from that period. It's a big part in why this rumor of him being an Umbra festers so well. There's just simply not enough facts to cover the whole story.

It's peculiar to see an Umbral though. Aren't they rather rare? And as for Omen, he can't scare her. She quite literally, does not understand the concept of fear. Nor love, or most other major emotions. Hammond is more well developed, and are learning fast, but he is still innocent and curious of mind. He doesn't seem to grasp it either, currently. If it helps him, I am slightly unnerved. Dealing with an unknown tends to concern me, and Umbrals as I said, are not creatures I know a lot about. As an example, I did not know they could possess others.

Is there anything beyond that we should be cautious about?"

[Evil Pink One 13,349]

@Starforce @Blitz Boom @Windy Breeze

Now that Cali has taken all the attention in the room, Light sneakingly snooped at the relics scattered in the museum.

"Hmmmm is there anything here that might affect the plot?" Light mumbled as he scan the relics one by one.

Light released his horn and started casting spells sneakingly to detect anything that might interest him.

"Hmmmmm....nope nothing...how bout this one..... Nope.... How bou- is that a tooth brush?.... Nope! Next..." 

[FanOfManyShows 396]

@Blitz Boom
 

In a moment, as Emerald spoke, Rose splayed a claw out to her, revealing the element in her hand.

As Skall extended his hands out and cackled, damage dealt but Skall seeing nothing but his victory as the element glowed faintly

"It can create copies of itself, that only imitate the abilities of the original."

As she said this, Skall would suddenly collapse, overwhelmed with the attacks, gritting his teeth, seeming to sense the true nature of the element rather quickly.

He shattered it in his hold,  as Steel beak couldn't even let out a screech from the intense and unreal pain he felt from the elements illusions, before bursting out blood spikes from his body attempting to attack her, manipulating his blood into a swarm of sharp tendrils

"Enough! all of you!"
Red hot looking Chains erupted out of the ground and pulled Skall and Steelbeak to the ground, even catching Rose from the air

Sapphire reaching out as she stood up, finally awake from all the commotion.
"Stop messing around, and these villains where they belong, in prison."
Giving their chains a rough pull into the ground

[Magnolia]

@Blitz Boom

Magnolia follows Zeehva towards the door after a silent acknowledging nod. She would walk with a calm yet confident stride as she follows towards the door, quite eager to get the collecting on with. She wanted to learn. With a slight hop back at Fishbone's sudden appearance she would smirk slightly. "Comfortable bed. Comfortable partner. Comfortable sleep." she simply replied and gave Zeehva a friendly nudge at that. Magnolia felt genuinely happy, once again. 

[Props Valroa 26,202]

@Blitz Boom @Kujamih @Windy Breeze

Cali's leg was fairly soft to the touch. Upon feeling the gentle soft warmth of Blitz she would gently reach down and pick up Blitz like a cat. She made sure to be gentle and would hold Blitz in her arms, giving her gentle pets as she looks to the other ponies. "Humans live generally 80 to 100 years, but that depends on what you eat. If you eat well, and stay healthy, you can live longer than that. Most humans have soft fingers, as long as they keep them clean." she would move down a bit so the other one could pet her hair. 

[GingerLightning 258]

@Blitz Boom

"How does changeling bile work? Is it like vomit? Do changelings have weird puberty things too? Do changelings molt like bugs do? Do changelings have bones? Do changelings' fangs grow back? " Ginger asked

"Sorry about all these questions, I'm just really excited to learn about this half of my heritage. It's very new and intriguing! " She said claping her hooves together excitedly. 

[EQ_Theta 428]

@Blitz Boom

“The umbra aren’t all that well-known. King Sombra definitely gave them a bad name, but rumor has it that there are more of them living underneath the Crystal Empire, sealed away because of the threat they posed, and the crystal heart keeps them at bay.”

“They are an unknown, but what I know about the umbra, I learned from Shade. Allow me to correct you now because the umbra can’t possess other creatures, but their mind control abilities are very formidable. As a creature of shadow, their interactions with the physical world are limited, so they would often employ other beings to do the work for them. It also explains how King Sombra easily took over the Crystal Empire; one glance was all it took to turn the empire’s finest guards into his personal army. The part where an umbra could change a physical body sort of just followed, but staying in that form isn’t natural.”

Hearing that description was just about enough to get the siblings to pause and retreat, seemingly as if they were slowly backing away from Shade. Kiba’s description was frighteningly similar to their own experiences back home, and knowing just what Shade was capable of… that was even more disturbing. They started to form their own reservations for the kind of company they were in, and Sen was oddly quieter than usual. 

Meanwhile, Shade noticed the awkwardness of having Omen staring at him while Hammond’s curiosity of trying eat a shadow was getting uncomfortable. The shadow eventually tried to awkwardly excuse himself from the rest of the group by backing away slowly before slinking into the shadowy corners of the store. After all, he was still on the clock, and he had his duties.

“If you want some advice, Sub Rosa, I’m afraid I can only work with anecdotes. Shade may be reserved, but don’t try to push your luck with him. Back then, there were three teenaged colts who tried to get away with some ornate candelabra and thought nothing of Shade, even prodding him with magic to stuff him into a jar. He had none of that, placing the three colts into a trance and ordered them to turn themselves in to the police. After that, we… also got in trouble with them and had to legally hire Shade. He’s been working security here ever since.”

As he finished narrating, Kiba turned to the other longma in the room and noticed their odd silence. It seemed like they were having trouble even looking at him despite there being no malice. Perhaps it was just the disturbing nature of Shade and how nonchalant he was at the whole thing. Whatever history the siblings had, the story might have touched a nerve. The signs were there, and so he’d do what he can to ease things a little. Fortunately, the prospect of a sale was looking like a possibility, even if it wasn’t happening now. 

“If you don’t mind me changing the subject, Sub Rosa, but the offer still stands. We take special custom orders, so if you want a drop trunk with specific measurements, just let me know. Father may take charge of this request, but I can introduce you to him.”

[Windy Breeze 15,177]

@Blitz Boom

“You can ask him once we got back to Ponyville. It's hard to imagine he once had a dark past behind cheerful smiles and positive radiating from him. I guess this is how I met all our friends; we all have skeletons hiding in our closet: Moonlight turning to a tree in the Everfree Forest for year's before setting free by a zebra enchantress, Stormlight having to fend herself alone not knowing who her family are. I already told you Writer, Ire's, and then mine which is why we're here” Windy turned blue, but Sorrow could even know, she lifted her gaze, a mischievous smile on her face, “That being said...” she suddenly bolted for the tarts, wings spread out to add speed as flapped them faster than the speed of sound.

Here we go again, indeed...

***

@Blitz Boom @Starforce @Kujamih

Luna found herself more interested as they received Cali's answer. 80 to 100 years? That seemed too...short, but then again, a few ponies die even before they reach golden age. Of course, life expectancy is different in every race.

[Blitz Boom 4,463]

@Starforce

Fishbone did so enjoy seeing others jump a little in place, whenever she came down from the ceiling. It made things just that little bit sweeter, for a whimsical dragon such as her. Though the way that Magnolia said things, did manage to make it even sweeter. To then see Zeehva get quite a blush as the dragon gave a smirk and a wink towards her, just made things better and better.

"Sounds like you two had a very comfortable night then. Well then, I'm not going to let you two crazy kids sit and listen to me all day. Have fun, and thank you for the feedback."

She'd pull herself up by the tail again, and return to skittering around in the darkness of the ceiling. More guests to attend, and much to do sadly.

Once she had left, Zeehva would lead the charge towards the forest, with her blush vanishing a little by little. Once they got there, she'd start to gather up the dew from the plants. Which were done mostly with magic. It would take some time, but in the end, so did most things, when it came to alchemy. At least if you wanted it done right. Rushing things could result in unwanted side effects, and she wasn't too keen on that being the case, if she were honest. It wouldn't do well for neither her reputation, nor her consciousness.

"This is better. A nice, light forest. No screams, no predators skulking around this close to town... *siiigh* It's nice to not have a lot of pressure, or worries happening for a little while."

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

 

@Starforce @Kujamih @Windy Breeze

On 2021-08-10 at 11:16 PM, Kujamih said:

"Hmmmmm....nope nothing...how bout this one..... Nope.... How bou- is that a tooth brush?.... Nope! Next..." 

he wouldn't find anything moving the plot along, as there really weren't one, beyond simply enjoying a nice day at the museum. Although the ruckus did mean that as he looked at one item, he'd be able to see a face look right back at him, from the lanky, dorky looking stallion that had been attracted by all the ruckus. And he were looking right at Light, at this very moment.

"Hello. Are you enjoying the exhibit? And might you be able to tell me what's going on? It's not usually this noisy here."

The lanky stallion's voice were a little squeaky, and as he corrected his posture, and went on the other side of the montre, his tacky, ratty yellow blazer, adorning his green coat, were indeed making him stand out in a crowd. As did the buckteeth, which were rather unusual for ponies, but he had been hit with many of life's bats, so to speak.

He'd correct his tie - which had the shape and pattern of an elongated shovel - and would then look between the curious performance, and Light once more, hoping to find some answers.

On 2021-08-11 at 2:18 AM, Cali said:

Cali's leg was fairly soft to the touch. Upon feeling the gentle soft warmth of Blitz she would gently reach down and pick up Blitz like a cat. She made sure to be gentle and would hold Blitz in her arms, giving her gentle pets as she looks to the other ponies. "Humans live generally 80 to 100 years, but that depends on what you eat. If you eat well, and stay healthy, you can live longer than that. Most humans have soft fingers, as long as they keep them clean." she would move down a bit so the other one could pet her hair. 

That Blitz were looking so very pleased being picked up, and treated like a minor pet, helped the others get even more secure in feeling like Cali wasn't dangerous. So when she bend down, and allowed them to touch her hair, the foal might be the first to do it, but a couple of others followed troop soon after. The general opinion seemed to be that her mane were indeed rather soft, as well as thanks for allowing them to touch it.

"80 to 100? Seems they're not completely different from us ponies after all.

Does humans have something like alicorns?"

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

 

@GingerLightning

"It's kinda like vomit, but not something that tastes bad. If you haven't woken up yet, finding anything you own encapsulated in a see through material before, you probably don't have that to worry about. We don't suffer from molting, as our exoskeleton grows with us, and so does our fangs. We can regrow those over time, but we're talking upwards of a year or more. Sometimes never, if the root have been damaged. And of course we have bones, silly. They're just a little different from pony ones, due to the holes in our legs. And the exoskeleton, but you'll need to find a doctor to show you the x-rays.

And it's just good. Being inquisitive is how you'll learn of your heritage, and it might be important for you. Just like it is for us, since again, we've never met a halfling.

So, I wanna ask you some things. Namely, how old are you? Did you grow at the speed of a pony or changeling? And can you use changeling magic?"

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

 

@Windy Breeze

On 2021-08-11 at 6:17 PM, Windy Breeze said:

Here we go again, indeed...

The second she saw that smile on her face, Sorrow felt both relieved, and scared, that she stood so close to the oven, as she had just checked on the tarts. Relieved because she might be able to protect them, and scared because she were gonna be right in the way. And Windy had now picked up speed, which meant that she'd be ramming right into Sorrow. Wouldn't even be time to give a response about her friends, and saying stuff like how she hoped that the one who had cursed her friend to be a tree, hopefully wasn't around anymore. Just had to stand there, and take it, as she were rammed into by the freight train that were Windy.

Best she could hope for, were clamping around the mare again. Surely she were too quick right now to avoid her, right? And long as she could just get a hold of her, surely she'd be able to protect the tarts... *gulp* Right?

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

 

@EQ_Theta

On 2021-08-11 at 3:23 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“The umbra aren’t all that well-known. King Sombra definitely gave them a bad name, but rumor has it that there are more of them living underneath the Crystal Empire, sealed away because of the threat they posed, and the crystal heart keeps them at bay.”

“They are an unknown, but what I know about the umbra, I learned from Shade. Allow me to correct you now because the umbra can’t possess other creatures, but their mind control abilities are very formidable. As a creature of shadow, their interactions with the physical world are limited, so they would often employ other beings to do the work for them. It also explains how King Sombra easily took over the Crystal Empire; one glance was all it took to turn the empire’s finest guards into his personal army. The part where an umbra could change a physical body sort of just followed, but staying in that form isn’t natural.”

"So an umbra is - to a certain extend - somewhat comparable to an intangible changeling then? And what I mean by that is the mind control, changeling shapes, and shady history with The Crystal Empire. It gives a certain point of reference, as well as another species whom would be interested in seeing the crystal heart either fractured, or corrupted."

Rosa would understand better by drawing from previous experience and knowledge, so this were a tangible thread, although of course, he were not saying the two species were the same. They clearly had a lot of differences, yet the overall way that he knew one were approached and perceived, would help him transfer some of that towards the other. Among a few other things, but he would keep a somewhat open mind on this for now, and give an odd side glance to Shade. He did not overly trust this creature, at this current moment in time.

If Shade tried to take over Hammond or Omen, he'd find that Hammond were likely rather easy, as his mind were young, and he didn't know how to resist. Omen however, would not be that simple, seeing as her brain were a chaotic construct, of a kitten bashing a ball of yarn around. If he tried, he'd just find a large kitten would try and chase him, to bash him around instead, and while that went on, Omen would be completely shut down. The yarn were her mind after all, and if the kitten didn't bash it around, there would be no activity in her head. She'd essentially go into a momentary coma.

As Shade wandered away, Omen would leave him alone. Hammond would try and follow, but as he saw no one else did so either, he wouldn't either, and would instead wander over to a nearby piece of furniture, and crawl around it, to get a better look at everything. He wouldn't destroy this, or even scratch it. He were not driven by mischief and malice after all. Merely curiosity. At worst, he'd open and close some cabinet doors, or drawers, rather slowly.

On 2021-08-11 at 3:23 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“If you want some advice, Sub Rosa, I’m afraid I can only work with anecdotes. Shade may be reserved, but don’t try to push your luck with him. Back then, there were three teenaged colts who tried to get away with some ornate candelabra and thought nothing of Shade, even prodding him with magic to stuff him into a jar. He had none of that, placing the three colts into a trance and ordered them to turn themselves in to the police. After that, we… also got in trouble with them and had to legally hire Shade. He’s been working security here ever since.”

"Duly noted. Though I wasn't pondering attacking him. Merely some mental notes about him, which I tend to do with most new beings I encounter. A force of habit more than anything. Lest he tries something first, I don't see a reason to attempt something either. And if the comment have something to do with how Hammond attempted to put him in his mouth, I do not control him, nor do I understand him. He's a... Peculiarity. Best I can tell, he is simply approaching things much the same way a toddler would. Unless he attempts to do so with something sharp, I wouldn't think much of it."

On 2021-08-11 at 3:23 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“If you don’t mind me changing the subject, Sub Rosa, but the offer still stands. We take special custom orders, so if you want a drop trunk with specific measurements, just let me know. Father may take charge of this request, but I can introduce you to him.”

"Once I get a better feel of the house, I will most definitely return here. A home needs some charm, which things such as this can provide, since it have more personality than your average, school table degree of furniture. It always seemed rather bland to me to go that route. But as said, I will need to take measurements and such first, and see what space I have to work with, so I can make certain I don't make an order that would be unwieldy. I moved in less than an hour ago, so I have not even settled in yet, you see. We fought it interesting to start by watching the neighborhood first, and quite frankly, this place surprises me in several ways. That there are longma here is one thing, but I had assumed there weren't even shops in the old part of town. And definitely not something with this much finesse and detail to the wares.

Might I ask how long you and your parents had this shop? I find myself rather curious. if that is okay?"

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

 

@FanOfManyShows

On 2021-08-11 at 12:13 AM, FanOfManyShows said:

"Enough! all of you!"
Red hot looking Chains erupted out of the ground and pulled Skall and Steelbeak to the ground, even catching Rose from the air

Sapphire reaching out as she stood up, finally awake from all the commotion.
"Stop messing around, and these villains where they belong, in prison."
Giving their chains a rough pull into the ground

"Ever the spoilsport, aren't you sister? Though I suppose it's good you're finally up, rather than needing me to save you. Again, I might add."

Emerald wouldn't be chained down, so she assumed she wasn't considered one of the combatants now. And as the three main ones were down, that meant that Shade's avatar, and the shadows in his *employ*, were now free to descend upon these mad creatures, and for Shade to start weaving some shadow threads around them, to further keep them from escaping. An annoying presence seemed to try and get to him, as he got near Skall, but he wasn't deterred. Nor distracted. Just had to keep focus here.

She'd wander straight towards her sister, uncaring about how things were going on around them. Up to and including how despite being rag-dolled around again, Chow were once more trying to stand between her niece, and her. It almost made her roll her eyes though. The girl were far more able to protect herself, than he was her. And yet he kept doing this idiotic act. She supposed he were persistent, if nothing else, and somewhat durable. Nothing seemed to have yet been broken from all the smacks he had gotten, so that were a minor plus. That being said, her interest were not in those two currently. It were in Sapphire.

"You need to be more cautious of your surroundings, sister. Had I not tracked you, you may be dead by now. Truly dead even, and I am not thrilled to think that I had gone through all that trouble, just for you to cement yourself as a corpse, once and for all. Think of your family, and how they would have felt from having you briefly back, just to end up like that."

Emerald were scolding her some, and gazing at Sapphire with a cold look in her eyes. But that was mainly because she had been worried herself. Enough to have made a pact, which she were now bound to keep, all to get Sapphire back to the family she left Emerald for. How much more could she give her sister at this point? How much longer would she need to be saved from her own foolishness, by a sister she abandoned? Ridiculous... 

[GingerLightning 258]

@Blitz Boom

"I'm 18. I aged like a pony. And I'm not sure if I can use changeling magic.  I haven't tried, but I am capable of magic."  Her horn lit up with a dazzling green color as she lifted a few crackers with her magic and made them spin.

"I'm not very skilled with magic, I haven't  practiced it. Pegasus magic, specifically weather alteration, rarely works well for me, I always get weird results. Like hail when there should be rain. I can stand on clouds just fine though. It's just weird and wonky when it comes down to weather manipulation. I don't know how changeling magic will work."  She said before she offered Meiko a cracker.

[Magnolia]

@Blitz Boom

Magnolia followed Zeehva to the forest, satisfied with the interactions they had with Fishbone. Until they were there, Magnolia were silent and wanted what she had said earlier along with Zeehva's blush to reign supreme within her mind. Magnolia had a point that she had wanted to make but didn't make obvious. With the morning air, she was quite satisfied with the surroundings. It reminded her how she sometimes awoke early in the mornings so she could appreciate the cool crisp morning air as well as the morning fog. Morning fog was always the best, now wasn't it?

"Tell me about it. Just the way I like it. I always liked the morning fog, you know? Always gives you a certain feeling...that I love." she spoke with desire.

[Props Valroa 26,202]

@Blitz Boom @Kujamih @Windy Breeze

Cali holds Blitz close, fondling the small filly with tender hands before sitting down with Blitz in her lap as she looks to the others. Her hands were smooth, and delicate in her holding of Blitz. If she wanted to leave, she could leave Cali's grasp at any moment.

"We don't. While there are different humans that look different from others, the ones who rule are the same as the subjects they rule over as in their mortality and species. Most human rulers are either rich, or quite powerful in their social influence over others. Magic doesn't exist, neither do talking ponies like here. The weather controls itself, as well as the sun and the moon." she stated logically.

[Evil Pink One 13,349]

On 2021-08-13 at 5:27 AM, Blitz Boom said:

Hello. Are you enjoying the exhibit? And might you be able to tell me what's going on? It's not usually this noisy here."

@Blitz Boom @Windy Breeze @Starforce

" HAH! and the narrator said there's nothing to move the plot.... There's always something to move the plot.... And you good sir is one of them!...."

Awkward silence errupted.

" How do you do the name is Light."

[EQ_Theta 428]

@Blitz Boom

Seemed like Shade was listening in from the shadows, though if he wanted to exploit his powers for personal gain, he would’ve done so under more favorable conditions. Right now, he was content with where he is; having a purpose, a place to ply his trade, and even having some acquaintances who accepted him as he was. Not bad for an umbra despite their reputation. Still, this bunch was no doubt the strangest being to grace the store, and perhaps nothing could top that for a long time. To him, the most normal of them was the thestral speaking with Kiba, who at the moment was very much engaged with meeting this customer. 

“A newcomer huh? Well, you definitely came to the right place! You’ve already met me, and maybe soon, you might be able to meet the rest of the neighborhood! It’ll hopefully turn out better than how things started out for my parents. We’ve had this shop for about five years now, though before this, we didn’t have anything to our name.”

“I guess you can say we had some luck with a unicorn stallion. Couldn’t recall his name, but he had wavy blue hair and wore this lens on one eye. My father started with just simple furniture, but there was always some ornate design on it. Not many would bat an eye toward his wares, but he was different. The unicorn and his friends bought some of his wares, saying they had a ‘rustic charm,’ whatever that meant. Next thing you know, many came to see what my father had to offer, and eventually, he got enough money saved up to start the business. It was expensive to start in Canterlot, but that unicorn suggested that we start in the old town instead, and here we are.”

The full sequence of events were a rather long tale, but this was about as good as Kiba could recount it based on memory. A lot of this happened when he was young, and he may not have remembered most of the finer details. The one thing he was sure of was that there was a unicorn who had a lot of influence, which aided his father in establishing himself in the old part of Canterlot. Business may have slowed down now, but there was the occasional customer who would order a whole furniture set, with some coming from as far away as Manehattan. 

The siblings would walk around the store to see what else was in it while Kiba recounted the family’s tale to Rosa. They wouldn’t be too far away so they could still hear the story but it wouldn’t be long before the sounds of footsteps echoed by the workshop entrance. This one came from a much more grizzled-looking creature, broad around the shoulders, but he had some very identifiable features, especially two antler-like horns. 

“Kiba? Are you chatting with the customers again instead of taking their orders? I know you can get carried away with meeting new folk, but you could be closing a sale. And – oh… I haven’t seen you from around here, so I take it you and your friends are from out of town and heard about this place? My name’s Uddo, proprietor of this custom furniture workshop, and it seems like you’re getting acquainted with my child. I don’t suppose I could help you out with anything, mister?”