open Casual stroll

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

@Blitz Boom

Light would grin and giggle a bit at Shark.

" Nice catch Sweetie, but that's not how you play that game though."

He'd then point to Shark to give back the ball to the players, that is if it's still in one piece.

"There's a lot of sports here to play Shark. It's best that we don't disturb the players from their game and watch them how they play, that way we can decide which ones we wanna join in. And besides, we're still doing some tour in the school. Best we do it another day."

Then Light wondered and asked Bubbles," you got any water sports? She'll be MVP material for sure." He proudly proclaimed.

Meanwhile Light seems to be more interested on his mates happiness rather than to find his sports or hobby or his future in this Equestria.

His only reason for joining was for Shark, since she wanted to learn more about pony kind, and Light wanting to learn more about Shark kind.

"... I wonder what Shark's real parents would think of this situation?... Would they accept me?" Light pondered heavily from his own questions and worry. 

Edited July 27, 2022 by Kujamih

[Blitz Boom 4,620]

(Ignore this. Mistaken post)

Edited July 27, 2022 by Blitz Boom

[EQ_Theta 457]

@Blitz Boom

On 2022-07-27 at 7:14 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"A thought occurred to me. Two, as a matter of fact. The first being that when you have made something, to perhaps bring word to the esteemed high socialite, that helped you along in the first place, Uddo? Perhaps he would not want to purchase it, but it seems poetic in a way, to offer him first chance, as this would be something meant for a higher priced market, than those such as myself, or Omen.

Which brings me to the second one. I were pondering, that if this causes a potential demand, that I would bring a proposition before you.

As you were told, Omen have earlier, gotten this log, for helping the bat ponies with transport. Their normal ways of transportation, is by boat, and there is a substantial cost in that, from start to finish. One they still profit from, of course, but perhaps if they were offered Omen's assistance in transporting large quantities, not only to mainland Germane, but anywhere they'd want, it would present her an ideal job? One which specifically, she might be paid more for in lumber, which she could then sell exclusively to you. It is speculation, based of if your interest in the iron wood, as well as the interest in the area would rise, but if so, I find it something that were worth vocalizing to you.

“Huh, that might just help drum up business during the occasional dry spell. Been thinking about trying to expand the stuff I have for sale. Maybe Mister Fancy Pants himself might know about iron wood, or one of his socialite friends might spread the word, and it'll keep things interesting for the workshop. I’ll keep that in mind, but I’m thinking about taking this slow for now to learn more about this piece of wood before doing anything with it. Might even be able to pay Miss Omen back with bits and an employment opportunity. No need to answer immediately, Miss Omen. Just think about it and come back when the time is right for you.”

“You know, Rosa, you know so much about all of this that I think we’d have a lot of interesting things to talk about the next time we meet over a meal. Maybe one day, you can tell me how you came to know so much, but I’m sure you’ve got your work keeping you occupied. I’m looking forward to our next meeting!”

The older longma pondered about what made Rosa so knowledgeable in a wide range of topics, but that might just be from having traveled to many places in his youth. If only he had a chance to see more of the world without having too many obligations to saddle him… Sadly, he has his responsibilities to his family and his work. Having a clientele coming from the Canterlot socialites means living up to their expectations, as even a small mistake on his end could cost him. The consequences would be dire, and he had to secure his family’s future. 

All this talk about the business somewhat got him thinking about Sen and Lin as well. Knowing what Rosa is planning to do with the longma elders, the siblings would be there with the thestral, and things could get complicated with the more stubborn village leaders. If things don’t fare well, then they’d likely start worrying about how to support themselves. Contingency plans could be set in place, but it is still up to them to make the choice. He’ll be there to guide and support them, but making a choice on their behalf didn’t seem right. All he could do for now is to wish them well and hope for the best. 

On 2022-07-27 at 7:14 AM, Blitz Boom said:

In regards to my domicile, I have no qualms with you being there as often as you'd like. Stay for a while, if it is to your wishes. It would surely be much better to rest on a couch, or in a guest bedroom, than on the floor in some cave. Resting on stone is not good for your back in the long run, you know. As well as general health, from things such as cave mold, moisture, and random bear attacks.

As for my privacy, I have precious little use for it currently. I am getting tracked by several at this point, and thus, the notion that I have privacy, is laughable. Besides, I have nothing to spend it on currently, beyond preparing for various things, in the future. Perhaps polish my blades, or something of the sort. Had I another in my life, perhaps your gesture would have merit, but currently, that is not the case.

...That does remind me though, I need to send a letter. That besides, should we perhaps go home? It would be good with some place for us to mull over today's developments."

“I’ll take your word for it, but I guess it’s just hard to break old habits, you know? Living out in the wilds for almost my entire life doesn’t really offer much comfort or choice; just had to live with it. Maybe we’ll stay for the evening, and don’t worry about what happened earlier, though. Things turned out well, and uncle sounds like he’s warmed up to you, so that’s something good. Lin? You want to spend the night at Rosa’s home?”

Lin remained silent, barely acknowledging that she had been addressed. Sen looked at her, sensing some things distracting her at the moment. She seemed to still be pondering on how she responded to the mention of her and Sen’s exile, or possibly fixated on something from that exchange. Eventually, her attention returned to the question, but her tone suggested that she wasn’t entirely over it.

“Lin? Are you okay?”

“Yes.... No. Thinking about what you said earlier when I snapped during that talk about exile… Look, I know you want to talk about it, but now’s not a good time. I’ll see you all later… or tomorrow if you’re asleep by then; I know where to find you, or Omen might pick up my scent and track me so she can get me to you. Just give me some time alone. Please?”

The way Lin responded to her brother contained a mixture of impatience and irritation veiled over an indifferent tone that tried to hide much stronger emotions beneath her words. Sen couldn’t reply to her fast enough, as she walked away before anyone could get a chance to talk her out of going on her own. However, Sen knew Lin could handle herself, as she has done over the many years she spent in exile. He’d relent, understanding that this is important to her. She’d only be away for several hours at best, and after how she seemingly lost her composure earlier, perhaps Lin need time to think. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if he messed up since she didn’t want to stick around with him or the others, even if she just wanted to be alone.

"All right. See you then. Come on, everyone. Let's give sister some time for herself."

As for Lin herself, she moved on ahead seemingly convinced that the others would be going in another direction. There wasn’t time to turn around and look, as the longma was preoccupied by her own thoughts. Was she right to have said those things earlier? Could it have gone differently? Had her brother forgotten just how much being exiled broke him? She had questions but lacked answers, answers that she wished she could have. Her eyes were fixated on the ground, only looking up every now and again to see where she was going, but something drew her attention after a bit of walking. A red glow from a nearby alley, pulsing with energy, enough interrupt the longma to investigate. 

“Hammond? What are you doing here? And what is that you’re wearing?”

She crouched down to get a closer look, though she wouldn’t try to pry or take the necklace from the little creature. It was odd that Hammond was moving about in the evening when he’d likely be indoors with Scarcity. Then again, he is related to Omen, and the no-sleeping rule might be applicable to him as much as it does to her. What’s more curious is the necklace he’s wearing, and the longma wanted to see what’s causing it to glow and pulsate. 

[Catpone Cerberus 23,588]

@Blitz Boom
Ruby didn't react much to Diego's appearance, sure she too was annoyed by the interruption, but staying cold was a way for her to assert her power towards others. Charir meanwhile slightly mirrored Leviathan, tensing up as she sparked up, and relaxing as she did.

Charir's reaction to Diego's friendly gesture was what to be expected from someone who had no idea about social norms or what was said, as he backed away and gave a suspicious look at Diego, showing his teeth to keep him from coming any closer, he could tell there wasn't obvious ill intent, but he didn't want strangers touching him, since that intent could be faked, and since Ruby nor Leviathan was overly positive about Diego, he had no reason to trust him that way either. 

Ruby would speak before anything more could happen "He doesn't understand what you say, nor does he know the proper social etiquette; I wouldn't get any closer to him, until you want to know what his claws feel like." she kept a pause to let Diego react to given information "For the letter, while I don't understand why you didn't just give it her, sure, we are meeting her soon enough so there isn't really a reason to not deliver it." 

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

While he had taken it seemingly well, it took Scarecrow few moments to collect himself, he may have not been able to feel pain anymore, but the sheer shock of the pain he had felt was still around as a sort of discomfort. a negative memory, but in this case that was actually good as far as she was concerned, as it felt nice to be able to feel something for a moment, even if it was pain. 

He thought for a moment about how to word things "First there was flash of darkness, then I felt...light, and cold, everything also looked and sounded bit different, I couldn't make a sound, and then the pain came, I didn't really have time to comprehend what was going on, I fought against something, but it pulled me into darkness, I couldn't see anything, or hear, there was just pain, and then everything was back to normal, back to this." "I also think I forgot some things I used to know, there's memories that lack context." "I'm open for the archive idea, it's not like time matters for me, a week and a century feel the same." after this he now fully believed the ghost mare in the Everfree that it had been painful to go through what she had, if this hurt this much, what would it feel like if he was blasted into nothing and came back from that?

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

Seeing the doctor, Sear made an effort to stop Chega from seeing or smelling it, after all, she had already almost thrown up earlier, and Sear wanted to keep it at almost. She herself just filled her nostrils with the smell of fire and ash to keep the stink away. Sheska and Trox, who were closer to the doctor, took it pretty well, probably surprisingly well from point of view of those who knew nothing about their past, their expressions did turn to show that it was unpleasant, but that was about it. 

As the doctor explained the situation, Sheska quietly spoke to Trox, though it was loud enough to be heard "A parasite, figures, reminds me of..." she said something in different language "....killed lot of kobold slaves back in the day, a nasty little problem." she had no idea about this specific thing, since changelings weren't a thing, but she was well studied in medical history from their world, for obvious reasons. 

The siblings, unsurprisingly, weren't happy about the idea of a lockdown, and as that wasn't bad enough, a very familiar sound of metallic hoofsteps came from the direction of the entrance, but before Solar could say anything to anyone, Sheska spoke "No, no, no, definitely no, I will not have him anywhere near me!" Solar looked surprised, which was probably the most emotion he had visibly shown until this point, he knew he wasn't liked but this was slightly confusing "I'm not sure what you mean, I just need some translation help and have something to show you, I'll be gone after that."  Sear and Chega looked at Solar as the hadn't seen him before, but while Sear was wary of him, Chega looked at him with more.... analyzing way, his eyes specifically, like she was trying to remember something. 

 

 

 

[Blitz Boom 4,620]

@Rising Dusk

On 2022-07-27 at 4:22 AM, Rising Dusk said:

"We know of those details, Thistle.  The Dark Wizard Twisted, the encounter with an avatar of the Dark God, his trip through a Dark Swamp and Twisted's Dark home... Now that I think about it, Dark was mentioned a lot...  Regardless!  The undoing of Twisted's magic to free the trapped souls.  His story of many juicy bits though boils down to "We fought" or "The swamp was Dark"... Even though!  We know in that infinite library he calls a brain, he could tell us every detail down to the number of trees he saw while all this was happening!" Dawn exclaimed in her mellow drama.  "We fought.  The swamp was Dark," Rising repeated.  Taking a second to think, he then added, "I saw 367 trees."  Dawn puffed her cheeks and nudged him roughly.  The family knew the important bits.  Going into grim detail about the horrors he saw in the swamp, the bog hunter in the shed or the second to second play by play of his fight with Twisted, wouldn't be that pleasant to his parents.  At least in Equestria, a cop doesn't go home to share the grizzly details of a murder scene to their loved ones.

"𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕨𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖𝕝𝕪 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕤𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖, 𝕙𝕒𝕕 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕔𝕚𝕠𝕦𝕤 𝕠𝕟 𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕡𝕒𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕠 𝕆𝕒𝕜𝕤𝕓𝕣𝕠𝕠𝕜."

He would also have seen further horrors to tell his family about, but if he told them of the demi god, then she supposed he were willing to tell them of most of the things he went through, if not all. Rather peculiar honestly. She had assumed him to be the sort who'd keep some things for himself, as to not worry them. She learned a little more of him, bit by bit as they went along.

She almost seemed pleased, when she saw the sibling interaction. Yet the stoic look remained, despite the quick uptick of the right side of her mouth. There were something nice about seeing such simple things, as the bond between siblings. She were on Dawn's side on this matter though. He deserved it for that comment. Perhaps a little more than that even, but she'd leave that to Dawn's judgement.

On 2022-07-27 at 4:22 AM, Rising Dusk said:

To add to her small theatrical frustration, Thistle had to go into her own detail on how to obtain her shoes.  To say the least, Dawn was not all that thrilled to hear this.  Back to just having to make her own, she supposed.  "Earthly pleasures is right," Rising agreed with Thistles assessment.  Dawn couldn't be angry at that, nor would shy away from admitting it, "True.  A pity, they are most beautiful."  The real pity was nagging at the back of her mind on how the High Priestess could wear such otherworldly garb but Lily had to instructed the Manehatten mare not to do the same.  His twin sister was smart enough to keep her mouth shut.

"𝕍𝕚𝕫'𝕟𝕒𝕪 𝕓𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕨 𝕦𝕡𝕠𝕟 𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕗𝕒𝕚𝕥𝕙𝕗𝕦𝕝, 𝕤𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕝 𝕘𝕚𝕗𝕥𝕤. 𝔻𝕠 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕖𝕟𝕧𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙, 𝕓𝕖𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕨𝕖 𝕞𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕘𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞 𝕚𝕟 𝕗𝕦𝕝𝕝."

She would not elaborate further, as she didn't think it needed. Time would show them enough, and then... Well, she doubted that Dawn would be as enthused as she thus far seemed.

Regardless, that were not important currently. What were, would be the meeting that were unfolding in front of her, which had rather... Unexpected twists to it.

On 2022-07-27 at 4:22 AM, Rising Dusk said:

Will-O had her own questions though, albeit one that caused a number of blinks and a state of confusion in the family.  Dawn opened and closed her mouth a number of times, but collected herself.  "I'm not sure if I should be flattered or insulted," the mare inquired, more to herself than those present.  She took a moment to example her twin.  He did come from the same gene pool, but she of course had the looks in the family, as it were.  Rising were a handsome stallion to be sure, but right now she was more confused if such relationships were considered okay in Harrowmark.  Their appearance might not denote the more twin like and more opposites.  Rising with the sun orange mane and midnight blue coat, Dawn with the midnight blue mane and sun orange coat.  Most usually caught on though.  "Pick flattered," Rising suggested with a smile.  "Very well, brother dearest.  Setting Dawn, older twin sister to Sir Rising Dusk.  This is our father Star Echo and out dearest mother Soaring Grace," Dawn took the chance to make introductions this time.  "You may proceed with your hug," the mare chuckled. 

"B-Brother? Oh my... Oh..."

Her face flustered up like a tomato, and she'd hide her face behind her hooves in shame. That she did not think of this first, when he were there with what seemed like - judging by age - his parents... Gods, how much further could she shove her own hoof down her throat than she just had?

Chirpy let out a worried caw, and would lean down, to tap at the side of her hoof with his beak, then after, stroke her down the cheek a few times with the side of his beak. He cared about her, which to those who usually thought of the undead, might find odd. Harrowmark though, if one studied it for long enough, would show that there were many layers, and nuances to undeath, which one could study. Just not too close. Some things did indeed want to gnaw your face off.

"Still so flustered around him. Isn't that simply adorable?"

The new voice would come, before the mare it belonged to would arrive. The second one, that Rising had wondered where may be.

She were moss-green, and for a commoner, rather well groomed.

Her faded-purple mane were puffy and went down to her shoulder blades, the tail were long and at the end, seemed to have the head of a silver-bladed sickle tied into the end of it, though it were carried high and close, so as to not accidentally strike someone wandering nearby. She did not wear her apron this time, but instead a belt, with crude stitches, of creatures like butterflies and spiders, sown into it. It would give a proper view now too, of the a broche of sorts she had beneath it earlier, pulsating with a faint aura of changing colors. It were mainly light based magic honestly, but it had other elements mixed in to distract from that, and easier hide it. It were done by a harvest mage, a long time ago, who used a light somewhat similar to what Thistle did, but not primordial, and more tainted. There were too much dark magic in Harrowmark to not also affect even the light magic, but the harvest mages knew how to balance it, and make the darkness a force for some good when mixed in, rather than simply disturbing or destructive. It were all about how you made use of it.

She also appeared to be about a higher mid size pegasus, being roughly the height that one would get if they took the middle ground between Rising and Minty, and looked the the gathered family with high amusement.

"Caramel, there you are. What is the meaning of this? Why are you here?"

"Oh, several reasons. Helping your daughter for once. And also telling some fascinating tales to the high priestess, and the queen. You wouldn't believe the sort of family secrets they weren't aware of."

Will-O Wisp shook notably a bit, as Caramel joyously said this, and Chirpy cawed annoyed towards the mare.

"You... You dare?!"

The witch were angry, yet Caramel did not flinch. If anything, her smile just more notable.

"Well of course. What might have happened, had I not? You think she would be here in safety? Or had she been left out there in the publics eye, where the stories are starting to run thick of all kinds of things? It would only be a matter of time, before they knew, and would take their perceived justice in their own hooves and paws.

Perhaps I could have been more... Gentle about it, but what is an old witch to do, when trying to save one of her dear friends, hm?

Oh, but I haven't yet introduced myself. You're his charming family, I heard? What a delightful bunch. Especially you. You have such a magnificent pose, even standing still like this. You must be taking good care of yourself. A splendid idea, that far too many does not think about, before it is too late."

She'd say this not to Dawn, but rather to her mother, Grace. Sure Dawn were impressive in her own right, but considering the age, Grace's physique were a mare that Caramel could only be impressed by.

"Caramel Le Pourri, at your service."

She'd bow gracefully, while Lily went pale, and lost her words.

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

 

@AuroraGlimmer

On 2022-07-27 at 1:30 AM, AuroraGlimmer said:

She would blink then smile "Ah, yesterday I was out of town actually" she'd say to him "One of my days off, so I decided to go out of town for a bit" she would say to him and then tilt her head "Blitz? Don't think I've met her, but I am glad she was able to help cheer up the Sphinx" she would then finish her slice of cake, "and you are right, always nice to have a surprise attack that doesn't end in an attack" she giggles softly.

"Have you ever seen a small unicorn filly, with a mane that looks like it's burning, and a tail looking like a frozen explosion? She sometimes wandered around town. Mostly with a sack of something she wanted to show to somepony, or - as she told me - deliver to Pinkie Pie.

If not, then maybe you've heard distant explosions from the forest, or seen odd lightshows, at strange times? That would be from her hut. She showed up seemingly out of nowhere, and had amnesia, to a point where she knew her name, but not where she were from, and not put claim to knowing her. She got sent to the Canterlot orphanage, since they ah, thought somepony might come and pick her up. I've been told she kept escaping, and they ah, stopped sending out word, because they didn't want her to test her fireworks and explosions, but they couldn't stop her. It seemed she were able to make stuff out of seemingly nothing.

That is ah, also why when she came back here, and were forced into the school, she got expelled. Fairly quickly too. A few weeks, I think it were? Most of the time though, she were just in the forest, making all kinds of ah, odd things. Seen and talked to her a few times. She seems ah, very energetic, and driven. Nothing I've seen indicates she wants to harm anypony either. She just ah, want to invent, and not be shackled down, I suppose is the right term.

Last week, another strange pony came through town though. Turned out to be her brother, who believed she had died. He had some photos that showed them together, that were hard to argue with. And the same kind of spirit. You ah, might have seen, or heard of him. He had a strange lens in front of his right eye, crude metallic wings, and ah, had quite the mouth on him. Not harmful, but more that he spoke before he thought, which combined with his ah, way of hitting on mares, earned him some rouging up, now and again. Seemed he accepted it were his fault at least. As I hear it, they left for Deltrot, a few days later. Or Manehattan... I ah, can't remember currently.

Anyway, it were an ah, shame you did not see the sphinx, but perhaps he will return at some point. He took Blitz with him, and she ah, tends to always gravitate back to Ponyville, sooner or later."

He thought she were pretty much... Well, harmless were saying a lot, but perhaps he could use the phrase *innocently oblivious* instead. She clearly wanted no harm to others. She were just full of ideas, and the talent to make those ideas come to life. Inventory types like that also tended to be rather... Eccentric, so both her, and her brother, were quite the ah, sight to behold.

"I can ah, imaghine that Fluttershy have something to do with how they treat their animals. Though if because she ah, inspires the animals to expect a degree of fair treatment in the first place, or through her intervention, I do not know. It just seems like something she would cause. Directly, or indirectly. A benefit, of course. Much like with foals, I believe animals should be treated kindly. They are living things, with emotions and needs, just like us, after all. It is rather ah, unfortunate to see any being mistreated.

I assure you, my bees aren't. I make sure they live as comfortably as they can, with what they need, and I do not rob their hives blind of honey. Their young need to feed too, after all. I just take what I am allowed, I suppose is the ah, correct way to say it, yes?

A-Anyway, you say you meditate? That ah, fairly nice. I have tried to take it up a few times, but the books are a little ah, vague on how exactly I get to my center. Or I get distracted by thoughts of what to do next, in a given day. Always ah, something to do, if you look for it, yes? Where do you go meditate though, if it is okay to ask? I am ah, not aiming to disturb you there, of course. I respect your privacy."

He'd chew down the last of his bun, and drink a bit more tea, to get it down. It were getting a little lukewarm now, but it were still good, and he could easily get through it all, before it got cold.

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

 

@Kujamih

On 2022-07-27 at 11:35 AM, Kujamih said:

Light would grin and giggle a bit at Shark.

" Nice catch Sweetie, but that's not how you play that game though."

He'd then point to Shark to give back the ball to the players, that is if it's still in one piece.

"There's a lot of sports here to play Shark. It's best that we don't disturb the players from their game and watch them how they play, that way we can decide which ones we wanna join in. And besides, we're still doing some tour in the school. Best we do it another day."

"I catch ball."

She'd flutter over, to those the ball belonged to. And well, it were technically still intact. It could be played with at least, but the perforating holes from her teeth, were quite notable. As were the befuddled, flabbergasted looks on their faces as she gave it to them, then fluttered back over towards the others. Although she did veer slightly, as she got distracted by a badminton ball being tossed over a net, a bit from them. So many small, movable things here. So hard to resist chasing any of them...

Even if she didn't her gaze told several stories, about what her focus were on. Sure a bit on them, but... So many things in here.

On 2022-07-27 at 11:35 AM, Kujamih said:

Then Light wondered and asked Bubbles," you got any water sports? She'll be MVP material for sure." He proudly proclaimed.

Meanwhile Light seems to be more interested on his mates happiness rather than to find his sports or hobby or his future in this Equestria.

His only reason for joining was for Shark, since she wanted to learn more about pony kind, and Light wanting to learn more about Shark kind.

"... I wonder what Shark's real parents would think of this situation?... Would they accept me?" Light pondered heavily from his own questions and worry. 

"I wish I could answer, but I don't really know a lot about sharks. They might try and eat you, I suppose?"

It were the more likely. They might also try and eat Shark herself, depending on if they were hungry. If not, likely just swim off. They were simple creatures, and trying to explain things to them, like you would a pony, wouldn't work too well. Besides, she had no idea who they were. They weren't of the schools of sharks, that grew up around Shark Bay. As such, the families didn't stay in touch. Parents at best, helped a bit until the little one could make it on their own, and then they'd go on their own hunts. She'd tell him something akin to this, if he asked her, and then not think about it beyond that, all that much.

"There are some water sports though. There's a pool in the next room, before the outside area. The princess wanted to make sure this school had a lot of ways to get exercise, and be inclusive to a lot of creatures. So there's a fair bit of varied things to do."

He'd show them. once Shark had come back, by leading them to the next room. There were some sections of exercise machines here too, but the main thing, were the two pools. One large for swimming, and a smaller, more recreational one. A jacuzzi too, for those needing to tend to their post-workout muscles, but Shark didn't see it at all. Her eyes were focused entirely on the pool, and she gleefully flew over and dove right in.

A team were swimming there currently, and looked mighty confused - one even jumping a bit - at suddenly seeing a pony with a long tail beneath them in the clear water, swimming at incredible speeds through the water. Not unopposed though. There were another deeper down, swimming around too, that caught up to her. A... Was that a seapony? That or a sea kelpie. The latter of whom were more likely, this far inland. Though still surprising, as those creatures tended to prefer isolation.

Whatever the case, the creature and Shark, then began to race around the bottom of the pool, keeping pretty well up with one another. Seems she had found a kindred of sorts. Nothing for Light to worry about though, even if this one were male, though it were hard to say with how fast they were swimming around. She had picked Light after all.

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

 

@-Solstice-

Zeehva looked away nervously, at what Magnolia just told her.

"W-Well, it's good that you slept well. My dreams were... H-Had some bad memories... Some good t-too, but yesterday just..."

She let out a low, whining noise, before taking a few raspy, deep breaths, and getting more solidly on her hooves again.

"No, he w-wouldn't want this... I think I c-could do with some fresh air. Would that b-be okay?"

Her mane were still a mess, and her dress needed to be fit better, but it seemed Zeehva did not think of this currently. The need for fresh air must be stronger, than that of her usual care for appearances.

They wouldn't be interrupted, if they went up, and sought a path outside. Just a nice, clean path, from the basement dwelling, to the outside, where the crisp morning air would await them. Along with the usual sights of this odd town. Including a flock of young foals, on their way to the local school. One of them had a miniature, toy scythe, with a rubber blade between her teeth, and skipped along merely. An odd town indeed.

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

 

@EQ_Theta

On 2022-07-29 at 2:57 AM, EQ_Theta said:

“Huh, that might just help drum up business during the occasional dry spell. Been thinking about trying to expand the stuff I have for sale. Maybe Mister Fancy Pants himself might know about iron wood, or one of his socialite friends might spread the word, and it'll keep things interesting for the workshop. I’ll keep that in mind, but I’m thinking about taking this slow for now to learn more about this piece of wood before doing anything with it. Might even be able to pay Miss Omen back with bits and an employment opportunity. No need to answer immediately, Miss Omen. Just think about it and come back when the time is right for you.”

“You know, Rosa, you know so much about all of this that I think we’d have a lot of interesting things to talk about the next time we meet over a meal. Maybe one day, you can tell me how you came to know so much, but I’m sure you’ve got your work keeping you occupied. I’m looking forward to our next meeting!”

"Mayhap someday, I'll have a story to tell then. But all things, in their own time.

I'll pass your words along to Omen, though I am pleased to hear that you already consider the loss and gain potential, in going down this suggested path. It tells me you will thoroughly consider things, before rushing to a decision. A wise approach to something like this. So think, muse the pros and cons, and in due time, I am sure we will end up speaking about this topic again. Among other things."

Omen could not hear them, as Rosa had decided to speak this with the longma, without the presence of the others. A matter of not seeing the need to stir them to think something might happen, when it were in the early stages. Though he would as said, take his words along to Omen, in one fashion or another, when the time were right.

And speaking of rightful timing... The longma seemed set on learning more of Rosa's wealth of knowledge, when the time came. He would not share truths currently, but perhaps, when he had shown his intentions as being well intended, and they knew one another for longer, he might start to share some of things. Mayhap then, he'd be receptive to understand that Rosa were not the pony, that he had once been. Currently though, he doubted it would be as well received

To return on thoughts on the business side of things, he did of course, also think of Lin in this. Yet he believed that she for one, could do better, and needed to, as well. She struck him as one, who should soar higher than this. Plus, he did not want to go into how it were that she could open gates currently. It were not a kind story, that Uddo should be made aware of right now, in his opinion. Though that one would in the end, were Lin's story to share. She'd decide when she thought it right, he were sure.

On 2022-07-29 at 2:57 AM, EQ_Theta said:

“Yes.... No. Thinking about what you said earlier when I snapped during that talk about exile… Look, I know you want to talk about it, but now’s not a good time. I’ll see you all later… or tomorrow if you’re asleep by then; I know where to find you, or Omen might pick up my scent and track me so she can get me to you. Just give me some time alone. Please?”

The way Lin responded to her brother contained a mixture of impatience and irritation veiled over an indifferent tone that tried to hide much stronger emotions beneath her words. Sen couldn’t reply to her fast enough, as she walked away before anyone could get a chance to talk her out of going on her own. However, Sen knew Lin could handle herself, as she has done over the many years she spent in exile. He’d relent, understanding that this is important to her. She’d only be away for several hours at best, and after how she seemingly lost her composure earlier, perhaps Lin need time to think. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if he messed up since she didn’t want to stick around with him or the others, even if she just wanted to be alone.

"All right. See you then. Come on, everyone. Let's give sister some time for herself."

"Lin?"

Omen were confused, as to what were going on, and took a step towards Lin. Rosa however, would step in front of her, and look her solidly in the eyes, as he gave her a quick response to things.

"She needs a little time for herself. Don't worry, shell be back when she is done. If not, I'll tell you when you should start to look, okay?"

Omen nodded, slower than usually. She weren't sure if this were the right approach, but as it sounded like both Sen and Rosa, wanted her to give Lin some space, she would not follow, for the time being. Hopefully Lin would be okay.

On 2022-07-29 at 2:57 AM, EQ_Theta said:

“Hammond? What are you doing here? And what is that you’re wearing?”

She crouched down to get a closer look, though she wouldn’t try to pry or take the necklace from the little creature. It was odd that Hammond was moving about in the evening when he’d likely be indoors with Scarcity. Then again, he is related to Omen, and the no-sleeping rule might be applicable to him as much as it does to her. What’s more curious is the necklace he’s wearing, and the longma wanted to see what’s causing it to glow and pulsate. 

The others had gone another direction, as they were headed back to Rosa's home, but it were still well in view of Hammond, and he had been about to follow, until Lin had approached him, and talked to him.

He'd halt then, and look up at her, with those big, curious eyes of his, starring while he slowly blinked, and began to go over some hoof signage. Then he seemed to recall, that she did not understand him, and would try something else. He'd point at the gem in his necklace, then cover his right and left eyes with his paws - he didn't have a third hand for the third eye unfortunately, so he just closed that one - and then point at Omen, as he wandered off, along with the others, some ways from them.

He'd then look up at Lin, tilting his head slightly, like he had seen Omen do. Though he evened it up again. It did not make things make more sense, when he looked at them like this. It were worth a try though.

If she tried touching the necklace, she'd find the surface were smooth as glass, and lukewarm. Though she probably wouldn't focus as much on that, as the fact that the longer she touched it, she'd hear an increasing laughter in her head. At first one, but then a myriad, of light, small laughs. If she kept on long enough, she'd end up being able to swear, that she could smell a forest around her, and even hear the wind waft through the trees. She'd probably have let go before it went further, or even this far though. Had she touched it though, she'd find that it had gone increasingly, light emerald in coloration, changing slowly back to the crimson glow, it were when Hammond alone had it on him.

She'd probably need to speak with Scarcity, if she wanted specifics.

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

Diego got the point, when he saw the teeth, and quickly retracted his hoof again. It did not seem to be in his best interest, to try and socialize in his regular manner, with this particular dragon.

"I will not pester this charming fellow further then. As to why I did not deliver the message myself, it have to do with how much I now have to do.

Mother leaves an estate that the board members, and various distant family members alike, are trying to dispute my claim on. Then comes mothers funeral planning, which are not made simpler by her making so many enemies, in her storied life. Interviews are also in need of being handled, transition of power, lawyers for a dozen various reasons- It's a troublesome mess. Added on top of which, I need to thread careful, considering the ludicrous rumors... This is my most direct path, I'm afraid."

"Sounds to me like you're desperate. Hehe."

He'd sigh. He knew this, and were preparing to take out a another pouch of gold. Dragons...Yet she stopped him, and waved her index claw from side to side.

"Nuhuh, I don't want more gold. I want your hat."

"My... Hat?"

"Uhuh. Not a copy, not one of the fresh ones_ The one you're wearing right now."

Diego seemed confused, but he'd slowly take up his hoof, and remove said hat, then hoof it over to Leviathan. Who'd put it on her head, puff her chest and deepen her voice.

"I am Diego, of massive wealth, and influence. Yet I approach talking to a mare like I'm a nervous school colt. Might you please pass this paper to the next desk?"

He'd blush up, and look away, as Leviathan essentially mocked him. And when she were done, she'd give him a big, smug grin, and with a flip, deliver his hat back to him.

"...I would rather have paid in coin, than my dignity."

"I know, and that's why that was worth so much more to me. Seriously, we'll deal with this, but grow a spine dude, and stop thinking about what others think. Your life's too short for that sort of nonsense."

He'd not answer, but would wander off. Seemed she had given him something to think about. Or he would rather just not continue this. Either way, Leviathan would lean back in her seat, pleased as could be.

"That was fun. Anyway, what're you in the mood for doing now?"

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"The pain would be, from me forcing your spirit to leave your body. Getting forcefully harvested, is a painful experience, if the soul clings strongly. From what you explain, it sounds as if my magic at first had an effect, but whatever are forcing your spirit to remain, adjusted, and pulled you back before it lost hold of you. I cannot say for sure either, but I would suspect that it will not function as well anymore, as it might have adapted. Whatever I saw at least, did not seem passive in nature.

...I wonder if there might be more than you in there. An entity, either feeding off of your soul, or trapped within, and bound to your soul... Have you ever felt, as if there were something else, guiding your words, or actions?"

She'd ask this, as she lead them onwards to the archives. Which were in the main building. As they entered,. they meet a minotaur, sitting down. On his lower arm, rested a filly in an old fashioned dress, clutching her dolly. A porcelain one, and as they got closer, a pale glow briefly went over its eyes, and gazed towards them, though it quickly flickered out. The head moved slightly at first though, and the focus were clear: Scarecrow.

The greying minotaur, would nod towards them, but not say a word. Lyriel would in turn, nod towards him. As they passed closer though, he would utter a few words.

"Earth Mother watch over you, daughter of the forest."

"And may she smile upon you too."

She were pleasantly surprised to hear one, who knew enough to address her proper. She wished to stay and talk to him more, but sadly, they needed to move on, so it would have to wait until another time.

Macabre would lead them through the main hall, and open a pair of large doors, leading into a grand, sprawling library. Larger than they could see, and littered with shelves upon shelves, of books. Several floating around, being set in other places, returned to their spots, or fetched for somepony to read.

"I welcome you, to the grand library, of the Macabre Clan. Try not to bring harm to the books. There are some here, who would not act favorably towards that."

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

10 hours ago, Catpone Cerberus said:

As the doctor explained the situation, Sheska quietly spoke to Trox, though it was loud enough to be heard "A parasite, figures, reminds me of..." she said something in different language "....killed lot of kobold slaves back in the day, a nasty little problem." she had no idea about this specific thing, since changelings weren't a thing, but she was well studied in medical history from their world, for obvious reasons. 

"Can't say I've heard about that one, nor about kobold slaves, but... It's a big world. I don't rule anything out.

Though still, I think this infection to be worse. To a changeling, death is preferable over mind death. It is the thing they fear the most. Just imagine, becoming trapped in your own body, as it turns into a feral creature, mindlessly chasing and attacking anything, consuming every emotion, but without ever feeling sated. They have no control, no way of turning back, and have to suffer through the endless hunger, and helplessness, until somepony, or something, kills them.

The queens knows that better than anypony. Cause if one of theirs falls like that, it is their responsibility, to give them a merciful death. Hiveless, usually have to rely on the kindness of somepony stumbling across them, though they're usually hunted down by their own kin, out of principle. Can't blame them. I wouldn't wish that fate upon my worst enemy."

The doctor would have the affected parts of her medical ensemble tossed into a bag, and sealed up. It'd have to be burned, and she herself scrubbed down thoroughly, when she had the time. Best she could do for now, were to use some wet wipes to take the worst of it. Changeling vomit were rather nasty stuff.

10 hours ago, Catpone Cerberus said:

The siblings, unsurprisingly, weren't happy about the idea of a lockdown, and as that wasn't bad enough, a very familiar sound of metallic hoofsteps came from the direction of the entrance, but before Solar could say anything to anyone, Sheska spoke "No, no, no, definitely no, I will not have him anywhere near me!" Solar looked surprised, which was probably the most emotion he had visibly shown until this point, he knew he wasn't liked but this was slightly confusing "I'm not sure what you mean, I just need some translation help and have something to show you, I'll be gone after that."  Sear and Chega looked at Solar as the hadn't seen him before, but while Sear was wary of him, Chega looked at him with more.... analyzing way, his eyes specifically, like she was trying to remember something. 

Harpoon weren't sure what were going on, but she had her orders: Protect the kobolds, the dragon, and the changeling queen, so she would draw her trident.

Well, it were less of an order, and more of a request, but she'd honor it nonetheless. Stargazer had been reasonable, and cordial towards her. Shown her a fair bit of respect too, when addressing her, which were by far, not the case with every Solar and Night guard. A lot of them figured they were more important that the Coastal Guards, because they were royal guards, whereas the Coastal Guard, were semi-independent, and self established. They had gotten endorsed, and were funded, by the crown of Equestria, but they were not established by them, and thus, were not seen as valuable, or important, by short sighted cretins.

"Sir, I don't know who you are, but I'm gonna have to ask you to back away from Miss Sheska. I will not hesitate to detain you, if you do not comply, lest she says otherwise."

She couldn't tell if this one were a problem. He looked like a Solar Guard, but... Wrong. Not a regular pony, which maybe, wasn't the best way to judge one. So she didn't, and instead would go by how Sheska reacted.

If Solar had met with Stargazer, before getting here, and after the bat pony had left, he would've been asked if he could help in some capacity, and explained the situation at hoof. Wasn't a lot of guards in town, so the middle aged thestral, would try to speak with whomever had a badge, that he ran into, so they could get more hooves on deck, for a serious criminal.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Blitz Boom

Skittles would nod and listen, then thinking for a moment "O-oh yes, I have heard those explosions and light shows" she would say to him "Always wondered what was going on, guess I know" she'd say and then think for another moment, "Oh, you mean the black and red filly? Yes, I have seen her once or twice, usually just at the edge of the forest, she seemed pretty nice" she smiles, ordering another drink and some cake.

"And yes, Fluttershy does indeed have a hoof in how owners treat their pets, and as I am sort of known as the animal whisperer, I help when I can" she tells him "most of the time, it's something about not liking being left alone, having too much attention paid to them, or they don't like the food or litter that the owner uses" she mentions "and sometimes it's environmental stresses" she then listens to how he treats his bees and smiles "Well, you've got to be the most ethical beekepper I've met, how-ever if you want, I can still have a chat with them, see if there's anything they wish to be changed."

She smiles at his mention of meditation "Oh yes, it can be quite hard to get into if you don't know what to do, luckily for me, I met  nice mare named Tree Hugger, though I think she may have some sort of herb that helps her relax too" she chuckles "I could easily take you to where I like to go, and teach you what I know" she says, nodding "But I do understand, I an be like that sometimes too, always thinking of things to do next"

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

@Blitz Boom

Even though Light's heart and mind is as mature and solid, no one can escape the grasp of doubt.

Seeing that Shark is enjoying with someone else surely put his heart in a bit of unease, no matter how hard Light tries to calm himself and be rational, the creeping grasp of doubt is very strong...

Even so, Light noticed this in his heart and would be a bit ashamed of himself.

" ... Damn it... Am i.... Getting jealous?....." 

Light would slap himself, to get himself off of this wretched dread in her heart and started to cheer for Shark.

" YOU CAN DO IT SWEETIE!!! GO GO GO!!!!" Light would cheer wildly so he could distract himself from this doubting heart of his and vanquish the dread and replaced by his cheering. 

But still... Light tries to check on who this creature swimming with his mate. He's happy that Shark has finally found a new friend... But dreads that he might have also gained another rival.

 

[EQ_Theta 457]

@Blitz Boom

18 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

He'd halt then, and look up at her, with those big, curious eyes of his, starring while he slowly blinked, and began to go over some hoof signage. Then he seemed to recall, that she did not understand him, and would try something else. He'd point at the gem in his necklace, then cover his right and left eyes with his paws - he didn't have a third hand for the third eye unfortunately, so he just closed that one - and then point at Omen, as he wandered off, along with the others, some ways from them.

He'd then look up at Lin, tilting his head slightly, like he had seen Omen do. Though he evened it up again. It did not make things make more sense, when he looked at them like this. It were worth a try though.

Lin watched the little creature reply to her in sign language, though she wasn’t exactly sure what to make of it. Hammond did what he could to get a message across, but it seemed like the longma was reduced to guesswork, even when the little mimic decided to use simpler gestures. Pointing to the necklace, covering the eyes, then pointing to Omen… three items to try and work out. The first part seemed easy enough since they were on the same topic, and Hammond covering his eyes meant it wouldn’t really have anything to do with eyesight. Or maybe it’ll have some negative effect on the eyes. Seemed like this would have something to do with Omen, but what that was isn’t clear. 

Having her thoughts on the conversation earlier clouded the longma’s thinking, and she might not be able to get the sign language communication down. So, Lin sat down first to try and clear her mind before getting back to Hammond. Maybe they could try narrowing down what he wanted to say. 

“Okay, let me see if I got this right. Your necklace does something that doesn’t need eyesight? And you pointing at Omen’s direction means the necklace is for her? Must be a magical necklace if it is glowing red or green. Maybe you could let me know if I’m understanding you correctly? Like nod your head if I’m right.”

“Hmm… I wonder… Don’t be surprised, Hammond. I just want to get a closer look at that necklace.”

The longma reached out and touched the glowing gem. Oddly warm, as if what energies were powering it were emanating outward. Then came the sounds of echoing laughter growing louder, her surroundings becoming non-existent. A slight breeze whizzed past her ears as if she was transported to another place, and when these sounds and sensations grew too much, she recoiled, falling backwards, gasping in shock and panting like the air was sucked out of her lungs. Everything in her surroundings was back to the way they were before she touched the necklace. None of this felt right, but as much as she wanted to try experiencing it again, what she felt was surreal. Maybe a little too surreal for her liking...

“What the… Hammond? What was that?”

By then, enough time has passed that Sen wouldn’t have heard what happened to his sister in the seemingly brief moments she had with Hammond and the odd necklace. In a way, he too was occupied with what ifs and what could have beens, with Lin wanting to be alone still eating at him. He remained silent during the walk to Rosa’s home, though he wanted to at least put his mind at ease. Was his reaction to Lin’s irreverent outburst right? Rather, the question he thought to ask himself first was what could’ve gotten Lin to act so differently? All he knew was that the outburst was related to exile, but he wondered if it was less about that and more about him.

Once he has stepped into Rosa’s living room, he’d try to get some answers, even if they might not be the kind he wants. Perhaps he just wanted something to help him start somewhere so he could try rationalizing. Might help come the next day when he and Lin could talk. 

“Rosa? Omen? Earlier, before we left uncle’s workshop… did I do something wrong with Lin?”

 

Edited August 1, 2022 by EQ_Theta

[Rising Dusk 27,512]

@Blitz Boom

It was hard to not feel embarrassed at such an exchange, but the mare was already suffering from it without the aid of the family.  No need to pour salt in the wound and just let her recover on her own.  The family offered their reassuring smiles, although Dawn's struggled to move past amusement.  It was interesting though the fact the twins had gone this long without being confused for a couple.  Not that they acted all that much like it, or interact all that much in settings to be confused for as such.

Before any could really speak or comfort the mare, the final member of the traveling party was accounted for.  "Hoho.  A spirit full of passion, just waiting to blossom!" the older stallion exclaimed.  Awkward, yes, but adorable nonetheless.  Even if Rising had to be the target of such bashfulness, as a lack of evidence to her behavior to others was limited to the detective. 

The scene became more serious quickly when Caramel and Lily began their exchanged.  Rising could feel this coming.  Knowing Will-O was here, in a relatively secret location hidden behind a magic lock and key.  The leftover puffy and red eyes of sobs to horrible news.  Being related to such a terrible, dark pony couldn't be easy.  Will-O, Thistle and the queen were all now aware.  Rising could understand Caramel's approach.  Better to get it out there to those capable of swift action, even if it did paint Caramel in the role of antagonist from an outward appearance.  The detective was on Caramel's side.  It was important for those in charge to know, before it got out of hoof.  The fact Will-O was here meant things were more in control than one could expect.  Although, meeting with the queen eased a pressure in some ways.  Of course, next comes where to move forward.  No system of government could stop the speed of gossip and rumor.  She were safe here for the time being.  Pretty heavy stuff for a day of celebration.

When Grace took the moment to notice it was she that Caramel was speaking to, she bowed.  That elegant wing splayed bow, practiced over decades of doing so in front of large audiences after a performances to royal and common ponies alike.  "Soaring Grace, charmed," she introduced herself.

"What happens next?" the detective inquired, not letting the fate of Will-O and Sickle remain a mystery.

[Blitz Boom 4,620]

@Rising Dusk

"Just a moment dearie. You're about to see something less than impressive."

The slightly sunken in eyes of Caramel looked amused at Rising, before something happened. Something that he could probably feel in advance, due to the magic being prepared were to the side of him.

A blast of darkened arcane magic, firing off from Lily, heading towards Caramel, who didn't even try and move. She just smirked, and before the attack hit her, it would be essentially pulverized, by a counterblast of a red-tinted magic. Rising would likely be able to identify some parts of it, as being related to blood, spirit, and arcane magic. Though there were some local flavor in it, that he probably did not know. Something old, and insidious.

In case he had stopped the attack from happening, he'd still feel a little of what Caramel had prepared, just not activated, and her smirk would only just increase.

"As I said, less than impressive. Really darling, I expected more."

"Accursed witch."

"Harvest mage actually, but then, no one ever bothers to ask now, do they? Always just pointlessly judging. Now hush. I was about to answer our guest."

Lily were about to say more, but Thistle glared at her, with enough irritation, to make the witch quiet herself.

"Now then, before we were so ineptly interrupted, the proceedings are quite simple really. For the safety of Will-O, and to appease the masses, she will be announced to have been officially banished from Harrowmark, during your celebration. There will be some who will be most unsatisfied with this of course, but they will be reminded that while there are risks that some of his evil will infect her, if she remains, she is yet an innocent, and that we have better standards than this. The banishment really, is more for her sake, as there would always be a chance, that some would deign to take what they considered justice, into their own hooves of paws. The consequences be damned.

Also, considering what I hear of you failing to contain Twisted's pixie, I'm afraid this is a necessity. And as to where she'd be banished? Why, to the safest place imaginable, of course: Equestria. Home of the one who bested the tyrant, and far, far from darkened shores.

She is having some companionship though. Chirpy for once, though worry not dearie. I have patches up those unseemly little puncture wounds of his, while you have been away. Let it never be said that I do not look out for my dear Will-O."

"You leave your filth away from her."

"What? Afraid I'll *possess* her? Don't make me laugh darling. She's a competent mare, yet I have no interest in her, in that way. My current body is far more to my taste, and will last for several decades more to come."

"Big words from a filthy body thief."

"𝔼𝕟𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙. 𝕀𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕓𝕖𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖, 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕀 𝕤𝕙𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕥𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣."

"Of course, Thistle. By all means, go ahead."

"𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕓𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕤𝕙𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕎𝕚𝕝𝕝-𝕆 𝕎𝕚𝕤𝕡, 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕓𝕖 𝕞𝕒𝕕𝕖 𝕠𝕗𝕗𝕚𝕔𝕚𝕒𝕝 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕟𝕖𝕩𝕥 𝕗𝕖𝕨 𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕤. 𝕊𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕣𝕖𝕞𝕒𝕚𝕟 𝕙𝕚𝕕𝕕𝕖𝕟, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕪 𝕓𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕠𝕝𝕕, 𝕓𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕤𝕙𝕖 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕒𝕝𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕪 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕕 𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕣𝕖𝕤. 𝕀𝕥 𝕚𝕤 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕒𝕝, 𝕒𝕤 𝕀 𝕨𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕞𝕦𝕔𝕙 𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕗𝕖𝕣 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕠 𝕘𝕠 𝕥𝕠 𝕤𝕦𝕔𝕙 𝕓𝕒𝕣𝕓𝕒𝕣𝕚𝕔 𝕡𝕒𝕥𝕙𝕤, 𝕓𝕦𝕥 𝕓𝕖𝕥𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕫𝕖𝕟𝕣𝕪, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕚𝕩𝕚𝕖, 𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕝𝕚𝕗𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕙𝕚𝕘𝕙 𝕛𝕖𝕠𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕕𝕪, 𝕚𝕗 𝕤𝕙𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕤, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕀 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕒𝕟 𝕦𝕟𝕗𝕒𝕚𝕣 𝕝𝕪𝕟𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕠𝕟 𝕞𝕪 𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙.

𝔽𝕦𝕣𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙, 𝕃𝕖 ℙ𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕣𝕚 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕧𝕠𝕝𝕦𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕜𝕖𝕖𝕡 𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕙𝕖𝕣. 𝕀 𝕒𝕞 𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕦𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕓𝕖 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕤𝕒𝕗𝕖𝕥𝕪 𝕥𝕠𝕠."

"Not entirely. Sure it is my want to lay low for a while, as things settle in nice and calmly, but Will-O still is a dear friend. I can't simply have her wander alone, in unfamiliar lands, with the burden of knowledge she now holds."

"Like I'd let you."

"Hush darling. The professionals are talking. Besides, I also have interest in meeting a delightful friend of our dear savior. Someone competent, that appreciates my expertise, in at least some aspects."

"P-Please stop arguing..."

"Why of course, hon. I'm sure our delightfully confused guests, will have questions as is. And how I do look forward to answering. It is so rare that I am asked specifics anymore.

So come now, one and all. Ease your hearts, and let us get everything out in the open, hm?"

Though she teased Lily, Caramel were still pleasant to the others, albeit more than normally amused. Today were a delightful day, of twists and turns. How could one not enjoy themselves, hmm?

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

 

@AuroraGlimmer

"Yes well, I ah, do okay for myself. My house is paid for, and I don't expend a whole lot, so I can do well enough off of what little honey I sell. Which granted, is more of a ah, hobby, meant to share the spoils a little, so to speak. I primarily make my earnings off of rare flowers. The bees seem to love them, so that is what most of my garden is filled with, but a few bouquets here and there, isn't something they seem to mind.

I ah, suppose I am no animal whisperer, but I assume that since I don't wear a bee keeper suit, and they yet don't sting me, they ah, don't mind my presence in this, at the very least.

The ah, issues that you mention, sounds reasonable for animals, though I'm surprised there's som thinking they get too much attention. I always assumed that the ah, majority preferred to be given plenty of focus. It seems I have much to learn about animals still. Good to have one who ah, does not need to go by books, but can simply ask then.

Now you ah, mentioned Tree Hugger? I believe I have seen her before. She seemed very ah, unique. N-Not in a bad way, of course. I meant more that she stands out in a crowd. In a positive way, I ah mean, of course."

So that's how it tasted when he pushed his hoof far enough down his metaphorical throat... He were not a fan, honestly. Tasted of embarrassment, and shame.

"A-Anyway, your offer of showing me the ropes, so to speak, is much appreciated. It would be ah, delightful to have friends to attend things with. T-Though I don't mean to be ah, presumptuous, with that title. I apologize if I were."

He would now finish his tea, so at least he, would be ready to move on, if Skittles felt so inclined. If not, he could stay here too. He were in no rush currently.

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

 

@Kujamih

There were a fair bit of eyes on Light, as he started to call out to Shark. Though there'd probably have been more, were it not for the several others who looked at her, and her underwater friends. Both of whom would halt in their tracks, and look up, wondering what got everypony so worked up. That's when the algae-green eyes of the other one down there, would fall upon Light. As shark would point and say something to them, the look went from surprised, to bemused, to mischievous. They would start to say something to Shark, which seemed to surprise her, whilst they pointed at Light. She'd get her hooves in front of her mouth, seemingly gasping, while the other one would nod. Then, she'd lock eyes with Light, determination flaring in her eyes, and swim as fast as she could upwards. Her powerful tail, pushing her forward as her body swayed from side to side, until she'd break the surface, and come rushing straight towards him, with the momentum of a rhino, and hooves stretched out.

She would not hit him though, but instead just before she did, would use unfold her wings, do a loop, and then tacklehug him on the way down. A lot less force in this, so he wouldn't get hurt, and as a bonus, he'd have shark clutch on to him, with all four legs, happy as could be.

The one in the water would break the surface with their front half by then, and lean their head against the sides of their face, looking amused at the pair.

"Awh, ain't this sweet? You sure got a loving one there, mate."

Male. The one she had been in the water with, were definitely male, and teasing him. Even pulled out a forked tongue at Light, with a glimmer in his eyes.

"Best mate."

"Heh. Adorable one you got there, mate. Might surprised to see her, but hey, good catch you made there. I'm Razor. Your name was Light, yeah?"

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

 

@-Solstice-

"M-Maybe..."

"Ah, look who's awake. Goodmorning."

Tomb Watcher would pass by, and notice the two of them were awake. So she'd halt briefly, to give a wave, and a smile. Though unless they halted her, she'd keep moving onwards. Things to get done, even at this hour of the day. Though they wouldn't have to worry, as there would be others to speak with. In fact, they could go all over the place, and find whomever they wished to talk with.

in Zeehva's case, that would be right back downstairs, after excusing herself, and then returning not long after, with her saddlebag. She still hadn't carted for her looks right now, but she needed this. She'd open up, rummaging around, and took a small bag of dust out. Less than half a thimble remaining it seemed. She'd open it, to reveal a silvery substance of which she'd take five grains exactly, and place on her tongue. A shiver went through her, as it got absorbed, and she'd look down on what little were left. Only enough for a few more days like this, it appeared...

"I'm g-gonna need to find some more d-dreamweave, and south-turned two clovers. I'm gonna need this, if I c-can't take my medication."

It seemed that whatever she had pulled out, had perked her up a little, and given her some light back in her cheeks, but not too much. Probably some side effects, if one went too far with whatever this were.

"D-Do you think there's a market here of some kind, that we c-could visit? Maybe they have s-some of the herbs I'm looking for."

There would be a few places one could go, but to find it, they'd have to start with a direction. Or to go and ask somepony. It were up to Magnolia, as she knew this place better than Zeehva.

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

 

@EQ_Theta

On 2022-08-01 at 5:28 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Okay, let me see if I got this right. Your necklace does something that doesn’t need eyesight? And you pointing at Omen’s direction means the necklace is for her? Must be a magical necklace if it is glowing red or green. Maybe you could let me know if I’m understanding you correctly? Like nod your head if I’m right.”

“Hmm… I wonder… Don’t be surprised, Hammond. I just want to get a closer look at that necklace.”

Hammond would shake his head. She weren't right, in what she were thinking, though he were pondering how else he could try and explain it to her, when her approach then became touching the gem. He'd observe her, through all that she were going through there, unfazed as ever, and even when it were done, would simply look up at her, pondering what he had just seen.

Lin would find that there were no bad side effects from her touching this gem. It had been an odd experience, but there were no consequences for her actions, beyond her own, perceived ones. Wasn't lik a fire ruby, that would burn her claws or anything.

On 2022-08-01 at 5:28 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“What the… Hammond? What was that?”

As Hammond remained mute, he could not well just say what the answer to her question were. Instead, he'd scratch the ground a little with his paws, making out the somewhat crude word of *Wait*. It were rather rough looking, but he were still seemingly able to write to some degree, so that was a good thing. Meant he wasn't skipping out of his lessons.

After this, he'd begin to write some more in the dirt, hoping that perhaps, this could help to explain things, where his signs didn't work. Just like the tutor had told him, before leaving for the day.

"Sister not see. Gem."

He tried his best here. A word like *mistress* were still a little too long for him, but he hoped that the basic idea would get through here. Essentially, whatever this gem were, it appeared to be meant to hide him from Omen. Potentially Scarcity too, would be hidden, if she held a piece of this, though either way, this were meant as a test run. A little experiment, to see if the jewelry this time, were able to conceal her location, as she were not too keen, on being constantly found, on command. It didn't suit her lifestyle.

In case this were not enough, or that Lin had further questions, she wanted to ask of Scarcity directly, he could open a gate. He knew where she were, and thus, could direct Lin directly to Scarcity's office, where the mare would be doing some paperwork. Though if he could deal with it himself, he had been instructed to do so. Scarcity wanted him to learn independence, as much as whatever knowledge he'd need, to survive, and prosper.

On 2022-08-01 at 5:28 PM, EQ_Theta said:

Once he has stepped into Rosa’s living room, he’d try to get some answers, even if they might not be the kind he wants. Perhaps he just wanted something to help him start somewhere so he could try rationalizing. Might help come the next day when he and Lin could talk. 

“Rosa? Omen? Earlier, before we left uncle’s workshop… did I do something wrong with Lin?”

"It wasn't you, specifically. I think it is more because the heavy topic of exile came up, and she understandably, stand firmly on the side, that it is an abusable act. Uddo sees it more broadly, and in time, the two will need to speak together, and identify the correct middle ground for this, but right now, I believe she needs some space to think, without us interrupting her, nor trying to influence her thoughts. YOu perhaps more so, as you went through the pain of an unfair exile yourself, and thus, she may have perceived that you were firmly against it too, and would have vocally backed her up more.

Had you done so though, I don't think she would have gone to ponder over things as she does now. It could well be good for her, to get a chance to consider the various nuances of this. I for one, are against the practice in theory, yet I can see fringe cases, where it is a regrettabel, yet reasonable punishment, to some extend. Getting erased from history and such though, are not. It reeks more of covering up issues, and my primary issue remains with the way you were treated: It is an abusable power, by those wanting to remove dissenting voices.

When approaching this, I have to look at both sides. Especially, if I am to not sway the elders away from the idea per se, but more offer them that whilst exiled, they would be directed in certain directions, of other places where they might be able to prove they were not beyond redemption. A fresh start. Yet to try and reason with them, I have to see it from their perspective too, and ponder what lies beyond the abuse of power, that were set upon your family."

"I do not know. There were many big words."

Omen were simple in it. Whereas Rosa were calculated, and thought over things, weighing them side by side, and so on, she were instead distracted by a racoon, wearing a paper bag as a hat, running off with what seemed like a half-empty box of stale doughnuts. That one seemed to have a good evening, that was for sure.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Blitz Boom

Skittles would smile and nod "Well, that is always a good start, glad to hear that your bees like you enough for you to not have to wear a net around them" she'd say to him, then nod again "Oh, you sell exotic flowers? I'd sure love some, it's a friend's birthday soon, and she doesn't get out much..she is well, she is a bat pony" she would say "so, I'd love to get some, if that is okay, that is" she'd say, then tilting her head, "It's mostly the more independent pets like rabbits and cats, while they like to be given attention, but do feel overwhelmed if given too much attention"

She'd giggle "Yeah, Tree Hugger does have a way of uh..as you put it, stand out in the crowd" she'd say to him, smiling "we can be friends, I would like that, and if you're free tomorrow morning, I can show you the spot"

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

@Blitz Boom

Light turned bright red from Sharks arousing hug.

"P-p-p- please not here shark. Ii I I Ii I'd like to do things in private!" He blushed.

Then the creature beneath showed up. 

At first Light's worst fear happened... It was a male...a rival.... But soon after this Razor introduced himself, Light would stop and ponder on this creature's action towards him....

His eyes would squint hard and worriedly doubt this creature...

It seems he has not gained a rival.... But maybe much worse.

His doubt and confusion from this Razor fella has killed Lights bashful mood.

"Um.... Hi?" His only safest reply he can think of.

He would then direct his attention to Shark.

"... Sweetie what's going on? I love this new hug of yours... But something tells me that there's something else is up.... And it's giving me an unsettling feeling." 

 

[EQ_Theta 457]

@Blitz Boom

On 2022-08-03 at 6:40 PM, Blitz Boom said:

As Hammond remained mute, he could not well just say what the answer to her question were. Instead, he'd scratch the ground a little with his paws, making out the somewhat crude word of *Wait*. It were rather rough looking, but he were still seemingly able to write to some degree, so that was a good thing. Meant he wasn't skipping out of his lessons.

After this, he'd begin to write some more in the dirt, hoping that perhaps, this could help to explain things, where his signs didn't work. Just like the tutor had told him, before leaving for the day.

"Sister not see. Gem."

Seemed like the longma got it wrong when Hammond shook his head. Between that, her troubled mind, and the odd sensory overload she experienced, things didn’t seem to go her way. With everything looking like it had gone back to normal, Lin got back up, dusted herself, and returned to the little mimic to see what how else she could try to understand the strange necklace. Something must’ve been wrong in her interpretation, but Hammond was accommodating of other methods of communication. Crude writing followed soon after, which seemingly began to clear things up for her. 

“Sister… not see…. Gem? Wait a minute… You’re saying this thing can hide you from Omen? If Ms. Scarcity gave this to you, I think I can imagine why this necklace could be useful. So, I take it you’re out here doing a little experiment? Do you think it worked?”

The longma still felt the effects of touching the necklace’s gem. It left her a lot more shaken that she’d like, but at least she had something fortunate come out of this strange experience. She honestly appreciated the distraction, but she still had much to think about with how Sen reacted to her anger. How he went about it didn’t sit right with her, and if anything, she hoped he’d be on her side and using the same talking points as her to address the matter of exile with their uncle. It didn’t turn out that way, but not having a voice to validate her thoughts on the matter stung. 

And speaking of feeling stung, it seemed like even Sen was just concerned about how he went about it.

On 2022-08-03 at 6:40 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"It wasn't you, specifically. I think it is more because the heavy topic of exile came up, and she understandably, stand firmly on the side, that it is an abusable act. Uddo sees it more broadly, and in time, the two will need to speak together, and identify the correct middle ground for this, but right now, I believe she needs some space to think, without us interrupting her, nor trying to influence her thoughts. YOu perhaps more so, as you went through the pain of an unfair exile yourself, and thus, she may have perceived that you were firmly against it too, and would have vocally backed her up more.

Had you done so though, I don't think she would have gone to ponder over things as she does now. It could well be good for her, to get a chance to consider the various nuances of this. I for one, are against the practice in theory, yet I can see fringe cases, where it is a regrettabel, yet reasonable punishment, to some extend. Getting erased from history and such though, are not. It reeks more of covering up issues, and my primary issue remains with the way you were treated: It is an abusable power, by those wanting to remove dissenting voices.

When approaching this, I have to look at both sides. Especially, if I am to not sway the elders away from the idea per se, but more offer them that whilst exiled, they would be directed in certain directions, of other places where they might be able to prove they were not beyond redemption. A fresh start. Yet to try and reason with them, I have to see it from their perspective too, and ponder what lies beyond the abuse of power, that were set upon your family."

"I do not know. There were many big words."

“I don’t know if sister could see those nuances. Hmm... I’m not sure even I see them. I just think getting angry about it without actually saying anything to suggest fixing that problem isn’t the right way to go about it. Agreeing with Lin right there didn’t feel right, but, I don’t know… What happened to me and Lin was a case of someone wanting to cover their actions. There is no doubt about that, but learning that many others were exiled as well from other other villages tells me there might be a bigger problem, one that we haven’t seen yet.”

Sen wasn’t blind to the fact that some troublemakers in the longma villages may be beyond redemption, that exile was the only way to spare others from having to clean up after someone’s irreparable mess. However, looking back at what he learned at the Thicket got him thinking that somewhere along the way, exile might have been used to conveniently get rid of unwanted elements. Either that or the gravity of the punishment might have snapped some sense back to those who were deemed too far gone. If they were truly sorry for their actions, they may have burned too many bridges to have another chance at a familiar life.

That was just another thing that complicated issues, but Sen was more concerned about whether he should’ve been just as angry about his exile. For the longest time, he put those thoughts behind him, feeling that nothing could change the past. In some ways, he still believes that. Perhaps it would be best to air out those matters with Lin, and they’d hopefully find some middle ground. 

“Thank you both for your answers. I know this is a tough subject, but I’m just glad I could talk to you about it. It’s good that you could see things clearer than me, Rosa. And Omen? It’s okay if you don’t know. This is tough to think about, and we don’t always have the answers we want, much as we wish we did. I suppose I would just need some time to think about this as well, and we’ve all had quite a day.”

“You should get some rest, Rosa, and I’d rather not keep you up unnecessarily. You too, Omen. Maybe I should give myself a moment alone, and hopefully I can at least find some middle ground with Lin come tomorrow. I’ll just be in the living room; it’s been a long time since I’ve meditated, but you’re both welcome to join me if you like.”

The middle of the Rosa’s living room with the wood carving was a nice place to contemplate on the day’s events, and the longma is beyond convinced that he needed to take up the practice again, if only because of his troubled thoughts. It would be a long night spent ruminating on what-ifs and what-could-have-beens, and there was no better time to do so now. Once everyone has reached the thestral’s home, he sat on the cold floor, his back facing the wall, and closed his eyes to let himself enter a state of mindfulness. The longma wrapped his wings around himself and clasped his claws together, entering this meditative state, though he was open to having the others join him, even if they only want to do so for a while. 

[Sekel 692]

@Blitz Boom & @-Solstice-

TWILIGHT SPARKLE

As they walked, Twilight listened to the others and made sure to keep close with the group but tried to keep an eye on how close Cherish was. When the trees grew too thickly, she powered her horn up to shed some light on their path forward. She regarded the letter in her saddlebags for directions, making sure they were on the right path. She didn't even realise they had reached a Bat Pony village until she saw soft light out of the corner of her eye.

"This is an oddly beautiful place. Even if the atmosphere is somewhat haunting," Twilight said as her ears flicked and surveyed the area. "Any idea on if this is the Moon Thicket village?"

@Blitz Boom & @Widdershins

DAZZLE GLEAM & DAWN STREAK

"You say all that but then you strike a pose like that. Pride can be a flaw, you know," Dazzle smirked at Kaltrops before seeing Stare had given her a letter. She took it in her hooves and opened it up to read through it. After having done so, she pursed her lips and then shook her head. "It's at least a start. Yeah things take time but ... well, I guess I can wait a bit longer for news about my parents." she sighed at this and sat down on her haunches before looking up from it to Stare. "Scarcity certainly is something else, isn't she?"

"I heard that!" Dawn yelled at Benny and pointed a hoof at a him. "I will not pass out from the blood rushing to my head! I've got more than enough to keep me going in even the most embarrassing of situations!"

@Blitz Boom

AURORA LIGHTS

"Happy is telling the truth, Queen Onache," Aurora confirmed with a slight nod, having laid down to be more comfortable as they talked. She tried to keep her voice neutral as she spoke. She didn't want to even attempt to make Onache bow to her if she accidentally used an authoritative voice that forced others to do her bidding. She felt it with Lulu and she didn't want to feel like that again. "It was ... strange and confronting to see this new variant. I'm unsure if there are more than just this Gemling Queen though. It made it seem like there was and it's highly there's even a Gemling Princess running around doing her deeds but for now, it's really hard to say."

@Blitz Boom

KARMIC FATE & ATZY

"This filly has enough energy to power Canterlot Castle for the next dozen years," Atzy noted drily, simply happy letting the filly jump around and be merry.

"She also seems to like you a lot so I'd call that a plus," Karmic smirked at her sister and nodded at Blitz. "So ... tell us more about where your brother works? Does he work with anyone? Is he alone? What is ... basically I'm trying not to go in blind for this one."

[Blitz Boom 4,620]

@AuroraGlimmer

"Y-Yes, that would be ah, most appreciated."

A friend outside of the orphanage... One who actually seemed willing to hang out with him? Sure, he were not exactly alone in his day to day life, but there were a difference between visitors, and friends. This were an interesting, yet positive development in his eyes.

"You say she is an ah, bat pony, yes? I have some flowers that should fall in their taste. One of them I'd love to show you, but I can't ah, give that one away. But there are others. Maybe if you're done with your snack, we could ah, go and see them, yes?"

If she agreed, he'd lead her out to the western edge of town, where there stood a little two story house, with a massive garden, filled with flowers around it. Bees swarmed happily and carefree among the flowers, buzzing with joy, as they collected nectar for the hive. A buzzing that increased as he approached, which he assumed were a friendly thing. It were too, as Skittles would be able to tell, though none went closer to examine neither her, nor him. They had their own thing to do.

She'd probably be able to tell, that the flowers here at the front, were mixed flowers from various regions around Equestria, and a few beyond. Yet the interesting part were out behind the house, which he'd lead her too, through the house itself. One sparsely populated with furniture, and with only a few themes, to the pictures hanging around. The most prominent theme being him, with a bunch of foals, at various locations. Or himself as a foal in various ages, standing near, or next to, a stern looking mare. Up in her age, and wearing a dark and white robe, she seemed to be the sort who believed in a strict upbringing, filled with discipline. But in some, you could see her smile, and have a far warmer glow in her eyes, as she stood around the smiling Honey Dew.

The last picture one would see of her, before going to the back, where one with the two of them. Large and framed tenderly, it depicted him as an adult, standing next to her, as she sat in a rocking chair. She were withered with age, and appeared to be in her last few years, if not months, but she yet had a smile on her wrinkled face, as she held Honey's hoof, and he leaned in close, his face to the side of hers, like a loving son.

Sister August, without a doubt. A sight which made a tear fall slowly from Honey's face, as they walked on. Speaking of her earlier, had put some memories in the forefront, and seeing this picture were... It made him remember something sad.

"S-Sorry about that. I ah... N-Nevermind. The flowers that require more tender care, is in here."

He'd lead them into the back yard, which were fenced in, with chicken nets all over, to keep non-insects out. The rarest of his flowers, were either in the house, or in one of them huts/glass houses out here, but he'd start first, by going over to a corner, that had a low roof of wood, covered in dark cloth above, ensuring the sun would not hit in here. Though it could swing up, for the sake of letting moonlight in, or allow him to water better.

The flowers there looked frail and silvery, swaying in the breeze. The blooming top of the flower, looked as if it were crafted of silver threads, and pale cloth, with a small, onyx bud at the center.  They all seemed to have a slight, silvery glow to them too, and the bees who infrequently came in here, carried that slight glow with them.

"Here we are. It's not the most popular flower, among regular ponies, but the Moon Whisper Lily, is a favored one among bat ponies. I'd ah, need to find a box for one first though, in the house. Sunlight will kill them."

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

 

@Kujamih

Shark didn't understand why he got all flustered. She were just giving him a full body hug, which she had been told, were twice as good as a regular hug. And it made sense, yes? Two hooves made one hug, and she had... Four. So that were double. She were fairly sure of it at least. Numbers were hard!

"New friend say, that mates get special hug."

"Nothing unsettling. She told me you were her mate, and I just told her how you gave a super hug. What? Your mind went elsewhere, pony boy?"

Razor would pull himself up from the water, and as he did so, his fishy backside, would morph into a pair of pony legs, with a tail, looking like it were made from stringy seaweed.

"Mind can go? Not in head?"

Shark would look at Light confused, and would use her snout to poke the side of his head, trying to see if she could feel something were still in there. An action that caused a bit of snickering, from among others, Razor.

"Ain't it nice having such an unburdened mind? Heh. Can't imagine there being a boring day around you, is there, Light?

So, you're new here to the school, eh? Well then, sounds like we're gonna be meeting up a fair bit then, seeing how your mate here's a water wonder, and I'm the swimming instructor. And here I were thinking this community service nonsense, would be all boring. Ponyville really brings in all the flavors of the rainbow."

He'd reach a wet hoof forward, offering Light to shake, as Shark let go of her trapped mate. The action said he wanted to be friendly.  The look in his eyes however, said that he were having some fun ideas for Light. If Light found them fun however, were.... Debatable.

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

 

@-Solstice-

The market were not exactly massive, as most things of that sort, were split between the towns, and this town for instance, did not have a lot of farmable land to work with. but there's still be the essentials, including apples, some hay from the nearby towns, trinkets, toys, and so on. Among them, a few herb vendors too, which would catch Zeehva's attention, while they were setting up. Herbs were not as important to get up early, as breakfast foods, so they tended to lend a hoof to their family and neighbors first, before setting up their own.

"That- Oh, the ah... P-Power, yes. It's a pick me up. Something that g-gives a little bit of energy, if case you don't have a lot, or are f-feeling under the weather. I didn't need it as much, since I had my medication, but it's not suited for p- ...A-Anyway, since I can't use that anymore, I'll have more mornings like this, and l-little sleep sometimes. I need to prepare some safe p-pick ups, and some relaxants too. It should m-make it more bearable.

Just have to make s-sure to not take too much. If you take too much F-Flashfree, it will give your heart burn, or w-worse."

She'd eye something that she'd need as she said that, and walked over, to a frail, short stallion, looking like a strong breeze could push him over. His cutie mark looked like a barren tree, swaying in the wind, and his coat and mane color, seemed to both be pale green. The tail for some reason, were yellow, as were his eyes.

"Oh uhm... Hi? I mean, goodmorning, yes. Is there something I can help you with?"

"W-Well, I see you have some Dreamweave, and Pixie String. I'd ah, like to purchase some, please."

The Dreamweave, were a meaty looking, red cantaloupe looking fruit, with purple splotches across the surface. Specifically, it were the orange leaves running down the side of it, but the fruit were good and healthy too. The Pixie String, looked like a bundle of straw, yet slightly browner, and wavey. Quite frankly, the vendor seemed surprised she knew it weren't hay in the first place.

"Oh? Mostly, ponies thing this is hay. I ah, can't just sell that though, without going through the warnings. Health and safety."

Zeehva would pull out her license, and put that on the table, causing the vendor to now truly be baffled, and having to look a few more times.

"Wauh, that's... Okay, you definitely don't need me telling you that then. How much do you need?"

"Four strings, and two Dream Puffs, with leaves. The ones with three leaves specifically. A-And remember to pack them individually. We wouldn't w-want to spread Nightmare Puff, no?"

"...Yep, definitely legit then. I'll ah, have it packed as quickly as I can, miss."

He had given her a little test, and she had excelled at it. Hence, she did not need the warnings, and he could just get to work, on packing these things up properly.

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

 

@EQ_Theta

On 2022-08-04 at 1:52 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Sister… not see…. Gem? Wait a minute… You’re saying this thing can hide you from Omen? If Ms. Scarcity gave this to you, I think I can imagine why this necklace could be useful. So, I take it you’re out here doing a little experiment? Do you think it worked?”

Th

Hammond would look towards Omen, as she were getting fully out of sight, and she had not turned to look towards him once. Which he knew, were unusual for her, as she had been around for a long, long time, and he knew her to seek out her other siblings. Especially those who had forms. That she did not even turn to look, meant to him, that she could indeed not sense him. It appeared that Scarcity had been quite busy, finding out how to shield herself, and Hammond from scrutiny. Quite fast after her last, somewhat successful experiment, which had disoriented Omen's senses, but not blocked them. Paid off being a resourceful mare it seemed, yes?

Hammond for now, would nod at Lin, as she understood what it were he had been trying to say before. Though that meant that his experiment were done, and he thus, did not need to follow Omen anymore. He could return to his mistress then, but she had told him to try and experience the world, and learn from it too... So maybe he should follow his half sister here? She seemed to act differently, from the last time he had seen her. Were she hungry? Maybe he'd understand, if he observed her. Though maybe ask questions too? Omen did that, and she seemed like she knew many things. SO he'd scribble some things into the dirt once again.

"You okay? Thing bad?"

On 2022-08-04 at 1:52 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“I don’t know if sister could see those nuances. Hmm... I’m not sure even I see them. I just think getting angry about it without actually saying anything to suggest fixing that problem isn’t the right way to go about it. Agreeing with Lin right there didn’t feel right, but, I don’t know… What happened to me and Lin was a case of someone wanting to cover their actions. There is no doubt about that, but learning that many others were exiled as well from other other villages tells me there might be a bigger problem, one that we haven’t seen yet.”

"And in there, lies the problem. We do not have enough data to work with currently, to know how bad, or widespread, the issue might be. Is it one vindictive elder, brazenly empowering himself, by removing dissenters? Or is it an institutional issue, that can be felt in every village? Somewhere between perhaps? Right now, we do not know for sure.

Furthermore, I have my personal beliefs on this. I do not think that it have been mostly used in the manner, that it were originally used for. Yet if I am to approach the elders on anything, I will have to think of things from the side of the longma, and them. If I go into things with the clear sign that I believe them wrong in everything, they will refuse to listen to me outright. Life is full of annoying nuances, that sometimes, one have to consider, over what one might personally feel about it.

That said, I do not blame Lin, for her outburst. She have every right to find the practice a corrupt, despicable system, as she have seen herself, how it can be used unfairly. I am sure that once she have had a chance to cool off, things will be okay once more."

On 2022-08-04 at 1:52 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Thank you both for your answers. I know this is a tough subject, but I’m just glad I could talk to you about it. It’s good that you could see things clearer than me, Rosa. And Omen? It’s okay if you don’t know. This is tough to think about, and we don’t always have the answers we want, much as we wish we did. I suppose I would just need some time to think about this as well, and we’ve all had quite a day.”

“You should get some rest, Rosa, and I’d rather not keep you up unnecessarily. You too, Omen. Maybe I should give myself a moment alone, and hopefully I can at least find some middle ground with Lin come tomorrow. I’ll just be in the living room; it’s been a long time since I’ve meditated, but you’re both welcome to join me if you like.”

The middle of the Rosa’s living room with the wood carving was a nice place to contemplate on the day’s events, and the longma is beyond convinced that he needed to take up the practice again, if only because of his troubled thoughts. It would be a long night spent ruminating on what-ifs and what-could-have-beens, and there was no better time to do so now. Once everyone has reached the thestral’s home, he sat on the cold floor, his back facing the wall, and closed his eyes to let himself enter a state of mindfulness. The longma wrapped his wings around himself and clasped his claws together, entering this meditative state, though he was open to having the others join him, even if they only want to do so for a while. 

Rosa observed Sen for a few seconds, but acknowledged that it would be best, if he had a little bit of rest. Never knew when he'd be called in for duty, and thus, he needed to be ready. Some rest would be good, so he'd have the energy for it, so he'd wish them both a good night, and be on his way. He'd also mention that the guest room, were in the room next door, in case he needed it.

Omen would do, as Omen often did, when Sen began something like this. She stood motionless, and stared at him. As if suddenly, what he did, would open a wealth of information, or the secrets of the universe. Or maybe he'd tip over. There were things that could happen here, yes? And she could literally watch him, for longer than he could do this. She had stood mostly motionless, looking at a gravestone for years. This were nothing. And it would likely involve less screaming, th an the times others had come to see the gravestone, thought she were a statue, and gotten terrified when she suddenly moved.

"What do you think about, when you do this?"

Her siblings had though the same, albeit briefly, when he had to gather himself, the first time he went to her realm, and saw the family. She knew as little as them about it though. Maybe she could learn something now? Or he would be too focused to answer, and she'd just stare, about a half meter from his face, unblinking, and not breathing.

Strange how some beings found her unnerving, wasn't it?

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

 

@Sekel @-Solstice-

"Now you come back here you little scamp. Don't make me put you in the tumble dryer again."

The voice would come from not too far away from them, and were  the precursor for two beings showing. The first being a head-sized plush cat, rushing across the ground. The tail had a blunted hook at the end, which could allow the animate doll to grab on to things, and dangle down if it so pleased. And following it, were something looking like a lifelike, pony-sized doll. Not porcelain, but plush, with a big, stitched on smile on it's dangling face. The tail and mane seemed to be very voluptuous and wild, like a Raggedy Ann, that had gone through a tumble-dryer.

Though the eyes were made of stitches, of various colors (one eye being pink, and the other blue), there were life to be seen in them, as a flickering, pale light faintly glowed within them, focusing on catching the little escapee, running towards the princess. Though it would halt once it's own glowing, blank dark eyes fell upon her, and her entourage. Meant the galloping doll behind it, could finally catch up.

"Aha! Took you long enough, Addy, but I finally cau- Hello there."

She'd look up, as she noticed the group there, and would raise a hoof in greeting. As she spoke, the stitches on her face moved around, as if she were actually speaking, mimicking the regular motions of a mouth. Albeit an unopened one, so the motions did look kinda odd, like when she were doing a slight O mouth, in surprise over seeing her odd guests.

As for the responses? Last jumped in front of the princess, sword drawn, Drone readied her scythe arms, and hissed lowly. As for Cherish? She meeped, and hid behind a tree.  She weren't as brave as these two were.

"Step away from the princess, or be cut down."

"Now that ain't very nice of you. I was just chasing this little rascal. We ran all the way from Sanctuary, to here. Cats, am I right?

But the princess, you say? Well then, at this size, that outta mean... *gasp* Twilight Sparkle, right? Oooh, Alluria is gonna be So thrilled! Two descendants, within the last couple of days? Her heart would flutter, if it could.

...Seriously though, what's with the looks? You never seen an ensouled doll before? Pff- Hehehehe.

Seriously, it never gets old to see the reaction of others, when they meet me. Utterly priceless.

I'm Stitch Wraith, of the Macabre Clan. How's it swinging, mah ponies?"

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

 

@Sekel @Widdershins

16 hours ago, Sekel said:

"You say all that but then you strike a pose like that. Pride can be a flaw, you know," Dazzle smirked at Kaltrops before seeing Stare had given her a letter. She took it in her hooves and opened it up to read through it. After having done so, she pursed her lips and then shook her head. "It's at least a start. Yeah things take time but ... well, I guess I can wait a bit longer for news about my parents." she sighed at this and sat down on her haunches before looking up from it to Stare. "Scarcity certainly is something else, isn't she?"

"My sister is very good at what she does. But everything takes time. Don't worry, we'll find something to do, while we're waiting for her."

It wasn't what she had hoped for, but still, it were better than nothing, to be told that things were in motion, right? It were a good start, and knowing her sister, things would indeed be done. Within the week, it would likely be sorted, and the parents escorted to Ponyville, to be reunited with their long lost child. It would be quite the touching moment, hopefully. It would be ah... Unfortunate, to say the least, if someone came around with two dug up corpses.

At least Dazzle would have someplace to be, as Stare weren't currently planning on kicking out the hybrid. Would take quite a bit, before it came to that in fact, but she were sure it wouldn't come to that. Dazzle seemed fairly civilized, and though she had some edge to her, as seen when she interacted with Kaltrops, she still seemed overall nice. Stare didn't foresee anything crucially wrong. At worst, they'd have some clashing hobbies, or something. Nothing wrong with that.

18 hours ago, Sekel said:

"I heard that!" Dawn yelled at Benny and pointed a hoof at a him. "I will not pass out from the blood rushing to my head! I've got more than enough to keep me going in even the most embarrassing of situations!"

"I bet ten bits, that he's gonna make you blush up harder than he did, when he were shouting you did it, within the week."

"Benny! Don't make bets on stuff like that."

Benny would be snickering under his breath, whilst Pop would roll his eyes at him. Though by her slight smile, she weren't hiding perfectly, that she did find it a bit funny. Or that she were remembering how Kaltrops had been shouting. Dear Celestia, that had been utterly hilarious.

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

 

@Sekel

She could use as much of an authoritative voice as she wanted to. Onache did not bow down before anyone. And as a queen, she most certainly, did not act instinctually to that, as some of the others did. It were something meant to affect drones, and would do so, to some extend. Queens however, had other ways of flaring authority. Mostly by hive size, or subtle magical contests. Queen Armenia were particularly fond of kicking others in the face though. Onache did Not like her.

In the case of herself and Aurora though, it would be a simple one, as Onache would push against her mind, and show her superiority in a matter of magical experience. Which Aurora simply couldn't compare to, as she were too inexperienced. Even if she did suddenly find a raw magic output potential, it weren't worth much in the sort of games Onache played, if it weren't refined.

"Peculiar development. One that should be observed, as it develops. Might be a boon for our kind. Might be an invasive species. Time will tell.

As for your other companions... A diamond dog, and what I am assuming is an exile, as she haven't drawn weapons on me yet."

"...What did you do?"

"We have never gotten along, and these days, she tells her drones that I would look more suitable, with a dagger in my carapace. It will pass, as all the other things did. I could care little more, about what a hive as hers do."

Lulu did not seem convinced, but wouldn't try something. It'd be a fools errand anyway. Onache were a queen, well known to be stronger, than one with her former hive size, had any right to be. Going against her alone, as a drone, were suicidal.

"Be that as it may, I hear you having quite the story to tell then, Happy. This queen though. Is it one I should care for, more closely?"

"She's hoping for a meeting, my queen."

"Then when I see one of hers, it will be prepared. I want to see this one for myself.

Now then, Aurora? As a new queen, you will be expected to establish your own hive, and provide for it. How well versed are you, in the responsibilities of a queen? I cannot well have you mess up the lives of your first batch of nymphs, from cluelessness. Normally your own queen should have instructed you in this, but as that have not happened, nor will, I ask again: What do you know, of being a changeling queen?"

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

 

@Sekel

"Big bro works with me, and then his smaller spiderbot, is his assistant. He calls her Carmen, and he pretty much goes everywhere with him."

She'd rummage around her tail, and would eventually pull out a slightly wrinkly picture. There were two ponies in that, standing in front of a large, metallic wall. One being Blitz, and right next to her, grinning from ear to ear, just like her, stood her brother.

The spider were also shown. Somewhat realistic, for a two eyes spider, but the diode eyes, and the metallic joints on the legs, did eventually give it away. Although they were surprisingly subtle. One had to look at her for long enough, to get that she wasn't real, and as she looked like a spider, not everypony wanted to get that close of a look.

As for Molotov himself... The family resemblance were uncanny. One could definitely tell that they were siblings, of an inventor family. She more with explosives, and him more on robotic tinkering. Which were shown on his cutie mark, being three gear, set so they'd work in tandem, with a metal wing wrapped around the top. The look of that cutie mark, had sparked his thirst for making wings in the first place, and by Celestia, he had done it. Tough they weren't pretty. They were functional though. That were the first, and most important step.

"This is my big bro. See? Doesn't he look smart? And that's Carmen.

Ooooh, and that's Greta! Eeeee!!!"

Blitz got really excited, and jumped in place, though Enzo for one, did not get why. Not until his eyes fell upon a dragon, further down. One that were flying up towards them, from a clearing over the forest they had reached. He thought they were further from that, so it seemed odd he could see her already... That is, until she got closer, and he could see that no, she were just a large dragon. As in, made him look small, sort of sized dragon. It made him halt his flight, and look around, searching for an exit, whilst debating whatever or not to fight. His increased heart beat, being something the others could hear, if they listened.

"What a strange visitor to these parts. Hello there, sph-"

Her words would be cut off, by Enzo summoning a flurry of scrolls, splattering into her face, and blocking her vision, whilst Enzo's breathing hastened. It didn't take a lot to understand that he were panicking, because he were scared. Of this large dragon, specifically, who seemed mellow and nice - even wore a saddle and large socks, that ended just before her hands and feet, for some reason - but to him, reminded him of when he had been trapped in the past. Larger dragons, forcing him down, chaining him...

"Not again! Not again! Leave me alone!!!"

He'd turn around, and fly as fast as he could the other way. Or he would, had the dragon not taken a sudden, and firm, grasp in his tail. The parchment on her face, torched to nothing, with a flaming snort.

"That wasn't very nice of you, young man. What is the meaning of this?"

Enzo didn't reply, just kept trying to get away, but to no avail. The dragoness were larger, and more importantly, stronger than him. So he couldn't stop her from halting his escape, nor from dragging him calmly down to the ground by the tail, where he'd then keep trying to run, before giving up, and falling to his stomach, paws over his head, and shaking from top to bottom. It seemed he still had some trauma, related to the dragons of his youth, that he couldn't escape from, so easily.

The others would probably be best off explaining things, before his panic attack got worse. As well as lead the word here. She seemed approachable enough, as she looked at the through her large glasses, with a confused, yet calm look. Today were getting quite odd for her.

Edited August 6, 2022 by Blitz Boom

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Blitz Boom

Skittles would nod and smile, finishing her snack, paying for everything she had before standing up from the table "Of course, please lead the way" she tells him and then soon begins to follow him towards his house. She then is allowed in and would look around, smiling at all the photos, but when she noticed him stop at the last one, she noticed he let a tear roll down his face.

"You must have really cared for each other, a love and care like that is rare indeed" she'd say softly, giving him a gentle hug before following him into the backyard and then quietly gasped at the sight of the flowers that was before her "Oh, she told me about the Moon Whisper Lilies, coincidentally, they are her favorites" she'd say to him, "How much for a bouquet?" she'd ask, getting her purse out.

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

@Blitz Boom

As the trapped Light let shark have her way with him, he could only blush and let his made do as she please.

" Thank you for the special hug Sweetie."

But then the creature from the deep comes and disturbed them and introduce himself as Razor. 

" something very fishy about this.... But I guess it's just you..." Light weirdly jested.

He ponders a bit and reluctantly shakes the others hoof.

" Instructor Razor huh... Nice meeting you. we'll be in your care when we're in the water I guess?"

 

Edited August 6, 2022 by Kujamih

[Catpone Cerberus 23,588]

@Blitz Boom
Ruby would have liked to point out that it wasn't really believable that Diego had no time to deliver the letter to Spicy while she was in the casino, but had time to seek them out to ask them to deliver it, yet she didn't, as Leviathan in a way brought up the same point, be it bit differently. Leviathan's mockery seemed to amuse Charir, he may have not had any idea what exactly was said, but he could read the situation enough to find Diego's discomfort amusing. For Ruby, she also found it slightly amusing, but only slightly, as she saw ponies being pathetic little creatures as a baseline, so this was like watching a wingless bird failing at flying.

Ruby didn't take much part in the interaction, but she did speak to Diego as he was walking away "Don't get yourself killed out there, bad for business." did she mean her business or Diego's business? that was entirely for him to decide, it wasn't like either was technically wrong. 

"If you don't have any further ideas, we could start getting ready to head back to Canterlot, this has been entertaining but I'm getting slightly tired of all this noise and smells." "Though, we could stop at Ponyville on the way to pick up couple of things so that Charir could start his language studies." "It's not like he has much else to do while following us." 

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

"Actions and words no, but thoughts maybe." Scarecrow explained as they walked "I sometimes catch myself thinking things I don't agree with, mainly ones that question the worth of the effort to keep myself on the path of goodness." "Would it not be just easier to make enemies? It's not like they can do anything to me." he changed his tone with the question to make it clear it was an example rather than genuine wonder "I feel no empathy, no guilt, nothing, so it wouldn't have any mental consequences either, you could trap me in a dungeon for rest of time and I wouldn't even get bored." "I cannot say if those thoughts are what you say, or if it is just my slowly fleeting sanity, but they are part of the reason why I seek my own destruction, I rather go out in my own terms than succumb to violent madness."

He nodded back at the minotaur, also not saying a word, for the doll, he noticed it but at this point didn't think much of it, he would have probably found it weirder if it didn't move at this point.

Scarecrow looked around for a second "I can see why it would take a bit of time to go through all this." 

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

Sheska just acknowledged what the doctor said and didn't continue the discussion, she wasn't trying to directly compare things, and rather she had just shared her thoughts with Trox to help herself to picture what the doctor was talking about, she did similar comparisons for everything else that was said too, but this time she kept it in her mind , she also wondered if this was in any way related to the assumed extinction of Changelings in their world, after all, she didn't find it unlikely that the sisters would have purposely let something like that spread to get rid of a species they didn't like.  

 

Solar had no reaction to the trident, and while this probably seemed like arrogance from outside, it was simply because it was no threat to him, it was like someone pointing a slightly sharpened stick at a full grown dragon, the local weapons were simply put, obsolete, when it came to his defenses; not that he believed that Harpoon would try her luck anyway, after all, he was no threat. He also didn't move, since he hadn't really gotten close enough to 'back away' from anyone. The siblings meanwhile did take few steps away from him, and Trox positioned himself in front of Sheska, they weren't openly aggressive, but the way they looked at Solar was such that you didn't need to be a changeling to be able to spot the absolute hatred they felt towards him.

"Solar Silver, the Royal guard, or Solar guard if want to be specific, the commander and currently the only member of the unit for tracking and countering threats from alternative realities." he stated, even offering official paperwork from Celestia herself to backup his words if Harpoon wanted evidence "These two, while they hate me more than anything in this world, not without reason I admit, are important resource for my duties as protector of this Equestria, and as stated, I only wish to ask them for assistance and show them something, if I wanted to harm them, we wouldn't be talking." Trox spoke up "And why is it so important that it's us?" "Because having lost access to the database, you two are the only known creatures in this world to speak the language I need translated, and because what I have to show is directly related to your safety." he looked into Harpoon's eyes with his unnatural cold eyes, they lacked certain life, something that even though his expression was neutral, would make anyone uncomfortable if looking at them for too long "You can keep that stick at my throat the whole time if you wish to, but it would be for the benefit of everyone if I could do my job as quickly as possible."   "My mere presence causes mental strain." he gestured with his head towards Sheska, who was visibly distressed at this point, their last interaction had really flipped something in her, Solar's attempt at friendly gesture before had seemingly made him a kind of trigger for Sheska's trauma. While the choice of words may have signaled otherwise, his tone implied some level of concern for Sheska, because while there wasn't any real evidence outside, he truly felt bad for her. 

Chega stopped her observation and went to Sheska, pulling her aside and proceeding to comfort her the best she could, but not before she whispered something to Sear, which made her seemingly realize something, and while Chega helped Sheska relax, Sear looked at Solar thoughtfully, she too seemingly focusing on the eyes specifically.

 

For Stargazer, Solar had interacted with him, and the short of it was that he promised to keep his eyes open, but mentioned that his duties didn't let him actively help them to track down the criminal. 

[EQ_Theta 457]

@Blitz Boom

On 2022-08-06 at 7:02 PM, Blitz Boom said:

Hammond for now, would nod at Lin, as she understood what it were he had been trying to say before. Though that meant that his experiment were done, and he thus, did not need to follow Omen anymore. He could return to his mistress then, but she had told him to try and experience the world, and learn from it too... So maybe he should follow his half sister here? She seemed to act differently, from the last time he had seen her. Were she hungry? Maybe he'd understand, if he observed her. Though maybe ask questions too? Omen did that, and she seemed like she knew many things. SO he'd scribble some things into the dirt once again.

"You okay? Thing bad?"

“You could say that. It’s complicated, and I’m not even sure what I should say. I’m angry, sad, and confused at the same time. Come and sit; let me tell you about it.”

“See, my brother and I… don’t exist to the longma. For the longest time anyway. We were exiled from our home, never meant to return and losing our family, all because some elder didn’t want us in the way. Imagine being taken away from Miss Scarcity and never seeing her ever again. I thought I’ve put that memory behind me, but I guess it never leaves, because I’m still angry that it happened. What’s worse is that Sen seemingly forgot it ever happened to him. He should be angry about it because he still isn’t over how much it hurt to lose our mother and father, but he isn’t. I don’t know why.”

For a moment, Lin paused to catch herself speaking about her story to Hammond. It was somewhat unsettling that she’d find herself feeling more comfortable talking about something sensitive to him but not to her brother, but she liked how it put her at ease. There was still some concern over whether or not she should even be mentioning this on the off-chance that Scarcity could use this story as leverage, but by the time Lin even realized this, she had already spilled most of the details. Seemed like there was no taking back what was mentioned.

Irony aside, saying what she kept to herself felt like a weight was lifted off her chest, though not entirely. There was still an expected confrontation the following day, but just sitting on the ground with Hammond next to her was comforting. She didn’t really know how the little creature would react, or if he’d react in some expected manner, but she was just fine with venting.

“Would it be all right if we kept this talk between ourselves, Hammond? It’s a personal matter between myself and Sen, so I wouldn’t really like to drag others into it. I’ll do my best to clear things up for you if have any questions.”

As for Sen, he listened to what Rosa had to say on the matter and hoped they could talk things over with Lin with clearer heads. Some time apart could set them straight, maybe with some idea on how to approach a discussion on exile among themselves or with the elders back home. The latter would be trickier, with them already having some biased notion of how a practice like that could be exploited for personal gain. Lin already has strong impressions on the matter, even clouding her perceptions of home. She only tolerated her own kind aside from a select few individuals, though she would find it ironic of her to harbor those sentiments when Sen should be the one having them. The longma bade Rosa good night before he started focusing on his meditations.

On 2022-08-06 at 7:02 PM, Blitz Boom said:

Omen would do, as Omen often did, when Sen began something like this. She stood motionless, and stared at him. As if suddenly, what he did, would open a wealth of information, or the secrets of the universe. Or maybe he'd tip over. There were things that could happen here, yes? And she could literally watch him, for longer than he could do this. She had stood mostly motionless, looking at a gravestone for years. This were nothing. And it would likely involve less screaming, th an the times others had come to see the gravestone, thought she were a statue, and gotten terrified when she suddenly moved.

"What do you think about, when you do this?"

Her siblings had though the same, albeit briefly, when he had to gather himself, the first time he went to her realm, and saw the family. She knew as little as them about it though. Maybe she could learn something now? Or he would be too focused to answer, and she'd just stare, about a half meter from his face, unblinking, and not breathing.

“I think about things that bother me, the kind of thoughts that are difficult to process unless I truly focus on them. By being aware and focused on what these may be, I hope to find better ways to confront them once I finish meditating. I train myself to be aware of what is happening now, between myself and my surroundings. Take now, for instance. I’d like to understand why Lin was angry with me, and I am using what I learned from Rosa to hopefully understand my sister’s perspective. I guess in some ways, this might be similar to what you do when you process information. Staying still like statue and thinking about what you’ve learned. Unless I’m wrong, in which case, feel free to correct me.”

“If you like, I can tell you how I meditate. Maybe you’d like to try it?”

 Though his eyes were closed, the longma was aware of how close Omen was staring at him. It was an odd way of observing, but Sen hoped he would be able to hid his slight discomfort at Omen’s proximity, possibly channeling it into a less unnerving manner. Still, he didn’t say anything that may be taken as a slight toward the Ki’Nathar’s odd behavior. At this point, he was already acclimatized to odd and strange mannerisms, but there was the occasional thing that was so odd that he’d have to excuse himself for a moment to process it.

Despite the possibility of how late he might be up that night, Sen was more than willing to accommodate any questions, including his own. After all, his search for answers to hopefully ease some tensions between himself and Lin was what prompted this need to mediated. Still, Rosa mentioning the guest room made it a little tempting to see what sleeping on a bed felt like. 

[Blitz Boom 4,620]

@AuroraGlimmer

On 2022-08-06 at 1:23 PM, AuroraGlimmer said:

"You must have really cared for each other, a love and care like that is rare indeed" she'd say softly, giving him a gentle hug

He'd give a quick, gentle hug back, with one hoof, before letting go again. He did not want to seem intrusive.

"From the day I were left orphaned, she were there, taking care of us all. She did not play favorites, but I ah, were there for longer than any of the others. A few times taken, always returned... But I kept my chin up, because I knew she were always there.

She were a ah, strict mare. Too harsh for some, but I understood, that she were just trying to help us all, to weather the sort of things we'd hear, and grow up to be good ponies, regardless of upbringing. She wasn't perfect, but I know she did her best, and when we had the last picture made, I... I told her that too. Among other things, though I wish I could still say them to her now.

May she rest peacefully."

He'd move on, feeling sad, yet relieved, to get some of this off of his chest. He didn't speak a lot about her, since he didn't have many here, unless it were to the orphans. His way of helping them were not like hers. He did not have that iron will that she possessed. But he'd tell them of her, when they asked him to tell stories from his youth. IN many ways, he figured him being an orphan like them, helped them to connect better with him, than some others. A kindred soul, as well as somepony they could look at, and see that no matter what others sometimes told them, they could turn out just as well, as any other pony could.

On 2022-08-06 at 1:23 PM, AuroraGlimmer said:

"You must have really cared for each other, a love and care like that is rare indeed" she'd say softly, giving him a gentle hug before following him into the backyard and then quietly gasped at the sight of the flowers that was before her "Oh, she told me about the Moon Whisper Lilies, coincidentally, they are her favorites" she'd say to him, "How much for a bouquet?" she'd ask, getting her purse out.

"Tell you what. How about I give you a bouquet, for your ah, introduction to meditation lesson, you were talking about? I'll make use of a good arrangement box and pot too, if you'd have a quick word with the queen of the hive."

Granted, these flowers were not exactly cheap, but they were not the most popular, and he'd like it, if they went to somepony who treasured, and appreciated them. So he'd trade them for a lesson, and a good delivery box and pot, for the chat with the bee queen. A steal for Skittles really, but he looked at it more as trading value for value. Which one had most value were ah, not that important.

"Also, can I ah, show you another plant? It have to be in the house, and you need to promise to stay calm around them. They're ah... Very delicate."

If she agreed, he'd show her into another room of the house, near the roof. Behind a thick door with three locks, and the inside bathed in a dim, sunset-reddish lighting, from some light bulbs. The room felt moist and swamp-like, and if she looked around, she'd find that even the air in and outtake, were gated off with close-knit wire. He did not want the bees to enter this room, it appeared.

There would be a long line of grass in front of them, at the far edge of the wall. With every few width of a hoof's distance, would grow a large, meaty flower. The petal were red and pulsating on each side, elongated, and swaying, with vein-like protrusions running across the outside of them. The charcoal-colored stalk, had small, soft spikes across them, turning downwards, ready to poke at whomever might try and grab any of them. The flower itself were the most notable though. Lucious and crimson, they looked vibrant, with several layers of beautiful flower petals across. Yet as he entered, several of them would bloom outwards. At first, it would simply seem more like luscious roses in bloom, yet as the center unfolded, a small beat would be found at each, opening up, and letting out haunting, melodious hums. If she looked inside the beaks, she'd find backwards teeth, and a thin line waving within, slithering around like a worm.

The whole room smelled fantastic. Sweet, yet with a spicy and invigorating after tone, making it quite pleasant to take deep breaths through your nose, although doing so for too long, would be slightly mellowing. The few melodious hums of the flowers, were the only other source of sound, but them, and a random interval of buzzing and bird noises, being played from somewhere. A speaker in the corner, it turned out. Vines were growing near it, but the glass box it were in, were not being broken so easily.

"My ah, pride and joys: Tranquilarian Vampire Roses. Incredibly hard to cultivate, and even harder to have imported. I had to ah, smuggle the seeds through customs, a little bit. I bought them fairly and legally though. Just the ah, neighbors, who doesn't like things like this passing through. They're quite something, yes? Though they ah, truly get the most vibrant when stimulated. Mostly around, or after feeding time. That will be ah, tonight, I believe. You can see they're quite eager already."

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

 

 

@Kujamih

"That's right. And don't you go worry that pretty face of yours. I ain't gonna drag you in, and scurry you along the bottom for a few minutes. We just met after all. And I've been told I'm not allowed to. Ponies can be such spoilsports."

Definite a river kelpie. They had a history of doing stuff like that. Sometimes to lethal degrees, but more often than not, it were to mess with someone, or a misguided attempt of affection.

Sea kelpies dragged others in too, but they were more strict about that, and wouldn't speak of it in such a carefree, joking manner. This were but one of the reasons why, the two variations of kelpies, didn't tend to get along all too well.

"Jesting aside, it will be nice with some peculiarities in the lessons. It gets so tiresome when its all the same. Hope you can swim even a tenth as good as your mate here, or you're gonna have to go with the younglings, or argue with the principal why you're allowed an exception. Not my department either way.

Well, since I'm outta the water anyway, I might as well get lunch. See you around."

Unless there were something else, he'd be on his way, yawning and smacking his lips. Been an eventful few minutes. Fitting time for a break then, yeah? His class weren't for another half hour or so anyway.

"Hehe. School have many fun friends. Water friend, fluffy friends, friends with shinies."

"Well... Neither of you have made enemies, so this is going well, I think.

A-Anyway, were you going to stay in school for lodging, Light? I remember Shark were going to stay in the lake, but I can't recall right now, if you were staying here. I could show you towards the rooms then."

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

 

@-HeedGreen-

"I could uhm, share, yes. Just please let ma administer the right dosage, instead of you trying it out. Sometimes, it can take a little to really kick in, which makes others t-take more than they can handle. I'd really prefer that we t-tried to avoid health hazards."

There were a reason that this were mostly used as a personal pick me up, for the alchemist who made it, rather than being put up for sale. Though it of course, did happen at times. Alchemists needed to pay the bills too, and some customers were reliable, attentive folks. Or at least seemed so. No system were perfect, unfortunately. Which is why some health issues had come from the sale of things such as this, to customers who weren't as cautious as they seemed.

Thankfully, she didn't have that experience herself yet, but she kept worrying that she would, if she weren't careful. And that were something she'd prefer not having hanging over her. She had more than enough as it were, in her opinion.

Not that she were perfect. She had accidentally caused some flues, and sickness to take root, but nothing lethal, or permanent. That was the important thing to remember. Accidents would happen after all, and sometimes, a cure involved another getting sick sadly, but by something less severe. It were when things went drastically in the wrong direction, that it would become a problem, that she'd have a hard time getting over, if it were at all possible.

Anyway, as for the here and now, the vendor would come back with her wares, responsibly packed, and she would pay him for that. It wasn't all she needed, but it were a good start.

"R-Right now, we need to get some food. I need the leaves from these for my concoctions, but the fruits themselves are nutritious, and not something needed."

So, she'd pluck the leaves off of two of the dream puffs, and while the leaves would be packaged down again, she'd keep one of the plucked fruits in her hoof, and offering the other to Magnolia. It were a nutrient rich, earthy flavor, with a sweet aftertaste. A bit odd maybe, but it were well worth eating, and would fill them nicely for the time being. The last one would be saved for another time. They would likely need a snack later on, and thus, could share that by then.

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"Yeah. seems like we had a productive, fun time here. 'Bout time we moved on, and sought something else to do. And I think Ponyville sounds like as good of a goal as any. Can't hurt picking up what we need, to help Charir learn some language. I wanna be able to talk with him directly, and tell him stuff like how proud I am of how well he's doing here so far. Seriously, I've seen dragons young and old, who couldn't interact as well with a place like this, as he's been doing. And he can't even understand folks. I'm very impressed by him.

Aaah, can't wait to be able to say this to him face to face, and him getting every word. Well worth the inevitable wait."

She'd grin from ear to ear, as she looked at Charir. Good kid this one. Was gonna go and make for a fine dragon someday, regardless of what those dolts in his homeland had apparently thought. Especially once he got good grips on his magic. A brawler build like him, with electricity? He'd be an actual ball lightning, just demolishing through his enemies. Good times. But that would require training, and she could do that better, if she could communicate with him directly, rather than needing a translator.

Anyway, since it seemed they were done for now, she'd put the remaining tokens she had, in her saddlebag. No need to let them go to waste, and it wasn't like they expired anytime soon. She just had to get back within the next... Three years, and they'd be fine. Was every five years, they had to change the tokens, according to law, and this place weren't so bothered by doing stuff like marking the exact date on their tokens. It were seen as a silly thing for them, since even if one bought a lot, then sold them elsewhere, the bits were still essentially coming here. As would whomever would buy them, and they'd likely then buy more stuff here. Why get all fuzzed about the details, when it were a meaningless expense for them?

"Anyway, I'm ready when you are. Just lead the way, and we'll be out of town in no time. Just have to remember to not step on the clouds. I don't think we had Charir marked when we got into town."

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"I will have to have you observed by somepony, it would seem. I would thin that something might be trying to grasp at your sanity, so it can overtake you. Some malevolent force, it sounds like, albeit weak.

My argument at least, would be that if you cannot feel, and nothing matters to you, then why would you have trouble with madness? Madness comes of some semblance of emotion. If you have no reason to care, nor resent others, it would seem odd to be dealing with even some thoughts surrounding this. Yet I am just speculating. If there are answers to be found, it will not be my me. This is not my area of expertise."

Getting to the library, and seeing the abundance of tomes in here, saying it would take some time, were somewhat of an understatement. Some had spend centuries, and not gotten through it all. But so it were, when a family as old as theirs, compiled a lot of knowledge over their lifetimes. Some of it, were inevitably going to be repeated, and when that were noticed, that would be written into their own tomes, as clarification. So there were always some working here. In fact, certain parts of the family, were known to go in here when they could read, and spend most of their life in this place, categorizing what they could.

"Our tomes are vast, and are ever expanding. You see barely the surface from here, yet if I were to offer you hope, that there were an answer to your predicament, I would think it lay somewhere within. If not, then it might come, as more and more of us write what we experience, and learn. Death is an ever-expanding, mysterious concept. One we have extensively studied, yet there will always be more to learn. If not here, then from other lands too.

Honored Sickle Moon. Will you answer my call? A soul is here, whom needs your watchful eye."

"Ohoho. Asking for an old mare like me? My, how serious it must be."

Macabre's horn would have glowed, as she uttered her words, them seemingly carrying more weight in some manner. And soon thereafter, the answer had come, from a raspy old voice, seemingly coming from all around them.

Red and pale fog would ooze out from between the stacks, and gather in the center. When all had gathered, the worst of it would dissipate, revealing an elderly mare. Her mane were gathered in a bun at the back of her head, her tail long and floating around her, the hairs as thin as those on her mane. Her wrinkled face showed a slight smile as she glanced around on the gathered beings, and her glassy eyes showed kindness, and patience. Yet her presence, caused several of the library workers to hastily move elsewhere, for whatever reason.

She'd take a raspy breath, and chuckle at the display, which made her loose, warm-looking and faded kimono shake ever so slightly.

"Let me have a better look at you. Whom might you be, young lady?"

She'd flip her hoof, and a gnarled cane would gather into existence under her hoof, which she'd use to point towards Lyriel. The dryad bowing respectfully before the mare, in response.

"I am Lyriel. Daughter of the Silver Valley. I am honored to be in your presence, wise elder."

"What a respectful young lady. I like you.

What of you then? I take it you are the reason I were called upon? My my, what a state you are in. Reminds me of the Druid Wars of four hundred and sixty one, but worse."

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

On 2022-08-07 at 12:43 PM, Catpone Cerberus said:

"Solar Silver, the Royal guard, or Solar guard if want to be specific, the commander and currently the only member of the unit for tracking and countering threats from alternative realities." he stated, even offering official paperwork from Celestia herself to backup his words if Harpoon wanted evidence "These two, while they hate me more than anything in this world, not without reason I admit, are important resource for my duties as protector of this Equestria, and as stated, I only wish to ask them for assistance and show them something, if I wanted to harm them, we wouldn't be talking." Trox spoke up "And why is it so important that it's us?" "Because having lost access to the database, you two are the only known creatures in this world to speak the language I need translated, and because what I have to show is directly related to your safety." he looked into Harpoon's eyes with his unnatural cold eyes, they lacked certain life, something that even though his expression was neutral, would make anyone uncomfortable if looking at them for too long "You can keep that stick at my throat the whole time if you wish to, but it would be for the benefit of everyone if I could do my job as quickly as possible."   "My mere presence causes mental strain."

"That won't be necessary."

She'd take the trident, and put it back on her back. Might be it wouldn't do a lot against this one, odd as he looked, but as General Tidal Wave said: Fight when you must, and strike true. She'd still have gone after him, if he had proven a threat. Seemed he weren't one though. Technically at least. His presence caused undue stress to the ones she were trying to protect, so she'd prefer if he moved along shortly.

"Sorry about the forceful approach, but I had to assume you an enemy, due to their response. I am still not sure what you're on about, but the stamp is official, as is the uniform. Be at your business, if they allow it, and then move along please. I do not want them to have a more unpleasant time, than they have had already.

I don't care what branch of the royal guard you're from, or how armored you are. I won't back down, if you present a danger, or undue burden on these kobolds."

She were not unreasonable, but his attitude, and that of the others not liking his presence, didn't make her feel like she'd be all too cordial to him. Stargazer had been respectful, so that were fine. This one acted a lot like the regular Solar or Moon Guards. Arrogantly thinking themselves better than the Coastal Guards, just cause they weren't one of the established royal armies. Despite the fact that they did a lot more work, than the bloody royal guards. A lot of monsters inland, causing trouble. When did things from the ocean get in, to cause havoc? Rarely. And that was due to them, cause there sure were a fair bit of monsters to fight. As well as invaders. There were more dangers from the ocean, than the royal guards wanted to admit. Couldn't go and give the Coastal Guard credit, when you wanted to make others believe you were above them now, could you?

And maybe this one weren't arrogant, but that look in his eyes, didn't make her think he were kind and friendly, so she'd go by the usual thing this meant. Y'know, beyond sociopath. Usually the guards didn't employ those... Usually...

"Let me know if you feel like he is crossing your boundaries."

She'd stand back, and let them do their thing, unless she were called upon, or saw something that made her think that this had gone far enough. Might be he were armored up, but that didn't mean that she couldn't get him to exit the room. Potentially through a guard sized hole in the floor, or wall.

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

 

@EQ_Theta

On 2022-08-07 at 3:56 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“You could say that. It’s complicated, and I’m not even sure what I should say. I’m angry, sad, and confused at the same time. Come and sit; let me tell you about it.”

Hammond's ears would perk, as he'd hear a command that he did understood, and would get closer. Jumping bit by bit, until he could sit where it were that he had been directed. If she were so inclined, she could touch his fur, and potentially stroke it too, if she so wished to. He wouldn't understand the concept of getting petted properly, nor the sensation of it, but he'd let her do it, if she so pleased. His fur were pretty soft, so it were well worth it, if she decided to go that route.

On 2022-08-07 at 3:56 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“See, my brother and I… don’t exist to the longma. For the longest time anyway. We were exiled from our home, never meant to return and losing our family, all because some elder didn’t want us in the way. Imagine being taken away from Miss Scarcity and never seeing her ever again. I thought I’ve put that memory behind me, but I guess it never leaves, because I’m still angry that it happened. What’s worse is that Sen seemingly forgot it ever happened to him. He should be angry about it because he still isn’t over how much it hurt to lose our mother and father, but he isn’t. I don’t know why.”

He understood some things, of what he were being told. Others he'd need to find out what meant later, but he would do so, with some haste. In the early days, were the best time to educate their kind, as they sucked every bit of information possible to them, like a sponge. Omen had been through that the same in her time, but unfortunately, what she had taken in, were the nonsense logic of chaos. When the world stabilized, it meant absolutely nothing, and everything went back to confusing her. Hammond had a much better basis to work from. Doubly so, as Scarcity made sure he would be educated properly, and had the means to ensure it would be done.

Of what he were told from Lin though, what stuck out to him, were what she said of being taken away from his master, and never being able to see her again. The thought made something rise in him. Something... He had been told about... Was this fear? It were wrong though. Not like it should be. He did not like this, and if Lin's experience were something like that, he did not want her to feel that way either.

...Empathy. This was empathy, yes? He were learning so many small, yet important fragments of things from Lin already. She must have had a wise master, in her time.

On 2022-08-07 at 3:56 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Would it be all right if we kept this talk between ourselves, Hammond? It’s a personal matter between myself and Sen, so I wouldn’t really like to drag others into it. I’ll do my best to clear things up for you if have any questions.”

It would be about ten seconds, of Hammond starring up at Lin, before he'd eventually nod. He understood. Do not tell Master Scarcity of this. But tell her of the test being good, yes. The other thing were private, according to Lin. Normally he wouldn't let that stand between him, and his master's questions, but Mother were clear: Masters were good, but family came first. Lin were family. He could feel it. So he should listen to her on this. He were sure his master would understand.

Afterwards, he'd jump back down on the ground, and begin to slowly write some words. Some better than others, but the rough idea should hopeful come through.

"Other Mother, got hurt? Other Mother hurt, hurt sister? Brother not hurt, is wrong? Bad? I help?"

He could spell correctly still, though his sentences could use some work. Were rather reminiscent if she recalled, to how Omen were talking at first. Broken up, into odd sentences, seemingly just using short phrases, over lengthy paragraphs. Childish form really, but it were hers, and currently, Hammond's too. He'd learn, just as she had learned. Right now though, his main focus were in whatever or not he'd be able to help, in some sort of way. Maybe if he understood more, he'd be able to think of some way, that he could.

On 2022-08-07 at 3:56 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“I think about things that bother me, the kind of thoughts that are difficult to process unless I truly focus on them. By being aware and focused on what these may be, I hope to find better ways to confront them once I finish meditating. I train myself to be aware of what is happening now, between myself and my surroundings. Take now, for instance. I’d like to understand why Lin was angry with me, and I am using what I learned from Rosa to hopefully understand my sister’s perspective. I guess in some ways, this might be similar to what you do when you process information. Staying still like statue and thinking about what you’ve learned. Unless I’m wrong, in which case, feel free to correct me.”

“If you like, I can tell you how I meditate. Maybe you’d like to try it?”

"You go quiet, and think? Going over your thoughts, trying to find meaning? I do that, yes. It makes it easier to understand, if I focus on them. That is meditation then? I did not know the word for it."

It weren't exactly the same. She did not need to clear her head, or find her center, as she did not have emotional turmoil. She had confusion, over what she had seen, and not enough time normally ro process it. Though their approach were strikingly similar, to a point where although they showed it in different ways, she thought this were essentially the same. She did not expect that, but it were an interesting thing to learn. She would keep that with her, as she would go and process things more the next time.

As said though, not exactly the same. Sen could be disturbed, whereas Omen, if she got stuck in processing mode, could literally be set on fire, and not snap out of it. Something which had happened before, to less than impressive results.

"I can try your way too, yes. Might work better."

She'd move to the opposite side of him, and would sit down, copying his position currently, as best she could. Then, she'd keep her gaze on him, waiting for further instructions. If this helped her think faster, it would be good, so it were worth trying, yes? If nothing else, she would still learn something new. That were always a good thing.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Blitz Boom

As she listened to him talk about the headmare of the Orphanage, she would smile a little "It is always nice to know there is someone there for those who didn't have anyone" she'd say to him, then smile at him as his suggestion for the flowers "Alright, it's a deal, a bouquet for a meditation lesson, and a box and pot for me talking to the queen bee of the hive...but I doubt she'd have anything bad to say about you" she smiles to him "From what you have told me, you treat them very well" she says, following him to the hive, and would have a quiet talk with the Queen bee.

She smiles and says to them "I had a feeling you'd be happy with him, I will be sure to tell him" she then closes the hive to let them rest, and smiles back to Honey Dew "I was right, they are very pleased and happy with how you treat them, and with the variety of flowers you have for them to pollinate."

She would nod "I promise as I would love to see your best flower" she'd tell him, following him to the other room, and the moment she'd see them, she would quietly gasp "Oh my, these are beautiful, it is no wonder they are your pride and joy" she'd say, once again following him outside of the room, and once they were out "Thank you for showing me your flowers" she would smile some more "My house isn't far from here, so we can drop by to put the bouquet away before I show you the spot."

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

 @Blitz Boom

He'd casually wave goodbye to the Kelpy.

"Hmmm  Kelpy I see..." Light ponders.

A bubbles suggested to finally visit the dorm, Light would agree to it.

" Ah yes please! But I would prefer to stay wheere shark is the closest though... Or a room with her..." Light Blushed. 

 

[EQ_Theta 457]

@Blitz Boom

On 2022-08-10 at 6:50 AM, Blitz Boom said:

It would be about ten seconds, of Hammond starring up at Lin, before he'd eventually nod. He understood. Do not tell Master Scarcity of this. But tell her of the test being good, yes. The other thing were private, according to Lin. Normally he wouldn't let that stand between him, and his master's questions, but Mother were clear: Masters were good, but family came first. Lin were family. He could feel it. So he should listen to her on this. He were sure his master would understand.

Afterwards, he'd jump back down on the ground, and begin to slowly write some words. Some better than others, but the rough idea should hopeful come through.

"Other Mother, got hurt? Other Mother hurt, hurt sister? Brother not hurt, is wrong? Bad? I help?"

“Thank you for the offer, but… I guess this is something that is best worked out between myself and Sen. There was a time when he would’ve felt strongly about what happened to us, but now it feels like it’s all distant to him, like he doesn’t even want to recognize it. You’re right that my mother got hurt. I learned that my mother didn’t take losing her partner, me, and Sen well. She lost the will to keep going and stopped taking care of herself. Eventually, she ran from everything, into the woods never to be seen again. I learned that years later when I returned home with Sen and Omen, and even now, I still wish I could’ve gone home sooner. Maybe I could’ve stopped that from happening, and she’d still be around…”

“The one who did this, an elder by the name of Solasan, or whoever wore his face long after the real one was gone, we put a stop to him. It was tough, but he won’t be hurting anyone ever again. You know? Brother and I couldn’t have beaten him if it weren’t for Omen. Others might not see it this way, but she’s a hero, and we are always grateful for what she did.”

For a moment, Lin sat by and spoke wistfully, still thinking back to those days when it was just them against what felt like the world. Things were tough, but she harbored fond memories with Omen and Sen with very little in the way of backup when they actually confronted Solasan. Sometimes, it felt like they were just making things up as they went along, but it worked out in the end. He’d no longer hurt anyone, and no one would ever experience his cruelty. That was the moment when Sen and Lin truly could truly begin to try moving forward. 

Now, it all felt like a lifetime ago. Old problems they thought they put behind were coming up again, and this one was putting the siblings at odds with each other. Lin didn’t like that she was feeling this way, but Sen not have her back wasn’t right. It had to be something about him that’s changed.

“I know it may not seem like much, but you being here helps, Hammond. It feels good to just talk about this instead of bottling it all up inside, though I don’t suppose you have some ideas on what I should do? Should I tell Sen the truth about all of this?”

On 2022-08-10 at 6:50 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"You go quiet, and think? Going over your thoughts, trying to find meaning? I do that, yes. It makes it easier to understand, if I focus on them. That is meditation then? I did not know the word for it."

It weren't exactly the same. She did not need to clear her head, or find her center, as she did not have emotional turmoil. She had confusion, over what she had seen, and not enough time normally ro process it. Though their approach were strikingly similar, to a point where although they showed it in different ways, she thought this were essentially the same. She did not expect that, but it were an interesting thing to learn. She would keep that with her, as she would go and process things more the next time.

As said though, not exactly the same. Sen could be disturbed, whereas Omen, if she got stuck in processing mode, could literally be set on fire, and not snap out of it. Something which had happened before, to less than impressive results.

"I can try your way too, yes. Might work better."

As for Sen, he listened intently to Omen’s questions, and took in what she understood about his methods of meditation. Seemed like they were using similar methods; a focused sense of awareness on things that mattered to them, but the longma wouldn’t dwell on this too much. Maybe this was his turn to be the teacher instead of Lin, but he still attempted to recall her first experiences with teaching. Those could come in handy right about now.

“All right, Omen. Close your eyes and try to block out distractions. Focus on your breathing first; take a deep breath in and slowly let it out. Think of nothing else but your breathing and keep going until you are relaxed. Then, think on the things you’d like to focus on, like a new lesson or a tough question. Take what you know about what you’re thinking of and try to use those to help find the answers to the things you don’t know. It may be tough at first, but with time, you can get the hang of it.”

It felt a little surreal to explain how meditation works, but having a clear mind to focus on tough matters was the gist of what he did whenever Sen meditated. The explanations could still use some work, but that first step of being relaxed was important. It would be difficult navigating turmoil with pent-up emotions, though it may not apply to Omen. However this introduction goes, Sen would be patient as he awaited what Omen might do next. If need be, the longma could walk through his process on how he would deal with his thoughts about Lin and how he could move forward using those. 

[Blitz Boom 4,620]

@AuroraGlimmer

On 2022-08-10 at 2:00 AM, AuroraGlimmer said:

As she listened to him talk about the headmare of the Orphanage, she would smile a little "It is always nice to know there is someone there for those who didn't have anyone" she'd say to him, then smile at him as his suggestion for the flowers "Alright, it's a deal, a bouquet for a meditation lesson, and a box and pot for me talking to the queen bee of the hive...but I doubt she'd have anything bad to say about you" she smiles to him "From what you have told me, you treat them very well" she says, following him to the hive, and would have a quiet talk with the Queen bee.

She smiles and says to them "I had a feeling you'd be happy with him, I will be sure to tell him" she then closes the hive to let them rest, and smiles back to Honey Dew "I was right, they are very pleased and happy with how you treat them, and with the variety of flowers you have for them to pollinate."

He admittedly, were a little nervous as she approached the hive. Sure she said she were good with animals, but if she disturbed them, and they were not in a good mood... There were a reason why most beekeepers, wore the uniform. He himself had gotten stung a few times early on, before he recognized when the buzzing turned angry, and understood that as him needing to give them space. He did not hear it as she approached, so that were good. As were it that she did not get stung, when she opened the main hive, wherein the queen lived.

He'd feel very relieved when she returned, utterly unharmed, with seemingly even some of the bees buzzing around her. Must mean they really did feel comfortable around her. How fortunate.

"That is ah, good to hear. I have sometimes worried if perhaps, I did not have some they'd truly want, or that I accidentally cut away some they'd like this time of year, before winter. They need to prepare for the cold after all. And I ah, need to make sure the heaters still work, actually. I should check up on that tomorrow."

On 2022-08-10 at 2:00 AM, AuroraGlimmer said:

She would nod "I promise as I would love to see your best flower" she'd tell him, following him to the other room, and the moment she'd see them, she would quietly gasp "Oh my, these are beautiful, it is no wonder they are your pride and joy" she'd say, once again following him outside of the room, and once they were out "Thank you for showing me your flowers" she would smile some more "My house isn't far from here, so we can drop by to put the bouquet away before I show you the spot."

"It's nice to see one that can ah, appreciate the beauty of these flowers. Not everypony agree, since they need some ah, protein-rich diets, to stay healthy, and vibrant. Specifically, they need blood, though ah, small amounts. Three droplets per week, species not important. I ah, use my own, which might sound a little ah, dodgy, I admit. Yet I'm trying to keep these a secret. They're extremely valuable, and at this grade? There is only a few more days until the big exhibition in Canterlot. I aim to have them all with me, and if not win the competition, then at least make a mark. I might ah, have some sold too. In pairs, of course. They're ah, not thriving as well, if they're alone."

Once they were out, he'd lock things up again, and leave the flowers be.

"Y-Yes, of course. I will ah, prepare it. Just give me a little time."

He'd need about six minutes, but when he returned, he'd do so with a lovely wooden box, with his signature mark on the side: A carved rose, swaying. A single droplet falling from the flower, and three bees buzzing around it. At least he wanted it to be his signature. He were doing well locally, but the competition would be where it would matter.

The box were a bit heavier than it looked though. Clearly not just flowers in there. Though if she recalled, he did say he used a pot, so this were likely living flowers, instead of just something bound together. Evident by there being small air holes too, to allow them to breathe.

"There. That should ah, be it. Maybe not the most glorious thing, but I like the more ah, minimalistic style."

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

 

 

@Kujamih

"Well, I can understand why, but as I've been told it, it's separate dorms for males, and females, with very few exceptions. I don't think they want to risk their reputation. Also, I seem to recall she wanted to sleep in the lake, yes?"

"Lake is nice. Wet and calm."

"Hard to argue against that, I suppose. Anyway, there's probably one of the dorm rooms, that have a window. You can be close that way, yes? Cause I don't think it's smart if you went and tried to sleep in the lake."

Ponies generally couldn't breathe underwater, and thus, it wouldn't be good for him to try it, as he'd just drown. He'd be a rather bad mate, if he were drowned, and seeing so would make Shark very sad. Probably for a long time. If he wanted to breathe underwater, he'd need to try and speak with Anomaly, and see if he could convince her to give him gills or something. She'd probably do it for a laugh, but if he wanted to remain a full fledged pony, it might be best to just accept there were certain things they could, and couldn't do together. And this was a minor thing. Eventually, they'd be able to be together in a room, away from school. Likely one that needed to have a small pool or something in there, to help Shark to avoid drying out. She didn't just go for lakes, because she found them neat after all. She needed moisture. A good moisturizer could do the trick too though, if he could convince her not to try and eat a bottle of it, or lick it off from herself, because she'd think it were somehow tasty. Or wash it off if she did not like the smell.

Anyway, leading to the dorm rooms for the males, it would be rather standard. A larger area than it looked from the outside - seemed the princess had cast some expansion spells here and there - leaving plenty of smaller, one being rooms, around the central pathway. Each room having the regular necessities, required for a pony. However, there were also some more suited for yak, for dragons, for griffins, etc. It appeared rather inclusive. Even an empty room with a large fishbowl, though whom this might be meant for, were anypony's guess. Perhaps a mermaid, or another kelpie.

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

 

@-HeedGreen-

On 2022-08-10 at 6:15 PM, Magnolia said:

"Alright, I understand if you aren't ready for that now." Magnolia said, referencing the pick me ups. She could wait for that when they were ready. Magnolia was sure that she had her reasons for that anyway, that being that with these sorts of things there was likely a lot that could go wrong if it was used improperly. Alchemy was a very diverse and anything could go wrong.

"O-Oh, you meant now. I'm... I'm s-sorry. I didn't notice you were u-under the weather."

Now she felt guilty... She had been focusing so much on herself, that she hadn't given much thought to how Magnolia were doing. Hay, she hadn't even asked her how things had been for her, in the time here, before she showed up. What kind of friend were Zeehva, if that didn't even enter her mind?

She'd pull back forth the powder, and would look Magnolia deep in the eyes. Specifically, she were studying how she looked around the eyes, and after a bit, would offer 4-9 grains, depending on how tired it were that she were. She'd get back to her regular energy level via this, and in case she wondered why Zeehva hadn't done so for herself, as she were still looking somewhat tired, she'd mumble something about it not being good for her health currently, and looked away.

On 2022-08-10 at 6:15 PM, Magnolia said:

Magnolia would take one of the fruits that Zeehva gave her and bit into the fruit, and ate it as they walked along. She savored the taste of it, she wasn't familiar with this particular fruit. "Mhm, tasty. Juicy." she winked to Zeehva upon those words, a slight blush coming about on her mouth. Perhaps that was a bit of an attempt on her part to flirt a little bit. Zeehva? She was attracted to her physical looks.

"Y-Yes, they're quite good, and rather nutrient rich too. Takes some skills to grow t-too. That vendor must have a green hoof."

She did not take notice of the flirting at all this time. Her mind being elsewhere, between how she felt like she were failing as a friend, and something else, that were weighing more gravely upon her.

"I'm sorry b-by the way. I c-completely forgot to ask you how You were doing. You seem to k-know others here, and that s-spirit yesterday were uhm... I should h-have asked.

So... H-How's things been here for you? Did you uhm... F-Find some answers to things?"

She'd listen this time, as they wandered along. Even though the sudden look of a skeletal pony, giving a piggyback ride to a young, laughing colt, did cause her to pause in wonder.

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

 

@EQ_Theta

On 2022-08-11 at 2:05 AM, EQ_Theta said:

“I know it may not seem like much, but you being here helps, Hammond. It feels good to just talk about this instead of bottling it all up inside, though I don’t suppose you have some ideas on what I should do? Should I tell Sen the truth about all of this?”

Hammond had listened to everything, more or less unmoving, though his ears had been flickering around in different directions, as he picked up more sounds. It were hard not to hear a lot, with ears this big, but he had found that he could sort of tune out a few things better, if he changed his ears positions. And then other times, he did want to hear, and let them perk up, and follow the sounds he were trying to find. In this case though, he wanted to focus solely on what Lin were saying. He did not understand a lot of it, but it were clearly important.

The parts he grasped the best, were that someone had come along, and hurt her, and her family. Other Mother, and Father, herself, and Sen. They were apparently gone now, but she felt something because of it. Something Sen didn't, or at least weren't showing.

It also sounded like they could not find Other Mother. Was she still out there? Hammond did not fully grasp death, but had gotten to the point, where being away forever, were a term he could accept, even if he could not understand it fully. What he did know though, were an answer to Lin's question. At least, what he saw as a good answer.

So he'd use his tail to brush away the words he had written on the ground so far, and then slowly, begin to write something new. He did have to fix a few places, where he had spelled wrong, so it took a bit longer, but it were important to him, that he got it right. His master wanted him to, and so, it should be done.

"Mother say, hoby honest with sibling. With Mother. Mother is  raight right. Yes. Should talk at to brother."

He were raised simple: Be honest with family, and respect them. Be kind to them. And never, ever hurt them. It were one reason why if ever a situation came, where two masters ordered them to fight one another, they would just lock eyes, and go visit Mother instead. Which had happened before, and the masters were not happy with it back then, the story went.

"Other Mother not found? Shed Should look?"

This were his other thing, that would finish his writing for now. More than he were used to at once, so had some words crossed out. Though in his defense, he had been corporeal for like, two days at best. Considering he still tested new things, by putting them in his mouth, it were surprising he could write in the first place.

As for that point, he just wanted to help. Probably nothing that could be found of Lin's mother at this point, than bones, but who knew? It were a crazy world. Perhaps she had ended as a phantom, as the longma had talked about. Perhaps she had wandered beyond the forest, and lived somewhere else, or even went around, searching for some sort of meaning herself. Perhaps she even ended up finding a hidden tribe of evergrown, and been taken to their village, where her fate would remain unknown. Hard to say, unless one found some sort of evidence of her presence somewhere.

On 2022-08-11 at 2:05 AM, EQ_Theta said:

“All right, Omen. Close your eyes and try to block out distractions. Focus on your breathing first; take a deep breath in and slowly let it out. Think of nothing else but your breathing and keep going until you are relaxed. Then, think on the things you’d like to focus on, like a new lesson or a tough question. Take what you know about what you’re thinking of and try to use those to help find the answers to the things you don’t know. It may be tough at first, but with time, you can get the hang of it.”

Sen would find that he hadn't thought through, what it were that he had just instructed her to do.

For a start, when she closed her eyes, and shut off distractions, that meant everything but his voice. So if something fell on her head right now, she wouldn't notice it, nor react, unless it were something notable enough to get her attention. Maybe an axe.

Then came the fact that he apparently forgot, that Omen did not breathe. Lin did. Mother did. Hammond also did, but Omen had been made by Discord, who had found such things to be generally unhelpful, and silly to have for her, so he had opted out of her relying on them. As such, she weren't aware of how to breathe properly. Her attempts were stilted, and not convincing, and as she tried now, it more looked like someone were grabbing hold of her chest fluff, and slowly forced it out a bit, then back down, in a janky motion.

It were also hard for her to relax, since she did not understand that too much, as she hardly ever felt any sort of turmoil. She were utterly neutral in most things, with a few swings here and there.

As for the last instructions... She figured it just meant that she were to do as she normally did. Yet she wasn't sure if she should do that then, without doing the other things. Maybe she should ask?

"How do I breathe? And what is relaxed? Is it the same as calm? I think I understand that one."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Blitz Boom

As they walked out of the area, she would smile and shake her head "They were quite happy with everything" she would say, and then nod at his remarks about the flowers "I can possibly see why some wouldn't want flowers like those, but I am sure there are some ponies who, like me, could appreciate them" she would then listen to what they feed on and shudder a little "Yes, I do not think I could do what you do for them, but it certainly shows a level of determination and care" she smiles "I do know of the flower show, and that at least one judge is a batpony" she walks with him back into the house and waits for him.

As he returns with the box, she'd smile and put it gently away "Thank you, I am sure that my friend will love these, lets go back to mine so I can put this somewhere safe and then I'll take you to my meditation spot" she'd say.

After a short walk, they would arrive at her modest two story cottage "Well this is my house, promise you won't stalk me" she says with a laugh, letting him know she was joking, as the truth is that she'd love his company. She opens the door and walks in, "I won't be too long" she says, going up the stairs to her bedroom and putting the box on her bedside table before coming back downstairs.

She smiles "Alright, it ought to be safe there, we can go to the meditation spot now if you'd like, or we could even do it here, it is a little more comfortable" she would say, leaving the option to him.