open Casual stroll

[EQ_Theta 415]

@Blitz Boom @Storm Shine

"Well, Clayton sent us to you so you could relay a message to Filigree," Sen matter of factly stated before pausing after the some relevant pieces of information came to mind, namely Filigree and Rose were one and the same. "Oh... okay, this really is urgent. But if he's going to the others, Rose might have the same idea and imprison the others in crystal. Clayton wouldn't be fast enough to get to them before she does, and she already has a head start of several days."

Lin paced back and forth in front of the table, opposite of Fiddler. It was this look of hers that truly meant something big was happening in her head; eyes squinting and only the sound of her footsteps keeping her away from distractions while she would stop on occasion to lift a claw in the air and draw imaginary lines that could only make sense to her. She'd mutter a few words now and again but none would form a complete sentence, mostly just disjointed ideas and terms. What they needed was an approach. 

"We can go about this in two ways," Lin said aloud and gestured everyone to gather around the table. "Either we all go straight to Clayton to warn him or we each go to the others to do the same. If we choose the first, there will be more of us to fend off Rose if she gets to him first. The other ponies will remain crystalized but we can go back for them later. If we choose the latter, it's the opposite. We could run into Rose before Clayton does but there aren't as many of us to fend her off. Best case scenario for both is we get lucky and we don't run into her."

Sen lowered his head, a little bit exasperated by the thinking but clearly knows they'd possibly end up going back to square one with Rose already advancing her plot further. Worse, they'd probably be too late if she found the jeweled beast's heart. 

"One way or another, it's a risk. Anybody else have suggestions they'd like to share?"

Edited January 18, 2018 by EQ_Theta

[GingerLightning 258]

@Blitz Boom

Ginger answered the door "Hello?"She said then looked at Meeko "Meeko quit it!" She said in a stern tone to the little pup... She didn't want him getting taken away or something for attacking ponies...Maybe some dog training courses would be good...

[genessee 535]

@Blitz Boom
 

Lance had retreated a couple paces during the exchange between the two. He hadn't ever seen Alonsus this angry. 

I didn't even know he could get this angry.

"A-alrighty! Uh, let's go."

With that, Lance scurried along. He tried not to make eye contact with Alonsus, in case he would notice Lance's fearful expression.

[Storm Shine 1,195]

@EQ_Theta @Blitz Boom

Discord tapped his chin, "Hmm... Jeweled Beasts... It's been a long time since I'd heard about those." He mused thoughtfully, "I never really took much time to learn about them, but I believe that they were possibly one of the few types of their race that the Refractions would have trouble with." The spirit conjured a small crystal similar to the formation of the Changeling Emeralds and, next to it, a cut emerald. "Think of it this way... These crystals all make one big race, and each type is like a subspecies. For each type of dangerous crystal and mineral, there is a Jeweled beast. The Jeweled beast is like the evolved form of that crystal, gem, or mineral; Taking the appearance of an animal with a shell similar to cut gemstones rather than rough formations." 

Discord shook his head, "They can command the lower forms of their gems and are nearly impossible to destroy. In order to destroy one, you would have to shatter their crystal shell and break their Core Crystal- Or their Crystal Heart, if you will. They can also be made to go dormant, which is likely what's happened to this one." Discord hummed, "Their hearts are crystals filled with their core essence, which means that they also contain incredible amounts of power.. Well, to a mortal anyways."

[Blitz Boom 4,429]

@Dji @Moonlit @Seamore Sandwich

"Long as she keeps carrying the piece of the castle, I can follow."

Cherish wanted to correct the princess some on her usage of just calling her ghost instead of her name, but right now didn't feel like the time. The forepony had started to move again and she had to focus to not have any of Serenade's weight impact and hurt Last. Plus, unicorns were starting to get nearer, and she were starting to feel a little less good about having abandoned the castle now.

It might be unlikely that they'd be able to hurt her, but how could she be sure? She couldn't. The only chance she had would be if she kept quiet and out of sight, then they wouldn't know she were there.

It took about ten minutes to get to the castle, in which time Cherish was feeling less secure about even her hidden state being enough to make sure nopony knew she was there, but they managed to get there mostly without incident. There had been a close call though, when somepony had approached them and said that whatever materials was on the cart, he'd have to rummage through to find something, but Last kept him at bay with a rather forceful growl, and a stare that Cherish had really not found comfortable. There was just something in the ice-blue eye that promised pain to whomever got in sight when she were in a foul mood, and it had proven pretty effective at deterring the large minotaur from poking around.

Now that they got to the castle however, things should hopefully be fine. Last was currently backing towards the gate, and as soon as it would be opened, Serenade should be able to slither in without being seen. Then likely Twilight would follow if she wasn't in first already, and then Last and Cherry would come along as the final ones, after Last had parked the cart to the side so the entrance wasn't blocked.

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@Dji @Widdershins

Spicy rolled her eyes as she saw the display that Dawn was putting up, but she didn't do anything to stop it. In all honesty, she could have, by making Marley intercept her, but as it looked right now, the entertainment value by letting this play out was better for her. The griffon did nudge the dragon though, and pointed upwards where she were, though if Kaltrops had the time to react (if he wasn't following her movements already that were) were hard to say. Considering his current performances however, Marley would at least consider it a solid no.

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@Battenberg

"Yeah, mom's a crankypants these days. Loosing her spa and having to go here to mingle with ponies - one of which is her youngest son's mate - isn't really helping on her mood. Dad's been working nearly non-stop to find a way to make her feel better, but it's taking time, and I'm thinking that he's about two days away from just tackling her to the ground and yelling at her *What will it take!?*. Heh, crazy old boy."

"Must be really bad if even he is getting some issues with her. Dad have always been so devoted."

"Darn straight. Not enough talking baby bro. Your friend here's in for a treat. Comere twerp."

Toxen grabbed hold of Sprinkles and embraced her with a huge grin on her face, then rose up on her legs to get the pony off the ground at the same time. She were tempted to just roll her around then and pretend that the mare was a teddy bear, but it just didn't feel right just yet. Perhaps later.

She let the mare go relatively quickly again, once she figured the mare had gotten the message, and gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Smooth like a fish, eh? Polished scales are amazing.

And I don't blame you for having some issues with dragons. Most of us are a bunch of jerks when it comes to ponies, and I certainly wasn't any better. But given a few years and exposure to all the crazy stuff you little sing-a-long folks can get up to, I've gotten better. I'm sure mom will be as well soon as she finds herself a lava pool to rest by and gets around twenty years to work through things. Old schoolers are hard to bring around on change."

Whilst those two were talking, Benny and Pop looked between themselves asking the same question that Sprinkles just had: Where were Victoria off to? There weren't anything they could see that would make them think she just couldn't stay away currently, and yet she had bolted off like a bat outta hell without really saying anything about it.

"I don't know where she is going, but I think we should follow her. She might get into trouble otherwise."

"Come baaaaack!"

Whilst Pop was talking, Benny had started to run after Victoria, worried about his new friend and the sort of things that might happen if she was alone in a part of town that didn't seem to be made with ponies in mind. Either from the area itself, or from the inhabitants, who didn't seem all that friendly towards ponies so far. Toxen might be, but she didn't live in this section either, so she didn't count.

"Come on, let's catch up to them."

"Rock on. It's baker season."

If Sprinkles hadn't started to move at that point, Toxen would pick her up and fly with her whilst humming some kind of song. Mumbling words about showing her the world and (for some reason) flying carpets would escape the dragoness if it came to that, though she didn't burst into song. Wasn't the time for that juuuuuust yet.

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@Foxy Socks

"Every ecosystem haves its predators that needs to fight for their place in the hierarchy. I seemed to have been a surprise to them as the challenges they have set before me tends to be swiftly resolved. Violently of course, but such is the sad nature of the food chain sometimes, and they have learned to mostly leave me alone.

Once in a while, a hungry individual will attempt to harm me, but I do not blame them. Starvation can lead to desperation in the lesser creatures, and in their shoes, I would likely consider taking the chance as well. It is a better option than not feeding after all.

I tend to show mercy on those and feed them some of the fish I nourish myself with. It does cause some of them to return here more frequently than I would have originally preferred, but I am not a heartless individual, so I help if needed. You never know if perhaps one day it is I who will need help, and somepony will return the kindness I have shown.

As for what this forest have taught me that others did not normally... I have learned that I am not the only plant in this place who likes to bite."

He frowned as he recalled the meeting he had a few days ago, thankfully without Brittle

"Mindless things sprouting from the ground, snapping towards me when I entered a certain area. Frankly I got away quickly, as these seemed to be above me on the scale of dangerous things in this forest, but I keep in mind where I met them to avoid being in the same situation. I might've not been able to see how they looked, but it does not mean that I will underestimate those tentacle-like creations.

Ah yes, I have also learned about these Poison Joke plants firsthoof. To put it mildly, I am not a fan.

But perhaps these are more things that I have learned to be weary about, and not lessons in their entirety. Perhaps you can you tell me some of what this forest have taught you whilst I think about if there is something good I have learned here, instead of other places before it?"

Foxy might know one thing that Briar didn't: What he had described before wasn't plants, but Tatzelwurms. Nasty critters, but very much animals, and not fauna.

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@Lloyd

"Fine, but not here. Whatever hit us have likely caused the castle to be damaged, and I'm not keen on having more things fall on my head right now."

Blackbeak walked over towards the pony, gritting her beak over the headache she currently had, aiming to pick up Chow and carry him back. Brick was strong, but he were a pegasus and frankly needed to be ready to fight, which wasn't easy with dead-weight on his back, so she'd take one for the team while he just stood back there and stared at Astral.

Well, he would've been left there to stand, if it wasn't like on cue, the section of floor beneath him collapsed and plummeted towards lower parts of the castle, taking him with it. A sight that merely made the griffon scowl at this point as she hoisted Chow up on her back and gave a small curse to his heavy state.

"He'll catch up, let's get out."

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@Lloyd

Athriel was currently above her sister, seething with rage in the brickwork.

After all of these years, and all that she had been through, her big sister now came and claimed that she had done this to her because she wanted to save her? That all she had wanted to do was to get rid of the body that held her back?

It was true that Athriel's body had been a hindrance. it was weak, riddled with genetic diseases, and she had only barely kept the side effects in check for a long time. But Athriel had been sure that her newest experiments at the time had carried results, and would completely cure her body. She would have been healthy eventually, but noooo, Sapphire had just left her then.

"How do you expect me to trust you when you left me? You had all the chances to say this, or to change what I did, but you just left me behind and then took my form from me without any explanation. You left me in a bauble and gave me to griffons without any mercy.

You're a cruel monster Sapphire, I... I hope that he will rectify that."

Much as she still wanted her sister to suffer, a small bit of doubt were growing in he mind about this. Much as she hated her sister for all she had done to her, a part of her still yearned to be with her again, and feel like a family once more. It was a part of her she considered weak, and she hated it, but it was growing now that she were confronted with Sapphire and her reasoning, and it was impacting her normally easy judgement. She still couldn't stop Warlock even if she wanted to, as she were powerless without a form, but her voice betrayed that on some level, she yearned to.

Perhaps there was still something for Sapphire to save if she got out of here alive.

As it stood right now though, that didn't seem likely, but there was something they hadn't considered: The shockwave's impact on the castle. Stones began to fall from the ceiling and down towards the two ponies, though the worse part were something that made Athriel hiss and move as fast as she could to to side: Brick Wall. Falling from higher elevation, he was waiting for his moment to spread his wings and glide away before making an impact, but as he looked down and saw a few stones go away that revealed his target, his eyes narrowed and he set a course. Who the other pony were he had no idea, but judging from the position she were in, she were not a friend of Warlock, which should suffice for now.

The mirror dangled in its chain around his neck, the glass bubbling and stretching as it got closer to the two magical beings down there as well. Apparently it could feel that there were things to feast on just below it, and if Warlock started to go for a drain like he had with Iron, this would not end up as a pretty sight. He might want to make his escape before he could get grabbed and his ability to teleport away would be feasted upon. Sapphire would be fine as long as she did not try and cast a spell right now. She didn't wear anything magical, so there was little interest from the Screaming path towards her just yet. She would be better off keeping it like that.

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@Lloyd

"Hmmm, yes, that does present an issue. Currently the amulet is being carried by one of the guards that went to Ponyville to hunt him earlier, and the element I am not aware of where is. It was with Warlock last I knew, but we will have to wait until the train arrives with the dragon before we can gain new information.

There is something that I can tell however. Apparently, the message that were sent ahead of the train mentioned tha the were arriving with two ponies who might be able to negate magic. If such a thing is true, we might have found ourselves a few new allies against Warlock, as well as your wife, if needed to be. Though let us not think so grim dearie. My associates went with them before, and between the Screaming Path and Brick, I have faith in things going relatively okay, if we ignore the physical damages. Brick do tend to be a stallion who enjoys making sure his enemies aren't going to strike back easily."

She chuckled as she imagined Brick slamming Warlock several times into a wall to make sure he was too beaten to really do much. Perhaps something that made her a little too happy to be considered normal.

"You needn't concern yourself about how I am aware of confidential letters from a military personnel, but I would consider it good news, yes? The more tools one haves to work with the better."

This would be a good point for Misty to be able to trump things by saying that she knew who the ponies that Scarcity spoke of were, but the filly might well wish to hold on to that bit of information herself. She were a clever little one for her age, and considering how Scarcity were somepony who worked information in mostly her own favor, she might be able to use that bit of information to something somewhat sinister. However, she might also be able to find out things about Null and Void seeing as her information network were pretty good, so there were something worth considering.

"To go back to Sapphire however. Is t here way to summon her here and find out on our own that you are aware of? I do have this lovely black magic repellent that could trap her quite handily in a circle if needed."

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@Lloyd

"I'm not a good fighter in general... I'm a runt who's only good at infiltrating, and when the ponies have welcomed us fully, then I won't even have that. Even if you're new to the hive, you can still be an asset to her after that. She speaks with you at this important time, and you're healthy and intact. You have a purpose for the queen in the long run, and I'm just... There, looking envious in the corner."

Even if the other changeling were newer to the hive, he were still better placed than Dandy. He only had one functional eye, and no matter how hard he had tried, he weren't able to beef up or use a weapon properly. All Dandy had was infiltrating and spying, which were going to be made illegal once they were diplomatically tied with the ponies from what he understood. What wa left then? Him just wandering around and trying to mingle with ponies in his actual form? He had tried that once already, and it had nearly gotten him imprisoned, so his hopes were not high for that.

Speaking of changelings, Enzo spotted one flying beneath them and narrowed his eyes. These little things had been pests before he were chained in the temple, and seeing one of them - a queen no less - made him very displeased.

"Seems like you have a bug infestation. Let's correct that."

Whilst he could just have her fall down with a grounding spell, he was out of practise, and might end up hitting a guard too right now. Something which would not sit well on his spotty resume, which made him more inclined to go with the other kind of magic he had: Cloth.

Nectar would suddenly find the thick strips of ornate cloth that Enzo's magic manifested in popping out of nowhere and starting to wrap tightly around her, and if she did nothing about it, it would have her packed in and send crashing into the tree crowns like a wriggling mummy, minus the muzzle. Enzo did not enjoy suffocating others, so he tended to leave room for breathing. A policy he'd carry even to a changeling queen like this.

Plus, something was off about the way she looked. Changeling had not been this colorful when he were around, and he wanted answers as to what this meant at some point. It might well end up being important.

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@Lil' Lovebug

The scroll kept whispering at her whilst she shook it and said Vivid's name again, but it wouldn't provide her with an answer.

The scribbles and symbols in the summoning circle would appear to change constantly before her eyes, and if she attempted to look at it too much, it would start to hurt. Demonic were not a language meant for regular eyes or ears, and regular beings wouldn't be able to comprehend it, which would make the brain unable to keep the things seen constant, and the infernal tongue both impossible to understand and painful to attempt.

Rare individuals or those special like draconequui, elementals and such were able to comprehend it somewhat, but it was statistically unlikely that Satin was one of those.

The only constant on the page was scribbled in the bottom left corner, but Vivid's hoofwriting was so bad that it was nearly as hard to make words out of it as well, so that didn't help.

"Argh, stupid pipe..."

A voice suddenly yelped out from above Satin, where a pegasus had cut himself on a piece of broken pipe he had been carrying to the scrap pile. It was only a little wound, but a red streams till slowly trickled down his leg and caused-

One.

Two.

- Three drops to land on the paper Satin was carrying. Disgusting, and from how the paper then wriggled out of her grip and began to whisper louder, potentially starting a really bad chain reaction.

It would float in the air whilst the blood on the paper spread around it, and when they reached the three main symbols, the paper would burst into dark flames. The ashes that fell from it laid out on the ground in a pentagram, and when the last bit of it had hit the dirt, purple smog would begin to rise from it like a campfire had just been there.

The smog would only be there for a few seconds, but when it lifted, in the midst of it, would then stand Vivid with her eyes closed. She looked tired and a little cranky, but she were there in all her... Let's call it glory.

Ponies and other beings around them were looking now, as the entire display had been hard to miss. This might be hard for Satin to not have to try and explain at some point, though she were potentially among those who weren't sure what had happened.

Suddenly, Vivid's eyes opened, and she stared directly at the changeling that had summoned her, confused.

"Satin? What're you still doing in Ponyville?"

She didn't need to look around to know that this were Ponyville, which were the cause of her confusion. That Satin had left were the message that she had received, and yet here the changeling were, in the cursed town regardless. It confused the demon mare, though hopefully Satin could clear things up.

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@Lucid_Nightlight

Anomaly's ears perked as she heard him say the name of one of the more prominent of her kind.

"You've met Discord? That's so cool! I've been looking for him sometimes 'cause I wanna ask him some questions, but there's so many things to get distracted by, and so much chaos to sow. Who haves the time to keep track of everything?

I hear he's all kinda of chaos, right? like really, twisting and turning everything upside down, making ponies into larvae and all of that stuff? I'm not allowed to mess with ponies genetics - Which is so boring! - but I heard  that he's not shy of that. Is it true?"

The beanbag under her inched closer to the pony like a snail, carrying its curious mistress ever closer.

"And how did you get a toy from him? Did you punch it out of him? Nah, I bet when he gets hit, golden rings just flies all over the place instead."

She giggled a little at herself whilst she referenced something which she should not know about, but since she couldn't stop poking her nose into everything her author did! -

Bla bla, hush. Talking with Lucid. Go off and play with your next post.

You can't tell me what to d-

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@EQ_Theta @Storm Shine

-o. Darn it... I'll have to drop some golf clubs on her next time for this.

"I have his scent. Want me to bring him a message?"

Omen went in as she heard the different beings going on about Clayton, warnings and so on, thinking that she understood that it meant that things had to happen quickly. Something which she was at least good at, as tracking down beings she had seen before and give them messages were pretty much what she were meant to do. At least it were when Discord ruled Equestria, and though things had changed, what she were good at did not. She could find Clayton within a minute and make sure that he got a message, and then be back shortly after by following the scent of Sen and Lin.

"I'm not touching that with a ten meter pole."

Brute had listened in on things and it did indeed sound urgent if what they said held water, but her comment was not directed at anypony but Omen. Whatever she were on about with scents and messages, she were sure that touching that subject was just going to end up being weird. Which when Discord were around, would likely escalate to insane somehow.

"From what you're saying, the safe bet would be to go for this Clayton character first, right? He is with the larger group, and if he is seeking help from Amethyst, you can check in on him at the same time. If he's crystal, Filigree have been there and you can move along, and if he's not, you can lay an ambush attack."

The Refraction let out a blast of glittering fire behind her as she said that, and she twitched slightly. She were really not getting used to that small creature, and if it just grew larger from eating these crystals - which seemed to be the case currently as it were soon too big to hide in Omen's mane anymore, which it previously could comfortably - who were to say how crazed this could end up?

"Remember to take your critter with you."

"Ohme!"

Done with the meal, the critter slithered back to his mother/owner, and stretched up towards her before trying to say her name again.

He were still a thin thing, but after this meal, he could be mistaken for a bundle of oddly-colored spaghetti, instead of the part of a shoelace that he had started out as. This adventure were really doing something to buff him up with how many of the crazed gems constantly got near him.

"...Come here Shrimp?"

She had heard ponies talk to dogs like that before, so she attempted to do so whilst holding a hoof towards him so he could climb up. Before he got on to that though, the name seemed to catch him off guard. He swayed a little, and lowered his head so one of his small arms could scratch his head.

After doing this for a few seconds, he looked back up at her again and shot his chest forward, wanting to seem big and tough for Omen.

"S..Sirh... Shraaa... Shri-mp..."

He looked up, waiting for Omen to say something to his attempt.

"He can say his name. Good boy?"

Shrimp seemed overjoyed with the praise, even if it was said questioningly, and slithered up the offered leg to his favorite position, where he'd reach up again and let out a bundle of joyful chirping noises.

"...This is the weirdest day of my life..."

Brute almost facehoofed at this. It was all just so, so weird...

"I uhm.. D-Don't wanna judge, but could you please go? The others need to know. H-Here, it's the last known addresses I have for all of them."

Even if the file was taken, Fiddler could well remember the locations after the long days of trying to debate with himself whatever or not he should contact his old friends and try to see if they had been able to forget, and if so, how. He had yet to get the nerve to do so though. partly because he weren't sure if they were still there, and partly because he were sure they were mad at him. he saw the whole fiasco as his fault, and isolating himself from others, that thought had had plenty of time to fester in his mind.

So whilst the talking had gone on, he had found some paper and scribbled the addresses down on it, then reached it towards Lin with a pleading voice. SHe seemed like the leader of their group, so it seemed right to hand it to her, and she could then delegate if there ended up being problems.

"I don't know what to think of all of this talk about beasts and their h-hearts, but i know that my friends needs help, and so could all of Equestria if Filigree isn't stopped. And D-Discord? I never... I-I mean, in this town you're f-feared for a reason, but if you can save them... I-I will try and help c-change that.

The s-same goes for the rest of you. H-Heroes tend to be w-well received in Las Pegasus."

He had gotten very nervous at the end as he gave a promise towards the lot of strange creatures that he wasn't sure if he could hold, but felt like he had to if they actually managed to get through all of this and win over Filigree. Easpecially with Discord, who would be the toughest sell, but perhaps the most important one. Omen looked like a pony and Sen and Lin were just outsiders. Discord were the one with history and bad blood in the area.

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@GingerLightning

Meeko let go as he saw Ginger and ran towards her, barking and wagging his tail.

With his tail finally free, Honey finally relaxed a little, though he still gave some nervous glances towards the timberwolf pup running around Ginger's legs and barking. To him it might still be a threat, though GInger likely knew that this was Meeko trying to get her to feed him. He were hungry, and whilst that gave swings in chasing bunnies and cats if he got the chance, the stuff that she had fed him with instead were something he had come to like. He had no idea what it were, but it was tasty, and didn't seem to have a bad effect on him, though a vet would have to take a look to make sure. Or perhaps a botanist? It was hard to tell with the wooden pup.

"I see you've uhm... Gotten a pet. Interesting choice.

Mind me asking what compelled you to pick one of those? W-What if the alpha comes barging in to get it back?"

He looked around nervously as he set the box of jarred honey down in front of him, which caused Meeko to run closer to it and sniffing it. Whatever was in there were curious, and he started to gnaw on the side to attempt to get into it.

There wouldn't be an issue with an alpha picking him up though, no matter how much Honey worried. Meeko was a runt that were already not liked in his flock, so he wasn't a greater loss to them. A kind of natural selection with less splinters.

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@genessee

They got tot he next door where Alonsus delivered the meal in silence, much to the surprise of the mare who opened the door. Apparently everypony were used to seeing Alonsus boastful and talking, not quiet and sullen like this.

On the way to the next delivery - which he didn't wait to be told as much as just went on his way towards somepony he knew would eat - he lead Lance through an alley, then halfway stopped and turned around. His dark eyes looked down on Lance, and for a brief moment, they had the look o somepony who wasn't just going to hurt Lance, but was actively looking forward to it. It did not last more than a half second before he just seemed to loose the air from his balloon and let out a sigh. His head slumped slightly and a hoof was run through his styled mane.

"I'm not going to hurt you Lance. I just want to ask you to not mention what he said to anypony. I traveled far to escape all of those who knew me and what I used to do, and I don't want to go back into it in this town. This town is better off not knowing, and if you say something, it will escalate. Straw knowing is enough, so I will ask you to not blabber off like Berry would if she had the chance. I know she's been keeping track of me, but she is too paranoid to just tell everypony unless she thinks it's okay to share it. So keep it down, okay? Don't screw me over."

Though he had gone more mellow, Alonsus himself felt that the side of him that just wanted to beat Lance into silence were still there. It was buried deep down, but he knew that it was down there and tried to convince him to just return to his old ways. It would be so much easier too. Just a few hits in the right places, and Lance would feel hurt without it showing for days.

But Alonsus tried to put that side of him behind him. He was a new stallion now, with a new life and a positive outlook on himself and life, and with confidence that he had lacked back in the day when the gang had scooped him up. He were better than that now, though now that he heard himself talk, he could also hear that his old self wasn't all gone. It had sounded a little threatening.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.... I mean, the great Alonsus swears upon his honor, that no harm will befall you. What words I spoke were simply to get a point across, and I certainly hope that you will prove honorable too my friend. Deep wounds covers this stallion that are better to simply leave alone."

He referred to his mind, but that should be painfully obvious too, as he didn't have a single physical scar on him. Might be hard to see because of the coat, but if Chop Chop taught him anything, it were that those things had a way of getting through.

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom Lucid didn't hesitate when Anomaly asked how he got the stick from Discord.

"Well, there was a bet and I tricked him. So basically I cheated him out of the stick. I don't think he's to happy about that either."

To this day, Lucid is still amused by all that. He really loved trolling others.

[Brobot 1,436]

@Blitz Boom

"Well Rarity......is a pony who is.....generous,has a kind heart with an amazing sense of right and wrong and if you need any help at all she will jump at the chance to lend a hoof " 

AJ thought she had given a good and detailed description of the white and purple unicorn,she tried to give the dryad a good impression on Rarity. AJ looked at the sun and squinted, 

"i think we are at midday right now so that means i have some free time....would you like to go visit the town with me, see how pony reacted to your new body?

[Victoria Sponge 1,014]

@Blitz Boom

Sprinkles shot off at her impressive top speed, not only to pursue Victoria but to get as far away from the grabby dragon as she could before she had her lungs completely emptied by her enthusiastic cuddles, but was unable to catch up with her boss's sister who was galloping at an incredible speed.

Where are you going Vicky?

She kept this in her head, not attempting to waste her breath shouting after the determined pony, she almost didn't want to stop her as she'd never seen her move this quickly before and assumed she must be on some kind of crucial mission.

At the end of a street a green stallion was talking to a couple of dragons, surprisingly the pony and reptiles seemed to be getting along, laughing and bumping hoof to claw. Hearing the sound of galloping he turned his head towards Victoria and his eyes widened as the mare charged right at him, knocking him to the ground and sending his sleek fedora flying into the air. One of the dragons caught the hat and perched it on his head laughing, ignoring Victoria's sudden arrival.

Victoria stood over the stallion as he lay on his back underneath her. Victoria laughed and snuggled the pony as her friends arrived.

"Oh father you have returned! I've missed you so much."

The stallion chuckled and cuddled his daughter.

"Hey sweetie, I missed you too. Ah... would you mind..."

"Oh, Sorry!"

Victoria stood aside and let her dad stand, he shook himself quickly to remove the dust from his back before leaping onto the back of the dragon who wore his hat. With a swift and elegant kick he knocked the hat from the dragon's head and leaped from his back, catching the hat neatly in his mouth before it hit the ground. He put it back on and straightened it looking now to the group of dragons and ponies who had rushed up.

"Sprinkles. Long time no see!"

"Haha, yes Felix, it's been a while."

"I didn't know you were in town, funny coincidence that huh?"

"Pretty much everyone is here today, I've already spoken to Red and Battenberg. Oh and Lemon of course."

"Lovely, I trust they are well?"

"Very"

Sprinkles smiled at Felix and gave him a quick hug.

"I was just on my way to see my darling wife now, popping in on Battenberg and Vicky too, though it seems Vicky found me first."

He chuckled and put a hoof around Victoria who smiled happily and nuzzled him. Felix now turned to Pop and the two dragons who stood by her.

"Hi there, friends of Sprinkles I assume? Or could it be that my dear Vicky has finally allowed people into her heart as I have advised her to so many times now."

Victoria looked a little sheepish.

"I should have listened to you sooner dad, they've become good friends of mine and it feels good. I'm such a silly filly."

Felix chuckled.

"No matter Victoria, I know how hard it's been for you. I'm just glad you're actually smiling for once."

He extended a hoof to the three, waiting for any one of them to shake. He was smiling but his eyes, the same colour as Victoria's, were somewhat intimidating, they burned with a brave fire as he stared directly at the group. 

"Felix Carter: explorer, treasure hunter, proud father. Pleased to meet you."

 

 

[genessee 535]

@Blitz Boom

Calling Lance 'terrified' was a massive understatement. He visibly trembled, and was sure he was about to get beaten to a pulp. So, Lance's expression changed to a somewhat relieved (thought still fearful) one when it seemed his face might not get rearranged.

"I w-wouldn't dream of telling a s-soul. Promise."

I knew something was up with this stallion.

For a minute, a part of Lance said, I should ask about it, but was quickly silenced by the thought of I like being alive, can we keep it that way? 

He waited for Alonsus to say something else. It was clear Lance was no longer even remotely in charge of their deliveries.

 

[Seamore Sandwich 470]

@Blitz Boom

 

“My name is Hunter, but the more important question here is, who exactly is this ‘Great One’ you speak of?”  Hunter was curious.  It was clear from the way he spoke that Sugar Lime thought highly of whoever it was that he was talking about.  Meanwhile, Marcus Silvermane was continuing his conversation, drawing his sword with his magic and pointed toward the ceiling, saying loudly, “...so I pointed my sword at it again and said, ‘Begone foul beast, lest you taste my blade again,’ and thus, the beast did flee, never to be seen again!”  Hunter didn’t pay much attention to the spectacle since it was to be expected.  This was a gathering of heroes after all.

  

@Blitz Boom

  

“Don’t worry, I have a plan for that,” Penny said confidently.  “See you tomorrow!”  She began walking in the wrong direction, stopped, turned around, then walked past Scarcity with an embarrassed smile.  As she walked away, Robert, her chocolate frog poked its head out of her saddlebag to look at Scarcity before she turned a corner on her way home.

The following morning, she was up bright and early waiting for her new friend to arrive.  She had two chocolate coins already unwrapped, and a jar of white frosting that had a faint magical glow, sitting on the counter.  Blossom was there too, sitting on her stool behind the counter.

  

@Blitz Boom

  

“Let’s just go.”  Gaea definitely wasn’t happy with the plan, but she would go with it.  Zhu telling her he wouldn’t feel bad about it didn’t seem to help the situation.  She didn’t talk the whole way to the road.  When they got there, she finally spoke, “Let’s stay behind the tree line.  If we stay alert, maybe we can catch them in the act of setting their traps.  I’ll keep an eye out for any traps on the road, and you can focus on the forest.  They’ll probably try to stay hidden, and we should do the same.”

  

@Blitz Boom

  

“No!  Don’t remove me!  I’m helping her heal,”  Charlie said to a nurse that tried to separate the two of them.  She yelped like a dog in shock, then ran off whining like a dog with its tail between its legs.

  

@Blitz Boom 

@Moonlit

 

@Dji

  

The Traveller stayed close by Serenade and the others.  If he was going to get the siren and the zegasus back to their own timeline, he’d have to guide them back together, and get them back to the castle. That would have to wait until Ziggy was healed though, she was in no condition to be thrown through time again.

Edited January 20, 2018 by Seamore Sandwich

[EQ_Theta 415]

@Blitz Boom @Storm Shine

Lin turned to Discord and thought about his explanation on the jewelled beast. Insightful but she's still unsure about what to expect; suppose a draconic creature could rationally be a candidate but she wouldn't know. All she heard about dragons is their size, ability to breathe fire, and the occasional hoard of gold and gems. Beast is such a vague term that all she could do is narrow down possible creatures but even that could be mentally taxing. The sound of the little Refraction saying its name relieved some of that, coming off as cute to her but she resisted the urge to remark on it. A little smile on her face looking toward the creature was enough. 

Back to the plans, however, and it sounded sensible to go back to Clayton. There were enough users of magic capable of quickly travelling present in the room and if Clayton has only started leaving the mines earlier, they might still be able to catch up to him. Either that or Rose could possess similar forms of magic that could let her move fast enough. Might explain why several days was enough to break free and go after Fiddler. 

As for the longma siblings, Lin took the piece of paper handed to her with the addresses of the other ponies in danger of Rose while Sen look to Omen with an air of confidence, knowing where to begin. 

"Let's find Clayton first. That might be the option with less risk and since we only left him with the others not too long ago, we could warn him about Filigree. And if she's waiting for us, well... let's hope that little idea sister and I have been working on will find some use." That last line was cheekily whispered in Omen's ear though he would deliberately keep it vague until it was time to use it. That was one thing he wouldn't disclose. 

"So, I suppose we're off. Unless anyone else wants to join?"

Edited January 20, 2018 by EQ_Theta

[FanOfManyShows 396]

@Blitz Boom

Astral got up and walked next to them. "Considering everything Scarcity does, how do you stay? You two seem to almost die quite a bit." She asked, looking to Brick and Blackbeak.

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

Sapphire started letting herself get pulled forward by Warlock, Warlock grabbing her by the neck as he continued to suck out her magic. "Y-You're making a big mistake Warlock." She said, starting to tremble.

"Are you threatening m- GAH!" Warlock knelt forwards after Sapphire hit him in the chest, causing him to get hit by his own element's necklace as he slid backwards a bit.

She started panting, exhausted. "You seem to not be aware that there is a ancient relic that chases magic within this castle."

He looked at her and growled. "That old relic is nothing compared to me!" He said, lifting his hoof up, but then falling forward as his metal legs suddenly failed.

"No matter how powerful either of us are we can not resist it, and the more magic you yield the more it wants to consume you." She said, walking away as Warlock tried to levitate himself, falling down as he felt his magic get consumed. He watched her walk away as he tried to stand again, looking to his metal legs, trying to slip them back on as they just fell off. "Sister, I had no control over where you landed after I freed you from your body, your soul wandered and ended up in that bauble, I never placed you ther- Ah!" She let out a yelp as she fell over and dragged across the floor.

"Stop talking! We have no time for family problems to be resolved!" Warlock yelled as he leaned against a wall, limping slightly. "I have a witch to defeat, and I do NOT need two of them!" He yelled as he shook angrily at her.

Sapphire looked up to him, almost frightened. "You'll have three, Warlock." She corrected, with a bit of a smirk.

She was pushed away across the floor again, tumbling across it. "Where is your sister?" He yelled, leaning over her as he still leaned against a wall.

"In the walls, and she needs a body, only way she can help you." She looked to Warlock with a grin. Warlock only tilting his head as Sapphire moved her hoof to her side, leaning her head on it, seeming to be laying down, as she then levitated a rock over and hit him across the head, knocking him out cold. "Come on sister, we need to talk properly."

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

He looked down, a little distraught as she asked that. "Summon her?" He asked, not trying to make eyesight even with his unfunctional eyes. "I have what you need in my household, it's a old relic and I'd much prefer you find out what exactly it is when we get there, and that only I use it, and that I keep it after." He said, with a sigh. "Much safer that way." He said, slowly raising his head up. "As it doesn't just summon Sapphire, but it summons anypony or thing you desire to your location, and they will follow it until they get there, whether they are good or bad, and in anyway possible."

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

Nectar gasped as she spotted the cloth headed at her, realizing she should have informed the Sphinx of her presence, as she fell to the ground, again. "Oh come on I already fell once today!" She cried out after impact. 

Iron Wing paused his flight as he looked down. "Nectar!" He flew down to the queen, having spotted her on the way down to the trees. His wings cutting out the leaves and branches that got in the way of them, sprinkling the ground with them as he landed, cutting gashes into the trees next to him. "Are you alright?"

"Random strips of cloth took me down, is your new partner responsible for this?"

He looked up to Enzo, still doing so if he had landed by now. "I'd assume so, and she's with us, should've mentioned a changeling queen was on our side but she hadn't told me she was joining us." He said, turning to her, with narrowed eyes.

"Okay, okay, that's on me."

[GingerLightning 258]

@Blitz Boom

"He's the runt of the litter and was rejected by his pack, all weak and helpless...He kinda needs someone to care care for him if he is to survive and I always wanted a pet......only problem is that he's not house broken."Ginger Lightning said picking up Meeko with her magic.

[Seamore Sandwich 470]

@Blitz Boom 

 

Miles awoke in the Everfree with a severe headache.  “From the way my head feels, I think I’m going to need a CT scan.  What happened?”  “You got zapped, collapsed, then I think you had a bad dream because you got up running and hit a tree.  I had to cut you out of it,”  Seamore answered.  He then turned to the nurse and asked, “Should I carry him to the hospital?”  “No no, I’m fine.  I can walk there, but you should each take a side of me in case I fall.  Huh...  I didn’t think I’d end up being the patient when I came here.”

[Blitz Boom 4,429]

@Lucid_Nightlight

"That explains the stats."

Anomaly snapped her tail and a piece of paper came out, showing some lines with numbers in front of agility, stamina, intelligence, and of course, backlash. Couldn't have chaos without some chance that you'd be hit yourself, or it just wasn't right. There was also a scribble of Discord pulling his tongue at Lucid next to a lot of locks with the words *Insufficient experience* underneath them.

"Uuuuh, looks like the next point is getting close. You should try and grind some pranks or farm frustration."

The top of her pumpkin head popped to the side, and a large, yellow exclamation mark started to float above her. Whatever she were on about, she seemed to get better by the minute at least, which might be good, and might be bad for him.

...Bad, definitely bad.

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

 

@woodchunks66

Lyriel smiled at the description she had gotten of Rarity.

"I will look forward to meeting her someday then."

Overall, ponies seemed like rather goodhearted beings thus far, even if they were rattled by outsiders. And with things such as the pie from before, Lyriel had to admit that she was curious what she might learn from a generally benevolent race such as them now that she could blend in a little better. She had been wondering about what might happen within the town limit for weeks before that, after the first time that she met ponies, but having tried some of their craftiness closely now, it simply intensified. Hopefully she would fit in better now than she had before, even though flowers grew on her and her hooves were roots.

"As for your invitation to go to town, I'd like to, yes. I need to get used to how this form functions anyway. Before we leave though, I wish to show you something outside. Follow me please."

With that, Lyriel slowly went outside, doing what she could to not fall into anything and accidentally break it. It'd likely be hours or even days before she got completely comfortable with her new shape, but one step at a time, so to speak.

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

 

@Battenberg

"Dang, she noticed her papa from a block away? You'd make a good dragon Vicky."

Toxen were one of the first there, and seeing the show set up in front of them, she just had to blabber off.

She meant what she said though. Spotting a family member without having a visual and from that range? She knew dragons who were worse hunters than that, and their kind had some pretty good noses to help on it. Perhaps she should find a pair of leathery wings and some fish scales to smack on Vicky and then see if she'd be ready for whelp school.

While she were yapping off and thinking on rather odd stuff, Benny and Pop got closer and let out a sigh of relief. It was just Victoria's father, not some random pony that she had just jumped for the heck of it. Benny wasn't sure why, but he had gotten the thought that this were her just jumping the first stallion she saw to try and make contact with a potential mate. Wouldn't be the first pony he had seen doing that, and he doubted it'd be the last.

Being greeted, he went forward first too, with a bit of an awkward smile and a shake of Felix's hoof.

"Hello there sir. My name's Benny, this is my mate Circle Pop, and my sister Toxen."

Being mentioned, his sister let out a small whistle and used her thumbs and index fingers to *frame* Victoria's father.

"I dig your hat man. Just your style."

Wasn't always she understood why ponies cared about clothes, but for some it just worked, like with this guy. The whole stance and burning sensation going over his eyes just begged for a hat and a whip. Weren't a whip yet, but perhaps he had that at home with the wife.

"It's a pleasure to meet you sir. This is kinda embarrassing, but when we saw Vick- I mean, Victoria, take off like that, we were fearing it was something bad. We haven't known her for long, but we still care for her safety like the rest of our friends, and this seems like a less than nice part of town for ponies."

"Bah, you're too timid shorty. We'll just mess with you, not actually hurt you. There's laws for that you know? Ain't that right fellahs?"

She gave a glance and a blink towards the dragons that Felix had been talking with before. They seemed like some nice chaps that weren't gonna be on the pony-hating side of things, so hopefully they'd help support her in her little white lie. Sure, there certainly were laws against hurting ponies, but that didn't mean that *accidents* didn't happen.

"So... You say you're an explorer and treasure hunter? That sounds pretty fun."

"Better than your gig, that's for sure. You just get hammered."

A red tint started to spread on Benny's face as his sister teased him again.

"T-Toxen! Do you have to put it like that?"

The look she gave him clearly showed how much she were enjoying this, and the silent *yes* that came along with it. Siblings could really be a pain sometimes.

"They're just joking around. Benny is the head blacksmith for the guards in Canterlot actually, so there are hammers involved, but well... Sibling rivalry sometimes. I hope you can see through that."

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

 

@genessee

Alonsus cringed and his smile dimmed when he saw how Lance were looking at him now. He had seen that look so many times before he had narced out the gang to save himself, and though it had once made him feel strong, right now, it did little more than made him feel guilty.

"Please don't be afraid. Alonsus does not wish to hurt anypony. I didn't mean to..."

He tried to think of what to say to make things easier right now, but what really could he say? Lance knew that he could crumble him up like paper if it were, so the accidental threat from before had an impact. It didn't matter what apologies Alonsus gave or reassurances when something like that was fresh in his mind, and it made the large earth pony feel horrible. He had never wanted another pony to be terrified of him again, and now he had fallen right back into old paths again...

He started to feel blue as he turned from Lance to guide them towards the next house were they had to deliver food. They might as well get their deliveries done so that Lance could get away from him quicker...

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

 

@Seamore Sandwich

"The great Marcus Silvermane, of course. The fabled hero who have long been gone, but now returned to his faithful followers."

Sugar pointed a hoof towards the boasting pony for both Hunter and Brute to see.

"He may not look like much right now, but his deeds are well recorded in our literature. I can assure you that if he brings you along for his next adventure, you will see the side that brought us all together."

"Sounds like a boaster, and I fail to be impressed by words alone. I'll trust his abilities when I see them myself."

Sugar shook his head slightly, but didn't answer Brute. He did not have the right to chose what others thought, and honestly he could understand her. The stories were old and perhaps for other than his faithful followers, this name had been forgotten. A reminder would need to be shown before trust could be gained from some ponies like this outsider... And himself...

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

 

@Seamore Sandwich

Scarcity showed up early the next day with Brick following her as faithful as ever. She had been freshening herself up a little beforehoof as her mane would otherwise be a mess to look at, so it had taken a half hour more than she might have been able to make, but there were no set time, and she really couldn't wander around looking like a troll doll.

The bell gave off a few sounds as they entered the shop and locked eyes with penny once again. Well, Scarcity did at least. Brick wandered tot he side to pick up a bag of orange flavored sweets that he brought to the desk. He'd pop it down and pull out the required bits in complete silence, giving the others ample time and quiet to speak.

"Goodmorning dearie. Are you prepared for us to go and pick up what we're to deliver? We wouldn't want to run away from a deal after all, no?"

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

 

@Seamore Sandwich

"Very well. We'll observe in peace then."

Zhu laid down on the ground next to the tree, and used his wind magic to blow some leaves, branches, loose moss and such over to him. Laying down as well, this should help mask that he were there at all, unless the thieves poked at everything in paranoia. He could have climbed the tree too if it were, but the leaves weren't covering everything there, and his long, robed body tended to catch the eye if the cover wasn't effective enough.

"Do you have need for a cover as well?"

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

 

@Seamore Sandwich

The nurse wasn't the only one giving off some weird looks and had a want to just get out when the voice came out of the stick, but they couldn't exactly stop what they were doing to address that right now. They had to transport Ziggy quickly, even if it meant that the stick had to stay there. Considering how Fah'lina started to cling to it after she heard that it was helping Ziggy, it was hard to imagine they'd get to it again either. The little thing were pretty nimble and quick, so they tried to just ignore the stick and then take the mare in.

A few hours later.

Ziggy would slowly start to wake up and wince from the throbbing pain in her wing. She hated having a sore wing like this. It was a pretty sensitive area after all, but perhaps if she could reach over and push a- Huh?

Her leg was stuck, which she didn't understand at first until she opened her eye and saw it in a cast and held upwards with a strap.

"Awh man, that wasn't just a nightmare? Shees, gotta be a good job they did with this too, cause I can't feel a thing."

She did feel a movement on her other side though, and turned to see Fah'lina stare at her with big eyes, and Charlie's stick in her little webbed paws. Apparently, the little one had refused to leave her, though she had stayed on a shelf when the doctors really went at it earlier. She had stuck the stick under Ziggy at that point though, which had confused the surgeon, but that was what that was. It was over now, and Ziggy just had to get over her current state at this point. Which seemed to be a broken leg, sore wings, and whatever were under the gauze covering her upper body. Likely some disinfected wounds from whatever had happened between the castle and here.

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

 

@Seamore Sandwich

"Well you were, and you still are. If I see you about to fall I'm going to have you carried by one of your friends. No complaints about that either young man. I'm not taking chances."

The unknown, elderly doctor looked Miles over before he got talkative and on his hooves, then wandered closer to be useful in supporting him. Hopefully he wasn't gonna fall on her, but if he were, she reconned she'd be alright. She might not be at her best age anymore, but changelings were generally not all that heavy, and this guy looked a little scrawny in her eyes. Better for Seamore too, in case he had to start carrying him.

"Are you feeling any kind of imbalance beyond physical? Emotional instability? Unable to tell the emotions of others? The more we know the better."

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

 

@EQ_Theta @Storm Shine

"I'm staying put. Whatever you're about to head into, it ain't my fight, and Fiddler needs to be kept under guard. Good luck."

"I-I can't confront her again, but please, tell the others that I will meet them again... H-Hopefully sooner, rather than later."

Fiddler had to confront them now that his friends were back. He needed to let them know how sorry he were for everything he had put them through, but he couldn't as long as Filigree was around. It was too dangerous for them to meet up as long as that was the case.

Besides, as Brute had said, he needed to be checked out in the hospital, though he got the feeling that a shrink was going to be the doctor he had to face mostly after this ordeal.

"Okay. Goodbye."

Omen opened a gate big enough for them to pass through and waited until her siblings and her master had passed through before she would herself. She used the seconds to think about what Sen had said, but she couldn't place it anywhere. If he had planned something with her, it was scrambled up into all the other things she hadn't had the chance to process yet, and with no time to think it over right now, it could end up taking a while before it surfaced again. Hopefully it was nothing too important.

On the other side of the gate, things looked.. Well, like it should this time around. Random shapes, siblings toying around and whispering in their strange language, and a few eyes turning their way as they entered. Much better than before.

Omen began looking around, sniffing and poking a few places until she'd open a new gate right next to the one she had closed before, which would lead out into a parking lot. Unfortunately, a rather crowded one at that. There were carriages of different kinds there, and the gate would cause the two dozen ponies in high end dresses and butler uniforms to screech to varying degrees and start to move away. All but 7, who would huddle together and stare at the sudden hole in the air, with the dirt-covered leader of said group looking rather pale.

"Would you please stop doing that? It nearly made us jump out of our good coats."

Clayton felt more calm in it than he looked, so his stuttering wasn't surfacing yet, but he did start to worry that they might soon get the local guards on their necks, considering that the clientele of the large jewelry store the parking lot were around would likely report what they had seen. If they were lucky, they would just be seen as crazy, though he doubted it to be that easy. The guards usually just complied and sent a trainee so they didn't have to hear a barrage about how they should be doing their job, and if one cam out and saw Discord, everything was going to end up hitting the fan.

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

 

@GingerLightning

The timberwolf pup gave some surprised yelps as he was suddenly lifted into the air and wriggled around with his legs to find something to stand on. His kind weren't meant to be carried around by magic like this, and his instincts told him that this was wrong, and that he had to try and fight it.

"Well, i-if you say so Ginger. I just hope you're right.

A-Anyway, I brought this month's supply for you. Thankfully my bees are far enough from town that the attacks didn't cause them to go erratic, so I didn't have to delay things."

Whilst Honey Dew mainly spend his time working at the orphanage, he was an enthusiastic beekeeper, and spread the love around when it came to the produced honey. He had a dozen or so ponies around town that he sold these too in advance, and then came around to deliver when it was ready. It didn't pay a lot, but every bit still helped the orphanage, and that was all he could really ask for.

It could change all of a sudden if he started to get a bad rep unfortunately, which were why he was happy that he could deliver the honey that Ginger had paid for a few weeks earlier, on time.He didn't think she'd turn against him if his delivery was a few days late, but he'd rather not take the chance.

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

 

@Lloyd

Blackbeak scoffed as Chow got placed more securely on her back.

"We all have our debts to pay. We're just fortunate enough that we also get a salary."

Blackbeak's debt to Scarcity were less easy to find than Brick's were. Whilst he had a simple debt of his life to pay, she had a far more... Troubling reason to owe the mare. Several of them actually, which the mare had graciously covered up so efficiently that sometimes Blackbeak wasn't sure it had even happened. There were no clues, no story, no witnesses... Everything was just gone.

She had never found out how the mare had managed to do that, but it did leave the griffon in a debt that wasn't easy to repay, and gave her a firsthand glimpse into what happened when you became an issue for a problem solver of Scarcity's caliber. It was a humbling moment when she had first realized that, and something which had genuinely made her afraid of what would happen to anypony who would try to betray their loyalty to Scarcity.

It was funny really, to think that she had so much over the griffons head, and yet she treated her like any worker. She was given an hourly wage when on the job, health insurance, a bonus if danger were involved and things yet went okay, and even dental. Blackbeak might not have teeth, but that it was in the plan regardless when it could just be a piece of paper going *I owe you now* were amazing. The mare could literally own her with what she knew, and yet she decided to keep that as merely proof that she were resourceful and could make her enemies regret their decisions, whilst spending quite a substantial amount to have the griffon employed. Not as much as Brick of course, but that stallion was at her beckon 24/7 anyway, so that was no wonder. Blackbeak had more freedom than he did, for what it was worth.

She looked down on the other griffon on the floor, thinking on what to do about that one, then rolled her eyes and grabbed hold of her and slung her up as well. Heavy to carry both of these... But she'd make it, long as they didn't have to run.

"Now come on. There's no point in standing here and wait for Brick. He'll find us."

With that, she started to wander slowly to the stairs with her beak clenched. She really looked forward to when they got outside so that she could drop off the griffon in a tree or something...

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

 

@Lloyd

The pathway hungry lurched forward as Brick had come nearer, grabbing hold of the magic floating through the air and gorging on it. With her own magic diminished and not being cast right now, it had no interest in Sapphire at all, but Warlock, who had both just drained a good chunk and were more than happy to use it? That were a different deal, though it slowed down somewhat quickly, and once he were unconscious, it stopped entirely, and the mirror just went back to bubbling in its frame.

The levitation magic almost had a tendril seek out, but it was such a weak and brief form of magic that it barely bulged before it was over and it went back.

In the walls, Athriel internally scowled at how things were going. Perhaps her sister would end up having a point, but that wasn't why she wasn't leaving yet. The accursed mirror were. The only way she could pass it now were to be in the open, and she'd be caught by Sapphire then. She wouldn't have much of a chance unless she took the obvious trap or went upwards, and if she did that, the pegasus would likely be sent after her.

Much as she hated to do this, she begrudgingly moved a little closer, but hesitated as Brick got closer and held the mirror over Warlock, just to see if there was some kind of a rouse going on. With nothing really happening there with either him or the mirror, he stepped back again, keeping a distance of two meters from the two magic users. He wasn't sure if it was ideal, but it was how far he got before the bubbling diminished entirely and the glass went blank and smooth again. You could see that he was ready to lurch forward if it came to it though, which were also why Athriel took a detour around the room so she could pass up into Warlock, instead of getting out into the open.

Possessing him felt like attempting to hold onto a wall of glass. She could cling to it with claws, but she were slipping down without a lasting hold. Much as she had discredited his mind a few times already, the structure of it were stronger than she had given him credit for, and she would likely only be able to hold on for at max a half hour like this. Perhaps ten minutes if he started to stir beneath her.

As the smog rose and seeped all the way into his body, she clamped down on his mind as best she could, and slowly rose her borrowed head.

"Fine, but keep the Screaming Path away from me."

Brick tensed his muscles, ready to attack, but nothing more came of it than this. *Warlock* had just risen his head, unable to gather up what it took to get the possessed body floating or making the metal legs cling to it.

A red hue showed on the tip of his ears and in his eyes, showing who had taken possession of him to Sapphire, though to Brick, this may still be a rouse, and he would strike at the first sign of trouble.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to cling to this one? Make your case quickly, and then go ahead and do whatever evil spell you're going to do after you showered me with your lies. Getting trapped is still better than finding out if the rumors of what is behind the glass is true.

You better try and make it convincing though, sister. Because you're not making a good case by trying to make me think that I just got sent off out of my body and that you couldn't find a trail throughout all those years you had without me. it's a bold lie that reeks of deceit, and if anypony should know deceit, it would be me."

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

 

@Lloyd

Scarcity chuckled at the things the stallion said.

"I haven't the faintest interest in taking such a thing Iron. The things I acquire comes from legitimate sales or from those who have proven themselves... Wanting. I see little point in marking you down as that currently.

However, if you are to go home and find such a thing, both of you would need to get out. Perhaps you would like for me to arrange the doctor to allow you to leave, and have a carriage pick you up? Misty is in no position to wander around in her current state, and it seems rather cruel to leave her behind.."

She considered briefly to mention his damaged eyes as well, but that seemed pointless. He were still making eye contact through the bandages in his own way, making her think that he had some degree of sight still to work with. Perhaps he were one of those with a third eye? Not physically of course, but mentally. She had met a few of those before, and they were rather fascinating. A pity how it had gone with them.

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

 

@Lloyd

"Ponies are working with changelings now? How long were I away for again?"

Enzo landed with barely a sound (beyond the tree he batted aside so he could have some landing space) whilst the guards that had followed kept in the air, thinking that they should get flying soon and that it was pointless to land. Besides, they were rather curious about the changeling too. Most of them were still pretty iffy about their kind being close with Equestria now.

"And it is He, not She. Now who is this, and why is a changeling queen working together with her food? More case in point, what kind of changeling are you even supposed to be? You don't look like the onyx mosquitoes, even though you smell like them."

He were well aware of the irony of him wondering what a creature higher up the food chain did working with ponies. It might be that he did not eat ponies, but generally speaking, sphinxes were greater beings than them, and if ponies were not so plentiful compared to his, his kind were likely to have been the rulers of many countries.

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

 

@MiragetheChangeling

They had been chatting along for a time when finally, the edge of the forest came into view. A timberwolf more had attempted to do something, but it had been chased off by the guard once more before he got back to talking. He seemed effective at his job, even in a sate where he could clearly use some sleep, but thankfully he didn't have to show off too much. The beasts were avoiding them in general for some reason, which made it more of a nice walk than anything.

Frankly he was happy about that, as this put some normality into his life (even when you considered he walked with changelings) after the half week of weird that had happened since he came to this town, and he felt quite a bit better once the town got into view.

THe large dragon looming iver th etown was hard to miss, but he seemed to just grunt off orders to the beings beneath him, which seemed to be a random array of creatures, even at a distance. And there was a lot of them too. Clearly not locals, if the varied races wasn't already a dead giveaway.

They were mostly working on houses like ants, lifting, building, wielding, piping, etc. Seemed to only be a few houses left they were working on though, if you didn't consider the ones where just the roofing had to be done as work. That would add a few more, but it was getting worked on.

"Here we go then. Welcome to Ponyville."

Edited January 21, 2018 by Blitz Boom

[Storm Shine 1,195]

@EQ_Theta @Blitz Boom

Discord glanced around a bit once on the other side of the portal, "Well it's nice to see your home as lively as it should be this time." he commented, waving slightly in greeting at a few of the shapes of Omen's siblings, of which he somehow recognized from his first few visits through the realm. "Much less ominous than that still silence we had last time."

Edited January 21, 2018 by Storm Shine

[Victoria Sponge 1,014]

@Blitz Boom

Felix smiled at Benny, his expression very much reflected that of his daughter's when she had first smiled at the dragon.

"Pleased to meet you Benny. This lovely young mare is your mate you say? My my a pony dragon couple, you don't see many of those... it's a shame, I think many ponies have dragons all wrong."

Felix turned his head towards Toxen as she said this, straightening the hat and giving her a grin and a wink as if posing for a photo before turning back to Pop and Benny.

"Ah you needn't worry about Victoria, I'm sure you've come to learn that she's a tough nut to crack. A tough nut with a soft and sensitive centre."

He ruffled Victoria's hair, which did not bother her in the slightest, she just continued to smile and nuzzle her father. It was the happiest Benny and Pop had ever seen her, her father seemed to soften her just as much as her little second cousin.

"Vicky shares my spirit, she isn't scared of these magnificent creatures."

He waved his hoof in the general direction of the dragons that stood round him as well as some who were flying above their heads.

"This part of town is probably safer for her than the parts filled with ponies, less chance of her getting cuddled."

Sprinkles shivered.

"That's Victoria for you, I on the other hand can think of many places I'd rather be right now."

She moved closer to Felix and Victoria, she felt safer with them due to their fearlessness in the face of the large reptiles, she'd seen Felix deal with all kinds of large and scary creatures in the past and knew he could protect her if needs be.

"I love geography, geography to me is like cakes to Battenberg or Victoria's mane to Victoria. The more I explore, the more of this wonderful world I see. Finding treasure just goes hand in hand with my love for exploration."

He unclipped his saddlebag revealing a glimmering ruby tucked neatly inside.

"Beautiful treasures from beautiful places. I'm know you dragons appreciate such wonders, though it's a shame you have to gobble them down. This ruby is the reason I was just in the Dragon Lands. Needed some help working out its value. Now I just have to get it to Manehattan's museum, then so many others can gaze at it's beauty."

He clipped the bag shut again. He laughed at Pop's sibling rivalry comment.

"Oh yes, we know all about that don't we Vicky."

He gave Victoria a playful shove. She giggled and looked a little sheepish.

"Victoria and Battenberg don't always see eye to eye, that's just how things go. No matter what they say or do to each other though, it's always clear they still love each other really."

Victoria looked sad thinking about the way she had spoken to her sister over the last few years.

"It's my fault, Battenberg doesn't have a single bad bone in her body. She's been nothing but the perfect sister to me for all my life and I treat her like she's just a nuisance to me. I really just need to accept that she's a better baker and move on, I mean she doesn't know a thing about make up and the like so we're both better at some thing and worse at others. I miss the days when we were younger, before I cared so much about being accepted and judged by everypony. We were best friends once upon a time, I think I can make that happen again now."

Felix looked proudly at his daughter and gave her a gentle cuddle.

"That would be wonderful Vicky, well done."

He chuckled.

"What in Equestria did you do to her?"

 

[EQ_Theta 415]

@Blitz Boom @Storm Shine

"Take care, both of you."

Both Sen and Lin stepped into the gate and on the other side were comforted by the sight of the realm. At this point, they were content with it despite the seemingly chaotic nature of the place, at least compared to what ponies would associate with a world described as orderly. They might even consider this a second home or a safe haven for them and if they could ever meet their younger selves from years ago, they'd be baffled at how different their perspectives changed over time. A good influence no doubt, and just how simple and tranquil this place is makes them feel at ease.

But there were still urgent matters and on the other side was a startled Clayton in a new place they'd find stranger than Omen's realm. It's good he's stuttering less and seems to have recovered from the shock of having returned to a place associated with a troubling past. Seems like it's back to the ordinary with the odd looks and confusion. If this is what their fellow villagers will have to contend with when they try to meet the residents of Equestria, maybe some perspective might help them. At least it's good for dealing with this sort of situations.

"Sorry about that, Clayton," Sen calmly said. "We came to give you a message from Fiddler. If you're going off to warn the others, you should know that Fancy Filigree is Silky Rose. She's currently looking for something called the jewelled beast's heart, likely to use it with the changeling emeralds. Also, we're planning on getting this warning to two other ponies named Spelt and Amethyst." 

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom Lucid was quite surprised when he saw the stats chart, he has always thought that his need to unlock the power was because the stick was powerful, not because of Discord. It seems that Lucid has been played.

"Jokes on him, I've unlocked enough to be on his level! Though I don't really get how he made a multiverse level stick if he isn't multiverse level himself."

It wasn't all bad though, he was still pretty pretty powerful. Maybe even more powerful than he realized.

"Well, by the looks of it, you seem to have an idea. I guess I'll bite, against my better judgement."

[genessee 535]

@Blitz Boom

Lance felt a pang of guilt for saddening Alonsus, but any guilt he had was quickly smothered under a blanket of fear. He remained dead silent as he followed Alonsus.

Maybe Ponyville isn't as good as I thought.

 

[Sekel 685]

@MiragetheChangeling

WATTS MECHANO

“I make and sell my own inventions. I can make anything from a high-powered toaster to your very own ice cube maker in your fridge,” Watts beamed. “My stall is this way. I don’t like having a shop as it’s too enclosed and not enough open air. I get enough of that making my inventions,” she added with a chuckle and proceeded to lead the way out of Sugarcube Corner.

@Blitz Boom & @Moonlit & @Seamore Sandwich

TWILIGHT SPARKLE & AURORA LIGHTS

The gates opened with lavender magic, allowing the cart entry. As soon as Last was inside with the cart, Twilight closed the gates and helped Serenade in slithering into the castle. “As soon as we get away from the entrance, and into a closed off room, you should be able to tell me what you wanted to say earlier,” Twilight informed the Siren, leaving the front doors open for Last to follow through.

”Dammit, I can’t get in,” Aurora muttered, making sure to land near the cart once Last was far enough away. She kneaded the ground with her talons and then laid down in the grass.

[Amanita 6,826]

Mirage looked at the dragon curiously and asked Stargazer. “Who is that?” She then describes the scene and the inhabitants to Amanita, who was currently bouncing on her hooves in excitement.

Amanita had a look of pure joy and excitement on her face as she listened to the noises of Ponyville, and listened intently as Mirage described it for her, hearing what it looks like, made her all the more excited. “Oh my gosh! It sounds amazing!” The mare’s ears were flicking wildly around as she listened to all, and she sniffed the air, and smiled at the scents and sounds of the town.

@Dji

“Huh, that sounds interesting. How do you do it?” Mistletoe questioned as he followed Watts out of Sugarcube, he had grabbed his bag which he held under his left wing now. His eyes held his curiosity in them, and he waved to ponies and non-ponies alike as they passed them on the roads. “I mean, how do you make your inventions? Do you do it alone?” He hoped that he wasn’t prying into the mares personal life though.

[Seamore Sandwich 470]

@Blitz Boom

 

Hunter still had questions, but he didn’t think this pony would know all the answers such as what the mission would be and where, although there was at least one question he would likely know the answer to, “Where did he return from, if you don’t mind my asking.”  Before Sugar Lime had any chance to answer, Marcus himself began his reply, “That is a tale I have yet to tell.”  He raised a glass mug into the air and tapped it with a fork using his magic.  “If I shall have your attention, I will tell you the tale of my only defeat.  It is why I have been gone so long, but my eventual victory is the means by which I have returned.  Many moons ago, a soothsayer sought me out with a premonition.  I was told that a horrible beast would come that erased its victims from the memories of all who knew them.  This being was known as The Forgotten One.  Once a powerful unicorn ruler, he was overthrown by his people and replaced by another.  Every statue of him and every record of his rule was destroyed.  His tyranny was considered a stain on history that had to be removed.  His hatred grew until it consumed him and warped him until he became a demon.  He had been forgotten, so he decided that others would suffer the same fate.  All that came before him would be sent to the Realm of the Forgotten where they would see the world continue on as though they never existed.  The soothsayer told me that I would fall victim to this foul creature, but that it would eventually be defeated.  I was told that I would be there, fighting from the Realm of the Forgotten, and that together we would be victorious, but millennia were to pass before I would return.  When the beast finally came, I faced it, but I was not only fighting a demon, I was also battling fate itself.  I did not wish to leave my followers unprotected.  Though still, I fell.  Time passed and I watched as The Forgotten One was sealed away inside a giant diamond by a being known as The Traveller.  It was decided by the Beast Court that all tribes would be responsible for guarding the gem, and thus it was passed from one tribe to the other when it was their turn to protect it.  Milkeniw later, when the Ananasi were given the gem, they imbedded it in the back of a Diamond Spider, a gigantic creature with chaos magic venom.  They placed the spider in a labyrinth to keep it hidden, but the Traveller transported it to the Everfree Forest where it ran rampant, a band of heroes battled the creature and cracked the diamond, therefore breaking the seal, releasing The Forgotten One.  After possessing a Dream Spirit, the creature found a way to regain its strength by collecting victims, but with its limited power, it had to disguise itself as a pony to get close to others in their dreams.  Not long after, it escaped into the waking world, hidden by the form of the Dream Spirit.  There, we fought.  The others who had fought the spider earlier, along with a few newcomers, attacked the creature from the real world, as I attacked it from the Realm of the Forgotten.  The beast was defeated, and its victims returned to the world.  Thus, here I am before you, victorious.  Soon we will begin planning a new mission, ridding this land of a threat that plagues it, but first, we shall celebrate the defeat of The Forgotten One!!!”

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom @Dji @Seamore Sandwich Serenade lets out the breath she had been holding, and as soon as they are alone...well as alone as an nearly adult Siren, a Alicorn and a Shield Maiden can get in a Castle that looks like a kid's playset. "♪A Question Princess, what do you actually know about Sirens. Not the myths that have been told to Ponies down the generations, but actual knowledge?♪" She sits up, curling her tail fluke around the front of her and looking down at the pair. 

[Seamore Sandwich 470]

@Blitz Boom 

 

Blossom thanked her customer like a true professional and accepted the bits.  Penny said, “Good Morning.  I just have this one last thing to do, and we can get going,” as she shaped some frosting into two spheres, then molded the chocolate coins around each, creating two frosting filled chocolates, then rewrapped them.  “This frosting is made from concentrated magic.  It’ll make the teleportation chocolates more powerful, so we should be able to take more with us than usual.  Will he be coming with us, too?”  She was of course referring to Brick.

 

@Blitz Boom 

 

“What are you doing?  We still need to find the traps so we know what part of the road to watch.  They could be anywhere.”  Gaea was almost confused by Zhu’s actions.  Did he plan on using the powers he claimed to have?

 

@Blitz Boom

 

The doctor was able to walk, but his steps were a little unsteady.  Eventually they would make it to the hospital where he would receive a CT scan and be kept for observation for a few days.

 

@Blitz Boom 

 

Dr. Xeno was in the bed next to Ziggy.  “Consider yourself lucky.  That piece of Everwood is most likely going to have you healed within a day, much less if your injuries aren’t severe.  It actually looks like a stick that I removed from a Kitsune this past morning.  If it’s the same stick, it should already be imbued with healing magic.”

 

@Blitz Boom 

@Moonlit 

@Dji 

 

The Traveller knew what had to be done.  Luna had to be here for Serenade to realize she had traveled through time.  Suddenly, and without warning, both Luna and Celestia appeared in the room with Twilight, Serenade, and Last.  Luna was facing away from the others, and Celestia was asleep in her pajamas, that is until she fell two feet to the floor.  She awoke startled. “What is the meaning of this?” she asked in a gentle, but flustered voice.  “Is this some sort of prank?  I thought you were above this kind of behavior Luna.”  Luna turned around and replied to her sister, “Twas not I, nor do I know how we were brought here.  Was it you Twilight?”  Little did they know that it was in fact The Traveller, being a bit less subtle than usual.

Edited January 22, 2018 by Seamore Sandwich