open Casual stroll

Catpone Cerberus · January 18, 2019

Nada thanked Luna for her welcomes with a thankful bow, she was going to ask who Kibitz was, but Cherish beat her to it, so she just stayed quiet and listened Luna's answer. When the sudden high-pitched sound came, Nada immediately fled to the water, she wasn't necessary scared, but it had came from out of nowhere enough to make her jump, and thus cause her instincts to fire up.

@Blitz Boom

"I can always appreciate a fellow hunter." Ruby replied summarizing her opinion on the stallion, there was something twisted about pony hunters, a prey hunting prey, and that was interesting to her. "And sure let's go, wouldn't want a poor bird like yourself to starve while I enjoy a nice snack." she was starting to warm up to Marley a bit now, though it basically just meant that she tolerated him a bit more, he was just a talking bird for her still.

@Widdershins

On the edge of Ponyville, was an interesting sigh, as what from far looked like full grown stallion, was rolling on the ground, playing with small army of cats, but if one was to take a closer look, they would find that it wasn't actually just a stallion, but instead it was what looked like hybrid between a stallion and a cat. He was Cerberus, a catpony, it was unclear where he had originally came from, or why his name was Cerberus, but those who knew him, knew him as a helpful and kind, and they knew that regardless of his cat-like quirks, he could be like anypony else if situation required so.

It wasn't really known where he spend his nights, but during the day he could be usually found spending time with varying amount of cats somewhere out of the way of normal ponies, or eating somewhere, usually in Sugarcube corner.

Moonlit · January 18, 2019

@Blitz Boom @Catpone Cerberus Luna rolls her eyes and walks over to the door, and opens it. Outside are her two guards, one with her buried in Serenade's saddle bags, the other on his back munching on a mango. Serenade just sits there with a goofy grin, "Sorry Your Majesty, but the Mango's were on sale" She winks.

Rising Dusk · January 19, 2019

@Blitz Boom

Rising Dusk let Scarlet lead the trio down into the O.M.I's basement where they two wizards he left there doing their own research appear to have already left. Probably while he was taking a little power nap, leaving the basement empty again. Not taking up station at the first table like the detective liked to use. It was odd, but each member of the O.M.I. had a particular table in the basement they liked to use, even if it really didn't matter. These weren't the more personalized desks they had up in the main office after all. The red pegasus lead them to about the fifth table in from the door. "Okay, we'll work here?" she asked, but it felt like more to herself as after doing so she spread her wings and fluttered away to the shelves. The unicorn didn't even bother to reply and just simply pulled a stool out for Lily before taking a seat at another.

Scarlet had been an unfortunate victim of a spell gone wrong many moons back. Just a small group of friends hanging out and a hot head unicorn trying to show off with a spell he read from a library book and knew nothing about. Sadly the spell ran amuck and Scarlet was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. She was taken to the hospital and Rising Dusk was eventually called upon when the pegasus was starting to take a turn for the worse. After dispelling her of the harmful magic, she had become obsessed with the world of magic. Studying hard, reading every book she could get her hoofs on, which in the world of dispel magic is quite limited, and after applying many times, she managed to join the ranks of the O.M.I. some moons later. Still their newest rookie, even if she'd been with the agency for about a year by now. Four solved cases under her wings and assistance in a dozen other investigations, she was quite the smart mare, if somewhat easily excitable.

The pegasus soon returned to their table with several objects cradled in her hoofs. Laying them out on the table. A heavy bronze compass with a needle that slowly spun round and round. A bundle of twine that appeared to have some sort of clear glaze coating it. A purple compact mirror similar to those a pony sees show-mares using to apply their makeup backstage. And lastly, a rusty old horseshoe. Of course, none of these objects were as simple as they appeared and served as great examples on how such work can be performed by pony that didn't have the unique abilities the Spell Breaker of Manehatten had.

Scarlet looked over at the detective for approval. Rising Dusk looked over the objects, "Spores and pollen?" he inquired. Fluttering in mid air she winced and looked off into the distance while she tapped her chin with her hoof in thought. Then like a light bulb coming on, she brightened up and sped off to the other end of the basement. Returning with a small pouch and dropping it on the table. Rising Dusk nodded, "Fine work officer, that covers the basics." As predictable, Scarlet hoof pump the air in excitement and then flew down to join them at the table.

"Alright! If I may, Sir?" she asked, reaching over to start working. He nodded, happy to play support and give the pegasus some experience and practice. Her wings flexed for a moment as her smile light up. Leaning in close, she examined the box. Looking over it for hidden runes, etched magic circles, booby traps, hidden compartments and took note of any damage. There was some damage one would expect from an hold lock box. Dents and dings along with some scratches. Positioning the large compass in front of the cursed box, making sure the N for North was pointed at it. Next she wrapped the twine around the box in a way that didn't hinder it from opening. Taking the purple compact she opened it up to reveal the powder pad, "Alright Ms. Monkshade. Let's take a look at what you got here," she giggled with giddy glee. Picking up the key with her mouth, she inserted it into the lock just as Rising Dusk ignited his horn with magic for whatever surprises were to spring out. Turning the key with a resounding click, she let go and straightened back up. Blowing a cloud of powder out over the lock box she then opened the lid of the box quickly.

There was a sharp hiss as the twine around the box lit up like a candle wick. Rising could see the alarm enchantment get 'sucked' up by the wick and burned away. It did nothing for the odor of decay though as both O.M.I. officers caught a whiff of it and wrinkled their noses. The compass needle spun around once and pointed South. Her eyes glanced from the cloud of powder, to the pouch she collected last, to the rusty horseshoe then finally looked inside the box. "Uh... It's empty," she reported, a bit of disappointment in her tone. Rising Dusk concluded the same. There was magical residue that told of something that use to be in there, but no longer was. The smell and the residue told him everything he needed to know, but for training purposes. "Compass?" he asked, keeping her focused. She quickly snapped back to attention, "O-Oh! The compass points South, hard ping, no waiver. Sacrificial magic," she broken down the readings and reported the result. Wanting to go further, "Zero Aster Powder disturbance, no vapors. No Goust Runes on the pouch, no spores or pollen. Giest's Shoe unmoving, no curses. Harmony Twine burned, one or more trigger enchantments removed." The detective nodded. If she had brought some Mana Dew to put a few droplets in the box, she'd be able to determine how recently the object had been removed. That was enough though for the unicorn.

"It would appear Ms. Monkshade that your lock box has been opened recently. Who else might have access to the key?" he inquired, keeping his tone friendly as to not accuse of anything. The lock could have been picked, but from what he could tell, magic had not opened the box.

Blitz Boom · January 19, 2019

@Moonlit @Catpone Cerberus

On 1/17/2019 at 8:48 PM, Moonlit said:

"Kibitz is Our Royal scheduling advisor and a close aide to both myself and my Sister, and he handles the Non-Pony Integration and Relief Organization." Luna looks over at Cherish, "As I said, We will consult the Archives when We return to Canterlot, their must be something there that can help".

"No rush Princess Luna. I'm sure you have many things to do and I-"

The skree that suddenly came in the middle of her *Thank you, but you probably have better things to do first* kind of speak made Cherish jump in surprise and fizzle out of sight. At the same time, a heavy object nearby (table or shelf) would get yanked a good half meter across the floor. An instinctual reaction more than anything, and if something fell down, Cherish would catch it with magic.

What had just made that sound? Were they being attacked? Had somepony found this a good time to lure the princess into a trap and then come to finish her off? No, thankfully it were just Serenade, with her bag full of thestral muzzle that were apparently looking for a mango. The bizarre sight of that, as well as the one on the ground holding one of those fruits, were a potent distraction that helped calm her down before things went haywire, though it also filled her head with so many questions about what she were looking at.

She'd slowly get back into view, and look between the guards and Serenade, before finally vocalizing some of what were on her mind.

"Why are they... What?"

She knew so little about bat ponies that she really had no idea if this were normal or not, but it didn't make this anything less of a weird sight to her, and it was leaving her pretty dumbfounded, and unsure what to even really say to it.

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@Catpone Cerberus

Marley laughed at Ruby's remark about him. It were a clever little condescending comment that sounded as if were meant in jest, though even if it weren't, he couldn't say that he wouldn't have just said the same thing in her stead. He did honestly made it too easy not to, now that he thought back on his own words.

"Very well, let's proceed with haste then."

Backtracking where they came from, Marley eventually took a turn and led them into the street, where basically no one were. This part of town dealt mostly with dragons and griffons these days, and not everypony were too comfy around them, so it tended to be somewhat scarce around here. So instead of a bustling street, they'd find two griffons working on putting fresh catches on display on the waiting boxes of ice, three looking around the presented things, and the tail of a small dragon leaving the area being possible to catch out of the corner of their eyes, if they looked to the left. The smell of fish going the same way seemed to indicate that he or she had purchased something here.

Marley's eyes were drawn to one specific fish though, that the others didn't seem to care much for. A dark fish with a silvery pattern of scales and long, translucent wings, around the length of his arm, and not much thicker than an eel. It were kinda pretty, but it usually didn't amass to much more than that in most beings eyes. Still, they tended to filter into the nets now and again when they hunted for small fish, so it weren't uncommon to catch one, and it might as well be put on stand like the rest, rather than get thrown out. Seemed like a waste to do that.

The transaction were rather brief. He got the attention of one of the griffons setting up the stall - a somewhat lanky fellow with freckles on his feathers - and asked for the entire fish, filleted into four portions. Seeing as they likely weren't getting it sold otherwise, he agreed, handed it to his associate who started chopping, whilst Marley paid the five bits the thing were being sold for, thanked the fisherman, and then began moving back to Ruby.

"My business here are done. Would you like for us to withdraw to a more private setting?"

The glimmer in his eyes were one of amusement, as he well knew how it could sound, though he had just meant for them to scram so that Ruby and him could eat in peace, without having curious and worried eyes on her meat-eating self. What, he were not allowed to have some fun on her expense too?

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@Lucid_Nightlight

"Y'know I don't blame them. Fried food tasted yucky."

She wasn't exactly sure what it were with the frying process, but something about it just ruined the taste of things for Anomaly, and if she could, she'd avoid it in favor of something more sensible. Like rusty barbwire.

"So is your version of food hair permanent? I usually just let it last a day or something like that, but I dunno how long you like to mess with folks. Forever?"

Lucid she had some vague idea about, when it came to how far he'd go on regular folks, but Novia weren't that easy. She hadn't done a lot, and they had only met like what, a half hour or something ago? Not at all time enough to really get to know somepony, and especially not when Lucid and herself had done most of the crazy stuff in that time.

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@Zephyr / Karou

On 1/18/2019 at 12:40 AM, Zephyr / Karou said:

"Thank you very much. I'm Sun Fire, and this is my twin brother Zephyr." She said. "We've performed in Manehattan before, and I sang with Songbird Serenade up until recently. I was with her on most of her tours across Equestira the past few years, so it's definitely possible you might recognize me."

"Ah yes, Songbird Serenade. That must have been with whom I heard your voice before. I believe I ran across one of her concerts last year in... Deltrot, I believe the name were. A very noisy town, yet I remember the sounds of the concert fondly. A welcome break in an otherwise middling visit to one of this country's larger cities."

Briar lit up as he made a connection as to where he had heard this voice before. It might have been in the town before Deltrot though. He weren't entirely certain, as they sounded much alike in the amount of noise that came from all around him, but regardless of where it had been, the fond memory of hearing one of Songbird's concerts were a treasured one, and to think that he had now wandered into one who sang with her? What a surprising coincident, yet one of the more pleasant ones for certain, especially as it were clear to hear before that Sun were very capable of singing on her own, and not just together with another. Some singers only reached their vocal harmony in groups, and sounded absolutely ghastly when on their own, at least in his experiences.

On 1/18/2019 at 12:40 AM, Zephyr / Karou said:

"She wrote that song herself, you know. She's quite good at it. What did you think of the lyrics?"

"I found the lyrics to be very emotional. I must admit with some degree of shame though, that I did not follow all of what were being said within it, as my mind were occupied with other things on occasion. Yet I highly enjoyed what I did follow of that. From the sound of it, it must have been quite a life you two have lived, if the lyrics carry some semblance to your own existence."

He wandered closer, slowly, as to allow Brittle to follow him, which she did without saying a thing. There'd be no real surprises when her entire form got into view, except for the long, multicolored tail, and even around Briar, the changeling mare were acting and looking at Sun and Zephyr as if she expected them both to attack her, and the friendly smile from Zephyr had not done anything to change that so far. If they knew the stance she took with her head crouched almost to the ground and looking the way up towards them, they might find a semblance to that of an abused animal, which were pretty much the best description there were of Brittle. A sharp contrast to the confident Briar, who stopped his walk when he were a meter away from the two ponies.

"I hope it is not too personal, and if it is I apologize for the invasion of your privacy, but may I ask what a pair of highly skilled musicians, such as yourselves, are doing here in Ponyville? I mean no disrespect to the locals, as they have been nothing but kind to even one such as myself, I merely mean it in a sense that at least you, Sun, have been travelling with whom I believe to have heard are quite a successful musician, so I find it somewhat odd that you have chosen to settle in a rural area such as this. Were you perhaps in need of some time to clear your head?"

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@EQ_Theta

On 1/18/2019 at 7:18 AM, EQ_Theta said:

"Shrimp, I'm going to need your help. I'll open a gate to a shop in Canterlot, big enough for you to go across. You'll be alone but we won't take long; Omen will find you soon after. All I'm asking is for you to not move around much once you get across, okay?"

Shrimp looked up at Lin as she told him what she wanted him to do. Omen were what he considered his *mother*, and listened to her as much as he could, since he didn't understand everything that were going on, but Lin had been much the same to him the days when Omen had been gone, and he tended to find most of the same degree of comfort from the mixed longma as he did from her. In parts because of her having helped raising him at an early age as well, and in parts because she had a familiar smell to his *mother* which made it easier for his young mind to comprehend her as a friend.

As such, while if Sen had asked him this, she might simply had hissed at the longma, Shrimp were willing to try and do what was asked of him. He didn't understand all of it, but being directed towards the tiny gate that seemed just his size made it look like that is what they were asking of him. This would be a test of trust, as if they left him alone for long, he'd be unlikely to do this again anytime soon. Plus there were the odds of him causing untold chaos if he got spooked or felt threatened. Even if the glitter beams couldn't do any real damage to living creatures, other things getting destroyed would still be unfortunate, to put it mildly.

So he went through, and slithered towards somewhere else out of sight. Likely some kind of cover. They'd see soon, as Omen began working right away and opened a gate that Lin and her could go through, where they'd find themselves back in the chaotic, dark realm that she needed to connect with to get anywhere else.

They got the usual looks of curiosity from the unformed siblings, but they were kept alone, and Omen were too focused on finding the way forth to interact with them, looking in many different directions before finally, she appeared to find her way.

They would open up a gate right behind a pedestal with a large vase surrounded by a thick glass box, inside a - to Lin - familiar antique store. A couple of nobles stood nearby and scurried away when the gate shoved, though another seemed like he hadn't noticed. The fancy dressed clerk were standing with a broomstick and poking away beneath a nearby dresser, where Shrimp could be heard hissing bellow, and from the shaking happening to the broom, were attacking it.

"Urgh, to think that a rodent slid in here. What will Miss Scarcity think?"

"Not a rodent. He is Shrimp."

The clerk cringed at the voice and now finally took notice of the strange pony and longma mixture, along with the gate, which seemed to finally make him understand that this were above his pay grade. So he dropped the broom, stumbled away, and fell on his flank in his clumsy attempt to get away.

Shrimp in the meantime, slid out from under the dresser, and climbed up Lin as fast as he could slither and claw his way up there, and wouldn't stop until he reached her head. At that point, he'd look over the few customers, the clerk, and all the items, then raise his head as highly towards the ceiling as he could, and roar.

"Shriiiiiimp!"

It were about as threatening as hearing a bird chirp, and the nobles for one seemed more dumbfounded that anything, though the clerk seemed to be about to just curdle up and cry. He had no training in what to do in a situation like this, and it weren't really helping that the unformed ones were getting curious and looked through the gate whilst whispering. Because dozens of shadowy eyes and whispers in an unknown tongue were surely going to help them seem the good beings.

At the same time, back at the school, the poking and whispering would begin to dry up slowly, as the students would have to get to their varied classes, though Sen could expect to be the big talking point for a while now, and soon as the next break came, he'd find the attention wouldn't exactly be lessened. Far from it actually, which the guard silently keeping an eye on him knew. From what he had seen, the longma did an impressive job stopping himself from going mental from the attention he just got, so that were impressive, but kits were relentless. Especially if they didn't get a reaction, which the younger ones tended to think just meant they could keep doing things since it apparently weren't a big deal. Sen better hope that Rosa were possible to visit before that, or his patience would be tested to the breaking point.

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@EQ_Theta

On 1/18/2019 at 7:18 AM, EQ_Theta said:

The last time this happened, she and the rest of Ponyville were hypnotized into acting like this. They nearly flooded the town!

This were not filling her with confidence about what were going on. Rather, it just made her fear what sort of creature they were actually dealing with. Some kind of sea monster? She had never seen one, but then again, Lyriel had only seen the sea once, and that were when she had crossed it with the ponies and Nerzhei to get to Equestria. What hid beneath the tides, and in general in the waters of this country, she hadn't a clue, yet it seemed she were about to meet one of the nastier things to live in the waters now. To be controlling minds and trying to flood towns... What a disastrous creature this must be.

Getting closer, Lyriel could actually hear the song now, and though it were beautiful, she could certainly hear the alluring tones in it, that threatened to drag her mind along too. Not something she enjoyed, and seeing what it did to Fluttershy were making her worry what the creature might do to the poor pony. Make her wander into the water and drown? No, that couldn't happen. perhaps if she focused, she may be able to grow a vine to wrap around the pegasus, and draw her back into the-

On 1/18/2019 at 7:18 AM, EQ_Theta said:

Angel picked up on this and decided to try lobbing a pebble into the wall of water to see if something were to happen. Though obviously expecting nothing more than the water to pass through, he heard a loud thud and the music abruptly halted.

"Oww!!! Can't I at least finish my song without interruptions?! I was almost done!"

Angel instead saved the day, with a well placed stone throw, seemingly hitting the originator of the song and causing the distinct feminine voice to get interrupted. What might have happened if the creature - as she had said - had been allowed to finish though? Would Fluttershy have jumped in, or been unable to be taken out of her mesmerized state? In a sense she wondered, yet Lyriel prayed that she would never be faced with the answer to that question, as the implications were disturbing for her.

The creature came forth now, revealing itself to be a... Fish pony of some kind? She had heard creatures in the forest talk about one such creature before, luring others in with their singing, who were hiding in a deep, dark pool. A... Siren? Were this what this were? The description seemed to match down to a tee at least, with the singing, equine and serpentine features, and living in water. It were smaller than she had expected though.

Then the creature and Fluttershy began to talk, and things became really strange. Apparently they were friends, the creature were called Cassie, and she were a Kelpie? So there were several kinds of fish ponies now? And why would she hypnotize her own friend? Something told her that there were some story around this that explained it, but standing where she were, she would agree with Angel wholeheartedly. Cassie were not one that she could trust right on the spot either, and though she would try and put her warmest smile on to seem friendly, and would try to give the kelpie the benefit of the doubt, Lyriel were going to approach the creature with some degree of caution.

"I welcome you Cassie, daughter of the river. My name is Lyriel, the last true dryad from the Silver Valley, in the land of dragons."

She would bow her neck before the kelpie, and at the same time, send Angel a knowing look, to try and let him know that she were on his side in this. Though many from her homeland believed bunnies to be slow witted and not understanding much of what were going around, she had found that some back home, as well as in this land, were more cunning than they were given credit for, and could understand far more of a situation than one may think. Angel were one of the smarter ones from what she could see, and she had faith in both his ability to understand what she meant, as well as his opinion of Cassie being made from a bad experience that one should take heed in.

"I know not the story between you all, but I bear great concern for what I just witnessed, and beg of you to not sway more minds. The ponies are my friends, and I wish not for them to be harmed, or swallowed by the tides."

It were not said with prejudice in mind, but Lyriel wanted it to be known that she cared deeply about keeping her equine friends safe, and if need be, she would rise to their defense, though she'd much prefer if they did not have to fight. A reason why she pleaded to Cassie about not doing to Fluttershy again what she had just before.

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@Rising Dusk

16 hours ago, Rising Dusk said:

"It would appear Ms. Monkshade that your lock box has been opened recently. Who else might have access to the key?"

"Just me. I used it earlier on the behest of my master, to free the danger he once set upon my family."

Lily leaned back and laughed at the two ponies. Such a wasteful amount of things they had gathered, just to find that nothing had been there at all in the end. It were almost comical if it weren't so pathetic.

"I will get to why I am truly here, but first know that I consider your reactions and waste of materials as payback for that little trick you played on me earlier, meddling little Equestrian, though it wouldn't have done you much good to keep around against what's coming. You're not dealing with the small fish anymore."

Her attitude would change before them like a button had been switched. Gone were the happy, seemingly innocent mare that had wandered in, and instead were on who looked at the two O.M.I. personnel like a predator eyeing some prey that it had decided to play with before devouring them. Honestly, they were beneath her in her opinion, but toying with them had proven entertaining int he end, as she saw the little things just try their best to be ready to purify another beautiful curse.

The papers she had kept to her were thrown on the table, and if either of them cared to watch them, they would get the information on her that she had withheld, though they may be too focused on the situation as a whole right now to have the time.

Name: Lily Monkshade.

Age: 92.

Place of residency: Harrowmark.

Occupation: Wilderness witch.

Item delivered: A warning to the annoying pony who should chose his friends better.

There were more lines, but most of them were left blank, and what were written should already raise some alarming questions, beyond just what were in the curse box prior to it being emptied. Most of them meant to rattle Rising and let him know that this were business, especially that last one, which Lily frankly wanted to give him quite the payback for, but she knew that she could not use magic in here and get the upper hoof, and any weapon or extra cursed item would merely be found, and she would not have gotten this far. Besides, she had not been sent here to simply say something and then leave. Her master had other plans, and whatever they were, she would follow them, and place her faith in his methods.

Even if she were not to ever leave, what was the worst they could do, throw her in prison? Pah, the harshest Equestrian prison would pale before any punishment that befell a wilderness witch in Harrowmark. It would hardly be anything but a nice, extended vacation.

"Now then, I would listen carefully if I were you. My master will arrive here when next the sun rises, and one of two things will happen. Either you will surrender, and hand over the meddlesome sisters, or he will unleash a monster born of malice and death upon your town. And make no mistake, even if you were to prepare as best you could, malice and damnation will run through the streets, and while you're trying to deal with that, your friends and family will pay the price for your insolence. Perhaps starting with your little sidekick?"

The last part were said with a sadistic pleasure that were barely contained, as she glanced towards Scarlet. Such a sweet, innocent little thing that mare were, and to think of what horrid thing could befall her, were Rising to disobey the ultimatum he were given... Why, it almost made Lily giddy with joy.

"You stepped in the business of Harrowmark when you started to help the sisters, detective. That kind of thing have consequences, though in a rare show of mercy, my master will let you get away with your boundless insolence, and allow you to return to a safe little life of breaking up trinkets made by pitiful pretenders, long as you deliver the sisters to him. If you chose to ignore that though... Well, you'd have to ask yourselves how many innocent lives those two are worth. A hundred? Two hundred? How many of your countrymen will be worth sacrificing for some pesky mongrels from the enemies of Equestria, who have willingly spilled blood on their path?"

Lucid_Nightlight · January 19, 2019

@Blitz Boom

"They'll be back to normal in a few minutes. Some of the things I do may last hours, but I let them off easy this time."

"It's a good thing they ran off, they recently made their cuffs silver. They think it makes them look cool."

"Being allergic to silver must really suck. It's a weakness very easy to exploit. Take this for example!"

Novia threw a metal ball at Anomaly. Luckily it was just a joke and the ball was actually just copper. She wanted to see if Anomaly would react.

Edited January 19, 2019 by Lucid_Nightlight

Early Sunsets · January 20, 2019

@Blitz Boom

Sun Fire turned to Zephyr, who gave her an encouraging nod. Most of the newspapers in Manehattan had already published the entire story of why Sun Fire quit, and it was only a matter of time before the rest of Equestria knew about it too, so there wasn't any point in hiding anything. She turned back to Brittle a little reluctantly. "Well... Everything that happened before we moved to Manehattan is a different story, but I'll tell you why we're here of all places." Sun Fire took a deep breath before continuing. "I did enjoy working for Songbird, but it wasn't exactly a stress-free life. There was a bit of resistance from the other back-up singers when Songbird asked me to join suddenly, but I think they started to tolerate me after a while. My work load started to get heavier as I became more popular, and it got to the point where I was only home a few times a month and I rarely got to see Zephyr. To make matters worse, the others began resenting me as I became more favored by Songbird. They started harassing me constantly. I spent more time worrying if my dress was going to fall apart or if a prop would fall on me during practice more than the performances themselves. I tried to tell Songbird what was going on, but the others never gave her the evidence she wanted, and the harassment only got worse. Eventually it became more than I could handle by myself, and without anypony to help me through, I tried to kill myself to end the pain." Sun Fire stopped, her voice shaking. Her hoof went subconsciously to the still-healing wound on her stomach. It didn't hurt anymore, but it was going to leave an obvious scar.

"Luckily someone found Nuri in time." Zephyr jumped in. "We talked a lot while she was recovering in the hospital, and the best option we though of was to move to a quiet town where she could keep doing what she loves, just in a more casual way. Ponyville is small, but it's friendly reputation is what drew us here." He glanced at the unusual changeling again. His attempt at being friendly didn't seem like it did anything, but he wasn't surprised since his ability to communicate wasn't really his strongest trait. He wondered what her story might be, but she didn't exactly seem open for discussion. Zephyr looked back at Briar. He wanted to ask the newcomer what he was exactly, but he hadn't thought of any way to phrase the sentence yet that didn't come off as churlish.

Edited January 20, 2019 by Zephyr / Karou

EQ_Theta · January 20, 2019

@Blitz Boom

"Scarcity! Miss Scarcity! Thought you'd like to know your delivery is almost complete! We just need someone to help us move the statue you wanted. Can anyone help us out?"

Lin walked through the gate and back to a refreshing and familiar place. Thought it might have been empty, or almost empty at the least, seems like their arrival stirred up quite the commotion. Even Shrimp was fazed by the events transpiring so quickly around him that, by inference, must have caused some distress. Lin understood this and sat down for just a moment, picking up the little refraction and cradled him, gently stroking his head and back to hopefully get him to relax. The worst is over for the little guy and some motherly instincts kicked in for the longma hybrid.

"Shh... calm down, Shrimp. It's okay. We're here now and you're safe. No need to worry."

After this, she turned to see the clerk clearly scared out of his wits and fumbling around for some measure of safety and security. Though it might be a little strange to try the same thing for him as she did for Shrimp, it wouldn't hurt to try. She placed the little creature on her head and walked up to the clerk, then sat by his side and attempted to calm him down.

"We're not here to hurt you and we apologize if we gave you quite a scare. We just want to see Scarcity and maybe get some able-bodied ponies to help us move a statue. Can you help us out? Please?"

Meanwhile, Sen didn't seem to be faring better at reining in his bubbling irritation. The little kits apparently had no intention to stop poking him but hopefully they could at least tone it down. Mild pokes are fine but it's the fact that they were relentless in their pursuit to find his breaking point that was getting on his nerves. Eventually, he couldn't hold in his annoyance and it broke his meditation. Though anyone would expect him to bellow out his frustration with the young kits, he merely opened his eyes and let out a loud breath out. A subdued reaction that wasn't followed by him speaking his mind. It was pure silence followed by him shifting his position to lying by the side of the tree. Maybe he ought to relax instead and keep an eye out for the young ones. For all he knew, they were interested in seeing a reaction. Perhaps they'd be disappointed by what they saw.

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

@Blitz Boom

"Dragons, eh? That's... that's quite something. It makes me kind of envious how you might associate with them and all. Fierce creatures with attitude, I tell you. But if it all works out for you, who am I to judge? And these little water sprites are my friends. They're a little terrified of you but they are really nice and friendly creatures. Come on little guys, Lyriel won't drink you up."

The first few slivers of something swimming beneath the surface appeared to close in on Lyriel. At first, they were massing just by the banks but they, being waterborne creatures, could only get so far. Cassie then decided to work some of her magic and enclosed them in a bubble before lifting them up for the dryad to see. This time, they were much more visible, with the silver streaks now shifting to a deep blue hue. By virtue of being creatures of the seas, they would need to have some form of adaptive camouflage to avoid detection from predators. And they were quite curious as well, swimming as close as they could to take a better look.

"We aren't exactly river creatures mind you. We're from the sea but this bubble lets me and my friends move in between sizable bodies of water inland. We really couldn't go for extended periods of time out of the water but we could adapt from salt to fresh water without many issues. But I suppose you were worried about what I did just now and probably knew about something about what I did before."

"See, when I found out some of my water sprite friends were trapped behind a dam near Ponyville, I wanted to get them away from that place. Back then, I didn't know I could create the bubble you see right now to move them away to safety. I hypnotized everyone in the nearby town to break their dam so I can help my friends but I didn't realize it would destroy their town in the process. I know what I did is wrong and right now, I don't think the ponies would take kindly to seeing me again; there's still some bad blood between us even if some like Fluttershy and Twilight have forgiven me. I hid because I wasn't sure if you knew about this story and were just as angry as them. Rest assured, I learned my lesson. No way will I use my powers like that again."

As for Fluttershy, Angel ran up to her and decided to playfully slap her about. It wasn't out of malice but more to see if any lingering traces of Cassie's spell remained. Despite the kelpie's explanation, he wasn't convinced. If she truly was changed and sorrowful about what she did last time, she wouldn't have resorted to doing the same thing to Fluttershy now. Perhaps she had no malicious intent this time around but there could've been another way to get the pegasus to find her. Fluttershy, at that moment, was jolted awake by the slapping, letting out quiet yelp before picking up the bunny and letting him ride on her back.

"Lyriel, is everything alright?"

Catpone Cerberus · January 20, 2019

@Moonlit @Blitz Boom

Nada raised her head from the water, she wasn't any less confused than Cherish, what did mangoes have to do with that sound, which she only could guess was made by one of the guards, since she had hard time believing a siren had made it. She didn't say anything, nor did she come fully out of the water, she just waited for the reply to Cherish's question, which was perfect wording to her thoughts too.

@Blitz Boom

Ruby just followed Marley quietly to her usual manner, and though she didn't really bother looking, she could sense the other dragon that was just leaving the area with fish, but she didn't really pay any attention to it, local dragons didn't need meat like she did, so them getting fish wasn't the most non-logical thing assuming Marley was right when he said some of the locals liked to have a taste of meat regardless of it not being part of their natural diet.

She could tell what Marley had meant with his question, but she also knew what the indication behind his choice of words would be in any other situation, though she didn't think much of it, and she didn't realize he was trying to fun on her expense, but she did reply accordingly "I would say that you should at least buy me a dinner first, but you already did, so yes."

Moonlit · January 20, 2019

@Blitz Boom @Catpone Cerberus Serenade shrugs, a smirk on her face. "Sorry your Majesty" She walks in, leaving the two Guards munching on mangoes. Luna just rolls her eyes, and magics a brown paper bag near her from Serenade's counter. Serenade makes a pouting face, "Fine...I do owe you." Luna simply smiles, "Any last questions, I must return to Canterlot and inform my Sister of this."

FanOfManyShows · January 21, 2019

@Blitz Boom

Astral smiled softly as Chow spoke. Laying things on the table like that let her relax a bit, even if what Chow was a little, interesting. "I'd never push you away, you're nice. Even if I found somepony else."

Misty shrugged, looking over to the window, seeing Canterlot approach. "I think we might get there soon."

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

@Blitz Boom

Iron opened a final door, entering the library of what seemed to be a copy of every magical book that existed. He approached one book, locked down to a pedestal with chains and a padlock. "This is the book." He stepped to the side, with the very obvious title covering the entire cover, impossible to not notice, along with the gem imbedded into the book. 'Forbidden Magic' Was the title, the gem shimmering like a element of disharmony. "Or at least, what you might be looking for." He said, unlocking the chains as the book's gem glowed somewhat. "It stores magic inside itself, allowing you to use the spells inside, at least for practice anyway."

"You know we're just explaining this for my sister at this point."

Iron sighed, turning to look to them. "Alright, well what do you need?"

"A book for rare magic, I think. It's hard to keep track of these things." She looked down, sighing. "Yeah we were going to search for a book for a type of magic."

He looked to one of the shelves, pointing to it. "That shelf has uncommon types of magic, might have what you need"

===========================
@Blitz Boom

An eternity had passed, or so it seemed, General Wing was prepared for his ceremony now. Walking out to accept his new position, somewhat excited and nervous, as well as unsure what to say. "This'll be interesting for me." He said to himself with a chuckle.

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

@Dji

Francis stepped back, bumping into the other changeling. "Sure." He looked to Zealous, glancing at the horn as Zealous brushing the mane back over the horn.

"I covered it up on purpose." Zealous said, grumbling a little as he started to walk off. "But I prefer to keep it covered, let's get going now that we've helped this guy."

"Guess I'll be off then." He waved as he followed the other changeling.

Rising Dusk · January 21, 2019

@Blitz Boom

Well, this is troublesome. Rising Dusk should have been surprised, but he really wasn't. Probably a result of knowing in the back on mind that after his little stunt they'd be coming after him. He just didn't expect it to be this quickly. This all happened barely an hour ago and she made it all the way to his office already? Breaks are nice, villains should consider taking breaks. Good for the coat and mental health... Oh yeah, that explains things. Ugh his mind drifted again, mostly do to the monologue that spilled out of the no longer innocent filly's mouth. Wasted resources? All that they used as a foot of Harmony Twine that would be made for less than a Bit. But if she wanted to believe it was a hardship on them in exchange for being poked in the eye, Rising Dusk wouldn't mind letting her think that. He's found in his experiences that showing no reactions to a dastardly plan a villain cooked up, was the best way to go. Rarely did they manage to have their ego's stroked when the pony they were trying to scare showed no fear or hate in their eyes.

A skill Scarlet had yet to pick up on yet as the red pegasus went through the spectrum of annoyed, to shocked, to angry. Her teeth clenched and a low growl escaping her throat as the 'message' got darker and darker. Rising Dusk simply did what he did best and listened. Taking in every detail, sifting through all the boasting and extra bits that didn't add anything to the bigger picture. When she finally managed to finish her monologue, the detective simply nodded. At least she was smart enough not to just try and attack him or Scarlet while they looked at the box, being in the lion's den of the O.M.I. after. And the addition of not bringing anything magic with her was a nice touch so that he couldn't sense them on her. All that preparation from the little knowledge she had about him. Lily might have known of his abilities to Dispel magic, but as far as he knew, she didn't know about his counter magics. Granted, he wasn't the scariest thing in the O.M.I. right now. "I think a letter would have worked just fine, Ms. Monkshade," Rising Dusk informed her with a professional smile, she was a client after all. "But I must disincline to acquiesce to your Master's request. Regardless of their past, they are now citizens of Equestria and will be protected as such," he concluded and motioned with his hoof in Scarlet's direction.

The young officer flew up to a shelf behind the witch and fetched a blanket. In a quick dash she flew above the witch and dropped the blanket onto her. While not the fastest flyer in Equestria, she could have probably done well in the Wonder Bolt's reserve unit, if she so desired. Like everything in the basement, the blanket wasn't normal but was quite simple. When covered with the blanket, it simply made the pony under it sleep. An experimental artifact to help ponies with sleep problems, but not all the kinks had been worked out. Most importantly the difficulty in waking them up. Rising Dusk and his magic at the ready should the witch resist.

There was a lot to this message that had holes in it that he didn't like, and it was better to be safe than sorry.

Sekel · January 21, 2019

@Blitz Boom

KARMIC FATE

Karmic had a cursory glance over the Equine-written book and turned a bit green at what was written within the margins of the love and care sections. She quickly closed it and tossed it onto the pile in the middle of the room with the other books and before turning back to the draconic books, noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was certainly something that looked soft and plushy when Enzo hid it away. Karmic didn't want to draw attention to it if Enzo wasn't going to. She turned back to the draconic books and after realising she couldn't read any of them, put them with the other books.

"There are a lot of dragon books here. I thought there'd be more Equine-based books but I found one about guard dog training," Karmic commented, heading to the pile with another dragon book. "Are you able to read these?"

@Blitz Boom

AURORA LIGHTS

Aurora felt both of their gazes on her and it chilled her slightly with how intensely they were staring.

"Um ... I'll join Happini, Queen Onache," Aurora said eventually when she could get her throat wet enough to talk. "I want to at least see this hive flourish."

@Blitz Boom

TWILIGHT SPARKLE

"Yes, I have wondered about the constant war between our species, Nerzhei, but I could never really find anything because of the lack of books we have here on your kind," Twilight said slowly, examining the picture on the page. This was the most calm Twilight had been in a while and it was a funny feeling. She was excited, and enthused by the book, yes, but she was doing a fantastic job of keeping herself in check. The architecture within the picture reminded her of an old Grecian palace but at the same time, it had the hardiness of the dragons as well. "There is an old legend though. I remember reading it, and rereading it because it was so fascinating. There used to be a city of some kind out past the Dragon Lands that mysteriously went missing. It was said that ponies lived there but no evidence had been found. This could be that city if I'm looking at the picture right."

@FanOfManyShows

WATTS MECHANO

"Why didn't you say anything about being a Unicorn?" Watts asked immediately upon catching up to Zealous. She had no inkling of him being one, and had no way of knowing because he never alluded to it.

Edited January 21, 2019 by Dji
Added my response to FanOfManyShows

Blitz Boom · January 21, 2019

@Lucid_Nightlight

Anomaly shrieked as the metal got thrown towards her and jumped back, spooked out of her skin. Thankfully not literally, though with her, there were always the chance that she'd just shed a layer for the heck of it.

For a brief moment though, Novia should be able to see something else, in a look that Anomaly sent to her. One without the joy and playfulness that she always had, but a deep pool of ice and hatred, coalescent into a being to which life were nothing more than a thing to end, and existence just a snap away from being taken away. The look alone seemed like it could peel Novia like an onion, yet it lasted only for half a second roughly, before Anomaly reverted into her usual self (just with a degree of being miffed over her), and the draconequus just stood and stamped in the ground feebly. She didn't like being pranked with harmful metal. It was Way rude.

"Hey! That's not funny, meaniepants. Don't do that again, or I'll be nasty to you too. You might be lots more powerful, but I can do all sort of things to really mess with things, and this is your dimension, not mine. Not my pumpkin on the line if everything goes way out of hoof."

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

@Zephyr / Karou

Briar's smile had faltered as the tale went on, and as the climax of Sun's part of the story came forth, he felt heartbroken for the poor mare. To have to go through such a thing, merely because of jealousy... It sometimes amazed him how cruel some ponies could be when the vast majority were such kindhearted creatures, and often they did not think they had done anything wrong with their actions. The ones after Sun had likely not thought themselves at fault too, and that was frankly an abhorrent part of an already grizzly story.

Thankfully it improved marginally as Zephyr continued, yet Briar's smile did not return to full force, as it frankly seemed rude and unkind to think that everything were just okay now. Be they physical or mental, Sun sounded like she had scars from her ordeal, and especially the psychological wounds did not just heal overnight. It would take time, and thank the Earth Mother that she had her brother to help lift her above and beyond this. His help should be instrumental in her recovery the next few years, or however long it may take.

"You have my utmost sympathy Sun. Nopony should be made to suffer like you did. I pray that your physical recovery will be swift, and your mind will find ease from the hardships placed upon it in due time. Earth Mother be praised that you were found, and that you Zephyr, are there for her. Such is a gift that I imagine will be sorely needed."

"S-Sorry you g-got h-hurt..."

It were little more than a nervous whisper, but it were what Brittle could muster, as she looked up at Sun. The teenager could relate to what it felt like being driven towards dark places by the psychological torment of others, and wished that she could vocalize that better, but she didn't have the confidence, or the trust to do so. Still... She had managed to get some out, and as she felt the vine sliding out from beneath Briar's cloak, and placing the *flower bud* with the four, leathery petals carefully on her shoulder, she knew that he too were proud that she had been able to say anything, and in sympathy of somepony else.

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

@EQ_Theta

On 1/20/2019 at 3:49 AM, EQ_Theta said:

"We're not here to hurt you and we apologize if we gave you quite a scare. We just want to see Scarcity and maybe get some able-bodied ponies to help us move a statue. Can you help us out? Please?"

The clerk didn't know what to say, and just stared up at Lin with confusion and fear written all over his face. The nobles too were looking like this were becoming too much for them, when a small grunt, and the sound of metal-clad hooves were heard from the nearby hallways that led to the back room.

The grunt had been from Brick, who wandered in front, and looked at the spectacle - and Omen in particular - with narrowed, suspicious eyes. He didn't know who this were, and from the looks of things, she were going to be trouble. Yet that decision were up to Scarcity, who followed troop and waltzed towards them on her silver footwear, smiling and theatrically wandering towards the bundle of crazy she were watching.

"Lin, darling! It's wondrous to see you again my dear."

She turned towards the clerk and the customers, laughing mildly as she pointed graciously towards their new guests.

"You needn't worry about them, Mr. Diamond Hoof and Mrs. Silver Chalice. Lin is a dear friend and entertainer from far away, who utilizes special teleportation spells with a certain degree of illusory and theatrical flairs. What you see is merely to make it seem more grandeur than it truly are, and are nothing to be concerned about. It will go away soon."

Omen got the impression that she had just been told to close the gate, and it wasn't like she needed to keep it open anymore. She knew where the statue were, so the gate swirled down, and vanished like it had never been there, which helped ease the minds of the others to some degree.

"I wish we could stay and have her show you what she is truly made of, as well as her assistants, but alas, we need to discuss an event for another friend of ours. So if you will excuse us."

"Of course Mrs. Scarcity. And I offer my deepest apologies, Mrs. Lin. I had thought you a intruder, and not a guest. Please forgive me."

"Worry not, she is hardly one to carry a grudge, and she did miss her intended location. One can hardly fault you for being concerned, though for future references, do remember to call on Brick right away if such a thing happens. He will deal with the issue at hoof."

The clerk nodded, apologized again, and went over to try and salvage the good will of the two nobles who had been on the lookout for a couch. Perhaps if he focused, he could still make the sale happen.

Scarcity in the meantime, would guide her guests down the hallway, and if they tried to speak, would raise a hoof to her muzzle to indicate that they should not speak yet. once the door tot he hallway closed behind them, they would be free to express themselves.

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

@EQ_Theta

On 1/20/2019 at 3:49 AM, EQ_Theta said:

"Dragons, eh? That's... that's quite something. It makes me kind of envious how you might associate with them and all. Fierce creatures with attitude, I tell you. But if it all works out for you, who am I to judge? And these little water sprites are my friends. They're a little terrified of you but they are really nice and friendly creatures. Come on little guys, Lyriel won't drink you up."

"Spirits of nature are like brethren to me. I could never find it on my heart to hurt them, and I know that the Earth Mother would wish for me to show them the same respect I would to any dryad or ent."

This time, Lyriel stood still and let the small, curious creatures come to her. The only movement she this time made were to widen her smile a little, and to soothingly whisper a small greeting in her own language, to see if they took better to that. Elemental tongue were different to whomever spoke it, but it were more like accents than several languages, and her particular *accent* would sound like wind rustling through the trees.

On 1/20/2019 at 3:49 AM, EQ_Theta said:

"See, when I found out some of my water sprite friends were trapped behind a dam near Ponyville, I wanted to get them away from that place. Back then, I didn't know I could create the bubble you see right now to move them away to safety. I hypnotized everyone in the nearby town to break their dam so I can help my friends but I didn't realize it would destroy their town in the process. I know what I did is wrong and right now, I don't think the ponies would take kindly to seeing me again; there's still some bad blood between us even if some like Fluttershy and Twilight have forgiven me. I hid because I wasn't sure if you knew about this story and were just as angry as them. Rest assured, I learned my lesson. No way will I use my powers like that again."

"I know not of much story that happens in this town, yet I were told of the dam by some of the animals. They were quite scared too from how they tell it, and were I there in the moment, I cannot say with certainty that I would not have held some degree of resentment towards you in the moment. Yet if your words are truth, and you merely tried to protect your friends, I would have forgiven you, and met you with the same open mind that I do now.

The Earth Mother have guided me well in trying to think the best of those that I met, and though I will not lie and say that I have no caution with you, seeing how Fluttershy are and what Angel warned me of, I will do what I can to give you the benefit of the doubt, and not judge you for actions which you seem to regret. Every being deserved a second chance after all."

On 1/20/2019 at 3:49 AM, EQ_Theta said:

"Lyriel, is everything alright?"

"Worry not Fluttershy, I am simply conversing with your friend, and attempting to do the same with my brethren from the sea. Might I ask how you are? Angel and I were quite worried when you were... Lead astray."

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

@Catpone Cerberus @Moonlit

"What just happened out there, and why are they acting like that?"

Seeing how they hadn't gotten an answer before to what madness had befallen the otherwise quiet place, Cherish tried again when they were asked if they had more questions by Luna, though this time around she were able to formulate an actual sentence, rather than a befuddled *What?* more or less. Hopefully they'd get an answer to this eventually, because frankly, that were going to keep bothering at least Cherish.

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

@Catpone Cerberus

A hearty laughter were the reply that Marley gave to what he heard from the dragon in disguise.

"Things like this is why I enjoy my verbal sparring with you Ruby, Your responses are quite entertaining."

Taking the lead once more, he would guide them down some more side alleys, where eventually the sound of the city would hardly be noticed anymore. At that point he'd leave the gnarly paths he had led them down and lead them into an overgrown area, with several old house that had clearly seen better days, yet were possible to seek shelter in if needed.

"I recall this once being a prominent area, but the ones who lived here moved away, leaving the place in disarray. Some talk have been about renovating the area with new houses or renovated living areas for a while, yet not much have come for it, as there have not been the lack of room. With the new princess and her diplomatic ties strengthening however, I would not be surprised if they may finally do so, to make this more ideal for habitation of some beings from abroad. For now though, this area lies mostly abandoned, save for the rare tourist who gets curious, yet those are few as the sights in town are plenty for most.

It is a nice, calm place in my opinion. Perfect for a little snack, away from prying eyes. Wouldn't you say so dear?"

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

@FanOfManyShows

"Yeah, I know you couldn't. Who wouldn't miss this hunk of raw masculinity, eh?"

He bellowed out a laughter at this, and felt the tension in the room just melt away. Getting everything on the table from both their sides were actually pretty refreshing, and then they'd see where things went. Though even if it didn't work out, they'd still hang out. So really, all in all, not a bad conversation. That sort would likely come if Astral picked up some bloke who turned out to just break her heart, and she found out that Chow locked him into his freezer with a few fresh boar carcasses for a few hours. They'd likely have some words if it came to that, but that were a hypothetical for another day. Like Misty said, they were nearing town, and soon enough they'd be back home. Chow still had to get the ticket bits first after that, but soon as that were done, it was on bus 12 to Sleepytown with him, and hopefully the others too. Poor gals must be knackered.

"Yep, rising up in the horizon now. Gonna be good being home again for a bit."

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

@FanOfManyShows

"We don't need one kind of magic, we need some of Every kind of magic, or the spell won't work. Light, Dark, Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Soul, Harmony and Friendship. A sliver of each should be enough, and unless that book have details on how to manifest and crystallize every last one of those elements I just mentioned, it will not be enough in and by itself. Have I gotten it through to you this time?"

These two were starting to irritate her. They constantly spoke over her head about details that did not matter to the current situation, and had twice now ignored her when she said they needed multiple magic sources. Either third time were going to be the charm, or she would have to start speaking to them like they were three, and see if that would make them start to understand the words that were coming out of her non-existent muzzle.

"I'd look through if I had limbs, but since I don't, you two will have to look around. If you have questions about the spell, then ask, and don't ignore what I say. A wrong ingredient, and Sapphire may well return as some kind of golem. Devoid of emotions, and trapped in an unhallowed shell."

Perhaps this warning would suffice in making them pay more attention? Well, regardless of how much attention they paid, it weren't like she wouldn't triple check everything herself before using it, but it would still be nice if her expertise in this endeavor were listened to.

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

@FanOfManyShows

"It will be for many of us."

Morning Dew entered the small room that Iron had entered, through which he would get out and face the crowd in just a few moments. Dew were looking a little worn down, but he had been needed elsewhere for a bit before the ceremony, and had to rush back here, on top of a long day... Honestly, he were going to miss these long days at work sometimes, but it were time for new blood. If he were not at his absolute best, a successor had to be set in before he'd end up being a burden to the Royal Guard. He had not given it fifty years of his life to finish it like that. It would be a stain on his name, and could potentially cost somepony in his command their lives, and he would prefer not to have more of those on his consciousness.

"Did you find the sphinx?"

Midnight Screecher had been there since the ceremony had started to be prepared, as it were tradition to join the new general on stage and make a show of camaraderie, to make sure that the guards knew that they were still working together, and wouldn't fall back into the olden times of infighting.

"Best I can tell, he started talking to a mare in the streets, and then took off with her. Witnesses claim they were on friendly terms, but if I don't hear anything before the sun rises, I will have to send search teams out and expect the worst."

"Eh, you're thinking too much on it old timer. They'll be back before you know it, and you can go back to trying to convince the princesses that the Solar Guards have use of a giant cat with wings. Gonna be a laugh if there ever were one."

Tidal Wave grinned up towards the retiring general. After dealing with the magic business and setting up some feelers 'round town in regards to Astral and her friends returning, she had pretty much just lounged out nearby and waited for this to go on too. Her uniform were still a torn mess, but she had brushed a bit and dusted it, so it weren't like she didn't try here. Not her fault that she had to deal with an out of control shark just before she had to go, and didn't have time to change. Sure she could have postponed it a half hour, but then she wouldn't have the chance to show off her battle scars, and like most generals of the Coastal Guard, she were a showoff.

"I consider it more a case of it being better to have him on our side than against us, as well as perhaps finally being what we need to open negotiations with the sphinx nation. If we get a good dialogue up with them, via help from one of their own speaking on our behalf, we might be able to avoid more situations like the one with Somnambula. I'm sure she would be more than happy to hear us making progress in that regards.

But one thing at a time. For now, it seemed like everypony is almost ready for the ceremony. A few more minutes I recon and we're ready."

"And Benny?"

"The forge is settling, so he should be here soon. At worst, we will have to resort to a ceremonial sword. I have one ready for that."

Dew clapped the second blade that he had down his side. Polished and ready for a new owner, in case the wished for weapon couldn't be here in time.

"Are you ready for this, Iron?"

"Not like he could back out of it anyway. Ridden this trail too long kiddo. You're about to officially step into our ranks, and the only way out is right over that balcony."

"He could be court marshaled for that."

"You say that, I'm saying two shows in one. Same deal."

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

@Rising Dusk

16 hours ago, Rising Dusk said:

"But I must disincline to acquiesce to your Master's request. Regardless of their past, they are now citizens of Equestria and will be protected as such,"

Lily laughed briefly at the response. It was almost adorable to her how little these two seemed to care. Perhaps not the first that had made threats towards them? Well, they'd soon see the difference between whatever weak entities attempted to scare others in this place, and what a true wilderness witch could do, soon as her master would get here. She had seen his work, and known that the only place to be safe, would be at his side. Better to be the pet of the hunter than the prey after all, but she already knew that to be the only option. These ponies had to be taught first, and her master were more than willing to teach those who needed it a lesson.

"You say that now, but let's see once a few hundred of your citizens are consumed, and stored for my masters spells. I'm looking forward to you beggi-"

The blanket fell over her at that point, but it shouldn't be hard to tell that she were going to be more boastful and talk of how Rising were going to have to beg her for help on stopping the monstrosity from feasting on his citizens. Hopefully for Manehattan he had a plan, though the question remained: Would it be enough? It was a large city, and as the appearance of the young mare from a country at least a months travel from Equestria could attest, there was no shield around the town that could keep her out,and her master would clearly be more powerful.

Whatever his plan may be, he should likely get a move on. Sunrise would come before you knew it, and with the first rays of the sun, who could tell what would follow?

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

@Dji

16 hours ago, Dji said:

"There are a lot of dragon books here. I thought there'd be more Equine-based books but I found one about guard dog training,"

Enzo's claws scraped across the floor as that infernal book had been been mentioned, and an angry growl escaped his clenched teeth.

He had seen that book once, and knew well what it were there for, and it frankly weren't helping his mood regarding this place to be confronted about it. When he had the chance, he should remind himself to throw the book into a pyre and watch it burn. Perhaps that could bring him some small glimmer of joy.

16 hours ago, Dji said:

"Are you able to read these?"

"Some. Self taught reading can only get you so far, but what I can't on my own, I will find others to do. Let Canterlot prove that they truly wish for my alliance.

Enough of this, let's go."

As it appeared that they were done Enzo wrapped the gathered items in several strips of cloth, making a large bag that he'd then swing up on his back and start to make his way out. The sooner they could get out of here the better.

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

@Dji

"Alright then. Anything in particular you wish for me to write, my queen?"

"Just inform him of our change, and say that we wish to hold a meeting on neutral ground. We will see what happens from there."

"As you wish. Come on Aurora, let's pucker up and best the dunes. We got a perilous quest at hoof, heh."

Happy would bow before his queen prior to leading the way out, and heading towards Ponyville. Considering his size, he'd have a whole lot easier getting a move on, though in flight he'd only be about as fast as Aurora could be. Bigger wings were neat and all, but also presented more air resistance, so not really anything gained.

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

@Dji

"If any proof ever were, it have long since been expunged from both my kinds stories and memories, with only the oldest of the elder dragons still knowing a sliver of truth.

Whatever happened, I think this book holds the secret to it, and several others. Such as if these -"

Nerzhei pointed towards the creature who seemed as both dragon and pony.

"- were once allies, or perhaps mixed children? Think of the implications of that, and what their fate might have been. Could mixtures still happen, if a pony and dragon were a couple? If not, what changed?

The dragons I told of this considered it blasphemy, but these are questions that needs to be asked, and if possible, answered. Our history. Our seemingly unending conflict. And perhaps even this."

Nerzhei carefully flipped three pages forth, to a somewhat detailed picture of a mare with folded down wings, next to an orb of some kind, surrounded by nine stones. Beside that on the page were the same mare, standing in the midst of ice or rocks, with large wings and a slightly curved horn, roaring towards the skies. An alicorn process in its rawest form by the looks of things, though perhaps with a bat pony? It were impossible to say as neither depiction held enough focus on the wings or eyes, but the alicorn could be seen as having fangs, which tended to be a very rare thing for normal ponies to have, and the eyes were more slit than were common, but it were impossible to say for sure. Might just be a coincidence.

"I don't know exactly what this is, but I know that your rulers hold the same kind of wing and horn combination, so I take it that this depicts one of their leaders, and some sort of transformation process. A coronation of some sort perhaps? You might be able to make more sense of that than I have been able to."

Edited January 21, 2019 by Blitz Boom

Lucid_Nightlight · January 21, 2019

@Blitz Boom

That brief stare Anomaly had didn't really scare Novia.

"Ok, sorry. Won't happen again, grumpy face."

Lucid ignored whatever was going on with Anomaly and Novia, and decided to make a suggestion.

"Anyone wanna harass the ponies at the bakery?"

Catpone Cerberus · January 22, 2019

@Moonlit @Blitz Boom
Nada thought for a second if she had any questions for the princess besides what Cherish asked, but she came to conclusion that there was nothing more that was unclear, since only think she would need to ask is about the ways of blocking the magic, and Luna had already said that Serenade would be able to answer that. "Besides what Cherish asked, I have no further questions thy highness." she still stayed in the water.

@Blitz Boom

"Just don't enjoy it too much, wouldn't want you to actually fall for me, love stricken birds are quite an annoyance." Ruby replied with slight hint of humor in her tone, she couldn't say she didn't like to have someone to have back and forth with, it was quite refreshing to be allowed to be yourself once in a while without needing to worry about getting revealed. To her usual manner, Ruby stayed quiet as she followed Marley.

She looked around sharpening her senses, she didn't know there to be this type of place nearby, and she immediately wanted to know if there was any wildlife around, because if there were, this could be a good place to hunt if the need would arise."It is nice place indeed, there's something so beautiful about nature taking back what is its." she turned towards Marley "Shall we eat then or is there a certain place your elegance would like to go in here." she was clearly poking fun on his obsession with being clean and such.

EQ_Theta · January 22, 2019

@Blitz Boom

It is fortunate Scarcity came along and cleared things up. Well, maybe except for the bit that suggested she and Omen would have to put on a performance. That part got her frozen in place, fearing her theatrics might be put into the spotlight. There was a moment her scales felt like they were about to stand on edge. The most she could do was flare up her webbing and make herself appear larger than normal. As much as Lin could pride herself in thinking of plans on the spot, this was one of those times she'd draw a blank. Probably might reduce her mumbling.

But thankfully that didn't come to pass. Without further ado, she followed Scarcity. She gave Omen a nod of affirmation, showing a certain level of confidence in how the situation is turning out. This might go as expected after all. No fuss, just finishing the last bits of the agreement. Though some part of her dreads the possibility of the situation turning south. For now, she'd keep this to herself. No need to get anyone worried or suspicious. Even so, Sen is fine though he will eventually suspect something once enough time has elapsed. Lin remained silent at the moment. There is a time to explain their predicament once it is asked.

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

@Blitz Boom

"I remember being at the far end of the bank then heard singing. Next thing I knew, I'm here by the waterfall. It's all so strange; I feel like there's a gap in my memory and I can't seem to piece it together."

"That was my doing. Sorry about that but I sometimes get carried away with using my powers. I see your bunny friend is still angry about the last time this happened. Believe me, the feeling is mutual. Did you know he got an oversized cat to bite my tail then made me drink this potion that made my voice all raspy? I couldn't sing for a long while. Maybe I deserved it back then but I sometimes think that was excessive. Nowadays, I only ever sing to the sprites because they enjoy it and because no one else is around to fall under the spell."

Though Fluttershy intended her answer for Lyriel, the kelpie had to interject this time. Even the latter's response was meant for both the pegasus and the dryad to hear. She was a little uneasy and unnerved at how quick the two could forgive. A look of confusion happened upon her though deep down, she was grateful. Even if she won't find many friends out of the waters where she resided, at least there were a few who were willing to do that much.

"So long as you know you did wrong and are making up for it, I hold nothing against you."

"That sounded just like Twilight. You and Lyriel here are quick to forgive when plenty of others are hesitant. Bet they won't be happy to know I'm nearby."

Frankly, this whole encounter just felt surreal to the kelpie. It was refreshing yet confusing. Two conflicting emotions that just didn't seem to jive well with one another yet all the more possible now that she is feeling it. But there was more to dwelling on this; she'd think on these on her own time. In the midst of company, she had curiosity to sate. In the meantime, she took it upon herself to enlarge the bubble the sprites were swimming in, giving them more room to really show they can blend in and out. At times, the bubble would appear empty and other times, one might see streaks forming. Different colors but that was dependent on the light. They honestly don't look like much but it didn't bother the kelpie one bit.

"Lyriel, I gotta ask, how is it that you are in tune with nature? I mean, Fluttershy can talk to animals but with what you are, does that extend to plants too? And who is this Earth Mother that you mentioned earlier?"

Moonlit · January 22, 2019

@Blitz Boom @Catpone Cerberus "My Guards have a thing...for Mangoes. And they forgot themsevles" She levels a glare at them. The Thestral Female gulps, and bows, "Sorry Ma'am" She says in a thick accent, while the Male looks down, his muzzle covered in ruined mango. Serenade is doing her best not to collapse laughing.

Early Sunsets · January 22, 2019

@Blitz Boom

Sun Fire blinked, surprised to hear the timid changeling speak. "Thank you." She said softly before turning back to Briar. "Thanks. I doubt I would have been able to continue if my brother hadn't been there for me when I woke up. It's been hard, but I think I'm beginning to find my will to live again." She said, smiling slightly at her brother.

Zephyr gave Sun Fire a quick hug. "Nothing bad is going to happen to her while I'm around." He said, releasing his sister. "I hope this isn't rude of me to ask, but you're not from Equestria, are you Briar?" He asked. "I don't mean to be boorish, but I can't help my curiosity."

Rising Dusk · January 23, 2019

@Blitz Boom

Rising Dusk let out a sigh as her next string of monologue and boasting was quickly cut off as the Eversleep Blanket fell on the witch. Gone were the days he lived the most simple life of solving crimes and dispelling harmful magics. Okay, so maybe those weren't so simple, but this was easily a peak in what he'd done thus far. His mind worked the conversation and everything he'd learned over the past two days like a puzzle to see what would fit. Likely it was an artifact from yesterday that started this whole encounter. The dispelling of one of them caused them to use a scry spell to see what was going on. Images of the spell work from the scry spell along with every artifact he did in the last two days flashed in his mind. What stood out the most was that cursed teddy bear, containing the most familiar in the signature. Not her's, but perhaps from the one that taught her.

He was snapped back to the now when Scarlet fluttered above the now sleeping witch, checking her. Her legs straightened out as she exclaimed, "Sidekick!? Can you believe she called me a sidekick!? I'm a Junior Officer of the O.M.I.!" The fuming pegasus growled and stared down angrily at the other mare. Slipping from his stool he got onto his hoofs, "Calm yourself Scarlet. They win when they get to you," the detective explained and approached the sleeping witch. Using his magic to wrap Lily up in the blanket so that it wouldn't come undone so easily while moving her. "Secure Ms. Monkshade, Scarlet. Her part in this play isn't concluded," he instructed. "What do you mean, Sir?" the rookie asked, a puzzled look crossing her features. There were many ways this Master could have delivered his threatening message to Rising Dusk. A letter and even magical means were likely at his disposal. To send her directly here meant there was more she was to do. "You don't send a pony like her as a messenger without a second motive. She is likely a distraction," came his reply. Scarlet mulled over this idea for a moment. "And the cursed item she released before coming here?," she asked. "Likely also a distraction," he surmised. Extinguishing his magic he started his way to the stairs of the basement while Scarlet flew down and picked up the blanket wrapped Lily. Remove the tie of her sailor's collar to tie the blanket shut for extra security. Beating her wings hard to get the sleeping witch off the ground and follow the detective.

"Once you've secured her in a cell. I want you to go to the East side of town. There is a workshop owned by a Molotov Boom. Tell him I sent you for the prototype cage. He'll know what you mean. Put her in the new cage upon your return," came the detective's next set of instructions. That should help remove the witch as a player or at least dampen the affects. Making his way upstairs and into the office area, he made a straight shot to another O.M.I. agent's desk. There sat a yellow coated and teal maned unicorn mare wearing an orange jacket as she scribbled away with a quill on a piece of parchment. Feeling a new presence, she turned to see the approaching stallion and greeted him with a smile. "Hey Dusk! How's it going?" she greeted. "Tussle, we have a Code 1. I need you to see letters to the Princesses, royal guards, local PD and The Captain. Possible 64," he informed her professionally. At first, she looked at him like he was crazy, but seeing as this wasn't the kind of jokes Rising told, her disbelieve quickly faded and turned serious. Wasting no time she went right to work addressing letters to the places he told her.

Scarlet returned from her task in putting Lily in their cells, "You do have a plan, right, Sir?" she asked while preparing to leave for the East Side of the city. "Yes," he replied simply as he walked past Tussle's desk. "Is it a good plan?" she added while following him. Approaching his desk he reached into his bottom desk draw and removed a bundle of leather wrappings. Stuffing them into his hoodie pouch. Moving to the left side of his desk he picked up five gold disks the size of a bit and put them in his pouch. On second thought, he grabbed a sixth. "No," again came his simple reply. A panicked expression crossed her face as she looked over at Tussle who had paused in her writing to listen. She shared the same expression. Rising Dusk didn't need to see them to know what they were thinking. "The Captain will have a plan," he added. This remark at least got Tussle back to writing her letters. "Anything else we can do?" she pressed, pleading for more information. "Molotov Boom," was all that she got out of him in the regard. With that, he walked through the swinging doors and into the lobby.

"Bash, I need a seed," he addressed the desk guarding stallion. The predictable Earth Pony had taken his usual station of reading the newspaper. This time though, he actually lowered the paper down completely to look at the detective. "That seed?" his gruff tone asked. "That seed," Rising Dusk nodded. "You know that seed takes many moons to harvest," he snorted. "That seed," the detective stood firm. Bash grunted his disapproval, but reached into the pouch around his waste and removed a large brown nut and hoofed it over to the detective. The midnight blue stallion nodded his thank you and put the seed in his pouch, "There is likely a cursed object set loose on the city. Gather any pony you can and hunt it down until The Captain returns." Bash nodded slowly and came out from behind the desk, going off to get any remaining O.M.I. agents.

Rising Dusk returned to the office area and went into the back corner where a map of world laid out. Removing the nut he'd just collected from Bash, he smashed it between his hoofs. Holding it over the map, purple sap oozed out of the broken nut and dripped onto the parchment. The sap would move around the map and highlight the highest concentrations of dark magic. Best of all, for a unicorn that can see more in the world of magic than anypony he knew, he could scan these highlighted areas for a particular signature.

A signature that Rising Dusk learned from a friendly bear.

Blitz Boom · January 23, 2019

@Rising Dusk

The sap would find high signatures of the dark magic that Rising were thinking of several places around Manehattan. Twelve distinct locations to be exact. No wait, 15. 18. 26-

The numbers kept rising up with the twelve original spots remaining stationary, whilst the rest moved and seemed to spread some kind of magical infection. At this rate, they'd end up with an epidemic, and considering what the bear had done, who could tell what the ones infected might end up doing?

(the infection is dormant right now in the targets, and won't do much else than spread before it's activated. They won't even know they're spreading or containing it)

Seems like they were right. Whoever Lily's master were, he wouldn't wait to make a move. However, from what Lily had said, there was a singular entity which should be a highly concentrated evil, and though the concentrations in the twelve stationary targets were noticeable, they weren't overtly strong. Either the cursed creation were not of the same signature, it were cloaked, or it weren't here yet. None of those options were very comforting though.

If the map were one that covered more than just this town, he there would be a weak signature left to work with about a mile outside of Manehattan. Potentially the entry point for Lily.

Meanwhile, at Molotov's workshop, he'd hear the alarm system go off for a brief moment before it got shut down again. Looking over at the control panel, he'd be able to find Felicia had input the right code to do so, even though he had changed it just this morning. Clever girl, though she didn't care so much for that as simply telling him that there were a female out there, approaching the door, and that she had shut off the alarms because she found it a miracle that a mare would be the one to seek Him out, and wanted to see what would happen, just in more clinical terms. She'd gone awfully cheeky the last few days honestly, and he weren't sure if he cared for it. Though on the other hoof, a mare looking for him... Well, he'd be rude if he just left her out at the door now, wouldn't he? Couldn't have that.

Washing the worst grime off his hooves after working on the cage for the last hour or so, he went over to the door, where the mare had likely knocked a few times by now, with little more response than some very muted sounds behind the door. Finally Molotov would open it, cast a glance on the lass who had swung by through his constantly adjusting work glass, and ended up with a big ol' smile on his face, and a short whistle to follow.

"Well ain't you a sight for sore eyes. What can I do for you, sugar?"

She could hit him if she wanted to. He got that a lot, and quite frankly it were well deserved.

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

@Zephyr / Karou

"You needn't worry about seeming rude. I would rather answer questions of my origins, than have others wonder and get suspicious. Openness tends to work far better in the long run after all.

As for your question, you are correct. I come from a jungle far to the south, beyond Equestria's border, where no pony should thread for varied reasons, mostly between treacherous wildlife, fauna, and my kind being less than accepting of outsiders.

And before I continue, perhaps I shopuld say what I am actually. My kind are known as Evergrown. To baseline it somewhat, think of us as sentient mixtures of fauna and nature spirits, who live within most countries of this world. You are unlikely to have seen us though, because of our unfortunate history with equines, but this is a story which perhaps I can answer afterwards.

To get back on track with the current discussion though, we have several sub-types, depending on the area we grow from, and the nature of the great trees that spawns us. I myself are a mutation among the jungle variety, called a Snaproot. I hold some characteristics like the vinemasters - that being the vines that grow from my back - but also the telltale traits of the mutation. That being sharp teeth, no eyes, and a need for meat. You needn't worry though, I would never eat a pony. My diet are covered well by bugs, fish, and in times of desperation, birds.

Snaproots such as myself are taken away from others of the younglings, and thrown in a pit where food occasionally is thrown down, and we then have to fight to get both some of that, as well as precious light, which even if we can't see, are essential for our growth.

At times one of us if pulled out of there from one of our regular brethren, and put to work as a... Well, I usually wish to put a nicer spin on things, but in favor of accuracy here, I shall call us what we are: Slaves. Given no name, spoken down to, and used as mere tools for menial work they care not to make themselves. Yet we're so happy being out and into the light, that our already broken minds happily sees it as a great thing. And so the system goes on and on, for several generations after the grand matron forbade us to be simply burned to our core on sight.

To avoid more grizzly story, let me conclude this part by saying that I gained some degree of self worth eventually under one master who were not kind, but did at times hand me a good comment when I worked hard enough, and even applied to me a name. When he returned tot he earth and I were taken over by a new one who had no kindness in her heart, I struck her with my vine, so she were sent spiraling towards the ground. I regret many things in my life, yet this actions, which got me marked a traitor by these rings and banished, I do not.

An elderly pony found me as I stumbled out of the jungle, and after hearing my tale, decided to help me prepare for the outside world. It is for example from him that I have my way of speaking, as he believed it important to speak with some degree of formality and grace when approaching others.

After he passed, I buried him as per his wishes, and then wandered out to explore the world, where I have now wandered for over a decade. The last year or so being here in Equestria, which I must say, is a fascinating country, though your larger cities can be terribly loud sometimes. It holds not a candle to Neighpon, but such can be said of several things, be they good or bad.

Heh, but I believe I'm rambling again. I do apologize for that, yet it is a certain weakness of mine, I must admit. Please, do ask other things if you so wish to know more, such as details of our combined history, or of my kind in particular. I would be honored to share with those who wishes to listen.

If I may ask a small thing of you though? Are more in your family as musically inclined as you? I know ponies hold many varied talents, yet a brother and sister who both possess a wondrous gift so close to one another? Makes me wonder if there is a certain family trait that comes into play in your situation. Of course, if you wish not to answer it, feel free not to, and accept my apologies for digging into something which I should not have."

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

@EQ_Theta

Scarcity slowed down when they were out of hearing range of anypony, and turned towards her sudden guests.

"You must have been somewhat confused by that before, but I needed to cover for your untimely and disastrous entrance. I have a business to run here after all, and it does not bode well for me if seemingly extra-dimensional beings just pops in for no reason. it begins questions which are better not asked.

Worry not though, I will not require you to make a show of any kind. The only scene I care to cause, is the one where I reveal the collection I have gathered at the museum. I only need the center piece now, and considering you're here, I take it that you have found it, though your transport methods seems to have changed somewhat. Considering the peculiarity of your companion, am I to take it that she is the one to have handled your current transport?"

"You use many big words."

Scarcity laughed a little as she heard the confused voice of Omen whispering through her mind. What a peculiar pair this were, yet to have two who could make portals? How delightfully resourceful. She would have to remember them.

"So I do. I simply asked if perhaps you made the gate this time."

"Yes,"

"Delightful. This would also explain why your location were off, as I trust that Lin knew what room to enter, which of course, I am leading you to now, so that we may complete this on more secure terms. If I may ask though, I heard several voices who seemed to plead me for attention before. Would you know where they came from?"

"Unformed siblings, seeking masters to serve."

"And they thought me a candidate worth serving? I'm flattered."

"Those with magic can make us whole, then we serve and learn from them. Mother says that's how it should be."

Scarcity got a small smirk over her face as she heard this, but didn't comment further on this for now. Truly fascinating stuff though, that much were certain.

"Regardless of that, Lin, mind you being a dear and tell me of your progress, what have happened with your other companions, and who this may be? I feel as if there are things I have missed the last few days that may be of some importance. Oh, and do try to keep your refraction close. I prefer not to have my sapphires half-eaten by their voracious appetites."

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

@EQ_Theta

"The Earth Mother is the goddess upon whose ground we thread. Deep within the earth she resides, blessing the world with the nature we all rely on.

My valley at least were not raised by her will, yet we still cherished her name, and fulfilled her bidding of bringing balance and life to the world around us. Though my brethren have forgotten her words and can no longer hear her pleading for them to see the light, I yet remain loyal, and her voice fills me with calm which I could not bear to lose.

The dragons called her Gaea, and I know that she does not look upon this name unfavorably, yet as a daughter of nature, I feel as if I should call her what I do.

You needn't worry though. All she wishes for, is to nourish the world, and speak with those who worships her name. Though not all treats her gifts with the respect one could hope, I feel that she is still more happy than saddened, as most only take what they need, and otherwise respect her creations. Such as Fluttershy does, which can be seen in how well she both treats her animal friends and the nature they reside in. I know in my heart that if Fluttershy could hear her voice, she would find gratitude, yet it is not something that can ever reach her ears. The Earth Mother speaks through the trees and in the wind blowing through the leaves, in whispering tongues known only to the children of the forest."

Truth be told, the Earth Mother were more akin to a primal force that were imprisoned in the planet, but Lyriel didn't know that, and long as Gaea had worshipers to praise her name and speak with her, she were content with her part in the grand picture, and remained dormant. Nothing good would come if she ever ended forgotten and bitter.

"As for the plants, they do not talk, no. But they feel, and I can connect with them and take part in their primitive senses. Infections in their roots or bad ground causes them discomfort, while good treatment makes for a soothing sensation. If they are damaged, I can usually also repair them, though currently, my magic runs low, and as such I can't say for certain if it will work right now.

Regardless, if you feared that plants were highly sentient and eating them were causing pain, you need not worry of that. They do not feel as you or I do, and when eaten, they simply become part of the great cycle. From what I have seen of your kind, it is more akin to having your hair cut. As in something is missing, but it causes no pain. I hope that makes sense.

How about you? Do you, or these little sisters of the water, have a deity they pray to? Are either of you in tune with what lies beneath the tides?"

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

@Catpone Cerberus @Moonlit

"So they get mangoes and they shriek? I uhm... Don't want to be rude, but that sounds a little strange."

Cherish looked at the seemingly embarrassed guards, after Princess Luna had given them a glare that seemed to indicate that she didn't approve of that behavior. She felt kinda bad for them, even though they had shocked the hide off Nada and her before.

""D-Don't be too hard on them though. I'm sure they just got uhm... Excited, or something."

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

@Catpone Cerberus

"You needn't worry yourself about such a thing happening Ruby. I cherish your company, but my heart only beats for the ladies of feather and claw, like myself. I do wish to be able to raise a family in the long run after all. Why else would I focus so much on keeping my devilish good looks up? Have to draw the eyes of the ladies, though my luck have been... Less than stellar. I do not say this to many, but I have had four griffon ladies whom I have pursued by taking the first steps and enticed them, and each of them turned out to be changelings. Even in Ponyville, this curse did not elude me."

Marley let out a little sigh, then a chuckle before heading to one of the houses that seemed to have some space within. Were it dusty? Undoubtedly, but that were not an issue. Covered in cobwebs on the other hand were, so he would not be too pleased if that turned out to be the case. Disgusting stuff stuck too well to his feathers.

"Better not risk a traveler falling upon you, your excellency. Shall your humble servant wander first and make sure nothing is there to hurt you?"

He'd have a smirk on his face as he wandered forth to the house. Such a delight it were to have these little backs and forth.

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

@Lucid_Nightlight

"Hey, I think pain can be all sorts of funny, but silver and pure iron takes my powers and bashes me with them, then leaves me all kinds of weak. It's no fun, and hurts in a bad way.You wouldn't like going through that either, and be all... Feeble and pony-like, yuck."

Anomaly didn't mind ponies, but she didn't want to be one. They were way too weak, static, and had a lifespan that seemed like they just passed by in the blink of an eye. They were kinda cute, like pets, but again, she much better liked being what she were. Novia surely did too, right? Lucid did for sure, but he were weird too, so it wasn't like he didn't fit right into their ranks anyway, hehe.

And speaking of him, he had just given them an offer that she couldn't refuse: A bakery.

"Cake and chaos? I'm game!"

Lucid_Nightlight · January 23, 2019

@Blitz Boom

"Just make yourself not allergic to iron and silver. She can do that right?"

"I don't think she can do that."

"That's stupid."

Lucid opened the hatch of the tank.

"Everyone in! We're going to the bakery to harrass everyone!"

Edited January 23, 2019 by Lucid_Nightlight

EQ_Theta · January 24, 2019

@Blitz Boom

"We have the statue but there were some complications along the way. I can open a gate to it and I was wondering if I could ask for some help moving it here. I would've done it myself but the encounter at the temple left me drained and Rosa recovering elsewhere. Sen likely won't be joining us for the meantime as he decided to remain with Rosa for now. So, I've brought along Omen to help me out. I suppose we'll need someone stronger to help us move the statue here. Could we ask Brick for help?"

A matter-of-fact and concise breakdown of events as much as they would go, but Lin neglected to mention where Sen and Rosa are. It was simply out of respect for the kitsune who, given their already shaky relationship with the ponies living closer to them, would rather not have any more complicated visits from others further away. But onto the current matter, Lin opened a static gate to the desolate mountain and showed the statue safe and sound though it didn't remain open for long. It was about a good minute or two before the gate sputtered and collapsed, closing before anyone decided to step through.

"The statue itself is fine, maybe wet but there weren't too many issues with moving it out of the temple. Omen, can you open a gate back to the statue? Let's finish this delivery."

But before doing anything else, the longma picked up the refraction and talked to it in a hushed and calming tone. "Shrimp, we're in a place with a lot of jewels and gemstones. They're not for you to eat though so be on your best behavior. Please?"

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

@Blitz Boom

"That sounds fascinating! If only I had some deeper connection to the sea life... Maybe that's the way it has to be and honestly, you might find the seaponies a lot more interesting than me. I'm very much an aquatic being but them? They can transform into their hippogriff forms and take to the skies! Or probably stay underwater and keep their fish-like characteristics. It doesn't matter to them; they enjoy both and they've seem to have reclaimed their surface home. If you have a chance, ask about Mount Aris and the Harmonizing Heights. I hear that's a wide expanse of trees that, when the wind blows by, make music."

Fluttershy heard of the heights, though never had a chance to experience it for herself. Most of that information came from Twilight and the crusaders, who were fortunate enough to be sent there by the map. It would've been a nice place to spend a vacation. Besides, the tourism industry is booming at Mount Aris after it was reclaimed after the Storm King's defeat. The seaponies wasted no time brining it back up to shape and soon, even Queen Novo thought about establishing a viable industry that could utilize the very surroundings as prime retreats. It certainly helps bridging relations between ponies and hippogriffs after a prolonged period of absence.

"Back to your question, I don't think we have uh... deities? Not familiar with the concept behind it. I look after the sprites and their well-being but for as long as I can remember, it's just us and whoever we come across in the sea. Kelpies usually stay together for some time before leaving on their own to find their purpose and learn about their own abilities. I found these water sprites abandoned once and decided to take them in until they can continue on their own."

"It sounds like the way animal rescues and shelters work here. Nurse and look after the injured and lost until they are free to return to the wild."

"Exactly! Except these sprites seem to have grown rather attached to me. Not exactly how I thought things would go but I look after them now. Which is why I'm here."

Early Sunsets · January 24, 2019

@Blitz Boom

Zephyr blinked a few times, absorbing the small mountain of information that was presented. Learning about a new race in the span of just a few minutes was a lot to take in. He scratched his head for a second. While it didn't sound like Briar had an easy past, he at least seemed to be happy with the life he had created for himself.

Sun Fire cast Zephyr a quick glance, and he nodded. Satou's story was closely linked to their childhood, so they might as well tell the whole story.

"Karou and I grew up near Seaward Shoals with our brother Borea, our mother, and her close friend named Satou. Our father died in an accident when we were young, so Satou moved in to help raise the three of us. She was the one who taught us almost everything we know about music. While our mother does enjoy singing, it's not her passion, and she's told us our father had the singing ability of a dying duck." Sun Fire said with a small laugh. "I guess Borea inherited our father's singing abilities, which is why he never enjoyed Satou's lessons."

"It's because of her we became so involved with music. She made it so much fun, and she was like a mother to us." Zephyr said fondly. "She's the one who gave me and Nuri our nicknames."

"Our real mother had to work constantly to support the three of us by herself, so she was rarely home while we were awake. Even working that much, she didn't earn enough to support Satou. Satou had to find a job as a night guard at a museum. She rarely slept, and she only ate enough to survive. This lead to her passing away from exhaustion after a number of years. Our mother became abusive, which caused Borea to run away from home. We were able to reform our mother, but she was almost out of money at that point. So, we said goodbye and left home to ease her financial burden."

"We were able to visit home and pay our respects to the graves of Satou and our father before moving here. It was a calming experience after what Nuri went through." Zephyr said.

"I am curious about how the Evergrown and Ponies are connected. What happened in our history?" Sun Fire asked, tilting her head a little.

Catpone Cerberus · January 24, 2019

@Blitz Boom@Moonlit
Nada just tilted her head, she could understand liking something a lot, but she still didn't understand why they had let out such a sound, if this was something that happened frequently among ponies, it would take some time before she would get used to it. She agreed with Cherish's comment about it being weird, but disagreed with her later comment, in her opinion scaring others like that would need some strong words.

@Blitz Boom

Ruby just let out an amused exhale as a reply to Marley's longer comment, she found it to be bit weird that changeling would choose a the form of a griffon instead of a pony, but other than that she didn't have anything to comment.
She exhaled again when Marley made his second comment, "Finally someone talks to me like one should." she smirked as she followed him "It's awfully dusty here, are you sure you dare to be here, wouldn't want to get dust particles on your exquisite feathers."

(Having a bit of a writers block so sorry about that)

Rising Dusk · January 25, 2019

@Blitz Boom

Rising Dusk wiped the remaining sap and crushed seed shell on his beige hoodie, it needed a wash anyways at this point. And he had a pretty good feeling it wasn't going to be in the most clean of states by the end of this. With the last of the dark magic in the city traced out, all the detective needed was a blink to memorize what needed to know. They sure were going through great lengths for this attack on Equestria with what seemed at first glance to be a rather minor transgression. A couple of dispelled curses hardly would be something to call all out war against the nation in such a short amount of time. Hardly much of a message either and if it were one, they would have brought it up much earlier than waiting for a unicorn to dispel one of their items. He knew they wanted the sisters, but to be honest, they aren't that hard to find. Enough rumor traveled quickly and they's already proven they have the skill necessary to scry.

Everything kept coming back to that bear. Something about the bear was special. Something about it and its dispel scared them enough to jump to such extreme measures. Of course they'd never admit it, anger is always padded by fear, usually when something is being taken from them. At this point he didn't have enough data to go on. If he ends up meeting this Master, he'll just have to ask. One step at a time though.

Moving back through the office he found Tussle had gone off to deliver some letters. Many of the remaining agents had been rounded up by Bash and had already taken to the streets. A few remaining behind to guard the office and be available should a citizen be in need of assistance until The Captain returned. Making his way over to Scarlet's desk to collect one more item. An old pocket watch that hung off a small hook on the back of her desk. A useful artifact for our resident courier. Clicking open the face, he wasn't interested in the time though. Reaching up, he twisted the watch winding to the right and left as if to the combination to a safe. Satisfied with the input, he pressed the top. Time to do what he does best. The hands on the watch spun wildly while sparks flew out for a moment. Holding his breath, a flash of light the detective would find himself at the first of the twelve origin points.

Across town at Workshop 05, Scarlet would find herself face to face with... Well what she wasn't expecting. A whistled cat call? Ponies still used those in this age? Her expression held a strange point between disgust and confusion. Was she in the right place? This didn't seem like the type of pony her mentor would want her to meet. Fluttering a bit off the ground, still quite in a hurry, "Uh... I'm Officer Scarlet Sprite with the O.M.I." she introduced herself, producing a badge like the detective's. "Detective Rising Dusk sent me for a Prototype Cage you two were working on. We have a bit of an emergency," she explained, her mood shifting to one of urgency rather than the mare that was just getting cat called.

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