open Casual stroll

[Moonlit 593]

@Seamore Sandwich,@Blitz Boom,

"Thank you...your highness. If Rainbow Dash say's yes, I'll meet her at the Town Square?" Serenade turns to Ziggy, "I don't know about you, but I'm pooped. Do you mind walking me back to my home?" She flexes her wings, as if still getting used to them, "I've had enough adventure for one night, and could use a friend". She offers Ziggy a genuine smile.  

[Damonater 70]

@@Blitz Boom,

 

"Its a party! See the confetti?" Barrel celebrated as toasted to Happy Hour and the next round began. Round 2...

 

 

 

The undead shrieked and moaned as they rose from the ground and came out from the abandoned building windows. Two of them started to jog as the rest of them slowly walked towards Happy and Barrel. 

 

Barrel turned towards Happy Hour, "We should check out the place, see what is around. It might lead me back to Ponyville. Or wherever you need to be that is."

 

Barrel then suddenly trotted up towards Happy Hour and grabbed him, pointing his hand gun at him. "And I swear... If you try anything funny or if you are even working for them..." Before Barrel said anymore, he shot the two jogging zombies behind him without even looking at them. Confetti sprayed from their heads and dropped down to the floor. The rest incoming at a walking pace. "You will end up like these ponies. Understand?" Barrel gave Happy Hour an angry look and waited for him to reply.

[Blitz Boom 4,422]

@@Damonater,

 

Happy didn't even twitch when the pony took a hold of him and planted the gun to his head. Back at the hive, he had been faced with threats like this near constantly for years on end while his training went on, which in turn had made him a little jaded towards foolish actions such as this. Besides, a worded threat was nothing, if the roles were reversed he would have shot him in the leg to give a taste of what would be to come, if he dared cross him. That were a more effective one, whilst this... He was almost yawning inside over how little he cared for it.

 

"Told you mate, I'm my own pony, and I have no idea who's even after you, so try and chill out a bit, eh?. I ain't your enemy, though I won't promise I won't try anything funny. Gets dreadfully boring on the road without a few laughs here and there y'know?"

 

He punched a shambler who had gotten near enough to him hard in the neck, and a small crack was heard as it got forced back and fell. Perhaps Barrel did well in being a little concerned about him considering how nonchalance he seemed to do this, and how effectively, but they'd see.

 

"Anyway, if you're that driven to have a looksie around, we should try 'n make it a bit quick at least. A bit of a brawl is all fine if it have to happen, but I didn't travel towards Equestria to play with husks all day. Horrible customers those sort of things."

 

Happy grinned a bit at Barrel again whilst following him, thinking about how this pony were so far going towards *Too dangerous to take anywhere near the hive* yet also the sort of pony that he should probably learn something about instead of ditching him. After all, if this were the sort of resistance they'd meet here in Equestria, then he'd be honest and think that Chrysalis could keep the lot of them. Bit too much of a bother to be worth it so far.

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

 

@@Moonlit,

@@Seamore Sandwich,

 

"Wait, you're the Actual... Ohmygosh I'm so sorry Princess Luna!"

 

Ziggy let out a meep and made an awkward bow whilst the thought ran through her head about how much she just stepped in things. Like Seriously much. She tried to think of something worse she had done to sort of make it less bad, but she had just essentially called the princess of the night a copy instead of the real deal. Frankly it would be hard to beat that one, and right now she wasn't able to focus enough to find anything in her memory that stuck out as bad enough. Not even remotely.

 

"I just didn't think that... Nonono, not an excuse. Oh, perhaps I can help to make up for it? I can help Serenade learn to fly perhaps?"

 

She turned her head quickly and grinned at the Siren in disguise after that, bending her head so she could look her directly in the eyes instead of down on her mane..

 

"I'm not as fast as Rainbow Dash, but I learned a lot about flying in my years in the hospital that I can teach you if you want? And I'm a doctor, so I can make sure you're not hurting yourself during this. And it's okay with the mind control thing, it happens right? Ooooh, did you make me do anything weird? Did I cluck like a chicken?"

 

Whilst Ziggy was speaking to Serenade about this - and sounding oddly excited about the possibility that Serenade had made her act strange under her spell - and slowly wandering with her if they began to move before she got an answer, Omen went the les talkative road and just opened a gate for herself and the princess, then closed it when they were both through.

 

Inside her home realm, the ground moved up and led their way just like it had done the last time she were here, and it would not take long before they would stand still and the end of a gate would open, revealing the room she had found the princess in to begin with on the other side. During the whole time the princess were in the room, eyes would follow her from every angle and considering how Omen's head went around, it seemed as if they were talking to her about something. Something regarding their guest.

 

"...If you need one of us one day, it sounds like you have many siblings to chose from."

 

Omen turned her gaze to the princess, wanting to say something before she went through the gate and back to where it had all begun.

 

"Serenade said to not tell about her to others. Is that an order?"

 

Omen wouldn't tell if she were told that it were an order from the currently highest authority she could find. Yet before that, it were simply information that she would share if asked, just like anything else unless specified otherwise or said from a being she would defy her nature for. A friend essentially, though she couldn't yet point to anypony that were that.

[EQ_Theta 414]

@@Blitz Boom,

It was definitely a long shot to call but Senlin might be familiar with how Zecora could keep herself hidden. The kind of magic the elders of his clan used to keep their forest home hidden from outsiders might be similar, if not the same. The details are sketchy and the specifics are foreign to him but he might know a way around. 

"I think I might know how to find her. This tail picked up whatever magic she uses to keep herself hidden and Twilight's might have resonated with hers. The only thing I'm still unsure of is if this is really the lead we need to follow. Do we really want to risk going there?"

[Melke 160]

@@Blitz Boom,

@@Seamore Sandwich,

 

Syo listened to the tale of the two sisters with interest. She had a similar expression like a small child listening to a bedtime story. As everyone entered the portal and into the realm of dreams, Syo felt the shift of dimensions and the distortion ripple. The images did help her to understand the tale better. Then, when the wings and horn appeared, Syo was shocked but then gave a small laugh. "So do I have to call you Prince Seamore Sandwich now? That's a really interesting tale, it is quite similar to the many stories that my kind have."

 

Then Syo heard the story of the other part of the world from Briar, her ears perked up as she heard the origin of the Evergrown. Once the tale was finished, Syo clapped her small paws. "I understand what you mean about how much of these stories are true but stories are stories for a reason. It is a way to teach us lessons, not really a way to retell the past as memories are easily influenced and changed. It is the same as my world."

 

"Since you both were so kind to tell me these stories, I should probably share some from my world." Syo said as she cleared her throat. "There is one tale that has been told to me when I was little. It was a time when my kind and the other primal creatures in my world were at war to be the dominate the world we live. And among the many that fought the other primals, there was a group that called themselves the monster hunters. It was four of them: Jonna, Belzi, Marlee and Arcania. They led and inspired many to continued to fight for the sake of the rest of us. But there is always a price, they soon fell apart when they lost two of their members to the dragons. But their legacy was enough to inspire the rest to finish the fight. However, soon another war started, this time over half-breeds. The two remaining members of the monster hunter group, Marlee and Arcania, had a dispute over their two lost members. Arcania believe that Marlee was responsible as she was a dragon half-breed and so vowed to get revenge. Marlee disappeared and Arcania kept his word and started the war. It was a long war until Arcania got old and Marlee paid him a visit but not to kill him for his actions but to say something that she did not have the courage to say back when they both confronted each other. Then the war ended with the establishment of a new order for peace."

 

Syo took a deep breath afterward. "They really omitted too much detail for me when they told this story. It had been twisted in many ways due to the 2nd war. There are more stories but they are more orientated around the key individuals."

[Moonlit 593]

@@Blitz Boom, Serenade just nods her head, "How about this. If Miss Dash cannot teach me, will you? And if she can, I do require a doctor anyways. " Serenade brings a hoof up and covers her smile, "No, you did not cluck like a chicken. Siren hypnosis does not work like that." She looks around, "Do you mind if we get going, this castle always gives me the creeps." 

[Lonk Chase 255]

@@Seamore Sandwich,

@@AmberDust,

 

Lonk saw the... Thing attack the pegasus and felt like he would either faint or go into a seizure.

Another possibly-dangerous thing just appeared out of nowhere, threw the pegasus to the ground seeming to have some sort of connection with the pegasus, then ran off like it was bored with her or something. And now she's lying there on the ground probably as clueless as he is.

 

His only response was, "What the heck was that thing?"

[Melke 160]

@@~Sole~, 

 

The purple ball hit one of the many frames forming its head and it changed into cotton candy. The fluffy pink wool dropped to the ground and the head reformed after a while.

 

Dyr observed for a bit and then she walked to Sole. "Hey, take my scythe and channel some chaos into it and give that big bird a big slice."

 

After passing the scythe, Dyr did a sideway somersault onto Sole's back. She then started to chant something while 3 green balls appeared around her. The first green ball went into Sole's body and giving him a burst of energy, increasing his strength. The second gave him the feeling of lightness, allowing him to increase his speed. The last one hovered around.

 

The big bird did not stop to let us form the plan without interruption. It started to flap its wings again and unleashing the diamond storm like it did on Dyr the first time.

[AmberDust 1,116]

A bird flew out of one of the trees, and just as it would catch the attention of Lonk and Storm, the half tiger half cobra jumped out of the tree she was in, catching the bird in her mouth then landing on Storm, knocking her onto her back and pinning her to the ground. The bird was hanging out of her mouth as she looked Storm in the eye, nearly dead but still twitching. She then chomped on it a couple times and swallowed the bird whole, running off into the clearing, turning around and stopping to see if her new playmates followed. A smile could be seen on her face, she was clearly enjoying herself.

 

Storm screamed as the beast attacked her, than cringed and struggled to hold her breakfast as she watched the innocent bird being crunched to pieces. 

 

 

 

"What the heck was that thing?"

 

 

Storm's mind was blank, but the words came our of her mouth automatically. 

"A chimera," she said breathlessly. She had never seen such a creature before, but she remembered hearing about them in Amber's stories once upon a time. A horrendous patchwork of other animals...She shook as she got to her feet, eyes locked on the beckoning creature. She considered saying "run away," "Stay back," or even "save yourself," but all these thoughts were overruled by another:

"What does it want?" she whispered.

Edited January 24, 2016 by AmberDust

[Lonk Chase 255]

@@AmberDust,

"I feel like we're on top of a 500 kilometer iceburg," Lonk replied. "I think it knows you. Somehow."

He still couldn't shake the feeling off that something deeper is yet to emerge.

"chimera"... He never heard of them. But they sure seem a little too playful to be a predator...

Nonetheless, he has a predicament on his hands.

[Officer Strike 152]

Strike was happy that the elder officer could help her and nodded.

 

"Well then we should go there right now. I do think though, that the owner may be a bit alarmed." Strike answered.

 

Strike would be, if there were royal guard knocking on her door.

 

But she had to remind herself she was one.

 

Both and her and Stargazer had went right up to the front door of the Boutique that had been robbed.

 

Strike continued to explain further details to Stargazer and what her suspicions were.

 

"I think it must have been that customer that came in just yesterday. He was kind of shady looking and unknown around Pony Villle. Of course we'll need evidence in order to prove it was that pony." Strike said.

 

Strike smoothed down her mane. It was unusual for the day to be this hot and Strike wondered if there were any problems with Princess Celestia, that of course was not her problem as the other Solar Guards would deal with it.

 

The Boutique was closed but Strike had made her way to the entrance. She peered through the windows to see if any pony was there when suddenly there was a crash from the Boutique and it made Strike wince.

 

"What the....hay..?" Strike thought.

 

Then she blurted something out and covered her mouth, Stargazer turned his head away as if to ignore what she said.

 

"You get to excited don't you, my stupid self." thought Strike.

 

Strike narrowed her eyes, she would need to be getting some specs soon.

 

Suddenly there was another crash and then a frantic looking unicorn's eyes widened.

 

"Oh my goodness. I can't believe it!" the unicorn cried.

 

Strike knew her at once. She was the spirit for the Element of Generosity as she had seen Miss Rarity in some special events that she had been assigned to guard.

 

"...Maam please calm down. We are not here too........" 

 

"Do you know what has happened! My life! MY LIFE!" She said and then she swooned onto the floor.

 

Minutes later the two guards hauled the unicorn up and steadied her down onto a seat in the Boutique.

 

"We have heard. A robbery, Which is why we are reporting here." and Strike gave her explanation.

 

The unicorn nodded breathlessly.

 

Strike grinned, in her most officer like voice she spoke.

 

"Right then maa'm. Settle down. It's time we ask some questions.".

[Seamore Sandwich 470]

@

@

 

The young Serpanthera began to speak, apparently to their surprise. "Thing? It? That's not vewy nissse." She started to cry. "I just wanted to play you big meaniesssss." She ran off and jumped into a tree, her tail hanging down where the others could see it. She was still crying. At least the Kitsune referred to her as 'she' or 'her,' a few would even call her by her name. This place was definitely not like her home.

 

 

@@Blitz Boom

@@Moonlit

 

Before leaving, Luna said to Ziggy, "Fret not, I was not offended. For some it is still hard to believe that I have returned. I must go now, fare thee well." Luna then went through the portal with Omen. "If it must be an order to keep you from speaking of this, then consider it so. Nopony must know, it would only incite panic and violence toward her. Sometimes the truth can be dangerous."

 

 

@@Blitz Boom

@@Melke

 

By this time, the four of them had reached the other portal. "That's too bad. It's really a shame when history is lost to time. Anyway, I should check ahead to see if the coast is clear. There could be any number of dangerous creatures on the other side."

 

 

@@Denim&Venom

 

"Zoning out, are we? I don't think it has anything to do with the overload, but I can't be sure. I'll do what I can for you after we finish here, then I'll check on Petey." While saying this, Miles continued to slowly pull out the stick. Inside Priestess, it looked like everything was healing nicely. The stick was about two thirds of the way out.

[Lonk Chase 255]

@@Seamore Sandwich,

@@AmberDust,

Lonk is in a world of bewilderment.

He just found out three things:

1. The "chimera" can talk.

2. It seems young.

3. It is easily offended.

He tried to explain the situation to it.

"Look, I didn't know what you were, so I called you a thing. I didn't know what gender you were, or if you had a gender, so I called you "it". OK? Ok. Sorry to hurt your feelings."

He is half-surprised that he is being nice to the creature. But hey, Do a Good Turn Daily, right?

[Denim&Venöm 16,461]

@@Seamore Sandwich,

"Hmm? No, no it wasn't that. I was just... trying to remember something..." Allure began to mumble off. "Sounds important. I'll leave you introspective ponderings." Priestess looked towards the crate. "He hasn't made all that much noise, so I presume he's resting well. That's a good sign. Though if he went though anything like Allure did, he's prolly gonna wake up with a splitting headache." 

[Seamore Sandwich 470]

@@Denim&Venom

 

"It's good to hear he's sleeping well. I'll write up a label for the blood once we finish, and I assure you I won't be trying to clone you. The reason I ask for permission first is because some prefer not to allow samples of their blood out of their sight, in case someone wanted to use it for blood magics. I wouldn't expect you to be too concerned with that though, having magic yourself, but I'm still required to ask." The stick was about three quarters of the way out now, and Miles kept pulling at the same pace.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Seamore Sandwich

[Denim&Venöm 16,461]

@@Seamore Sandwich,

"Yeah, good luck with that. Only a Kitsune can use their own blood magic. The only way my blood can get out of my control is if it's mixed with the blood of the caster, and even then that control works both ways, so whomever would try to use my blood against me would be in just as much danger. Perhaps even more so cause, well, I'm me." Priestess observed as the stick was making it's way out. "Looks like I found something to remind me of what childbirth was like. Not that it's easy to forget, especially with the frequency I've partaken in it."

Edited January 24, 2016 by Denim&Venom

[AmberDust 1,116]

@@Lonk Chase,@@Seamore Sandwich,

 

"It isn't very nice to jump a pony, either," Storm said, after getting over the initial shock. Not to mention chewing with your mouth open, she added internally. The mare placed herself between the colt and the creature, just in case.

 

"You're not gonna attack us, are you?" she asked.

[Lonk Chase 255]

@@AmberDust,

@@Seamore Sandwich,  

So now I'm the damsel in distress, Lonk thought to himself. Alright then.

He just thought up a plan:

Be nice at first.

If he/she/whatever ever so much as taps him or the pegasus, he'll push the chimera away and wait for it to attack. If it doesn't, then he will walk away. If it does, then he will too.

Now he needs to execute it.

He pipes up, "I hope not."

[Seamore Sandwich 470]

@@AmberDust

@@Lonk Chase

 

Sisilia stopped crying when she heard Lonk's apology. She wrapped her tail around the branch and lowered herself upside down, belly facing the two of them with her paws folded in a way that could probably be seen as cute. "I won't bite. Aw you a Peg-a-ssusss?" She seemed to have a little trouble with the last word. She had never met a Pegasus before, but she learned a little about them watching in on the Kitsunes' classes.

 

 

@@Denim&Venom

 

Doctor Miles moved the stick further, "Not much more to go." A moment later, he had the stick almost out. "Now I just hold it to the wound closing it up... And we're done." He set the stick aside asking, "How are you feeling now?"

Edited January 25, 2016 by Seamore Sandwich

[Denim&Venöm 16,461]

@@Seamore Sandwich,

 

"Hollow and empty. A shell of my former self. Like there's a gaping hole inside of me, and that there is nothing in this world that could fill it or make me whole again.... " Priestess said in a ever quieting voice, her face becoming blank and despondent, as she began to vacantly stare at a fixed point on the floor for the next few minnutes.

 

"...But other than that, I feel like I just had an extra-dimensional staff and an enchanted tree limb go though me! Does that clarify things?"

[Seamore Sandwich 470]

@@Denim&Venom

 

"I better send this blood off to be tested now. Let's just hope you don't get a Staff infection. Sorry, bad medical puns..." Miles took out a sticker label, filled out the appropriate information and made the syringe vanish. "I'm guessing you'll want to keep this as a souvenir. Who knows, maybe you'll even find a use for it eventually," he said levitating the stick back over.

Edited January 25, 2016 by Seamore Sandwich

[Denim&Venöm 16,461]

@@Seamore Sandwich,

"Souvenir? Bruh I'm gonna weaponize this thing!  A rod of everwood timber, bathed in Kitsune blood? This could fashion a very powerful enchantment indeed. Put it through the ringer of proper sacred rituals, carve it with the grain or pulverize it into shape, and I could fashion a sword with the most unique properties. Or maybe a naginata? Or just hitch a naginata blade on the end. Or maybe even turn this into my own staff! Next level sorcery up in this beeyatch! Oh the possibilities..." she said, looking longingly at her former impalement. 

[Quinch 1,119]

@@Blitz Boom

 

Quinch nodded slightly, and let the demon lead the way with a smile. Underneath, though, he was anything but reassured.

 

The question was a test, but of course - he wanted to know if, talk aside, he would or would not be allowed to move freely and without supervision, and the answer was.... vague, yet there was a hint of a veiled threat. So what was he - a curiosity? A prisoner? A prize? It would certainly explain why the creature was so quick to meet him - or stop him. Was it an outcast or exile, hoping to buy its forgiveness with something rare? Or maybe it was just easier to walk the trespasser to the guards until it was too late to run? After all, by the sound of it, the creature didn't actually know the princess, yet spoke with confidence about introducing him to her. Either royalty didn't have much to do in these parts, didn't take security very seriously, or expected company.

 

On the other hand, if the creature were sincere, subduing it would probably have... diplomatic repercussions. It was definitely a strange situation, he hadn't needed to worry about leaving a good impression on someone for, well, years now. But demon or no, he was definitely not willing to put his wellbeing into the hands of someone who, by their own admission, had been corrupted. Which presented a conundrum - cooperate and risk his safety, fight and risk antagonizing the locals or flight, definitely antagonizing his chaperone. On the other hand, they were taking the long way around, which was both fortunate and frustrating - frustrating, since it kept the town out of his sight, but it also allowed him more time to decide what to do.

 

"Really?" he probed casually. "How about yourself? By the sound of it, this town is new to you too, so where did you come from?"

Edited January 25, 2016 by Quinch

[Blitz Boom 4,422]

@@Officer Strike

Stargazer just nodded along and listened to what he was told on the way to the shop. It wasn't much to have to work with for now, but they would see when they got there and had a chance at investigating the crime scene.

It were something that they had a potential suspect, granted, but he were hesitant to put blame on anypony that fast. More often than not, the *suspicious stranger* turned out to just be a passing face, but since ponies liked to believe that noppny they knew could do such a thing, a pony like that sometimes got the short end of the stick in the beginning of a crime.

As they reached what seemed like a clothes shop, something from the inside crashed and made him go from idle and passive, to a battle stance. His eyes were intently focused on the door, and he were about to force his way in to what sounded like a fight, before who he assumed who were the owner opened the door shortly after another crash.

During this, he had ignored what Strike were doing, yet after seeing the owner and hearing her opening statement, he quickly turned his head and checked in on her whilst he went back to looking passive.

All things considered, Strike handled things well. The mare - whom he seemed to vaguely recall being amongst the friends of Princess Twilight. Rarity or something like that - was being... Problematic, but over the next few minutes of going through the motions with the diva, it seemed she were calm enough to be spoken with.

He were not too thrilled about this mare personally at first impression. She might have had a robbery, and he understood that were upsetting, but it was no excuse for thid theatrical hysteria.

Frankly, a good slap might have been in order to bring her to a workable state, but that was a compulsion he had had for over 50 years now, and it had been 40 since he stopped listening to it.

Instead, he just simply went through the motions along with Strike, and when the time came when they could safely ask questions, he waited his turn beside Strike and when she were done, added something of his own.

"Ma'am, perhaps you could start by telling us what happened up to the crime and what was taken?"

_____________________________________________________


@@Moonlit

"Aawh, phoey. I hoped it'd be like home and weird stuff were gonna happen. Oh well, fun for another time. And no worries, I can just watch and help too."

Ziggy jumped a bit around Serenade, getting rid of a bit more of the excess energy she had right now.

"Okay, fun for tomorrow then. Let's get out of- Wait, a castle? Sweet. We could- No, nonono. Leave now, explore later."

Speaking to herself wasn't That unusual for her, and neither were the myriad of expressions that went over her as she got through wanting adventure, realising she had something else to do first, and the giggling aftermath of just pushing it aside to later.

"So, what way do we take to get out? Secret passageway in the bookcases or something?"

Edited January 25, 2016 by Blitz Boom

[Lonk Chase 255]

@@Seamore Sandwich,

@@AmberDust,

Lonk added for clarification, "I'm not a pegasus, but she is," pointing at the other pony.

 

He thought about the Mare Scout troop for a second. Where were they? Did they abandon him or something? They couldn't do that, it's against the whole idea of Mare Scouts.

Did they get kidnapped? Interesting thought.

Did they just forget about him? He didn't really talk much, so that is understandable.

 

But there are more important matters to attend to.

Like finding his way back to Ponyville. And he'll start by going to the big ominous cloud.

'Cause that's where the castle is, right?

Right?