open Casual stroll

[FanOfManyShows 396]

@Blitz Boom @Dji @Widdershins

Astral landed with a thud shortly down the street, grunting in pain, growling at herself for using all her magic to propel herself, looking back, to see the little group nearly a block away from her. Astral deciding to walk over after spotting the arrival of another pony. Looking around herself at the destruction that occurred. "Actually I can just message Iron Star from here." She said, trying to excuse her sudden reappearance as she walked back to the group, at least close enough for them to hear her now, or at least screecher. Her eyes landed on the new pony when she got close enough. Scanning them for magic, before quickly realizing what they said earlier. "If you were hurt I could cast a healing spell." Astral sounded almost ignorant to the possibility to them not knowing what she meant by that.
================================
Warlock laughed for a bit, stumbling on his step as he transitioned into swinging his hoof forward to the wall, almost contacting it as his hoof glowed with some magic. "Have you thought of blowing the wall down?" He pulled his hoof back, glowing with magic. Inches away from the wall. "It might sound ridiculous but if they can hide the element, it could be right behind where they tell it was elsewhere, to trick ponies." He moved his hoof away from the wall and started walking away from the wall, the magic that was around the hoof fading quickly, almost giving enough space for Athriel to blast through if she decided to. "Or well, we could check the other temples."
================================
Iron Star nodded to Dew's words, making sure to walk closely to Dew. "I would hope they've been sent myself, and that this dragon isn't a threat, although it does make me wonder why the dragon is here."

[Sekel 669]

@Jedishy

WATTS

Watts checked on her stall one last time and went after Winter with a laugh and smile. Some ponies can really be eager for food. Then again, this particular pony didn't seem like the normal touristy type anway. She quickly caught up to him and answered his questions after catching her breath. "The Cakes run this place along with Pinkie Pie. And you can get a drink from here too, you just need to pick," Watts told him as they entered the establishment and freshly baked aromas permeated their senses.

@Blitz Boom & @Widdershins & @Lloyd

AURORA & DAWN

"Except the knives are back in the Everfree after facing an Ursa Major ..." Aurora groaned in a dazed manner from behind the cart. She automatically answered questions without really thinking about what she was saying. "And the meanie dragon ate the tutu so we need to ... buy a new one."

"I think this griffin needs a mind healing spell," Dawn commented, looking at the griffin in mild concern while staying as far away from the dragon as possible. "Dragons are carnivorous creatures. They don't know their meat from their gems," she said, holding an expression that just screamed disgust and contempt at the fallen dragon.

[EQ_Theta 329]

@Blitz Boom

As much as the siblings wanted to go back for the drake, there was a sense that they trust the little creature to not make a mess of things. It probably didn't need to set anything in the hut on fire and there aren't enough gemstones to keep it full, at least for now. And for the moment, the interesting sight of the gem with the swirling interior caught their attention. There was no telling what it was and no one in the village is an expert. Maybe the other northern village with their quarries might have something to offer but know just how distant they are, too much time would be wasted trying to learn about this gem. Omen's plea for help was still the priority. Lin picked up the gem and looked at the swirling colors within, an alluring sight but there was something more to it. 

"Sen? Gems like these don't just show up from nowhere. Someone left it here and wanted us to find it."

"I sure hope Omen left it here," Sen stared at the gem as he pondered on the possibilities that could befall Omen. In a way, her safety is his responsibility and he's really be kicking himself if the worst were to happen. Still, he held onto the other, more positive thought that maybe the threat isn't bigger than he's exaggerating it to be. "So, crystal ball or gem? This thing the gem was wrapped up in doesn't have a mouth. It could be using this object to speak with Omen's voice."

It was a sound hypothesis on Sen's part, something Lin was quick to notice but beaten to the punch. There's little else to do but test it; a crystal ball acting as one end of a messaging pathway and nothing else seems to point to an alternative explanation. The lack of magical knowledge was already a big downside. Random testing is more or less the only approach left. 

Lin waved her claw before the swirling colors and expected something to happen. Maybe not a voice but something to shift in the motions, an erratic switch or something to tell them their initial guesses are good enough to be lucky. As per Sen's suggestion, Lin thought about communicating, maybe seeing some life form on the other side even if it is just the colors changing to resemble a face. 

"Hey? Anyone there? Someone better pick up on the other end."

[Widdershins 9,938]

@Chintz Room, @Darjeeling & @Lloyd

    "Oh! And that's your excuse to treat us like wild animals, huh?"

  The young drake gripes from his position on his back, having been distracted from his previous pastime of playing up his unfortunate tumble. Legs flail slightly in the air as he continues on, more concerned with arguing his reputation to whoever last talked then being aware of being in a more suitable pose for it.

  "I'll have you know we noble dragons don't even eat meat! ...O-often... Gems are loads easier to find anyway. Just like a pony to assume whatever justifies their hatred!"

[FanOfManyShows 396]

@Widdershins @Dji @Blitz Boom

Astral couldn't help but roll her eyes at the banter, half tempted to shut them up with a spell. "Hey!" She said rather loudly. "We've had enough fighting today you two." She waved a hoof up next to herself, lifting up rubble from a building Warlock had sliced apart. "No species should be defined as what it is." She walked past the two as she lifted away the rubble, putting it into a pile. "Or what past experiences you've had with the species, which from what I hear, goes for both of you." She stopped walking and stood giving the two a glare, then looking to Kaltrop in particular. "Now, do you need any medical attention mister? or was that just a sarcastic comment about being injured?"

[Blitz Boom 3,916]

@dragon4111

"I am sorry for questioning your methods, honored one, but are you certain that hurting them is necessary?"

Lyriel spoke up after seeing the whipping of the tail a few times, though from her low viewing point it should be mentioned that she could not see exactly if he actually hit anyone, or if he just whipped around their head. Neither of them too kind she would think, but of course, hitting them would be worse, and the thing she feared he actually did currently.

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@Foxy Socks

"Ah, that sounds rather painful. I'm glad to see that you made it out of whatever situation that caused that to happen."

Briar had frowned somewhat when he heard of her spraining two ankles. Considering how helpless ponies tended to be without horns when it came to physical damage, it must have been quite the harrowing experience. But then again, he supposed that since she had wings, there was still a way out for her, so there were that.

Rounding a corner, they now finally stood face to face with Foxy's previously mentioned home, that actually seemed to have workers on the scene. A good deal of debris were there to get rid of, but there were also actual building work beign done, so if she were lucky, this might get fixed up faster than she had anticipated.

Though considering the beings were both inside and out to work, she might want to get in there in case she had something of real value or something she didn't want somepony to accidentally stumble across.

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

 

@genessee

The counter were well placed in the establishment, and if Lance would look, had quite the array of things behind it. Not so much the menu's, which were framed in well carved wood it seemed, but more the big shelf full of pictures and names of different brands of coffee, ready to pull out and empty of a little of the beans they held. It seemed they had a few dozen variants currently, with one of them slightly open. Likely it was what the cherry-red mare with her back to them were currently blending ready for a customer.

"This here's where some of the magic happens. Since most wants coffee, we keep it out here so they can see and smell, rather than in the kitchen with the rest of things. Also means the flavors doesn't get mixed with anything not ordered. Hey Berry, meet the new blood."

The mare had swung around as they spoke, and looked at Lance with big grin on her face.

"Hi, hello, how are you? I'm Berry, I run the counter. Who're you? What're you here for? Is this a trick? Did you send him to mess with my plans Straw?!"

She sounded like she didn't just serve the coffee, but also enjoyed sampling quite a number of cups during the day. Somehow she managed to do this without her being obnoxious to their customers, so Straw didn't have a go at her normally, though her ideas that he were trying to ruin some non-existence plans did made him roll his eyes at times. He were never sure if she were just joking with this, or if she actually were paranoid though.

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

 

@Moonlit @Seamore Sandwich @Widdershins

Much as it may sound cute, Cherish didn't bite note in that as much as the large fishpony that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere!

She didn't do well with stress, or fear for that matter, and seeing her, in this already tense situation... Things would start to fly.

Like, literally. Her eyes were getting paler, she seemed as if strong wind were starting to run around her, and some of the rocks in here were rumbling. Either she had to be warded off, or calmed down, or Serenade might end up seeing Ziggy with more damaged than the limp leg strained wing and concussion that were somewhat obvious on the sleeping mare.

"No... No! Monster, big teeth. It's gonna hurt me! I c- I can't..."

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

 

@The Resident Brony

Vivid smirked as she were offered a hoof and a deal.

How tempting it were to make this official and puncture her hoof a little to make a proper, binding deal of blood going with this alicorn. Just a little that might not even realize before it was too late, that gave her some leverage over him, as long as she kept her own end of the bargain going.

Ah, but alas, Cadence would not like this, and much as she'd like to see him squirm, it would just end up with her feeling guilty in the end, and have one more who were willing to put her into a cell of some kind. So she'd play nice, and just shook his hoof without any additional swindling.

"You have a deal, but know that I'm going to see this through. When you meet with the generals, this should provide me with more amusement than what else I might be able to think about doing today."

She looked as if she knew something he didn't, but she didn't elaborate more on things, and instead just put her hoof down.

"Now then, you wanted out? Come closer then, and I'll lead you through the same *door* I opened to get in here in the first place."

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

 

@Flinp

Step by step, she wandered closer to the pony who had stopped up.

Onache had followed the trail of changeling magic well thus far, and eliminated some of the potentials, leaving only a half dozen left that it could be. Too many still in her mind, but the number swindled the closer she got, and the more the suspects wandered off without leading the trail those ways.

One of them - the pony she had bitten notice in that had starred at her earlier - were starting to become more of a prime suspect, as the way he looked around seemed suspicious, but there wasn't anything set in stone yet. *sigh* If only this had been one of her hive, she could have tapped into the hivemind to force the miscreant out to face her, rather than this guessing game, but alas, since she were without her people, she had to do this the old fashioned way. Disgusting drone work not fit for one of her stand, but the only option currently.

Meanwhile, at the table, one of the two ponies in the conversation pulled out a deck of cards and started to put them on the table, apparently to prove some kind of point.

"Look, all I'm saying is that luck isn't all that simple. It can be tinkered with a little if you know what you're doing. Come on, I'll prove it. Shuffle this, and I'll pull out an ace. I swear I got it this time."

Not the first time he had made this claim, but as always, he seemed confident about it working this time. Time would tell if his female companion would prove him wrong yet again.

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

 

@Widdershins @Lloyd @Dji

Screecher rolled her eyes at the crowd currently. A bunch of foals bickering and arguing over nothing right now as far as she were concerned.

Just look at the dragon and Void for example. After he had spat at her that she didn't help, she had stepped back whilst mumbling apologies, and her smaller sister had gotten closer and started to growl at him. What were she, feral or something? WHatever it were, the situation wasn't helped by this, nor the mare who were starting to rant about the dragon being some kind of mindless monster, roughly speaking.

Then there were Astral wo had just gotten back and started to talk about healing spells to ponies who likely wouldn't know what to do about the earth pony saying such things - witchcraft were illegal after all - though she'd think the gambler would have a sarcastic retort ready in a few seconds. The annoying mare had that sort of thing in spades, and it seemed her griffon companion were not much better.

Did she really have to take all of this on herself again? It appeared so, and she were getting ready for a scolding, when out of the corner she saw somepony show up that were getting audible before she had the chance.

"Please everypony, just... Calm down, alright? There's no need to get all up in a tip right now. The danger have been warded off with a minimum of damage. Can't we focus on that instead of all of this arguing?"

"I second that. And Dawn, please don't have a go at the large dragon. You might notice we have an even larger one looming over town? I don't think he'd like it if his kin got insulted without too much reason, okay? He probably doesn't know your situation with them."

Whilst Benny spoke to just everypony there in general, Pop had focused her words towards her friend, who were sounding none too happy about things - too many dragons for her liking probably - though she kept standing with Benny, who moved a little closer to her and wrapped her tail semi-protectively around her. He didn't trust that Warlock wouldn't try something more in a few seconds just yet, and he couldn't let her get hurt.

It should be pretty obvious to everypony - including Kaltrops - that the gesture wasn't just something he'd do to protect any random citizens. There was an overly protective, tender sort of way over how he kept guard over her currently, that might not fall in good ground to him, considering how he seemed to think dragons were above the equines, not equal too or with.

As for deflating things, Null and Void seemed to calm down some, and Screecher closed her muzzle as there were no further use for her input currently, thought he snarky gambler seemed like she wasn't too keen on not saying something.

"He might be a bit of an empty head, but no potion will be able to tear the air outta there girly. Besides, just look at him boasting off. Wouldn't be kind to burst his bubble right now, would it? But hey, that still ain't as delusional as an earth pony that think she can cast magic, though I like your attitude. Feisty gals are always more fun, am I right?"

Perhaps Astral could have some fun teaching the mare a lesson, though there were plenty who might have a go at her currently. Including Screecher, who still didn't seem too happy about the poker playing mare yapping off the way she did, even if Spicy did it with a chuckle mixed with the sarcasm.

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

 

@Widdershins

"Hey, no using my snout as a doorhandle, that's cheating."

You literally cheated just before. I can scroll up and see it.

Bah, what do you know? You just think you saw something, I was actually there. So hah!

Laugh it up whilst you can, but your head is rolling away -

They call me Joan of Arc

- and you're about to drown in something dark and foul. Sewer water of some kind it seems.

Don't dis the molasses you t-

Her words thankfully drowned out as she were hit with a dark wave of sugary waste, causing her to drop the vegetable she had used to fight with, and falling backwards into a wall whilst her lungs started to fill with the weird substance.

Elsewhere, her head floated on top of the stuff and looked ar whatever bopped into her vision. Her body not included, as it was currently under a good deal of the weird stuff the her head were licking at whenever she used her tongue as a paddle, but Widdershins were viewable now and again.

"Okay fine, you win this round. But I'll get you next time, count on that!

But let's not get too far a-head of ourselves here, hehe.What were all the strange talk before? Sounded pretty confusing. Is that the sort of thing you're representing? If you are, you're pretty good at it. I didn't get a thing from it. Completely senseless."

She seemed happy the more she stepped on this not making any sense. Typical draconequus to not have a grasp on the full body of reason, and not thinking that it had to have a leg to stand on.

Yeah yeah, keep mocking the floating head. Humans are mean.

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

 

@Lloyd

"They expected somepony will come through and destroy the wall. Everything to try and find the element of disharmony, including destroying the clues they left in the writing, in case someone of their own came around.

If there is anything behind that wall, it is a trap, though I think they'd be arrogant enough to just think this being what is required to keep others out of their trap. Which just leads me to believe that they're not keeping my element in the real temple. They'd know I would be able to translate this, and they wouldn't be stupid enough to think it wise to keep my element in such a position.

I can imagine whatever guardian they have to watch over the element will have an advantage over me though, just in case I somehow went here to try and get the element as a bargaining chip. How fortunate that the improbable happened, and two wearers went instead then, isn't it?"

They had never thought it possible for the Disharmony wearers to be able to work together well enough, at least not in the circle she had been in before she became a wearer herself. It seemed so improbable back then, and yet now, it seemed like they had been wrong. It might end up be an advantage for them, but they'd see soon enough.

"We're done here, let's get to the next temple."

As she passed the depowered Warlock, her eyes narrowed on a section of the writing she hadn't seen before this and ran her claws across it.

"Crimson soul, fearful knight, death to all within its sight... Doesn't sound positive. We should keep that in mind as we get to the northern island."

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

 

@Lloyd

"Benny seemed to think he could help with information about the elements of disharmony. Considering we need all the help we can get for this situation, I'm inclined to give it a chance and listen to what he haves to say."

Dew would keep on leading the way, but had to stop once in a while to give orders to some of the guards lingering around, confused as to what they were going to do right now. They should get to the mailing room soon and be able to get on with this soon, and hopefully be back before their scaled guest arrived. Depending on whatever or not he went flying, it could be as little as in five minutes.

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

 

@EQ_Theta

Much as they may ask, there would still be no answer. The best they would have to work with were the gem, which started to act a little odd as it were lifted, though it still didn't present an answer.

The reaction it gave were much like a plasma ball. The colors inside would send out small threads and try to cling towards the points pressured on them, but they were stopped by the glass, and just ended up giving a slightly tingling feeling.

Was this perhaps some kind of toy? If it were, it were likely of pony design, and not longma, or they'd have noticed that already.

Considering there were no voices or further clues popping up currently, it wasn't as if there were much else to follow up upon. But at this time of night, no toy shop would remain open in any equine city. Though perhaps, a gem enthusiast could be of as much help? Canterlot had a rich selection of ponies in all kinds of higher end professions, so that were an option, though perhaps they had other ideas as well.

As it stood here at least, the only sound that did not come from the siblings were a slight creak as the drake made itself a bit more space behind a book, and the raging storm outside, passing over the village like so many before it.

[dragon4111 912]

@Blitz Boom

Ancalagon stated with a grin on his face "I'm whipping near their head and not on them," he chuckled as he looked at Lyriel as he said "Dryad do you want to see how I do?" Ancalagon said with a grin on his face as he used alittle earth magic to bring Lyriel up to his level to see how Ancalagon sees the world with a wall of earth beneath her.. "I see things from high up to watch for those who would hurt my little couriers," Ancalagon stated with a gentle smile. "And Plus listen to what they are singing,"

Edited September 18, 2017 by dragon4111

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom @Seamore Sandwich @Widdershins Serenade rolls onto her back, and lets her forelegs flop to the side, "No...I'm not a monster." Serenade tries to keep her fangs from showing, "I swear on the Princesses, I will not harm you." Serenade opens a single eye, "How is my friend?"

[genessee 535]

@Blitz Boom

Lance waved and smiled. It was pretty obvious to him that this 'Berry' had drank a bit too much coffee. He didn't drink a lot of coffee, usually because after the rush he basically immediately fell asleep. Better introduce myself, right?

"Hi! I'm Lance. You're Berry, right?"

[EQ_Theta 329]

@Blitz Boom

Sen and Lin were stumped. Without anything solid to point the way to Omen, it dealt a rather hard blow to their efforts. No one in the village would help, their reputation to the other villages would likely be poor, and they couldn't get Ghilan to help them this time. The last one cut off a lot of avenues for support as he had connections beyond the village and he was in good standing with other village elders. The siblings looked to the mess before sitting down and thinking about other places to start. Lin kept herself hidden away from others and Sen had no contacts within any of the cities he visited. Smaller towns didn't seem to work either and the two looked to each other, just silent but knowing just what the other was thinking about.

"Back to nothing, huh? Where do you suppose we should start looking? We don't have connections to anyone who could help let alone who knows about this magic." 

Lin returned to looking for the drake and deciding to leave it alone after seeing it find its own spot. No point in disturbing it. As for Sen, he paced about and looked back and forth at the weather outside and the gem in Lin's possession. Maybe he should've at tried to speak with someone on his travels but it was too late. Or maybe not. It was an unorthodox option but there was something to try. 

"Lin?" Sen looked to her as he reached the window. "You don't suppose Discord could help, could he?"

That name rang a few bells in Lin's head, suddenly jogging her memory. "No time to lose, then."

Without another word, she ran to get her things ready as did Sen, who immediately got the hint and gathered his things. The two packed some essentials with Sen keeping the gem in his pack while Lin grabbed the drake and set it on her head before opening a gate to Ponyville. Specifically, she imagined the sight of Fluttershy's cottage before walking through with her brother in tow. It was a long shot but if Discord was home, they'd at least be able to start going in the right direction. 

[Foxy Socks 2,593]

@Blitz Boom

Foxy looked at her house being repaired. Any valuables in her house likely wouldn't have made it, but she decided to check it out anyway. "I'm just going to check my house out. You can follow if you want."

 

Foxy thanked the workers after walking up to it. Much of the debris was cleared out, but there were still much left, making it a challenge for the workers to remove. A few rooms, (or what was left of them) were inaccessible or crushed, but there were a few open areas. She didn't worry too much about her valuables, as she didn't have many to begin with, except her fox suit. She galloped around the house to find it, which was luckily left in a place without too much damage. Unfortunately, when she found it, the fox suit had a few tears as it had caught against a board.

 

 It may not have seen like much to others, but Foxy loved her fox suit, especially as it helped her get closer to the animals. She was visibly upset when she found it damaged, but she tried to to act like so. After that, she walked back out silently, carrying it.

[The Resident Brony 60]

@Blitz Boom

Invictus was still somewhat doubtful of Vivid Loss, despite her agreeing to help him out of the hospital. It seemed all to convenient, almost as if she wanted something, As far as he knew, Cadance had been opposed to Celestia's decision to send him here. She had wanted someone more relatable to the Guard, like Shining Armor. But, it was now or never at this point. Go with Vivid Loss and risk Celestia-knows-what, or stay in the hospital for a few months while the Solar, Night, and Coast Guards tore each other to shreds over political matters instead of protecting their fellow Equestrian citizens. Invictus sighed before replying,

"Ok Vivid Loss, lead the way!"

[Seamore Sandwich 470]

@Blitz Boom

@Widdershins

@Moonlit

 

Still, Charlie and the echo were arguing back and forth.  "Leave me ALONE!" the echo rang out through the castle.  "Fine!" "Fine!" "Finally something we can both agree on!" "Finally something we can agree on!" 

 

@Blitz Boom

 

Gaea led the way up the path over the root and into the tree through the open doorway.  Inside it looked like a lovely home, the furniture was made of gigantic flowers and other plants, and the lights were glowing fungus growing on the walls.  There was even a bathroom and through the door a toilet could be seen that looked like a pitcher plant with water in it.  "We should get some rest.  You can sleep on the couch," she said, gesturing toward a flower with two petals stretched in one direction forming the seat, and the other petals just folded out so they were out of the way (see image below).  "I'm sure I can trust you, we have a common goal.  Also, I don't even have anything to steal."

[Blitz Boom 3,916]

@dragon4111

"I am sorry that I doubted you great one, though i- Huh?"

Lyriel stopped her line of speak as she were suddenly lifted up into the air to get a vantage point to see what happened beneath her.

For a bit of time she seemed to just feel confused and disoriented as she wobbled around up there, but as the seconds passed, she started to writhe in pain and coddle her head in her hands.

"Put me down! P-Please, I beg of you!"

Dryads of her kind were not meant to be this far away from the ground, and the further from it she got, the worse she felt. At about two meters and above it would start to become agonizing, and if she stayed up there, it would just get worse.

Her leaves and roots were already starting to rapidly wither, and she couldn't focus on the aounds or what Ancalagon said right now. Just the painful experience, and silently begging tge earth mother to rise a mound of dirt to reach high up to her, or to be set down.

Ancalagon could also just scoop up some dirt and place it under her. It wouldn't feel right for her, but it would reduce things to simply being uncomfortable, not painful.

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

 

@Moonlit @Seamore Sandwich @Widdershins

Rocks vibrated and lifted into the air around Cherish, and pebble began to soar like she were the center of a tornado.  Much as Serenade tried to show calmness, it didn't seem to be working... At first.

Slowly though, after some things had begun gathering near her, ready to be flung, she began to calm down as the voice filtered through and the fog started to lift from her eyes.

She wasn't surrounded by enemies right now. The wolves were gone, the screaming had stopped, and the fish pony creature... Hadn't she heard that voice before?

"...Strange pegasus? Is that... You're a fish pony?"

Confused at what she saw and heard, she looked around her to try and ger her bearings, and her eyes fell on the mare she had slammed into the wall before. After accidentally breaking her leg.

The panic seeped out of her and got replaced by guilt so deep that it darkened her form and face.

"...This is my fault. She was hurt and I... She needs help."

Cherish looked at Serenade, still curious as to what exactly a *Siren* was, as she had called herself, but far too guilty right now to really have focus on that as much as the Zegasus with the broken leg.

The sound of another voice suddenly interrupts things, and made the depressed spirit turn around to look at wherever the voice had come from. Or well, where she thought it did at least. There had been an echo of the voice around them, so it was hard to be sure, but she'd likely either see the other spirit soon, or the branch that he inhabited. It were covered before, but with the debris being prepared for tossing around before, the little hideout had been revealed.

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

 

@genessee

Berry grinned and wandered forward,so she could get reeeally close and look this new hire in the eyes.

"All day, every day. But enough about that. Tell me what you know of the secrets beneath the mound! I can practically smell the mole people on you."

"Alright, that's enough. You can interrogate him later."

The amount of glee that came over Berry's face as she were told she'd have a chance to really get into things later were slightly disturbing, but it made her back off the new hire. At least for the time being, though the inevitable time would come.

They had a reprieve for it now though, where Berry hears a small bell go iff, loudly proclaimed "It's cappuccino time for the feisty lad at table 12!* and bounced over to the coffee machine.

"You'll get used to her faster than she thinks. Now follow me to the kitchen for the next part of the tour."

Nothing of notice would happen before they got to the back room, as it was just behind the counter area, but in case Lance had something to say, now would likely be a good time to do so.

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

 

@EQ_Theta

The drake didn't seem all too happy to be dragged out of hiding, adding yet another trail of claw marks on the wood when it got taken out, along with some hissing. It didn't struggle too much after getting placed on Lin's head though, but it didn't feel like it was calm either, considering how it kept writhing for a time before settling in on a spot.

In Ponyville, the town would be relatively quiet. Sure, there was workers still handling a few things on the houses not too far from where they appeared, but overall, it seemed as if most had either stopped or had a break at this time of the night. Fortunate for them, yet not so much for the stallion they appeared right next to, who had been taking a round and just passed 

He might have given out a yelp of surprise if it wasn't because he had tried this before, though the Night Guard still took a few steps back in surprise.

"Oh, it's you two. What brings you around this time of night?"

Stargazer looked a little tired, but still more fresh than the last time they had met him. No big surprise there really, as he had not gotten any sleep for a few days there, but that didn't seem all too important to bring up, at least not to him. There was something else he'd rather focus on rather than this for the time being.  Y'know, beyond the town getting up and running again.

"Where's you telepathic sidekick? Have she gotten ill or something?"

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

 

@Foxy Socks

Brittle looked at Foxy a little worried when she came back. The changeling had moved closer to Briar yet again in the short amount of time that Foxy had been in her home,  though she had wanted to go in too. Briar however, had convinced her that unless they were specifically asked to come in, it was likely best that they let her check up on her things in peace.

"Foxy? Are you... Okay? Did something happen to your... Clothes?"

Brittle couldn't see that it was a suit before she got closer and could actually see that, plus a section of it that seemed pretty torn up. Apparently, the attack on town had done a number on something that apparently meant a lot to the mare.

"Oh. It's okay, I'm sure we can find somepony that can help you. There have to be somepony in town able to sow that will help you."

Briar kept silent as Brittle tried to lift Foxy's spirit a bit. Though he liked to fashion himself somepony that could help with a little of this and a little of that, sowing wasn't one of his strong sides. Whenever his own cloak got ruined or damaged to a point where a patch couldn't keep it together, he tended to simply just replace it, not repair. And something that sounded important to tge mare were likely not something where a patch would be good enough. No, likely they had to go and get it stitched up at a pro, to make the object as close to new and pretty again as possible. They just had to hope one were working at a time like this.

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

 

@The Resident Brony

Vivid chuckled and slowly moved closer to him, until her muzzle almost touched his ear. He should be able to feel her warm breath flow down the side of his head, and smell a faint trace of sulfur as she whispered softy: "With pleasure."

He wouldn't feel much as she pressed against him and wandered through the layers of the world. At most, it would feel like being pressed through a thin layer of bubble gum, trying to stick and resist the force being but against it, but ultimately failing as the two stepped through and ended in a world that seemed so far from where they had been.

Perhaps his higher magical energy would cause him to feel less, and just have  the wall break down easily for him, but it did not matter to the chuckling Vivid. She just stepped back on the dark-purple, giant tendril they were standing on, and waves her hoof around her.

"Welcome to the layer between. A place where I can wander peacefully, away from prying eyes."

The tendril they stood on were just one of many. Things feeling solid and sturdy, yet somehow wrong, stretching across a world that didn't seem to end in twists and turns, immovable beneath the gray sky above them, and out of reach of the forest beneath.

The trees looked dead and distorted, yet if he looked, he could see fruit that grew heavy and fell from amidst creaking branches. Or perhaps his eyes got drawn to the movement down there instead? Shadows slithering through the trees, all dark and featureless beyond their varied forms and pale, empty eyes.

Whispers. Voices barely reaching them, telling him to come down for various reasons. Some claiming it were because they had something to show him, others begging for salvation. Others still, luring him with hollow promises and false hope.

"Don't listen to them. If they get hold of you, you will only end up exactly like them."

Her eyes were drawn to a shade she had seen here once in a while. Not a friend, as those were rare among demons, but somepony she had at least found tolerable. Poor fool he were to believe their hollow promises of power.

Sometimes when she looked at what was left of him... She could still hear his pleading voice, begging for them to let go...

But, greed had been his downfall, as it so often were. She knew no way that he could be saved, and as far as she knew, nopony else did either. Other demons had experimented for a long time to find an answer, to get those out they had an interest in returning, but so far there had been no answer. Perhaps because they looked at it infernally, when it could be they needed to view it angelically.

A small smirk spread on her muzzle.

That really would be the day, wouldn't it? When an angel found its way to this place that the veil had made a travel place for demons. Somewhere only those who carried infernal power could enter or leave, albeit with passengers.

Perhaps one day an angel would work with a demon to solve the issue of those beneath? A laughable thought if she ever had any, but she had heard of strange things happening after her release, that she had never found possible before. Perhaps she should not be so dismissive of this?

"...We should not linger here. Follow me Invictus. We have a little way to travel before I can get us back to Equestria unnoticed."

With that, she'd begin to walk. Unless of course he had something to say or do that would stop her? She had her doubts, but you never knew with ponies. They could be rather unpredictable at this.

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

 

@Seamore Sandwich

It wasn't much that could still surprise Zhu. Several lifetimes worth of seeing what could be had left him with impressions of nearly everything that could be at least once, and the magic started to fade out after a while of seeing this.

A place like this though, he had never seen. A home made in harmony with nature. Glowing and flourish around them, making for a place that managed to sweep his paws away under him. Metaphorically only, but were that not impressive in itself regardless? With all he had seen, this place were still unique, and it fascinated him as he ran a paw down the wall and felt the insides of the tree.

He had not thought you could keep such a place and have the tree remain alive, but he were certain of it. He could almost hear it breathe, just like everything else around him. It was... Spectacular.

"You have a home many would envy."

He certainly did.

Every home he saw were something many took for granted, but for him were a precious thing that were not appreciated enough by most. To them it were just a roof over their heads and a place to hand their hats, but a home was more than that. it was memories, safety and a place you could rest after a long day of work, or a journey that took you far from it. Somewhere you could always return to when life had you down, and you could call your own...

Zhu remembered the last time he had a home. The pristine tiles, the walls lined with paintings and beautiful scenes, depicted in stained glass. The feeling of a bed beneath his paws and the embrace of a loving mother, tugging him in and telling him that she would always love him...

A tear started to fall from his eye as he recalled her face. It was hard to push away after all he had seen after the Creator had gotten hold of him. The truths he now knew and the pains he realized Celestia must have gone through when she raised this strange child she had to keep hidden from the general populace, made him yearn for her once more. A longing he had managed to keep down for a long time, yet drew in him whenever he thought of her.

For a long time, he had told himself that it could never happen, even if he prevented the 37 risks to her life. The way that he had just left her alone, and the things he had done to ensure both her safety and the balance in general... How could she still look at him with love, after all the pain he had caused? How could anypony?

He didn't even realize that Gaea had gone as his thoughts ran amok. Guilt had a way of clouding your vision like that, as did memories that were best left buried.

For as much joy as there was then, it would always come back to the same: He had abandoned her. He were all she had left after she sent Luna to the moon, and he had simply vanished from her life without a trace. Even if she could forgive him for that, he were not sure if he ever could.

With this gloomy thought, he found the couch he were to rest upon, and laid down, as curled up as he could be, and fell into an unpleasant rest, marred by troubled dreams and twisted memories.

Edited September 18, 2017 by Blitz Boom
Added color.

[Foxy Socks 2,593]

@Blitz Boom

"Thanks Brittle, don't worry. It's just something I've had for a while, and it's just a fox suit." Foxy still looked upset, though she imagined she must have looked silly to care about something so simple and childish. She loved it though, and wore it often especially to help gain trust of foxes that haven't met her before. "I know it must look silly for me to be upset about this, but it is one of my few valuable items."

 

The suit resembled the common red fox, and was made to cover most of Foxy. It was soft, and even wild foxes could take her for one. She had had it for a few years, and it had meant a lot to her and her career.

[EQ_Theta 329]

@Blitz Boom

"It's not that. We're worried about her. She never came home and all we found is some mess of sticks and mud looking like her. There is this strange gem too."

Sen pulled out the gem that was buried under the scarecrow with the interior still swirling and unchanged and showed it to Stargazer. It was a long shot but maybe he might know someone who could tell them more about this gem. Otherwise, it was back to looking around for Discord. With the last minutes of daytime fading away, everyone settling down for the night would put a damper of their efforts. 

"We're hoping Discord could tell us more about this, maybe help us identify a place to start looking. Or if you could tell us who else might be an expert on magic or gems that could take a look at this, we might have other options."

Lin didn't mind this temporary diversion but she was quietly getting antsy about getting to Flutterhy's place immediately. Stargazer looked like he needed rest and it would be a good idea to let him settle down for the night. The gate should have opened near the cottage and hopefully didn't stir the animals at rest. It would be a nightmare to have to calm them all down if they all went ballistic upon seeing the gate at this time of day. 

[cwhip9 1,078]

On ‎9‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 3:32 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Remind me to laugh if your sandwich ever runs off."

Cresnet rolled his eyes pulling out a dried fish he packed "oh ye of little faith next time just ask for food" the fish was in a well sealed bag to preserve it to how cresent hoped felines liked their fish. He gave up on pasta with the feline as pasta is more of a home made food then out in the wilds of the Forrest

"besides something tells me an easy bid is over head hiding maybe you cloud get it soon" cresent nodded at a bush near by, then twitched his ears "no that was a rabbit"

he blinked shaking his head "how did I mess that up, anyway we need to get going I still have ore fish in the bag for you and if we start on this path we should be out of here in a bit"

[Flinp 129]

@Blitz Boom

While looking around, carefull not to loose sight of the couple and attract sight from other ponies, she saw that unicorn again. She seemed to be looking somewhere to him, and he immediately thought: Uh oh.

Could just be a coincidence, but she looked...suspicious. But he could't get his mind out of the couple- they were going to be his meal. Well, atleast the chef of his meal. But literally all little corner had ponies talking. In the worst of cases, he would't need to show himself off and spit at people.

That is, until he came across a regular house. There weren't any ponies looking at his direction, which was perfect! He sneaked behind it, and shapeshifted.

Into a bunny. Nobody would possibly doubt him now. He waddled his way back to the Lucky Clover and Wild Fire.

[genessee 535]

@Blitz Boom

Lance wasn't really sure what just happened.

"Err... what exactly do you mean by interrogate? Like, in the uncomfortable concrete room and the, like, one-way glass and stuff?"

It was obvious he wasn't serious when he asked this, he just did it to allow his mind to wander. Maybe I should try chugging a gallon of coffee and see how long I last before collapsing. Now that would be fun. I mean, there's a good chance that it'd kill me, but... wait, no, I can't really think of a 'but' for death by coffee. I can see it now, 'Stallion dies from overdose on caffeine. When boss questioned, answers 'he was never a bright one, I'll tell you that,'' Actually... It went on for quite a while.

[Seamore Sandwich 470]

@Blitz Boom

 

Silvermane smiled down upon his followers as they chanted.  He pointed at the first one to speak and stated in front of everyone, "I like your spirit.  You know what?  I'll allow you the honor of helping to choose the next mission.  If you'll present me with three beasts on which I may test my blades, you may also Bear Witness as I slay the beast of my choosing.  But first I will need your name."  It was known long ago that accompanying Marcus was not common.  In fact, the few who had were remembered along with the story they told, and their scrolls were highly valued by the other followers.  At least, that's how it was when he was still around.  Who knows how much things have changed over the millennia?  Would they even still have the Witness's Garb?  It was much like the traditional robes, but there were small amounts of armor added to protect the Witness.  There were also multiple pockets for things like healing potions or magic reserve crystals.  Honestly the robe itself was probably eaten away by moths long ago, but surely the few pieces of armor plating would still be around.  He was curious of this, but it wasn't important right now.  He needed a plan, a way to bring himself into the public eye again.

 

@Blitz Boom

 

The shop was usually open late, but today Penny was closing up early.  Being a young filly, Blossom couldn't be allowed to stay up too late, especially with school the next day.  As Penny and Blossom finished their tasks, the sun began to set.  Blossom trotted out the front door, followed not to long after by Penny who shut the lights off and turned the open sign over to closed.  She locked the door behind her.  "If I'm not here tomorrow, just open up the shop without me.  You still have the spare key, right?"  "I'll make sure I keep it with me.  Bye, Penny," Blossom responded reassuringly.  "Hi Scarcity.  So I went to a friend at the apothecary and she had one of the fake bits.  Now, she says she got the coin from an antique restorer we both know by the name of Tock.  I thought we could start there, and maybe he'll be able to tell us where he got the coin.  However, the fact that I didn't find much more of the fake coins leads me to believe they're not coming from anywhere around here.  If they were, there would be a lot more.  I'm guessing we may have to do a bit of traveling if we want to get to the bottom of this.  What do you think?  Should we go check out Tock's Shop?  He's probably working on that clock of his like he usually does after work, which means he'll probably still be at his shop."

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom @Seamore Sandwich @Widdershins "My name is Serenade." Serenade rolls over and slowly advances toward Ziggy, "Don't beat yourself up too badly, your were scared, these things happen. I am sure Ziggy won't fault you, besides...you saved her." The sound brings Serenade's head up and she narrows her eyes. 

[Sekel 669]

@Lloyd & @Blitz Boom & @Widdershins

DAWN & AURORA

"There. Are. Dragons. Here," Dawn hissed at Pop but immediately looked apologetic in the face of her friend. She took a deep breath but it wasn't enough to shake the feeling that she was going to be eaten by the giant lizards. "I know the giant dragon is over Ponyville but he's been there so long I've gotten used to his presence," she muttered and managed to glare at both Kaltrops and Benny at once. "Just because you're a couple with Benny, doesn't mean I still don't have to like the species."

Aurora though, had recovered slightly from her head on collision with the cart and peeked out from behind it. Her eyes widened at the group of ponies and decided to stay where she was. It was better that way. Less ponies to see her, the less she was inclined to change due to stress or emotion overload or something to that effect. "Spicy, why don't you cool the witty remarks?" she whispered to the shark pony hybrid, sneaking around the back of the cart and behind her. "Please?"

[Victoria Sponge 1,011]

Battenberg shook her head, "no changing some ponies... I'm sure she doesn't mean anything by it, it's just how she is."

She unbuckled her saddle bag and a large bag of chilli floated out surrounded by the yellow aura that had presented the cakes earlier on. She smiled at Benny, "I did get what you wanted, wasn't too hard to find. I actually bumped into my apprentice, didn't know she was in town. Gave me someone to talk to."

[Storm Shine 1,195]

@Blitz Boom

Pinkie giggled at Anomaly's antics, picking up a few pictures to keep hold of. Storm smiled a bit, before he looked around and blinked, "Where are Blitz and her brother?" He asked, noticing that they weren't around. Who knows what kind of trouble they could get into in a place like this... Or cause for that matter, given their penchant for explosives... "We should probably go look for them"

[Blitz Boom 3,916]

@Foxy Socks

"I don't think there's anything silly about that. It's something you cherish that's damaged. I'd be sad too."

Brittle didn't have much in the way of personal items. Having no memories of her life before the botched conversion and then being treated like dirt in the circus, she didn't have anything that could connect to a fond memory like that.

The closest she had was the grey bow in her mane. Scruffy and looking like it had seen a lot of better days, but it was hers at least, and she wouldn't like if that got shredded up. With Foxy, it had to be worse than that, right?

"Isn't there a seamstress or something in Ponyville? There have to be somepony that can help. Right?"

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

 

@EQ_Theta

Stargazer looked at the gem covered in the glass bauble. It reminded him of something, but what were it? A toy perhaps? Decoration? Whatever it were, it seemed to have been from a long time ago.

He hadn't been the sort to look at things or play much when he grew up. The teasing, mockery and general defeated world view he got on the Canterlot orphanage, didn't make those sort of simple pleasures easy to just delve into. It just fed the rebellious and resentful parts of him, and made him lash out.

The thoughts on his past, before the guards, were not something he found pleasant. He was an idiot then who didn't understand the world, and there was times when he just wished he could forget how he had been, and just focus on what he were now.

Yet, as Elden Moon had told him, he needed it to keep his new life into perspective, as well as the job. It helped him feel empathy for the ones he ran into who wasn't so much criminals as just ponies who needed somepony who'd listen to and help them, and after Jelly had been born, it had proven invaluable.

His ex-wife did not think all his decisions on how to raise Jelly based on that were good. For example, the self-defense techniques he had taught her so she wouldn't be a victim in school, or how to use her bat pony heritage to scare others to either get out of hostile situations or help others, gave him quite the number of verbal lashings.

But he didn't care. In the end, it was all about keeping her from making the same mistakes as he did, and keep her safe, even if he couldn't be there to hild his hoof over her. So he kept teaching her manner, how to fight, and most importantly, when to fight. He didn't want her to become a bully after all, just away from their antics.

He started to think on how he had to remember that she were to start school tomorrow, when he realized that he had been trailing off, and just stood and looked at the gem for around a minute and a half.

"...I'm sorry, but I don't know what that is. But if it's a gem, I know somepony you can ask about it.

When the rebuilding of Ponyville started, the princesses brought in a construction firm owner to assist with getting materials. I haven't heard much of him here, as the forepony is on his back a lot, but I recall from Canterlot that he dabbles around gem auctions now and again where the guards are asked to keep watch, in case of thieves. Might be he got an expert view on this sort of thing too.

His name is Clayton Quartz, and I saw him head for the inn about fifteen minutes ago. If you hurry, you might be able to catch him before he gets to bed."

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

 

@cwhip9

The feline looked slightly interested at the sandwich, but in the end, just shrugged walked away from it.

"A great hunter doesn't need hoofouts."

Truth be told, his nose did tickle with the smell of delicious fish, but he didn't want to seem relied upon others to feed himself. He was a proud feline, and a nimble predator, not a house pet.

He had been once, a long time ago, and he didn't mind then, but it was different with Starswirl. The pony had been kind to him, and allowed the cat to have his pride - if you excluded the vet visits - even when his experiments started to include Zinthar. He actually really liked the old wizard, which was one of the reasons he had gone as long as he had to get answers about what had happened to him.

Crescent on the other paw... He had saved his life, which were something Zinthar would always owe him for, but that still at best made them friends, not pet and owner. That ship had sailed, and besides, he was perfectly able to get fish for himself... As long as he didn't fall into the river...

"So then, we have some way to go. Any secrets you two wanna share? I could always use something incriminating about you, just in case."

He were joking of course, which the purring chuckle just made more obvious, but perhaps they'd be willing to share something a little less incriminating, but still informative. If course, he couldn't just ask of that, but perhaps this approach would yield something good. Almost as good as a delicious fish.

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

 

@Flinp

Onache slowed down as she saw the pony wander into an alley.

Considering how filled the town were of others, an alley like that would be a good place to change forms unseen, even if it were a filthy endeavor. But what could you expect of drones? They were meant to do a job, no matter how low they had to steep, and something like this were a good example of that.

She still didn't have proof it were him though, but considering he had gone in there, it seemed almost guaranteed. What need would a regular pony have for wandering away from the crowd and into a secluded place like this? Dress up as a superhero and waltz around to protect the innocent citizens? Pah, what a laughable thought.

Whilst Onache kept at a distance and observed, the stallion at the table started to curse a little under his breath.

"Oh come on! I was so sure I had it this time. I swear, somepony is messing with the vibes or something."

The mare didn't seem overly impressed, and actually smirked at him a little, but he couldn't get mad at her for that. He were acting like quite the numbskull sometimes, and as long as he couldn't prove how luck could be bend around to work for you, rather than just being seemingly random, it wasn't like he made himself out to be anything less than a clown.

"Awh, aren't you just the sweetest when you don't have a leg to stand on?"

She leaned forward and grinned at him as a blush started to spread on his cheeks. She never got tired of seeing him like this, or to hear his ridiculous theories and failed presentations. How else would she get most of her entertainment?

Looking for a way out of this, Clover quickly pounced on the distraction that came when a stray bunny seemed to be heading their way.

"Hey, would you look at that? I think one of Fluttershy's little critter have gotten lost. Better go help that one. Yep'sire."

Onache on the other hoof, rolled her eyes as she saw the stallion walk from the table and towards the approaching critter, ready to try and lead it back home to the mare's cottage.

A bunny form used to lure somepony away, and they fell for it? How stupid were the peasants around here? Did they just wander around with any random forest critter that appeared near them? it certainly seemed that way.

How on earth had Chrysalis not taken over Equestria when this were the town of heroes she had been yapping off about? She could have done it herself with three changelings and a well placed ball of yarn if this were the standard these ponies lived by.

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

 

@genessee

"No, she's just going to batter you with questions until you answer. She's a little... Strenuous to deal with occasionally, but beneath the caffeine addiction and conspiracy thoughts is a good mare."

In a way, Berry were like Alonsus. A pony with some baggage that not too many would want to deal with, but with a loyal, solid worker underneath it. Only one who hadn't been like that were their old delivery colt, and after he had moved to Canterlot and they had looked around for a new runner - one of Lance's new duties once this were all said and done - he wasn't sure if there was anypony working here without something. Lance seemed like a good one, but they'd have to see him in action before it got apparent if there was something there too. Hopefully there wasn't though, as the delivery service needed a regular kind of pony to appeal, but they'd work with it if it were. He had been through worse after all.

But Lance would have to meet those too. Not the witress though, she were out for an errand right now, so he could thankfully wait with her a little. Perhaps he should even warn Lance about that one?

A small smirk spread on his muzzle as he turned and waved Lance towards the back. Having thought on it, Straw were going to leave the waitress of the list for now and see how he'd react to her. Might end up being informative.

"Next up is the kitchen. You're gonna want to stay on good hoofing with the chef as you'll be interacting with him quite a bit, but it should be fine. Any questions before we move in there sonny?"

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

 

@Seamore Sandwich

It felt like gazing into the eyes of an angel when the hero glanced in his direction. The visage of their symbol of greatness were beautiful, and the look in his eyes carried promise of a greater meaning they had yearned for ever since he went away. Even a brief look of that were like a valuable treasure for his indoctrinated mind.

But his eyes didn't go away from the squire. Instead the hero... Spoke to him? Asked him to chose targets, of which he would find the most suitable for his return? And... T-To bear witness? Him? He was but a lowly squire. A recruiter that showed the lost a better way. Surely he wasn't worthy.

Yet... As the eyes of others looked at him in surprise, he knew that he would go with the hero. How could he even think that declining was a possibility? All of them had waited for him for so long, and would do anything to bear witness to his great work. Going against who he wished that to be were unthinkable. Sacrilege of untold proportions.

"M-My name is Sugar Lime, and If you wish me there, I will follow without hesitation my lord.

As for targets... Beasts that burden this land...

A while back, a large, vicious creature knows as a Bugbear attacked the village of Ponyville. Rumor a while back haves it that it was defeated, but reports have emerged of several creatures befitting it's description marching towards a village in the east. Whatever they seek is uncertain, but the devastation they have already left in their wake is unquestionable.

In the frozen reached of the northern mountains, a swarm of Windigos have been claimed to rise up and overtake a combined griffon and pony village. We have only gotten reports on this a few days ago, by somepony who managed to escape what he now calls the creatures *Eternal battle frontier*, but it sounds as if they have been under siege for weeks, or as long as a month, and both they, and the nearby villages they will overtake as their power grows - urgently need help.

Deep within the Creaking Forest to the south, alarming news have also shown up recently. Letheria, daughter of the first Chimera, have started to rally her kind after overtaking her mothers throne. Why she does this is not known to us yet, but when her mother once did the same, Equestria was on the brink of a war that was only narrowly avoided by somepony who defeated her in battle. Letheria is apparently far stronger than she were though, and Equestria seems unable to find anypony who can defeat her and silence the drums of war.

These are the worst we have been informed of in some time, great one."

Whilst he had been talking, the some of the elders among them had sent for the equipment that should be worn by the one who would bear witness. It had seen better days most assuredly, and the cloth had long since ended up threadbare and unusable, but new robes had been fitted with the armor, carefully sown to fit the description of the robe before it, and then been put away for future use. It had been around twenty ears since then an the color was not as white as it had once been, but they had been better at keeping moths out of it this time at least, and the few holes there had been during the time had been patched up.

Considering where they had it, it would be a few before it was retrieved, and likely a little more than that if they had yet to give the hero back the objects of his they had kept guard over for so long.

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

 

@Seamore Sandwich

"Tock you say? Oh excellent. I can ask how far along my watch have gotten then at the same time."

Tock were perhaps not the most influential in some ponies eyes, but she respected his work, and had taken a chance by commission him to repair a few antique watches she had gotten recently. Not so much the outside, but what made it tick? She had needed to find a specialist for that, and as it turned out, not too many had been rumored to be able to handle the fragiler mechanic. Tock had actually been the only one within a reasonable travel distance as far as she could recall, so she had sent some worker there with the things, an advance on the pay for this, and written documents that would ensure the rest of the sizeable amount she had to pay for this to be paid on his completion of the work.

She had never seen him herself though. Usually she liked knowing who she were dealing with, but alas, some days were hectic, so she had to rely on hired help for these conversations on occasion.

"We can go there now, if you prefer, though I have something to present as well."

Scarcity gave a barely noticeable nod to Brick, which made the pegasus wander forward and pull out a folded letter from his pocket. It would be reached towards Penny then, and he'd stand still until she took the letter, which seemed to be of a rather high quality. If she'd look at the back when she unfolded it, she would be able to see the remnants of a seal and an address in Manehattan, written in a flowing penmanship.

"Pastel Atmosphere sent me this letter after I asked around. You know him, yes? He owns one of the bigger galleries in Manehattan?

In any case, I asked around about fake coins, giving the specific details about how they have been made which you presented to me, and he answered rather quickly. Apparently, one of his sales included a bunch of these, which he have highlighted in the letter. Perhaps if we follow the money from that sale, we can find something there when it is, yes?"

Pastel were an eccentric and often irritating pony to be around, but he did have one thing about him which she loved: His impeccable sense of keeping records. Even the smallest sale in his gallery - which were still rather ludicrous ones for regular ponies - would have documents about the sale stored for years, in case anypony tried something or accused him of knowingly selling stolen paintings, or other situations which seemed mostly to be born of his paranoia.

There had been a few more slabs of paper in the letter previously, where it told her specifics which were not meant for regular eyes, which she had removed prior to bringing it here. Mainly about how he would look around for himself, but would like the assistance of others since the name ont he form seemed to be false. Other information were there, surely, but no picture and no name? He loathed work like that.

"But you laid out your clue first, so let us follow up on that to begin with, shall we not?"

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

 

@Moonlit @Seamore Sandwich @Widdershins

Though she turned, Cherish did not see anything that could speak. Only a stick that seemed hidden between the rocks, but she didn't bite much note in this. The castle had been abandoned for a long time, and here and there, nature had started to creep through the stone, so for her, this was kind of normal. At least compared to everything else going on.

"No, I hurt her. Everything was wrong, and she started screaming. There was so much noise, I couldn't think... You need to get her to a doctor. Or something bad is going to happen to her.."

Had it really been so long since she had been around ponies that the screaming alone had made her loose her balance and hurt somepony? Or was it because she were alone now, after the strange unicorn with the burning ears and the bat pony helped her friend to pass on? Either way, Ziggy had paid the price, and if the zegasus ended up like her because of it... She couldn't bear to think that, when the mare still had so much life ahead of her. Serenade the Siren had to do something to help her. Though... Were there even a way out of here? She saw stairs, but they were all but collapsed, and so were seemingly all of the doorways, though she did see a small sliver of light pop in between some of the rocks. Perhaps there was a way out if these things got moved?

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@Dji @Widdershins @Lloyd

"I know there's dragons here, and I'm sorry you have to go through that Dawn. I just worry that you'll end up getting hurt by the big one if you aren't careful, and I don't want that to happen to you."

Pop wandered over and tried to comfort her friend a little, as Benny stood behind in what he felt like quite the odd position considering what the negativity and overall weird situation with Dawn. He had heard that every couple had some friends that wouldn't like the one they were with, but he didn't think it'd be this direct. More like talking smack behind his back or something.

"Actually, I think there's a bigger chance she'll get in trouble for messing with say, that Minotaur over there. Ancalagon protects his courier guild before he lifts a claw for dragonkind, far as I know at least."

Benny didn't know if this little tidbit would help any, but he supposed there really were only one way of finding out, and that was by saying it. Besides, it was that, or awkward silence. It had been an easy choice for him.

Though thinking about it, there was one more he could talk to. The other dragon, who seemed to be on a bit of a hostile front currently. Perhaps he could talk him down a bit?

"So uhm... Hey there dude. I'm Benny. How'd it swinging?"

Meanwhile, Spicy rolled her eyes slightly at the Griffon's remark, but she eased up on the posture and annoying grin.

"Fine, fine. You've been playing along this far, so I guess it's fair I give a little back. What's gotten into you though? You seem all jittery and reclusive all of a sudden. Not used to this many folks around you or something?"

Since she couldn't be sassy, she figured she could try to be questioning about Aurora instead. She had been perfectly fine as they were getting into town - minus the bear chase - and even a bit after that, but then all of a sudden she had gone all nervous and stuff. Perhaps one of them shy ones? If she were, perhaps she'd have a bit of fun with that another time, but for now, it'd just help to know before the griffon sped off to get away from the crowd without knowing what were behind it. Stragglers were annoying.

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@Battenberg

"Looks like it's a good bag you got hold of there ma'am."

The color looked like it was a good batch at least. It was sealed up so no smell got through, like you'd expect, but from the looks of things at least, his family was gonna be in for a treat if this worked.

"And yeah, you know what they say about cats and dogs. Can't be helped I suppose.

Anyway, you said you met your apprentice? That sounds like a pleasant surprise. Is she handling one of your other businesses in another town or something though, since it sounds like you don't usually see her here in Manehattan?"

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@Shineling

"....Oooooh, them. I totally forgot about them. Lemme see if we can't find them."

Reaching into the top of her pumpkin - seemingly where she stashed most things - she rummaged around until she pulled out a map.

"Alright, let's see where they are."

Unfolding it, a map of what was either a lunatics rambling mindscape or this isle Hey! appeared, with a couple of dots standing close to one another, moving across a particular part os the isle.

"Uhoh. We uhm... We're gonna need to hurry to them. They miiiiight have wandered into a field of flesh-eating plants."

She looked around at the others after she spat out a seed beneath their hooves.

"What, you never wanted some of those? How else do you handle the eyeflies?"

Without much warning, the seed sprouted and engulfed them, before ramming the bulb they were in through the ground until they hit the surface, where it would open up again. Sure she could have just teleported them away, but this was her way of doing things, and she'd keep at it. Plus it tended to rattle others and that was well fun for her.

The place they went into looked like a relatively normal area. The flowers were about as tall as clocktowers and in some strange colours, along with a m,multitude of strange beetles buzzing around them. But beyond that and a few other things, you could at least see this as being a relatively normal place.

A little away from them, the mechanical spider that Molotov had with him were trying to fend off a few of the weird bugs with high pitches sounds being slung at them, which seemed to keep them at bay, but more just kept coming. Considering how small it - and they really - still were, it wasn't like they had reason to fear it.

"Alright, enough of this."

With a snap of her tail, the lot of them returned to regular size. Which would also include Blitz and Molotov if she could find them, but since they weren't in sight, she were gonna guess they had been eaten already. Guess she better snap her tail again and do a little something to help then.

"So the siblings have probably been eaten, which is pretty bad, but the good news is these things devour slowly, and putt heir victims in a forced, pleasant dream so they can do it in peace. With them being bigger now and covered in a coating of some pretty nasty stuff for them - raspberry jam, in case you wondered - they should be vomiting them out in a sec. You might not wanna touch them before I get them an antidote though. They're likely infectious."

Edited September 22, 2017 by Blitz Boom
Added Foxy Socks tag.