open Casual stroll

[genessee 535]

@Blitz Boom

"No, sir, not any that I can think of so far."

Lance had never been a huge fan of hot dogs, but he didn't despise them or anything. Though, back in grade school, the cafeteria served some for lunch and he had dropped his hot dog, and it bounced. Soon the entire lunchroom had fillies and colts throwing bits of bouncy weenies everywhere. It was great until they started throwing things besides hot dogs. His old hoodie had a permanent mayo stain on it that never washed out. I should go see if I still have it in one of the moving boxes somewhere. Probably all moth-eaten and dirty, but whatever. The other hoodie besides the small one and the one he wore now, the one he wore in junior high, had many, many more stories to tell behind each stain.

[Storm Shine 1,195]

@Blitz Boom

Storm looked worried when she mentioned the Boom siblings getting eaten but calmed down when Anomaly explained further, and then smiling at the idea of them getting covered in raspberry jam and then barfed out - the thought of the reversed order was pretty amusing, seeing as most things are covered in jam before they get eaten.

"Oh, oh, oh!" Pinkie bounced around excitedly, "Cover me in raspberry jam!" She gasped, "No wait, Strawberry! Or Cherry!" Her eyes widened and she stopped bouncing, freezing in mid-air, as a realization came to her... And then she began bouncing twice as much, if that's even possible. (Then again, Pinkie being Pinkie just makes it possible.) "Cherrychanga flavored!" She exclaimed loudly, "Cover me in cherrychanga flavored jam!" She began chanting happily as she bounced, "Cherrychanga, cherrychanga, chimmycherry cherrychimmy, chimmicherrichanga~!"

 

Storm chuckled at her antics - knowing Pinkie, she just wants to get covered in jam so she can lick it off. Then again.. He'd probably do the same thing, if it were a good muffin flavor. He zoned out a bit and drooled slightly, thinking of jam that tasted like lemon poppyseed muffins.

[Widdershins 9,955]

    Straggle, Straggle! Straggle, Straggle!   Don't make me bonk your metaphorical noggin.

 

   @Blitz Boom , @Dji & @Lloyd

    Having been tossed onto his back with his head pointed back the way they had rushed from when they were fleeing for matters he had refused to accept, the young drake had since forth not seen any of the past three or more newcomers. Indeed, he had barely caught any but a snippet of the mumbled apologies of the one mare that actually did offer help, but Kaltrop was not one to readily accept or consider others, a habit long since cultivated in living by oneself in high country canyons and trying to be intimidating. 

  While only about half as taller then a usual pegasus, with the same sort of flight-build but twice as long; Kaltrop comes up somewhat short to the approaching Benny. As the latter dragon could be assumed to be much more combat ready due to the requisite guard training, it only serves to point out Kaltrop's usual knee-jerk insolence & petulance as inproportionate and very similar to the sort of customer one often comes into contact in Complaint Departments or routine housecalls one likely confronts as a  city guard.

  As such, having still not taken the time to regard the large group Kaltrop had literally stumbled into and only latching onto what parts of the conversation he had caught to better fuel his typical strategy of reflecting blame on others; he rocks himself to one side in a somewhat helpless scrabble with a complaintive grumble.

  "I'm Fine! I don't need your stupid hooves on me! I don't even care what you lot think anyway; what do any of you know about dragons anyway?!"

   Rightside up now and hunched over his claws, but still pointed the other direction and not having yet made any eye contact yet; a small, half-regarded thought came to Kaltrop to which he thought out-loud in a voice only slightly quieter then his usual whine.

    "...wait... a couple?"

 

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 @Blitz Boom

      Nonsense & Fluff! It's only when its decorative brass bed-knobs that it becomes cheating when lakes of molasses are involved. So it clearly states in The Rules for This Sort of Thing. Besides, maybe you wouldn't be drowing currently if you hadn't had opened up a hold right down your neck into your lungs. Really, why would a metal body need lungs anyway. Design flaw, much?

   The tide of molasses sluggishly increasing throughout the room and slowly rising up his long neck with his head bobbling up above it like some sort of tip to the mast of a sinking ship; Widdershins's head continues the bobbling of one who has a questionable grasp on the subject they're talking about.

   More like Joan of Snark! Hoo!

  But where we're there then?... Ah.  I say what I mean when I mean what I say!

 The crux of your existence, the very reason you were made, your chosen role of concept-embodiment, Life, The Universe, and Everything in regards to your "self." Your answer is Stagelights.    ...YOu know? Those big black light fixtures what with the handles on the side? Usually fall down to comedically conk out actors? Andyes,beforeyouask, a good chunk of my knowledge is Pratfall-related.

  That's what it relates to anyhow. Stagelights. I really can't say more. It would ruin the story wouldn't it?

  As River Song always catchphrases: Spoilerthphbbtflthpbt...

   Widdershins's voice is muffled (mercifully) by the thick, bittersweet tide finally overcoming his chattering snout. Somehow, it still seems likely the draconequus is continuing to talk despite being fully encased.

[dragon4111 914]

@Blitz Boom @Widdershins

Ancalagon raised an earthen wall for the dryad to stand on. "I apologize dearest Dryad," he stated with a gentle tone. He then looked around watching his workers. He noticed a strange mare talking about dragons. Well his hearing was pretty good considering he was an alpha predator.  He chuckled slightly then laughed. "And yet the dragons of this era won't get any bigger," he mutter to Lyriel.

[The Resident Brony 60]

@Blitz Boom

"What is this place?"

Invictus began to ponder. He sensed a strange taint of magic besides what was present after being transported. It was almost as if this ENTIRE dimension was saturated in magic, like a creature existed here. He turned to Vivid for an explanation.

"What is this place? It's saturated in magic from what I can sense. Is there some sort of magical creature here that you know how to control?"

[hollow-shades 129]

@Blitz Boom The plan was going pretty nicely, though that unicorn was still there. And he was 99% sure that she was the other Changeling queen. She just stared at him while he was attracting his prey. As long as she didn't steal the stallion from him, everything could go out great. He looked at Onache a few times before approaching Lucky Clover. Just as he got face-to-face with the stallion, he faked a cute personality. Rubbing his ears a few times, he squeaked and jumped around Clover. He almost tripped when he heard the name Fluttershy, but he knew who she was. He just didn't know where she lived, so she kind of jumped around the stallion randomly.

[EQ_Theta 425]

@Blitz Boom @Shineling

"Sounds like a plan!"

Lin jumped at the chance to get moving and began walking to Fluttershy's cabin. Not even a thank you to the nice guard pony but Sen stayed behind to do the usual talking. Sometimes, he wonders if Lin actually learned proper speaking etiquette or even simple courtesy on her own journey because it was very limited with the way she just bolted off. It reminded him of his own time alone, out in the world and simply letting things pass by with minimal contact with anyone. The first time he ever had to speak to anyone at length would be a cook working in a gourmet restaurant in Canterlot who would sneak out table scraps for him for a time. It was good while it lasted as the cook eventually ratted him out and left him to wander around the back alleys looking for another makeshift home. That was when the cardboard boxes came in and much later, being thrown into the seedier slums where he thought he would disappear forever. But now wasn't a time to look back on terrible memories.

"Thanks and I'm sorry about my sister's manners. She's... well, we're getting worried sick about Omen and we want to make sure she's alright. Any features that could help me identify the inn and this Clayton Quartz? I don't want to stumble around there looking like I'm lost."

As for Lin, she ran straight for Fluttershy's cottage but not before passing by a couple of papers stuck to the walls of some of the houses. Looked like notice or a promotion but it mentioned something about a pyrotechnics show for some festival. The other details were vague but she didn't dwell on them for too long. There was still a more important matter at the moment and she's hoping Discord could help. 

Just reaching the far end of town, she spots the familiar sight of the home with the animal pen in the back yard. The lights from inside were rather dim and when she went closer to take a peek, it looked like Fluttershy wasn't at home. Then again, she couldn't see enough of the house through the lone window and went to the front door to knock. Here's to hoping for a solid lead.

"Fluttershy? Discord?" 

[Victoria Sponge 1,014]

@Blitz Boom

"Oh yes, Cupcake Sprinkles! I met her when I visited Fillydelphia for the first time, I had set up a small cake stall to see if the city had a taste for my cakes because I was planning on setting up a bakery there. Sprinkles took a great interest in my recipes and ended up helping me with the stall, completely without being asked and she refused to take payment for her assistance."

Battenberg stomped her hoof twice and Victoria re-entered, using her magic Battenberg shoved the bag into Victoria's face, while still talking to her customers, and the brown pony reluctantly grabbed hold of the bag with her mouth and took it back to the kitchen to begin preparing Benny's cake.

"I took note of her love for baking and took her under my wing as my apprentice, she learned fast and became an excellent baker. When I finally got round to opening a Battenberg Bakery in Fillydelphia it was obvious to me who I should put in charge. She's worked there for me for about a year now and she's doing a great job, it's nice for her because she still lives in the city and doesn't have to travel far to do a job that she loves. That's her there."

Battenberg pointed a hoof at a picture frame hung on the wall next to the door, it showed a young filly with an orange/yellow coat and long white mane filled with a rainbow of different coloured sprinkles. Her pink eyes shone vibrantly as she beamed back at them from her position by the entrance.

"She's a lovely girl, friendly, kind and always full of beans. She's here in Manehatten for a week to take a break from running the shop, she's probably left her coltfriend in charge, he's almost as good a baker as she is so things should be fine over there. Normally I would have asked her to let me know she was leaving the shop for a while but she wanted to surprise me with a visit so I'll let it slide."

Victoria walked in as she said this and huffed a little "Just like Cupcake Sprinkles to abandon her post without telling you..."

Battenberg frowned at Victoria but chose not to reply, it wasn't like her sister was much better at holding her post. She turned back to her customers "Yes... Victoria and Sprinkles never really got along... That's why she hasn't come here to the shop to see me, though she was looking hungry for a slice of Battenberg cake, so maybe she'll be along later, Victoria will just have to stay out of her way"

It was strange the way Battenberg talked of her assistant, the mare in the picture frame didn't look that much younger than Battenberg herself but she acted as if Cupcake Sprinkles was her daughter.

Edited September 22, 2017 by Battenberg

[Blitz Boom 4,450]

@EQ_Theta @Shineling

"It's okay sir, I understand. If anypony I cared about were missing I'd go out of my good skin as well."

Why they missed the creepy mare eluded him honestly. The few times he had seen her she seemed like the sort of creature to get away from, not look for, but he supposed that he shouldn't be too judgemental. It was just hard when most things about Omen made his skin crawl.

What was it that got too him the most though? The colors of her coat that seemed to float around randomly when he tried to focus on it? Perhaps the ever floating mane and tail, that made her seem ad both a specter and a mockery of the princesses? The voice was a good contender too. Piercing his.mind, whispering in his head with that mostly monotone, disturbing voice...

No, it wasn't those things individually. If it had just been one of them, he could have handled that fine enough, but the combination of everything - from the color to the voice - in conjunction with that curious, blank stare... That was too far.

It honestly made him think more of a puppet when she looked at him earlier, rather than a pony. A mockery of life, wandering around searching for something to make her a real pony. A harsh thought, and he was not proud of it, but it were what it were, and as long as he did not get audible about this, it would hopefully be okay.

"In any case, follow me, I'll lead you to the inn."

At said inn, sitting in a corner with a plethora of papers in front of him and furiously scribbling away at expense reports, insurance papers, liability clauses and so forth, sat the overworked pony they were looking for. He seemed worn down, but determined to get this done before going to rest, regardless of what others might say.

Besides, he couldn't get to the room yet. A griffon had fallen through the roof up there and they were still repairing it, though he had been assured it was mostly just a matter of cleaning it now before he could rest. Sounded nice to him at this point, but until that could happen, he had work to do.

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

 

@Flinp

"Woah there shorty, relax. I'll help you home, but you gotta work with me here a little or I'll just trip over you."

Lucky didn't mind helping the critter, but as he said, the little guy had to work with him a little in case he were to take it back home to Fluttershy. He didn't want to hurt the fuzzball or anything like that if it could be helped.

Think it might help if he carried the little guy, Lucky knelt down so he could jump on, and lead them to Fluttershy or wherever. There was a slight chance this wasn't one of hers, but somepony's pet he were for sure. Wild rabbits didn't get this close to him usually.

Onache just kept observing for now, though she were briefly distracted by a stallion who seemed to think he got some *swagger* or whatever the ponies called it.

He had tried to hit her up for a conversation, but she could see right through his facade. The emotions rilling off him spoke clearly of how he had just gotten interested in her looks, and were trying to hit on her.

Foolish pony.

With a glance, she had made him silent. One look, that made him regret approaching her, yet kept him transfixed on her for some reason, whilst he fell deeper and deeper into the harsh abyss of her disdainful eyes.

"Leave."

She blinked and returned her gaze to the critterling, breaking the hold she had over this annoying little cockroach.

He staggered backwards with shaky legs, and gasped for air.

What just happened? Why did he get that focused on her like that, and especially with that look she had sent him. Dear Celestia that gaze... He had been sure she were going to hurt him.

Onache didn't look in him as he scrambled away from her. He had barely been worth the effort it took to reduce him to little more than a deer starring into headlights, so why would she use more of her time on seeing how the mongrel went on?

He should just be thankful she were merciful on him, and didn't hypnotize him to add another lackey to her list of creatures to do menial work for her.

She could have done so easily, but he were not even worth menial labor like that. He was scrawny, and whatever talents he thought he had was purely in his muzzle, not his muscles or brain. He'd be dinner at best, but she'd rather wait for something less marinated in misplaced confidence than this.

As for the hypnosis part, that truly would not have been an issue. One of her specialties were hypnotizing others - the weaker minded the better - and force them to do her bidding. Something which did not work on the more strong of will, but for most, a varying degree would be effective towards making them bend their knees before her. Made the food more complacent too, though she liked it struggling. The tinge of fear was a delicious spicy alongside love.

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@The Resident Brony

"We call it - "

Vivid let's out an unpleasant, seemingly impossible to express noise, which sounded a little like drawing nails across a board whilst simultaneously beating it with rusty barbwire and broken glass. Just worse.

"- But since the infernal tongue is painful to most other beings, you can just call it Gateway. It looses something in the translation sadly, but it is befitting still.

Residents of the infernal plane uses this place to wander between some of the nearby worlds, away from prying eyes or if they need passage. Time here is slow, so a walk taking an hour here, could be as little as a minute in our world, or twenty in the other.

In any case, you aren't supposed to know of the other world, so I won't speak further on that."

She kept wandering and looked around, spying to see if there were other demons here, or infernal residents, as she had called them. It might still be self explanatory, but not everypony knew of the infernal plane, so who knew?

Heck, nearly nopony knew about demons in general. They had tried to invade Equestria when Discord ruled, and had failed miserably and without much of a fuzz. There was only some vague clues in books from what she could tell, and then the regular ponies referring to those they saw or heard of - such as her - like monsters. Or in the case of the creature that had attacked Ponyville, strangely enough, an actual demon. Something which were rather insulting, as that thing were closer to an angel than a demon. Not in the shape from what she knew, but the focus on bringing order and absolution like that? That one was close to the stereotypes she knew of.

"As for the magic you feel, it is not a creature, it is the tendrils we stand upon. The Veil is a powerful thing, and in this dead world it have overtaken and grown strong, reaching far and wide across this middle realm. It still doesn't have full coverage for me to pop up where I see fit in Equestria, but it is getting there. Hethraxia will ensure that.

And in case you wonder, Hethxraxia is the closest you can come her true name without your ears bleeding, and you should hope that you never meet her. The Bishop of SIn doesn't generally like mortals."

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@dragon4111

Lyriel needed a little time to gather her breath after she finally felt earth under her bare feet and palms again. She knew it likely had scared some of the ponies beneath, but right now she could only focus on her own easing pain.

"T-Thank you. I had been warned that this sort of thing would happen if I departed ground too much, but this were excruciating."

After a little more gasping for air and getting her bearings, she rose up on the pillar she had been provided, and looked down herself. She were going to need a little time to repair the damaged foliage part of her, but the withered leafs and branches were starting to heal, so it at least seemed like she didn't have to remove and replace any of it. That sort was rather painful.

Having assessed the situation, she turned her gaze from herself, and towards Ancalagon's eyes. Or at least one of them, depending on the way he faced, and the angle in general. The dragon were rather large after all, and it made seeing much of his greatness from here somewhat limiting.

"I accept your apology, noble one. I would never believe one such as you would do that sort of thing with ill intent in mind.

Might I ask though, what you mean with dragons not getting larger? Have something happened which stunted their growth?"

Lyriel sounded concerned, and she fittingly were too. Growth were not a constant thing, and she understood that well, but the notion that no dragon would reach the size of Ancalagon? It seemed improbable, unless something had happened to stunt them.

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@Widdershins

"Okay okay, perhaps the lungs was a bad idea this time, but then what if you had tossed a tornado at me, huh? Then who'd have been stupid for having lungs? Ha!"

I think you literally just found the absolute thinnest argument there. Congratulations, you must be real proud of yourself.

All day every day.

Whatever. Whilst the roo-

Hold it!!!

Oh for the love of... What now?

What is he talking about with the stagelights? Is it an actor thing or something?

Shouldn't you be concerned about drowning instead?

Out of nowhere, the molasses would start to float down into Anomaly's body like water down a drain, leading to... Somewhere, causing her bopping head to slowly reappear again after being briefly covered. She gave a give a grin and pull her tongue at seemingly nothing, though honestly, it would be easy to see who it was for to Widders, if he could get the sugary goo out of his eyes.

There. Now answer me! You've been holding information from me, haven't you? Huh? Huh? Huh?!?!

Jeez, Hakuna your tatas there missy. He just means you're a very theatrical being. You know, the whole evolving things, changing shapes - or costumes if you will - your home island you mess around with like a stage, the things you do to entertain or torment others, that sort of thing. basically, if you had a cutie mark, it'd be the tragedy and comedy masks. Is that clearer.

Yes. Now stay normal while I go and lick Widdershins.

You're tormenting me now, aren't you?

I bet he tastes like squid ink, rotting orchids, and cake batter.

...Sometimes, I really hate you.

So with that comment, Anomaly's head would start to try and paddle over to Widdershins, and clean some of the delicious sugar substance off him, in case that was needed. if it were, she were gonna go full on Saint Bernhard on him.

Drool included in every package!

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@Widdershins @Dji @Lloyd

"There's no reason to be aggressive sir."

It seemed that Kaltrops were a hotheaded one of his kind then. He really didn't like dealing with those.

That wasn't just a recent thing either. Long before he even thought about coming to Equestria, Benny had been growing up like any dragon would back home, which did involve some brawls as a means of entertainment. It had been fine really, and he had found it funny for a while, but eventually he just didn't feel like there was much point in it anymore. And when he lofted that idea to his friends... Well, it turned out they didn't like to hang out with a softie like that.

Sure, he had still had some left afterwards, and he got some other friends who didn't like that sort either, but times changed and friends came and went, so eventually he just had to suck it up and pretend to like this sort of thing again.

It was a hollow thing to do, but he hated being alone with noone to talk to, so he accepted it as just how it was meant to be sometimes, and got on with things. Though he at least eventually got away from that, and found somepony who liked him for who he really were. The life he had now was far more him than the one he had left behind, and it felt great.

It was a reason he pitied Kaltrops too. This was like how it had been back home, and now he were still like this in Equestria? This place was a chance to start anew, and seeing one of his own thinking it should be faced like it was done back in dragon land were a sad thing to see.

His pity started to change as Kaltrops caught on about Pop and him. Not anger or something like that, just a resigned look of somepony who had been asked that a couple of times too many.

Yet... Perhaps being exposed to this might open up his mind and shake him away from his current hostility? Not right away of course, but you know what they said about journeys and taking the first step.

Seemingly cautious for a second, Benny eventually reached down to his leg plated, and pulled a somewhat singed picture out from the plate. Thankfully it was only the sides, which were unavoidable with the work he did in the forge, but the picture itself were still in pretty good shape, though aged over the years.

"Yes, we're together. We started writing six years ago, and I met with her a year after."

He turned the picture and showed it to Kaltrops.

It was a simple scene at a beach, five years past. The sun had been ruling the skies without a cloud in sight, and he sound of birds cawing above him still resonated in his ears when he thought back on the day.

He had been writing with Pop for almost a year at that point. Ever since falling over one of her bottle letters on the beach, and taking the chance with making contact to see what would happen.

At first he had thought about just writing mocking things back as he had after all been raised to have biases against ponies, though after a few iterations, he just wrote something simple, and told himself that he would just be leading her on for a while. Communicate with letters and see who he were dealing with, then cut contact when he got bored and have a laugh at what he had gotten out of her.

But the longer they wrote together, the more he actually started to enjoy it.

The pony struggled with a lot of the same things he had. Weird home-life, having to fake your way through life sometimes to seem normal to those around them, and not being able to hold friends effectively, were just a few points. It had been why she had sent out the bottled mails in the first place, and apparently, he had been the only one who answered them.

The topics expanded as time went by. They spoke of family, worries, hobbies and everything between the sun and moon. It even got so far as to him sending her a few gems when she talked about starting her own business. A rare find for him, but one he thought would make her happier than he would have been from keeping them.

He had been worried that it had been a little creepy until he got a response back, thanking him for this at length, and he found that he had been right. It had made him far more happy to give them to her than to keep them himself.

Eventually, he found that not a day could go by without him longing to hear from her again, and according to her, she had it much the same way. Strange as it had sounded to him at the time, he had found somepony who finally made him happy, though it gnawed at him at times that the two of them would only ever exchange letters. The boundary of race and country were an issue that he couldn't deny, and he were far too nervous to bring the idea about meeting into things himself, of fear that she'd stop responding to him.

The picture that he showed Kaltrops were the result of a surprise invitation from her. She had written about how she had thought on it for a long time, but didn't know if she should ask him, and asking him to forgive her if it seemed a bit direct.

He uhm... Might have made a letter that could best be translated as the word Yes about a hundred times. Not his proudest moment, but she seemed okay with that, and they set a date to meet, at a beach where nopony knew who either of them were, and they could see eachother for the first time.

You could see the moment in the picture that some tourist had snapped when they met. Him, standing like he was unsure if he were even supposed to be on all fours or on his hind legs, , and looking surprised down to his left, where a mare in a frilly summer dress had poked him on his side. Her head and face were a little blocked by the bouquet of flowers in his hand that he had accidentally dropped on her in surprise, but you could still see the awkward smile on her face as she had found the dragon, currently on his hind legs.

She had a few more photos at the house, depicting how he had fallen down, almost rolled  the both of them into the ocean, and covered his face in the sand in pure embarrassment after that, but this copy of their first encounter were his to bear around. To keep him reminded about how stupid things had started out, and how head over heels he had fallen for her on that first day, both literally and figuratively, on a beach far from either of their homes.

"I know it's not rational, but love rarely is."

If others wanted to see the picture, it was in an angle that should let most of them have a glance at it too, if they so wished to.

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@Shineling

Anomaly grinned at the weird suggestion. It wasn't a rational thing to ask for right now, so of course, she complied without much thinking and with a snap of her tail, summoned a large pencil out of nowhere that covered Pinkie in a thick layer of different cherries and some fried batter for good measure.

She didn't know what a chimicherrychanga was exactly, but she figured that hey, cherries and batter were cherries and batter, right? It'd be fine.

She also heard a certain other pony's idea, which was were the brush went afterwards.

You know you're not supposed to read what the others are thinking.

Bla bla bla, can't hear you, busy covering Stormy in lemon poppyseed muffin jam.

That's not gonna w-

Look! A distraction!

Just as Anomaly said this tot he author, a nearby flower opened the petals and vomited out a jam-covered Blitz, with the one next to it soon spewing out the older sibling. They both seemed alive and breathing, so that was good, but they were going to need an antidote soon, and Anomaly wanted to go to her house for that.

A snap of the tail and a large, nearby rock grew a trunk and legs, then used the trunk to try and pull the two ponies on top of it, though it didn't seem to be able to find them.

After a bit of consideration, Anomaly went over and licked it on what would have been the face, and as her tongue went off the surface, it seemed the random creation now had a face that looked eerily similar to Matt Damon from Team America.

"Alright, so we're gonna have to go home now. Who else wanna ride of Ma- I mean, Datt Mamon, back to my house? Room for everypony."

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@genessee

"Alright. Come through then and meet Chop Chop."

Straw opened the door and lead the way into a kitchen. Nothing fancy out here, just a run of the mill sort of kitchen you'd find in most down to earth food establishments.

Behind the pots and pans, a stallion stood and rummaged around with pots and pans, cleaning them up in his current downtime before the next meal had to be handled. With his back turned like this, he didn't seem like anything special really. Brown coat and slightly spiky blue mane and tail were not really something to take note off too many places, but as he turned around and looked at them, things changed a little.

Nothing massively wrong with him. He seemed rather gruff in it with the beginnings of a beard growing around his jaw, though they didn't cover the scars all too well.

The pattern looked like he had been shoved into a shark, face first, and had to pull his way out again while the teeth were still around his neck and shoulders. A horrid description, but one who covered what had actually happened to him, and the reason for both the scars and the glassy right eye, where he had ended up getting blinded.

"Who's this bozo?"

His voice were rough, and sounded like it got pushed through sandpaper, though the scars covering his neck would indicate that it might be a miracle that he could talk at all.

"New guy. He's going to help around here and there, including with deliveries."

Chop put down a pan and wandered closer to Lance. The overall look of him approaching tended to be intimidating, depending on who he were wandering towards, but the indifferent look in his eye didn't speak of violence as much as barely concealed skepticism about Lance's abilities to function around here.

He'd get as close as he could without Lance physically trying to move away from him, before he'd stop and just stare at his new co-worker in silence. How Lance would react and how soon he flinched might end up determining how the chef would handle him in the future, or it could just be him trying to rattle the new guy for whatever reason. Straw knew which one it were, but he'd wait and see if Lance got it first.

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@Battenberg

"Wauh, you two have a lot of history together."

Pop were impressed about what she had heard. A chance meeting causing two like this to find eachother and go on a grand journey to bake their way across Equestria? Perhaps she blew it up a little more than it actually were, but it still sounded like the description for a pretty good book.

Her apprentice sounded like a real character too. Stubborn, determined, and quite a bit nicer than Victoria, which might have been one of the things that had them butting heads she assumed. Though to be honest, who wouldn't end up getting miffed with her eventually? How Battenberg made it were beyond her.

When the picture was pointed at, both Benny and herself turned and looked at the picture showing off a younger Battenberg and- Woah, that mare sure had a lot of color to her. It kinda started to hurt the eyes after a time in the photo, and in real life, it'd likely just be more out there.

Jeez, think about how it must be for her to comb all of that stuff in just the right way. Pop would end up going absolutely mad if she had to go through that.

"She sounds as colorful as she looks, and that's saying something."

"We could try and visit her part of the chain if we go there sometimes. Fillydelphia is probably a good place to go through on one of our trips anyway. I wanna see what Equestria haves to offer, and knowing there's another place were we can get good cake is always neat."

"You're thinking too much with your stomach."

"I regret nothing.

Anyway, I do hope she comes around here ma'am. It sounds like two are really close, and could use a bit of time together before she had to go back again. Sorta like sisters. Or a daughter visiting her ol' mama, heh."

Benny grinned as he imagined Battenberg grabbing hold of Cupcake and washing her face whilst asking her if she were about to have kids yet. Might be a bit of a stereotypical view on things, but hey, that was one thing dragons and ponies had in common right there. His mother would do it just as much as he'd heard ponies would yap on about it, and it'd be just as awkward for them as it was for him.

Edited September 22, 2017 by Blitz Boom
Added color.

[dragon4111 914]

@Blitz Boom

"Their diet if you think about it," Ancalagon stated as he looked at Lyriel with a gentle gaze. "They subsist on gems which doesn't nourish their bodies only magic," Ancalagon stated as he watched his workers. "Tell me how do you think I've come to my true size?" he asked Lyriel rhetorically.  "I ate meat. Each day I ate something bigger than I when I was but a hatchling," he chuckled slightly to himself.

[genessee 535]

@Blitz Boom

Lance, not one for physical contact, almost straight-up took a step backwards, but stopped. Pretty sure it's impolite to actively try to move away from your coworkers. So, instead, he (barely) tolerated holding still and talking while only slightly leaning backwards.

"H-hello! I'm the, uh, bozo you were just talking about. My name's Lance, and I'm the, erm, new guy?"

He ended his sentence in almost a question, as if asking for approval. It was pretty obvious Chop Chop scared the daylights out of him. It wasn't the fact that the scars were there-- it was the combination of the beard, scars and voice. Like a viking, come to chop my head off and burn down the village. Okay, maybe viking isn't the most scary job I can come up with. Though, I can see him wearing a viking helmet, with horns and all that stuff. 

[Foxy Socks 2,596]

@Blitz Boom 

"Perhaps. We can look around, though perhaps we can do it later, if you already plan to do something. It wasn't made around here, so I wouldn't know where to go. Other than Rarity, but she is probably too busy nowdays. I can put my suit in the tent where it can be safe for now." They weren't too far from it, as it is the same town. Foxy was relieved that she found it at all. It came from all the way from Manehattan, and was expensive, though it meant more to her than that. It was her connection to foxes, and it would be devastating to lose it. 

[Sekel 685]

@Blitz Boom & @Widdershins & @Lloyd

DAWN & AURORA

Dawn grumbled something unintelligible at seeing the picture, well what she could see of it anyway, and looked away into the Everfree Forest. It didn't feel right; a pony and dragon together as a couple. Usually it's dragons with dragons and ponies with ponies. That's how it worked, that's how it should always be. But no. Her new friend and her boyfriend had to go and stuff the status quo up! "Just ... be safe," Dawn managed to get in a growl, directing her words to Circle Pop.

 

"Um, just, um ... heheheh. I ... uh ... don't do well in crowds. I get nervous. I get stressed, and I get all round scared," Aurora whispered to Spicy. Maybe she could tell her her secret? No, it would be too easy and simple. Plus, she didn't know how Spicy reacted to Changelings anyway. Guess there's only one way to find out. "I've heard some ... uh .... bad things, about Changelings. What's your stance on them?"

[EQ_Theta 425]

@Blitz Boom @Shineling

It was a very sensitive thought that ran through Sen's mind, everyone looked alike with and being with the difference among each pony about as clear as day. Colors, manes, cutie marks... The longma had similar conventions in their own kind but had different meanings behind them. Like his own flank with his and Lin's names inked there. At least the ponies still had something relevant to their marks. Having the purpose of leaving that mark on his flank fulfilled means it doesn't have any reason to be there. Also, what is with the inns? Longma would give their homes as temporary lodging for travellers and seeing this system outside made him curious, maybe thinking about staying for a night when he was in a position to do so. Those were more personal thoughts he would prefer to keep in his head as he would be the one to go up to Clayton Quartz. 

"Excuse me? Clayton Quartz?" Sen reluctantly approached the pony sitting at the table and thought about how wrong it felt to interrupt him. Those papers seemed overwhelming but if Stargazer says he could help, he had to ask him. "Is this a bad time? I was told you could help identifying this gem."

As for Lin, there was no reply at the door though she wouldn't take no for an answer seeing the light in the cottage. She knocked again and called to Fluttershy this time but there was still no answer. A third attempt followed as she knocked harder.

"Fluttershy? If Discord is there, could I speak with him? It's about Omen and it's really important."

 

[FanOfManyShows 396]

@Blitz Boom

Warlock quietly grumbled a little. "Neither of us are truly wearing an element Athriel." He glanced at the necklace, the smoke inside seeming to tremble at his glare. "Actually if there is a trap behind this wall..." He lifted both his front legs up to the wall, and drew them back slowly, dust floating to his hooves as he attempted to drain any magic from whatever was in store behind the wall. "I'd surely hope this turns out to be something I can handle in my current state" He paused his attempts to suck the magic, glancing about as his ears twitched, sensing something off about the temple, then resuming his attempts

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

Astral just stood back and observed the conversation from her distance. Not really knowing what to say as they conversed, but her mane floated a bit as she idly gathered magic, with short deep red flames forming around her in a circle, almost forming a pattern as it moved inwards to her body. Something really anypony could notice if they looked her way. "Big dragon?" Astral asked as she looked around, having only just picked up mention of it, the circle of flames spreading outwards faintly as they dissipated. "How big are we talking here?"

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

Misty squirmed in her sleep a little, seeming panicked, mumbling quietly about something. Iron Star jerking awake as his ears popped up, he turned around to Misty, placing a hoof on her. "Calm down, it's just a dream." He whispered as Misty opened her eyes slowly, Star smiling a little.

"W-what was that?"

"Dream spell, picked up your dream while I was resting, didn't know you still remembered everything that happened at your village." He said with a worrying tone. "How long have you been affected by that?"

Misty looked down. "Like, three months." She said as her ears flattened.

Iron Star sat down on the side of the bed. "I could place a spell on you so you could rest without the nightmares." He said looking over to her.

"No, the memories only came back because of the events today." she sighed, laying back down. "They'll probably be gone after everything is done."

He nodded and closed his eyes. "Alright." He said with a quiet sigh as he opened his eyes. "Just let me know if you change your mind."

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

General Wind stood by Dew, looking around the area. "If Benny knows or can find anything out we should make sure he's around before any new encounters with the Warlock figure." He mentioned, looking to his back and the metal plates on the side of his torso. "Do you think they'll be finished fixing my wings yet?"

[hollow-shades 129]

@Blitz Boom Thaaats it. It was definitly her, and she exploded the stallion's brain or something. Ignoring the rest of the ponies around them, Stingler quickly shapeshifted back into his stallion form. "Oh great, its you." He finally spoke. His voice was not really different from the other Changelings, though also original on its own, even on his fake stallion form. "What do you wan't now? Whatever is left of the hive is all the way over to the badlands you know."

[Blitz Boom 4,450]

@Flinp

Lucky bolted back in shock as the rabbit he had been bowing down towards all of a sudden turned into a pony. That meant this was a changeling, and he had tried to l-lure him away? Oh no, oh nonononono, he had to call the guards, h-had to... To...

A noise broke into his thoughts. A low buzzing, barely audible at first but growing and expanding rapidly. It felt like moths were swarming in his head, covering his thoughts... Wait, they began to lift again. T-Thank Celestia, he didn't want to have what just happened obscured by... What exactly? he felt like there was something that had just happened to him, but he couldn't remember it...No, he was just imagining things. Nothing had happened. Everything was fine.

He rose up and dusted himself off as the mare came over to him, worried and ready to raise alarm herself to what had just happened. But something didn't seem right. Lucky didn't seem to be worried, concerned or anything like that. He was... Laughing?

"Oh man, you got me good there mate. Nice prank."

His friend were visibly confused.

"Do you know this one?"

"Yeah, I've seen him around a few times. He likes to spook me the little prankster."

Lucky went over and gave Stingler a small pat on the shoulder.

"I'm not gonna be fooled that easily next time though. See you another time bugboy."

With that, Lucky would turn around and grab a hold in the mare who seemed to have calmed down a little now, though she still looked strangely at Stingler, and to a lesser extend the silent mare who had wandered a step closer during this whole episode. But since Lucky seemed to know at least the known changeling, it was likely fine.

"Come on, let's get some hayfries. My treat."

"Never say no to a free meal."

With that, the two of them would be on their way. Perhaps they could get hold of them again later, but for now, they were gone, and a crisis for Stingler would be averted.

For some it might seem weird that it had gone down like it had, and especially since Lucky had never been a friend of his, but anything could happen. Especially when you were given a helping hoof from the least likely of places.

Ponies wouldn't know what to look for, but any changeling would. The subtle hints of magic flowing, the faint buzzing, the rework of memories... A hypnotic technique some changelings were capable of, but of this magnitude and without even looking at the target, the signs all pointed to just one, and she were currently glaring at him like he were a spec of dirt underneath her hoof.

"The weak deserve that place."

Onache had not gotten her nickname as the Slaver Queen from just stealing other drones who got too close to her hive, or from bringing in ponies, griffons and the like to do the labor she did not see her warriors fit for. Both were part of it, but not as much as her hypnotic capabilities, which she used in mostly cruel and self serving ways.

With it, she could bring a perverse order into the chaos of an attack, turn the citizens against one another and eventually make them willingly come to them and serve, or be fed upon with a smile on their muzzles, and a conviction that this was all they ever wanted to happen.

Of course, this did not work on changelings, so she used more direct methods to break them, but on a good deal of the lesser races it was not an issue. All that was needed was a weak or shaken mind, and she could begin her work.

Honestly, if this kind had worked on Chrysalis, she might have actually won the battle of hives they had back in the days, but alas, the fight had been on regular blasts and physical strength, and no matter how well trained Onache were there, Chrysalis had a bigger hive and more love to back her. It had made her stronger, and Onache had been forced to accept defeat.

But those times were gone now. The once ambitious and strong queen was weak, exiled from her own hive and would be out seeking shelter in places not even worthy for worms, just to be able to lick her wounds. The age of Chrysalis were gone, and from the sound of it, she were not the only one who did not want anything to do with them anymore.

That did not mean she had saved him out of camaraderie though. If the guards had come for him, he would have ratted her out to save his own hide, and though she were effective at handling crowds, it would get the attention of the large dragon looming above them, and she were not foolish enough to think that she could bend the will of a being several times older than her entire species. He would have been dead long before this if that was possible.

So she had shown mercy to this gnat, saving both of their hides from something neither would like to happen. He should be grateful, but it seemed he were more interested in being defiant instead. A fun mind to break normally, but she did not have the storage for that right now, fortunately for him.

"I want information, and you're going to tell me what I want to know."

She didn't need to tell what would happen otherwise. He should be able to tell it himself by imagining one of the worst things she could do to him that didn't involve physical contact. In this case, making others forget what he was about to do to Lucky, but with some juicier details that would get him taken down as an extremely hostile force and taken to the most secure room they had in Canterlot. And her? She would just slink away and take a new form, safe while he got put into a hole beneath the capitol and slowly became mad from limited access to love.

"A house in blue, on the southern edge of town. We will talk there within the hour."

It was a meager place to settle, but the loner that had lived there had been easy to sway, and served her as a lackey and snack, so there was that at least. She still didn't care much for pony housing of this caliber though, but in her current situation she had to make some sacrifices for the sake of convenience.

If he said more she didn't care about it, though threats would get him pinned down by a nearby being she could sway. She did not tolerate fools who did not even realize they had no leverage, and everything against them, and whatever mercy she had ran shallow. If he did something to irk her, or did not show up within the allotted time she set, he would loose everything. Even if he ran away, she would make sure the story got spread.

So it was up to him. Follow now/arrive within the hour, or become even more of a pariah than his race already made him. A weighted choice, balanced heavily in her favor. Just how it was supposed to be.

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

 

@Lloyd

There was a trap behind the wall, just as Athriel suspected. A magical gas locked into a secure room, just waiting for a hole in the wall or something similar to flow out and force whoever breathed it in to fall into endless sleep.

A clumsy spell in some ways, overfed by magic to keep it stable and lasting. A perfect cocktail to be drained by Warlock to sustain him for a time, and get him to better health.

It was foolish of the ones who stored the elements to not have the two wearers they had imprisoned in mind when they made all their traps, but perhaps they counted on things going differently. Athriel would not be able to use the gas, as she had no skill in draining magic, and Warlock they likely thought would just break down the wall in an attempt to find an element to harness, releasing the gas. There should have been more measures in place, but thankfully for Warlock, if there ever had been, they were long gone now. All that remained now was a clumsily put together sleeping spell, and a feast for whoever knew how to tap it without releasing the gas.

Meanwhile, Athriel looked around, whilst her right ear twitched slightly. She had heard something slide past either behind or inside the wall on their left. A slow, methodical sound like a rope or wire sliding against something, or perhaps a reptile of some kind that got muffled by the stone?

Neither were comforting, and made her get a little on edge. They might have triggered something in here that was going to go against them, or do something with the other temples, and if even one of those paranoid thoughts were true, this could end up becoming a bigger issue than she had already expected it to be.

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

 

@Lloyd @Dji @Widdershins

Screecher looked at Astral, observing everything that went on with the flames around her. It might be she were a help now, but the mare still had forbidden magic working for her, and it made the general uncomfortable not knowing what might happen. It could be something catastrophic, if she wasn't kept under observation.

"How big? Look up."

The flames dissipated for now, and Screecher went on to answering the question about the dragon's size they were referring to. Though considering how Ancalagon worked, she'd have to supplement this further.

"What you see is him reducing his size to not decimate the area. At his true size, his foot would encompass the entire town and cause tremors for miles upon miles. Believe me, you do not wish to see it, just as the princesses did not when they negotiated with him to remain less destructive."

At least,t hat was the story she knew. it had happened long before her time, and it had likely been twisted in some way by time and the ones who spoke about it, but it were what she had to work with.

Meanwhile Pop got a little closer to dawn and would attempt to giver her friend a hug. If not, she'd at least do what she could to look at her as friendly as possible as she kept on talking to Dawn.

"I know you're worried, but it's okay. He treats me well and I know how to handle myself if something happens in general. I mean, I had a house almost fall down on me and I'm perfectly fine, see? Fluff of steel."

That was perhaps a little misleading, as it was more like she had hid in the basement, but this wasn't the time for realism. She had to try and reassure her friend right now, after she had gotten herself tossed into a situation that she was - mildly said - not comfortable with.

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

 

@Lloyd

Chow didn't say anything as the two of them had their conversation. It seemed private, and not something he should get involved in unless he wanted to stir some bad memories, and that wasn't his intentions. Might be he could avoid that, but knowing himself and his big, stupid muzzle, it seemed unlikely that he wouldn't end up stomping into something that should not be meddled with.

I'd be good for the two of them to get some rest, but alas, timing's a harsh mistress sometimes, so just as they closed their eyes a team of doctors would barge into the place and make all sorts of ruckus as they went over to the bed where Golden laid unconscious one, and started to prep him for transportation. The field medics had done most of that already after stabilizing him, so it was just a matter of a half minute or so, at which point some of them would turn to the group of three and approach to see if something was wrong here.

"We were told there was other ponies who needed to get to the hospital. A broken leg and potential retina damages I believe? Is either of you three the ones we are looking for?"

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

 

@Lloyd

"They will have only barely gotten started at this point. First they need to try and find a way to replicate the effect, then they can get to work repairing it. You're likely going to need to give them an hour or so at least."

The twins were honestly too crazy to serve military duty, but as they were the only ones beyond Benny that could handle the forge temperatures these days, they had to keep them on payroll. Their work was good too, nothing there, but it was sometimes hard to work with crazy ponies. How Benny had gotten them in line sometimes were honestly surprising to him.

Reaching the scroll room, Dew opened up and saw the entire office scrambling away at making scrolls as fast as possible and sending them off. Considering there wasn't any kind of royal event planned right now, it seemed like they had been told to get to work by Iron Wing after all.

"Seems like you got them going. Let's get back to the throne room.

As for Benny, I don't know when they'll be back, but I hope they come around with good news. For now though, we need to keep focus on speaking with his cousin about an element of disharmony. No matter how the battle went, it's likely good if we can get hold of these things and find a more secure place for them before he does."

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

 

@EQ_Theta

"Huh?"

Clayton looked up from the papers and nearly bounced back at what he saw. Though he had been a few places and seen some creatures, it was far from everything that had passed him by. Belladonna knew more of that kind and could have sorted things quickly, but he had to leave for Canterlot to get something done for tonight, so for the timew being, he were alone in town and had to rely on himself and his limited observations.

So okay... The creature didn't seem hostile, were polite and seemed concerned. Plus there was a Night Guard with him... It seemed unlikely to be a trap or dangerous situation considering that, so he'd try to answer what he could.

"Right, sorry, I didn't uhm... W-What I meant to say is that..."

He stopped himself and took a few deep breathes, whilst attempting to calm himself a little. A small thing that Belladonna had taught him in case he were about to go panicky that seemed like too simple to work, but tended to help him take the worst edge off. Though he could still use some tea after this to get a little more stable. His nerves were already torn in this town with the forepony breathing down his neck constantly, so perhaps he should go so much for a cup as a tub full of the stuff instead. Or the spa perhaps? He rarely went such places, but perhaps going there in the morning would help things.

But that wasn't for now. Currently, he had to open his eyes and try to talk again to the strange creature that had shown up to speak with him.

"M-My apologies, Nerves, you know?.

You said you were looking to identify a gem? Let's have a look and see what you're dealing with."

Clayton moved closer and narrowed his eyes on the bauble in Sen's grip, then took a surprised yank backwards and reached for a light. It seemed something had caught his interest with it as he got a candle closer and pulled out a dichroscope from his pocket. A fine tool in checking out gems, and one he had a use for more often than not when he checked for these things. Helped separate the gems that he were looking for from the fakes or low graded ones.

"Grade, variation... Effect stays the same regardless of position... Remarkable really."

He stepped back and put the tool back in his pocket before talking.

"What you have there is called a Cralyanthis Gem, or Changeling Emerald in regular speech. Low grade versions of it have been used as decorations for a while, because of the odd visual effect, and pops up now and again in mediocre amounts. Generally around the mountains of Equestria.

This however, is no low grade pretender. This is a high quality, uncut piece of an actual, magical gemstone, disguised as a simple toy. A highly dangerous pretender too I might add. See, If you broke the glass, it would attempt cling to your appendages and work its way around until it completely covered you. It helps to add a layer of protection on the wearer, but the parasitic stone eventually crystallizes the host, making them into more of its kind. It is a highly fascinating phenomenon really.

I mean, o-of course not if it takes over somepony. There's a reason it were only ever allowed to be mined by highly trained professionals that knew how to drain it of the magic afterwards. It is a really beautiful thing if handled correctly, and highly valuable. The lump you're holding would sell for around 385.000 bits, depending on the auction. Personally I'd suggest Glittering Array's workshop for it They have the tools to neutralize it for a cut of the profit, and is one of the only three that have ever been authorized to work on them legally.

The rarity actually helps locate this, though it's strange. The only mine it could ever be gotten from closed down years ago. Publicly they said it was because there was no more gems to find and they moved on, but this is making me curious a to the the truth in that... And a little worried actually.

I would like to ask how you got hold of this thing, and why you're trying to locate the mine? I hate to pry, but I'd prefer not to share where this comes from without knowing why you're looking for it, so I can assess if the risks are worth your cause. I hope that's understandable. Also... I may have to ask you to put that thing in a safe deposit of some kind, just in case the glass doesn't hold in the long run."

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

 

@Foxy Socks

"Well, I mean, if we don't ask her, how would we know if she's too busy. Right?"

Brittle had seen Rarity once in the time she had been in town. She seemed like a pretty, but high maintenance mae, and normally even trying to be near one like her would likely make Brittle crawl into a ball and hope she wasn't seen. Might just be a bad time she had seen the mare in action, but when she had, Rarity had been meddling around with a braided tail pony and tossing her through a lot of dresses and other stuff. Seemed like a challenging thing to go through for her.

But the spell still held together somewhat - though a few thoughts were starting to filter in now and again - so she felt okay with trying to push a little for going towards the fashion pony for help with this suit.

"If she doesn't have time, we can go look for somepony else. We're not busy. I think."

"Correct. With the influx of workers, there is little I can really be usd for currently, so if I can assist our dear friend here I am prepared to seek somepony who can help her in her endeavor. Though we could also aim to seek out the one who made this to begin with Foxy? A little traveling would not hurt any of us if it is."

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

 

@genessee

Chop narrowed his eyes further as he glared at Lance, before taking a step back and giving a small nod towards the new hire.

"You'll do."

With that, he stepped away and went back to the pots and pans. It seemed Lance were okay enough in his eyes for now then, though they'd see if that kept on as they worked together. As one who'd need to deliver things occasionally, Lance should hope he could get along with him at least. It would make the whole process a lot easier.

Straw seemed almost impressed, and a little surprised actually, at how it had gone.

"Well that went better than I expected. The last one he made weep in a corner.

You don't need to be worried about him though. Chop might seem violent, but he's mostly harmless, as long as you don't try to mess with his station. Former Coast Guards like that can get very irate when you meddle with their tools.

Anyway, we just got one to go, and I think she's likely on her way back. If you can get past her without running away for dear life, we're ready to get you settled into the process. Let's get back out and allow Chop to work for now, alright? We can go have a look at the premise in the meantime."

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

 

@dragon4111

"I guess that explains why the large Ata- Dragons, around the valley were hunters. I just always assumed varied size were an evolutionary thing, and not dependent on diet.

Do you still rely on meat now, great one? I mean no insult, but your current size seems like it would require a substantial amount to satisfy your hunger."

Lyriel felt a bit of pity for the dragons beneath. To think that wandering away from meat were what kept them their size were a little saddening, though she suspected it were inevitable. ponies did apparently not eat meant and kept all kinds of animals as pets. They were likely less accepting of you if you started to eat said pets rather than a glittering stone someone had dug up.

It made her wonder about Nerzhei though. The dragoness clearly ate meat, yet she wasn't of an immense size. Perhaps it was dependent of the early years, rather than later on? Ancalagon's response might answer that, but it was the only idea she had to explain it.

Or... Perhaps there was another one, in that it depended on the amount. Ancalagon mentioned eating large creatures each day, whereas Nerzhei seemed to keep to fish and other regular sized meals. Perhaps she simply just didn't eat enough meat to sustain a growth spurt like this?

And to think she had thought dragons mysterious when she lived in the valley. She had been away from there for weeks now, and around the scholar now and again in that time, and yet she had far more questions now than she ever had answers.

Edited September 24, 2017 by Blitz Boom

[hollow-shades 129]

@Blitz Boom "Not like I have any other option, right?" Stingler spoke, annoyed. For some reason the stallion walked off without any trouble or anything. It was kind of weird, actually. "So, which house are you talking about?" Stingler had no memories of a blue house on Ponyville. Then again, he barely came to this place, threfore his knowledge on it was poor.

[Storm Shine 1,195]

@Blitz Boom

Storm stopped licking the tantalizing muffin-jam and looked up, "Come on Pinkie, let's go." Hearing no response he looked to his marefiriend before rolling his eyes good-naturedly at the sight of her licking at all the jam, lost in her own little world of cherries and fried batter. Storm grabbed her and flew them both onto Anomalys rock with an odd face.

 

@EQ_Theta

The door to Fluttershy's cottage opened slowly and Discord's head stuck out, a shower cap affixed between his horns. "Yes~?" He inquired, "I heard my name in the shower, and my ears began burning." He licked a talon and put out the fire on his ears, "Burning ears don't get on very well with shower water, I'll have you know. They tend to argue quite loudly" Discord added, cleaning some ash out of his ears with a talon.

[genessee 535]

@Blitz Boom

Lance looked worried as he followed Straw out. What does he mean 'not running for dear life'? While he felt confident he could manage to stay in the same room as what he was about to run into, or his brain would refuse to make contact with his legs, he still began to sweat. He was about to ask 'Why would I want to run away?', but figured the answer would be 'You'll see,' so he kept his mouth shut. Lance had made it a rule when he was young to never make fun of or avoid those who looked different/acted different/whatever. It was kind of cheesy, but it was so if that ever happened to me, like if I tripped and fell down a staircase or something and wouldn't be able to talk, I wouldn't feel guilty over the ponies I discriminated because I hadn't discriminated any. Now, though, he began to wonder if that promise was about to be broken.

 

[dragon4111 914]

@Blitz Boom

"Hmm maybe it was when I was younger there was a time of chaos. Where large beasts roamed the world where you're small and unable to protect yourself," Ancalagon chuckled as he used alittle illusion magic to show the dryad what he looked like as a little hatchling. "But as you grow your scales harden. Wingspan becoming larger to hunt the most dangerous game at the time. Claws becoming like swords capable of slashing even the toughest hide," Ancalagon said with a grin on his face. "provided if you can hunt for yourself of course. But consider this if your Celestia didn't come ponies would be smart and warlike to combat the larger creatures," he stated as he looked at Lyriel. "And to answer your question regarding my hunger. Yes I do require a large amount of meat. I refuse to subsist on diamonds and other gems. Gold and the like are meant to reward your followers for doing a good job...Along with bedding. And to show off to a future mate," Ancalagon stated the last part to himself. "Not for eating,"

[Foxy Socks 2,596]

@Blitz Boom

Foxy contemplated for a moment. "Well, it was made all the way in Manehattan, which is a little day's travel at the least. Let's try here first. Rarity's is only a short distance from here."

 

Foxy then remembered Brittle, and the spell cast on her a while ago. It could wear off at any time, but Foxy wouldn't want her to be uncomfortable, so she asked, "Are you okay with this, Brittle? The spell may be losing effect soon, but we'll both try to make you feel alright."

[FanOfManyShows 396]

@Blitz Boom

Warlock felt the tingle of magic in him as the spell was partially absorbed, even though he stopped the amount he took would tear the spell apart and make it useless, but Warlock took the rest of the magic used in the spell, his mane beginning to float a little as magic smoke poured out of the wall and into him. His ears turning around as Athriel looked about, barely picking up the sound she had heard. "Could've been a trap activating..." Warlock said looking to her as he put his hoof down, his mane floating as he floated over to the origin of the sound, lifting out his hoof as he extended a sword just in case, constructed out of magic, but seeming very violent as it struggled to stay together, sparking out and lighting up the room around Warlock, surely to show them what created the sound.

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

Astral looked up above herself, and out of her hoof slid a magical construct, almost as if it was exiting her hoof. "Dear Celestia I hope Warlock doesn't get that beast on his side." She said looking to Screecher.  "But even aside that, How the heck does this thing trot in here without me noticing this entire time?!"

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

Iron Star looked over to the doctors, his eyes faintly still having scars on them, but despite this, Iron Star did still have issues seeing. "Myself and this filly here." He said looking down at Misty, he then looked to Chow smiling a little as he stepped off of Misty's bed, almost indicating he had heard Chow's thoughts.

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

General Wing sighed in relief, turning around from the scroll room, but then pausing in his step."We should check at least right?" He asked looking to Dew.

[Seamore Sandwich 470]

@Blitz Boom

 

Penny led the way to Tock's shop.  Once there, they would see a well painted blue building with an open, ground level porch.  Over the porch was a sign made up of letters taken from different old antique signage including a carnival style "T" with lights, an "O" with a detailed wood carved design, a flat shiny copper "C", an old style painted sign piece for the "K", and a red "'s" followed by "SHOP" in a square frame with rounded corners.  The sign was in excellent condition as were several pieces of furniture and antique machinery on the porch, as would be expected of an antique restorer of his caliber.  "This is the place," Penny said as they arrived.  The lights were on inside, but there wasn't much noise aside from an old record player that was still on even though the record had reached its end.

 

@Blitz Boom

@Moonlit

@Widdershins

 

The stick would glow as Charlie spoke, saying, "Hi!  Are you friends with that other one I was just talking to?  I really hope not, cuz whoever it was was kind of a jerk.  They kept repeating everything I said!  Whatever or not you are, you should probably stay away from them because they don't seem to be very friendly today."  Charlie didn't realize they said 'Whatever or not' instead of 'Wether or not,' which must have been a bad habit picked up from accidentally possessing Briar the day before.

[EQ_Theta 425]

@Blitz Boom

To Sen, a gem is a gem. The use of technical jargon confused him but at least there was a definite place to start. A mine and an abandoned one at that; it narrowed down the search to that place of interest, which got Sen's hopes up. Unfortunately, that also left him wondering if the piece in front of him is Omen, or a part of her that ended up outside their home. The thought of seeing her turned into this inanimate object horrified him and that wasn't just limited to the implications. If ponies mined this, how did they learn about its ability to crystalize the unfortunate host and what became those who weren't so lucky? 

"I don't know how it ended up so far away from Equestria's mountains to begin with," Sen slowly replied to Quartz's query. "You see, the village where I come from is far off in the east, likely not found on any map. It was outside my home and I could hear it, or someone channeling their voice through an inanimate object with this crystal in it, to speak to me. And this coincided with the disappearance of a... good friend of mine. I thought these events were somehow connected but after what you said about it being able to crystalize ponies unfortunate enough to crack the glass exterior, I'm beginning to worry my friend, or a part of her, is this crystal. You seem to know more about this than I do; maybe you could tell me if there is a difference between a naturally occurring piece and one from a crystalized victim? It could ease some of my worries."

Sen sat across the table from where Clayton Quartz was and pulled out a wooden box large enough to cover the gem. That is, he emptied out the contents of said box and repacked them inside is satchel. It was mostly packed food and some foot wraps for rugged terrain. The were a few little gemstones here and there but those were for the drake currently with Lin. 

"And before I forget, where is this mine you talked about?"

@Shineling

As for Lin, seeing Discord brightened her smile and reignited some hope in finding Omen though the ashes pouring out of his ears put her off just slightly. It still didn't make her less antsy about finding a place to start looking though that is somewhat mitigated with Sen looking for other leads. 

"Thank the spirits you're here!" Lin breathed a sigh of relief. "I know this is all so sudden but is there a way you could contact or locate Omen? She's been missing for days and Sen and I are worried something terrible might have happened to her. I didn't know who else to turn to and I'm hoping you could help." 

Edited September 25, 2017 by EQ_Theta