open Casual stroll

[Sekel 694]

@Blitz Boom

KARMIC FATE

"Princess Celestia?" Karmic breathed, a quizzical expression on her face when she saw the white Alicorn nudge a damaged egg until it hatched in the presence of the amber Unicorn mare. "What ... then who is that mare with the egg?" she questioned out loud, moving a lot slower than her kitty counterpart. She twirled and behind them, saw the same painting-like vision coalesce into the mare running down the passageway towards them but with an angry expression. The vision bypassed both of them and disappeared into a wall that was just up ahead. Karmic pointed with a hoof and attempted to keep her voice to a whisper. "Where does that patch of wall lead!?" She failed.

Edited March 8, 2018 by Dji

[EQ_Theta 460]

@Blitz Boom @Storm Shine

“It’s never easy, not even after going back. It isn’t the same anymore, but let’s not talk about that. I could make a few things with rope and some stones. Not sure about the blades but I’ll see what I can do.”

Taking some sections of rope and a few stones to begin, Sen placed the refraction on his head and began to make a few bolas, useful for snaring a quarry’s legs to keep them from running. He took some extra precaution and used slightly bigger rocks assuming Filigree would need extra weight to trip on her legs. There were some nice ledges for him to place a couple of large stones held back by a wooden plank, a trap for Filigree to run into; someone could kick the plank away to cause a rock slide. Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure how much time he had and only opted to have one or two of them made. 

The bolas were lighter, allowing him to make about six sets and a spare length of rope can be fashioned into meteor hammers, or what can be considered as a flail as long as a yo-yo but even lighter. He made two different types, one with only one stone to act as a head and another with two. With what remaining rope he had, the rest were forged into six rope darts with a few leftover blades. 

“Yeah, so I figured you could hold on to the remaining blades and use them how you want but these little things will be snaring Filigree’s legs. If need be, there will be two rock slide traps on the far ends. Either someone could kick the planks away or these rope darts to snag the planks if no one could get to them without being noticed. The rest falls to speed, cunning, and creativity.”

“And then there are these beauties.” Sen showed the two unique tools he put a lot of care into building. “I don’t think there is a specific term in the common language for these but in our language, these are called liuxing chui, meteor hammers or sometimes affectionately called ‘dragon’s fists’ though that isn’t entirely accurate. Swing this around your body quickly to generate momentum then release the weighted head to strike. The heads can be used to parry, snare, or disarm your foes at any range but to effectively use it, simply be fast and unpredictable. I’ll give you this one with two weighted heads. It’s easier to use.”

With that, he handed Rosa the two-headed flail and stood back to see if he wanted to practice with it, along with the other tools he fashioned.

It wasn’t enough that she had to try to get Belladonna out of a tight spot, now Lin got to witness just how fast someone could be turned into a solid piece of crystal. She couldn’t even finish pouring out the liquid from the vial when a tremor startled her, causing her to drop the vial at Belladonna’s feet. A waste of good liquids unless it managed to empty all around the crystals but she wasn’t going to sit around and wait to see what happens next. Turning around to Filigree now angrier than before, she ran in the direction away from the three paths and hopefully found the exit just further along. She’d have a few rocks on her to pelt the crazy bat pony mare every now and again but was worried she would become a permanent resident of the mine. 

“Discord, any chance you could get us to the others soon? I don’t think I want to keep this fight going on any longer here.”

[Blitz Boom 4,641]

@Lloyd

Hailstorm frowned slightly at what he heard. Murder? Sapphire's sister being the accomplish to a great evil? Body snatching? Their family tree seemed dark and twisted if what they said were true, and it elft a disturbing thought in his mind: What if the sister who could take bodies, were already within the castle? A paranoid thought for sure, yet one that he had to take into account when it came to Warlock, as he had seen the kind of thing he could do when he was free. They couldn't chance him being released again.

"Change of plans. Retrieve the chain from the prepared cell and bring it to us. We're putting him into isolation cell 7."

One of the guard nodded and went off to get the prepared sort-a chain they had gotten ready so far, whilst another took off to prepare the ones standing in wait to move further down into the cell block.

The isolation cells were normally not that huge of an issue for prisoners. They were put there to either stew in their own thoughts for a few hours, keep them safe from other prisoners, or as impromptu drunk tanks, where the drinker could sleep it off in peace.

Isolation cell 7 however, had been one they had some issues with in the past, which caused it to be quite heavily reinforced. Two layers of thick steel, bars from bottom to ceiling on every wall, the possibility of introducing a sleeping agent from the ventilation hole - where the path were lined with too many bad things to trespass unless you were the size of a roach - and most importantly: It required three keys to open. That was the main reason he wanted to use this one now, rather than one if the other isolation cells that he believed would have done better under other circumstances, and would also be watchable. Cell 7 had no windows and only a single door, so you were unable to look out, or to be looked in at. It was a safety risk to not have him under constant visual observation, but so it were to have his friend suddenly sneak in and unlock his cell.

"And unless you wish for me to prepare another cell miss, I would ask you to justify your actions. Confessing to murder is a serious oiffence"

The general might intervene here, but he still felt like this needed to be turned and taken into consideration when it came to the talk on what would happen with these heretics. It was a serious crime that were brought into things now, and it may well be damning enough to end up getting Sapphire arrested on the same terms as Warlock. Astral too, if she had any part in this as well, which would be somewhat sad. He did not wish to punish their saviors, but the law was the law, and the circumstances in which a murder would not be met with justice were scarce.

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@Lucid_Nightlight @Storm Shine @EQ_Theta

"Oh, that silly thing? Doomsday cult brought me back to life, tricked by Zhu. They thought they got a destroyer. Hehehehe, they were wrooooong. I couldn't remember anything from my previously, apparently evil life, so Zhu took me away and taught me how to be a good draconequuui on a deserted island. That's my home now, and I keep changing it around to be more fun! Except the beaches, you don't go down there. Squid monkey's rule that turf."

She shivered at the thought. She might be able to remake them into something else, but there were a lot of them, and they were viciously aggressive. THey'd get some good stabs in on her before she'd be able to keep them under control. And that would count for every colony of them, which were frankly a good deal. Better to just leave them be for now, until she thought of some kind of animal she could use that could handle them, without making it even worse. That's what happened when she made the squid monkeys in the first place, when the harpoon crabs got too feisty. Once were enough to teach her about the cause and effect of escalation warfare.

"Oh well, home sweet, crazy home. Where everything knows my name, and only about a third of them tries to eat me."

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@Battenberg

"A scale? Sheesh, you folks need some odd stuff for your brews, but alright."

Toxen grabbed hold of a scale around a fourth the size of her hand, that were placed near the start of her tail and drew a deep breath, squinted her eyes, and pulled roughly. A yelp escaped her as the hardened scale tore off and got clenched in her hand whilst she mumbled obscenities. A tear rolled down from her eye as she griped with the pain, but she wasn't gonna go all out weeping. Her mom would never let her hear the end of it if she heard that, though she'd likely point out the hole in her scales now instead. That was gonna be about as fun as pulling a scale off.

"Son of a diamond dog that hurt. Bad day to have gotten the loose scales wriggled out."

A service at the place she went for a beauty treatment were to have the dull scales that were replaced with never ones and were just in the way, removed. She had gladly taken that then, but right now, she were starting to regret that.

Aaaand that was when the zebra told her that she didn't need it straight away, and that she could've just picked one up. Come on!

"Nuhuh, you're taking this darn thing now if I have to chain itt o ya. That hurt way too much for it to have been to waste. And I'll fetch your coal alright, if that's what it takes. Whatever's needed to get dad down and sleeping again."

"*cough* Well, we should be on our way and fin the flower and your coal then miss. Come on girls, there have to be a flower merchant around here somewhere."

Pop had let the others talk here since it seemed like the thing to do, as they were addressed, and not her. It had given her some... Interesting thoughts about them, as she saw how her friends went on their way with forking over what they needed to.

Toxen were brazen, and not hesitating much when it came down to handing over a scale, and it seemed to hurt a good deal too in the moment. It must've been pretty well stuck. Honestly she found this admirable, and a good sign that she wasn't gonna delay helping her dad, but as were evident after that, when it was confirmed to her that it didn't have to be her own, it did make it painfully obvious that Toxen were a bit more rash in it than was for her own good. Benny's big sister indeed.

Victoria... It made sense honestly, n ow that she had the time to think on it. The mare were still rather vain, and that she'd want something for her hair did seem somewhat in character to her, but in the moment she had thought what the hay she were doing. It had seemed rather brazen to ask for something in here for a hair, even if the zebra agreed with it.

But there was nothing to be done there. The scale had been harvested, the hair and flower had been exchanged, and now they just needed some foxglove, and a bag of coal. Seemed simple enough.

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@Dji

"So your visions can be guided then. Interesting."

Zhu came to a halt, as Karmic focused on a piece of the wall that he were not even aware had something behind it.

"The one that you saw, were my nanny. The only pony Celestia trusted enough to watch me when she could not be there. Not that you would find proof of it. I were always hidden away, not to be seen, or to see others, for the betterment of all of us. I miss them both, but I had to make a choice. What consequences I might face now that I have attempted contact are solely on me.

Perhaps I can tell you more later, though know this: My past is a secret I value, especially in this time, so what you learn should be kept to yourself. You have seen what I am willing to do to get things settled correctly."

It was a threat, though considering how important he had said she might be, she might also realize it was a hollow one. There were not a way that he would do something irreversible to her, or something that would lead her towards seeking vengeance on the world, and him in general. Yet it was something he thought were worth an attempt, in case she did not realize that.

"As for behind this wall, I were not aware that there were even a path. If your vision have shown it to you though, I find myself curious as to the meaning of it. Perhaps it is something that we are meant to encounter."

He went over and pushed on the wall, feeling a slight movement from the old stonework. Pushing quite a bit harder would eventually get the section of the wall to move to the side, revealing a path even dustier than the one they had just been in. What a curious turn of events.

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@EQ_Theta @Storm Shine

Filigree would be aggravated and blast after the two of them all the while they were making their escape. Her aim seemed to have worsened though, as there were near misses, yet no hits. At least not on Lin, though with Discord, one could wonder what would be his deal. Would he even avoid it? Would he simply nullify everything, tired of the whole situation, and crush the remnant of the beast heart fused to Filigree's chest? Would he get Lin and him away, and continue the battle? This might well be decided right here and now, before they reached the exit, though it all would come down to one lord f chaos, and his unpredictable mood.

Meanwhile, in the diamond mine, Rosa looked honestly impressed by the clever things that Sen made with the materials at hoof. he had known his share of hunters here and there, but they tended to be more predictable in their ways, and stick with making things meant for one kind of prey. This though? it seemed as if Sen were prepared to hunt basically anything that wasn't more than around double his size, or perhaps even bigger. Who knew what more he could make, in case he would have been faced with a bigger target than a bat pony.

Take the flail he had been handed currently. As he stood and flung it around at varying speeds, testing the weight and force of the creation, he would admit that he were fairly impressed. He had not expected this from Sen before this.

"Intriguing design. Balanced, moves with purpose and force. A rather powerful weapon, especially when you consider it was made from what was available. Impressive work."

He swung around with it some more, testing and honestly seeming like he had the base idea, but were still somewhat clunky with it.

"However, I think it's best if you use these. Usage of weaponry such as this isn't one of those things I adapt to easily.

Perhaps when this is all over, we can exchange techniques?"

He kicked a stone up into the air, then quickly flung a throwing dagger at it, hitting it on the side. Then another one flew and hit the pebble now jolting to the left, causing it to bounce back up, where it'd then get into a noose by a thin, steel wire that he tossed from his belt and jerked back at the right time to ensnare the pebble. Fluent movements, much as what Sen would do with his weaponry, just different techniques and specialties involved.

"We used to train like this, and nopony graduated until they could hit the same pebble ten times in a row. It were not an easy one to pass."

Sen might be surprised by how often infiltration involved knowing how to throw a knife right, or noose somepony without them really noticing what happened and such. If was mostly to distract, not to hurt though. There were times when he had to make a choice to cause some physical harm, but he prided himself in only doing what was necessary, and never leave any lasting injuries. It kept his conscious somewhat clear, and it tended to make the job easier too. The less that got hurt, the lesser the chance of somepony even finding out he had been there in the first place, and an effective spy would do the best to not let him or her be seen.

Granted, he were nothing compared to his teacher, but still, nopony at the school really had been. hard to beat a mare who could seemingly vanish right in front of them, and remain hidden even when there was guards everywhere.

"In any case, could you provide a demonstration on how these things work properly? I find myself curious as to how it would perform with somepony who've mastered them."

While he said that, he went around and gathered up the throwing daggers again. It was all fine and dandy with a demonstration, but these things did not grow on trees, and with the ones that Sen had used, he were down to about a dozen. he had to conserve the remaining ones better than to just toss them all over the place. Never knew when he might need them.

He used to have the same thoughts on Bolas's back in the day, before he ran out. one of the missions Thoraz had sent him on got the lot of them spent, and he hadn't had the time to reforge some new ones, nor even find the metal he tended to use for more streamlined versions. A pity, but his time and resources were limited currently. Thorax had given him amnesty and a chance to redeem himself, so it would hardly be fair for him to pester the king about needing things that he realistically didn't use that often. At least not until his kingdom had been properly established, and trades between them and ponies would result in a stream of revenue and goods. He might be able to make request at that point.

To the side, observing everything, were Omen. Looking between the sleepy refraction trying to ruffle around on Sen's head to find a comfortable position to rest in, and the two weapon enthusiasts, there were no shortage of things to observe.

She couldn't even lift a weapon properly, much less use it if she suddenly had a weird urge to do so one day, so seeing the two of them go at it were intriguing. Drew her in like a moth to the flame, though hopefully without getting burned.

[Victoria Sponge 1,017]

@Blitz Boom

"Wow Toxen, good job! Makes me seem silly for complaining about a hair."

Victoria was impressed by Toxen's selflessness, she could learn a thing or two from this dragon. She lowered her voice slightly and made sure the zebra couldn't hear her 

"I-I was going to give it to her anyway by the way, I wouldn't get in the way of your father's health like that but I really wanted this flower. Not just because it's pretty but because they grow naturally in the Crystal mountains and I've always loved them, my dad used to pick them and put them in my hair like this. I was nicer back then, maybe this will help now." 

Lemon smiled at Victoria, warmed by her daughter's sudden sentiment.

"You girls go on and get that foxglove, I'll stay here with Ahadi, I could do with some potions myself. Ahadi makes a great potion that makes cakes sweeter without making them too unhealthy. I can't resist making traditional sugar filled cakes most of the time but we do need to stock healthier cakes for those ponies who want to live a better lifestyle."

Lemon waved fairwell as the gang headed out of the shop in search of a bluebell. Victoria took the lead as usual, given her display with regards to the undying flower it made sense that she would know exactly where to go to obtain the ingredient they needed.

"If we go to one of Manehatten's many flower stalls maybe I can get some for Battenberg as well, to say sorry for how I've acted around her for the past few years."

[FanOfManyShows 396]

@Blitz Boom

Sapphire looked to Hailstorm. "She was using dark magic at the time. Even Warlock's crimes wouldn't compare to what she was doing." She let out a sigh. "I wasn't sure if it was the right thing at the time. I only did it though after I uncovered that she could travel from body to body, if she couldn't I would've killed her. Although while I was hoping she'd change her mind after, but alas, she didn't."

Astral looked at Sapphire with a bit of a questioning look. "Well killing her is still a big deal."

Sapphire sighed, looking down. "If you still desire to arrest me as well, I could see why." She said, raising her head to look at Hailstorm.

[Storm Shine 1,196]

@EQ_Theta @Blitz Boom 

Discord rolled his eyes, snapping his claws to create a bubble-like membrane made of a null-magic field around the three of them to buy a little time, preventing any blasts or crystals from reaching them. Snapping his fingers again, he freed Belladonna from her imprisonment before quickly popping the bubble, causing the three of them to be transported to the rest of the group.. Along with a small portion of the dirt they had been standing on. "This may not be my fight, but I may as well render some assistance."

[EQ_Theta 460]

@Blitz Boom @Storm Shine

“Your training… what you mentioned sounds a lot like what hunt masters used to teach. They made sure every tool we made were like our last, always built to do its work effectively. I didn’t get it until after many years in and I could still hear them criticizing how a firmly made tool was still flimsy if they messed with it just right.”

Though those words pained him before, now it simply humored him. He chuckled at that thought, still wondering if being exiled meant he wouldn’t have to hear those straight from their mouths. Small comforts indeed…. Sen picked up the two-headed flail and stood back, giving himself lots of room should the weighted heads swing a little too wildly. He wouldn’t want to risk an accident. 

At once he swung the flail on his right side, letting it build speed then switched sides back and forth along a lemniscate pattern with his main claw holding on to the swinging rope and the other head tied around his left foreleg. 

“Right now, you can see I’m just swinging this thing but when you’re ready, you can loose your grip and fling the head directly forward, from above, below or from either side.” Simultaneously speaking and acting wasn’t easy and the rope seemingly swerving in midair only showed just how out of practice the longma was despite showing something passable. Shooting the weighted head forward and barely landing two body lengths away pretty much solidified just how lacking he is in training. 

“You could also swing slower and let the momentum carry the head around, wrapping itself on your target’s weapon or extremity. This lets you disarm or spin your target by pulling on the rope. It might take a lot more practice when holding it in your mouth. If we make it past fighting Filigree, maybe I can stay for a while and study your methods.”

Sen had hoped to try some of the more difficult techniques he had only seen many years ago but seeing Discord brining in Lin, Belladona, and himself to the area forced him to postpone his very eagerly prepared, albeit rushed and improvised, demonstration. Quickly seeing the group, he ran towards them to regroup and to inspect them for any injuries. They seemed fine though but after what happened in the village a while back, he wouldn't leave anything to chance. 

"Discord, Filligree would've likely made you a target back in the mine. It may as well be your fight now since she's very much unhinged and she wouldn't hesitate to make you into a statue. You wouldn't want that, would you?" 

Those were the first words Lin spoke upon reaching the rest of the group but she didn't pay any attention to her surroundings until after she said her piece. It was likely because she was miffed at the draconequus's remark even if it didn't intend to come off as offensive. Turning to Sen who had just arrived, her tone changed to a worried on, hoping he and the rest had something in mind.

"Sen, she's coming. Whatever you have in mind, you better make sure it works."

"I've got something. Get out of sight and let me do the talking," Sen confidently replied, resisting the urge to smirk but his tone suggested something along the lines of being prepared and ready to improvise at the drop of a hat. He turned to Rosa and Omen as well to fill them in on the last part of his plan.

"When you see me strike Filigree, that's the signal to start throwing rocks to get her attention. I'm hoping we could use the rock slide traps to slow her down and the bolas to tie down her wings and legs. The rest will be up to Shrimp unless we could use some of that liquid Amethyst had. Rosa, could that work?" 

[Sekel 694]

@Blitz Boom

KARMIC FATE

"Somehow, I don't think you'll follow through on that threat," Karmic smiled wickedly. She inspected the walls and found the painting like vision had faded from view. Maybe this was a sign that they were meant to go this way? Either or, Karmic felt it was best to follow the new path instead of the one they had been treading before. "You know, maybe that trap door is known to guards. Just in case, I believe we should take this path, don't you?" she asked Zhu, turning her electric blue gaze to him.

Edited March 10, 2018 by Dji

[Blitz Boom 4,641]

@EQ_Theta @Storm Shine

"I'll strike at her, and see if I can make some openings for your traps and assorted weaponry. If we can string her down, it will hopefully make things simpler."

Belladonna had a weird few minutes to process currently. First being turned into crystal and now being soft and free again, on the ground and starring up at a weird, spotted mare with pale eyes, and a methodically flowing mane and tail.

"New friend?"

The assistant rose from the ground as she quickly assessed the situation and went through things so far.

It seemed easy really. She had been blasted after applying two more needles to Filigree, then Discord had seemingly freed her and taken them away, leaving the bat pony to seethe with rage in the coal mine. Where they were now would likely be the diamond mine mentioned earlier to her by Clayton before they left him, and these the rest of the good alligned beings that were out to fix things.

From the voice in her head, she could tell who had *spoken* with her for now, though she would still need to evaluate them herself. Clayton were not as perceptive as her, so she could not assume that all he had said would be correct.

"No, I am the personal assistant of Clayton Quartz, Belladonna Venin. I take it that you are Omen, with the ones behind you being Sen, Shrimp, and Sub Rosa?"

Omen nodded as the unicorn pointed to the ones she mentioned correctly.

"Interesting. Now on to the next point of order. Discord?"

She turned to the lord of chaos that was getting a talking to by Lin for his actions, or rather his percieved lack of such.

"I believe I owe you thanks for the assistance in getting me out of there. It is greatly appreciated."

She bent her neck towards him in a sign of gratitude. Not a situation she had expected, but it would be unseemly for her to recieve help and not show that she were pleased with it.

"Are you certain it was a good idea to bring another civilian into this?"

Before they had shown up, Rosa had been exaiming how Sen had done his performance with great interest. The longma seemed rusty in his movements, but he could see that with a little practise, he could end up being a great threat with weapons such as that. Perhaps he'd see some more when the fight eventually started.

"Clayton were less equiped than I to deal with the issue, so I made him hide and took his place.

As for you, I believe that your judgement of me is premature. You have not seen any action from me, and I posses no physical strains that would perclude me from being able to contribute to a fight. That I am not a sactioned guard does not mean that I am a liability, otherwise I could say the same for you. You posses no unform yourself, and simply cloak yourself in the darkness to strike unseen, which are less effective in daylight. What is to not make me think you were the useless civilian instead?"

Rosa rose an eyebrow at the well spoken lashing that he had recieved, but decided against pursuing it further. It sounded like they had a battle closely by now, and they needed to focus on that, rather than him arguing with an assistant as to who were the most useful in a fight.

"Regardless, how close are she to get here?"

"If she needed to only find Clayton before, I would expect her to travel here next. It sounded as if she were aware of his location in Canterlot under normal circumstances, but unable to reach him, or she would not have said that I should fetch him when she heard his name. The defenses of Canterlot seemes to be an issue for her currently, and if not, she will simply be able to destroy some of his property, not find him.

I would expect her arrival to be with 20 minutes to 2 hours, depending on if she goes straight here, and if her speed have been increased in her current state."

Belladonna went on to describe how Filigree looked when they had seen her, though Omen just went over to Sen instead for now, and let the others about doing the thinking work.

"I can get Shrimp to bat mare. Wait til she is on the ground?"

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@Lloyd

Hailatorm were quiet for a ling time, and pondered what he had been told.

"It is not an easy situation to evaluate. If something is horrid enough,  action needs to be taken, but at the same time, I cannot condone actions like this...

I believe this will be a situation for the generals to evaluate at the meeting, as it involves the Warlock situation. General Wave should be arriving soon, and I were informed just before this that General Screecher arrived at the station, and should be on her way with some associates. It will be more fitting for them to pass judgement on this."

While they walked, there were indeed some movement on the station. Where Benny, Null and Void arrived, and were met with both General Screecher, and the changeling disguised as a solar guard. They'd be on their way, and should arrive within the next ten minutes.

Meanwhile, Sapphire's group had reached the prison, and were stopped by a guard holding a dented helmet in his hooves. Hailstorm pointed tge guards dealing with warlock to keep walking, whilst he looked at the seemingly groggy guard.

"What's going on?"

"A rock hit me on the head sir, and when I woke up, we..."

"Spit it out."

"The seer escaped sir. Along with some drunk mare we placed in to sleep it off."

A thick wrinkle went over Hailstorm's forehead as the message were handed to him. He detested having to deal with things not going right in the castle, and a prison break? By somepony they had to be kept in check? The generals were not going to be happy about this.

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@Battenberg

(Before leaving the shop)

"What we don't do for family, right? He ain't yours, so I ain't judging you for trading a bit to help out. Long as both parts feels gravy about it, there ain't a cow on the ice in my book."

Honestly, all Toxen would judge on were the weird trade. A hair for a flower? What sorta weird economy happened here?

Then again, in her old home, they traded gems for trophies sometimes. Perhaps a little weird to these ones too, though she would consider a nice necklace of shark teeth having some more cool factor than a flower. Might be a dragon thing though.

(After leaving the shop and gearing Victoria's comment)

"I don't know, do you think Canterlot has enough flowers for that?"

Pop held a hoof in front of her muzzle after she said that, whilst Tozen bellowed out another laughter that made a few assorted strangera to turn and look at them.

"Bwahaha! Oh snap, the rose is showing her thorns."

The mare felt slightly embarrassed, and a red tint spread on her cheeks.

"I'm sorry Victoria, I don't know where that came from."

"Oh come on, show some pride. That was an excellent stab at her."

A small smile spread on Pop's lips as the dragoness praised her for her little unfortunate outburst. It was true that she did feel it was pretty good, but she liked to get along with others, and usually only were like this towards those she felt close to, like Benny. It felt a little early to be like this around these two, even though they were as friendly as could be, but apparently she were opening up without realizing it.

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

 

@Dji

"Perhaps they know, yet they might know this too. But there is a little time to spare. I will follow, and see where your vision guides us."

Honestly. He were very curious about what this would lead to, but he tried to keep that down. It involved his old nanny after all, and potentially a situation after he had left in silence, following the incident where he had decided that he needed to leave.

It would strain the time he had to use for his other engagement, but it should still work. Moving with some more haste after this should alleviate the time needed, and if he were correct, the one he needed to meet were in need of some time to rest regardless. It should still work.

He would shut the hidden door behind them, just in case, and waited for Karmic to move on before he'd follow. Whilst turned towards her though. He didn't look at her, and instead relied on his hearing, and the information he gathered by tasting the air with his forked tongue. He did not want to see more of her future right now, or hear her complain about tentacles across her mind.

In a way, he envied her version of sight. She could still look at others, and not find herself see what could be unfold with no control. Even if her visions came randomly, she could still gaze upon othes and attempt some semblance of a regular life, whilst his curse removed that chance from the start of his life.

The blank spots he met were far and few between, and only Celestia had ever been able to devise a spell to block his vision, and he could not share that with anypony, as he had never learned that one. An oversight that he had regretted several times in his long journey through this life.

(Sorry for no colors, but on the phone. I hope it is still readable)

Edited March 10, 2018 by Blitz Boom

[Victoria Sponge 1,017]

@Blitz Boom

Victoria seemed hurt by the comment and her eyes went wide and a little shiny before her expression changed to that of her former personality.

"H-how dare you! I'm trying to change myself here and you have to make insolent comments like that? The nerve!"

She huffed, frustrated, and hoofed the ground, similar to her first encounter with Pop. Unlike last time however, she actually heard how she sounded and managed to catch herself before she went too far. The softer Victoria had a different way of coping with such things which meant instead of showering Pop in a hailstorm of insults her eyes welled up and she began to sob lightly.

"No, y-you're probably right actually, I'm such a bad sister. Battenberg deserves the world, not just some ugly flowers she's probably allergic too."

Finally knowing what was going on in Victoria's head even back when she used to hide it was strange, she could be so strong and stubborn but even when she'd been at her meanest inside she was crying and hating every aspect of herself. 

"Thank you for apologising, I appreciate that, and I don't think any worse of you... just myself. I-I'd like to apologise too, for responding like that. It's hard for me to cope with insults even if they weren't said with malicious intent, that's how I used to deal with them, this is how I do it now. The worst part is that this isn't much better, I've gone from a mean pony that nobody likes to one who can't handle herself and just becomes a pathetic mess at simple jokes."

Her hair fell across her face as she attempted to hide herself and she seemed smaller as if she was trying to make herself seem invisible. She didn't walk ahead this time however, while she was trying to hide her tears as she had done before she wasn't going to pretend she was ok and wasn't upset, the first step to getting her self esteem up was getting help from others and she knew this now, ignoring them and pushing them away wouldn't help. Instead she just sat down and looked at the ground, ashamed of herself, awaiting the response of her friends, waiting for them to laugh at her for her inability to take a joke.

[EQ_Theta 460]

@Blitz Boom @Storm Shine

“Alright, but I insist that we at have some of these items distributed. If I can’t tie down Filigree, at least everyone won’t be left defenceless.” 

Before everyone, Sen gathered his makeshift tools and spread it out for everyone to take. Even if they wouldn’t use it in the long run, the longma wasn’t going to let anyone go in without something for backup. Well… except for Discord. He meant no malice for that but he thought maybe because he already has powerful magic at his disposal, he wouldn’t need the tools. Still, he left them there and said nothing about his thoughts, reserving them for himself and leaving it at that. 

Lin noticed the strange tools and picked up one of the bolas without any hesitation. She had seen many hunters try and use one of these but they never really got it right. She knows for certain she wouldn’t be an exception but why she chose it is only for her to know.  

With anywhere between minutes and hours, there wasn’t enough time to set up any larger traps in the surroundings but without further second guessing the urgency of his suggestion, Sen pulled out his footwraps and tore some of it into several pieces. He worked on making small pouches and had some pieces of string in his pack to seal it after grabbing some jagged stones and packing them tightly. Omen approaching him was the perfect moment to give her something to use. 

“Yes, Omen. We’ll get her on the ground first and keep her from leaving. We get that beast heart exposed then Shrimp can come in and do the rest. Here, something for you. If you need to put some distance between yourself and Filigree, pull the string and leave these on your trail. It’s better if she’s on the ground for this to work but hopefully, the sharp rocks will slow her down."

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@EQ_Theta @Storm Shine @Blitz Boom

"Things trying to eat you? Have you tried a dog whistle?"

Lucid had the ability to make weird creatures, but he didn't do it often, he had some relatively normal pets, one was somewhat weird for pony standards, but it was no squid monkey.

He opened a portal and pulled out a bearded dragon lizard, which simply stared at Anomaly.

"This is Pringle, he's not exactly chaotic, but he's a decent pet."

[Sekel 694]

@Blitz Boom

KARMIC FATE

“The vision kinda vanished but it looks like there’s only one path to follow,” Karmic informed Zhu with a quiet tone in case Royal Guards really did know the secret passages. She walked along the path, hoping that Zhu was following and not peering into her future. She did not want to experience weird tentacle stuff again. A shiver went through Karmic’s body at the thought of it and she shook her head. “It’s built solidly ... doesn’t look like it will come down any time soon anyway.”

Edited March 11, 2018 by Dji

[Blitz Boom 4,641]

@Dji

"The castle were build with the intent that it would last. I have no surprise that the secret halls withstand time as well."

There was a time when he had even played in this place, unseen from the eyes of others, with the blessing of Celestia. She had known it was safe, and in their quieter times, she had even joined him for a few games of tag. Such innocent times it had been back then... A pity they eventually had to end.

Even if they would meet up again, and she would somehow accept him, the innocence was gone. He had done too many questionable things in the name of balance to maintain his innocence, and he had been away from simple pleasures for so long that he didn't even know if he could enjoy those things anymore. Truth be told, he did not enjoy much about life anymore, but perhaps now that his chains were loosening, things might change. He had doubts about it, but he couldn't predict his own future, so nothing was certain.

The thoughts would wander around his head as they made their way forth, towards whatever were at the end of this path. A room long forgotten perhaps? One in use that had simply never had a reason to use this path? Or was it more of an underground lair, used for storage perhaps? There were no shortage of options, but they would see soon enough.

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

 

@Battenberg

"Oh Victoria, don't beat yourself up over this."

Though she had been slightly rattled at seeing Victoria show her old side again at the poorly timed joke, Pop didn't hesitate long to go over and gently embrace her new friend.

"You're changing, but it takes time, and it was a bad timing on my behalf. Please, don't feel down over this."

Suddenly, a pair of scaled hands join in around them, and the looming Toxen grinned down at them from above.

"Yeah, you heard her sunshine. Ain't no being that's perfect out there, and, and it takes time to really get over yourself. Gotta get you some thick skin so you can take a bit of jest while we're down cracking you outta the shell. One squishy little layer at a time."

She squeezed the both of them somewhat hard together, finding this highly amusing, and - considering the low *mmmm* sound - apparently also found them snugly.

"Come on Vicky, set that frown upside down, and show this us who's the toughest mare in town."

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

 

@Lucid_Nightlight @Storm Shine @EQ_Theta

"Are you crazy? Last time I used one of those, they destoooooooh, pretty thing."

She looked at the creature with big eyes. It wasn't very chaotic, and frankly she thought it could use a few more arms and perhaps flaming wings, but still, it was not something she had seen before, so she liked it. Abnormal creatures were the best.

"Aaawh, isn't he just adorable? Hello beardy creature, I'm Anomaly."

She rose a hoof and waved with a big grin spread on her face, like a jack'o lantern without the light.

"Did you make this? Ooooh, so wish I could show you what I made, but yellow mare seems angry when I mess with nature. She'd likely think even Datt Mamon were weird! Stone creatures just get no love."

A sign poofed into existence over Fluttershy's head that had a downward arrow and the word *Buzzkill* above it. Not the nicest, but the truth should be heard. let there be freedom!

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

 

@EQ_Theta @Storm Shine

Considering how Omen historically did with string, Sen really should have known better than to hand some to her and tell her to spread it out. Within about a minute of the others putting their mind to other things, she would find herself wrapped like a sausage, tied between two rocks, without much of an idea about how it happened in the first place.

"Help."

Yet again, Rosa shook his head at the strange mare, and pulled the larger knife from the holster on his back. It was about twice the size of the throwing daggers, and the holster was clearly needed, as the edge were kept sharp enough to cleave a hair. It were not his most used tool, but some things could not be done with a thrown blade, and needed a more close up, personal touch. In this case, cutting loose the idiot who he frankly had no idea how had gotten stuck the way she had.

"Just stick with the refraction and distraction. I think it's best to leave these to the rest of us."

Speaking of which, Belladonna were currently attempting to use her horn to throw around a bolas she had been handled. It went wonky at first, but bit by bit she seemed to learn the intricate ways to actually use them, and improved. She would need a while to be as good as a hunter of course, as it were not as easy as snapping your fingers, but she were an analytical being. Objectively, she could learn from trial and error with things such as this with some degree of speed, and make a workable showing when it came to practice.

"Never dealt with weaponry much, but this seems tolerable. Restrictive in nature without too many complexities beyond application. Considering how she looked last we saw her, I would suggest using these on only her back legs however. Her front ones had developed spikes, and would cutt hem off if it came down to it, though i suspect the main purpose would be to bind the wings, yes?"

Suddenly, the earth began to slightly rumble beneath their hooves, paws, claws and what not, It wasn't much, but this area was not exactly known for geological events such as this - otherwise,a  mine of this caliber would have been a substantial hazard to maintain - which left a few options. S large species of earth worms moving nearb y, an aftershock from a point further away, or the same thing that had caused the last rumbling that some of them had experienced.

"There is a 87,4% chance that we are out of time to prepare. I hope that all are prepared."

[Victoria Sponge 1,017]

@Blitz Boom

Victoria smiled

"Thanks girls. It's so confusing, being thick skinned is what turned me into a monster, but now I've tipped the scales and I'm the opposite. Finding the right balance is going to be hard."

It was a hard time for Victoria but she was glad she ahd friends who understood her and were trying to help her through it.

"L-let's just find that flower, ok. We need to go this way though, I have a new idea."

She pointed to a road leading off to the east.

"I have a cousin who runs a flower shop down there, I was avoiding it because she can be a bit much sometimes, she's very positive, but I think I could do with a bit of positivity now, plus it would probably be good to update all my family on my change of attitude, I may as well pay her a visit. She's great friends with Batty too, so she'll probably know exactly what flowers I should get her."

She broke away from the hug, wanting to get going, and headed off in the direction of her cousin's store.

 

Edited March 12, 2018 by Battenberg

[FanOfManyShows 396]

@Blitz Boom

"Seer?" Astral asked, looking to Sapphire. "Would that be my father?"

"Unlikely, I saw him before I came here." Sapphire said, looking to hailstorm. "This might not end well for us though, since Warlock will be placed here too." Fitting enough, Warlock started shifting around, groaning a little, clearly gaining consciousness. "Better hit him again, Before he can do anything." Sapphire said while pointing to Warlock.

[EQ_Theta 460]

@Blitz Boom @Storm Shine

Sen and Lin, upon seeing Omen tied up again after the last time they handed her some string, chuckled though they attempted to stifle it after a while. It seemed this would be their default response to it but they wouldn’t tell Omen to change, maybe being careful next time, but it made her more endearing to the two of them all the same. Shame the little bag of makeshift caltrops wouldn’t be of use now but Sen had enough material for a second pack, preferably one for him to use if necessary. 

“Yes, wings and legs. If need be, the rockslide traps will be the emergency plan. We trap her under the rocks long enough to bring the refraction to her and remove the beast heart from her possession.” Turning now to Belladonna while keeping a wrapped flail and bola in his pack, he went about confirming what she said.

“Filigree will be here at any moment so we mind as well go through the plan. Everyone hide behind any of the large rocks, preferably close by so when I give the signal, you all won’t be too far away. I’ll keep her talking until I take a swipe at her; that will be the signal. After that, it’s anything goes. All we need to do is to tie her down so Omen and Shrimp can get in close for the latter to burn away the gems and retrieve the beast heart.”

Lin already see a difference in her brother. More confident and thoughtful, almost like the little hunter-in-training from their childhood. Without any further questions, she patted him on the shoulder and proceeded to find a large rock to hide behind. The gesture did not go unnoticed by Sen though he remained to answer any last-minute questions. 

[Sekel 694]

@Blitz Boom

KARMIC FATE

Karmic looked behind them and then forward. She looked at the walls beside them and forward once more. "It feels like we're going in circles," Karmic said confusedly. She looked at the ground and saw hoofprints in the dusty floor ahead of them. "Okay ... we are going in circles," she groaned and stopped walking. She sat down and swished her tail in the dust. It billowed up, making her cough. "Nothing's coming up and I can't see any obvious indentations in the walls. I think I led us into a magic trap."

Edited March 13, 2018 by Dji

[Blitz Boom 4,641]

@EQ_Theta @Storm Shine

The rest barely had the time to properly hide before a shard of color-changing gem broke through the surface of the earth a few meters away from Sen. It'd soon be followed by an entire block of pointed changeling emerald, which cracked in half once it had fully surfaced, revealing the mare that had imprisoned Belladonna a half hour or so ago.

Even more of her were covered in gems now, with her tail now noticeably fully encased, and waving into a large, bushy tail behind her.

Filigree looked towards Sen with a growing anger in her eyes, once she saw that he were there.

"You... Come back to try and s-stop me? You won't have the chance. P-Perish!"

Her words were oddly slurred as she spoke, and fired a blast that would hit just right of where the longma stood currently..

"Won't get away this time... I'm your g-god now."

The mare's exposed eye narrowed, whilst the somewhat slurred voice threw threats at Sen, whom she currently thoughts were Lin. Her vision was clouded, and from the way she slightly swayed and had sweat wandering down her face and non-encased body areas, she frankly seemed sick.

Something had seemingly infected her fleshy side, which were good in the sense that she were less accurate right now, but seeing as the crystals were visibly growing over her now, her resistance to be completely overtaken were hampered as well, and the gem part did not have the issue with whatever plagued her. The glassy, icy eye that followed Sen with a burning passion spoke well of that, and from the looks of things, the face was going to get encased fully within a matter of minutes. Whatever time he had to work with here whilst the two sides were unable to correctly work together between their stages, were rapidly diminishing, and he would do well in taking advantage of it whilst he had the chance.

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

 

@Dji

"A trap on a path already hidden. Something must be worth protecting for this to be needed."

What could be so important that they'd actively trap a section like this? A path to Luna's room? The royal coffers? Some kind of room with old, dark secrets hidden from plain sight? It seemed foolish to keep something like that close, but then again, Celestia had decided to keep the statue of Discord in the garden, and see where that had lead. Mother were not perfect, much as he had once thought otherwise, so perhaps something were indeed hidden that could cause much pain in the world of Equestria if set loose.

However, they were currently trapped in it now, so he could not simply let it be and then think it best to leave undisturbed. They were going to need to find a find a way to pass out of it.

"A way should be to let one out again, we must examine the area we are stuck in better. If a path is not shown, we will make out own."

He would prefer not to go that route, as it might crash some of the foundation and leave him without a trinket he had likely use for eventually, but among the things he carried there were something which could work to force their way through a wall. A potential, yet less elegant way to exit, in case they didn't find a center for this spell, or a way to pass through it normally.

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

 

@Lloyd

Hailstorm did not hesitate in going over and striking Warlock in the back of the head, knocking him out once more if he were still enough of a normal pony to have the pressure points to hit. Part of his training to neutralize his targets without using excess force, so it was either this, or a headlock until the oxygen had been cut off long enough to cause the pony to pass out. It was far too touchy for his comfort, considering what kind of pony he were dealing with, but for the sake of the kingdom he'd do it if needed.

"The seer I refer to, is called Zhu. I only just heard we had him in custody before Warlock attacked, and I had planned a long session of questioning him once this was over. I heard he called himself The Stranger too, and wanted to see if I could connect some sightings to him."

He had gotten some reports over the last few years about a hooded figure calling himself that, being near areas where things of varying degrees of good or bad happened, and he had hoped to gain some answers. Sadly, that seemed to have to be another time, as the prisoner had escaped. He would have to get a full overview of how he looked with and without the robe and then send out some wanted posters after this. One way or another, he were going to get that Serpanther in and get some answers.

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

 

@Battenberg

"You must have a big family since there's so many spread all over town. It must be nice."

"Depend son if she gets some breathing room from 'em. I got six brothers and a sister. Trust me, you don't wanna get cramped in with that many in the same turf."

Pop knew how big a family Benny had, so this sentence from the dragoness didn't surprise her, yet she still didn't think it was that justified. Dragons and ponies weren't the same, so a big, closely-knit family would likely be seen upon differently from both sides. She for one would've loved to have more than just one brother, whereas Benny had said things like Toxen just had. Though to be fair, he was the youngest, so he was the butt of their jokes more often than not. Little brothers had to go through a bunch. She knew, she had one.

"It's a big town, I'm sure it's fine. Besides, it's always nice to have some family around in case you need somepony to talk to, or help you out. Like you're doing with your father."

"Yeah, you got a point there. Since when did you become all smart, rugrat?"

Pop didn't flinch as much this time, as the dragoness ruffled her mane, though she still didn't find it too comfortable. It seemed to be something she were going to have to go through a lot when she ended up in family with Toxen, considering how often she had done this already. A bit demeaning since it kinda looked like she thought of them as puppies or something, but she'd give her the benefit of the doubt. Might just be that since dragons weren't much for hugs, ruffling eachother like that was the next best thing, and she couldn't let go off it.

Or she was just messing with them. It was hard to say.

"So Victoria, think you can tell us about your cousin? What's she like, beyond a little too positive for your taste? And what's her store like?"

[Storm Shine 1,196]

@Blitz Boom @EQ_Theta

Several pies suddenly appeared from multiple directions, aimed for the crazy pony's muzzle. Meanwhile, on an unrelated note, Discord innocently whistled like a moose driving to work with a goose in the backseat of a Ford Focus. 

[Victoria Sponge 1,017]

@Blitz Boom

"It's unfortunate that I'm the one pony who has a huge family but hates attention. Almost my whole family lives here, and only dad was actually born here. My mother came here because of my dad and Battenberg and I followed her, naturally. Red couldn't be without Battenberg so she followed too, then her sisters decided if everyone else was going here they should too. Maybe I should go and live with Cupcake in Fillydelphia, where it's just her and her mother, and occasionally her coltfriend. But then again I suppose it is good having them around."

Victoria seemed to be cheering up a little now, though her internal struggle was clearly still bothering her.

"My cousin is... strange... She's incredibly positive and happy all the time. But she's also very orderly and hates mess, and since she's so much of a klutz she is always making a mess. Which annoys her, but then she has to keep up her positive attitude so she acts like she's not annoyed, it's a weird cycle. You'll probably like her though, she's a sweet mare, she's more fun to hang around than her twin sister Caramel, they're twins but they're complete opposites."

Victoria's cousins were an odd pair, like Red they had been around her her whole life, being younger than Red but older than Battenberg, and since they'd all lived in that big house in Trottingham together she'd had to put up with them a lot when they were younger as it was usually the two pairs of sisters who would play together. As Victoria had become less carefree and huggable she had fallen out with them, Caramel's pessimistic nature had driven her further into depression and Heather's constant positive comments had only made her feel worse about her situation.

"Heather's shop is wonderful, I always liked going there, even if it meant putting up with her. She really knows how to arrange her flowers and it's all so tidy and well sorted, you can find anything you're looking for pretty easily. It's a shame she always knocks things over. but she tidies up well, and very fast. She has a little stall where she sells Caramel's fudge and chocolate, it's an old tradition from before Caramel had her own shop. Caramel might actually be there now."

Victoria sighed a little, she didn't particularly want to see either of her cousins but Caramel was potentially worse than Heather, while she had a kind heart and always meant well, Victoria really didn't want to deal with her negativity right now.

 

They finally reached the shop and it was indeed wonderful, the front was decorated with a large wooden front, carved into the shape of winding stems covered in white and pink flowers all the way around the window and doorway. Outside the shop displays of flowers swayed gently in the breeze, sat in pots of various sizes and on top of crates and shelves and some on the floor. All of them appeared to be for sale and they were all beautiful.

Entering the store a little bell tinkled, very light and dainty, but enough to make the pegasus behind the counter leap a couple of centimetres into the air with a shriek. She hovered in the air for a moment, wide eyed and shaken, then she shook her head, dropped to the ground and looked towards the door, watching the ponies enter. Seeing Victoria she beamed and stepped forward to greet her cousin, stepping right into three large metal vases and knocking them over, sending water and flowers sliding across the floor. 

"Oh! Oh no... Well, it could be worse, I haven't stepped on the flowers at least, a-and the water is feeding those plants over there... Um... excuse me for a moment ladies."

She quickly set about standing the vases up and popping the flowers back in, making sure to order them in a very particular and colour coded way.

"I'll get some water in a bit, flowers can actually survive quite a while without it."

She lightly shook her front hoof, sending a little sprinkling of water over another display of flowers to her left, then she walked forward to greet the group, not knocking anything over this time.

"Hi Vicky! Hi Vicky's friends!"

She laughed and held out a hoof to them. The pegasus had a small frame and fluffy fur and wings, her coat was white with a hint of purple and her blonde hair grew wild, sticking up in various places. Though it was not completely out of control and seemed to have a pattern, all held in place with a beautiful dark pink flower with hundreds of petals that all gently jiggled as she moved.

"I'm Heather, sorry about the... that... I'm a little clumsy."

She sighed and looked back at the vases then looked back to the crew awaiting their greetings.

 

 

Edited March 15, 2018 by Battenberg

[EQ_Theta 460]

@Blitz Boom @Storm Shine

So much for springing the trap.... Mind as well improvise. Sen, still tense about the sudden arrival of Filigree, walked up to her while rummaging through his pack and readying his tools. 

"Look, I think you're mistaken. I've never met you before but how about I just skip past the introduction and move on to the pleasantries. Here's an offering!"

Immediately pulling out the two-headed flail, Sen flicked one of the stones towards Filigree's eye before yanking the string back and swinging the flail sideways. Despite not having the experience he had hoped to have for this fight, it was pretty simple to just swing the stone to the side of his foe's face. A quick side step to the left and he readied his bola, twirling it in a circle to his side before sliding underneath Filigree and releasing his grip as the rope encircled the bat pony's body. It pretty much sums up the extent of what he had planned out in his mind with the rest being more improvisation more than anything else. Sen ran off to keep his distance knowing full well what would happen if a crystal managed to touch him. Lin, having noticed this, started gathering as many rocks as she can and started pelting the bat pony with them, hoping it would disorient her, maybe trip her if she lost her footing. Now it was on, and how long they could keep up the pressure was up to them, unless Filigree had something else in mind... 

[Widdershins 9,960]

@Dji

  " You're supposed to hate me. Most of you do anyway."

   After a few breath-sized moments, the young drakling dodges his own line of questioning with another.

 "What's wrong with your wings then anyway? You hop around just a wildly as any other stupid birdhorse.

   ....So... where do you want me to put you down at? I'm not some stupid ride for you or anything."

****************************************************************************************

@Blitz Boom

"I don't know what to even say, about ANY of that! Who even were those?!!?"

   Ambie blurts out, half hidden in the shadows of the walls of the barn he had backed into and paled as unhealthily white as he had been in a while. Coat and skin an almost luminescent sheen of ivory in his fear.

  "That big pony made my h-head hurt something bad! That scare is mary!...Muh... m-mean th-that she's... that mare's bad news! I... I m-might not b-be the brightest but... I've always been able to sort of feel out a pony that's j-just a natural bully. E-experience... I guess."

 

*******************************************************************************************************

 The resultant reverberating explosion from the amassed spirits sent out a fair bit of force; especially so for an almost purely magical being like Widdershins. One such balled-up soul shot through the open doorway and into the pre-folded, unaware form of the draconequus, wrapping his long form around its force and flipping him around it as it continued on its path through the banister to the first floor behind the collected group. Once anypony had gotten up to take tally of what had happened in the ensuing chaos and looked up from ducking, they would find a noticeably quiet absence where the draconequus had once slouched.

  From some far away point, at the volume of somepony else talking to themselves several rooms over, a faint voice can be heard drifting in if anybeing had taken the time to keep an ear out for it.

 ...Bother. Disembodied yet again. Such fuss, such fuss indeed.

[FanOfManyShows 396]

@Blitz Boom

"I have no idea who Zhu is."

"Well if he was in custody here, then it is unfortunate that he escaped, I hope he isn't as dangerous as Warlock." Sapphire looked behind them, then back to Hailstorm. "Where will you be questioning us exactly?"

[Sekel 694]

@Widdershins

DAWN STREAK

“if you must know,” Dawn growled and looked up towards Kaltrops’ head. “I have very, very weak wings,” she huffed and forced her wings to not flare out in distress by keeping them tucked in her sides. She cleared her throat and added haughtily. “J-Just my place. It’s over there,” she pointed with a hoof towards the east end of Ponyville, hoping that Kaltrops would not just fling her off for being so, well, haughty.

@Blitz Boom

KARMIC FATE

”Why would there be a trap in a secret passageway?” Karmic murmured, and looked behind them. “Maybe if we go back the way we came we can get out of it?”