open Casual stroll

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@EQ_Theta @Blitz Boom @Storm Shine

Seeing the dracolisk react didn't scare Pringle, but it did show Lucid that Pringle would probably lose. The bearded dragon was trying to go after the other lizard, but couldn't go anywhere with Lucid holding on to him.

"Pringle, stop it. You're not gonna win against... whatever that thing is."

He looked at Pringle, maybe he could read his mind.

"Hmm... regulating temperature, likely just something normal for him... wait... SERIOUSLY!? You're mad because of a splinter!? That's all? All you have to do is tell me! Alright, let me remove it."

Pringle stopped and looked at the slightly annoyed poquus.

"What do you mean you don't want me to remove the splinter? No, it's not gonna hurt!"

The bearded dragon looked at him with a blank look.

"No, it'll hurt more if we don't remove it."

Pringle looked over to Fluttershy.

"You want her to remove it? Alright, fine."

[Brobot 1,436]

@Blitz Boom

Applejack open her mouth to say something then closed it in a frown, " What in tarnation is wrong with this pony " AJ thought as she turned around to examine the fallen leaves. " I don't know about any conspiracies, but what I do know that heir are no strong winds today, its the middle of summer and these trees are in prefect health, why are they sheading leaves... " AJ flipped over one of the leave and where the fluorescent green chlorophyll veins of the leaf should been has been replaced by dark purple puss, AJ quickly turned over the leaf before Berry could get a look, no reason to get her any more jumpy," I need Twilight to take a look at this " she mumbled.

[Pr0m4NV14 837]

@Blitz Boom

 

Mike followed Sorrow into some sort of alley between streets, away from the busy bustle of PonyVille.  Upon hearing the Purple Pony's question, he had a look of confusion on his face.  

"I don't know what you mean. I've never noticed any guardian spirit thing haunting me." He paused for a second. "Well, I do have Jennifer, my sword. Do you want to take a look?" Mike said before drawing the blade from its scabbard.  The sword wasn't that fancy like the weapons that the Royal Guard used. It a simple blade forged from some kind of metal with a wooden hilt. There were no adornments, save for a violet gem embedded in the pommel. Mike placed Jennifer on a nearby crate, where it let off a dim glow in the shade of the buildings.  "I've had it ever since I started my travels, and it was a family heirloom. It's pretty old." He added, backing away to give Sorrow some space, before looking up at her expectantly.

[Moonlit 593]

@Seamore Sandwich @Blitz Boom @Dji Serenade looks up, smiling "Home. I'd go home. It's been FAR too long since I've swam in open waters. And rivers just don't cut it. Plus I want my mom's cooking." She looks up at Princess Luna "And I know you want me to bring back some of my dad's suger cookies"

[Sekel 685]

@Blitz Boom, @Lloyd

KARMIC FATE

"Come on, Zhu! Hurry up!" Karmic shouted over her shoulder, unsure of how far back Zhu actually was or if one of the ponies they tangled with were actually in pursuit. She didn't have time to turn her head when she was suddenly met by fresh air for the first time in what felt like ages. She took a deep breath and stepped to the side into some bushes, here eyes losing their white glow when the vision of Sunset Shimmer escaping faded away from view. "What a relief."

@Blitz Boom, @Seamore Sandwich, @Moonlit

AURORA LIGHTS

Yawning herself awake and stretching like a cat, Aurora furrowed her claws into the ground. She shook her head and looked over at the still empty cart before looking up at the castle. "They've been in there a long while," she mumbled to herself before stretching her wings and took flight. She rubbed her beak with a foreclaw in thought before shrugging and dived through a nearby open window. Almost immediately, she could smell something fishy amongst all the other ones. It reminded her of the Siren she was following earlier. She continued to sniff and walked further into the castle, keeping an eye on her surroundings as she did. Eventually, she heard voices within an enclosed room and once she put an ear up against the closed door, heard names such as 'Cherish', 'Serenade', and she even heard the Princesses Celestia and Luna talking.

[EQ_Theta 416]

@Blitz Boom @Storm Shine @Lucid_Nightlight

Such hostility and aggression, rather uncalled for but it seems like this is beyond simply talking down Pringle to get him to stop. Unfortunately, what Fluttershy knows about reptiles is limited, and she could only go with her stock knowledge. They are cold-blooded creatures, regulating body temperature constantly through their environment. If anything, the exterior environmental temperature is hard to tell but Pringle, being a small lizard, could likely sense minute changes and is reacting negatively to it. 

"I don't know what the temperature is right now but I suggest getting Pringle in some shade. If this is him reacting to small changes in heat, the best thing we could do right now is keep him cooled down."

The pegasus immediately ran off to find some leaves, or rather a branch with some leaves still on them. There weren't too many plants around that had large leaves but she made do with something that could pass off as a fan, which she promptly handed to Lucid, after which she overhears something about a splinter lodged somewhere on the reptile.

"Try fanning Pringle with this. It might help. Now let me look at that splinter and try not to move too much. This will hurt a little but I know you can handle it."

Fluttershy inched her hooves closer until she could pull out enough of it with her teeth. She needed to push around the little piece of wood and with a quick motion, pulled out the splinter. Although the temperature issue is no longer the most apparent one, it's still good to keep at it for a while. The stress the bearded dragon is feeling at the moment may have made it warmer than it needs to be. 

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@Blitz Boom

"Well, I suppose Discord is as chaotic in a small group as he is in public, though he's toned down the chaos unless he sees the potential for harmless fun. If something is important, he may need some convincing to do something asked of him. He's a lot more amicable with Fluttershy around and he is content having regular visits with her. Also, he's fun in conversation, and maybe great at parties, but I'd be cautious because he could get carried away. All in all, I'd say he seems to have grown a little since his days terrorizing ponies. A stark contrast but he still lapses to a child-like attitude now and again. He's mostly harmless now."

It was flattering of her to say so but given how Lin sees Discord as a friend of sorts, she is a little more self-assured about her statements. It may rub off on Scarcity the wrong way but Lin is still cautious about revealing the full extent of why she needed to see the lord of chaos. It is important for Omen but it was part of an agreement she made with Sen back when they first met. It might not be important to the antiquarian and further prodding might leave the hybrid longma uncomfortable.  

As for Sen, he nodded and smiled upon hearing Rosa's words. A little more assurance that his job of explaining things later may be a little less difficult. 

"Having an open mind is all I could ask. Even I was stumped and confused when I first learned about Omen and her mother. Some of it disturbed me for a while."

Edited June 19, 2018 by EQ_Theta

[Moonlit 593]

@Dji @Seamore Sandwich @Blitz Boom Serenade suddenly sniffs the air, and narrows her eyes. "A Primordial" Her wings fluff and her lips curl, showing off a pair of fangs. "There is one in the castle and nearby"

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@EQ_Theta @Blitz Boom @Storm Shine

Lucid touched the leaves with his hoof and they immedietly went to Pringle to cool him down.

When the splinter was removed, Pringle's attitude changed. He went up to the dracolisk, this time being a lot nicer. Of course Lucid was keeping an eye on his pet just incase.

"I can't exactly let what he did slide, I'll probably take strawberries away from him for tonight. Maybe if he does good for the rest of the day I might not."

By the looks of it, Pringle was probably trying to say sorry to the other lizard or something.

[Rising Dusk 26,103]

@Blitz Boom

Rising Dusk was at least happy that the call to her name was enough to make her pause.  Granted, it didn't last all that long before she was moving again to the back of the alley.  The attention span of this young filly was fascinatingly low.  Back alley streets and vendors were no place for a young pony though.  Trotting over to Blitz Boom to stop her from going any place she shouldn't.  The safest way to do this though was to ignite his horn and envelop the her with his telekinesis and lift her from the ground before she went bounding into an electric fence.

 "Now now.  What are you doing out here Blitz Boom?  Does your brother know you're out here?"

He was pretty confident that he knew that answer, but better to ask than assume.  Happy with his decision to chase after the pony he thought was Blitz Boom, that could have become utter chaos.  Speaking of which though... Electric fences were illegal inside of city limits.  His attention brought to the seedy back alley Blitz Boom was about to venture into.  Dusk knew about where they were, but rushing in here made him forget to note any building numbers.

Getting distracted, he peered down the back alley to see if there was anything worth noting that might need his immediate attention.  No, he'd have to fight those detective instincts of his.  Returning Blitz Boom to the workshop came first.

 "Let's get you home before your brother finds out you know how to sneak out of the house."

He mused, turning to leave the alley, floating Blitz Boom in tow.

[Blitz Boom 4,429]

@Victoria Sponge

It was really a special moment when Victoria came out again, and greeted her family and friends with a new coat on, so to speak.

The mane style had changed, a few additions to said mane and her tail were present, and of all things, she wore a scarf. Seemed odd, until it came up that her mother had made it for her. It was rather heartwarming to consider that Victoria took a new step to blend in more with her family in looks, as well as personality, and now had a cherished thing on that she had previously not dared to show she cared about. If this didn't show how the mare had changed, and were willing to step out of her shell, Pop frankly didn't know what were.

"You look great Victoria. It's a good style for you."

About three seconds after that, Pop regretted that she hadn't spared some thought into keeping an eye on Benny though...

In the midst of Victoria's heartfelt moment, and Pop's honest opinion on how the mare had found a look that were great on her, the dragon had instead gotten a certain glimmer in his eyes, that usually meant that he were about to do something that he well knew were not the brightest idea he could have ever come up with, but didn't have the self control to stop.

So he lifted his claws to his mouth... And let out a wolf whistle.

"How's it cooking, good looking?"

Benny started to chuckle right after that, whilst Pop facehoofed and shook her head in silence at his antics. Something which just made him find this even funnier.

"The guys taught me that in the guards. They say it's a huge compliment."

"Sometimes, I swear to Celestia..."

"Hehe. But really, you look great Victoria. Makes you look more open and happy than before. You're gonna be knocking stallions off their hooves in no time."

The two sisters looked to be genuinely happy facing one another now, to a point for Victoria almost said she were going to ruin her mascara if they went on for much more, likely through crying. It was a really great change from the first time the odd couple had seen the two mares interact, and if he didn't think it'd end up ruining Victoria's mascara - and how Pop would likely tackle him to the ground if he tried - Benny would have taken the two of them into a group hug.

Hopefully, the next part about Battenberg and Victoria becoming partners would go great too, but Benny couldn't see why it wouldn't. It was clear that Battenberg could see her sister having changed and improved at this point, and they looked as close as could be without involving some rope, so it should be a cake walk.

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@woodchunks66

"There's several reason why they could be shedding leaves.

Birds or critters could be rustling around the trees, they're lacking some water, the attack on town recently caused some damage you haven't seen, or somepony could've messed with the dirt, causing something to get in through the roots, and they're not as perfect as you think."

If she had seen the leaf, Berry would've jumped straight to poison, and listed off a few things that it could be, but Applejack seemed less interested in that kind of information right now. Perhaps she thought that Berry were all out crazy for some reason? Most did, but the mare wasn't as out there as you might think. She were smart. She could see reason in things too. It was just that there were a lot of threads everywhere connecting that she got certain about there being a greater conspiracy. Especially combined with how she got locked up in the loonie bin when she tried to expose a few of them.

"Come on, lemme have a look at the leaf. I read up on some weird things that can happen to trees, perhaps I can tell what it is, and if somepony's responsible for it."

Her bits were still on the zebras, but one step at a time.

Alonsus seemed to be getting closer too now, with the can full of water to give to the likely thirsty trees. About a minute and he'd be within earshot, though he didn't say anything at first. He just hummed a tune that he had heard in one of Pinkie's musical numbers through Ponyville. Fairly catchy what that mare spewed out in his opinion.

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@Pr0m4NV14

Legion's eyes were fixated on the gem as the sword were drawn, not moving away from it for a second, as they saw the one they had felt in Mike's vicinity.

If the spirit in the sword were aware of its surrounding, it should be able to hear a symphony of voices, speaking as one.

"We are Legion. Can you hear us?"

Mike wouldn't likely be able to hear this, as it were only rare individuals that could hear the departed speak, such as Sorrow. She just didn't interfere in this, as it seemed to be the sort of thing they should handle, collection of ghosts to ensouled blade.

"Cool. I haven't seen a spirit in an item for ages, and this is way more complicated. I can't even see her. Or him? Jennifer sounds like a female name but who knows?

Usually I can hear and see spirits, but this one's either really hidden, or trapped pretty well in there. Legion's trying to talk to whoever it is, so we'll see. They're better at this since they're, you know, dead and all.

You say its a family heirloom? How old is it? Is it still sharp? It looks pretty sharp. You must be taking really good care of it."

Sorrow would lean in and have a closer look, but didn't touch it yet. Seemed like a kinda rude thing to do without permission from its inhabitant. She certainly wouldn't like somepony poking her home out of nowhere.

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

 

@Moonlit @Seamore Sandwich @Dji

"Home... Sounds nice."

It must be nice to have one of those. Wherever Cherish's home had been, she couldn't remember, though it likely didn't matter in the slightest. She had been stuck in the castle for so long that it had likely crumbled away anyway, and anypony that knew of her had long since moved on.

Guess she kind of did have a home now, in the old castle. Well, she were bound to it anyway, but it probably still counted, though she didn't like the place that much. With her friend gone, it had started to get very quiet, aside from the ramblings of the crazy one. And even he had been silent for days before these ponies came around.

Perhaps she could figure out how to bind herself to this place instead somehow? It seemed nice. Lived in and full of voi-Meep!

Serenade's sudden aggression caught Cherish off guard, and she stumbled back, flickering for a few seconds. It weren't as scary or dangerous as it had been when the mare had her true form, but it had been pretty much out of nowhere, and the specter were still nervous because of the present company.

Thankfully it didn't go further than that. As it were less... Testing for her currently, what with Serenade being somewhat less scary as a pony, she managed to regain her composure and physical stability after a little while.

"I-I can... Look around, I t-think? A little anyway."

Three meters were all she had to work with, but it were enough to go through the roof a little, and through a few of the walls, so she started to look around by going for the door first, passing right through and finding somepony watching them. A griffon it looked like.

"Uhm, h-hello? I don't think y-you're supposed to be here."

Cherish were only halfway through said door as she talked, since well... Her leash ended about ten centimeters after this, and she had just wanted to have a look. Hopefully it didn't spook the feathered one.

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

 

@Dji @Lloyd

"The time to rest have yet to come."

Zhu would suddenly be besides the bushes Karmic were in, mostly unheard because of his silent, feline paws, though the voice in Karmic's mind were likely to have ratted him out anyway.

He had taken the hood on again, and didn't look directly at Karmic, to avoid wasting time with her talking about tentacles assaulting her mind. It did make him curious though, what would happen if he did so with the strange influence she had crawling around in her head right now, yet this were neither the time, nor the place. Currently, it was time to get moving, while they still had a chance to pick up on what he needed to do. Preferably before they managed to get stopped.

"Do you need to catch your breath first, or are you prepared? We shouldn't linger for too long."

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@EQ_Theta

"So he is open to negotiation then, if the situation suits him? Perhaps he and I would have more to talk about than I had first assumed."

Scarcity had no idea what kind of leverage she could hold that would interest the lord of chaos, but she would take it into consideration that perhaps she could find something, and then make contact. Nothing like hostages of course, as that would be rather suicidal and idiotic, but he were an old being that had lost plenty when he turned to stone. Perhaps she could find something of his from before that, which he'd want back. Granted, she had no such thing currently, but who knew what the future may hold? She saw and heard of plenty of fascinating things going through the black market, so it were not inconceivable.

"But all things in due time. Shall we get back to the storefront? I imagine your brother and interestingly dressed friend will be here shortly."

Out with said group, Rosa were about to say a small reply to what Sen had said, when a pegasus in what seemed like custom armor, landed a few meters ahead, came walking straight towards them, and stopped in front. The pony had no helmet on, so it were impossible to miss that he were starring directly at the two of them with waiting, alert eyes.

"I see she still have you around. Are you here to get us to them?"

Brick gave a small grunt in response, and turned around to lead them back to the nearby store.

"His name's Brick Wall. Scarcity's bodyguard or personal assistant, which means she sent him to find us. We better follow."

He had never personally interacted with Brick, but Rosa had seen him when he spied on Scarcity, and he didn't want to get on the wrong side of that stallion. The pegasus might seem like a small time lackey, but he had been a highly commended Solar Guard before quitting to join forces with Scarcity, and from what the bat pony had seen, Brick hadn't lost his edge. He wouldn't remain this alert if he had.

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@EQ_Theta @Lucid_Nightlight @Storm Shine

The dracolisk let some of the air in his cheeks out as Fluttershy bumped around to grab a few things and help Pringle, which meant he had to either stay on or just let himself down on the ground. He choose the ground, as the uneven pony surface was starting to become annoying.

Whilst down there, he puffed up again though, and rose his head high, ready to interact with the aggressive lizard that seemed to want to come over and chomp on him again. The pony owner kept him under check so far, but if he got loose, the larger reptile were ready to respond in kind.

Anomaly just watched the whole thing unfold, with a cup of... Pebble and mushrooms it seemed.  Anyway, she were simply observing all of this instead of getting involved, enjoying the show in full. Two ponies trying to restrain and help an irate lizard whilst magically created one stood ready to beat said lizard down? This was a great scene that shouldn't be interrupted right now.

Sadly, nothing great could remain. Pringle got the splinter out and cooled down a bit, and then he were suddenly a lot more approachable. Getting closer to the dracolisk with a more friendly appraoch by the looks of things, and not with a maw open to bite into the larger being.

The dracolisk puffed his cheeks up more at first, but as it seemed like the approach got less hostile, he lowered his defenses and his cheeks went flat again. He opened his mouth to give a large, echoing croak towards Pringle though, but it were okay, this were a friendly one, as the dracolisk had lost the interest in fighting again. Frankly a rather docile creature all in all.

Well, the ladybug that flew past him and got chomped would likely not think that, but the food chain weren't always kind.

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

 

@Rising Dusk

Blitz and Carmen were both surprised when they suddenly got lifted into the air, as it had seemed like they were about a half second from actually going into the weird alley and seeing what happened there. Blitz had sort of thought she had gotten away with it anyway. Carmen were just surprised it wasn't the case, but thankful too. She even tried to express it by looking over at Rising when he got into eyesight, and rise a leg to give a kind of wave towards him.

Molotov had tried to learn her to do it, but her joints weren't all that good to something like this, so it did come off as kind of weird. Yet since the officer didn't understand the *language* she had, this was appropriate, and Carmen actually thought she did a really good job of it.

"Awh, I was going adventuring..."

Blitz on the other hoof, just pouted at her fun being ruined. It was pretty short-lived , as she couldn't keep her attention on something as unpleasant as being dissapointed for long. Her brain kind of worked in her always looking for something good to focus on instead. For example in this case, the officer pony had come around, so she could say hi to him early today.

"Hi hi... Ducky? Dusky? I can't remember. One of them."

She shook her head at the questions Rising asked her, and briefly giggled.

"Big bro fell asleep in the workshop, so I went to have fun before he got up. It's a big, Big town! Have to be something fun to look at out here, and big bro haven't changed the codes yet, so I could go look and have funsies without him knowing.

Can we go back and look at the place with the zappy fence? I bet there's treasure in there."

The filly had no self preservation instinct, or thought of how dangerous it were for a filly her age all alone out here, so she didn't see any sort of issue with wandering out here without anypony knowing. It was just a bunch of adventure waiting to happen, and nopony to slow her down. What wasn't to like?

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom @EQ_Theta @Storm Shine

Seeing the other lizard react in a non-hostile way put Lucid at ease, knowing that Pringle wouldn't get eaten.

Seeing the ladybug get eaten made him think though. He looked over to Anomaly.

"Maybe that's part of the reason Pringle wants to bite you! Maybe he thinks you're an actual giant ladybug. Or it could be the pumpkin head, but I doubt it, I've never fed him any pumpkin. Well, I do occasionally give him pumpkin pie, he absolutely loves it!"

He fed his lizard lots of things, but only things he could actually eat of course.

Pringle looked over at Lucid.

"Anomaly isn't food."

Pringle stared.

"No, she isn't the ghost of the food that you've eaten coming back for revenge."

[Storm Shine 1,195]

@Blitz Boom @Lucid_Nightlight @EQ_Theta

Discord chuckled and leaned down to pat Pringle's head gently from his hovering seat, "I must admit that I do love the way you think Pringle." He praised the little lizard with an amused grin.

Edited June 19, 2018 by Storm Shine

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom @EQ_Theta @Storm Shine

"His way of thinking is alright, but needs some improvement. Can't have him biting everyone over a splinter."

Lucid was trying to raise his pet right, he obviously cares about Pringle. He'd probably have a college fund for him if he wasn't a lizard.

Pringle looked over to Discord after he was pat on the head and back to the dracolisk, probably being playful or something.

"Pringle don't go telling powerful entities that I could beat them in a fight, I'd likely lose. Well, as of now at least. Even when I do become that powerful, why would I even want to fight him?"

Lucid at his current level would lose. The question isn't if Discord would win, it's how long would Discord mess with him until he decides to win. Regardless, Lucid has nothing against Discord and has no intention to face him.

"The only way I could beat someone with more power is if their power came from an object like a stick or perhaps some weird golden glove thing, but even then, they'd still do a number on me. Unless it's one of those things only its current wielder can lift, then I'd lose."

The point Lucid is trying to make is that he may be powerful, but is my no means invincible.

Edited June 20, 2018 by Lucid_Nightlight

[EQ_Theta 416]

@Blitz Boom 

"I wouldn't say he is open to negotiation completely, but it really just relies on his whims. He can be sensible but don't always count on it. If it is one rule with him I go by, it's to expect something chaotic and out of the ordinary."

Sometimes, Lin wondered if Discord is really just being chaotic for the sake of it, driven by an aspect that summed him up perfectly. There is a question of what would happen if Discord ever acted out of accordance with his nature. Was he even capable of it and if not, was his reformation merely skirting around the limitations that could be imposed on how he would behave? He could simply be acting in an orderly fashion but never away from what any definition of chaotic would say. Maybe his randomness is the form of chaos that would still be permissible to him. 

"I guess what you make of Discord nowadays really relies on what you see when you meet him face to face." From here, Lin would follow Scarcity's lead back to the storefront. With Sen and Rosa on the way back, they'd need to be ready to part ways for now.

And meeting Scarcity's assistant, Sen knew to pick up the pace and follow. He imagined Scarcity might be getting a little impatient.

"We'll be right behind you, Brick Wall. Lead on."

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@Blitz Boom @Storm Shine @Lucid_Nightlight

It's nice to see the two lizards getting along, or starting over on less hostile terms. Even if the dracolisk seemed uninterested in... well, a lot of things, not every animal would have some visible form of showing contentment or happiness with a facial expression. Reptile behavior is new to Fluttershy, something she can observe closely to see how it works and how it may help her in the future. If she could read the emotions of a butterfly, she might be able to do the same for the likes of bearded dragons, magical reptiles, and common lizards alike. She's head of leopard geckos being interesting options for pets but she ought to do her homework first before telling interested ponies about how to take care of them.

Of course, it's not just about pets but their owners too. It was a lesson she learned from an interesting bunch, notably one very tiny friend whose methods seemed to go against the very element she is attributed with. 

"Don't forget to be assertive with Pringle, Lucid. It helps with training him to be better behaved but don't go overboard with punishments or he'll take it the wrong way. I just thought I'd let you know."

Edited June 20, 2018 by EQ_Theta

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

"Of course I wouldn't go too crazy with punishments, usually I just take dessert away from him for that day."

What else could he do? Anything else could be bad for him.

"He's usually really nice when something like a splinter is stressing him out. He doesn't do much though. His daily activities consist of standing on a rock or watching TV. He also plays around with toys, like a tiny ball."

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom @Seamore Sandwich @Dji Serenade simply shrugged at Cherish, the Siren was getting used to the ghost's...limitations. But like Ziggy and Muffins, she was fun to hang aground and she didn't mind the constant questions...much.

 

@Blitz Boom

It has been often asked, if a tree fell in the woods and nopony is around, does it make a sound. The same question, worded differently is now being asked by Ponies from Saddle Arabia. A mountain, the largest one in the range that bordered their southern limits, that had been spoken off in their myths and legends has disappeared. It was said that long ago, long before Luna turned to darkness, a ancient evil had been imprisoned there, chained to the heart of the mountain for it's crimes and left to rot. But that myth is rarely told today, the Evil forgotten, it's name lost to the sands of time. 

Reports race back and forth, reports of strange tracks leading north....heading for Ponyville...and Canterlot beyond it. Wolf-like tracks along with three lines.  

In the darkness of night, a pair of coal-red eyes look upon the Everfree Forest. A deep growl, like that of a earthquake, rumbles across the trees. 

[Pr0m4NV14 837]

@Blitz Boom

"Well, miss Sorrow, I don't exactly know how old, but it must be at least hundreds of years old. I know that I ancestor was the last one to wield Jennifer. I don't know much about him, though. I'm pretty much sure his name was...¨ Mike paused to think. ¨HovedpersonYou know, Jennifer wasn't always like that, when I first had her, the blade was all rusted and chipped. Iḿ pretty sure the handle was all faded too. Then I followed this treasure map that I found with her, and I found this treasure trove, and..." Mike paused again to look up at Sorrow again, just to see if she was still paying attention. He continued. "I found this purple gem, and it just started to attach to the sword! It was really weird, because when it happened-" Mike was suddenly cut off when the dim glow of the sword became a bright shine, just as Leigon tried contacting Jennifer.

"McGuffin? I feel a lot of Dark energy nearby. It tried talking to me."

Mike hurriedly looked up at sorrow. "That's new. J-Jennifer tried to talk to me. Did you hear that?"

[Brobot 1,436]

@Blitz Boom

AJ watched  Berry make her way towards the leaf, " Its gonna be a long day " AJ said under her breath " what's this about attacks on the town? AJ said right as the big stallion carrying the water Bucket had dropped the bucket right in front of AJ.

[Sekel 685]

 

@Blitz Boom, @Lloyd

KARMIC FATE

"Don't do that," Karmic hissed at Zhu and pushed against his shoulder to push him out of the way. "If we're gonna leave, then we got to hurry, don't we?" she asked crisply and shot out of the bushes, running in a random direction.

@Blitz Boom, @Moonlit, @Seamore Sandwich

AURORA LIGHTS

"Where did you come from!?" Aurora practically shrieked. Her eyes had initially narrowed upon seeing something pop out of the doorway she had been listening against. When she realised the thing was transparent and not solid, her eyes practically bugged out of her head and she skittered a couple steps backward.

[Rising Dusk 26,103]

@Blitz Boom

Rising Dusk spun the floating filly around so that she'd face the same direction as him.  Hopefully moving her away from the alley, and not allowing her to look at it, would help that hyper mind of her's want to switch subjects.  Fillies like her belonged on playgrounds, not in seedy back allies of the large city.  Trotting out of the alley and into the city streets to be greeted by the morning sun.  And a few curious looks at a floating Blitz Boom and mechanical spider following behind the midnight blue pony.

"Rising Dusk.  Dusky is fine."

He chuckled at the nickname he'd recently gained from the Boom siblings.  Ignoring the strange looks they were getting, he started making his way back to the fortress workshop.  Not really wanting to put the filly down, for fear that she'd probably run off again.  The pouch of his hoodie had a lot of neat knickknacks in it, but a leash wasn't one of them.  Dusk listened to the filly ramble on about her victory over her brother's security system.  Sadly though, she wanted to bring up the electric fence again.

"Rather clever of you to beat your brother's security system.  But I'm sure a lot of it is there for your safety.  Molotov really does have your best interest at heart.  Let's try not and make his stop by running off.  Okay?"

He tried to reason with the hyper pony.  It was like those times he went to local schools to have a speech about safety and being good ponies as an officer of the law.  The thought make him smirk as he rounded the corner and took the two back to the fortress workshop.

[Blitz Boom 4,429]

@Rising Dusk

"Awh, but there's so much to look at, and big bro always wanna put me on a leash. It's no fun."

Blitz knew that her big brother wanted to keep her as safe as you could for one in their family, because he didn't want to have the mourn the loss of her again, but she still figured that he was being way overprotective. She knew how to run off, and not follow strange ponies anywhere. Sure, she hadn't brought anything to defend herself with, but ponies got weird looks in their eyes when she ran around with a bomb half the size of her head, with the fuse stuck between her teeth. The mayor in Ponyville had straight up forbidden it, and this place was likely going to be even less fun when it came to that.

The rest of the way towards the shop, Blitz had just spent rambling on about what sort of adventure she had wanted to do, including how she had hoped to find a playground to modify, and how fun it had been to do so at the orphanage in Canterlot she had briefly been sent to. You know, before she were seen as too dangerous to keep chasing down whenever she ran off to have fun and create things, so they stopped sending ponies out to catch her. At least, that is what she thought were the reason, which of course, she also told Dusky. Just in case he didn't have enough reason to consider her dangerous to society already.

When they got there, the door would be closed, but with the security systems off, it would be easy enough to get through. It seemed Felicia were either powered down or something too, as she didn't show herself over the door this time, or left any messages behind on the inside. The only thing they'd find, were Molotov snoring on his half-build machine, still unaware of everything that had gone on.

"Hey, he's still sleeping. Wanna draw on his face?"

The filly wriggled under the magical control to get loose, so she could go fetch a marker or a pencil somewhere, though without her magic being available currently, it were pretty much guaranteed that she were going nowhere, unless the officer wished her to do so.

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@Dji @Lloyd

"Your path is incorrect."

Zhu usd his wind magic to push her in another direction, about 24 degrees to the right of her planned route.

"The time before they regroup grows short. We must make haste."

He had already begun running as he said this, following, and eventually running side by side with Karmic. Why they needed to make haste he hadn't divulged, but much like his quiet paws, he considered it something that were not meant to be heard. There were words he could use to explain their haste without alerting her if he needed to, yet it were likely for the better that the mare did not know the likely chance of them being spied upon, and the need to move before the witches began to regain too much of their power. The best chance they had would be for the magic users to be somewhat exhausted and strapped for time, just long enough for the delivery to be done to Emerald.

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@Moonlit @Seamore Sandwich @Dji

"Uhm, p-please don't be afraid. M-My name's Cherish Heart, and I'm... W-Well, I'm a ghost. Not a d-dangerous one though."

It had taken a few seconds of flickering for Cherish to get talking after the reception she had been met with. Something she were rather used to with the ones she talked with at the old castle, the few times somepony came around. Most didn't really like ghosts, and considering the bad one Cherish had met in the old castle, it wasn't like she could blame them. He was plenty scary, and highly dangerous.

That he were there didn't help Cherish back then, and it wasn't now either. Plus she couldn't exactly hide what she were, as she were somewhat see-through. It wasn't that bad, but if you had a good pair of eyes, it would be hard to miss it, ad a griffon seemed right to have that. Predatory creatures needed good eyes after all.

"Are you a c-changeling?"

Serenade should be able to hear the conversation easily, in case the shriek had not alarmed the siren enough already.

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@Moonlit

"T-That didn't sound good..."

"Don't be alarmed Brittle. I'm certain it is simply one of the animal asserting its dominance. I highly doubt it will become an issue for us, and if the situation regrettably wanders down that path, I will handle it. You will remain safe, as I have sworn."

Briar had decided that with everything going on in Ponyville and the nearby area today, that taking Brittle on a trip to the far, far side of the Everfree Forest would be a good idea, to get some distance to everything. He knew the place well enough to avoid the majoirty of the dangerous things such as the Tatzelwurms at this point, so they made it here with little problem so far.

Of course, there had been a few... Incidents, but the carnivorous Evergrown knew how to assert his own dominance through crude, yet effective methods. Usually it involved beating something with his vine, but certain variations were there, though he didn't find enjoyment in it. Violence should be the last of ones options, not the first one to come to use. Briar were not a barbarian after all, and he didn't wish for Brittle to think of him so.

He were more of a guardian for the little one, though he had been told a few times by certain ponies in Ponyville that he acted more like an overprotective father. It were a remark that Briar usually just shrugged off, as he did not see himself as that in any way. At best, he could be described as a *Legal guardian*, if he recalled the term correctly. It were not something he had spent a great deal of time learning about, so he may well have understood it wrong, but it were the only words that came to mind when it came to stretching the definition of Brittle's and his relationship to the ones who viewed him as a father, and even then he thought of it as really stretching it thin.

But ponies would think what they wanted. He could not fault them for that, nor should he. It were a harmless mistake to make at worst, so it were of little consequence, and didn't need him correcting anypony. Regardless, it became tiring to do so constantly too, which certainly did influence his choices somewhat.

Yet those thoughts did not belong here. They were nearly at the edge of the forest, which they had reached in well enough time, considering the delays they faced getting here. Not so much the territories they had to avoid, but rather the issues of certain things scaring Brittle even further, where they then needed to stop and get her calmed down, and Briar wandering slower to take in the sights around him. He were still trying to get used to having eyes, and the sensation of sight took some readjustments, as well as made many mundane things spectacular to him.

Granted, the eyes did seem weird, as they were slit like a snake, and a vibrant jade green, but he were not one to complain. Besides, it fitted his color scheme better than the original shade of them, which had been dark red. How fortunate that they had encountered that bored draconequus that wished to make it fit better, and not mutate him somehow in the process. A kind being.

"We're here now, Brittle. beyond these last few trees, lies a beautiful meadow that we can traverse in relative peace for a few hours. Simply ignore the small critters that lingers there, and everything should be safe."

With that, Briar led them the last meter past the thicj trees that marked the edge of the Everfree Forest, and would then gaze over the several kilometer long, wide, open space in front of them. Surely, this would be just the bit of peace and quiet that they may need.

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@Pr0m4NV14

"Well, duh. I said I could see and hear the dead, remember?"

Sorrow pointed towards the gem after that, seemingly keeping most of her focus on the ensouled piece of precious rock embedded into the blade.

"And I'll let you know that there isn't that much dark magic used with Legion. Sure, the skull is a necromantic focus, but that's just because that's the only kind of thing that can house them properly. They're perfectly safe, and harmless."

"The pony that carries us talks true. We are but Legion, and we are many."

"I swear, there's always at least one of you who likes that cliche line."

"Don't fear us, sword spirit. We don't wish harm, just to see and experience before we move on. Every lost soul that makes us want this peace, and the pony called Sorrow helps us there. She also finds more to our collective, who needs us to calm them. To free them. Do you need to be freed, Jennifer?"

"Oh right, you can't hear them. Basically, Legion is asking if Jennifer is trapped and needs help. Could be her spirit got locked into your blade after all. From how you said it, it could've been her way of getting away from where she were bound, and see the lands. Huh, you're pretty much doing the same I am, just for one spirit. Cool."

Legion wasn't acting threateningly, they just wanted to know if Jennifer needed to be freed, and otherwise simply talk with her. It was rare that they talked with somepony who were not part of them, and there, they all shared the same thoughts. It were not the same as a conversation. Sorrow frankly found this pretty harmless, so she figured she'd mainly do well in translating for Mike, who might be able to hear his sword, but didn't seem to have heard Legion.

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@woodchunks66

"Were you one of those not in town during the event?

As it were, a large, shadowy creature attacked your town, in the midst of an unnatural, dome-shaped hurricane. With bravery and determination, a few dozen heroic souls managed to defeat the monster, yet many a building were found to be broken. This is why so many are now in the town, who does not belong. They have come from far and wide, under the command of the great dragon you may see flying above our town, to lend his efforts to the forepony, managing the rebuilding of Ponyville.

Far as Alonsus knows, the princesses have spoken their thanks towards those heroes who had not fled the area before their arrival, yet it seems that you may have missed so. Fret not though, fair maiden. You did not miss much, as they needed to discuss things in private shortly after, so it were as brief as a spring breeze."

Alonsus explained things pretty basic, but it were the gist of things, and surely Applejack wouldn't want for him to keep the focus on the details of a large, defeated monster for long. Certainly, he could have shared his own part in making sure the town got evacuated swiftly, though he supposed the she wished to hear of other things too, as delightful as it were to speak about himself.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. This here's the interesting thing, and you're not gonna like it. See, your trees have been poisoned. Some pretty nasty stuff too if this here's the thing I know of and if it's not handled, you're gonna loose your orchard in a month or so. At that point, nothing's gonna grow 'round here again. That would suck pretty hard."

Berry were so close to yelling *Drat!* though, as this were not a zebra toxin, like she had expected. It would've been so much easier if it were, yet this were something different. Darned if she could remember what though. She'd have to find the book again somewhere for that.

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@EQ_Theta

The two groups would meet up more or less at the same time, and waved over to the side, to not disturb the exhibits or the buyers who wandered around and observed potential purchases.

"I see that you return with several things in tow. Did you get what you needed for the trip?"

"We'll need a place to store the items while we're away. Lin can help us acquire what is needed, instead of it weighing us down."

"Splendid. Brick, would you be so kind as to transport these things to the room cleared for the statue, and then inform my workers that they are not to touch it, while the remove the rest?"

Brick nodded and began taking what Rosa had been carrying thus far, so he could get it where it needed to be. After that, he'd have to get cracking with getting the workers to continue clearing the room. It should keep him occupied for the time being.

"Lin knows well the room of which I speak. Now then darlings, is there anything else you need, or do you find yourself ready to begin your trek?"

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@Lucid_Nightlight @Storm Shine @EQ_Theta

The dracolisk didn't really know how to socialize, but he attempted. Giving a few more croaks, easing his stance further, and moving a little closer to Pringle to see what would happen.

"This should be interesting. What sort of thing will instinct tell this little new one to do? Never can tell before it happens.

Writing personality into the new ones are boring. I mean yeah, sometimes they can get somewhat docile, like this little thing is, but it's way more interesting to see how they react on their own. Except for the squidmonkeys. Mean, mean, mean things.

Hey, perhaps his personality can get more lively and stuff if he's around somepony who gets him? Heh, want a lizard Flutterpony? He doesn't seem to mind you."

Good chance Anomaly would just release the little thing somewhere else if Fluttershy wasn't going for him, since he were fairly normal, so there wasn't much of a point in keeping them on her island. That was more for the real freaks of nature she came up with.

"And Lucid? No way you could win over Discord in a fight. He's like, the strongest, and things like silver doesn't work on him. He'd just take any strike, and then turn you into a pinecone. You'd likely beat me though, but that's because you'll cheat. Cheating Mr. Cheater, just taking on an iron armor or something and headbutt me. I know your weird ways!"

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

Pringle was socializing with the dracolisk, just being a lizard.

Meanwhile, Lucid laughed at Anomaly's comment.

"That's hilarious! You honestly think I'd need to cheat? And as for your celebrity crush Discord, you're probably right he'd destroy me since I'm not nearly has powerful as him yet. Keword, YET."

Who knows when Lucid will reach full power? He hopes it will happen soon even though there's not much he'd really do with it besides take down the stick's creator who he still considers a threat.

He thought for a moment. He had an idea.

"Hey Anomaly, how about a little challange. We can fight and see who is more powerful! Of course, there will be some rules."

Lucid clapped his hooves twice and a small list of rules appeared.

1. No killing, that's impolite

2. No iron or silver

3. The first to give up loses

"So, are you up to the challenge or are you a scootaloo?"

Lucid spawned a chicken as he made that remark.

[EQ_Theta 416]

@Blitz Boom @Storm Shine @Lucid_Nightlight

Now that the immediate behavioral concern is settled and Pringle is looking much better without that splinter hurting him, things seemed to be looking up for the two reptiles. The dracolisk,  being new and having about as normal a personality as it can get without Anomaly writing in a new one, looked like it might be settling in and getting along with Pringle. The animosity didn't last, though knowing what Fluttershy was about to do gave Angel pause, hopping out of the saddlebag and making some wild arm gestures and squeaks in protest. Fluttershy leaned in and listened, nodding but a little iffy on the subject.

"I know we don't have food for the dracolisk but.... Wait, you aren't going to babysit? It's mature enough to make observations of you and you're not giving him a good first impression. Look, I'm aware we might not have enough room at home but I can always-"

Angel pouted and thumped his foot on the ground repeatedly, losing patience and waiting for the answer he wants to hear. Fluttershy didn't like this side of Angel but he was already having enough problems with keeping an eye on the other animals at home. One more wouldn't hurt, right? By the looks of things, even the dracolisk needed a place to go and some arrangements can be made to accommodate the new addition.

"Mind your manners, Angel bunny. You can always ask Harry to split the responsibilities with you, and he's more welcoming after setting down some ground rules. It's still up to the dracolisk to decide if it wants to come home with us."

The rabbit sighed and approached the dracolisk, seemingly hating himself for putting up with this but he squeaked and gestured to the lizard albeit coming off as vague. The pegasus then came close and asked, "Do you want to come home with us?"

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@Blitz Boom

If Lin has her details covered, it didn't seem like there was anything else to set them back. They were about as ready as they could get and Sen was itching to get moving. Lin, however, wasn't as antsy about moving along. Thorough and careful as she was in getting ready, she had to take this opportunity to really nail the details in her head, mental notes and all.

"Just before we go, let me make sure I got the task and the details just right," the longma hybrid paced back and forth before everyone in the group but staring down at the ground. "We're going to a village called Salty Breeze and the temple nearby houses a granite statue with three figures. Avoid a gold box and a statue in the area. A swamp along the way could speed up their travel but it could delay us further if we're not careful. Did I get that right, Scarcity?'

Truth be told, she wasn't as careful in most other things she sets herself to. This time was much different, working on an assignment for somepony she didn't know enough and the task itself takes her to a very foreign place she knew nothing about. Lin needed to take the extra precautions to make sure she does this right and would prefer to have her information accurate, even if she has to get reprimanded for repeating them.

"I suppose we have what we need. We're ready to head out." Sen looked to Scarcity, though more concerned that Lin might be irritating the antiquarian now. The sooner they can get on the road, the sooner they can accomplish their task.

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom @Seamore Sandwich @Dji Serenade rolls her eyes, she was getting used to the unique denizens of Ponyville. "Of course a Primordial would call Ponyville home" She sits back, waiting for Cherish to finish, trying to hide a smile.

@Blitz Boom A massive giant wolf sits in the middle of the field, staring into the sky unlinking. It's coal black fur shimmers, and dark heavy chains wrapped around his forelegs, back, sides and legs. His ears swivel back and forth, taking in all sounds.

[BloodDrops 762]

On 6/17/2018 at 6:27 PM, Blitz Boom said:

Nerzhei grimaced at Droppy's last comment.

Whereas she could ignore the rest of the comments going toward the temple, and knew that she deserved these at least, the last one struck a chord that she hadn't considered.

"That's a problem, yes. Lyriel is... Naive. Believes that everyone have a good side, and doesn't think they want to trick her. It's a possibility that she'd agree to a deal and not know what it would entail."

Honestly, the dryad were far too trusting for the dragoness's taste, and right now, that were a problem. One that she should have thought off before the two groups split up and the naive forest spirit got left with a being whose race were about as known for manipulation and trickery as the changelings. They might end up going into a situation that were going to require them to fight, though Nerzhei would really hope not. Even at her best, she had high doubts that she could defeat a sphinx, and she were not well currently. Her energy were drained, whilst the sphinx were likely strong and ready to duke it out if needed be.

Speaking of deals who may be in play, Lyriel were faced with thinking on what she had been presented.

It sounded like a good arrangement. The sphinx would have her little part of the forest to herself, and she could govern the building as she pleased, and she would get this privacy and freedom in return for stopping a great threat. What were not to like in that deal? It were not as if Lyriel had not wanted to discourage the animals in the forest to leave this part of it alone anyway, so it seemed perfect, honestly.

Yet something were concerning her. A feeling that came up from her roots/hooves, that she were not used to interpret from the earth mother: Caution.

Lyriel knew not if it were caution about the plague bearer getting closer, or something about what the sphinx said, but it made the dryad hesitant to simply say yes.

Drying the tears from her eyes, Lyriel slowly looked upwards, and gazed upon the large form of her creator.

"May I ask, mighty creator, how much land would your greatness require? This forest contain many creatures, and if you take much of their land, I have to know what is left that they can live on. They need me to know."

Lyriel prayed that this would not anger the creator, but this were one thing that she might see the earth mother being worried about, as well as something the animals most certainly would care about, so she needed to ask. If there were still room for them in a blossoming, free part of the forest, then she could accept this with little worry, though the sphinx might trick her into agreeing anyway. The plague walker were near after all, and if the sphinx kept going on about Lyriel failing and the urgency on a choice, she could be pressured into agreeing to something she knew nothing about.

 

Droppy giggled and smiled at Nerzhei, "Well it would have some sort of catch, Sphinx's always have a catch with there deals. even the good ones" she remarked with a small snort. She let out a low snort and glanced at the door, before turning back to Nerzhei, "So should we go in or should we knock first? I'm not about to go and trespass inside a temple owned by a Sphinx" she remarked to the dragon.

She instead stared at the large door and the statue of the Sphinx and the plant pony thing. "Seems your friend is apart of the temple, maybe she decided she had a better use as a support then a walking being" she remarked staring at Nerzhei. She then licked her lips, she was getting hungry again. "Maybe I could wish for a endless supply of steak, that would be nice" she finished.

 

The Sphinx stared down at Lyriel coldly, "This forest did contain many creatures, though some have seem to have been eaten by a plague that walked this land. It was not me that brought her here, but your dragon friend and in addition yourself for allowing her entry knowing full well her disease she brought with her. The question is not how much land I will take from the creatures that they live on, the question is why did you allow this creature into there land to taint it in the first place? You know she has a disease that can spread to anything, you think it was a smart idea to bright her into the middle of your forest? I wonder how long until she infects other creatures, that is what you should have asked me, 'how much has she infected?'. not how much land you will lose of it, weighing up the amount of land against the well being of the creatures under your protection" she scolded. 

"I am disappointed in you Lyriel, maybe I should give the plague walker what she wants instead, if you don't like my offer, I gave you a genuine offer and you question it, that offends me. More to it that is insulting. I can simply leave and let you deal with the plague walker but I was nice enough to offer you help and you question it" she snorted, "I hear she smashed some timber wolves like they were twigs, wonder how you would fare up to her wrath. Being the last sane one of your species, I would have thought you would do everything in your power to prevent such a disastrous end and leave your species in ruin. Instead you haggle over land you can offer me like I were a beggar asking for change" she tutted.

The Sphinx got off her throne, and stood up glaring down at Lyriel, she didn't suffer criticism or fools likely."I was going to just take the area inside my temple though i'm now thinking of taking the whole forest and taking guardianship off your hooves." she growled at Lyriel. "I will give you this deal instead of my previous offer, I will take the land my temple stands on as my own. Though if you fail in your duty to protect your charge of keeping this forest safe, I will take all your forest as a reprise for your shortcomings and banish you back to the land you came from. You can take that deal or deal with your plague walker yourself" she remarked

"You should remember what happened the last time your species disrespected me and be grateful that I've giving you a easy way out this time. If I cure the plague walker all her disease she has ever spread will be removed from the world and she will return home none the wiser of her plague days, if she stays here your forest will be infected and die if its not already infected. Then her infection will spread to the ponies you like so much and they will die because of you. That would make you a murderer Lyriel, are you a murderer?" she asked her slyly. 

The Sphinx flicked her tail and stared at the plant, "So do you agree to my deal or not?" she asked her finally.