open Casual stroll

[Blitz Boom 4,629]

@Rising Dusk

Molotov kept shut as they walked along, despite Dusky little comment making him want to blurt something out. Normally he would've just gone at him right there and then, but the power supply for Felicia were unstable until it was connected, so no dice. Not unless he wanted to increase the odds for leveling this side of town dramatically, and something told him that the officer wouldn't like that. You know, if it wasn't because they'd all be dead.

Getting back into the main room, Felicia neared cautiously and eyed the price. Her key to freedom, away from spending every second in this madpony's lab.

"ℝ𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥. 𝕀 𝕨𝕒𝕟𝕥 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕚𝕤 𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕖."

Molotov put down the crate, whilst Felicia fell as flat on the floor as her body allowed. It should make it easier to 

"Alright, so far so good. Felicia, open up the compartment in your chassis and I'll get it set. And as for you, Mr. Smart Guy-"

He turned and looked at Dusky with a grin.

"My family might be mostly unicorns, but we're engineers and tinkerers more than anything. Weaving magic ain't our specialty, though hey, if you think it's easy to do both, then how about I give you some base parts after this, and you can try to cultivate a base AI without magic? I'm sure you can master fifteen years of innovation in the blink of an eye."

It was in a jolly tone and with the expression to match, but Molotov were a little defensive about his lack of ability weaving magic and knowing the ins and outs of it. His family generally had the brains to grasp complex magic and perhaps go far there if they kept up with it, but it were almost always tinkering that got their spirits high, and messing with stuff like that meant staying away from other things. Like magic.

Of course, he could have asked for help with this sort of thing, but once again, Center Zero had been cleaned out the residents before he had considered Carmen's and his necklace's power supplies completely tested enough for help with the small stuff - such as leaking power - and the papers that could help with it gave him a headache.

"Heh, let's stop beating around the bush ans get this over with. Felicia, be a doll and open up, would you?"

No time to think on his lack of magic superiority or application in experimental power supplies now. He had to focus here.

The pile of wires on Felicia's abdomen started to move around a little as Felicia opened up the area around it, causing it to pull up and show the actual wires connected to her insides. Surprisingly, only three of them actually were, which either meant that the things were mostly fluff, or considering that Molotov got a pretty surprised look as he crawled up and got a better look, that something had been toyed around with that wasn't meant to.

"What the? There should've been five more wires connected in here. And that connection right there should... It have been restructured? But h- Carmen!"

The smaller spider skittered on the table, and got closer to see why she had been called on.

"Don't play innocent with me. Did you do this?"

"ℌ𝔢𝔩𝔭 𝔣𝔞𝔪𝔦𝔩𝔶, 𝔦𝔪𝔭𝔬𝔯𝔱𝔞𝔫𝔱."

"Yeah well, nice try you two, but it wouldn't have worked. You'd only get power for a day at best, not a continued feedback of the same power over and over again. You'd need a Night Crystal for that, and there's no way in Equestria any of you would be able to get hold of that. Now I have to reconfigure this again before we can get the power supply installed."

Molotov's horn glowed, and the wires inside Felicia got disconnected. The light faded quickly from her eyes as the lack of power caused her to go into *hibernation*, and it would be around ten seconds in that she were completely shut down, and ready to be worked on.

Carmen jumped down from the workbench and skittered over to Felicia's head, where she would sit down and await her larger sister to get back again. Though she'd likely get cranky from having to shut down like this, as needed as it were.

Molotov didn't focus much on that though, and instead went on to float several tools over to him. Most being regular things like screwdrivers, cranks, and such, but a few of the strange, homemade things seemed to come into play too, though their function seemed speculative.

"Can you believe it, Dusky? So wanting to get out of here, that she were going to try and reconfigure herself to work outside. Honestly, it wasn't a bad attempt, but how were she ever gonna last? You can't even find Night Crystals outside of Saddle Arabia, and the few that comes around, are insanely expensive. She'd end up with a day of power, then wander off and collapse in Celestia knows where. Disastrous.

*sigh* Anyway, it's gonna take me a few minutes to get this fixed. I can talk if you got questions, just do me a solid and keep an eye out for Blitz if she comes running, will you? I don't want her to trip on that box and cause trouble."

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@Dji @FanOfManyShows

"Take who wants to come. All but Zhu here have the right to say no."

Tidal glanced to the side as the gem that had been thought to be the element, showed off as shards of an emerald. Might've missed that if her attention hadn't been directed towards  it by the others.

"I'll need to take that along as evidence, unless you witching folks need it to track Emerald better? I ain't keen on leaving evidence with civilians, but it beats having her under even less scrutiny."

"I'm coming along to Canterlot, and frankly I think we all need to. We left a few things behind that might be able to help us."

Chow sent a glance to Misty and Astral, hoping they got that he meant that weird, bauble cage relic that Scarcity had given them. Though they shouldn't tell the general that they had gotten it from there. Scarcity wouldn't be found out, but the rest of them sure would figure out what happened if you rattled off to the generals. Something which were likely not going to be a pretty sign.

"So, anypony got something they need to finish up while here, or can we get on with our lives? Day still ain't done, and there's plenty to chow down on."

Pun intended, Chow would wait and see if they were all gonna leave, and if so, together. Considering his outburst and the over-protective kind of way he had been about Astral however, it wouldn't surprise him if they ended up splitting into three groups. The witches going home, The general, Zhu and himself heading for the capitol, and the mouthy mare wandering off and doing whatever. Seemed like she wasn't part of anything here, right?

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@FanOfManyShows

Emerald rose an eyebrow at the mention of stored blood, but didn't say anything. Her sister could ramble on as much as she wanted, which weren't long, as she soon retreated into the gem.

Using her host's horn, Emerald lifted the element and let the light deflect in it's surface, following it slowly as she spun it around itself.

"...One chance sister. One final attempt to save what you threw away."

It would have been easy to just take it back there. The gem she deserved, unlocking her powers and have her vengeance on her sister once and for all. Yet, the sentimental side of her were still alive, and reminded her of the second thing that had made her pursuit power, right after finding a way to live: To make Sapphire come back, if she wanted to or not.

So for the time being, she would try to work with Sapphire, and then see if they could function again, as they once had. Potentially without harming ponies, as weird as it sounded to Emerald. Medicine weren't exactly stellar back in her days, but now they had moved on to keeping blood around for situations? useful blood even, that could be used by living ponies? A strange turn things had taken, though it would be to their benefit. Stealing some of this would be easier than to hide the aftermath of harvesting it the old fashioned way.

But all in due time. The blood were the last thing to gather up regardless, so they could tackle this as time came by. Plus, going to Canterlot now, when they would expect her to show up and try to save Warlock or do a retaliation strike? It would be suicide. It was better if they went to somewhere else first, and set up base for them to bring the ingredients to, once they gathered them.

Hmmm... Perhaps the old place still stood? It had been build somewhat solidly, so there was was a chance.

With that, Emerald took the gem close, and cast a spell to teleport them to their old home. Not the one they had grown up in with their parents, as that one she knew were gone, but rather, the one the two of them had shared once. An isolated hut of stone, in the middle of a dry spot in a swamp. At least it had been, once upon a time. They'd see how it would look this time around. If that didn't work, Emerald wouldn't linger, but would transport them both to where Warlock had taken her earlier, when they had Astral and Chow in custody. Not the best location, but one could not be picky when you were on the run.

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@FanOfManyShows

"Of course. And don't worry about anything leaking. The therapist are sworn to never tell anypony what they're speaking with the in-I mean, clients about. Not even the princesses can get the information unless the client is dead."

They had a lot of prisoners throughout the years that had done some pretty bad things, and didn't want there to be snoopers into it if they spilled the beans. So a few generations ago, therapists connected to the prisoner rehabilitation program were granted a special permission to keep any and all documentation a secret, unless it was proven that the prisoner in question had died. It had annoyed some of the previous generals over the years, but the princesses decree stood steadfast.

Regarding to uhm... Pigeon thing. What sort of thing do they say? And can you only understand them, or other birds "

A really weird one to hear somepony talk about speaking with pigeons, but they had to fill the time with something, and it were less depressing than talking potential jail-time, so it would do. Hogweed were kinda curious too.

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@FanOfManyShows

"It's than that, General Wing. This file were among the restricted papers now, but they were not there originally. After what he did, they were moved there from the military archives."

"He were a guard?"

Dew raised an eyebrow, somewhat disturbed by this notion, and preparing himself to hear a few details they hadn't expected.

"Worse. He used to be a general."

Dew felt like the air had been knocked out of him by that bit of news, whilst the normally neutral-looking Screecher visibly cringed.

"These are... Troubling news, captain. General Wing? Could you tell us what it says in the file? If he used to be a general, we need to know what got him expelled from our history, and everything else we have on file."

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@EQ_Theta

Glancing over the remains of the camp, the siblings seemed to do well in packing and not leaving a mess., Several campers he had encountered through the years, had left the place barely recognizable, but this hardly seemed intruded upon. The remnant of a fire didn't really count that much, as what he mostly thought about were litter. For some reason that tended to irk him a little more than it realistically should.

"If Lin would take one of the pckets I prepared in the safe room next time we eat then , you can try the watermelon, Sen. Try to avoid swallowing the seeds.

Now, let's get a move on, beginning with exiting the forest, and make our way towards the canyon beyond. The easiest would be to go north and follow the creek there. We will need to pass a lake eventually, but it is a minor obstacle."

Rosa were burying the remains of his watermelon - old habits died hard - as he said that, thinking that everything were settled, when his eyes fell upon something just outside their camp site. A footprint of some kind it seemed. He went closer and ran his hoof by the edge, taking in the size and trying to get a feel for what this had been. A small bear perhaps? They roamed these forests, though they tended to be weary of travelers. Some kind of deform timber cub might also be an option, but there weren't any obvious claw marks,,,

A strange find, but whatever had left the small print, hadn't been very big at least. He'd cast it off as nothing if it wasn't because the way it seemed, something had gotten close to the camp while they slept, and managed to stay out of sight, whilst watching them. Nothing good tended to come from nightly stalkers.

"...We should be weary of the wildlife as we move. Bears and wolves are prone to linger in areas such as this, though whatever this is, it's not either of those. Have the tent been sent back yet, so it doesn't burden us?"

He would have asked about the reading material too, but it weren't much. If Lin could carry it without impeding her movement, it would be fine. Provided that it didn't suddenly float all over the place and they had to gather pages. It would be inconvenient for their time management.

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@Lucid_Nightlight @EQ_Theta @Moonlit @Seamore Sandwich @Dji @FanOfManyShows @Storm Shine

"Hey, I don't eat kittens. I eat lots of animals, minerals and planty stuff, but come on, kittens? That's just crazy talk."

Anomaly would have mentioned what she ate, but the author were always watching out if she said the dreaded B word, and she didn't want to have a silver porcupine or something fall on her. Not this close to adventure.

"I would have the fluffy wuffy bundle of hate towards me, follow on magical adventures, thrilling explorations, and dangerous trips to museums to lick old pottery."

She could just imagine it. Granted, she wasn't entirely sure how a sphinx looked, but it shouldn't be too hard. Cat with wings and funny headgear, right? Little bit big in it? No problem.

Whilst she focused on that, Last had gotten over the shock from actually being helped a good deal by a draconequus, and took a step towards Princess Twilight, as she said the time to leave were here.

"You all heard her majesty. We must make haste."

"They should, but I wish for you to stay, Last."

The mare in question looked at Princess Celestia as she were told to remain here.

"I know that you wish to help, now that you are feeling better, but Twilight have found many helpers, and her castle will be left unguarded while she is away. Would you help me keep it, and the town, safe?"

Last were silent for a moment, and looking towards the group that were moving away, before standing down and wandering over to the princess of the sun.

"As you wish, your majesty."

She knew that the alicorn were likely more concerned with how well Last actually were, and how she had only barely gotten out of the fight in one piece the last time, so she made up something to make the mare stay, rather than go face the sphinx. Yet, this was a suggestion/order by the one most important to her majesty, Princess Luna. No matter the motivation, Last would do what was asked of her, and just looked as the group began to move away from the castle, and towards the forest. It would almost look heroic, if it weren't for Discord's presence, and Anomaly bouncing around the griffon and *pony* mare asking them questions, it would almost look heroic. Hard to not make it into an unintentional comedy when it involved those two though.

"So, students of Twilight, are you witches? Or is it friendship students, and you're learning hugs and stuff?"

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom @EQ_Theta @Storm Shine @BloodDrops @Dji @Seamore Sandwich

"Yea, eating kittens would be pretty messed up. It's been a while since I've been on an adventure in this universe. There were two occasions I was gonna do something cool, but didn't get to. One when I still lived in this universe when I only just got the stick and Tirek showed up and then there was the other time when I was in the universe I live in now when that Storm King guy invaded! Both times purple princess over here beat me to it! Seriously, I opened a portal to this universe all ready to face that storm dude, but some caged pony is all like *Oh don't worry, Princess Twilight is handling it!* Do you realize how embarrassing that is?"

Lucid wasn't really that bothered by it though.

"Anyways, I have an idea! What if we get some sort of red laser and have the sphinx chase it! It's the perfect distraction!"

 

[EQ_Theta 459]

@Blitz Boom @Lucid_Nightlight @Storm Shine @BloodDrops @Dji @Seamore Sandwich

"Lucid, I- I don't know. I understand what you mean but... I don't know if I could answer that question."

Fluttershy stopped and considered Lucid's words, remaining silent. It was a conflicted idea she had a feeling would be brought up sometime sooner or later. Was it really the kind thing to do? She knew of Twilight stopping Starlight Glimmer from changing history over and over again, but that ended when fighting was just not going to cut it; she stopped her with words. The pegasus wondered if it were the other way around, violence met with violence just to stop Starlight... If it were her, she wouldn't know. It just wasn't in her nature to come to such measures. Would she still be worthy of being the bearer of the element of kindness? She got Discord to stop being evil, believed that he could change, even if his chaotic nature remained. It's just that not everyone is like Discord or Starlight, and it scared her. 

But away from them, it seemed like Angel was closing in for a left hook after dodging Lotus's kick, but without her reacting to his move, he hesitated to follow through. He stopped there and waved one paw in front of her to just make sure she's still there. Might be because she's distracted but who knew? Maybe she's just waiting for him to let his guard down for a sucker punch.

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@Blitz Boom

Lin quickly opened another gate back home and ran into it, taking the tent along and came back with slightly fewer belongings in her pack. It seemed like she forgot the possibility of being hindered along their route today and decided to pack lighter. She could always come back for them later. But for now, Sen tensed up and she noticed it when Rosa mentioned the wildlife. It put Sen on edge, even hinting that something there terrified him. 

"D-did you say b-bears? L-like those ursas I've b-been hearing about?"

"Sen, are you alright? You've never sounded so scared about animals before."

Sen paused, then softened the tone in his voice as he faced away from Rosa, disturbed by a rush of memories coming in. He tried to stifle a tear or two but calmed himself. "I-it's about that night when I lost - Never mind, it's not important now. Let's just be careful and hope we don't run into them."

She knew something about what Sen talked about, a little too concerning since it hit close to home. Even he was concerned with letting Rosa know this part of his past and Lin had her suspicions. For now, she shrugged it off and held Sen's claw firmly, reassuring him that things will be fine. She'd probably have a talk with him in the evening. Maybe he'd be more comfortable with expressing his worries when he's a little more at ease. 

"Sorry about Sen, Rosa. He's a little off-put by bears but it won't hinder our progress today. Let's get going."

Edited July 30, 2018 by EQ_Theta

[Blitz Boom 4,629]

@EQ_Theta

(just to correct something I missed)

Lotus had been waiting with her paws in front of her, ready to catch Angel's incoming strike and use his momentum to throw him over her shoulders. Him stopping his attack though, caught her by surprise. She wasn't used to fake-outs like this, and when he then began waving a paw in front of her, she were sure that this were the start of him getting a strike through after catching her off guard, so she took a jump back, and lunged towards him with her right paw first, aiming for his right shoulder. It wasn't the best attack, and he'd likely be able to dodge it, but the fake-out really had gotten her off her game. Dragons didn't stop when they first began throwing a punch, and she had learned most of her moves from wrestling with the smaller ones of those, so she wasn't entirely sure what to expect right now.

[EQ_Theta 459]

@Blitz Boom

Angel intended one fake out but the second was more out of genuine concern. Still didn't seem to make a difference to Lotus who seemed to keep on going with the fight. He saw the possibility of retaliation and stepped back, curious as to where this might go and what Lotus would do. She might just be a tenacious type, and she might have the idea of going on the offensive. It was a sound strategy for her to move in with a hit and follow it up, keeping the momentum going. Angel moved forward and grabbed the pink bunny by the extended paw and swung her off to the side. He then proceeded to goad her into going after him, squeaking as he charged towards her intending a sucker punch until he got close but actually just tripping her. He really wasn't into the whole idea of playing rough but there are ways of keeping up a fight without actually hurting the opponent. It was something he wanted to try. But would Lotus fall for it, or would Angel need to reconsider his tactics? That was for them to see...

Edited July 30, 2018 by EQ_Theta

[BloodDrops 762]

@Blitz Boom

 

The Sphinx blinked at Onache as she mentioned her former slave. She flicked her tail and smiled, "so you depend on your slaves, well that makes sense'' she reasoned.

She snorted and yawned, " having mindless servants won't help me, though having intelligent ones come with a risk" she added.

"I might already be old, though you are correct I will live longer then yourself" she told her with a flick of her tail. She tutted, "why I want to waste time chasing the fool's even if I free there mind? They matter not" she growled.

"so you should try and follow my rules otherwise there will be problems and that will not end well for you but apart from that you should be fine unless you continue to cause problems with your bad manners then I'll have to take you up on your offer and you will not like that" she threatened.

"I would prefer you changed because I would not have to look at such an ugly form and you be more powerful. However for now I will put up with this form and lack of power since I have use for you in defeating my enemies. What information you provided has been most resourceful. I accept your proposal for a death if you transform into what you hate most" she finished.

She waited for her guests to arrive. Shouldn't be long now she had been waiting long enough after all if she waited any longer it would just be bad Manners on her guests part and the Sphinx doesn't tolerate bad Manners after all.

 

 

[Rising Dusk 27,756]

@Blitz Boom

Rising Dusk continued to help Molotov guide the device out of its secured room and back into the main workshop room.  He knew Molotov wanted to say something, but Dusk was rather impressed that me managed to not, considering how much he liked to ramble.  Felicia sure seemed excited, well as excited as a mechanical spider could appear to be, about seeing the device they brought out.  When they finally got settled into the room though, he had to get called out as Mr. Smart Guy.  Dusk couldn't help but grin, wanting to at least correct the other stallion to Detective Smart Guy, but it was all in good fun.  He listened to the small history lesson about a family of unicorns that excelled in engineering.  It wasn't really that hard to relate however, also being a unicorn that excelled in just one area.  They were still brothers in magic at the core though.  Simply starring at Molotov when he was challenged to do what he did on a daily basis.

"Can I have two blinks?"

He jibbed, blinking each of his eyes separately.  Not believing for an instant he'd ever be able to match Molotov's skills in engineering, even with his type of photographic memory.  Finally letting free a chuckle as Molotov went to start working on Felicia to get this task done.  It was a little sad to see the large spider bot go offline.  Really through, it would be a fine test in Molotov's resolve in seeing if he'd turn her back on.  He felt he would though.  Looking over his shoulder at the request to keep an eye out at the laundry room for Blitz.  The device was indeed rather unstable, so it wouldn't be the best idea for the hyper filly to go messing with it while Molotov was working, even if she was extremely smart.

"Understood."

Dusk replied simply.  It would have been easier to just put a barrier over the device to help prevent such problems, but the only barrier he knew was a Dispel Barrier, and wasn't all that useful in stopping physical objects.

[Blitz Boom 4,629]

@Rising Dusk

"Blink 'til your lids fall off mate, I don't think you'll be able to cultivate a workable AI anyway. I spend most of my life trying to get something to work, and Carmen was the first breakthrough I got. Number 3.257. Each new attempt requiring to rewrite the entire thing from scratch and role the dice. Happy I stuck with it though. It's a scientific breakthrough, and she makes for a good assistant. You know, long as I don't take her anywhere near clowns.

Used to have this old clown head alarm for testing if I got a workable sentience made, and had it go off soon as one of the little critters approached. All the rest of 'em just kept doing the same thing, not changing behavior, so they got scrapped. Learning is the important part with sentience. Otherwise it's just a regular program.

Carmen though... Heh, she went from jolting away to approaching with caution, to at the end, attacking it and tearing it apart. Huge success, though she's gotten a kind of a gut instinct of animosity when we see regular clowns and she jumps them too. Try to explain to a frantic makeup-wearing sort why there's a metallic, fluffy spider trying to bite off the fake nose. It ain't easy."

It was refreshing to talk when he worked honestly. Some had issues with keeping concentration when it came to that, but even when working on a breakthrough, Molotov would ramble on, often to just himself or Carmen. It helped him cool his brain off and not get too stressed about things, which considering he tended to work with high explosives back at Center Zero, were pretty important.

"Alright, got it sorted now. Time to insert the power supply."

Floating the tools back to their positions on the wall, Molotov then took hold of the crate with his horn, opened the lid, and carefully floated the orb towards him. It looked like he were handling something about as fragile as slippery glass when he did get it up to him, and he began to slowly set it into place, but it wasn't far from it. Until it was connected right, the energies couldn't flow right, and the whole thing would be somewhat unstable. It had been designed to go into the chassis the first time around in his original design, but he elected away from it when he thought on the option that the new spiderbot would try and make a run for it, or potentially chasing somepony who got too near the workshop. He kept the supply around in case of an emergency, and thankfully no earthquake had hit them since he moved in, so everything had worked out well enough.

He kept fiddling with the right angle on the thing for a minute more, mumbling to himself about square roots to keep his nerve, until he eventually saw it right where it should be, and connected the wires inside Felicia's chassis.

As the last wire got in, Felicia's eyes began to light up again, and Carmen looked down on her sister curiously, wondering if the larger sister were okay after being put in hibernation.

"ℝ𝕦𝕟𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕤... 𝕊𝕪𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕞 𝕣𝕦𝕟𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕥 𝕠𝕡𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕒𝕝 𝕝𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝𝕤. ℕ𝕠 𝕞𝕒𝕝𝕗𝕦𝕟𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤 𝕕𝕖𝕥𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕕. 𝕋𝕚𝕞𝕖 𝕡𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕤𝕙𝕦𝕥𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟: 𝟞 𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝟜𝟚 𝕤𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕕𝕤."

Felicia would close the hole in her chassis again afterwards, and got on her legs. The battery were working at a high efficiency level, though of course, a skilled magic-user like Dusky would know how to raise said efficiency. Though for now at least, the instability seemed in check, as the energy flowed properly through the metallic arachnids body.

"𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕜𝕖𝕡𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕕, 𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕠𝕣. 𝕀 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕜𝕖𝕖𝕡 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕚𝕟 𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕕."

"You better. Now be a sport and wait for us fleshbags to follow troop before you go out, okay? You're better off with an escort the first time 'round."

A low hiss came as a response, but the large spiderbot understood the logic in this. She would have some patience, while Molotov bounced closer to the table and got the cage assembled quickly. It was still lacking some walls, but one thing at a time. The skeleton was the important part after all, and since there had been holes for screws and bolts, it had taken no time to get it wrenched together by pulling out the right size of what he needed from beneath the workbench, and get it latched on solidly.

"Let's get on with it then. The show's yours now Dusky. Let's see if we hit spot on now, or if this will crumble. Or explode. If you're worried about something like that by the way, I have a room outside I usually use for explosive testings. Free to use if you're shivering from fear."

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@EQ_Theta

"Bears can be dangerous, but there's nothing like Ursa's in this area. Just the usual several hundred kilogram versions. They should be somewhat reluctant to engage with us, but if we do run into one, you both run. I'll distract it, and meet up with you after I have shaken it off."

Rosa wasn't able to just bring down a bear like it was nothing, considering their size and robust nature, but he could mislead them. Considering the fear that Sen seemed to have off them, that would likely be the best thing he could do, even if the one they potentially met weren't as much hostile as curious. You never knew how wild animals like that reacted to blatant fear and potential panicky movements and screams.

"You have my word, that I'll do what I can to ensure our groups safety. I only ask that you reserve judgement about my methods, and don't attempt to play hero. Bears may be solitary, but wolves aren't, and they're known to skulk the forest. Certain thugs also like to prey on travelers if given the chance, but we carry nothing of value. They are unlikely to care much about us. If they do, they will be dealt with too."

Questions were roaming inside his head about what may have transpired to make Sen so scared of bears, but it seemed to involve an Ursa, and a specific night. Perhaps an encounter after something happened between Sen and Lin? He'd like to know, yet he didn't think himself as being close enough with them to just dig into personal information like that. Phobias like that, and important history, required some level of closeness or intimacy, and a short bonding experience the night before did not cover that.

Whatever it were, Rosa hoped it were not too severe, and caused Sen to freeze or flail at the sight of a bear. It would complicate an already delicate situation.

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

 

@Lucid_Nightlight @EQ_Theta @Storm Shine @BloodDrops @Dji @FanOfManyShows @Seamore Sandwich

She might have gotten fooled the first time, but as Lotus were swung to the side like some sort of dance partner, she jumped forward, and slid across the ground, right foot first, and ready to slam directly into Angel. If he avoided that, she'd rise up and jump directly for him, using the momentum of the slide. If he tried to grab her paw, she'd instead roll around, and get a good grip in him with her other hoof. It should get him down without hurting him. This was a friendly brawl after all. If it hadn't been, she would've kicked sand at him and placed the front part of her paw between his eyes in a well placed kick. Would've knocked him back quite a bit, and perhaps out cold.

A little dirty, but that was a fight. This was just friendly battering.

It should prove interesting how it'd go with the two of them charging in towards one another. Perhaps they'd just both crash and wobble back? No shame in a stalemate when it was a real fight.

"Peh, relax Flutterpony. If there's bad things that needs hurting, you got draconequui with you. We'll do fun/bad things instead. I bet that Discord wouldn't let anything happen to his fluffy friend either."

She let out a giggle before sticking her left front hoof in her mouth, and rummaging around, looking for something. She threw out a pencil sharpener, a half-eaten tomato, a chainsaw (not turned on) a few dozen copies of *Bird Watchers* - which seemed to be a series about pigeons in stalker coats and carrying binoculars - and a kitchen sink before she shrugged, and looked over at Lucid.

"Nope, no laser down there. Try to check behind your ear, Lucid."

If he did, he'd find a small sticker saying *Other ear* which would then lead to a sticker going *Haha, gullible. But seriously, it's in your tail* which would show something resembling a laser pointer. If it wasn't because if he turned it on, it would just cause a small, glowy hand to sprout at the end and point to somepony random.

Truly, a marvelous laser *pointer*. *giggle*

[FanOfManyShows 396]

@Blitz Boom @Dji
They stood around, Iron preparing to teleport, the general should've been ready as the teleportation circle formed around them. "Don't move or we'll be thrown off course." was his last warning as the flames went up around them, a different color from the ones Sapphire used, instead a grey color. Karmic would be taken, the shattered emerald, Chow, Misty, Astral and the general. The fire cleared out as they arrived in the capitol about a minute later, the group much closer together than they were in the castle. "Now you can take it from here, Correct?" He asked, looking to the general.

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

@Blitz Boom

There was silence, Emerald would be on her own, as the gem would be unable to speak for Sapphire while she wasn't actively maintaining her form. All that occured in response was the smoke flowing in the gem.

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

@Blitz Boom

Thoughts crossed his mind about this now, this would be a big decision to make, even for a pony like him he wouldn't want to give up so much potential just because ponies wanted to see the good in him. He had good intentions, others just saw them a evil. "Why would you want to know? it couldn't be any more different from ponies conversations."

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

@Blitz Boom

"General?" After hearing that Iron didn't waste much time opening the files, examining them further. "Well what we have here is a highly skilled individual then, but now I'm unsure how he managed to let his guard down considering his history and skills." He lowered the files a little. "Only reason to get caught like he did, would be to get closer to the other elements, if any reside here." In reality it was possible he was wrong, Warlock hadn't tried to escape so far, the others should know so. "And if that is the case, we should check on him often, and try more to reform him. What do the rest of you think of this?" He asked, while also lifting the files up, if any wanted to grab and take a look at them.

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom @Storm Shine @EQ_Theta @BloodDrops @Dji @Seamore Sandwich

He took her suggestion, exact same thing occured as silently predicted.

He turned on the laser thing and a red hand was pointing.

"No, this won't do. Don't worry, I think I have one."

He quickly coughed one up. Literally, he actually coughed it up and threw it at Discord.

"Here, you can be the distraction. Anomaly can... be Anomaly."

Edited August 1, 2018 by Lucid_Nightlight

[EQ_Theta 459]

@Blitz Boom

"Alright, we'll follow your lead. Just, if we ever run into something dangerous, you be careful alright?" Lin concernedly said, a little uncharacteristic of her to be concerned about anyone who isn't close to her. Then again, it could be done for a somewhat pragmatic reason. There's the fact that they are a little unsure what to if Rosa got hurt. They're low on medicinal plants and they couldn't mix up a batch fast enough. Then there is also the matter of Rosa's brother, if she isn't mistaken, and then there's seeing Filigree brought to justice. King Thorax of the changelings would also probably need to look for someone else to teach him the ropes of politics. 

Deep down, even Sen had considered going against Rosa's words if the situation ever called for it. He wouldn't want him getting hurt if it can be spared, but the bat pony seemed to be well aware of not taking unnecessary risks. 

They proceeded to move along with Sen picking up the pace before the sun would rest above them. Midday was the worst time to be around in the open but following the roads would leave them open to contact with other travelers. Hopefully the way would be clear, or at least with friendly or apathetic ponies who would keep to themselves. That would be better for Sen to think on what happened earlier. 

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

@Blitz Boom @Storm Shine @Lucid_Nightlight @Dji @BloodDrops @Seamore Sandwich

Fluttershy calmed herself, a little more assured with what Anomaly said. She agreed about Discord although even he might not resort to such extremes. If anything, he's a crafty one, able to find and possibly abuse any loophole to his advantage. It's a perk of being a chaotic being that she liked.

Angel's foot collided with Lotus's, halting his advance and left him open for an attack. He didn't expect this to happen and was stunned for a moment, wondering what to do. Not to mention having overheard some bit of Fluttershy who is possibly going to start looking for him soon. Right now, he'll play along with what Lotus would do to him soon and maybe Fluttershy might just see what the two are up to. If Lotus were to pin him down after a bit of moving and fighting, he'll yield, no drama. 

[Storm Shine 1,196]

@Blitz Boom @Lucid_Nightlight @Dji @BloodDrops @Seamore Sandwich @EQ_Theta

Discord caught the laser pointer, clicking it on and off a few times while chuckling. "I suppose I am quite distracting." He preened slightly, checking himself out in a mirror. "It'll be fun to see where this goes!" The chaotic being quickly disappeared, off to mess with the sphinx.

 

"Here Kitty Kitty, I've got a fun little friend for you!"

[Rising Dusk 27,756]

@Blitz Boom

Getting Molotov to talk again like that felt a lot more normal.  Plus it did let Dusk listen more to what he had to say on the subject, learning even more about the other stallion's past.  Sure enough though, he couldn't argue in anyway, shape or form in the field of AI.  It was just fun to poke and prod sometimes, especially when one wanted more information.  Not that he after information so much as just learning what he could.  Sure enough too, Molotov's mood improved a bit after the little bit of a dark cloud that hung above him before going to that showers.  Distractions always helped.

He watched Molotov do his work on Felicia, working to get that device that would serve as her more mobile power supply and key to freedom out of what she considered a prison.  Starring at it as a form of magic made it easier for him to understand what it really was, rather than just a box that was too technical in nature for him to.  As it was inserted into the spider's chassis and she powered up, he should still sense the magic of the device even as she buttoned herself up.  While there was really an on or off switch to how he sensed magic, it was easier to describe is as 'tuning' it out.  A simple blink of his eyes as his sense of the device faded into the background to join the rest of the world.

It was nice to have her powered back up and fine, or at least he hoped so with all that diagnostic speak.  Walking back over to their work bench, he waited for Molotov to assemble the cage they'd be using for practice.  Not really feeling the need to take this into a safe area.  Shiver with fear?  Has he really ever shivered with fear?  Not that he could recall.  Probably just a fun little jab at Dusk.  Nodding his head.

"Understood."

Reaching up, he placed a hoof against the side of the small cage and simply slid it over the magic circle.  With it sitting more or less in the center, he ignited his horn and poured some of his magic into the circle, activating it.  There probably weren't too many ponies in Equestria that could see what he saw happening.  Most just saw the circle glow, indicating it's activation.  To Dusk though, it was a beautiful cascade of energies that flowed through the network of lay-lines he crated with the chalk.  Like water filling the furrows made by Earth ponies to water their farms.  All of this lasted less a second, as the ends of the magical energy connected and then shot up the cage, binding the spell to the Deep Iron.

Not five seconds later, the cage creaked as metal strained.  The bars of the Deep Iron cage started to rile and collapse in on itself, threatening to crumble into a small metal ball rapidly.  Mostly out of instinct, the orange glow of his magic became mixed with black wisps that circled around his horn.  Doing what he did best, he activated his Counter Magic.  With a flick of his horn, the sound of fizzling that ended in a soft pop came from the cage as Dusk Dispelled the enchantment he had just placed upon it.

The black wisps from his magic disappeared before the orange glow itself did as he extinguished his magic.  He did manage to keep the cage from fully collapsing, but the bars had become greatly gnarled.

"Oops..."

Edited August 2, 2018 by Rising Dusk

[Sekel 694]

@Blitz Boom, @EQ_Theta, @Moonlit, @Seamore Sandwich, @BloodDrops, @Storm Shine, @Lucid_Nightlight

TWILIGHT SPARKLE & AURORA LIGHTS

Twilight had spotted Discord zap off and inwardly groaned. At the very least the amount of chaos caused by the draconequii would lessen slightly. That is, unless Discord had gone to the Sphinx ahead of them. Still, it would be nice to know where he went just in case. "Can somepony tell me where Discord went off to?"

"Um ... we're friendship students, sir," Aurora said nervously, eyes wide at Anomaly, speaking for both herself and Serenade.

@Blitz Boom, @FanOfManyShows

KARMIC FATE

Karmic shook her head to relieve herself of the dizzy spell she had gotten from the teleportation. She kept close to the only pony she really knew in the group, Zhu, and stayed by his side while the others talked.

'You know, you aren't really a social pony,' Atzy commented in Karmic's mind, her voice echoing around her skull.

"Yeah, well, you try being social when you get random visions of ponies you look at, and then we'll talk," Karmic snapped out loud, uncaring of everypony else hearing her one-sided conversation.

[Blitz Boom 4,629]

@Rising Dusk

Molotov couldn't see the intricate network of magic that was going into the spell, as Dusky began infusing the prototype cage with magic, but he was almost holding his breath regardless, as he looked at the delicate work of runes and magic drawn towards the cage that the officer had worked diligently on preparing. This were the first step in a great leap forward for science, as well as something which Princess Celestia would surely praise them for making. A new era of law enforcement that was going to change everything, and write both Dusky and him into history books for making Equestria safer from the magical beings that attacked it.

Just thinking about it made him shiver with glee. It was going to be a great time, as soon as they made a workable version that were. Even if it were looking good so far, there weren't a breakthrough in anything that came out the first time you tried to get it done. It was a matter of trial and error until everything was just right, and as could be seen some seconds into the process, this wasn't any different. It was cracking down from the pressure, and working towards imploding upon itself, as Dusky and him had theorized it might earlier.

Amazingly, the officer actually managed to stop the process entirely, and Molotov got the first real look into what this stallion could actually do. The counter magic that Dusky were such a great user of that even his old towns-mate had found it more efficient to inspect him, rather than work in his own lab, and honestly? It didn't disappoint. It was a fairly seamless, non-flashy process, that could only really be noticed by the new aura that presented itself on Dusky's horn. A black, wispy aura that contrasted strongly with his regular orange one. Highly fascinating. Was this the color of anti-magic? Did that mean that it was some kind of dark magic originally? Perhaps sacrificial or necromantic? Quite a thing to look into later, but right now, looking at the gnarled piece of metal that had once been a cage but now more reminded him of an art installation made out of trash, they had some other priorities to work on first.

So he went over and looked it over, noticing the way the bars had been twisted, the direction and what seemed to have been the center or the pull on this, before looking back on Dusky with a grin.

"A gravitational pull towards the middle that needs to be more spread out, and I need to work on reinforcing the design, but this is pretty good for a first attempt. I think we need to work on both the issues together for the design and the casting next time, instead of being separate. I'm thinking perhaps adding a cross design on the walls to make them more solid, adding a few more inches of thickness on all the bars and then going with some kind of receptors in the corners could help with things? Sort of like lightning rods you know? What's your thought on it Dusky? You'd know best what happened on the magical side of things."

Really, the base design seemed to work well enough, as the metal hadn't been disintegrated or warped instantly under pressure, and the magic were seemingly more having some issue with concentrating a pull in the middle from what he could speculate, so to him at least, it seemed like a rather excellent try. Perhaps he had given them too little credit when he speculated this could take up to ten years, but they'd see when Dusky would start talking. How the magic had reacted exactly were his expertise, so his input were going to mean a ton on their way forward.

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

 

@Dji @FanOfManyShows

The general looked around, seeing a few of her guards going towards them in their blue and lime-green uniforms with the fins down the side and tridents on her backs, around with a bundle from the Solar and Night Guards.

"Yeah, I can handle him from here. You folks go on and do what you need to, and if something happens with Emerald, keep me posted. Hey dorks! We've got a prisoner to drag to the cells. Give me a hoof here, will you?"

The second half of what she said were directed towards her own guards, who neared them faster and glanced on the other folks around their general.

"And these?"

"They're cleared, leave 'em be. This sorry sack of bones is what I'm concerned about. And don't take any chances with him. He's a flight risk."

The other guards seemed to slow down and walk away instead as they got confirmation that the general only had one prisoner to deal with. Her own guards could handle that with ease, although one went closer, and from the sign on his plate, he seemed to be a part of the infirmary. He rose up Zhu's head, felt on his pulse and grimaced for every step he took beyond that to check up on the prisoner, whilst Tidal Wave looked on somewhat annoyed.

"Are you done groping my prisoner, skippy?"

"He needs to go to the hospital."

"And risk him escaping? No way. We'll drag him to the infirmary, but I won't take the chance that he's faking this and makes a scene in a hospital to escape."

The pony in question put his hoof to Zhu's mouth and then shoved it to the others, so they could see the blood staining it.

"Nopony with a pulse this low and leaking blood is going anywhere else than to a surgeon. You might outrank me, General Tidal Wave, but I am not going to accept sub-par medical attention that might cause your prisoner to perish. He is going to the hospital, and that's final. If you want to dispute that, then take it up with Lieutenant Hogweed. I'm far more afraid of what she'll do to me than what you could, if she finds out I neglected a sick prisoner."

Tidal had no idea who this *Hogweed* were, but it seemed to be somepony that the medical pony didn't want to have any beef with. Considering everything, Tidal would agree that the best course of action were the hospital too then, but she were going to make sure that he wasn't gonna run away there, and keep him watched over 24/7. He was going to live through this so he could give her some answers.

"Alright, you heard him, but you're coming too doc, in case something goes wrong, or if he tries to make a run for it and I need something to throw after him."

Zhuw asn't going anywhere on his own. Being thrown through a wall wasn't something that was easy on the body for somepony like him. Sure, Chow had managed to get through it, even though it had hurt like hay, but he were also in better physical shape. Zhu was more focused on being agile and use magic, rather than physical altercations. A point where he'd mostly rely on venom too, if it came down to being that close with somepony.

So the group departed from the others, leaving Karmic, Astral and the rest back to get some weird looks from onlookers, and trying to decide on where to go from here. Chow had an extra thought, being this close to Astral, but it wasn't so much on what to do in general as it were figuring out what to do with her. She had been pretty silent ever since she had lashed out the last time over her mother being an illusion, or trapped in the Element of Deceit, and he wasn't sure how to handle this. Where he came from, everything were so much simpler. You moaned about stuff, had a brawl to sort the worst tension, and then had a chat with whoever you just had a spar with. You got things sorted brutally, but effectively.

Ponies were far more emotional and hard to grasp for him. Especially if he didn't get any input. His gut instinct told him to try and give her a hug since so many other ponies seemed to use that for a lot of things, yet he just wasn't sure. She might well just smash him through a building and scream at him to leave her alone if he did that, and he didn't want that.

"Well uhm... Seems like that pickle's getting sorted elsewhere, yeah? So what're we going to do now? Perhaps getting the gals home would be a good idea, with the day they had?"

He looked desperately towards Iron, hoping that the geezer had some idea what to do here. Darn ponies and their- Wait, what?

The other mare that he had a beef with before, had suddenly blurted some nonsense out of nowhere, and provided just the distraction that his awkward brain were looking for to not wander in circles regarding how to handle his friend.

"What the hay was that all about? Are you prone to talking to yourself girly, or is this a weird seer quirk? Cause you're the second one I've met now, and you both are sounding coo coo."

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

 

@FanOfManyShows

The hovel they reached and gazed upon were not exactly left untouched by the elements. It were overgrown, the windows were smashed and debris scattered all over the inside of the place. Yet overall, the structure still stood, and a small cleaning could get things in here fixed. The question really were if the basement were okay, and as Emerald entered and wandered towards the hatch, she would find that the seal on it were still intact, even after all of these years. No looters had either been here, or found that place, which were nothing but a blessing. The two of them had quite the amount of things in there that was going to help things to move on, along with some sentimental objects.

A tattered frame that once held a painting of the two of them came into view by Emerald, before she opened the seal on the hatch. Much as she hated how it had ended, they did have some good days, once upon a time. Getting that painting done had been one of them, and something which Emerald had cherished at the time. Partly because it were the first time she could go more than three steps without collapsing due to her illness. The dark magic had helped her get better, and the day they had gotten this made, had been a mark of that to her.

It had been left up here before her last battle, because she wanted it to stay and remind her sister of what she had helped Emerald overcome, once she got her back with her. That she had lost and gotten trapped were an... Unforeseen outcome.

She let out a small sigh and shook the memories from her head. Perhaps there'd be time for those later, though for now, the seal were broken and the hatch opened to reveal a staircase going downwards. Even after all of these years, not even dust had managed to get down there, leaving the place pristine, though from the air blasting out, also stale. She'd leave the hatch open for a time to get something fresher in here, up until she found what was blocking the ventilation duct, and fix it. Likely a stone or a bundle of leaves.

"Remember this place Sapphire? The home that you cast aside, with all of our secrets buried beneath the floor. It's still all here, waiting and welcoming us, as if nothing ever happened."

The staircase would end soon enough, leading to another door that opened without a creak, and lead into a place that Emerald hadn't set hoof in for centuries. The little sliver of home that the two of them had left in this world, hopefully intact, and not cleansed of value and literature by Sapphire in the time between Emerald's death, and her own.

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

 

@FanOfManyShows

"Oh dear, I guess that is a weird thing to ask about. Sorry..."

Hogweed fidgeted a little and let out a cough, trying to get her mind straight. Why had she started to talk about pigeons, of all things? Had she really run out of everything to talk about with Warlock? Well, realistically no, but she couldn't just pry him for every bit of information he might have and wanted to keep private either, so in a way she perhaps had run out of things to talk to him about that didn't directly include the past that he seemed to want to keep hidden.

Perhaps it was best if they just had some quest time now, and waited for the captain to return?

(Your choice to leave this for now until Warlock is needed, instead of filling onto it)

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

 

@FanOfManyShows

Screecher were taking a step towards the new general when Dew put his hoof in front of her to stop her in her tracks.

"General Wing. When others you are working alongside needs you to share information, talking about it as if they have read it is improper behavior. They need you to give them the most important information, and then the details can be read over by them personally later if they feel they want the entirety of the story. Tell us what it says in there of important information. Name, the year it's from, what story is there to explain why he were imprisoned and stricken from our records, and so forth. Anything that can shed some light on what got us to this point."

It may seem somewhat harsh, but Wing needed to know how to work alongside others, or he could end up as one of the old time generals, that only communicated through written orders and kept to themselves most of the time. Or there could be conflict in him withholding information and acting on it before anypony else could find out what he was working from.

So yes, Dew had scolded the new general for his lack of proper procedure, and now it was time for Wing to do it the right way. Read to them what it had of the most important information, and then any details he thought important, leaving the others to either ask questions, or read the last small bits themselves.

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

 

@EQ_Theta

Rosa let out a short, weak chuckle at the concern that were given him.

"Strange to have beings care about my well-being... But you needn't worry. I have been taught well in distractions, traps and physical combat since I were six. I know what I'm doing, and how to draw the attention towards somewhere else. It makes it easier to knock somepony unconscious if they're away from everypony else, and a bear is not much harder to draw away."

It was a curious case, to have some that cared for him. His father had for a long time as the only one, but with his dementia reaching the levels it had now, the old stallion wouldn't remember it. He barely remembered who Rosa were the last time he had visited, and it had broken his heart to see his father like that. The only good thing were that it made the decision to turn traitor easier, as he didn't have to worry about his father getting concerns from being related to somepony who had abandoned them, and stolen so much gathered information. Couldn't worry about what were lost to your mind, and the doctors had said that his time were short regardless.

Nopony knew it, but he had held a memorial for his father as he had been welcomed by King Thorax. A small burial site where nopony were likely to fall over it, marked the point where he had said his final goodbyes, to a stallion he didn't know were alive or dead. The only one that had ever cared about him... Until now.

Thorax were a good being, but he cared for his subjects first and foremost. If it came to it, Rosa knew that he himself would be thrown under the bus in an instant if Thorax needed to make the choice. With Sen and Lin, he were more uncertain. They seemed to care about his well-being, and showed worry when he told them how to deal with things if it came to a dangerous situation, yet he wasn't sure if he could trust that it were more than words. Paranoia and lack of trust were a common work hazard of being a spy, nd it were hard to shake the feeling away, even if he tried.

Oh well, they would see as things went along he supposed. For now, they should keep moving.

Their travel were uneventful for the longest period of time. The roads were deserted, and though growls, howls and roars were heard in the distance now and again, nothing had so far neared them.

They'd reach the riverside about two hours after they started walking, which were making quite good time, and the trees growing near the banks should prove a good place for them to halt and take a breath in the shadows. They'd need to follow the river, rather than to cross the bridge after this, so a few minutes to prepare before going off road shouldn't delay them for too long.

"What the heck is that?"

"No idea, but I don't think their hides are any good, even if they would be in season."

The two voices came before a large wagon came down the road, and went for passing the bridge. It was drawn by a grey ox, who looked towards the group near the river with barely any interest, but just kept on moving along the wagon full of.... Well, animal hides. A stack of at least forty of them. cured and piled up, ready for sale. On top of them, two griffons lounged and looked down upon Sen, Lin and Rosa. The female a typical white and brown with purple freckles, and the male a more base grey, with faded-pink feathers and a scorch mark on his chest. An old one it seemed.

"Oh, there's a bat pony too. Guess that means these ain't beasts. Their kind are terrible hunters."

The female lead the word it seemed, and started to stretch herself while her companion just kept laying on his stomach, and looked down on them cautiously.

"I've seen stranger than a bat pony hunter. You three, who are you?"

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

 

@BloodDrops

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

It were clear that the two of them were not likely to find common ground when it came to what looked the best, but what did it matter anyway? They had use for one another, and Onache for one wasn't going to be the one to sour that. Not unless the sphinx tried to force it through that she should change. These... Mutations, were abhorrent to even watch, and she wished for nothing more than to arrange for a meeting with the other hives, and put forth that they should crush that hive before the sickness that caused them to become so deformed would spread.

Perhaps others of them would have use of it, but not her. She didn't want to become weaker, and working with ponies. She were above the equines, and nothing would happen to her, nor her hive, that should change how things worked.

Who ruled and who served were based on power. The strong should hold the reigns, and the weak should do as they were told. That was the only truth in anything, and the very reason why she had - albeit reluctantly - given over her old hive, and followed Chrysalis. The other queen had proven herself stronger in a fight for the hives, and as such, she were the strongest to follow. Until she lost her hive again, and her strength diminished. She wasn't worthy to lead anymore then.

It were how Onache would tolerate working under the sphinx too. The large feline were stronger, and as such, this were her place to rule. That being said, it didn't mean that Onache would not retaliate if for example, she were to be forced to change into the deform creatures. It might end up not only weakening her, but give her more of those pesky emotions they were to feed from, not own themselves, such as love, pity, and remorse. There were no room for that in her life, nor her hive.

As for the rest the sphinx babbled on about, Onache saw little reason to respond to it. It was just confirmation, and telling who were boss. It wasn't something she needed to reply to, and she were content to simply ignore t hat, and await questions, or the arrival of their *guests*.

It was then that - out of the blue - Discord suddenly appeared nearby, holding a strange device in one of his appendages. The shock of suddenly seeing hi here, caused Onache to hiss at him, before walking further away, to let the sphinx deal with the lord of chaos herself. Especially seeing as he had said the dreaded K word to the large feline, it was likely the best to get out of the way of these two, before she got caught in angry crossfire.

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

 

@EQ_Theta @Dji @Lucid_Nightlight @Moonlit @Seamore Sandwich @Storm Shine @BloodDrops

"Sir? Heeeey, I'm a girl. It's ma'am. Or wait, that's lame too. It's just Anomaly."

She turned to face the two of them as she spoke, and sniffed the air around them, noticing a weird smell off... Was that ocean water? That was kinda weird. The other one smelled strange too, but she couldn't place it. Had to be some kind of griffon thing. Those creatures were well weird sometime, and kinda meanies too. Sometimes. At least when you poked their eggs, but she guessed she kinda, might've asked for that one.

"And Discord went off to play with the large kitty first. Spoilsport is gonna have her all riled before we even get there. Look, we've only reached the edge of the forest, and he's already there."

She addressed Twilight's question as they kept on walking, getting some weird looks by the citizens considering the strange troupe, but as they had reached near the forest, there were barely any stares anymore. Only a few who stopped up and looked behind themselves a few times to make sure they had seen it right.

"Now, friendship students of princess magicbutt. What do you do as a friendship student? Is it all hugs and stuff, or is it like, binge drinking and socializing? Weird party games perhaps? Oooh, or pranks? Pranks can be friendly."

As for the bunnies, Lotus did lounge forward as their feet met and pinned him alright. With a big fluffy hug, whilst giving a little chittering laughter.

(in critter tongue)"That was fun. Thanks Angel."

Before letting him go, she gave him a little peck on the nose as a thank you. She weren't entirely aware if this wasn't okay among bunnies, but she had seen other creatures do this, so no harm, right? Plus, it had really been fun, even if it were just a mock fight, and not a real one.

Getting back on her feet, she looked towards the others, who had actually gotten quite a bit of way away from them while they had been playing, and jumped up.

(critter tongue)"Hey, they left us! Let's get to them."

(They have to stay in motion, so pushed the group along a bit)

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom @EQ_Theta @Storm Shine @Dji @BloodDrops @Seamore Sandwich

"With Discord ahead of us, who is gonna cause all that chaos? Well, good thing I'm a poquus and may or may not be part draconequus, that part hasn't been confirmed yet, but I'm definitely a poquus we know that."

In Lucid's mind, SOMEONE has to cause some kind of chaos.

"I don't usually do this, so lemme think... OH! How about four fishbears, walking trees, and a wolfsnake. Yea, that'll do for now."

Lucid clapped his hooves and all the things he listed appeared, and the wolfsnake decided to go after Anomaly for some reason.

"Don't worry, he's not venomous."

Edited August 2, 2018 by Lucid_Nightlight

[FanOfManyShows 396]

@Dji 

Zealous looked back, tilting his head a bit. "The pharmacy shouldn't be too far from here." He said, looking back to her. "Hopefully you can manage the distance anyway." His concern wasn't expressed in tone, this was merely a pawn in his plan, although helping her was only a plus for her end, not his. Since he could manage it without helping her. While they walked, the pharmacy would come into view soon, Zealous taking his time to walk there. "Why wouldn't you have medication on hand as often as possible?" He asked, looking back to her.

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

@Blitz Boom

When Emerald spoke the smoke inside the element made a nodding motion, although likely not noticeable, there was some sadness behind it, Sapphire regretting a lot of her decisions she made to fix the problems around her, but now she was focused on fixing them permanently. Maybe after this mess it would be as if nothing happened.
===========================

@Blitz Boom

"Oh so the generals can handle it, whatever it is." There was a bit of worry now, but hopefully the generals didn't plan to hand something over that was bad. Maybe it was just a big enough room for the sphynx to sleep in. "Well if you seek something to solve the boredom, conversing with those who pass by could entertain you, since most of them already express interest in you." She turned around a bit, preparing to leave the sphinx. "Maybe they could even see you more as just a entertainer too."

===========================
@Blitz Boom

She sighed to herself as she watched this stuff unfold, Emerald got what she wanted, she got Sapphire in her hooves, and now the element in addition. Whatever she would do with it Sapphire was up to her, if it was Sapphire at all. Astral looked around, glancing at Chow, she would've been an idiot if she tried to face this sooner. To think of the amount of times they could've ended this earlier, way earlier, heck they could've even ended this by never freeing Warlock to begin with. Even then they always managed to meet each other, but Chow was aided by the fact Iron was watching her all the time, Astral would've figured as much though. "I don't know where we should go, or if we should go anywhere." She mumbled to herself, almost wanting to forget that Sapphire was possibly in trouble, or that Emerald was still out there, or even that Warlock could escape. After some compilation, she just walked away from the group, even she had no idea where she was even going. "I'll just go on a walk Chow, to calm down after this whole mess."

===========================
@Blitz Boom

Wing stepped back, he wasn't used to this yet, so he just retracte the files and read them. "Apologies." He looked over it again, sighing a little at his own idiocy. "General Chariot Ironheart, date seems to be about 300 years ago, but the day and month are redacted for some reason." He held it a bit tighter as he read more details, having glossed over it earlier. "He was a skilled earth pony general, who started using magic after his family perished while he was off doing work, unknown if there is a correlation, he was part of a project to discover and protect the elements of disharmony in secure locations, except he stole the element of greed when he was suppose to hide it, before the rest's locations were changed completely, rumors arose that he attempted to resurrect his family with this element. After he attempted to get the other elements, he was then fought by a mare in on the project, of the name Sapphire star, who took it upon herself to imprison him in stone. It is to be noted that if this individual escapes, he is capable of taking on an army himself, even prior to losing his limbs or when he used magic." He sighed a little, taking a breather. "That's about it, next to it is a picture of him, with his family I think." He turned the files around so the others could see it, the picture held on with a paperclip. Chariot looked identical to Warlock, but in this picture he had his legs still. "I do recall reading a file on Warlock similar to this, but his real name was redacted. Somepony was trying to hide this part of the general's history."

That guard from long ago had checked the archives thoroughly, and even the bathrooms to be sure.  Arriving at the assumption that Hailstorm went to the throne room 'Hope I'm not mistaken by checking here' He thought to himself as he approached it, and if the door was still closed, he'd knock.

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

@Blitz Boom
Warlock would chuckle to himself, he knew this pony would rather wait in silence, she was digging for topics after all. "If you don't know what to say, we don't need to talk. I've gotten used to silence."

Edited August 2, 2018 by FanOfManyShows

[BloodDrops 762]

On 8/2/2018 at 3:32 AM, Storm Shine said:

@Blitz Boom @Lucid_Nightlight @Dji @BloodDrops @Seamore Sandwich @EQ_Theta

Discord caught the laser pointer, clicking it on and off a few times while chuckling. "I suppose I am quite distracting." He preened slightly, checking himself out in a mirror. "It'll be fun to see where this goes!" The chaotic being quickly disappeared, off to mess with the sphinx.

 

"Here Kitty Kitty, I've got a fun little friend for you!"

 

The Sphinx flicked her tail and glanced down at the newcomer, "Welcome Discord, I'm slightly disappointed in your arrival, though seems I was expecting too much from a former chaos maker. Suppose you can't just raise and lower the moon at will nowadays unless you wish to be turned into stone. Which is rather unfortunate, since that was a rather amusing thing I did enjoy watching, many seasons ago. Though that makes it easier to get what i want I suppose" she giggled flicking her tail and turning the laser pointer into a disco ball. 

She sat down on her throne, "since you've arrived first, i'm going to give you a nice deal. You can have your old kingdom back and all I ask of is that you respect the borders of my kingdom of old. Since you didn't cause me much problem in the past then i'm rather happy we can get along as we always have done. Though if you don't like that deal then i'm afraid we will have to wait for your friends to arrive, slow as they are" she told the draconequus.

"Well i'm sure I can offer you refreshments in the meantime" she offered, making a wide arrange of food to appear on a golden table. She pointed to each item as she explained it. "Fresh apples from that family farm down by apple acre. Cider and juice from there too. Some books about my kind from that princess of friendship, if you want to read up about myself" she remarked watching him intently.  

This was another of her tests. Unknown to him.

 

On 8/2/2018 at 9:17 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

It were clear that the two of them were not likely to find common ground when it came to what looked the best, but what did it matter anyway? They had use for one another, and Onache for one wasn't going to be the one to sour that. Not unless the sphinx tried to force it through that she should change. These... Mutations, were abhorrent to even watch, and she wished for nothing more than to arrange for a meeting with the other hives, and put forth that they should crush that hive before the sickness that caused them to become so deformed would spread.

Perhaps others of them would have use of it, but not her. She didn't want to become weaker, and working with ponies. She were above the equines, and nothing would happen to her, nor her hive, that should change how things worked.

Who ruled and who served were based on power. The strong should hold the reigns, and the weak should do as they were told. That was the only truth in anything, and the very reason why she had - albeit reluctantly - given over her old hive, and followed Chrysalis. The other queen had proven herself stronger in a fight for the hives, and as such, she were the strongest to follow. Until she lost her hive again, and her strength diminished. She wasn't worthy to lead anymore then.

It were how Onache would tolerate working under the sphinx too. The large feline were stronger, and as such, this were her place to rule. That being said, it didn't mean that Onache would not retaliate if for example, she were to be forced to change into the deform creatures. It might end up not only weakening her, but give her more of those pesky emotions they were to feed from, not own themselves, such as love, pity, and remorse. There were no room for that in her life, nor her hive.

As for the rest the sphinx babbled on about, Onache saw little reason to respond to it. It was just confirmation, and telling who were boss. It wasn't something she needed to reply to, and she were content to simply ignore t hat, and await questions, or the arrival of their *guests*.

It was then that - out of the blue - Discord suddenly appeared nearby, holding a strange device in one of his appendages. The shock of suddenly seeing hi here, caused Onache to hiss at him, before walking further away, to let the sphinx deal with the lord of chaos herself. Especially seeing as he had said the dreaded K word to the large feline, it was likely the best to get out of the way of these two, before she got caught in angry crossfire.

 

The Sphinx tilted her head, "And if I lined up ten ponies and showed them a rock. Would they deem it beautiful? I don't think so" she remarked before flicking her tail. "No you are a tool and nothing more. A useful tool but not a pretty one, which I think you are happy with regardless" she replied before being interrupted by her guest. The one she did want to meet most of all. 

"Ah, seems we have visitors, lets see if my plan will work" she remarked to Onache, though she didn't berate her on hissing, other all that is what changelings do to enemies.  

Edited August 4, 2018 by BloodDrops

[EQ_Theta 459]

@Blitz Boom @Storm Shine @Lucid_Nightlight @Dji @Seamore Sandwich @BloodDrops

A big fluffy hug... that was a little more unexpected than the beating Angel thought he'd get. It reminded him of the hugs Fluttershy regularly gives him, if not the occasional brushing he'd get after bathing. A pleasant surprise all the same despite being pinned to the ground at that moment. And then came the nose peck. The bunny was stunned by that, and admittedly blushed a bit, just standing there and smiling. He really couldn't say much after than, just as he stayed there trying to keep himself from collapsing to the floor and making happy squeaking noises.

Well, maybe he would have continued for a bit longer if it weren't for Lotus letting him know everyone left. Angel sprang up and rounded the corner to bump into Fluttershy.

"Angel! Where did you go? Everyone is leaving us behind and-" The pegasus paused upon seeing Lotus as well and couldn't help but stifle a giggle, guessing what Angel did a while ago. She knelt down and approached the pink bunny.

"Oh, I see you made a new friend, Angel. Hi there, I'm Fluttershy. Can I give you a lift? I'll take you back to the others but we have be fast. They got a head start."

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

@Blitz Boom

"You know, I could help out if we ever get ourselves into a problem. I know how to fight. We'll be careful and avoid conflict if any of the local wildlife shows up though."

Sen hesitantly said, though he seems to be a little more confident now. Growing up training in self defense was something positive for him, and he taught Lin a few things too, should she ever find herself in a pinch. It was a good thing to know, and by their instruction, it was not exactly picking a fight with anyone. That was an important lesson: learning to fight didn't mean picking a fight. Not every encounter had to end in a fight but expecting the possibility that there will be one. Non-aggression but showing a face that was just enough to suggest the longma aren't one to be picked on was the basic philosophy of their methods. As much as Sen thought their history, however unreliable the narrative could be, had a lesson for him to take away, a fairly reliable one at that. 

But a time for rest was a time to wind down for now, and fortunately by a river. The siblings needed to freshen up a bit until they caught sight of the ox-pulled cart. Sacks of... something they couldn't identify, and two griffons appearing to take note of their appearances and making comments. The two have never seen griffons before and weren't sure how to go about it. Even whispered rumors about those creatures couldn't give them a rough idea of what their personalities were like. It was a little too much for them to jump to conclusions without getting to know the griffons, they didn't have anything to work with.

Lin cautiously stepped forward with Sen backing her up slowly in case they were hostile. 

"I take it you haven't seen any longma yet in your travels. Are you two traders? How about you introduce yourselves first."

[Blitz Boom 4,629]

@BloodDrops @Storm Shine

Onache declined to signify the sphinx's inane babbling with a response. If the overgrown mutated cat wanted to discuss what was true beauty, she should have the high ground to do so. A changeling's exoskeleton were far prettier and superior to a coat of scruffy fur on a dolled up house cat with powers.

Of course, she wouldn't be stupid enough to say that. Useful as she may be to the sphinx, insolence would try the borders of the leniency she had gotten, and likely break them. Thoughts like this would remain in her head, although if the irritating mistress of the desert then wished to do things such as change the physical aspect of Onache, things were going to get strained between them. While Onache could change how she looked as any changeling could, the aspect of looking like one of the rainbow beetles were far too revolting, and were likely going to cause her to cause some issues for the large sphinx. Might well be that she could not fight the feline herself, but Onache could seek out others who would, and eventually, the sphinx would be defeated if she stood on her own.

It might be that Onache believed in strength making right, but she had limits to what she would do willingly in the long run, no matter who were the strongest.

But a rebellion were a maybe somewhere in the future, and perhaps not needed. Considering how Happy looked when not draped in his disguise, it might be satisfying enough as a view for the sphinx to focus more on that, than on Onache. The queen certainly did enjoy the sight, as revolting as several of her peers would likely find it. Yet the total obedience, even when he wasn't forced to do so like most drones under her hivemind, combined with his ruthlessness and adaptability into becoming who and what he needed without causing trouble too often, made her watch him favorably in most aspects. Physically... That were none of anyone else's business, now were it? Let it just be said that she liked the unique, yet familiar sight of what Happy were now.

Certainly better than Discord. A hybrid was one thing, but this? Urgh. He looked like a zoo exhibit made up of random parts from animals that had been feasted upon. Not a sight for sore eyes to say the least, and even less so when he were now welcomed as a guest, and apparently one that the sphinx knew about and were trying to cut a deal with. An interesting tactic, yet from what her now former servant had told her, Discord had done so once, and found out what he would lose in his new life as a glorified pony pet. She found it doubtful that he would accept to turn back to his old ways and just leave be this area, over just words again.

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

 

@FanOfManyShows

Everything seemed to still be here. The cauldron, the books, the personal affects and even the couch where they had once sat upon and talked about spells, when they didn't want to lurk around upstairs, where their secrets were hidden beneath their hooves, in case anypony came snooping around.

Emerald did what she could to enjoy it as she sat down, and fell back into the seat, but it wasn't the same. The seat might be hers, and the couch itself were exactly the same, but she wasn't. This body were useful, yet it wasn't her. It was just a shell, or a set of clothes, while the carcass that had once lounged her next to her sister were gone. Nothing more than dust, and the ground up mist that made for her *physical* form.

"If everything's here, we have the plants required at least, so we don't have to meddle around with the chimera grounds again. However, going to need you for the other parts, so let's reminisce, sister."

And by that, Emerald meant that she would begin to work on a concoction that should help invigorating Sapphire with some power, even in her current form. It might be that they didn't use the cauldron all that often, compared to raw magic, but they were still witches. Also, the book they had... *Borrowed* from the zebras, were useful in adding some needed information to the elixir book that had been in their possession at the time. It should be possible to get something mixed up in a half hour or so, with a little tenacity.

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

 

@FanOfManyShows

"My demands are nothing but reasonable."

A roof over his head, some fish, and a large, fluffy pillow. Frankly, they were getting the better deal by having him stick around and help with things, just by giving those minor quality of life things to him. It wasn't as if he demanded the castle broken down to make room for a temple or something here. Just someplace to sleep, and preferably without too much noise. The nearby forge would likely feel nice and cozy in the winter, but it was too active to get any rest near it.

"You see interest in their eyes, I see fear. If they wish to speak they can show the courage to step forth first, before I am seen as some simplistic aggressor."

The mare seemed like she were getting ready to leave. A pity, as he were starting to find her company enjoyable, and it felt great to have someone to rant to, other than just himself. He could just keep her... But it wouldn't seem great, would it? No, it was better to wait for her return. It wasn't as if she could miss him after all, in case she came looking for him later.

"May the winds lead you well, little one. Remember to take your miniature with you. It may prove more useful than you think."

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

 

@FanOfManyShows @Dji

Chow tried to give Astral a grin as she met his gaze, but it was admittedly a little lackluster. There came a limit to how often he could put a fake smile on it and try to act fine and dandy, yet he kept trying for the sake of not bringing everypony down. Internally, he weren't really getting through this with the calm he had presented for the majority of it. Mostly just charging into things before he had a chance to think to much about it, and then screaming inside every time he inevitably got smacked away. Or, as had been the case when Astral and him had been bound together at Warlock's hideout, desperation and dread slowly setting in over how they were going to get out of that mess.

But it wouldn't help that he wimped out. Didn't matter how often he got beaten down, he had to stand tall and defy whatever was going at 'em, with a sneer or a grin. Honestly, he were pretty sure it was some kind of macho idiocy that had gotten stuck from his foalhood of needing to show that he could take what was pushed his way, just like the rest of his classmates. But he tried to reason sometimes that it was to keep morale up, and not be seen as a weak link, or to try and get a smile on the face of somepony else. You know, to seem less like an idiot.

That or he was overthinking this, and he was just too stupid to listen to the rational side of him, which were generally the part screaming.

It had helped on things before he got to meet these folks too - to varying degrees - but now, he wasn't sure what was going on. It was all old history, emotions running high, and confusing signals. Like with Astral, who he wasn't sure what to do with. Was he supposed to follow her and make sure she was alright? Should he give her some space? Did she need a rest? He had no idea what to do with her, though he felt like he had to do something.

So in a panic, he turned with an awkward look to Misty, who if anypony should understand how Astral worked. Iron were fine enough too, but they had words. Might not be the finest moment to ask about how to handle his daughter. Especially not in that way. Would earn him a well deserved smacking.

"I don't like seeing her down and alone like this, but I don't know what to do here. Does she wants me to follow her? Does she need somepony to?"

This was why he was great at hunting, but sucked at interacting with others. It was easier to poke something than it was to understand mares. Case in point, he was asking advice on what to do from a filly. Had to be some kinda low point for him.

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

 

@FanOfManyShows

"...A former general should be given the curtsy of trying to defend himself in court. My opinion on that haven't wavered."

Screecher's judgement of what was in the file were needing a few more seconds to process for her. It was a pretty large bombshell, especially as it painted the former general in a more sympathetic light. He wasn't the first to go down a wrong path to try and regain loved ones, and he wouldn't be the last either.

"We'll have to take this information into consideration when he's judged, and confront him about it. I also think we should invite Sapphire Star to join us in deciding his fate, when she returns with General Tidal Wave and the others. As his original captor, she would know what to expect from him, and if he is capable of redemption."

"Seconded. Though, don't take the photo to court. There is no need to tempt fate. What is your verdict, General Wi-"

The knock on the door caused Screecher to veer away from her sentence, and instead answer what may be an important visit, or news about the princesses, Chariot, or the ambassador in the hospital.

"Enter."

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

 

@BloodDrops @Dji @Moonlit @EQ_Theta @Storm Shine @Lucid_Nightlight @Seamore Sandwich

Lotus looked up at the yellow mare with the pink mane and tail. The animal hoarder, as Lotus had nicknamed her.

Since she figured that the mare couldn't understand a chirp from a squeak, Lotus just shook her head up towards her, pointed towards the others and stomping into the ground with her right foot before running after them herself. She didn't like others carrying her around, other than Nerzhei. It felt strange to not be with her dragon too right now, but there were lots to look after her at the castle now, right? Wouldn't it be okay if she left her alone, just for a little bit?

Lotus had a want to just wander off randomly and check up on things, but she did tell her dragon as best she could that she were wandering off. Right now though, she hadn't. Nothing had indicated that she'd wander with them, instead of staying with her friend who was hurting.

It made the bunny stop up, and look towards the castle. It wasn't too far away, she could go back, and make sure her dragon was okay. Butt hen again, she were having some fun with this adventure, and brawling with Angel, and the later was going there...

After standing and looking between the two possible outcomes for a time, Lotus started to hop towards the desert-seeking group again. Nerzhei would be fine, and she were among ponies now who might know lots of stuff, so the dragoness were probably going to talk on and on about things that would keep her occupied anyway.

Meanwhile, at the group in question, the being charging at Anomaly would find her mouth open around two meters up, with a cobra hissing in the middle of it with fangs dripping of venom.Between the sharp, pumpkin teeth and the venom, the creature would either back off, or be swallowed whole. Anomaly was fine with either, and would close down after getting a mouthful or the creature to back off. Pain could be lots of fun, but not right now. They had an adventure to push through here.

"How's a fishbear gonna work in a desert? Lots of not-water in there Are they gonna swim in sand? That'd be pretty funny."

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

 

@EQ_Theta

"Whoa, what's with the hostility? Sheesh, I know some griffons can be all up in your face, but that doesn't mean that we are."

"Unless you're prey. Then you're fair game."

"That goes without saying."

"What do you consider prey?"

"Oh, you know, bear, wolf, the occasional bugbear,  beavers, giant salamanders, those kind of things. Stuff with good hides and or meat, whose worth chasing down.

Is that what got to you? We weren't actually gonna skin either of you. I might not know what a longma is, but at worst  you'd be exotic pets. Can't chase pets or the law will get all up and ruffle our feathers."

The two of them weren't really aching to get into a fight with creatures they could understand. It wouldn't be hard, as ponies especially tended to have some easy buttons to push, but they had a hard enough time selling their skins in pony settlements as it was. It wasn't going to get easier id they acted like... Well, griffons.

"I'm Travis, and this is my mate, Goldie. We're hunters."

"Now it's your turn. And add in why you're wearing that ridiculous outfit, would you? Is it some kind of extreme sun protection?"

So these two didn't know about longma, or spies? Interesting. Not something that was going to help them immensely, but interesting nonetheless.

"I'm Sub Rosa, and these are my associates. We're just resting before continuing on our hike up north."

Goldie scratched the back of her neck, and let out a small chuckle.

"If you're aiming to go through the canyon, you might as well turn back. Massive rockslide have left the road impossible to pass through without wings for several miles. We had to go back since Muskrat here couldn't walk through."

"We'll just have to go another way then."

The two griffons now looked on the bat pony like he was mad, and then over at the siblings, with worry glistening in their eyes.

"The only other way is through the swamp. Do you know how dangerous that place is for tourists? The Will-O'-The-Wisps will lure you apart and drag you into the bog. It's no place for folks not seasoned for it."

Edited August 4, 2018 by Blitz Boom

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom @EQ_Theta @Storm Shine @BloodDrops @Dji @Moonlit @Seamore Sandwich

The wolfsnake slithered away quick, knowing that it would not win that fight.

"Fishbear swims in sand. It'd be stupid to make a water breather in a-"

Lucid looked down to his pet bearded dragon lizard.

"I'll feed you later, you've already eaten."

The lizard stared back.

"What do you mean you want to go on a walk? This adventure is enough to count as your daily walk."

[EQ_Theta 459]

@Blitz Boom

"I apologize. I wasn't trying to be hostile, though I suppose I did sound like it," Lin dropped her overly cautious stance and motioned Sen to do likewise. "My brother and I aren't familiar with these roads. We wouldn't know if we were going to run into troublemakers but you seem alright. I'm Lin and this is my brother Sen. You mentioned those Will-o-wisps? What are they?"

At this point, Sen was extremely worried. Hearing about the swamp being their only way around was leading the group to an obvious trap. Even he, who was known for his risk-taking back as a child, would not go along with the odds now. Both he and Lin were likely to be liabilities. And then who knows what will happen? The griffons are pretty much giving away the warning signs right at them but the obvious approach here is to simply disregard them for the sake of their agreement with Scarcity. 

Sen pulled out some of the packed apples he picked out, intending them as a snack while on the road, and approached the two griffons.

"Here, it's not much but it's terrible you had to go back. Something for you or Muskrat to eat on the road. And about that bog... how big is it? Is there anything else to expect besides the Will-o-wisps?"

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

@Blitz Boom @Storm Shine @Lucid_Nightlight @Moonlit @Dji @BloodDrops @Seamore Sandwich

Seems like Lotus is one of those free-spirited types, a rare thing to see in animals of her kind. The pegasus didn't mind it, although she was disappointed that it didn't take to her now. She learned her lesson back at her first Grand Galloping Gala and wouldn't push the matter further. Angel hopped aboard Fluttershy and squeaked, letting her know he was alright. He wouldn't sit close to the saddle bags for now and wanted to keep his distance from the dracolisk riding in there. All things considered at present, it was time for them to catch up with the group heading for the desert.

Edited August 4, 2018 by EQ_Theta

[Rising Dusk 27,756]

@Blitz Boom

Rising Dusk reached up with his hoof and cautiously poked at the gnarled heap of scrap that they created.  He expected it to crumble under his touch, but it was still quite solid, producing a satisfying 'clank' from his hoof.  It seems he managed to remove the enchantment fast enough to prevent the Deep Iron from breaking down, and well not be the size of a ball barring.  Taking himself into a train of though, he moved the scrap heap off the magic circle so that he could study it and see if he could pinpoint what went wrong.  He didn't expect their first attempt to be flawless of course, part of the reason they decided upon doing a small scale experiment first, not to waste the Deep Iron.  Time to see if they could figure out what went wrong and a take two.

The structural reinforcements that Molotov suggested did indeed sound like a good thing to include, but he felt it wasn't the biggest issue.  That blame was more on him than the builder of the cage.  Starring at the magic circle draw out on the bench top, he started to trace it around to see if anything stood out to him.  Studying it wasn't all that necessary as it was already burned into his memory.  The pages in the file provided by Turntable flipped through his mind just like if he'd been looking at them right now.  Referencing and cross-referencing both his own work and that of the other engineering pony.  The circle was fine, it did what he wanted it to do, so the problem was necessarily there.  The content perhaps?  Maybe Turntable and himself were a little off on the basic principles of what they were trying to achieve.

Finally turning his attention back to his construction partner. 

"It would appear attempting to use the principles of my own Suppression Spell will not work as an enchantment.  I'll need to adapt the circle."

Dusk explained and ignited his horn to pick up a rag nearby and start erasing the chalk he drew the circle with.  Enchanting was not his area of expertise, and he could partially hear his sister laughing at his attempt.  The thought brought out a small smirk.  Challenge accepted.  Removing the chalk from the pouch of his hoodie again, he went to work redrawing the circle.  Pulling from old memories of several more books on enchanting he borrowed from the library.  From the first few markings, he became rather apparent the whole circle would be different.

"I think trying your structural ideas will also greatly help us Molotov.  Can we salvage another cage?" 

[Sekel 694]

@Blitz Boom, @FanOfManyShows

KARMIC FATE

“What?” Karmic asked in a small voice, looking at the being who spoke to her like a deer caught in magic. “N-no ... no, nothing like that,” she shook her head quickly and her nervous actions of shifting from hoof to hoof made it seem like she was lying about her answer. “It ... um ... it was ...”

‘Smooth,’ Atzy commented with a hissing chuckle in Karmic’s mind.

@FanOfManyShows

WATTS MECHANO

“To be honest, I don’t usually travel by train. I normally fly to wherever I have to go to get my items and unfortunately, Ponyville isn’t big enough to have an all items surplus store like in Canterlot or Manehattan. This time, I needed to get quite a few and my saddlebags are already kinda full and I can’t exactly fly with all this extra weight. So I had to go by train and I need motion sickness tablets to help me get through it. I left the ones I usually take at home by complete accident because I was in such a rush,” Watts rambled all in one breath before taking in a deep breather to get it back only to blush in embarrassment. “Eh heh, I ramble when I meet new ponies. You and that mare with the origami pony. You have a ... thing ... for her, dont’cha?”

@Blitz Boom, @EQ_Theta, @Moonlit, @BloodDrops, @Storm Shine, @Seamore Sandwich, @Lucid_Nightlight

AURORA LIGHTS & TWILIGHT SPARKLE

“Of course he did,” Twilight groaned in frustration, having been over with Discord many times before not g and cause chaos with villains. “We have to move faster to make sure Discord doesn’t do anything stupid!” She called out to everypony before breaking into a gallop to get to the Sphinx faster.

”Anomaly ...” Aurora hummed as she said the name and managed to smile at her. “That’s a fun name,” she giggled before hearing Princess Twilight speak. “Looks like we have to go faster now,” she sighed before breaking into a run to catch up to the princess.

[Blitz Boom 4,629]

@Rising Dusk

"Yeah, I'll see what I can find in the box. I'll melt this down to something usable when we got a shape that's working."

The sound of a piece of metal clanging down on the floor right next to him, made Molotov cringe like he were expecting several more things, that were all going to fall on top of him. Usually what happened back home when the materials were loose. One fell, and the rest would start to follow troop, usually with a painful ending.

Instead he looked over to see Felicia had done so. Helping them once again, but this time clearly showing her irritation by doing something that she knew would get to him. If it wasn't because he had no idea how to do that without frying her system, Molotov would find what part of her programming had had attitude, and tone it down under the pretense of maintenance.

...Alright, he wouldn't, even if it was safe, but it helped to think thoughts like that when this sort of thing happened. helped on the stress.

"Cut it out, would you? That wasn't funny."

"ℕ𝕖𝕚𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦. 𝔾𝕖𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕜."

Felicia wanted to be outside, and wandering the streets to see what was beyond this place. Something she had only seen from the hatch she could barely get her upper body out of because of the restriction of the cables that had been in her abdomen. That the fleshlings now went on and on with this fools project carried no interest to her, and were in fact just seen as another delay. She'd give them one more chance to make something that they were happy with, but if they still kept this up afterwards, she'd leave with her smaller sibling. That the two ponies would join were in her mind, simply a workable addition, not a necessity. Not enough to keep her from at least wandering around the outskirts of town and see what lurked there.

So she kept looking for a few more parts that could be used, and threw them over into the stack, each clang causing Molotov's right eye to twitch from the sound.

"...Control yourself Molotov, you're not gonna loose it from the taunting of a three week old... So what's your process in the circles, Dusky? Seems pretty intricate. Some kind of magic blueprints by chance that you're putting together?"

He'd get to work on the metal he were given one by one, but this time, he'd need more time on each piece, so he might as well talk in between, if Dusky could hear him that were. Hopefully he'd be able to, otherwise Molotov had to hum along in his own little world for a few hours while he got this done. He didn't mind honestly, but it just seemed a little anti-social to do when he had company. So did not having refreshments set up he supposed... Huh, they should probably get something to eat after they tried the next one. Wonder if the pizza he and Blitz nibbled on a few nights ago still were any good?

...Yeah, it likely were for them, but they had low standards to what constituted a real meal. They should go somewhere and have a bite when time came so the officer could also join in, rather than try to decide whatever mold should just be scraped off or if it was so bad it had to be tossed. Likely with Felicia dragging along with them if they wandered out, whatever they liked it or not...

If today didn't end up getting him either run out of town, arrested, or being labelled as some kind of dangerous, crazy scientist, it were frankly gonna be a miracle.

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@EQ_Theta

"No one knows. They roam around swamps and conjure mists and illusions to lure travelers off the road. If you're ever getting back from their grasp, it could be years, and you'd be a hollow shell of yourself."

"Met one who got there before Griffinstone got build."

"Don't remind me. That look of his have haunted me enough."

"Far as I heard it, nopony came out if they were first lost."

"You should stop getting your stories from taverns then."

The griffons snickered between each other whilst Rosa thought through what they had just been told. It was true that the rumors he heard of this were just that, rumors, and that it were not something he had researched a lot into, but he wasn't sure if these two talked any more truth than that. It might well be a trap of sorts, for the two to gain more hides for their stack, or to lure hapless fools into a trap so they could rob them blind.

"I'll take that under advisement."

It was about then that the griffons were offered something to eat by the two longma, though neither of them seemed too enthusiastic about that.

"Look, thanks for the offer, but we don't know you folks. Tend to be some shady types on these roads that aren't shy with using sleep powder, and we spend a week catching and curing all these hides. Only road we're going is - urgh - to Canterlot."

Goldie rolled her eyes and could almost feel herself gag at the notion, and looked over to make sure that their ox as still standing there, and hadn't made a move for the apples. Frankly good he had been fed not too long ago, so it didn't interest him. If they were poisoned, it could've been bad news.

"Nothing like trying to sell animal hides to snobs and other griffons, while everyone else looks at you like you're a monster. But until the road is clear that's the only option."

"You could take the swamp."

"Yeah, no. See, I have something to live for. If you're crazy enough to go there, then that's on you, and really, we wish you the best of luck with that. If you want to have a fighting chance then remember that you can't trust your ears or your eyes, but you can trust gravel. Keep your hooves and stuff on the road, and pick some moss to stuff in your ears before you get there. The less you can hear, the better."

Goldie started to saddle up again, and get ready to go, when Travis went a little closer to the adventurous group and drew some lines in the ground with his talons.

"The road through is only about two miles, though it stretches for a lot more than that to the sides. They haven't been able to shrink down the area any further far as I've heard. Last we went through there, it took us four hours, and there wasn't a moment's rest in that time. The Will-O'-The-Wisp's do everything they can to drag it on for whoever gets in there, and they're good at what they do. There is a reason nopony likes to go through there without special escorts, and their kind aren't all that welcome."

With that, he jumped up on the wagon again, and laid down next to Goldie.

"If we see you again, I hope you have a story to tell. Good luck."

They'd get the ox into gear then, unless anypony interrupted them with any parting questions. If not, the three of them would soon be on their own again, as the weird hunter couple would be on their way.

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

 

@Lucid_Nightlight @EQ_Theta @Dji @Moonlit @Seamore Sandwich @Storm Shine @BloodDrops

The dracolisk were still gnawing the last bits of fish down, and didn't much care for what was going on around him. Originally, he had wandered off along with the other animals, but as Fluttershy had called on Angel, the reptile had decided to follow them too, as they both seemed to be the ones leading the animals around for some reason. He had gotten to the pony a little before Angel returned, and had been down to a fish tail at that point, which thankfully wasn't dripping as he crawled up the mare's leg. He'd likely lose interest in this whole thing once things went too far, but for now, it had seemed to be the thing he wanted to do.

Lotus on the other hoof, had to speed up her own running and was determined to see this through, rather than let the others escape. They had sped up to get to the desert faster, because the princess pony had wanted them to do so. It made it annoying to catch up, but she didn't care right now. It was either catching up, going back, or relying on someone else to get her there in time. The second option were giving up, and the third was relying on someone else for too much, and she had her pride. So jumping along faster it were. It was okay really, reminded her of the times she chased mouthy dragon kids around to teach them a lesson.

Meanwhile, Anomaly looked at Lucid and Pringle going at it again, and a thought popped up that she were surprised she hadn't thought of before. Or had she, and forgotten? She could search her memory... Or just get it out there and be done with it.

"Okay, how do you even talk to that thing? There isn't a whisper coming out of him, and you just keep talking anyway. Is it like a telekinesis thing?"

Anomaly hadn't heard of something like that before, but it could be, right? As a draconequus, it wasn't like she didn't make things that should be impossible too, or did something that defied logic too, like eating herself. That trick usually made everypony freak out. Cracked her up every time.

Then before she had the chance to think too long on that, Twilight spoke up, apparently surprised that Discord had wandered off to make something happen. Or annoyed, worried, one of these sort of things. Possibly angry, but she didn't stand still long enough for Anomaly to get a good look, but just started to speed up instead into the forest.

Everypony else seemed to begin to get a move on too, so not wanting to fall behind, Anomaly snapper her tail, turned her legs into wheels, and with a pull in her tail started herself up and went on the way. It was brilliant! Sort of. The roots made it kind of a bumpy ride, so she had to snap again to get some better tires before she slammed into a tree. Proper off road style ones this time, but changing it caused her to fall behind a little. So when she got in motion, she singled out the princess, and somepony near her: The student pony who together with her friend smelled kinda ocean-y. Gret... Gerch... Gargamel? She couldn't remember the name. Something starting with g.

"Anomaly is a fun a name as I am a draconequus, G-bird. When this adventure is over, I'll take you on a more fun one, like shark hunting, or booping sleeping changelings. They really don't like that, but it's funny to see the look on their faces. Especially the queens."

The wind blew in her h- Oh wait, nevermind. The wind blew over her pumpkin, as she followed the others speed through the forest. Her wheels rolled over the brambles and roots that popped up now and again without an issue, and if you discounted the bush she drove through, it was looking almost flawless. But hey, a drive-by salad wasn't too bad to have either. Had to be fed before playtime.

Clearing a huge chunk in a single chomp, Anomaly then turned to Twilight, with several branches and an old bird's nest - thankfully not occupied at the time - out of her gnawing maw.

"You should come too, Princess Magicbutt. It'll be fun. We'll do some thrill-seeking, hunt for some treasures, run for our lives, and then: s'mores!"

At their current speed, they should reach the edge of the desert in about a minute or two.

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

 

@FanOfManyShows @Dji

Chow sent a glance towards Karmic, carrying the look of somepony who wanted to say she was off her rocks, but quickly returned his glance to Misty again, and hoped for an answer before Astral would get away. A boon for Karmic perhaps, as she wasn't going to be drilled for more answers about her potentially lying over this, though perhaps it would be safer if she had been caught. Atzy had already meddled with her body some, and it wasn't as if there had been shown a reason for her to stop making it worse for Karmic. The seer would need some help, unless she had resigned herself to being something else entirely? Unlikely, but some liked the idea of losing their control, and becoming something else entirely. Likely not this literally though.

Canterlot was a big city, with many varied ponies and some other beings too. Finding somepony who would know something about Karmic's situation were possible, even if she looked for changelings. The capitol were not so free of them as the citizens might hope for.

Edited August 6, 2018 by Blitz Boom