open Casual stroll

Blitz Boom · January 29, 2019

On 1/28/2019 at 12:07 PM, EQ_Theta said:

"Filigree has done more than enough damage and after hearing about how he was used as a pawn, I hope this trial will give him some measure of closure. I just hope he'll be fine before the trial happens; I know he'd want to be there to see this through. You mentioned him being being used to further her work and that his father was also part of it... that really must have involved thinking several steps ahead. I don't know whether I should be impressed by that or disgusted."

"Can one not be both dear? Her plans were impressive, as despicable as her methods at times were, and did require some long term planning. From what I can tell however, the guard were more of an unforeseen situation that she dealt with in the way she knew best: By running away from it. Considering what else she might have done with the foal, one can wonder if it were instead a rare show of compassion, to leave it in the care of others, rather than use him as another pawn. The odds are not favorable for that, but I do like to speculate on several sides to what I am presented with. Dreadfully limiting to keep a narrow look on everything, rather than attempting to see if there are other angles.

Ah, but it matters little I suppose. For me in any case. The brothers may hold several questions, though I doubt they will have much luck getting straight answers from a talented, yet misguided manipulator."

On 1/28/2019 at 12:07 PM, EQ_Theta said:

"Maybe I should go and see if Brick needs help. Though the place I left the statue at is pretty much deserted; nothing lives or thrives there after all. Hmm... I do have one more question. Those documents might interest Rosa. If it is alright, could he get them once the trial is over?"

Brick wouldn't react to being approached by Lin, who seemingly wanted to help him as Scarcity kept on talking, and instead went on with his job of tying the rope around. Once she got there, it would be fully around, he'd pull out a runed iron plate with a ruby in, and placed it where the rope met one another. Twisting it to the side, a small shock seemed to go through the rope though nothing else really happened.

Grabbing hold of the end of the rope with his muzzle, Brick turned around, ready to drag it, and met Lin's eyes with his own. He were analyzing her, trying to gain what information out from her movements and posture as he could, yet ultimately just grunted and started to drag the thing away. Which he managed to do well, considering that the statue were dragged along as if it were made of hollow plastic. It barely even made an impression on the ground as it were taken towards the portal. Within, Lin would find Scarcity, who were looking around on the gathered unformed ones, and seemingly speaking in a low tone to Omen. Lin should manage to catch the last snippets of their talk if she wandered within Omen's *hearing radius*, but she may be more focused on other things, or might simply not bother about it.

(if she wandered closer)

"- is it then? Fascinating."

"Mother says so. She doesn't lie."

"I'm certain you're speaking the truth as you know it dearie. I just wanted to make sure."

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@EQ_Theta

On 1/28/2019 at 12:07 PM, EQ_Theta said:

"I can't help but feel she should've let Ponyville know she's changed... I shouldn't hold her back from her obligations but maybe at the very least let Twilight know she was around and doing well. And if you like, we can go to Twilight and ask her about alicorns. She knows more about them than most but it might not be much. Little is known about them and besides Celestia and Luna who control the sun and moon, there are very few others like them. Twilight, Princess Cadance, and her baby, Flurry Heart, are the only other known alicorns. Even the magic they specialize in can be considered vague."

"Forgiveness takes time, Fluttershy. I'm certain that she will try and put her faith in them, when she believes they are ready to give her another chance.

As for the alicorns, it sounds so strange to hear, that so few exist. As if they are an endangered species, yet with the power to control the heavens above. I would very much like to one day hear them speak of their situation, and if they truly are facing extinction, I pray even more that Twilight will have many bountiful years ahead of her."

Of course, if these creatures had the potential powers of deities, how good would it be if they were widespread? Lyriel did not support extinctions, yet culling of certain species were a dark, yet regrettably necessary part of keeping nature thriving at times. She would not try to herself regardless of what would come of this of course, but... She may be inclined to turn her back if she heard of some who planned to do so. The fact that they lived for as long as they did could also be a huge problem, depending on how often they might be able to spawn, though as had been seen with the dragons, it were still possible to keep a balance. They too lived for potentially thousands of years, but they were susceptible to diseases, physical harm and so forth, just like any regular mortal.

Still, this would hopefully never be something she needed to be faced with, and there would be a sense of balance in the alicorn population as times went by. Who could even tell if all were as powerful as the two who changed the heavens either? Many were the variables, and she barely knew anything. Truly, there should be no reason to take the sorrows in advance over something like this.

Instead, Lyriel observed how Angel and Fluttershy seemed to have a small conversation between themselves about something. At first she believed this to be about the recently departed Kelpie, yet as it turned out, it would instead show to be something about their home, where he needed to return to for some reason. Whatever it may be, he seemed to not wish to speak of it, as he left shortly after, and Fluttershy began making plans for what to do now. Friends were mentioned - one of which Lyriel met with yesterday - and then came a question that surprised her, as she had thought Fluttershy knew where she were making her home by now. Then again, perhaps she meant the exact location? It might well be, in case she needed to find the dryad for some reason.

"I have met Applejack yesterday, upon her fields of apples. She is a delightful pony, and her trees feel as if they are taken care of as best as one could. She also showed me the tree of her parents, and a spot of highly fertile soil where I might change from my previous form, and to this equine one. The form are one I still wonder if I should keep, yet the tree she showed me... It was clear to me how much her parents meant to her, and I feel saddened that she had to lose them at such an early age. It is not easy to lose family...

*sigh* But she seemed able to hold her head high regardless, and I hope it will remain as such. The other friends you spoke of I have not met or heard off, though I can tell you that I am not able to visit the one who lives int he clouds. I tried being lifted from the ground yesterday, and found that not having connection to the earth, caused me quite a bit of pain. I would prefer not to go through that again."

It were the same she had felt in the desert. No connection beneath her to the Earth Mother, and the pain it brought her were indescribable. She wondered if perhaps this pain had been introduced to her corrupted brethren by now... Yet that were another part of the punishment their heresy regrettably might have brought upon them. Even insane as they now were, she hoped that they did not feel anything near what she had, when fertile ground had been taken from beneath her feet.

"And I'm afraid I can't tell you where exactly in the forest I reside. It is under my protection and guidance, yet I too need a place of privacy, where I will not be disturbed, or potentially harmed. If it is because you may need to find me, you can simply ask the animals, and they will help you in what ways they think best.

Know that I do trust you Fluttershy, and I have no fear that you would seek to harm me, yet I have to uphold a certain place wherein I can be at peace, and feel comfortable. Somewhere that only those under my guidance can find, as the Earthen Mother wills it."

A smile were on her lips as she said this, and hoped that Fluttershy might understand what limitations there were, whilst also finding a loop hole. Lyriel were not allowed to divulge the location of her innermost sanctum, yet the animals needed to know, and as Fluttershy could speak with them, they could guide her to where Lyriel resided if it were important. It were not against the rules for someone to find her, and though there were the chance of someone coming to cause her harm as she slept or prayed, Fluttershy seemed to carry no such evil within her. Not from what she had seen, and not by the testimony of the animals that spoke of her in the forest. Whatever darkness they mentioned, seemed more towards small spouts of being mean a few times, and going against enemies of the forest. Nothing that would make Lyriel think the pony would set fire to an unfocused dryad.

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@Catpone Cerberus @Moonlit

"Even if it isn't perfect, any sort of help will be better than nothing, right? Perhaps... Try putting it on, then try on me? I don't know if it will work on a ghost, but I want to help."

Sure it were an expression to make enough noise to wake the dead, but how much could music really interact with them? Cherish had felt joy flutter in her heart the few times somepony had come around and played on the large organ in the big castle, and she tended to dance along somewhere close by, yet hidden from view. But music based magic, like a siren's song? There were only really one way to know for sure actually, and while it terrified her, and made her physically squirm, she had to open her muzzle and add something to what she had said.

"Actually, uhm... P-Perhaps try it before the crystal gets involved? Just so we know if it works first. It might be important for all of us anyway, in case s-something happens."

from the siren's starting to sing out of anger and causing trouble, to Cherish having a major meltdown and going full blown, several-blocks-radius screaming poltergeist on them, there were several secondary reasons as to why it might be important to find out if siren song worked on spirits like herself. Could end up saving all of them a massive headache in the long run.

As for the matter of where to place herself, since Nada were not here... She would cover that eventually, though for now, they should discuss siren song, suppression of the magic therein, and that sort of thing. Had to be some focus on the important things.

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@Catpone Cerberus

"I humbly apologize in my assumptions then, and consider myself thoroughly corrected."

Marley referred to the part about what Ruby might wish to see in her opposition mostly, butt here were a few other assumptions that were potentially wrongful here. Surely he could have simply brushed it off, but occasionally, it were important to admit that you were wrong, and show acceptance of the fact. Besides, they were having a lovely dinner here, and there were no need for his arrogance ruining everything. Some things certainly, yet this wouldn't be part of it.

Opening his own packet of fish, he grabbed hold of the fresh catch, and tore a good chunk of the head off with his talons, before packing the rest down again and slowly beginning feasting on this top part of the fish. To some disgusting, but found it a great way to start the meal honestly, depending on the fish. Some were certainly too disgusting to taste the heads of, unless it were prepared by a good chef.

"I must say, it is refreshing to meet one of the less... Shall we say *predictable* kinds of dragons. Most of them can be far too easy to predict what will do, and what makes them tick, yet I find you showing a side at every turn that reveals new details I had not seen at first. Few are the dragons I know of that breaks the norm, and even then, certain aspects tends to be a given. How fascinating it will be if we run into other dragons at the auction, whom might prove more directly what it is that I mean, though I have gotten the feeling that you do not care much for the variety that mostly resides in Equestria."

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@Zephyr / Karou

"Ponyville have several places to eat, depending on your want.

One place I regrettably know only the location of, but not the name. They serve fried food such as hayburgers and things of that nature. I am not a particular big fan of that personally I must say, but I know that some enjoys this kind on occasion.

Then there is the most popular place to quench your hunger from what I have observed, and that is Sugarcube Corner. A bakery, with a small area for patrons to feast on their purchases, and ordering some coffee if needed. The store have a delightfully peaceful atmosphere to it, fair prices, and the food is rather tasty. It is not main meal material perhaps, yet it does have a high number of ponies going there on a daily basis that might prove me wrong in my assumption.

Another place is a diner called Sloppy Joe's. A hearty establishment with a focus on coffee and tea of many various kinds, and regular meals such as curry, soup or stews. It is a lovely place in my opinion, though the staff can take a bit of time getting used to, if one is somewhat peckish about what kinds of behavior they allow. Nothing violent of course, heavens no, but more that they have rather.... Colorful personalities, of varied charms. I'm afraid that the silent server whom they had wandering around were concerning poor Brittle, yet no harsh comment or action were taken, so again, I scratch it up to more peculiar behavior.

I believe the final place I have seen is an inn/restaurant called Bubble Tea Lodge, or something of that nature. It offers rooms for tourists, and evening meals, along with entertainment in the way of music and performance. I admit to have taken a liking to some performances there, even if I have not been able to see what went on, as the atmosphere is truly charming.

Those are the ones I know off, yet there may be others that I have simply not taken notice of. Though my nose is strong, a town have many smells, and some come from private areas, where I will not risk wandering in and embarrassing myself, so things may well have been missed among that, as well as my time taking care of Brittle. It is not always she is in a position where she feels capable in coming to town.

Regardless, if you want my personal recommendation, I would advise frequently visiting the bakery and the diner. The available things one can get are good, and it will introduce you to the townsfolks easier. Of course, the market is also a good place for that, but I believe they aren't open until tomorrow, when the last debris have been moved away."

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@Lucid_Nightlight

"Hey, mangoes are awesome. Apples are way worse than that."

Sure she'd eat it, but if given the choice, Anomaly would pick mango over apple for sure. Apple were just too plentiful, and usually pretty boring. Now mangoes, there were something special, and it were really juicy if you had some good cooks or a fresh one just dangling in front of your face. Just imagining the juices dripping from it were nearly making her drool, though as the baker had said, they were up a brown creek without certain boat essentials.

"Well if you don't have mangoes, what about banana then? Uuuh, banana/chocolate muffins perhaps? Those are awesome. Just like mangoes is, you heathen!"

She said the last thing to Novia, risen up on the table in all her limbless, snakey glory, and pulling her tongue at the native draconequus.

Lucid_Nightlight · January 29, 2019

@Blitz Boom

"We ran out of that too. We have a new product. It's a cupcake springled with shredded silver."

"As the queen of medicine, I hereby sentence you to five minutes in timeout! The sign on the door says allergy free!"

Novia created a glass box around the bakery pony.

"Yeah! You sit there and think about what you did!"

"Also, an apple could beat a mango in a fight."

Edited January 29, 2019 by Lucid_Nightlight

Early Sunsets · January 30, 2019

@Blitz Boom

"Sounds good. I'll have to check out those places, especially Bubble Tea Lodge. Maybe they'll let me perform there..." Zephyr said, excited at the chance for a new place to perform at regularly. It might help out his own business, too.

"The diner sounds great. I much prefer home-cooked meals, but I'd love to get to know the ponies around here more. Everypony here seems so nice. The neighborhood we grew up in was pretty small, so we knew nearly every pony around us. It'd be great to have something like that again." Sun Fire said, fondly remembering her early childhood. "Is there anything else you have to say? You seem like you know a lot, even though you've only been here for a short time."

Catpone Cerberus · January 30, 2019

@Blitz Boom @Moonlit
"It doesn't need to be foolproof, and though I appreciate the offer there's nothing to test." Nada said, replying to both Serenade and Cherish on the same sentence "Because there isn't anything to inhibit, I have lost my ability to use mind-control and to feed negativity long time ago" "It would be mostly for the possible listeners of my songs, as some may be uncomfortable listening siren's song without having something that assures them that they aren't mind-controlled." "And thing blocking that magic could be that assurance."

@Blitz Boom
Ruby didn't reply to Marley's apologize, but it wasn't because of some personal reason, no, it was only because she happened to have mouth full of meat at the moment.
She replied to his later comment by speaking between taking new bites from the piece of meat "You are feeling correctly, I do not care for the local kind of dragons, you could even say I despise them." "It's really unfortunate that both kinds are known as dragons, as it taints my kind's name." "And what you call breaking the norm is just me acting like my kind does, except for few details of course." "It just appears new to you because you have gotten used to the local kind, and though we are called the same, we are different species." she exhaled "But I do agree on the predictability, though the local dragons aren't the only predictable ones, your kind and ponies are the same thing. Every creature is."

Moonlit · January 30, 2019

@Blitz Boom @Catpone Cerberus Serenade giggles awkwardly and coughs "Yeah, I haven't...hence why my house is covered in them. I find when I'm extremely stressed I...can" She shrugs and sits down, "I sometimes how to stop myself singing during my errands"

EQ_Theta · January 30, 2019

@Blitz Boom

If only there was a way to get anything straight out of Filigree's mouth during the trial... Knowing her, she'll try to trip everyone up with emotional outbursts, maybe make their claims less than useful when the time is opportune to present evidence. Lin wasn't there when her father stood trial, a sham of a trial more like. If only she would've found her way home sooner, things might have turned out differently. Then again, she was told to run and to not look back. Some terrible implications this might be but this trial she'll sit through and learn about it, believe justice is a concept ponies stand with.

It wouldn't be of much use to think about this too much. She walked over to Brick and began trying to push the statue. Well, the operative word being trying. Although she could muster up the strength to maybe nudge the statue a bit, her current predicament said otherwise, leaving her more tired than she already is. That and slipping on the wet ground left her wondering why she bothered. Perhaps it wasn't wise to waste her effort on this for now, with her wandering over to Omen and Scarcity, letting them finish their discussion before joining in on the conversation. As curious as she is about the topic, she'd prefer to wait until later to ask Omen about it. Didn't want to come off insensitive or rude.

"Is there anything anything else for us to attend to, Scarcity?"

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@Blitz Boom

"I... I heard. Maybe that's why Pinkie says Applejack cries on the inside. She's stronger than us in more ways than one, I guess. And I understand your concern about your privacy and I respect that. You've a right to that."

Though Fluttershy continued to listen to Lyriel on the way back to town, it was worth pondering about how little of her friends she actually knows about. Besides Rainbow Dash, whom she grew up with back on Cloudsdale, she really doesn't know as much about the rest of her friends. Pinkie is a baker and grew up on a rock farm, Twilight is Celestia's student, and Rarity has a more upper class demeanor compared to the rest of her family. Well, that's the impression she got from her anyway. Still, there is humility and generosity in her, a standout feature that sets her apart from the nobility in Canterlot.

"There's no need to push yourself to go and see Rainbow if getting off the ground is taxing. She could hear you just fine if you call out to her since her cloud isn't floating too far above ground. Rarity's place is a boutique where she works when she doesn't need to go out of town. She's got shops from out of town and is occasionally called away by her work. Oh, there it is now!"

Right on cue, the very sight of a carousel rooftop wound up attracting the pegasus' attention, though nobody seems to be at home for now. Rarity might be out of town or at the spa, both of which Fluttershy wouldn't guess. As much as she enjoyed their spa dates back then, being a busybody in the fashion industry meant her friend needed to be away to meet other up and coming designers or attending fashion shows. If she were here, Rarity wouldn't dare hesitate to drag both Fluttershy and Lyriel into the spa and give them an extravagant treatment. Not that the pegasus would mind but a dryad might have a different idea of relaxing. A little further away and they would reach Sugarcube Corner. Business is a little slow today but the Cakes will always welcome more sales opportunities.

"Hello Fluttershy! Good to see you. Who's your friend?"

"Her name's Lyriel and I'm showing her around town."

"A new visitor? Always delightful to welcome guests! What would you like, Lyriel? We've got cupcakes, doughnuts, pies. I highly recommend the strawberry cinnamon cupcakes. Pinkie was convinced to let up on the cilantro on that one and it's been a popular new addition to the menu! Well, after my husband decided to move the unconventional ingredients elsewhere, that is."

Rising Dusk · January 31, 2019

@Blitz Boom

Rising Dusk released the breath he'd been holding when he arrived to the next destination. Not that holding one's breath when traveling instantly between destinations was all that difficult. The detective finding himself in another popular area and a matching flower to the previous. This time the main hub for the city's taxi services. Another good spot to scatter infected pollen among ponies as the carriage pullers infected their patrons and carried them to other parts of the city. Taking a moment to drink in his surroundings for anything out of the ordinary, magic wise anyways, and minus the flower. It didn't matter how thin and loose the Master made his connection to his work, he couldn't hide it from the detective's sense. Spider web thin threads of magic swimming in the air between all the spell works of the flower and spores. He wouldn't be able to follow them back to the caster though with how much they blended into the background. Normally threads like these disappeared into the aether, but that required time and power. Something that seemed lacking from the rapid deployment of this work.

Turning his attention to the flower, he cast his magic to begin the process of turning the flower's curse just like the first. Unraveling the spell work just enough for him to sow it back up into a spell with a different purpose. Casting new spores into the air with the mission of rewriting the previous spores for a new purpose, and with a fun surprise for the one attacking the city. The spell around the flower though had a little extra something than the first, and it was fresh, as in not originally cast on the flower. The signature of the spell left the detective with no doubt on who wanted to chat. Rising Dusk knew the weave, commonly seen on enchanted mirrors when ponies wanted to communicate over long distances. Not so commonly used among the populace as it was impossible to keep secure and prevent other's from just dropping in. Using his magic to turn the weave, he established the connection between the two. Removing the pocket watch from his hoodie pouch to dial in the next location, "I don't suppose I could kindly ask you to surrender?" he inquired through thought, never hurt to try. Holding his breath as he teleported to the next location while hanging onto the communication spell to drag it with him.

Across town, the O.M.I. found itself under attack from a suddenly appearing wicker bear. Or the wicker bear found itself under attack from the O.M.I., it was hard to tell really. With the alert status Rising Dusk had put the agency on, the two remaining agents inside had put the building on lock down. Along with magical protections, the building had its fair share of physical ones as well. However, they couldn't do things the normal way, that would be too easy. Instead of the front door presenting to be some sort of solid barrier, it was soft and elastic. One of the wards the door contained had turned the solid wood into very elastic rubber. While the wicker bear had managed to barrel into the door and stretch it a good ten hoofs in or so, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The rubber door took the stored energy of the wicker bear's force to fling it back with an equal amount of energy.

Bash was just across the street in time to see a wicker bear appear out of nowhere and try to rush inside the O.M.I. He doubted very much the creature was trying to open a case with the agency. "Oi! Stop that!", he shouted at the wicker bear that'd just been flung back from the rubber door. Mostly to get its attention and keep it from turning on any of the other ponies passing by. The large ivory earth pony had two large saddle bags on either side of him as he came bounding across the street toward the wicker bear. Turning his head to stuff his snout into his right saddle bad and removing a seed between his teeth, which he crunched down on.

Blitz Boom · January 31, 2019

@EQ_Theta

"I'd say that you have performed your duties admirably as is, and I have no further tasks for you. Just give me but a moment..."

Scarcity scratched her chin and looked on as a few more unformed ones rose in bubbly shapes near her, trying to gain her attention. This close, Lin should be able to also hear their words of pleading in some rather broken equine. Being here for as long as she had after her master vanished, Omen had talked about how things had been in her chaotic world with her siblings, and like with many others tongues spoken before this, the language were eventually something they understood and took to them, though in a limited scope. It were essential that they learned something in case other denizens of worlds other siblings had been to came around, so that they could plead better at gaining a new master, though it tended to need some degree of influx to really get to them. Omen were the only one from the equine world, and her stories were generally millennia old. It got hard to keep on to it for the unformed ones after that long.

"Chose wisely, and treat them kindly."

Mother's voice swam through the air suddenly, and gently flowed past their ears.

"Worry not darling, I keep my word."

The disembodied voice were interesting to Scarcity, but from what Omen had briefly said whilst Lin were away, this were a common thing to do, as this *Mother* did not want to show herself for many beings. A curious creature, but Scarcity could certainly understand the need for secrecy and distancing. You never knew who might come around with ill intent after all.

In her case however, she cared not to damage anything here, and in fact, as Brick passed them with the somehow lighter statue in tow, she bowed down and picked up a glob that stared blankly at her with three curious, excited eyes.

Without much more warning, magic started to flow from her horn and plunge deep into the ooze, as if stabbing it. It looked as if this might be painful too, as the unformed sibling started to twist and turn as the magic began to restructure it, yet the eyes didn't seem to signal anything of the sort, as even they got wobbly and twisted into smaller shapes, and sliding into sockets of a gooey skull, that quickly got covered with skin and soft fur.

Small arms followed, with five fingered hands at the end, bending as the sibling tried out its new limbs, with feet soon following, that flailed in the air without finding anything to sit on, as it were still being held in the air by Scarcity.

The process would look like a twisted version of forming clay, just without the use of any physical contact (other than the two hooves on either side of it) and in the end, the magnificent creature would stand proud.

Or rather, the tree eyed black squirrel mimic with the grey streaks of hair in it's bushy tail would stand relatively tall. Besides the third eyes, slit and horizontal on the forehead, it seemed to be just an exotic critter of some kind, which Scarcity rather preferred. Easier to deal with one who could sit on your back if needed, didn't take up much space, and she would admit a certain love for these mimics as they were called these days, though not many were seen among ponies for the past few centuries. Of course there were the swamp where they resided, along those ghastly things that tried to lure travelers away from the path, but not many knew of their presence there. Few were also those who knew that the swamp were designated a sanctuary for an endangered species, and only Scarcity herself, along with a few of her most trusted money launderers, were aware that she had sponsored the act to make it designated as such, to prevent it from being torn to the ground. Of course she had to also ensure that there were other paths to take instead, but it were being worked on, and it should be possible to completely ignore the swamp in a few years.

Why she had done so? She liked the animals and their deceptive ways, intelligence, and so forth, and believed it a pity if they actually did go extinct, so she had just ensured they had a safe haven to grow in. Plus they were rather cute, so when having to pick a form for one of these Ki'Nathar creatures, it seemed fitting to her to pick her most favorite critter of all.

"Simply adorable. I shall call you... Hammond. That holds a nice ring to it."

The little creature just looked at her, taking in everything he could, before she floated him to her back, and he began to slowly move around. Like a kitten that had just opened its eyes, and wandered unsteadily around to take it all in.

Scarcity in the meantime, turned to Lin and Omen, and gestured towards the gate part leading to her shop, were Brick had gotten fully through and were likely about to get the statue into the room it were designated for.

"You needn't worry for him, I am quite capable of providing protection, care and education for him, so that he may grow up and be more than he seems. I am not a cruel mistress to those on my side after all."

It would be evident for the others - even Omen - that this process had been tiring for Scarcity, even if she tried to hit it. The energy seemed mostly drained out of her, and her posture and eyes spoke of a need for rest, though if Hammond would allow so were hard to say. Not sleeping and being curious about everything, he might end up having to be taken around by Brick, which weren't gonna help him formulate words. Some pretty good grunts perhaps though, but the future would determine what would happen here.

"Now then, follow me to my office, and I shall give you the information you seek, along with a copy of what I found on Filigree. The originals have been handed over to the lawyers yesterday, so you don't need to think of how that fits into the legal process. Convenient, no?"

Unless Lin attempted to stop her, Scarcity would be on her way out of the gate leading to her store, and would take lead down the hallway that would take them to her office. Hammond sat in silence on her back, soaking up everything he saw, and twisting around himself constantly to try and see everything he could in this strange world of solid mass and colors.

It reminded Omen of herself, though she hadn't stopped talking before her master had stopped her from speaking for a while so that he could get some head rest. Her new sibling seemed to be waiting to talk instead. Strange, but she had known siblings like that before, so it wasn't unheard of. Usually just meant it would be a constant flood when he eventually would speak.

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@EQ_Theta

Lyriel merely listened as Fluttershy explained things about two of her friends whilst they were moving through town. Rainbow it seemed had her home somewhat near to the ground, so contact were possible, even without losing touch with the ground, and as for Rarity, it seemed to be more of a matter of timing. Poor thing must get exhausted for being as busy as Fluttershy made it sound like, yet if she enjoyed her life, it were likely not as bad as it might seem. She hoped that the mare took good care of herself out there though, and attempted to avoid danger. Fluttershy were a kind soul, and shouldn't be told that one close to her were suddenly gone. It might break her gentle spirit.

What Rarity did made Lyriel somewhat curious though. Not all ponies she had seen wore clothes, and she had followed troop there, but certainly were a few with some accessories, or full on dresses, which were a strange thing to try and think about in her opinion. The best way she could think on it were that the clothes were not for necessity or warmth - at least not in this weather - but more like accessories to attract potential mates, and compete among other males or females. The ones who wore no clothes didn't think they had to, whilst others with that, jewelry, or assorted other things, were *parading their feathers* so to speak, and trying to assert dominance, and interest from partners.

This were likely very wrong, but a talk with this Rarity at some point may well clear that up, rather than leave Lyriel thinking that ponies were more or less peacocks.

Eventually they'd reach a place where Fluttershy believed they should enter, which Lyriel had heard of the day before. The bakery were a talking point for many, and kind were the words that spilled from their lips about this place. It would be interesting. The staff certainly seemed friendly, as the one behind the small desk greeted them as they entered.

On 1/30/2019 at 2:31 PM, EQ_Theta said:

"A new visitor? Always delightful to welcome guests! What would you like, Lyriel? We've got cupcakes, doughnuts, pies. I highly recommend the strawberry cinnamon cupcakes. Pinkie was convinced to let up on the cilantro on that one and it's been a popular new addition to the menu! Well, after my husband decided to move the unconventional ingredients elsewhere, that is."

"Blessings upon your house, friend of Fluttershy."

The dryad bowed to the mare.

"I know not what any of the things you speak of are, but I hear this place carries many things of great sweetness, yes? I wonder if you have something akin to what is found in flower nectar, if it is okay to ask?"

Lyriel wasn't a hummingbird or anything, but nectar were the thing she had access to for a treat back in the valley, and the only thing she really knew of that were sweet and delicious to her. However, it were also incredibly sugary, instead of the more *moderate* amount found in regular kinds of baked goods. It were going to have to be something more or less filled with an unbearable amount of sugar to satisfy what she were looking for, or just a glass of sugar water with a flower stirred in the cup.

It might be worth knowing also that as she had never been in a real town before, and not among ponies for long, Lyriel had no idea of the concept of money, and no gold on her, as metal held no real value for her in the forest. They'd likely find out about this soon, if Mrs. Cake managed to actually find something for Lyriel.

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@Zephyr / Karou

"I would see no issue in you performing there. I have heard varied voices perform there many a time, so I'm certain they are not closing their doors for talented individuals such as yourself. They may simply ask to hear something first, just to make certain, though you should not take my word alone for it, as I cannot say with certainty that I am correct."

Briar enjoyed this conversation quite a lot. Not only because the ponies were friendly and accepting, but also because it gave him a chance to help out, and he liked to be of assistance to others, provided that it didn't end up hurting somepony, or included remarks towards the changeling who were still covering behind him, though he could feel that she were listening intensely to what the two ponies were saying. It was a shame that she were so scared, but perhaps if curiosity like this could be cultivated, he could help her get out of her slump within a few years, and instill her with the confidence needed to embrace the world in all it's beauty and hidden darkness.

"And while it is true that I have only been here for a few days, I have relied on my ears and curiosity for a long time now, so I have a habit of wandering many times through a town, and soaking in things. Locations, traffic, general things that others are speaking of, and so forth. As I also tend to travel away quickly, being here for far longer means that I have also learned more than usual of this town, by following this habit of mine. Meeting Brittle here again after our first encounter, I have needed to halt my nomadic ways for the time being, as she requires stability, and needs to build her confidence some before I would dare attempting to take her out of a setting she feels less horrified about. The neighborhood is delightful as you say though, so there is not really an issue with it.

In any case, other places of interest in town depends on you. If you are interested in the agricultural aspects, there is a branch of the Apple family living on a large orchard outside of town. For more relaxing activities, there is a spa with a good reputation too. If clothes are your passion, there is a mare called Rarity that owns a boutique with designs that I have heard praises of, and then of course, there is also other things such as the party scene, where you'd need to find the mare Pinkie Pie to understand why they suddenly break out all over town from time to time. She tends to be the cause of the majority of such events.

I have heard talk of an animal sanctuary as well if that is more to your liking, and then there's the newly risen office for the new Night Guard stationed in town, some entrepreneurs that are giving guarded tours of the more dangerous areas of the Everfree Forest, the Ponyville school, and oh heavens above, how could I forget? The castle of course, wherein Princess Twilight resides. She also owns a rather large collection of books, if reading is something you care for? "

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@Catpone Cerberus @Moonlit

"Oh, I... I see."

This had just gotten awkward then, when it were revealed that Nada mostly wanted the gem as a reassurance for others, and not to halt her own abilities, as they had apparently vanished. Were it something to do with age? Choice? Isolation making it hard to keep going? There were many questions, but Cherish didn't feel like forcing them down over her right now, and listening to Serenade, perhaps it were best that she didn't poke to the crystal talk as a whole, as it sounded like that siren had the power, and couldn't always keep it controlled. She weren't sure, but it seemed as if that made the siren feel bad, so again, best not to touch on that subject.

"Uhm... If I could bring it back on something else for a moment, please? If Nada is going to the river, could I maybe... Go someplace else with books? I'll stay out of sight, I promise, I just want- No, Need to know of what we've missed."

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@Catpone Cerberus

Marley gave off a heart laughter at the notion that everybody were as predictable as the Equestrian dragons tended to be.

"If I were predictable, I would be little more than a hawk with extra limbs and a vocal cord, such as many of my more simplistic kinsmen are. I however, are not stirred into aggression as easily, and can think rationally and tactically in situations were most of them would merely growl and pretend to be tough. You may not believe me, but I know myself to not be as easily to guess what would do as them, just as you think yourself different, even when others may consider you a predictable example of dragonkin.

Ah, but I suppose we could discuss that for years to come, and never fall upon a complete agreement on the subject. Still, I welcome an opposing view, and the challenge of attempting to change it, though i won't do something radically foolish. However, I would present you with a minor story, and then tell me what you think I did in it, to see how predictable I truly am.

Some years back, before I were hired by Spicy, I helped with various courier jobs. One day, I stumbled and broke a small hole in one of the smaller crates inside the larger containers I were moving around, wherein I found a bundle of unhatched dragon eggs laid, along with a note describing that the next batch may be delayed. Can you tell me what you think I did?"

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@Rising Dusk

11 hours ago, Rising Dusk said:

"I don't suppose I could kindly ask you to surrender?"

"You could, but I think we both know that I'm not going to stop before I get what I want."

His sly voice didn't hide how amused by the mere mention that he were to surrender. A humorous one it seemed, this new adversary of his.

"I am offering you the option however. Though your meddling is proving an inconvenience, it is highly amusing to see how many things you manage to repel. My spores are being altered, which means you know tracking magic to a good degree, and whilst that went on, I sent a little garden nuisance of mine to assault your building, which turned out to be well protected. It just got bounced back into a bundle of carts, and are about to fight who I'm assuming is one of your little friends. An unfair fight normally, but I doubt that he doesn't have something to deal with that."

Looking over that particular fight, he had seen the pony chew down on something, which were likely going to be helping him in the physical fight about to happen. Sadly he hadn't been scared, and the building had not been entered, but really, he hadn't expected this to be easy either. He did however, expect to test the fortifications of the place, and the resolve of those within. So far, they seemed like a resourceful bunch. The pony fighting the wicker bear had even managed well to keep attention on himself too, and not the two injured ponies behind it, whose wagons the wicker bear had crashed into when it were bounced back. It were going to be interesting to see what would happen there, as the bear roared and lounged forward, going for crunching itself a nice, equine based snack.

"Still, I doubt you will listen to verbal threats or offerings of a simple solution. You're too much of a meddling persona for that, though it won't change a thing. In the end, I will get the sisters, though perhaps if you keep up with your countermeasures for the next 10 hours or so, you might be able to save everyone else. The little trick with the spores will do well at least, though pointless as it is. In fact, let me save you the trouble."

The flower resting on a box where Rising had gotten to, withered and died in a span of two seconds, with something within it causing it to happen hidden beneath the rapidly failing layers of the spell cast on it. He might be able to see a glimpse though if he kept watching, of a gem-like green, spinning on its own axle until finally the whole thing fizzled and collapsed.

"Hm, or perhaps not?"

A tiny rift opened behind where the flower stood before, and suddenly, in the blink of an eye, it would be back where it were before, intact and without signs that it had been touched at all. A faint trace of the same gem-like green energy were there, but the small rift that likely lead to the pony responsible, would have vanished without a trace. As if it had never been there.

"Continue your efforts youngster, and keep it going for as long as you can. In ten hours, I will be there, and then we'll see if you have broken, or if you've actually managed to stand your grounds. If you want to admit defeat, or trade the sisters for the lives of others, go ahead and give me a call again. I might be willing to make another deal."

With that, he *hung up*, and went back to what he were working on. Honestly he doubted this would lead to anything, but it were interesting playing with these ponies for now, and it would serve him well in wearing them down in the long run. This adversary of his were a larger issue than he had first anticipated, and he might end up getting trouble himself if he wasn't careful. Still, his plans weren't ruined, and if this kept up, he should still end up comfortably on the right side of this victory. Best not to be as high on himself as he made it seem though. Not with this particular pony.

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

@Lucid_Nightlight

"Silver? Gross!"

Anomaly slithered up the tank and hissed at the time-out boxed clerk for offering something that vile. Seriously, why ruin a good cake with silver of all things? Ponies couldn't even eat that! The'd get poisoned, if the metal itself didn't end up tearing 'em up bad. What, did they have diamond dogs running through town in this dimension or something? If that wasn't it, then they were just nuts. In the bad way.

"Now you just sit in there and think about what you've done with your creepy, silver cake thingie. And you're totally wrong Novia, a Mango would win every day. Wanna settle it?"

Anomaly wrapped her tail up and snapped the tip against her mouth. From between Novia and her, the floor cracked open, and a pony-sized mango would rise. Nothing special about it, obviously, just a huge mango. Had to be a fair fight here, or it would just come down to whoever first gave their fruit fire breath and laser eyes.

Lucid_Nightlight · January 31, 2019

@Blitz Boom

Novia summoned a giant apple.

"The apple will win for sure!"

"I think a lemon would beat both your fruits."

Lucid looked over Pringle.

"A strawberry wouldn't stand a chance!"

Lucid summoned a giant lemon.

"Something as yellow as a lemon can't be beaten by any fruit. Well, maybe a banana, but that's because bananas always cheat."

EQ_Theta · February 1, 2019

@Blitz Boom

So this was the forming process.... It was unexpected seeing it happen right in front of her but Lin was curious about it. She knew she and Sen wouldn't want to pick one from many of Omen's unformed siblings as the two didn't see themselves as fitting masters of any type. The two aren't exactly fond of being called master either and were satisfied as they currently are. Still, this was an interesting look at what might have transpired when Discord experienced it.

The result of this process came in the form of something familiar, a sight that gave Sen the chills and would have if here were here. The little squirrel-like creature that was both cute and unnerving to this eyes. Wonder what he would've felt if he saw another one of its kind. Perhaps it might be different this time around since it isn't exactly like the mimics from the swamp; it was one of Mother's children and depending on how Scarcity will raise it, it'll turn out different. Though despite looking like a pet, it will still very likely be an individual of its own, thus necessitating the proper respect it should be given.

Lin followed Scarcity to her office with little to say on the matter. She'd reserve any and all bothersome matters for when they were relevant. For now, it was enough for them to receive the documents that Rosa will love to read about while recovering.

"This, umm... legal process.... You make it seem like a very complicated thing," Lin scratched her head as she entered the office. "I take it is more complicated than two parties arguing with each other about who is in the right and wrong? Having gritty trappings with wordplay and all? That's what I've heard about though the rumors I heard were over exaggerated."

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

@Blitz Boom

"Hmm... nectar. Not exactly what I expected but I'll see what can be done."

Mrs. Cake walked over to the kitchen and while Fluttershy wouldn't be able to see anything from the front desk, she could hear a lot of commotion in the back. Mostly pots and pans falling off the shelves. Then came the scent of a freshly baked batch of confections leaving the oven, the smell of which quickly permeated the air and spread all over the bakery. No doubt Mrs. Cake left at just the right time. Even she was suddenly delighted by that diversion as one can hear her beginning to work on something unique and a little bit more on Pinkie's forte. It wasn't out of the ordinary for her to fulfill strange requests; there was a time she made a cupcake with sapphire gemstones for Spike for his birthday. Usually, that meant someone had to put in an advanced order. Extra sugar in a dessert was somewhere lower on the oddity scale.

After a bit of time, the mare emerged from the kitchen and with her, a tray with Lyriel's order and a drink. This one appeared to be a simple doughnut with seemingly little else to go with in terms of appearance. Indeed, it look just about as ordinary as a glazed doughnut and nothing else. Even the beverage provided looked unimpressive.

"Well, here you go! About as close as I could get to a, umm.... nectar-y taste? Oh if only I had Pinkie's creativity... I might be able to do more with it. A glazed doughnut topped with lots and lots of sugar and a glass of sugar water. I suppose you want a regular doughnut, Fluttershy?"

"That'll do. I does mean paying extra for the sugar right?"

"Yeah, and another round of grocery shopping for Mr. Cake as well. That'll be thirty bits."

Fluttershy handed her payment over though with some degree of hesitation, if only because she didn't really know how much Mrs. Cake was charging for special orders on the spot. Probably a little more than her usual but this has been a very interesting day for the bakery in general. In return, Fluttershy received her doughnut, fresh from the oven and smelling as good as ever.

"You two enjoy and come back soon!"

Early Sunsets · February 1, 2019

@Blitz Boom

"That sounds great. It's nice to just unwind and play in a relaxed environment like that."

"Princess Twilight lives in Ponyville?" Sun Fire said, startled. She turned to Zephyr. "How did we not learn about that before moving? It seems like an important thing to mention to ponies who are moving here."

Zephyr shrugged. "I'm not sure, but that's actually rather convenient if she's willing to let me borrow some of her books. I've been looking into a few types of magic in my spare time, but I haven't been able to find many resources to help me."

Rising Dusk · February 2, 2019

@Blitz Boom

Ah, to finally make contact with this Master that has been causing him a bit of a headache the last couple of days. An interesting little spell to allow for such ease of communication. If a bit of a risky move for the Master to seek out such a direct line to the detective that's already proven what he can do to ponies on the other side of spells like this. The coil of the spell leading from the flower off into the aether to then connect to the other end. Alright working to trace it back to its origin while keeping himself busy with the main task at hoof. Should he be flattered to be considered an inconvenience to a villain? Meh. The detective simply listened to the evil pony monologue and ramble on almost as bad as Molotov.

Rising Dusk wasn't all that surprised when the O.M.I. was threatened by a force he couldn't see, but the description from the Master implied it was a physical force. And there again were his coworkers referred to as his 'little friends'. Such a title implied they were smaller than him, but they really weren't. Rising Dusk wasn't the strongest, most powerful, smartest or most clever pony in the O.M.I. If the agency was being defended as the Master said, the detective had little worry that it would remain so. Even if he couldn't see what the other pony could.

Speaking of which, the defense of the O.M.I. was well underway as large earth pony and wicker bear charged at each other. It probably looked really epic, but it wasn't Bash's style. He was large and powerful, but he wasn't a fan of going hoof to cuffs. The seed he chomped on wasn't meant to enhance his physical attributes, actually the only reason he even bit it was to water it a little with his saliva. Not like he carried around a water pale with him everywhere he went. When he was close enough to the blindly raging wicker bear, he spit the seed at the wild creature before diving out of it's path. Now wet and exposed to the air, the little seed bust into a thick of sprouting vines mid flight. They lashed and wrapped around limps into a tangled mess of binding. Stronger that steel, they might prove difficult for the wicker bear, but at 600 lbs it might be able to break a few. If only to discover that once broken, two new veins took it's place. The more veins that wrapped, the less movement a creature could manage, less movement less trouble. A nasty little snare from the land of Zebras called Hydra's Snare.

Rising Dusk was getting ready to rewrite the magic of the flower when he bore witness to the Master's impressive control over his creations. Watching as it withered, but not as interested in that part as much as how the spell weave unraveled to reveal the gem-like green spark spinning around. The event may have only happened over the span of a second or two, this didn't matter to the detective with the memory recall he had. It was well hidden in the weave, but now the detective knew it was there. What was more interesting to him though was the flower's return via a rift. Perking his eyebrow, he took in the spell work that caused such a thing. Oh, now this is useful. This actually gave Rising Dusk a new idea. Lighting up his horn he went to work rewriting the spell of the flower with his original design like the previous ones, but this time altering even that spell ever so slightly with the new discovering. Finishing the last strand carefully like a hunter wanting to make sure his trap didn't just suddenly spring on him.

He hardly even noticed the Master cut the link between them, "Good talk," he idly said aloud while removing the pocket watch from his pouch. Eyeing the newly stitched together spell hanging on the spores that slowly started to spread out from the street he was on. Dialing in the next location before teleporting off again.

With the Master's connection to his spells, he may start to notice by now dark magic in areas of the city was starting to thin.

FanOfManyShows · February 3, 2019

@Blitz Boom

"I'm sure we'll never see what Sapphire can do at full power. Being that she could imprison Warlock in stone, which is typically a thing only the elements of harmony can do."

"For all we know, she used them."

"Well we now know she had an element of disharmony the whole time... Who knows what she could do with it."

Mity shrugged, looking to Chow. "Let's relax though, like Chow said. Others could help with it if they do anything."

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

"I had learned of a curse, yes." Sapphire said while nodding. "It was a curse to imprison ponies in stone, you'd know who I used it on."

Iron chuckled a bit. "I might have some crystals on hand. If needed we could conjure our own for the rest of the ingredients."

"Possibly? But in that case, how would we get soul magic?"

"By using a soul, and we have two right here. That won't mean sacrificing yourself but it does mean permanently losing a part of yourself..."
He looked down and sighed. "Since only a small fraction is needed, but we wouldn't be able to choose what part."

"This would defeat the purpose of what we're trying to achieve, so we should try something else first."

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

The General looked to Benny, smiling a bit. "Great to see you again Benny." He said with a smile, before he lifted his hoof for a shake. "Would it be alright if I saw the weapon before, or should I wait?"

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

@Dji

"It broke and horns don't heal." Zealous trembled as he felt what he had once repressed begin to surface. "I don't, like to think about it."
He said, barely holding a tear back as he squeezed his eyes shut.His eyes opened as he looks to Watts.
"I-" He choked, swallowing his words as he mustered the will to continue speaking. "I-it was-"He paused, sighing. "It was an, accident I got into as a child."

Edited February 3, 2019 by FanOfManyShows

Moonlit · February 3, 2019

@Blitz Boom @Catpone Cerberus Serenade smiles, "When I go and visit Ziggy, I'll bring you along and let you off at The Palace of Friendship, I'm sure Princess Sparkle will let you read her massive library." She turns to Nada, "and I'll double my usual grocery order so you'll have something OTHER then emotions to feed off of. I highly recommend the BLT"

Catpone Cerberus · February 4, 2019

@Blitz Boom @Moonlit
Nada could feel the awkwardness in the air after she had pointed out her lack of magic, but she wasn't really sure why Serenade and Cherish seemed to feel so awkward, as she herself didn't see any reason for it. She decided not to continue on the topic though, because she didn't want to make the two more awkward, and she just moved her thoughts to what Serenade said next. "Thank you Serenade, I don't know what BLT is but I promise to try it."

@Blitz Boom
It was Ruby's turn to laugh "How predictable." "Everyone always try to prove how special they are by asking me 'what you think I did' question." she narrowed her eyes "It doesn't work like that youngster." "Predictability doesn't mean that you can guess what someone did in specific situation based on their species or such, or well, for more instinctual creatures you can but that's besides the point." she took a bite of the meat before continuing "Me for example, based on my kind, I'm rather unpredictable, as even the fact that we are talking is quite rare, but that doesn't mean I'm not predictable, as if you were to observe me long enough, there would be patterns, you could start predicting what I would do in certain situations." "That's how hunters hunt and prey escapes, you can catch fish because they are predictable, and some of them survive because your ways of hunting are predictable."

She took an another bite "I don't know you well enough nor do I have enough information about the suggested situation to answer in certainty what you would do, but if you want me to guess, I can tell what based on the little I have seen I would assume you didn't too." "You didn't sell or break the eggs, as you have showed that you respect the concept of eggs, and I doubt that you just left them there, since I know you would know that to be the most obvious answer." "It is possible that you just delivered it where you needed to, since you seem to take your job seriously, but I can see you also taking them to bring them to the mother or someone else capable to taking care of them."

Blitz Boom · February 4, 2019

@Catpone Cerberus @Moonlit

"T-Thank you. Hopefully the princess won't mind."

Twilight had seemed nice enough, both at her own castle, and the time that Cherish had seen her wandering around the old castle that she were bound to, but she just wasn't sure how somepony of that stature would react. Scared? Wanting to run experiments? Dismissive of having a ghost in her home, or of anypony to read her books? Serenade seemed to think it would be okay, and she appeared to know the princesses, so hopefully it would be okay. Hard to just ignore worry about something going wrong, or ending up as some sort of lab rat though.

"And BLT sounds like a shortening of some sort... Barley, Lettuce and Thyme, maybe? Sounds like a strange combination."

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

@Catpone Cerberus

It was almost adorable to see Ruby go into her little rant. A sadly predictable thing for dragons to do, as they were immensely prideful beings no matter where they came from it seemed, but it hardly seemed the time to bring that up. Especially as it were far more entertaining for her to speak to him as if he were an unruly student who needed to be taught things step by step before the question were even addressed. Somewhat like one of his teachers back in the day did, though less likely to smack a ruler down into his desk to get his attention. Ruby would just aim for his head if she had been in the same situation.

Eventually Ruby came around to answer the question, and used some good deductions to guess what might have happened, based on what she knew of Marley so far. One couldn't say that she had a head full of air, which were more than he could say about the kind of dragons he mainly dealt with.

"You have touched upon the right answer among your varied guesses. I patched up the crate and went on to deliver it, with the intention of finding out who had ordered these, so that I may present a proper caregiver with a body part that should ease in the trace of whom it were.

As it turned out, I were to deliver it to the eggs father, who were working on smuggling his family into the country. Not always there have been an open border politic with dragons, as unrest have at times caused the need to tighten things up, on the behest of the generals, so they had decided to get these snuck in, then for her to arrive soon after in Manehattan. A singular dragon here and there weren't an issue after all, whereas a full clutch of little ankle biters were another deal at the time. Far as I am aware, they still reside there actually, though it have been years since I went by and checked. Not a place for our usual business you see.

In any case, I merely tried to assess how predictable you considered me with a random tale from my life. I figured it to also be a bit of fun, rather than us sitting in complete silence, and our predictability conversation seemed like a well enough segue into this."

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

@FanOfManyShows

"Well, these disharmony thingies are the opposite of the harmony ones. Perhaps there's some overlay between 'em or something that we don't know about? I dunno, but I'm thinking it's possible."

Chow yawned and stretched himself out. *Fun* little talk here, but Misty was quite right on them having to turn away for it for a bit and let somepony else juggle with it. Soon as they got rested and had the chance to tie down Sapphire and Emerald for a good talking to/Interrogation, they'd get to know some stuff like whatever were going on with the curse, stoning, and all that other jazz. Right now though, the whistle were going, which meant they'd have to get ready to get off the train.

"Alright gals, that's out cue. Let's get outta here, and I'll follow ya home before dealing with the tickets. Getting dark outside, so it should be a calm night to stroll away on."

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

@FanOfManyShows

"Or we could capture a squirrel and drain its soul of energy like normal ponies? You only need a pony soul for the more gruesome kinds of spells, but all we need is raw soul magic. Doesn't matter where it comes from, and it's just a squirrel. Wouldn't be the first time we've harvested critters for our magic."

Bat wings, frog legs, heart of pigeons, blood of chickens, etc. etc. The list were long of animals that the two of them had gotten through, even though most of them had likely been for Emerald's spells rather than Sapphire, and as such she had been the main one to harvest them. Fitted her fine, as making ingredients ready didn't take much wandering outside, besides checking the traps, and that hadn't been an option for much of her life historically. The soul energy of a critter wouldn't be all that different, and it would work just as well. They just needed more of it, as the raw energy were stronger in a pony. Hence why you could just give up part of your soul instead, like Iron had said, and depending on the spell, you could only use pony souls. This though? They just needed raw energy, it'd be fine.

"With Sapphire's curse spell, and... His crystals, we should be able to get these difficult ones handled, and then we just get some shards of the other elements. I can imagine they're still abundant. Or are they getting rare, and we need to break into some of the elemental coves? Things will get messy then."

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

@FanOfManyShows

Benny just raised one of his hands to show that he were still bandaged and sore in response to the shake offering, but did give a wave at least. He didn't want to seem rude to the new general after all.

"I uh... Don't know actually. I weren't around the last coronation."

"Tradition requires you to wait to be presented by it at the coronation itself. Keep it in the box until you're presented by the chance to open it."

"Peh, you and your traditions sometimes Screecher. But fine, whatever. We're going in soon it sounds like."

"- and I know that he will not disappoint you either."

"Oooh, sounds like it's show time. Come on hotshot, you gotta be up front and lead the walk in. Just look at the crowd, look like you belong, and if anypony gives you beef, call them an eel-sucker and throw something at 'em."

"You would do best in ignoring that advice."

"Y'know, I'm wondering how many bits it'd cause to get somepony to remove that stick out your flank, Mrs. Buzzkill."

The tone were playful from Tidal's side, but it weren't exactly a secret among the guards that the two of them had their moments, as their ideologies were so widely different. Screecher being more of a traditionalist who focused on the work first and how the Night Guards needed to present themselves at things like this, and Tidal being more of a laid back boss who had literally fought her way to be on top, and had a more carefree attitude towards these sort of formal events. Been Dew's job for a while to make them work efficiently by being the deciding factor between them, if something came to a head between the too strict and too laid back, and as he'd perhaps realized before this, Iron were going to find that being part of his job as well. A potentially tiring endeavor at times, though usually the two other generals got along fine. Just on some points where they ended up butting heads. This here were hardly a taste.

When eventually Iron got out, he'd find Dew stepping aside, letting the new colt on the block get the prime location in front of about a thousand guards mixed together from the three branches. And they were all focused right on him, in complete silence, waiting for what he'd say as his first sentence as a confirmed general.

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@Rising Dusk

Another altercation? He scoffed at the minor feeling that confirmed it, and fell down into his chair. The detective could try all he liked to use this link to track him down, but this were a careful pony that made sure to protect himself, and the best that Rising would be able to find out were that it came from Harrowmark's west side. And that is if he were thorough.

Still, this pony were an issue, as the further rewriting confirmed. A clever little trap for the master no doubt, though it could all be undone. He could spend his own energy and time to rapidly alter the flowers back and unravel the spells that had been put upon it, but the nuisance would just go back and do them all over, likely with further alterations, and at an easier energy cost, as he'd be more fluently working on something familiar. It was not worth the time and effort honestly, so he'd consider this to be a lost cause and focus on something else.

A pity really. The mind control spell would have made for a good number of mind-numbed servants to do as he said, and then afterwards follow him back to Harrowmark to be harvested. Guess he couldn't have everything, though his target were still the sisters, and he were getting close. Even with the pollen being rapidly infected and likely also spreading to the other flowers, he had managed to scour a good deal of the city. It gave him less of a search area, so that were worthwhile, though there would still be many places, and the pony may just move them away when the pollen were completely infected. He'd need an extra pair of eyes on this.

Leaving Rising to play with the rest of his flowers, which were set up in simple places around the town like the rest, he turned his focus to the struggle between wicker bear and pony, which had not surprisingly, been won by the pony. Seemed like the equine had somehow managed to get hold of some Hydra's Snare, and this were unlikely to be the only one they had access to. How annoying, as were clearly that the bear were just getting more and more tangled into these things. That hardly seemed fair, did it?

A bit of magic through yet another small rift, carrying the same swirling motion, and the vines would wither away, making room for the wicker bear to roar and charge towards the pony once again, now even more angry at this equine, and close to getting a nice slam on to the thing.

Then a sudden movement caught his eye, as something large came jumping over and pinned the wicker bear down, then incapacitated it by sticking two bladed legs through points on the back and neck that severed vines needed for movement. They'd grow back in time, if the bear weren't burned before that, but this had proven an effective strike by... Was that a spider made of metal, carrying a cage on its back?

This were an interesting and surprising sight for him, as were it when the magic of the cage started to waft through the air for a brief moment before the rift closed. It oozed of magic nullification or something which would repress it at the very least. A powerful version too, that usually took a great mage to conjure up.

His eyes narrowed as he focused on the scene, and with a finally frustrated voice mumbled to himself. "Who Are you ponies?"

If they employed things like that, he were going to need to take extra measures in use, and likely fast, or it would end with them somehow trapping him in that cage. A creation that shouldn't even exist, yet as it clearly did, opened the gate for the question: What else did they have? Because this wasn't just being up to date on some items, this were spearheading techniques into destroying the kind of magic that he and other dark souls often employed.

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@EQ_Theta

"Dearest me, to say that it is complicated would be a gross understatement. I could go on for hours about it, but the process can mostly be focused down to there being a jury, two lawyers who are the speak for both the accused and the prosecutor, who attempts to get the accused to prison, and then a judge to proceed over the entire thing. Evidence will be brought forth, mainly by the prosecutor that will use it to try and establish guilt, whilst the defense will attempt to use the same or other evidence to prove innocence, or create enough doubt that it starts to become less important in the big picture, as it won't be able to prove either guilt or innocence.

When all is said and done, the jury will have to vote on whatever or not the defendant are guilty or innocent, and if guilty, the judge will issue a punishment, depending on what the defendant were convicted on, official rules, severity of the case, and so on.

Then comes years of appeals, attempts to get evidence thrown out, parole, and so forth. As said, I could talk of this for hours, but I believe we both have better things to do than that, and I don't wish to overload you with too much information at once. If the court holds an open trial on this matter, you can see it in motion yourself and have a better understanding of it when time comes, a- Ah, Hammond, I'm afraid that isn't food."

Scarcity wandered over to the mimic, who had lifted a pen and were about to put it in his mouth, when he were stopped, and halted movement all together. Scarcity wandered elegantly over and took the pen from his grip, and saw his eyes follow it wherever it went, unsure of what were going on, and yet still, surprisingly quiet. Perhaps he expected to be told, rather than simply ask? Hard to say at this point.

"Here, try this instead dear. Try and take small bites too."

She gave him a small ball of chocolate instead, which he started to sniff, before opening his mouth wide open and then snapping down to take a half inch or so off it, which he'd then start chewing. A behavior that he had to adjust in time, but Scarcity had not thought this would take mere minutes either. Some long term, important education were needed, and she had enough influence and bits to ensure that that would be handled, and with a minimum of snark over teaching what to most would seem like a rodent.

"It will be an educational process to teach him how this world works, but one step at a time is to be considered."

"When Master Discord took me in, I ate a ball of yarn. It tasted funny."

"How... Varied. I'm pleased to see that it didn't harm you."

So now Discord were involved with this too? Urgh, of all the creatures... Seemed she needed to step extra carefully on this matter in the future, or she could end up having that nuisance arrive here and make her life a living Tartarus.

As for Sen, he'd find that he were becoming the talk of the school, and now several kits would come through and try small tricks, though the touching would be less. It were more just making weird things float in front of him, or auditory illusions that sounded like varied larger creatures to see if he'd think he were being attacked. Kit stuff basically, though the unseen guard were starting to get annoyed by having to keep shooing the small ones away constantly. Hopefully the doctors were soon done.

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@EQ_Theta

Quite the noise that were going on back there... Were the mare alright? There weren't any screams so Lyriel would think yes, though until Mrs. Cake eventually came forth, the dryad hadn't been certain. Didn't seem to be a scratch on her either, so perhaps the sound had just been things being moved around back there? As good a guess as any really, and perhaps not something for her to dig into.

She looked at what were presented whilst the mare and Fluttershy spoke about the cost. It seemed to be a glass of water and one of these strange, round disks of bread that she saw elsewhere too. Still, perhaps there were more here than met the eyes? She rose the glass and took a sip before putting it back down, around the same time that Fluttershy put the bits down, and afterwards broke a small piece of the doughnut off to slowly chew it down. She weren't spitting it out, as it weren't bad, though she could definitely say that it were unusual. In a good or bad way she couldn't decide just yet. It were sweet after all, but so had the water strange been, and in both cases, it lacked a certain flowery essence to it. Along with some more sweetness, but it seemed close enough, and she didn't like to complain.

Instead, she'd pluck one of the flowers growing on her coat, and put it down into the glass, where it could start to give some of the wished upon flowery taste to it, though she left the doughnut as were. It seemed an experience that were not meant to be changed, and she still had to decide whatever or not it were any good.

Lyriel rose a hoof to the cup and let a thin root grow from it, before poking it into the water and using it to stir the liquid around, to quicker get the taste of t he flower in, along with a little earthy aroma. It may make it more ideal.

"Fluttershy? Those pieces of shiny metal you gave to the pony, is that what you use to trade for goods? I have seen some of the animals play around with varied sizes and shapes of this before, yet thought it were only meant for decorating their nests or caves for potential mates. Is it valuable to your kind too?"

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@Zephyr / Karou

"Far as I am aware, the princess have quite a substantial amount of books that can be read within the castle. I've never bitten note in reading myself, as being blind prevented that, yet... Heh, I suppose that I may have to change that eventually, once I get used to these new eyes. Surprisingly harder than anticipated, though complaining of that hardly seems like something one should do after being granted such a sizable boon.

But I ramble, my apologies. Princess Twilight's castle is remarkably easy to take notice of outside of town, though if you prefer, I would be more than happy to show you the way? I have a few things about changelings that I would actually like to ask of one with her considerable thirst for knowledge one of these days regardless, so it would be far from an inconvenience. Would it be okay with you, Brittle?"

The changeling met his smiling face with worried eyes, thinking of the many, varied ways that such an event could go wrong, yet at the same time, she Did want to know more, and the princess were apparently not only smart, but knew several good changelings, so perhaps she could help. Even though alicorns were immensely powerful, and therefor, scared her even more than regular ponies did.

After a few seconds, she nodded slowly.

"O-Okay..."

"How delightful. Of course, the final decision does lie on you two. Far be it from me to force you along if you have other things to do, merely for something which can be done in the future as well. It would be rather rude of me to drag you along and prevent you from such duties, or if you prefer to merely enjoy the town at a distance for now, and I'd much prefer to not be that kind of creature. It tends to give the wrong impression when one drags others down the street, you know?"

Briar chuckled a little over the little jest. He had only done such a thing once, and in fairness to him, the guard had yelled for somepony to stop the thief. He merely complied with the request at the time, and after an unfortunate series of event where the spooked guard arrested Briar, they could all look back and laugh at it. Heh, such good memories Equestria gave him sometimes.

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@Lucid_Nightlight

Anomaly would look intensely at the four fruits, ready to battle it out for dominance!

After a little while though, she started to scratch her head and look around on her fellow competitors. That being Lucid, then Novia, and finishing off with a quick glance to her arch nemesis, Pringles the lizard, before returning to the fruits.

"Should we give them like, arms and legs or something? Kinda dull when they're just standing there.

Also, strawberries are weak, and I'll totally laugh when it get squashed."

Yeah yeah, side taunt, whatever. The lizard was her mortal enemy, and she would not pass the chance to give some fighting words towards the scaled little monster. Not like it was worse than anything that came outta his mouth, according to Lucid anyway. Personally she couldn't hear a thing it was yapping off about, but whatever, she'd understand his cries or defeat soon enough, Muahahaha!

...Meh, that kinda lost its edge when it was only in her head, and didn't include a lightning striking in the back. All about atmosphere and an audience with something like that.

Moonlit · February 4, 2019

@Catpone Cerberus @Blitz Boom "Actually...it's Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato. But Thyme sounds good as well. Do you want to go now? I've got a letter to send to Mom, and I can drop you off at the castle on my way there."

Lucid_Nightlight · February 4, 2019

@Blitz Boom

"No that would be cheating. They are probably just warming up."

Pringle simply looked at Anomaly. He didn't see her as an arch enemy, he was annoyed by her actions earlier. He didn't really care though.

"Pringle is just annoyed that you were messing with him earlier. Doesn't the arch enemy thing have to be mutual for it to work?"

Lucid looked at the lizard.

"What do you mean you're hungry? You ate crickets earlier today."

Despite what Lucid just said to Pringle, Novia fed the lizard some crickets.

Early Sunsets · February 5, 2019

@Blitz Boom

Sun Fire perked up a little. "We'd love to go with you. We actually just finished moving in, so we can go whenever you want." She said. "The sooner we get to know the town and the ponies in it, the better."

Zephyr nodded. "I could definitely use a break. Hammering up shelves gets dull after a while." He moved the saxophone from its shelf to a cubby in the back corner of the room with his other saxophones using his magic. Organization is essential for a comfortable workspace.

EQ_Theta · February 5, 2019

@Blitz Boom

"That's.... yeah. Maybe I shouldn't push the matter further. I suppose Omen and I shouldn't be taking up more of your time. We'll be seeing you tomorrow. Central courthouse, 9 am, room 2. I take it the courthouse will be at the center of town right? Just needed to get this out of the way so we'll make it in time and we won't be getting lost."

Lin held on to the copies of the documents for Rosa's perusal and kept them in her own pack. There is a small chest in there usually containing some food but after having to move their rations around, it felt like she was carrying dead weight for the majority of their little adventure out of town. At least now there is a use for it since her pack is still somewhat wet from the rain. Perhaps the only thing that might be off about the documents now is the slight scent of food, but the trip back probably wouldn't be long enough to let the scent stick. Well, unless Rosa is still unconscious. Then they'd have to wait a while longer.

Before leaving, Lin sat close to Hammond and watched as he ate some of the food Scarcity provided. It really was an undeniable match for the creatures she saw around Sen back at the swamps. She leaned in close and whispered "take care, little one" before opening a gate a few steps away from them both. She nodded to Omen to let her know it is time to go.

"Thank you once more for your help, Scarcity. I hope all goes well for all of us tomorrow."

On Sen's end, a gate opened in his vicinity and it was a sight to behold. For what felt like forever, he was just about to do something he'd very much regret and was at his wit's, and patience's, end. Seeing a familiar sight gave him much needed pause and relief, walking over with Lin first on the other side.

"Thank goodness you're back! I don't know how much more prodding I could take! How did things go in Canterlot?"

"It's happening tomorrow. We're going to see this trial happen and I've got some things Rosa might be interested in reading. I'll tell more once Rosa is up."

"He isn't up yet," Sen frowned, a little disappointed at the fact but honestly more anxious about letting him hear some good news. It might do him some good to wake up to something positive."

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@Blitz Boom

"Oh? Yes these are bits. We use them to pay for goods or services according to what they're worth. Other ponies have much more of them and are usually used to measure wealth. The more of it one has, the more they can afford to buy. You could say they're really important for anypony to get what they want. I can see the appeal of using them to decorate places like nests. Magpies often make off with shiny pieces lying around and they are really attractive. Now that I think about it, bits are attractive to ponies and animals alike, just for different reasons."

Fluttershy took a bite out of her doughnut. Still delectable as the first one she ever tried from Sugarcube Corner. Though without Pinkie around to drop excessive amounts of sugary sprinkles on her treat, it was a perfect way to spend an afternoon with a new friend. She had just about covered the basics of the town and the important landmarks. Okay, maybe not all, but the few she omitted probably weren't too important to begin with. Courthouse, castle, friends' homes and businesses. About the only thing she missed was the market but they're just about ready to close and they are all conveniently found in the town square not too far from the bakery.

"How are you finding Ponyville so far? And is Nerzhei planning a long stay in town? I could help him find some living accommodations if she needs it."

Edited February 5, 2019 by EQ_Theta

Catpone Cerberus · February 5, 2019

@Moonlit @Blitz Boom
Nada blinked, Serenade's explanation didn't really explain anything, since she wasn't generally familiar with plant based foods, since back when she was among ponies, she mostly ate fish, but at least she knew that lettuce and tomato were plants, but bacon, she had no idea what that was since it wasn't a thing back in her times. She usually didn't want to interrupt anyone, but this time she decided to try to solve her lack of knowledge before Cherish could reply to Serenade's question "What's bacon?"

@Blitz Boom
Ruby ate while she was listening Marley's explanation, she would have lied if she said she listened intensively, as she didn't really care that much about the story, but something got her attention, but before she asked about it, she wanted to comment on something else. "If you want to know how predictable I think you are, it's simple, just as predictable as I or any other creature in this world." For her their small conversation was less like her teaching Marley, and more like older creature closer to its nature telling younger creature who has forgotten its connection to nature how nature works.

"There's something I'd like to ask though." She started "You mentioned dragon father and a family." "So that got me thinking, do the local dragons really have families? or was this just an exception?" this was something she didn't actually know, as she hadn't really bothered learning everything about the local kind.

Moonlit · February 5, 2019

@Catpone Cerberus @Blitz Boom "It's strips of meat that are smoked or fried over a fire. Crispy and very nice. I got my first taste when I was in Griffonstone a couple of years ago, and I fell for it. I get it shipped in from time to time as a treat"

Sekel · February 6, 2019

@Blitz Boom

KARMIC FATE

"Yeah, I'm ready to get off this island. It's fascinating to look at the ruins but it's very creepy," Karmic nodded and hopped up onto Enzo's back with his help. She saw how much room the bag took and settled into place near Enzo's neck.

@Blitz Boom

AURORA LIGHTS

"I'm not familiar with that," Aurora admitted. There was a green glow around her and a griffin stood in her place, now looking to be chest height on Happy. "I am familiar with this form though. We're heading to Ponyville for what again?"

@Blitz Boom

TWILIGHT SPARKLE

"Some? Some interest!? It holds a great amount of interest for me!" Twilight squealed excitedly and pranced in place for a couple of seconds. She did however, quickly calm down and stared back at Nerzhei. She knew the gravity of the book they were talking about even just from the one page she had seen. "I know this will be of high controversy once the entire book has been translated," the mare took a deep breath and then let it out slowly before adding nervously. "I want this to be accessible to as many ponies as possible but if this really does contain secrets of the Alicorn process, I think it would be best if at least that bit doesn't make it out to the public."

@FanOfManyShows

WATTS MECHANO

Watts narrowed her eyes slightly at Zealous' reaction before quickly surveying around them. "If you want to talk to me about it, to at least get it off of your chest, there's an empty alley over there we can talk in," Watts offered quietly, pointing to the a gap between a couple of buildings to their left.

Rising Dusk · February 6, 2019

@Blitz Boom

Bash smacked his lips to work in lessening the taste in his mouth. Hydra's Snare was not the best tasting seed out there, especially one that a pony didn't want lingering in their mouth long. Turning to watch the wicker bear thrash and fight against the ever multiplying veins tangle it up and trap it. Well, that was until the veins suddenly withered and died right before his eyes. The ivory earth pony not be the expect on magical creatures, but he was confident enough to know the wicker bear wouldn't have something to do that. Hydra's Snare was a really tough weed. For that to happen, it required magic. His opponent was getting support from else where. That did also explain how the bear just popped out of nowhere.

Once again the officer found himself the target of a rampaging beast. And here he was having a nice day just reading the newspaper with little going on. Just blame Rising Dusk later, it was easier. Whipping his head to retrieve a leaf from his satchel proved to be pointless as soon a just mechanical spider came out of nowhere and beat the wicker bear down with little effort. Wicker bears, mechanical spiders, a dark magic infecting the city, what a day. While the spider went for the wicker bear, it still remained to be seen whose side the spider was on. With red leaf still in mouth, the question was quickly answered.

Scarlet came fluttering down and perched herself on top of the cage. "Whoa whoa whoa, friendly!," she scrambled to calm the large officer, waving her hoofs about. Bash grunted and put the leaf back into his saddle bag. "Rising sent you for that?" he asked and approached the now pinned down wicker bear with blades sticking in its back. "Well, he sent me for the cage," she started while patting the top of said object. "The spider bot was sort of a... bonus?" she continued but quickly added more. "Her name is Felicia, she's pretty awesome huh!?" the pegasus gushed, gliding down and laying herself on Felicia's bulb to rub the cool, shinny metal surface. "The cage is really awesome too! Rising's spell applied to a carefully designed cage by a Molotov Boom. Complete suppression both magical and physical," she perked up and presented the cage to the stallion as if she were trying to sell him a new cart with all the features.

"You can put it in your scrap book later. I believe it has an occupant waiting for it?" Bash said to get her back on track. Reaching into his saddle bag he removed a small vial and popped the cork. Nodding his head at the large spider bot, "Ma'am," he grunted and poured the content of the vial onto the wicker bear, a thin silver liquid. He was pretty sure she didn't need much more from him to know what he was about to do. Removing a match from his bag he struck it against the paralyzed wicker bear to light it. Time to send it back to the forest it came from. He tossed the match onto the liquid and it roared ablaze with silver flames to engulf the subjugated wicker bear. "Oh! Right. This way Felicia!," she took to the air to guide the spider bot across the street to the O.M.I. office. Scarlet removed her badge from her own saddle bag and pressed it to the door, making it solid again. Opening the door for the spider, she motioned Felicia inside so they could set up the cage in the cell.

Another part of the city, another flower was found by the teleporting detective. Another quick rewrite with the new spell, becoming easier and much quicker for the detective to perform now that he knew what he was looking at and dealing with. Dousing this section of the city in the new spores that aggressively sought out the darker ones to even rewrite those. Six down, six to go. Rising Dusk sighed and pulled the pocket watch out again to dial in the next location. He wondered who would call who first. A flash and the detective was gone.

With the spread of Dusk's spores starting to show a heavy presence in the city, the ever observing Master might notice the maintaining of his magical connections a tiny bit heavier, but only a smidgen.

Edited February 6, 2019 by Rising Dusk

Blitz Boom · February 6, 2019

@Dji

"If I could, I would curse the land this temple stands upon. Hopefully I will never be made to return here again."

What to Karmic might seem like a fascinating, and somewhat creepy place, were to Enzo merely a prison, and he would be glad if his gaze never fell on this accursed place again.

Growling at first, his mood bettered and became more neutral as they got far out of reach of the abandoned little isle, and Equestria came into view again. His apparent new home, if the generals did not try something that Enzo would not accept, such as presenting him with a chain. How strange to think that he might be wandering among these small creatures for a while now, but it was worth a meager amount of his time to try, and see what would happen. Couldn't be worse than at the dragons.

Ignoring what ponies and varied creatures stared at the large feline flying past them, they would find themselves with Canterlot in sight within the hour, and passed through the barrier. He were planning to land on the lawn were he were earlier, when he noticed a large crowd gathering on it, and looking up towards the castle. Seemed to all be guards? Urgh, whatever. He'd just land slowly and they could get out of his way then.

They did too, as they apparently didn't want to be thread upon, but then one raised a spear, then a second, and so on and so forth. Soon enough, more or less all of them would be directing a weapon towards him, or potentially Karmic, though there weren't really a reason for it to be her.

"I find myself questioning this towns hospitality."

It were directed at Karma, as he were surrounded by the crowd gathered to Iron's coronation. (@FanOfManyShows) Seemed as if this event might get more lively and less traditional than had been planned. Especially if the sphinx began to feel too threatened, and began bashing the ones in the air down on their colleagues. Awfully bad to have this many fliers against a sphinx.

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

@Dji

"Eh, pretty basic stuff."

Seeing as how Aurora were able to change forms again, Happy saw this as his que and in a flash of soft green, changed back into his regular pony disguise. Being a humanoid was all fine and good, but they'd get to town soon, and he might as well get into it again. Besides, bad mojo if anypony saw him in his humanoid form. Got all sorts of bad talking going at the best of times, and his new look didn't seem like it'd sway anypony to just forgive and forget. Bit too little of a thing for the common pony to do the trick.

"I figure out if I can send letters there, and then send one off explain we wanna have a get-together if that's a thing. If it ain't, I guess it's out on a road trip to get to him and get a personal message. Probably gonna be fine though."

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@Dji

"We agree then. Show that it happened, but not how, or your country might start to fill up with ponies seeking immortality. And if this does have something to do with a draconian link, it might just increase tensions. Imagine what were to come if becoming an alicorn would require a dragons life essence, as an example. The unrest between us now would seem like the good times if that sort of dragon hunting starts going on."

Hopefully it wouldn't be that, but they'd see in due time, as the book got translated. For now Nerzhei were frankly just excited at the prospect of having a research partner that had her head in the game and agreed on some key aspects of this process. Princess Twilight's help would be invaluable, and true to her word, Nerzhei would be more than happy to share credit if things kept going well during the process of translation. Could end up taking years, but it weren't as if they didn't have several millennia to work with either, so it were more or less just a drop or two in the ocean.

"Just so you know, I heard a lot about you, prior to getting to this town the first time, so I were preparing to find a way to go up here and introduce my work one of these days. The sphinx situation haven't gone well, but it did get me up here at least, and your interest in this is greater than I had thought would be. It's somewhat jarring, yet it's good that there's finally someone taking interest in this aspect of my research."

Granted, she had expected some degree of help here, since ponies were more gullible and welcoming than they should be sometimes, yet that had mostly been her allowed to use the library. Not getting a research partner, though she weren't complaining. Frankly Nerzhei were glad that there were finally someone else there as part of this, whose reaction made her think that perhaps more would be open for the truth in the long run, compared to where she had been. Not everyone of course, but some at least, like Twilight were. It gave her some hope regarding this whole project, and ponies in general, though they'd see as time went on. it were hard to say what others would even entertain listening to.

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

@Catpone Cerberus @Moonlit

"Sounds strange, b-but I guess you need proteins."

Cherish didn't judge per se about having to eat animals, since she were old enough to get the point of predators needing meat, but that were still more to the point of going out there and hunt boars or something like that. Hearing that there was a kind of market with it instead so you didn't even need to hunt it down yourself, were the part that made her think that something was weird about the whole thing. Just another new thing to make life easier for everypony she guessed, right?

"And I'm not in a hurry, so... Whenever you want to go is okay, though I uhm... W-Well, seems important to make sure Nada is ready first and doesn't have more questions, right? Don't worry about me."

Wasn't like she'd get tired, starve, or anything like that from waiting. Perk of being dead and all that, if you had to find a silver lining.

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@Catpone Cerberus

"You make a valid point. Every being is predictable to a point.

As for your main question, I can assure you that several families do live in Equestria. Mainly in Manehattan though, where dragons and ponies live as harmoniously as one can really expect. As mentioned though, the family smuggling were in a time of high alert, whereas these days it would not be an issue. Unless of course you were a high priority criminal of some kind, but that's more of a reason to smuggle them out, if anything."

It varied wildly in his experience, but these days, dragons didn't have much of a reason to smuggle eggs anymore, and just got their family moving over a little by little if needed, mainly to Manehattan, yet nothing were guaranteed. Some liked the city, others prefer to try other grounds, or more isolated places where they could rejoice in the more calm country, without having to be around ponies constantly. Ruby would really have to meet a bunch and ask them things herself to gain the full picture.

"I do know of one situation where things have gotten somewhat... Unnatural.

The head blacksmith here in Canterlot are a dragon of small stature, who's employment in the royal guards are a strange situation in itself. However, the part to focus on here is that I know for a fact that he have coupled with an earth pony mare. It's somewhat uncommon to see him away from the smith, but I have seen them wander around, and they're not shy to confirm their relationship when one asks. I don't scoff at them to their face, though I think you can understand why I find this to be a... Peculiar situation, to put it mildly."

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@EQ_Theta

Scarcity said not a word at the mention of the courthouse, and instead merely smiled and kept her thoughts to herself on the matter, yet the appreciative words from Lin should not go unnoticed, so her silence were not long lasted.

"Been a pleasure darling. And do know that if you need employment, I could always use beings of your particular talents one way or another. Do tell the others that the offer also extends to them, even if their talents are of other varieties."

She might have one of these portal creatures herself now, but Hammond would need a good deal of time to be readied, and one could never have too many to open gates on your ledger. Just imagine how easy it could make certain smuggling routes to have Lin or Omen stand somewhere and just keep a connection open for an hour or two. The cost reduction in transport alone would net her a small fortune, and the more secure line would be highly valuable too. Still, she couldn't just smash them into this. One had to ease your business partners into the more shady side of things, to see if they were trustworthy enough. Sen, Lin, Rosa and Omen had managed to keep their time schedule, so that was a start, but there were a good deal more that needed to be addressed.

But all in due time. For now, they seemed ready to take off, with Lin just wanting to say goodbye to her small sibling first. Hammond halted his eating as he were spoken to, and looked directly into Lin's face with his pale, curious eyes. Extending a small, webbed hand towards her, Hammond would touch Lin's snout, yet still wouldn't respond with words. Perhaps next time they met him he'd be more talkative, yet for now, it seemed that this were as close to interaction as she'd get.

"Goodbye brother."

Omen rose a hoof to wave, which he then imitated with his paw, slowly waving back and forth at the same speed until Omen would pass through the gate, leaving Scarcity and the newly formed sibling behind, whilst being faced with Sen and a half dozen or so nearby gasps from unseen mouths, before the originators would scramble away to tell others that there were more strangers here. The prodding seemed far from over.

"Hello Sen. You act strange."

Omen kept her looks on Sen, not knowing what exactly had happened when they were gone, but it seemed to affect him in some way. Had the fox creatures done things? Maybe. Guess only he knew, along with the other one she could smell nearby. Well hidden from sight, though he'd find that his disguise wasn't perfect, as after sniffing the air some, he'd find Omen turned directly towards him, with her head titled to the left, trying to find out who were there when she couldn't see them.

"...Okay, make her stop that, it's creepy."

He weren't gonna show himself, but this were the first time he had made himself noticeable, which had not been something he had expected, but then, neither had he that something could smell him when he were hiding from every normal sense. What sorta smell did this equine have? Could she smell souls or something? Looking at those eyes sure didn't make him think that she weren't messed up one way or another, that were for sure.

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

@EQ_Theta

On 2/5/2019 at 9:33 AM, EQ_Theta said:

"Oh? Yes these are bits. We use them to pay for goods or services according to what they're worth. Other ponies have much more of them and are usually used to measure wealth. The more of it one has, the more they can afford to buy. You could say they're really important for anypony to get what they want. I can see the appeal of using them to decorate places like nests. Magpies often make off with shiny pieces lying around and they are really attractive. Now that I think about it, bits are attractive to ponies and animals alike, just for different reasons."

"I see. When next I see some of this golden sheen in the forest, perhaps I can bring it to you? I have little use of such things normally, and some of the chunks of it I have witnessed are far too big for the animals who wishes to decorate their homes. You may at least put it to good use."

Perhaps Lyriel could have a use for it now that she knew it were used for goods in the town, but honestly, she didn't see herself needing much. She had tried this as she knew not the value it held for the ones who provided it, yet she were perfectly fine getting by with the bounty of nature. Perhaps she would keep some of the smaller flakes that they called *bits* if she ran into them on the forest floor, and no nearby creature wanted it, though the need for it seemed little to Lyriel. She'd likely just give it to Fluttershy, who clearly had far more use for it than she had.

On 2/5/2019 at 9:33 AM, EQ_Theta said:

"How are you finding Ponyville so far? And is Nerzhei planning a long stay in town? I could help him find some living accommodations if she needs it."

"Your town is a pleasant one, and I wish for it the best times ahead. The equines that reside here are very friendly, and there are many sights here that I can imagine will show new sides to itself for many a moon to come. And that does not even touch upon the sights and ponies whom I have not seen so far, yet looks forward to meeting as time goes by.

As for Nerzhei... Her situation is a somewhat complicated one. As I know it, she wishes to eventually move closer to town, and raise a house by her own accord on the outskirts, yet she seemed content with her cave for now. Blessed be her heart, but I worry that she is reluctant to wander in here, as she doesn't trust that she will be welcomed. Not that I could make her admit to that, if that were the case. As you have perhaps seen, she can be a stubborn creature with opinions that are sometimes difficult to sway.

I think what would be best is to simply show her acceptance, and that she is not shunned. She will come by herself in due time, and ensure her own living quarters. Hopefully the meeting with your princess will be the first step to make this so. They seemed to have a shared fascination for books. Or does Twilight simply collect them?"

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

@Zephyr / Karou

"If you insist. I shall stand ready at the door when you are ready."

Briar and Brittle - the later wandering in front to keep somepony between herself and the two new townsfolks - went over to the door, and when he heard the two eventually coming over, Briar would open it, wander outside, and hold it open for the two ponies to exit. With his vine if it swung inwards, though regardless of how it went, they'd soon enough be on their way and down the street, with Briar leading it and wandering at a fair pace, considering that Brittle were so close to him that he needed to mind his every step. Not the quickest of transports, yet what could one do?

On the way towards the palace in the distance, Sun would notice a few ponies recognizing her on sight, and starting to whisper with their friends, as well as muddled phrases along the lines of *Isn't that-*, *I swear I've seen her somewhere before.* and *I swear it's her From that show in-*. Even out here, she wouldn't be able to stay incognito, though at least nopony were approaching her so far.

"You are a popular mare for those who knows of your visage, Sun. I hope that is not a burden for you?"

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

@Lucid_Nightlight

"Pff, logic is for ponies. We're draconequui. Well, two of us are, poser."

Anomaly would pull her tongue playfully at Lucid. Poor little pooqus. So close to being greater, yet not entirely. Sure he were still strong in magic and all that, but it were really just about poking to him a little at this point to be honest. Why? Duh, because it was fun.

"And that little lizard thing is my arch nemesis, no matter what! Until something stronger and more annoying comes around. Like... A god or somepony with too many spatulas."

She narrowed her eyes and stretched in closer to the others.

"Never trust somepony with over three spatulas. They're weeeeeeird."

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

@Rising Dusk

Felicia didn't know what to think of the stallion, as the reaction from the flying mare seemed to indicate that he planned to be a threat to her. He didn't seem to carry any weapons though, or have a horn, but judging by the situation with the tree creature she had her legs stuck in right now, he had something that she couldn't see, and should be viewed as a potential threat. Might be that her chassis were somewhat magic resistant, but only to a point, and it didn't dispel the magic after all.

Besides, this might not be magic, and is so, sprouting vines like that would potentially cause her mobility issues regardless. At least if they clutched with any kind of strength, and the bear seemed strong. Pacified now, but ultimately something with a good deal of raw power.

As the two ponies talked between them, and Felicia were vouched for, she pulled out her knife-like legs from the dry wood, and crawled off her conquest.

Her response to this creature might have been harsh, especially when the conversation at the scrap yard came to mind, yet back then it had regarded a bucket. Just something that'd bonk you on the head, and get you out of balance for a little. This were a large predator going for the throat, and as such, she considered the situation required a swift response. If they wanted to scorn her for that, they could go ahead and try, yet she could always fall back on wanting to protect some pony from harms way. A friend of Rising even, from what she suspected, which automatically rose one a few notches up on her priority list.

Still, this one were less than the pegasus, who at least gave compliments towards Felicia after the fact. Bash more sounded as if he considered her a thing, with no need to be thanked, which were not an attitude she appreciated. But she'd give him some leeway for now, because he seemed to be another that were working with Rising. If he did not improve eventually though, she might web him to a wall just to teach him a lesson eventually. Depended on if it was worth the calculated risk.

Storing that in her files for later, there were things that she wanted to add regarding the cage, yet these two wouldn't know how to communicate with her, so there weren't much she could do in that regards. She'd find another way, or just wait for Rising to show eventually. Weren't as if her existence could be hidden anymore, considering the path they had taken here, so if she stayed out here a little more wouldn't matter one way or another.

She'd be scribbling something into the ground with one of her legs when Bash came over and pulled forth a vial that had her pause her writing, and focus her sight on what he held, unsure of what it were or whatever he aimed to use it on her. it seemed to be the wicker bear though, as after he had given her a minor form of greetings from Bash - which she responded to with a sound akin to scraping a fork over a cement block - he went over and seemingly set fire to the bear. The flames were weird though. The color and heat signature was not matching regular fire, and neither were it that there weren't any ash after the burning. Strange sorcery in a bottle these two had. She had to keep an eye out for that.

For now, as she were presented with the option to go inside by the pegasus, Felicia waited and finished her scribbles, before pointing down on the ground and waiting until one of them had looked like they read it.

"𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕒 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕥𝕠𝕥𝕪𝕡𝕖. 𝔹𝕖 𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕖𝕗𝕦𝕝."

Once that were settled, she'd brush it off (unless it were in stone, at which point it'd just stay there) and wander to the door. As her size made a normal door somewhat tricky to wander into, she carefully got the cage off the her back and pushed it in before crawling sideways through, as she were less tall than wide. If the door allowed for something her size though, she'd just wander in normally, and then follow in what way she now could.

As for the flowers, Rising wouldn't find more resistance about those, as the originator of them were scheming with something else for now, which included something to clear the spores from the town all together, as they were starting to become more of a liability than a blessing at this point.

Edited February 6, 2019 by Blitz Boom

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