open Casual stroll

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom Serenade walked toward the Castle. "Cherish, trust me...Nada will be fine. I..." She looked from side to side "I Pinkie Promise she'll be fine. Luna is a good Pony, an excellent Princess and she helped me."  

@Dji Once Serenade reached the front gates, she gave the door a good number of thumps, hopefully Princess Sparkle was at home and she wasn't too busy. I mean, it's not a Saturday

[Early Sunsets 2,106]

@Blitz Boom

"Good to know. I had hoped the townsfolk here were as nice as I had heard before we moved here." Zephyr said.

Sun Fire nodded. "That is nice, but it's still easy for crowds of ponies to get carried away, especially excited ones. Mob mentality and all goes a long way. Maybe they'll be more careful after they hear about what happened."

Zephyr thought for a few moments after Briar mentioned Pinkie. "Pinkie Pie... I feel like I've heard that name somewhere. Can't remember where, though. She sounds chaotic, but not in a bad way." Zephyr was sure he's heard her name mentioned somewhere, but he just couldn't put his hoof on it. Moments like this are common for Zephyr, where he feels like there's something just at the edge of his brain that he can't recall. He shrugged. He'd probably remember at night when he's trying to fall asleep, as usual.

Sun Fire glanced at Briar after he hit the sign, startled. She had been lost in thought, and the sound brought her back to Earth. "Oh! You're not hurt, are you?" She asked.

Edited February 9, 2019 by Zephyr / Karou

[EQ_Theta 415]

@Blitz Boom

"Believe me, as much as we'd want to linger, we have other matters to attend to. We'll be out of here as soon as our friend is up and about."

Sen replied, the sound of disdain in his voice made apparent. If this conversation taught him anything, it was that the longma had something in common with the kitsune: they'd much rather be away from anyone who isn't them. He felt himself lapse into the persona the villagers took whenever an outsider were about to enter their abode: threatening but only barely hiding it. He still respected Yazma despite this and he couldn't stay this way for the other kitsune who didn't deserve to be treated with this kind of attitude, but he learned he had to keep himself in check lest he gives the kitsune in general the wrong impression. 

At least now they know they'll be able to see Rosa soon. As much as Lin could see Sen's anger seething just below the surface, she could understand it. Still, she went over to him and got him to calm down with a claw over his shoulder. The guard has his reason for being suspicious of them. If their positions were switched, she would just be as suspicious and probably be as hostile. In a way, even the longma seemed understandable now. But this wasn't the time to go about picking fights or having staring contests. They only had to wait for a while longer.  

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@Blitz Boom

"Nerzhei knows about the dragon lord visiting Ponyville. She was just as surprised as you, really. Frankly, a lot of us here in Ponyville didn't expect someone like her to come along one day and take the time to meet us. Actually, that was Spike's idea and at the end of the day, Ember befriended the changeling's leader, Thorax. We didn't expect that to happen but I've never seen a dragon mellow out after spending a day here. I heard Ember and Thorax had an exchange of advice on how to rule their respective subjects." 

That last part was something Fluttershy heard as a rumor, as she did not have any contact with the two after their meeting in Ponyville. Even Spike didn't have information on this and he is close with both Ember and Thorax. Though, it was in his best interest to let the two heated heads cool off as they were angry with him at the time. Eventually, the two patched things up with the young dragon and their day went along like it never happened. That was also the time she learned about how the castle's throne room was half-eaten; the bite marks on the walls spoke for themselves. 

Fluttershy took a bite out of her doughnut and let the thought of Nerzhei's intentions simmer in her head for a while. A good one a heart and one that genuinely would strike up a friendship with Twilight and maybe even Celestia if given a chance to meet her. 

"I think you and Nerzhei will enjoy a massage. I know! Rarity might still be away for who knows how long but she says the spa is a destination you shouldn't miss out. I can take you and Nerzhei there tomorrow! Imagine feeling every inch of your body relaxed and loose. It's not music but lots of ponies enjoy it! Once we're done here, we could head back to the castle and let Nerzhei know about this."

[Catpone Cerberus 23,426]

@Moonlit @Blitz Boom

Nada waved after the two as they left, and after making sure they locked the door after them, she dove into the pool and followed it into the river, exploring it to see how deep it was, how far it went, and all such details, since not knowing how long she would need to live there, it was important to know everything about it.

@Blitz Boom

Ruby just shrugged at Marley's comment about the relationship, because she didn't really have a opinion about it, since the whole romance thing in general was something she didn't care about, and though she agreed with the offspring part, she didn't see as her business, besides, less dragons meant less competition in power to her in the future. "Share me from your pity please, I know it sounds harsh for creatures like you, but it is what has made us the rulers of our homelands where there is no economy, law or order, where there is only one thing sure...and it's that only the strongest survives." "And to answer your question, it's the former, though it's not unheard of male getting killed after it if they make the mistake to stay on the territory for too long." 

[Rising Dusk 26,066]

@Blitz Boom

Scarlet wiped the sweat from her brow as the trio finally managed to get the cage set up in their small little cell room, "Phew".  The agency building was not designed for large mechanical spiders in mind, so her help was limited in the end.  With the three of them though, it was mission accomplished.  The pegasus leaving the transfer of the witch of the wilds to the larger stallion.  It was only fair seeing as she was the one that brought her up from the basement to begin with.  To the ivory officer though, the smaller filly wrapped in a blanket was easy for him to sling over his shoulder after entering the cell and picking her up.  She waited with the door to the cage open while he placed the witch into the cage.  After he exited, she locked the cage door behind him with a satisfying clank.  Surprised though with how quick the magic of the blanket was suppressed and she was awake right away.

Of course though she came to the waking world suppressed of her magic and under the affects of increased gravity only to use that trigger world again.  Scarlet growled at the imprisoned witch, "That's Junior Officer Scarlet to you!"  With her front legs crossed while still fluttering in the air in front of the cage.  Bash grunted and Scarlet gasped, "I'm not letting her get to me!" she exclaimed, waving her hoofs in the air angrily in Bash's direction.  Whose only reaction was to raise his eyebrow.  Scarlet let how a hmph and turned away from the witch and Bash with her front legs crossed again.  "Oh, and this is Felicia, she's really awesome," the pegasus introduced the large spider in the room while gliding over to land on her cool metal surface.

Rising Dusk arrived at his last target for the day.  Already working to ignite his magic when the sense of a powerful force turned his attention away from it.  Tugging his gaze to the sky above the city, he witnessed the rift opening and the pale green liquid being cast to the wind.  Although, the detective saw what it truly was, and it sure wasn't the punch from last year's Nightmare Night.  He could see the vile dark magics that clung to the liquid in all its green foulness.  It did not have the same signature the Master had, so it was sourced from else where.  The signature did resemble something he recently dispelled however... That stone bust the sisters of Troy brought him.  Already he traced the spell work to come up with a counter spell, but it was too late before the wind carried it around the city and devoured the spores and flowers the Master created.  Even his altered spores weren't spared from the magics of that liquid.  And because it wasn't a spell from the Master himself, it bypassed the dampening affects of his spores.  At least from what Rising could tell from the spell, it wasn't meant to harm anypony, simply the flowers and spores. 

Soon after he felt that familiar link with the Master and his voice ringing in his mind.  Huh, no monologue this time, even though he didn't sound all that happy to admit a defeat no matter how small in his grand scheme.  Interesting how Rising was soloed out in the victory though, only making the detective more curious how the O.M.I. managed against the little side assault the Master mentioned earlier.  "Leave Equestria be, then everypony wins," the detective offered.  Not a likely outcome, hope for the best, plan for the worst.  Taking out the pocket watch one last time to teleport himself back to the O.M.I.

Only to reappear on top of a large mechanical spider that he wasn't expecting to be sitting in the cell room of the agency. "Oh, hey Felicia.  Welcome to the O.M.I."

 

Edited February 10, 2019 by Rising Dusk

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

@Lucid_Nightlight

"Hah! I knew you'd cheat."

Anomaly looked at the mech-suited fruit, then snapped her tail to give her mango some fighting power of it's own via a thick layer of tough bark, along with various tentacles with suction openings at the end to either suck on to something like an octopus, or spew out stuff. In this case, acid.

What? Metal was tough, and if one cheated, all of them could. Only fair.

The thought that perhaps doing stuff like what they were about to do in a store were a bad idea didn't cross her mind, as she just looked over to the other fruit in the fight, waiting to see what they'd do to get back into it now that cheating was on the table. Could end in all sorts of weird things.

"And being powerfull alone is booooring. You'd need some mutations like an extra head, scales, and spider legs. Different spiders of course, since y'know, duh!

And that's just a start. You're too... Samey samey right now. Like a pony. Way too lame."

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@Moonlit

"I don't doubt the princess. It's the rest of them..."

The voice came out of thin air a little to Serenade's left, after the unseen ghost were sure that nopony were near enough to hear her. Not just because the words she said weren't all that kind towards the ponies in the area, but also because hearing a voice come out of nowhere were gonna raise some red flags, and then everything would just snowball from there. The point were that she wanted to not be taken notice of right now after all, not make everypony else paranoid about some sort of invisible entity. There'd be a time for that sort of thing in the future when she'd eventually even be found out, or allowed to float around on her own accord somehow.

"Hopefully I'm just being paranoid, but I have seen how ponies react to the unusual when I've shown myself back in the old castle, to warn them away from the other one. I still look like a pony, and they were horrified. Nada and you though, you also have the history of the sirens to deal with. It makes me worried what the reaction to her will be, especially if she's spotted before the princess clears her."

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@Catpone Cerberus

What an interesting view into how things were in Ruby's part of the world. A place where the females seemed to rule over areas, and only met up with males for the sake of mating, which as much as he had hoped it would not be like that, made Marley think of Ruby's branch of dragons as a bunch of primitive savages, barely any different from animals.

Sure the other dragons that he knew off weren't exactly pillars of society, but they knew how a society worked best, and actively build towns where they came from. Ruby's kind sounded as if they had not even reached that stage yet, and were more akin to wolverines, which honestly saddened him. He had hopes that this branch of dragons would be more sophisticated, though of course, saying that to Ruby were not a good idea, as he didn't want to fight her off right now. Besides, who knew? Perhaps he might be able to change her perspective if she hung around Spicy and him for a long period of time, and then at least someone from her area would work on becoming civilized.

"Different worlds gives one different perspectives I suppose. I must say that I personally prefer this more calm land, as opposed to being somewhere that only the strong survive. Here I can eventually raise a family in relative peace, rather than consider myself more of a temporary guest in someone else's life. Heh, but I suppose we each have our idea of how a good life should be lived, yes?"

Marley chomped down the last piece of fish he had gotten ready for their little dinner and a talk, which had taken quite a strange turn honestly. Where things would go from this point forward would certainly be a peculiar experience.

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@Catpone Cerberus

Nada would eventually find that besides the large fish - of which some had some rather impressive teeth - she'd have some other company trailing about twenty seconds behind her at first, but catching up the more she started to halt and explore things.

The mimic Fah'lina had woken up and wanted to go for a swim, and seeing a siren go down, she had figured that it were Serenade and followed, since the large fish tried to stay away from her, so there were a sneaking point of safety where she wouldn't get eaten. had turned out to be the wrong siren, but the fish didn't know better, and she had slipped through without much of an issue.

If she looked, Nada would see that it were mainly the tail that pushed the mimic through the water. Kinda like a crocodile, just smaller and having less force moving forward, yet more maneuverability to change directions, which were far more fitting of a creature that needed to be nimble in the water, as opposed to a huge, armor-clad biting machine that were more likely to stay and fight.

She'd try to approach with stealth, which included hiding behind things she could see, and aiming for shadows if it looked like Nada were watching in her direction, though if she were spotted, she'd just swim out in the open and give a wave with her right paw. The gills would weren't easy to see, so the siren might wonder if the thing were drowning, yet as another creature who possessed such things, she'd likely be able to spot the subtle clues, such as Fah'lina not looking like she were panicking and aiming for the surface.

If the siren didn't take notice of the mimic that followed her however, she'd wait until Nada had breached the surface, and then make a dash for it, aiming for Nada's head where she'd latch on like some sort of squid and hiss loudly. A few seconds later that would be followed by a squeaky laughter from the little thing that just wanted to give a scare to the new siren for no other reason than she figured it was funny.

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@Rising Dusk

12 hours ago, Rising Dusk said:

"That's Junior Officer Scarlet to you!"  With her front legs crossed while still fluttering in the air in front of the cage.  Bash grunted and Scarlet gasped, "I'm not letting her get to me!"

"Only a junior officer? As I said, a sidekick, or perhaps a mascot? Like a little squirrel given a uniform."

Lily deliberately poked at Scarlet verbally to get more of a reaction from the easily offended pegasi. Had to hit a nerve since she got so riled up, so were there no truth to what she said? Lily would think so, and with defensive outbursts like this, Scarlet were not doing well in convincing her otherwise, which just made the witch continue, with a smirk spread on her face.

Weren't like she could do anything else. She could feel the magic she had with her either drained out or held away, and for some reason the air in this place felt heavier. Like being in a swamp, which would also fit the strange feeling of her movements being sluggy, as if she were wandering through said swamp on bare hooves.

When the spider got introduced, the smile faltered some however. Especially as Felicia took a step closer and let out a sound that reminded her of a mixture between a buzz saw and a cat growling. She didn't know that the spider weren't going to hurt her, but merely did one of the things she were programmed to do against enemies (intimidation), so this were a pretty direct threat, that made her think that she weren't as safe in here as she could be.

Said spider had a surprise when suddenly Rising landed on top of her, joining the weight from Scarlet, which even combined didn't really register to her as anything large, but more akin to how a pony would feel if a leaf fell on them. It would get noticed, and it could be somewhat annoying depending on the situation, but weight weren't a problem.

As for the surprise, there weren't any outside signs that she had been through that, as her systems were quick in grasping who were actually there, before her defense mechanisms set in. She didn't even raise a claw or begin to swirl around, which granted, would not be easy in this place regardless, considering the room available.

"𝕀 𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕤𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕤𝕒𝕗𝕖, 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕝𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕣. 𝕐𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕡𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕖𝕤 𝕛𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕡𝕦𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕞𝕪 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕒𝕘𝕖."

He didn't sound in pain, or let out any fluids from his mouth or open wounds to her frame, so the odds of him being fine were high, unless he'd suddenly slump over in the next few seconds. Beings of flesh were some fragile creatures sometimes.

"Been trying to find my master? It's no use, he won't show himself before it's too late, and when the time comes, you're all damned. Everyone that goes against him is."

"So very true, though I do sometimes spare the ones showing potential. They can be useful if you mold them the right way."

Rising hadn't cut the link as he teleported, and whilst the link were fragile now that he were within this building, it were still there, though the pony on the other end had to spend more energy to keep it active enough for their conversation to go on. Rising could dismiss it with hardly a thought though in the current state, or dispel it entirely if he so wished to. He could also try to goat some information out of him, or one of several other things that might include deceiving or threatening the master.

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@EQ_Theta

What followed were ten minutes of deafening silence, only occasionally broken by the guard looking at an invisible kit, sneer, and then occasionally getting a small yip back before whoever had come to gawk had left. There were quite a few here right now, but that particular one were a big troublemaker that he didn't want around here. Thankfully the kit were also an incredible coward, so getting him to get away weren't tough, though it didn't stop him from coming back from time to time to see if the coast were clear.

The others kits checking about now were older, and content with just wandering silently around and looking over the strange ones, with Omen looking back at every last one who got close enough to catch her attention. Whereas the guard were annoyed, the students seemed fairly curious about her, and started to have more of a gathering around her than the two others, with Lin being second and Sen third. A lot had already seen Sen, so he were somewhat considered *old news* by now, which might suit him perfectly well. Not getting poked again were likely a relief, though Lin were not safe from it. It weren't often, but every now and again, she'd be able to feel a tentative poke, or a brief stroke of a part of her hair from the more curious sorts. Omen felt that too, and it were actually visible how much her tail and mane got pulled around now and again, but she didn't really care and just let it happen. They had thankfully been smart enough to not get too close to Shrimp, who might otherwise had instinctively snapped out at whoever disturbed his nap.

After the aforementioned ten minutes had passed however, the outline of a door would begin to cut itself into the wooden wall, and soon thereafter, an old, mostly grey kitsune with glasses and a well worn, faded blue robe opened the door outwards and stepped out with a long, drawn out sigh.

"Is the thestral alive?"

"Healed up and scanned. Go ask Hizhel about it."

The guard rose his eyebrow as the elderly kitsune went away, followed by a few more, until there were only one left in there. Considering her hat, that one seemed to be the one in charge, or a dunce of some kind, but the way she stood rank and serious didn't make her seem like that kind of target. The spectacle-wearing, pale-blue fox with brown markings on her belly and paws were using magic to hang up half a dozen tools that were spread around a large, moss-clad slab of stone where Rosa laid upon and seemed to be resting.

Oddly enough, Hizhel only wore the hat, as well as a belt with various pouches in it, and a thin, white undershirt that could barely contain her thick belly fluff, instead of armor, robes, or other sorts of clothing, as every other kitsune had so far. A red robe with a myriad of varied golden birds patterned into the clothing were hung up on the wall, but it seemed like she were in no hurry to get it as her eyes fell on the three visitors.

"You must be the outsiders, yes? Come in, come in. He'll need a few minutes before he wakes up, but you can go along and examine him if you wish to."

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@EQ_Theta

On 2/9/2019 at 3:26 AM, EQ_Theta said:

"Nerzhei knows about the dragon lord visiting Ponyville. She was just as surprised as you, really. Frankly, a lot of us here in Ponyville didn't expect someone like her to come along one day and take the time to meet us. Actually, that was Spike's idea and at the end of the day, Ember befriended the changeling's leader, Thorax. We didn't expect that to happen but I've never seen a dragon mellow out after spending a day here. I heard Ember and Thorax had an exchange of advice on how to rule their respective subjects." 

"Ponyville seems to be a town of many stories and strange connections. I mean no disrespect with this, it is simply that I have heard some things already, and then this tale of two rulers from distant places, connected by a dragon in employment of your princess, comes into the picture, and I find myself impressed with how incredible it sounds that all of that takes place in what I've been told is not even a large town.

As for the tale itself, it sounds as if Spike is an influential dragon. Is he a speaker for your princess? Or does he make these connections of his own accord?"

Spike were just a name before this, but to think that he were a connection between two kingdoms - one of which represented beings that Lyriel knew were not fans of equines - made her think of him as a great member of the draconic race. Akin to one of the great ones she had seen in the valley in better times, who rose as high as the pillars of the castle, and whose bellowing voice would shake the ground as much as his meaty steps. An impressive figure that were impossible to ignore, yet one she had found generally a kind soul when he let himself, even when he held part in Nerzhei's exile.

Ah, but Spike couldn't be as large,or he could not be within the castle... Yet these creatures had strange, and seemingly powerful magic. Who could tell what they might be able to do about something like that?

Lyriel took another bite of the doughnut she had been given by Fluttershy in the shop. The cup and it were wrapped around each of their own vine that she had grown from her shoulders to hold them as she wandered along. With no wings or magic like the ponies possessed, it had seemed that she needed to do this, or simply leave them behind, and that seemed highly rude considering how Fluttershy had bought this for her.

It had given a few glances so far that she had noticed, but Lyriel cared not. It weren't as if her form were perfect regardless, as she were still made of natural elements, such as moss, wood and dirt. Look hard enough and it would be apparent.

On 2/9/2019 at 3:26 AM, EQ_Theta said:

"I think you and Nerzhei will enjoy a massage. I know! Rarity might still be away for who knows how long but she says the spa is a destination you shouldn't miss out. I can take you and Nerzhei there tomorrow! Imagine feeling every inch of your body relaxed and loose. It's not music but lots of ponies enjoy it! Once we're done here, we could head back to the castle and let Nerzhei know about this."

Lyriel wrinkled her nose in confusion about what she were told for a moment, before finally the bit dropped.

"Hehe, I see. For a moment I thought you meant that they took you apart for some reason.

A spot of relaxation may be good, yet still I wonder what this will entail, if it is not music. Does it involve touching of some kind then? I don't mean to pry too much, but if I am to speak with Nerzhei about this, it would help if I could be told what massages and spas are, to a point where I would understand it. Personally I don't mind surprises, but our draconic friend is different in my experience.

Ah, may I also ask, does the place welcome animals? It is not easy to separate Lotus and Nerzhei from what I know, which could make things difficult."

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@Zephyr / Karou

"Worry not, a small boop such as that will not do me any harm, nor shed my essence. The vessels of my kind work somewhat different than yours, as well as certain internal organs and such to accommodate certain things, such as my vines. It is a long, tedious thing to go through, but for the time being, let it be said that I am incapable of gaining a nosebleed. My sense of smell can become momentarily erratic though, if the hit is sufficiently hard enough.

Heh. I remember one time when I accidentally fell down a ditch with bricks, and hit my nose quite severely. Spent the next three hours swearing that I could smell honey-roasted nuts wherever I went. I was a stumbling mess for the entire process."

He could look back on it and laugh now, though in the moment, the laughter had primarily come from other sources around him, who thought it looked rather funny. They did have the common decency to ask if he were okay first though, which he appreciated greatly.

"It is not much of an issue for the regular members of my kind, but I can assure you that snaproots like myself are highly reliant on our sense of smell, so it can actually be quite the detrimental thing to go through, depending on the circumstances. I consider myself lucky to have been in a friendly part of a town at the time being, rather than in the wilderness where one could never know what may jump out of a nearby bush.

Regardless, let us move along now, shall we? Ah, and while I do remember it, may I suggest that if you wish for the town to know of what happened first, so that they may mull over things and take that into consideration before approaching them, you inform a local news agency of it, so that it spreads at once rather than through gossip, where one can never be certain if all the details are there? It is of course just a suggestion, yet one that I think may have some merit, depending on how you feel about doing such a thing."

Whilst talking, he'd keep moving on and guide them towards the castle, on a route that were taking them away from the main action of town a little by little. They should be there in about five minutes with this pace, provided that nothing happened.

Edited February 11, 2019 by Blitz Boom

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom

Novia's fruit simply exploded into confetti knowing it could not win.

"It went out on its own terms."

The lemon quickly punched Anomaly's fruit with a lot of force.

"What do you mean boring? I like being this handsome!"

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom Serenade rolls her eyes, "It's Ponyville...they'll FREAK out, the Flower Ponies will feint, somepony will go running to the Mane Six, they will overreact and it could all have been solved if they just kept their heads. I mean, honestly, Ponies are not the only creatures on this planet."

[Early Sunsets 2,106]

@Blitz Boom

"That's good. I guess it makes sense that our races would have differences like that," Zephyr said.

Sun Fire thought for a moment. "I hadn't considered that. That sounds like a great idea. I'll have to look into that later today, or maybe tomorrow depending on when I have time. Thanks for the advice," she said.

Zephyr and Sun Fire looked out at the decreasingly crowded streets. It felt even more like home with so few ponies around, and it made them feel a lot more at ease.

[EQ_Theta 415]

@Blitz Boom

Lin knew just what her brother was going on about, with the incessant tapping and poking around her. It was somewhat of a relief that some of them were poking around the smoke-like webbing on her neck and head. Once they were organic, part of her that could still feel when touched but now, they were more like vapors than an actually tangible body part. She could exert control over it just like she used to but now to an even greater degree. It was like adding fuel to a fire, letting it grow just by thinking about it. Lin felt the little pokes all over her, running across her back and up her neck. And just when the kits got close to her webbing, she'd let it expand little by little, then suddenly let loose. Of course, it really won't hurt; after all, it felt more like a burst of air running against fur or skin. 

Mischievous as it was, Lin wanted to stir up a reaction out of the kits. She wouldn't go overboard with it. Just a confirmation to know just how many were curiously poking around her. It was sort of fun to try out and she was getting some use out of the changes her body received. She never got a chance to use it. Even Sen took notice of this and the tense stance he took while the guard was nearby gradually relaxed.

Eventually, the sound of a door opening nearby got the two to stop and turn their attention to the tree they were waiting by. After being given the all-clear by the remaining kitsune, the siblings stepped into the tree and their eyes fell on Rosa, resting quietly nearby. Sen immediately turned to the lone kitsune in the room with them, Hizhel, grateful more than anything else.

"Thank you for helping our friend. Are his wounds bad? How soon will he be up and about?"

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@Blitz Boom

Fluttershy chuckled at the idea that Spike might be some kind of emissary to other races. To a certain extent, he has kind of fulfilled that role even if it isn't in an official capacity. Being friends with the changeling hive leader and a dragon lord makes gives him an air of importance, especially considering he is still a child just about age readying to enter adolescence. Then again, what would the pegasus know? Dragon lifespans, among other subjects, are still a mystery to ponies. For the longest time, their only exposure to a dragon is Spike, and he was very young when they first met. Since then, he's grown up like other ponies to the point he probably sees more pony-like traits in himself than dragon ones. Behaviorally speaking, that is. 

"Meeting Ember was more like a chance encounter. He was called to the dragon lands to participate in the gauntlet of fire and after that, they just sort of got along. He is still a child, older than the baby dragon I remembered meeting the first time he came to Ponyville with Twilight. Now he's still going about his duties maintaining the castle library just like before but gets into enough adventures here in Ponyville."

The pegasus was just finishing up on her meal when she noticed a few ponies passing by, still unsure what to make of Lyriel and her odd form. For the most part, it seemed they were curious, though the staring might leave a different impression on them. Some probably didn't see the dryad until now. 

"Massages involve touching, yes. It's a little difficult to describe without experiencing it first-hoof. Even I couldn't give you the exact words to describe it. But maybe this can help?"

Fluttershy flew up from her seat and moved beside Lyriel. She took her foreleg and began running her own hoof across the length of it, applying a generous amount of downward pressure going all the way to the most distal point possible, then moving her hoof clockwise before moving back along Lyriel's foreleg. She repeated this motion three more times, applying the same amount of pressure, before returning to her seat.

"What I did just now is a massage, though the masseuses at the spa can do it better than me. I doubt Lotus will be allowed to stay there because the spa has this policy against bringing animals to the establishment but I'll see if I can work something out with them. If not, I could always forgo my massage and give one to Lotus so she wouldn't be left out."

[Catpone Cerberus 23,426]

@Blitz Boom
"I never said our way of life is necessary a good life." Ruby pointed out as she finished the last piece of meat "It is a gamble really, since you can't really choose if you are born weak, but it has made us superior to other creatures." "I still like my kind's way of life, and don't really like how far ponies and your kind are from your nature." "And I find it laughable that your kind and ponies think you're above us other animals only because you have society that has lasted few thousand years." "We used to have that too long before any of you creatures were anything more than mindless herds." "But eventually all of it collapsed, this was of course long before my time, but we have our history too." she was bit surprised that Marley hadn't questioned why she had left her homelands, but she figured it was because he had believed her original explanation of coming collect riches to be the only reason, which she didn't blame he on, since it was one of the main reasons.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nada could tell something was swimming after her, but didn't pay much attention to it, as she figured it was either the fish she had noticed earlier or some other creature living in the river, and she didn't sense any danger from it. She kept swimming for a while, before she finally decided to go to the surface to see where she was location wise. She naturally got scared when the creature first latched on her head, and out of reflex sank back underwater, but she soon calmed down as she realized what was going on, and rose back up to the surface "So it was you who followed me, your really gave me a fright, now, could you please release me so I can see something?"

 

[Rising Dusk 26,066]

@Blitz Boom

Well, things seem to be going swimmingly while he was out and about tending to a dark garden.  Lily was even continuing her work at getting Scarlet all riled up.  Hm, this room was not all that big enough for the company it was currently keeping though.  A large earth pony, a prisoner in a cage, three empty cells, a pegasus, a mechanical spider and now a unicorn.  Tight fit.  Being polite and not wanting to stand upon his mechanical friend, he slide off to put his hoofs to the floor.  "No worse for wear," he assured Felicia and anypony else in the room that had any interest.  Receiving an affirmed grunt from the ivory stallion and then the other end of the extreme as a shriek came from the pegasus.  Taking to the air out of a mix of surprise and happiness to see her mentor's safe return.  "You're in one piece!" she bounced in the air with glee.  Quickly collecting herself, "I mean... Good to have you back, Sir~  My pocket watch!" well that didn't last long.  She zoomed down and snatched the hot teleportation artifact out of his hoof then back into the air to examine.  Flipping it over and over while testing the winding dial, "You sure did a number on it," she grumbled and giving the detective a disapproving glare.  "Haha, sorry about that.  Had to act fast," he chuckled nervously and offered an apologetic smile.

His attention was drawn to the matter at hoof though when Lily spoke to him, only for the Master's voice to sound in his head.  It was weak and dull with the link having to work through the wards.  Teleporting in here using the pocket watch helped it bypass the more critical ones that would have ended it instantly.  Even in its weakened state, the fact the Master would hear what was going on around the detective and not just the communication between the two, was rather impressive.  He didn't have to do much of anything though as even if he pulled the link with him, the wards of the O.M.I. would soon erode away the ever weakening spell.  Might as well let the Master waste energy in maintaining it until the building ate it on its own.  "I wasn't looking for him at all," he admitted easily.  "He was attacking the city with dark magic and I turned it against him until he had to destroy his own work," Rising informed the group over all as well as Lily.  "And I think we had a good talk.  Hopefully we can close this case soon and end the attack on Equestria," the detective concluded, now addressing all in attendance even though no pony else in the room knew him and the Master were communicating.  Never hurt to try.

Stepping up to the cage, he inspected the Deep Iron prison enchanted with the spell Rising Dusk had created.  Molotov did a great job both in its construction and using the magic circle he left behind to get the suppression spell in place.  Running one of his hoofs over a bar, feeling to cool metal and the dull field of the suppression magic.  "Molotov did great on his," the commented out loud, very impressed with what had been accomplished in such a short amount of time.

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

@Rising Dusk

Lily walked closer to the bars of the cage as Rising got near to inspect the work and starred him straight in the eyes.

"You have no idea what you're up against, Equestrian. Not before you stand in the rubble of your town, with the empty husks of your friends strewn around you, and by then it's too late."

Though she had been cocky for a lot of this, there were a certain fear in Lily's eyes as she said her piece to the detective. Something born of personal experience, that were not to be spoken, in case her master could somehow hear her. Even in this secure building, there would surely be a way for him to slither in, and with Her supporting him, there wouldn't be a place in the end where anyone could feel safe. Including Lily.

She took a few steps back and sat down in what sounded like a work by somepony calling himself Molotov. A blacksmith of some kind likely, and one who were not going to be looked upon favorably by her master when the time came for judgement over this town. A thing that seemed to be destined to happen, considering the resistance he met.

"But you'll see. Just like anyone else who stood up against him."

The sudden sound of the cage creaking got her attention, and she looked up into the right corner. Didn't seem to be anything there though. Had she just imagined it? Or had it come from the spider perhaps, as it turned to look after the strange pocket watch that were likely a magical artifact of some kind? She couldn't tell right now, but she'd keep her ears up, just in case.

"𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕒 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕥𝕠𝕥𝕪𝕡𝕖. ℂ𝕒𝕥𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕙𝕚𝕔 𝕗𝕒𝕚𝕝𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕞𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕠𝕔𝕔𝕦𝕣 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟 𝟜𝟠 𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕤."

Rising were likely still the only one here who knew what Felicia said as she spoke, and her message wasn't encouraging, yet it should have been expected. This were the first attempt that had actually managed to keep the cage in one piece, but it hadn't been properly tested, and the measures taken to try and keep it intact were just an idea. There were no way to say how long this might last, though the fact remained that the likelihood of it being a complete success were pretty slim, as the kinks hadn't been tested out. Of course there were the moments when everything just all of a sudden worked perfectly, but judging by the slight creak from before, it seemed unlikely to be one of those situations, unless it were just the metal settling in, as it weren't long ago that it had been finished.

"Hardly seems fun when you don't answer. Farewell for now."

The master's last message were weak as he finally cut the connection for good. Annoying building were efficiently warded against invaders, and even with his way in via the connection with Rising, it were being eaten away at constantly. Even pressing as much energy into it as he could, the wards would have won eventually.

Besides, he had learned something of interest here. A name of someone called Molotov, that seemed to be the creator of this cage, and potentially the spider. A mechanic of sorts, and one that were close to at least Rising. Perhaps if he went and kidnapped that nuisance, the pony would suddenly be far more willing to trade. If nothing else, it would give him some degree of satisfaction to have taken someone from this meddling Equestrian.

As for how to find the pony... Perhaps it were time to send some unwilling scouts out. Wasn't too far away from his current location to a village where he could go and *convince* some locals to do as he said.

Rising would have some time to work things out as the master focused on this instead, but it likely weren't a massive amount of time. A half or whole hour tops.

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

 

@EQ_Theta

"He's stable and should be up in a few minutes. However, he needs to take it with some degree of ease the next few days. His wounds were severe, and though we've patched him up, he will still need some degree of time not dealing with fetch quests, like the one you were sent on."

Hizhel went over to a corner and pulled out a small leather pouch. Afterwards, she'd go down and pull out a drawer from the wall, wherein several glass containers with pills in were. She'd crack one open and rolling it between her claws, before shaking her head ad putting it down again. It wasn't going to be good enough in this situation she'd recon, so instead, the kitsune went for the small container next to it, and drew out three pills, that she placed in the pouch and laid on top of the resting bat pony.

"We ran a mind scan after the healing was completed, and from what I can tell, he'd be too stubborn to just take these with him on his own accord, so if needed, force them down his throat. One every day after the sun sets will help with his recovery."

"What did you find in his head?"

She glanced over to the guard who had followed the outsiders into the room, but her gaze didn't linger. This particular guard weren't really worth that much of her time or attention.

"You can tell the principal that this particular thestral doesn't work for our enemies. Shoo."

The guard didn't look particularly happy at the dismissive tone and the paw waving him away like he were some sort of pet, but he left anyway. He had a job to do that didn't include playing babysitter for outsiders.

"That annoyance aside, you should consider yourself clear as well. We pulled some information on you three whilst examining him, and you don't seem like enemies from what we could tell. My colleague wanted to say this to you, but some of the things he saw made him queasy, so he had to excuse himself for the time being, along with the others. They must really start to learn to stay impartial if they want to keep doing this.

Anyway, you're in the clear. Does any of you need an examination whilst you're waiting? I wouldn't mind giving a physical to peculiar folks like you, and once Yazma's class are over, I can imagine I won't get the chance anymore. *sigh* Hoards like a dragon that one."

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

 

@EQ_Theta

On 2/11/2019 at 9:35 AM, EQ_Theta said:

"Meeting Ember was more like a chance encounter. He was called to the dragon lands to participate in the gauntlet of fire and after that, they just sort of got along. He is still a child, older than the baby dragon I remembered meeting the first time he came to Ponyville with Twilight. Now he's still going about his duties maintaining the castle library just like before but gets into enough adventures here in Ponyville."

"So Twilight is his caretaker? What a curious situation."

The princess had seemed like a young mare herself, yet now it came forth that she had a ward, or adopted child of some kind? Dragons grew slowly after their teens ended from what Lyriel knew, but before that they were akin to regular creatures, and if he were old enough to maintain the library and go off to what she assumed were some kind of competition for mature dragons, Twilight must be older than she appeared. And here Lyriel had though that she had finally gotten some degree of a grasp on what ponies at varied ages looked like. Seems like she had to reevaluate that observation.

Seemed like another lesson were on the way, as Fluttershy spoke some about what a massage were, and then wandered closer to Lyriel, who stood completely still and awaited what curiosity were about to befall her. A few onlookers seemed to have halted a bit in their walk to see what were going on, but they weren't being approached yet. Might change depending on what were going on perhaps? She'd see soon en- Oh my.

On 2/11/2019 at 9:35 AM, EQ_Theta said:

Fluttershy flew up from her seat and moved beside Lyriel. She took her foreleg and began running her own hoof across the length of it, applying a generous amount of downward pressure going all the way to the most distal point possible, then moving her hoof clockwise before moving back along Lyriel's foreleg. She repeated this motion three more times, applying the same amount of pressure, before returning to her seat.

"What I did just now is a massage, though the masseuses at the spa can do it better than me. I doubt Lotus will be allowed to stay there because the spa has this policy against bringing animals to the establishment but I'll see if I can work something out with them. If not, I could always forgo my massage and give one to Lotus so she wouldn't be left out."

Fluttershy would end up having a strange experience with attempting to give Lyriel a massage.

First were merely the sensation of wandering on grass and moss growing on bark rather than flesh and fur like a pony normally were. Much akin to stepping off the path in the forest, though more robust.

The second thing would be a certain creaking that would increase with every level of pressure applied to the dryad. She weren't build up under the surface like a pony, so not only did she creak like a tree in a stiff breeze, she also didn't get what ponies would consider a benefit from this sort of thing. In fact, the vines and such that made her motor functions work started to feel irritated by the motions, and at the end of Fluttershy's performance, Lyriel were groaning slightly, as the bark visibly moved whilst the affected parts of her body settled itself more comfortably again.

"I thank you for sharing with me what a massage are, but perhaps it is better if only Nerzhei and you attempt it? I mean no disrespect, but it were a rather uncomfortable experience. You must understand, that whilst I attempt to look like one of you, I am not made the same way or of the same things that ponies are. This seems like one of those things that I am not grown to go through, though again, I thank you for sharing the experience with me. At least I know now.

Perhaps it is for the better too. Nerzhei trusts that I would never harm Lotus, so I could watch her whilst you two were relaxing, yes?"

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

 

@Zephyr / Karou @Moonlit

"I relish being of service, Zephyr."

Briar chuckled slightly as he kept moving away from the main street and head towards the glimmering castle. Honestly it felt rather good to help these two get settled in, sort some potential issues out, and showing them around the place, even if not everything might work out well in the long run and he ended up with a few bruises here and there. It made him feel useful, and really, he had been welcomed to this town too when he had first arrived, despite some ponies being cautious around him. That he could take this and share the welcoming experience felt rather great.

they wouldn't end having more strange experiences towards the castle, yet as said castle got in sight, the garden might catch some weird looks by the three who had actively open eyes.

A remnant of when a few draconequui were bored and figured they'd surprise the princess with a garden. The lush grass, rose bushes, three layered fountain, and the large tree would make for a beautiful picture. Along with the flowers, the walking path, and the stone arc with hanging flower baskets that framed the entrance quite beautifully.

However, the garden also had a curiously short fence, benches wandering around like they were cattle, and small bubble creatures of varied sizes coming from mainly around the fountain, floating through the air and trying to escape from slightly larger ones that seemed like it were hunting them. The tree in question also seemed to have around two dozen known fruits growing from it, and just about the same amount of unknown sorts that were not guaranteed to be edible.

Of course, they could just ignore all of it and head for the open door, though at least Brittle's eyes were drawn to the strange sight over the castle that she had seen a few times already. From a distance yes, but it still counted.

They might also bit notice in another one headed for the castle, however this one were wandering at a different angle and stationed further back than them, so it were likely that the pony in question were the one to see them first. A mare that were some ways away and seemed to be talking to herself, though beyond Briar, nopony would  be able to hear the conversation as it were some distance away. The evergrown however, didn't wish to be rude, so he tuned out what he were able to hear and simply kept his course for the time being.

Over with Serenade, Cherish gave out a ethereal sigh at what the siren had just told her.

"That's what I'm afraid is going to happen too, and if that's the response, she's just gonna run away. Neither of you deserve to go through something like that just because they're afraid. Hopefully when the princesses gets things done, they will help ease their minds. Ponies still trust what they say, r-right?"

Cherish wanted to believe that, and Serenade did seem to have a lot of faith in the princesses, but the nagging concern were still there as they approached the castle.

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

 

 

@Lucid_Nightlight

The lemon got a nice hit on the mango, but the fruit weren't done fighting even though it had a fist in it.

Lashing the vines upwards, it stuck on the suit with the suction cups and started to spew acid into various parts of the mech suit whilst climbing up and forcing itself the arm via the vines to force more of the arm into it's cracked shell, now technically mouth as the acid inside started doing some good work on the metallic creation. It should at least, though this was a chaos fight basically, so immense amounts of cheating were pretty much as could be expected. Like with what Novia did. Sure she didn't win, but she didn't lose either, which were a pretty important thing, And her fighter went out in style. That sorta display got you points.

"Peh, not even for a pony are you handsome. You're too ordinary. At least wear something ugly with lights on so you stand out or something, otherwise you're just a big dull dull."

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"I understand the concept of *Survival of the fittest*, and how it produces a stronger genetic line. I merely think that from my objectively more cozy life, it seems a rather harsh way to live. To each their own of course.

As for the subject of superiority, I believe that neither you nor us are wrong in thinking themselves the one on the very top, it simply depends on the situation.

Say if this country suddenly plunged into chaotic anarchy, your experience would objectively make you a force to be reckoned with, whereas how things stand now, you would be subdued and find yourself trapped surprisingly fast, as part of this society includes several agencies specialized in everything from physically restraining others, to magical and anti-magical means.

It all really depends on the situation, setting, and numbers on each side. Personally, I consider myself as being higher up the food chain than some, yet I don't disregard the danger that can come from those below, so I don't sit firmly with my nose high in the sky and consider myself invulnerable. Capable and certain of my abilities yes, but there is a line between that and underestimating those I meet that seems like a fools decision to cross.

Since I think we will mostly rotate around the same angles if this goes on, I wonder if I may ask you a question that is somewhat related to the subject of home? Nothing relating to personal details though, as have been mentioned, you are entitled to your privacy, and it would go against that if I ask for things like why you are in Equestria.

I just wonder, if your home have mostly focus on strength and solidarity, what purpose do you have in seeking riches? I know dragons who does that, but most have a reason for building such a hoard that relates to influence, or traps to lure in prey. Sometimes an incredible sense of vanity or as trophies, though I can't so far place your reasons on any of those, and what you have said of your home makes me uncertain about what value they'd hold in your world."

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

Fah'lina had her fun, so she let go of Nada as she were asked for it, and dove down into the river head first. She'd breach the surface a little afterwards, and look up at Nada, whereupon she'd reenact the siren's reaction to the ambush, complete with gasps, exaggerated faces and waving paws.

Once she were done, and had popped up the water after the *got really scared and dove down* part of it, she just started laughing, clearly enjoying herself.

Her kind had come forth through untold generations of breeding under the chaos-filled realm when Discord ruled, on top of the alterations he had done from the start out of mostly entertainment, and though they had changed some during the years after his defeat, the alterations had been far too ingrained to just vanish.

Some of their more abnormal abilities had gone though, which made them weaker and leading to a need to stay together in large communities, and for certain traits to be less favored compared to others that suited their new way of life, so in the end, this were what they had become.

Through it all though, they still retained their mischievous, prank loving nature that were as much a part of their beings as their teeth or tails. They were just more cautious about who they'd go for, and especially when they were alone, like this particular critter were.

Not story that many knew though, beyond the princesses. Most had considered these mimics extinct several centuries ago, after the last tribe left the rivers near Canterlot, but had unbeknownst to most found shelter in other water-filled areas that were either hard to get to for beings like Ponies, or had some hazards that kept them af bay, so that they may get some peace from the ponies that they had to constantly stay on guard around, as they had started to be considered exotic pets by some, and didn't want to risk their young being taken away.

Edited February 12, 2019 by Blitz Boom

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom

The lemon hopped out of the mech and grew muscular arms and no legs. It walked using its fists and elbow dropped the mango.

As for what Anomaly said about Lucid being dull...

"Lucid looks pretty good by pony standards. Sure he's doesn't look chaotic, but he makes up for it by BEING chaotic."

"Yeah! Just look at this!"

Lucid stomped a hoof and things around the bakery started to change. All the tables turned into giant fish with antlers, the chairs turned into monkey bears with stone spears, and for his best move yet... he turned the coffee of a nearby pony into decaf which the pony quickly spit out.

"Chaotic enough for you?"

[Catpone Cerberus 23,426]

@Blitz Boom
"I am aware that me being superior as a creature doesn't mean I'm invulnerable, if I thought so, I would have just attacked your leadership and attempted to tear down your whole civilization." Ruby pointed out "But that doesn't mean I think ponies, or your kind anything else than the weak creatures you are, ponies just happen to have strong magic that I unfortunately can't compete with, but it will fail eventually, everything has a time limit, I just need to be patient." "Because without magic ponies are ultimately just prey with pointy sticks, and with the local creatures being less adapted for fighting for their lives, I would have basically no competition in that point until my own kind would hear about it." she smirked, clearly enjoying her little vision of future.

"And to answers your question." she continued "Seeking riches, or in our case anything that shines has no meaning outside our greedy nature, we just by our nature want to have as much of them as possible, and it's not matter of choice, as it comes from deep within our natural instincts." "I don't know if it has had some practical use at some point in our history, but currently it is only to satisfy our hunger like greed." 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nada looked at the creature as it reenacted her previous actions, and started chuckling herself too, it wasn't  any less funny when it had happened to her herself, and that made her feel less bad for laughing at Berry when she was going through it. She didn't know much about these creatures, or really nothing at all, but it didn't really bother her as based on Fah'lina, they seemed like amusing friends to have, and she wouldn't have minded to have her own at some point after settling in.

 

 

[EQ_Theta 415]

@Blitz Boom

"That's good to hear. We'll make sure he takes his medicine like he should."

"You don't seem to be as cautiously hostile as the guard back there. I guess this might be a once in a lifetime opportunity to examine a longma up close. Wouldn't want to leave you feeling disappointed and I think I need one of those examinations after I broke one of my forelegs. There were some nice kits who were looking into my injuries earlier. Sen, could you take these for a moment?"

Sen gathered Lin's saddle bag, including the documents picked up from Scarcity earlier. He walked to Rosa's side and sat there for a moment looking over him to see how his wounds are healing up. After getting a glimpse of the liquids pooling and drying up around his suit, that sight gave him quite a scare. He wondered if he might have found himself standing over Lin and seeing the same thing when they first found each other on that desolate mountaintop. Other than that, he was content seeing things are turning out well, breathing a sigh of relief knowing Rosa will be alright. 

As for Lin, she took her position next to Hizhel and waited for this medical examination to start. Though she will probably expect to hear something along the lines of taking it easy with her left foreleg as it is still recovering, she'll be fine with knowing just what the whole procedure will entail. This kind of medicinal process is a new thing she's never seen up close, and it will definitely be a stark contrast to the more herbal-based traditional methods she grew up with.

"I hope the temporary solution to stop our friend's wounds from getting worse didn't have any unintended side effects. My brother used what elfroot and cloth we had to make some bandages for him but we didn't have enough time to get those cleaned properly. So, what exactly happens in these sort of examinations?"

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

@Blitz Boom

"Oh... I-I'm sorry if I was presuming too much. I hope I didn't hurt you."

It probably was a lot of forgetting that being a little more plant-like compared to ponies had the possibility that dryads would be different on a fundamentally anatomical level. Fluttershy caught on to the groan Lyriel let out and suspected she might have hit a nerve but being told that a dryad taking on a more equine form would mean she wasn't closer to a pony beyond appearances. Just learning this now had the pegasus make herself appear smaller, sitting at the edge of her seat feeling a little guilty about what she did. 

Perhaps there was a lot more for Fluttershy to learn about dryads and about Lyriel. Even if this was an innocent mistake, it wasn't one that the pegasus was likely to forget anytime soon. Sure enough, she may have to go on that spa session with Nerzhei but it wouldn't feel right if Lyriel and Lotus were to just watch from the outside. The spa had a policy about not letting anyone in if they were to just watch someone else get their massage. But if there was anything her spa dates with Rarity taught her, there was plenty more to do than just getting a massage. 

"It's just that I didn't want you to feel left out. It wouldn't be right to let you stand outside the spa and watch with Lotus. Maybe there might be something else? Steam rooms, saunas, herbal baths, or seaweed wraps with mud facials? I can ask the masseuses to hold off on the massages."

[Early Sunsets 2,106]

@Blitz Boom @Moonlit

Zephyr and Sun Fire stared at the garden in the near distance, their mouths agape. Their full attention was on the otherworldly scene, so they didn't notice the other mare.

"What...?" Zephyr began.

"Umm... Briar, is the garden usually so... how do I put this... chaotic?" Sun Fire asked. "Is it supposed to be abstract or something? There are certainly a lot of, uh-" Sun Fire eyed one of the sentient benches, "-unusual things about this place. I don't think furniture is supposed to walk around on its own."

Edited February 14, 2019 by Zephyr / Karou

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom @Zephyr / Karou Serenade giggles, "This is Ponyville Cherish, Ponies here tend to" she airhoofs the next word "overreact when it comes to strangeness, but not any longer. The presence of the Mane Six have given them a backbone" Serenade comes to a stop then sniffs the air.

[FanOfManyShows 396]

@Blitz Boom
Astral relaxed a bit as she got up, letting her guard down for the time being as she headed out, heading on her way out of the train with Misty. Misty looking up to Astral. "Hope the house is still good." 

"Should be in order, since no antics happened there. At least while we were there."

"Well I wouldn't think it is too messy either."

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

Iron paused, smiling a bit as Emerald spoke. "Brilliant idea. Still a bit iffy for my tastes but, it's worth it." He paced as he thought, still eying Emerald. "and whose crystals?" He looked curiously at her, Sapphire shrugging at it. "I'd think we could make a neutral crystal and use that. Right?"

"I'm not sure, might need to be absorbent to dark magic"
Sapphire also paced, trying to think. "We should do the harder tasks first and the easiest as the last for sure." She turns to Iron.
"What would be the hardest task?"

"Sacrificing a soul, or the timing required to capture dark magic from a curse spell. Many things could be difficult."

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

Deep in his cell, Warlock was still locked up, of course. sighing to himself, Looking around for any other ponies, mainly for the one that had been there previously.
Thoughts crossed his mind as he was still. "How does anypony even eat like this?" He asked to himself, among other things that was the main thing on his head.
Really everything was going through his head, except an escape plan.

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

"I've been around ponies in coronations, just never been the one in the place of them." General Wing said, in reality totally unsure what to say and super nervous, but keeping his cool anyway, he stepped out there, in front of the crowd of ponies, spending only a few moments to collect some semblance of a speech or at least, a thank you.
"I am grateful for this position now, humbly accepting it to the, best of my ability." He looked to Dew. "And I will do what I can to play my part as a general." H said with a smirk while looking forward. 

==================================
@Dji
Zealous chuckled loudly weirdly entertained by her saying that. "There is nothing to get off my chest Watts, I've lived with this for most of my life." He let out a sigh as he relaxed.
"It only bothers me due to being abnormal for a unicorn to not have a horn."

[Rising Dusk 26,066]

@Blitz Boom

Rising Dusk listened to the younger filly talk to him straight.  No more boasting, but of a creature that had suffered the wrath of this Master and seen the things done to others.  Sadly, this was the reality of things.  The detective did not underestimate the dark wizard.  He'd seen the magics the Master was capable of, much better than most could, and it wasn't simply his own magic he wielded, but things even darker.  It was a curious thought actually if even the foe he was up against knew what powers he was using.  Rarely does summoning a being capable of that power end well for the summoner.  Rising could see what was hidden in that dark magic.  He felt sorry for the witch who had been placed under hoof out of fear for so long.

Before he could reply to Lily though, he heard and felt the Master break the connection between the two. True, he didn't reply, but he also knew the strain of maintaining the link was building up while inside the O.M.I.  He was hoping to keep the connection longer to drain the Master more, but oh well.  Turning his attention back to the filly now sitting on the floor of the cage.  She was in such a defeated state, nothing Rising could say would really change her mind on anything.  "Hopeful it won't come to that," he told her in time to hear the cage creak.  Okay, it wasn't perfect yet, but still way better than the first attempt.  Of course Felicia set him a time table of 48 hours, which should be enough for round two with the Master.  Nodding his thanks to her as he turned to leave the cell room.  Sticking a hoof in the pouch of his hoodie to do a quick inventory of supplies.  Six gold disks and the mystery item still wrapped up in the leather scraps.

 "Scarlet, Bash, secure the O.M.I. until The Captain returns," he told the pair while leaving the cell room.  He needed to pay a visit to a cage maker for a few more improvements.  "Sir, come on!  Don't leave me with her!" the pegasus begged, fluttering out of the room.  "Close the door," he chuckled, giving her the option to reduce her interactions with the witch.  "Felicia, we need to return to Workshop 05.  We have a couple of Booms in the need of babysitting," Rising told her rather casually.  Dropping Molotov's name might have been too juicy a fruit for the Master not to try and take up.  The Master got to experience first hoof how protected the O.M.I. was, and should The Captain return soon, even more so.  Workshop 05 was as much of a fortress as the O.M.I. was and hopefully it was enough to draw out the Master, or at least draw out something that the detective could use in coming face to face with this foe.  He walked through the office and lobby to leave the agency.

Peace was always still possible no matter the good or evil.  Their land's newest Princess taught this lesson and proved it many of times.

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

@FanOfManyShows

"I'm sure it's fine, but I'll come 'round after paying up here just to make sure, alright? Get home safely, and no witchy talk on the street. Remember, princesses, haven't given you a pass on that sort yet."

Chow would flash a grin and wave at the two gals as they went on their way, whilst he went his own. Had to hurry back home here and get those bits before he'd get in trouble, then over to the gals, and then eventually, finally get home where he'd likely just slump down on the couch and pass out for a while. Been a loooong day, and he needed to get his batteries recharged. After making sure the gals were fine of course, though really, if something had suddenly happened, he got the feeling that they'd be able to deal with it. They knew their stuff, and weren't completely out of magic juice yet far as he were aware, though really, what'd he know about that, right?

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@FanOfManyShows

"We will need a magic imbued crystal rank two or higher, about the size of an acorn. If it's not empty, whatever is in it must be used or expelled before the gem can be used for this."

Magical gems were not all that hard to come by all things considered, but it depended on the rank. For example, a rank one were a simple find in mainly oceans and other areas with a lot of magical flow through them, that could be harvested and then sold as heaters for a hoofbath, something for a transportable cooling bag, small fans, that sort of thing. Nothing too massively strong, but useful in their simplicity.

Ranks above that could do all from being possible to recharge or fill with other sorts of magic, and all the way up to being able to run on itself through a loop, and carry an impressive amount of power. Yet the stronger it were, the rarer it were to find, with the strongest among them that were able to run on a loop, being almost impossible to find anywhere, and being illegal to own for private beings. Which in turn of course made them highly valuable at the black market, where depending on the size and function, it could sell for outrageous amounts of bits.

That weren't important right now though, as they just needed a rank two. A simple gem found among the same areas as the rank one's, like a four leafed clover. It couldn't contain an insatiable amount of magic, but they didn't need that either. They needed a sliver of the magic, and as a rank two, that particular gem would be able to contain that if they did it right. This sort of thing were common at most kitchenware stores and the like in Canterlot for a mediocre amount of bits.

"We will have to work slowly on it to make it susceptible to dark magic, but it should manage. If not, we will have to seek alternatives.

We'll need a second one for soul energy. It's not as difficult to go through, but as Sapphire should remember, it's draining, a messy sight, and we'll have to burn the remains straight afterwards. You don't want to risk revenants.

We will dig up Sapphire's corpse when that's done and cleanse the bones, then the blood will be last. And unless you two want to be schooled in how to do everything, I'm going to need a body soon. I can't use magic like this."

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@FanOfManyShows

There weren't many guards around anymore. Just four to make sure everything were running smoothly, whilst the rest had gone up to join in the gathering that they had been summoned for. They'd tell the remaining four what had gone on when they came back, but for now, Warlock would be alone in the cell itself, whilst the others stood outside.

Lieutenant Hogweed had left about a half hour ago, saying that she needed to attend some things, yet right after Warlock had talked out to himself in his solitary confinement, there'd be some mumbling outside, and soon thereafter, the door would open to reveal her, carrying a tray of some basic food. Nothing incredibly impressive, with just a hay sandwich, some water, and an apple, but this were prison after all, so what could one expect?

"Things are a little busy so the staff didn't have time to get down here right now, so figured I'd deliver this myself. Sorry if it doesn't seem like much."

She put the tray down on Warlock's bed and went over to examine how his restraints were. They seemed to still be fitting well, though of course, considering his lack of limbs, he weren't exactly mobile. Not chained to the wall at least, but it weren't much better to have the magic suppression chains on in so many places he did, and not being able to walk or float around. Hopefully he should be able to eat and drink normally, otherwise, Hogweeed would have to help him this time around, and otherwise make sure some other guards did so normally. She wouldn't allow prisoners to starve, even if they had hurt a lot of her friends.

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@FanOfManyShows @Dji

Iron should be able to see that not everything were as simple as he assumed when he entered the balcony, what with the guards mainly being focused on the newly landed sphinx with the sack on his back. They'd still listen to the new general though, as were obvious when they looked away from the sphinx and towards him briefly, as well as some swaying in the air, unsure of what they were going to do here. Duty, or turning around and greet their new general?

Tidal Wave were having a right laugh though as she saw this and pointed towards the big feline with a cheery grin on her face.

"See? I told ya your fluffy friend over there would come back."

She took a few steps forward and let out a loud whistle to get some attention from down under.

"Hey, this one's not an enemy. Put down your pokers and turn around to show my new colleague some respect."

"Night Guard, follow troop."

Screecher voice were surprisingly loud and commanding when she needed it to be, as were evident when she stepped forward and seconded the notion that Tidal Wave had started, which caused both Night and Coastal guards alike to stop their aggression and turn to face the stage, where there'd then a little by little get down on a knee, and kneel before the new general. The Solar Guards took some time more to follow troop, but when Dew took a few steps and nodded too, they followed troop, which finally left the sphinx able without an aggressive force to deal with.

"I am not amused by your underlings."

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Stop your bellyaching for a bit would ya? It's time for the ceremonial weapon hand over. We'll talk later, Spanky."

The sphinx would bore his claws into the ground at the nickname and stare back at the small general.

"My name is Enzo."

"Roger that, but keep it down anyway. This here's the good part."

"Benny, proceed with the ceremony."

Benny had stood a little flabbergasted at what were going on, but as he were called forth, he'd finally have some idea about what to do here that didn't involve looking like an idiot, and walked forward, whilst the other generals and Adviser Dew stepped backwards, leaving him and Iron in the front.

*clears throat* "On behalf of the forge of Canterlot, we present you, General Iron Wings, with a weapon befitting your new post. May it serve you well in the years ahead."

With that, he'd open it up, to reveal a beautifully formed, double-bladed axe made of a particularly strong metal, about the length of Iron's torso. It were made with attacking in mind certainly, but the notched on the lower parts of the blade could be used to catch some attacks and block via that if you were firm with these sort of things in combat. Furthermore, it were covered with runes that had been lifted from Iron's feather design, which should make this possible for the pony to control like if it were his own, metallic feathers. If he wished to, he could show off now by having it rise into the air and spin it around some, and he'd find it to have the same range as his feathers, though he might need to get used to it before it were as good in a tense situation.

(something like this, basically. Just with his cutiemark engraved onto the blades, along with that of his rank in the Solar Guards embracing it)

It weren't as good a job as Benny would have liked, but with the time being what it were, remaking an axe that had been ordered for somepony else to begin with, were the best option he had. He'd work on something else another day, if the general so wished it to be, though the dragon hoped that this would still be pleasing to the new general.

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@Moonlit @Zephyr / Karou

"I can safely say that I have not taken notice of anything odd here before. The castle does not even normally have a garden, and from what you mention and I feel, it does not sound like it have occurred naturally. However... I may have some idea of the culprit."

He wandered closer, along with the always closely following Brittle, who were actually not as terrified of this as some other things, but more transfixed on the weirdness of it all. Furniture grassing, bubble creatures living their own lives and not interacting with the lot of them in any meaningful way beyond just a small glance every now and again, and the garden itself. It were actually kind of nice, compared to the forest where it was full of predators and laughing critters, along with trees that could fall over at any time. It still kept her close though, and wary, as this were the unknown, and that presented terrifying possibilities, yet she she weren't shivering more than usual for the time being as Briar got close enough to feel the grass on the other side of the minuscule fence.

"The draconequus Discord have close ties to the Princess and her friends from what I understand, and can at times be found within the boundaries of this town. I think we should assume that he made this, and considering the grass feels alive and vibrant, it is likely meant as a well meaning gift. I would advice against eating anything from it though, just in case. Draconequui have their tendencies for pranks.

Though, I should mention that another draconequui recently made travel to our town, and as she made clear, are one who revels in doing things relating to nature. This may be her work, though I cannot say what motives she may have had to do so. Potentially nothing, which still makes me lean towards Discord for the time being."

While he kept on this talk, Cherish were about to answer what Serenade had said of the Mane Six - which she assumed were some sort of nickname for Twilight and her friends - when the siren in disguise had halted and started to sniff the air. An action which made the spirit nervous, and starting to look around to see what her nose might have picked up.

There didn't seem to be.... No wait, there were somepony up there it looked like. A whole group even, in front of a garden with something moving. It looked almost like... No, that was impossible. Once they got closer she'd surely see that this were just regular living creatures of some sort, and not the benches she could've sowrn they looked like from here.

"Uhm, i-is it them you can smell? It looks like a bunch of ponies and... A c-changeling, maybe? The drawings never had them with spikes, manes or tails, but I think I see holes in the legs. D-Do you think they're headed for the castle too?"

Cherish had started to whisper as she replied to Serenade, not wanting to be heard even if they were so far from them, and nopony could see her. Thoughts went through her head of Serenade wandering over to them to find out things, and worries that they might then find out their secret, but. surely that'd just be paranoia speaking. Long as she didn't speak, nopony there would know that Cherish were here, and Serenade were used to hiding herself among ponies. This should not be an issue, even if she did wander over there, though the spirit weren't sure what the sirens thoughts were on this. Whatever it were, it would likely define what they'd go and do now.

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@EQ_Theta

On 2/13/2019 at 11:25 AM, EQ_Theta said:

"That's good to hear. We'll make sure he takes his medicine like he should."

"You don't seem to be as cautiously hostile as the guard back there. I guess this might be a once in a lifetime opportunity to examine a longma up close. Wouldn't want to leave you feeling disappointed and I think I need one of those examinations after I broke one of my forelegs. There were some nice kits who were looking into my injuries earlier. Sen, could you take these for a moment?"

"Our guards need to be cautious and mistrustful of outsiders. It's part of the job when you need to keep other protected. He on the other paw, are a little too much for my taste.

As for myself, I see this like Yazma likely did: A teachable moment on some creatures I've never seen before, and from what I've seen in your friends thoughts, you don't seem like hostile creatures, so what reason would I have to be against you? The evidence speaks for itself really."

Hizhel flicked her paw and a notebook appeared next to her, floating in the air along with an ink quilt and pen.

"And those kits you mention are highly praised students of the colleague of mine who teaches the courses on healing magic. I have little doubt that they have done a good job, though I will have a look while I'm at it to make sure. Seeing their results on an unknown race should speak wonders on how far along their studies are."

She'd wait until Lin set down, then blow on her front paws and rub them together to signal she were about ready, then gently planted the right front paw on Lin's scaled chest. In contrast to the longma, Hizhel's paw were soft and hairy, with a gentle nature to it as the kitsune pushed about a few times to find a good position, before stopping a few inched bellow Lin's collarbone.

"Brace yourself, this may sting a little at first."

The feeling of having a needle poking through her skin would come shortly after for Lin. Soon thereafter, she'd feel as if something were floating through her as uninhibited as if she were made of thin air, and wander throughout her body for the next minute or until she broke contact with Hizhel's paw, at which point it would stop immediately. Lin would be able to feel its path through as it should feel like a weak rush of semi-cold water ran around inside her being. A potentially bad feeling, but it wouldn't last for more than a few minutes.

All the while, Hizhel would keep her eyes transfixed on her paw, whilst the pen scribbled things down into the notebook like there were no tomorrow. When it all finally ended and Hizhel removed her paw - provided that Lin had not moved herself before that - the notebook would be halfway full, and midway through a sentence.

Regardless of whatever it had been interrupted or allowed to finish, Hizhel would have the same question right after.

"Are you feeling okay?"

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@EQ_Theta

On 2/13/2019 at 11:25 AM, EQ_Theta said:

"Oh... I-I'm sorry if I was presuming too much. I hope I didn't hurt you."

Lyriel smiled at this and put her hoof on the seemingly guilty feeling mares shoulder.

"Don't concern yourself with this Fluttershy. You could not know that this were to happen, and I can assure you that it didn't hurt, it were just a little uncomfortable.

I would actually thank you for doing this, as now I know what you ponies do to relax, and you too in turn learned a little of my kind. Is that not something to be joyous about, rather than worry of what happened in the moment?"

It were a little more painful than she let on, but Lyriel wanted Fluttershy to feel better, not worse, so mentioning that would be about the worst thin she could do. Besides, she wanted to focus on what she said of it being a teachable moment, far more than what had went on as things happened, as it bred better ground to take the best possible from a situation rather than merely focus on the uncomfortable or painful parts. If she were prone to doing that, it were uncertain if she had ever made it out of the Silver Valley or make it through what the sphinx did, without breaking down and just wallow in self pity and bad memories. Life were more than that, as she were sure the Earth Mother would say.

On 2/13/2019 at 11:25 AM, EQ_Theta said:

"It's just that I didn't want you to feel left out. It wouldn't be right to let you stand outside the spa and watch with Lotus. Maybe there might be something else? Steam rooms, saunas, herbal baths, or seaweed wraps with mud facials? I can ask the masseuses to hold off on the massages."

"I see no issue with observing and learning from what happens to any of you, Fluttershy, nor to just wait and be told after the fact. A place of comfort and relaxation should first and foremost be for those who needs it and can benefit from it. If that means that it is best that I stand outside to allow you two to go through it, I see no issue with that, and I could easily find something to do. Perhaps I would wander to the sanctuary with her and hear tales from your animal companions? I'm sure they have many a tale to tell, and perhaps some problems I could help them with.

Perhaps Angel may be able to entertain her too? They seemed to get along fine from the time I saw them, and I could observe you then, to see what these treatments you speak of are. I think that I would prefer to see before trying more if it came to that, if that is okay?"

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@Rising Dusk

Lily were tempted to make a comment towards Scarlet specifically when it were said that the mare and her were going to spend some quality time together, yet what were the point? She'd have time later, when the pegasus couldn't stay away more and wanted to test her own will against that of Lily. It were cute really, but the witch had many years of experience over Scarlet, and had been living in a place where the chance of you getting sacrificed weren't as small as most would want them to be. Especially not if you disobeyed the wrong ponies. To think that a pegasus who didn't like being seen as anything lesser than those around her were honestly laughable.

Sos he let them keep on talking like they did, including mentioning this Molotov Boom again. A name she were sure her master had heard too and would send somepony out to track down to gain an edge over these ponies. Far be it from her to say that he were not inventive in his methods, but his actions could be seen as rather predictable if you knew him, which were also why she had a pretty good idea of what were going to happen if he didn't manage to get to this Molotov first. That being letting the monster from the chest out before time, as he'd be tired of simply testing the waters anymore. It were unlikely that they could simply deal with that creature without casualties, so she expected these ponies to do harsh things in retaliation. Nothing that would be enough, but something, certainly. Depended on whoever that captain were. She'd see when he or she came around.

As for Felicia, she whirred in agreement to what Rising were proposing, however she also came with a correction to a falsehood in his statement.

"ℂ𝕠𝕣𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕜𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕡 𝟘𝟝 𝕚𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕤 𝕠𝕝𝕕 𝕙𝕠𝕞𝕖. ℕ𝕖𝕨 𝕟𝕒𝕞𝕖 𝕦𝕟𝕒𝕧𝕒𝕚𝕝𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖."

She didn't know that the officer had picked up this false name for the place before, after Molotov had yapped it out in connection to a dream she had interrupted when waking him up some time before this. Now that she had though, the fact remained that it had to be corrected in her mind, though she couldn't tell him what the name actually were, not write it, as Molotov had so far not called the place anything beyond his workshop, which were less of a name and more of just designating what it were. She'd have to address this with her creator at an opportune time, though for now, it seemed their time to wander away.

She'd do her best to give a wave towards the two ponies who could not understand her, yet refusing to do so to the pony in the cage, before turning around and skitter towards the door.

before they could get out of the building though, once they got to the front room, they'd find there was a few voices going off on the other side of the front door, with one of the muffled voices being louder and seemingly agitated. No words were getting through until the door would eventually be opened, at which point a certain pair of sisters stood on the steps, with the smaller one finishing saying something whilst the larger were busy holding her back from trying to enter the building.

"- and he's going to regret it!"

Null seemed to be about ready to kick something, whilst Void looked drained and strained right now, with her front legs around Null to keep her at bay, and neither of them taking notice of the door eventually opening. Seemed like Rising had something of an issue at hoof here, at least in regards to his passage being blocked.

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"There are certainly merit to what you say, though how much they would be prey without magic could be up for debate. Not every pony is a unicorn or alicorn after all. yet I will agree that it will hurt them quite a bit to not have access to that on a large scale attack from physically stronger beings who still holds magic of their own, such as dragons or sphinx. I can imagine both parties would hold interest in this country for their own reasons.

As for what you say with greed being your motivation, I must admit that I had thought it to be something more... Complex. That being said, it is your own choice, and who am I to say that it is wrong? I do not hold the same background as you after all, nor the racial inclination towards hoarding. I would say though, that at some point, when your riches lays vastly before your eyes, you should consider treating yourself to a good time. One shouldn't live a long life such as yours without sometimes allowing themselves to simply bask in everything their heart desires."

Marley rose from his seating position and folded the fish paper up a few times.

"And speaking of desires, are your stomach satisfied with your meal thus far? Our time before we are taken away to the auction are ticking, and it might be that you have other places you wish to visit? If not that, a trip to the forest to find something large and squealing could also be a fun little activity."

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

After Fah'lina were done laughing at things, she rose up from the water and flapped in the air in front of the siren, using the large ears that were attached to her arms and legs as spread out wings. Wanting to show off as well, she took a few spins around Nada's head too, before stopping up in front again and pointing up the river before them, and leading her finger down the stream to indicate direction.

After that, she'd try to make splashy emotions as best she could without falling out of the air, before going onward to chomping into thin air and rubbing her belly.

Basically she were trying to say that they should go up the river and find some good fish to eat. Sugar were all fine and good for the mimic, but she needed some fish in her diet too, and thought that it might be kinda fun to take the siren along and see if she hunted like Serenade did. Nada were smaller after all, so perhaps she had trouble with fish that size, and after having her fun Fah'lina didn't mind helping the siren a little. Plus she'd get bored if she were alone for too long, so this seemed like as good a thing to do as anything. pack animals like her weren't meant to be alone for longer periods of time.

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

 

@Lucid_Nightlight

The punch were effective enough to pummel the mango beneath the floorboards, and tear it from the suction cups that now dangled with acid dripping out of the squirming, torn ends.

"You gonna just take that, huh? Or are you gonna man up?!"

Yeah yeah, she wasn't the best at hype speeches, but whatever, it worked, right? Looked that way at least as six new tentacles - this time with spikes and suction cups down the side - latched on to the edge of the hole and propelled the mango up to the ceiling, where the tentacles would latch on. It were in several pieces by now, with a gooey, venomous ooze keeping it's parts together as they stretched out and bounced back like glue. Every time it opened, it would try to lounge more toxic goo towards the lemon as it crawled around up there and attempted to use agility to avoid more blows, but it weren't a winning fight as it stood right now. A good blow more to the fruit itself and it might be all over.

Or you know, it would melt into something disturbing. it depended on the limits of its potential mutations. Knowing who made it, there were likely some more gross stuff coming.

It was at that point that Lucid stomped down and changed some things around in the joint, which took Anomaly's attention away to have a glance at things.

"Hmm... The The fish are kinda tacky, but you can never go wrong with monkey mutants... The decaff one though? Kinda fun, but you need to go all out. Like this."

She snapped her tail, and suddenly the decaff - including the spat out stuff - rose up and went to force itself into the pony's muzzle to be drunk.

"Rookie mistake, hehe. And y'know, the rest is fine. Monkeys, right?"

Snapping her tail, Anomaly turned the counter into a caramel slime, which kept the form more or less, but slung out gooey vines to wrap up ponies and force them into its delicious form, and it wouldn't let go before whoever it had grabbed tasted it. Harmless fun unless you were diabetic, and really, if you were that, then why be in a bakery like this? That'd just be silly.

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom

The lemon put on a suit and walked off to probably open a library or something.

"Well, there he goes. Off to a successful life."

"I raised it well."

The decaf pony ran off he was not gonna stay in this evil bakery.

"I guess the mango wins then?"

[Sekel 685]

@Blitz Boom, @FanOfManyShows

KARMIC FATE

"This is going so well," Karmic said sarcastically, burying herself against Enzo's neck to try to be as small as possible so she wouldn't be noticed. "Maybe those soldiers should take a chill pill and relax. All that stress is going to blow their hearts sooner or later," she muttered before her eyes widened. "Is that a dragon!?"

@Blitz Boom

AURORA LIGHTS

"A road trip? That doesn't sound so bad. It's what I've been doing for the past few months anyway, just going around Equestria," Aurora said happily.

@Blitz Boom

TWILIGHT SPARKLE

Twilight went to the desk she had in the library and summoned out a couple of scrolls, inkwells, and a pair of quills. She gathered the items in her magic and trotted back over to Nerzhei.

"Do you know how to use a quill, Nerzhei, or are you used to other writing implements?" Twilight grinned, placing the items between them both. "Because we have a lot of translating to get to and a lot of writing."

@FanOfManyShows

WATTS MECHANO

"Yes, while abnormal, it's still a part of you. I don't really mind the fact that it's a stump and not a horn," Watts told him before laughing. "This gives me an idea! I can use you as a subject!"

[Widdershins 9,955]

@Dji 

 After having shunted off his rider, Kaltrop remained hovering, fruitlessly commenting as Dawn made her own attempts to turn herself about midair to now avail. His unfinished sentences punctuating between flaps of his large wings.

 "Use your-...

  Use your stupid w-...

 Fine."

 With a spinning dart of a dive usually reserved for snatching small birds for a meal out of the air, Kaltrop quickly covers the distance between the two to grab Dawn by the far end of her plummeting, catching her back in his claws & spinning under her to somersault rightside up again only to cover the several yard distance to the nearest rooftop and landing there with a thrown, two foot skidding stop to Dawn on the hay-thatched rooftop, the drake awkwardly alighting on the roof's peaked center some few feet farther.

 Sweating as much as a drake can & awkwardly trying to stand on a rooftop not exactly sized for anything longer/bigger than your more flat-footed pony, Kaltrop mumbles.

  "If you don't like the air, don't do things that get you sent there..."

 

   @Catpone Cerberus

Me? I am a great many things.

 The floating llama-esque head continues, rather emphatically. It's mouth not so much opening to speak as its lipline from its bifurcated, pursed mouth twisting to pose in whatever expression it deems to fit its words & expression.

  I have been called a god, a destroyer of worlds, an immense wurm of disproportionate moral... Dodger of Court Fines...

The head begins a very slow counterclockwise (naturally) spin around its center in the portal. Somewhat akin to a broken record. Ironically enough.

 ..Though most use the appellations of Dork, Urgh, and "Ohnothimagain." ...Yet to translate that last phrase though.

Having now completed slightly over a one-third-turn now in the portal, the rightward one of the draconequus's enormously large ears, previously having been stuck folded back through the edge of the portal, practically unfurls itself to flop down and easily cover the five foot distance to the ground. The left, gigantically floppy bunny ear appears to be attempting the same. It seems as if Widdershins isn't so much as travelling through said portal, but stuck halfway through while reacting to different gravity on either side of it.

But you can call me Widdershins! Do believe that's the name I'm going by in this continuity. 

…

  ...Gosh, this is uncomfortable.

 Widdershins's long mouth shortens on his somehow equally shorter, yet longer, snout in a wincing expression having now reached a point pretty much upside-down of the position where he had originally appeared.

...If you could, uh, help a Draggonaquiz out? Was trying to unclog the toilet with my face. Rose Luck is gonna so be totes mad again! Heh!

… Y'know, if I had a spine, this'd probably hurt even more!

[Catpone Cerberus 23,426]

@Blitz Boom
Ruby didn't really have anything else to add to the topic, she wanted to point out that her whole point about her greed was that it was not a matter of choice, and that maybe her picture on 'treating oneself to a good time' was to lay in vast piles of riches, but she decided against it because even she didn't want to get stuck on every meaningless detail.
"Though I have no complains about the taste and quality of the meat, you can hardly call so little a meal" she commented when she too got up and readied herself to leave "And I don't have any place I see a need to visit, there is the illusion thing on my necklace that you suggested of course, but I'd say better time for that would be when we have more time." "And when it comes to your latter suggestion, I have to admit I am not sure of your implication, as it does sound like you are suggesting to go for a hunt, which I don't oppose, but since it's coming out of a peak, I'm not entirely sure"

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Nada followed Fah'lina with her eyes as she flew around her head, and tilted her head as she tried to figure out what Fah'lina was trying to say, and though she didn't get the whole message, she understood enough to get the general idea, but just to make sure, she said it out loud to check if she got it right "So you want us to go down stream to eat?". If she was to get a affirmative answer, she would then start making her way to indicated direction, staying as close to the mimic as possible.

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@Widdershins
Cerberus just looked at the creature curiously as it spoke, and besides a general caution he didn't seem to be scared or otherwise concerned, but the cats that had came closer with him were another story, as they were clearly threatened by this unknown entity and possibly by the feel of magic coming from the portal. When the new acquaintance started spinning, Cerberus leaned his head to keep it on the same angle to best of his ability, and when his neck stopped him from tilting any more, he flopped to his side and ultimately ended up on his back when Widdershins reached the upside-down point.

His eyes widened a little from surprise when the ears came to view.

As this happened, he replied to what the talking head said "Widdershins, It's nice to meet you, I'm Cerberus, but I don't really care what you call me."

When Widdershins asked for help, Cerberus got back on his feet, he was bit confused by the toilet part of his comment, but considering that this thing was coming through a portal, it wasn't really the weirdest thing in the situation. He took hold of Widdershins's head, but before he did anything "What kind of help are you actually asking for?" "Do I push? pull? twist?"