open Casual stroll

[EQ_Theta 449]

@Blitz Boom

"I feel the stinging alright. And my leg is a little tender after having to use it so soon after treatment. Mostly, I am feeling alright. Maybe a good night's rest is in order. Sen? Do you want a go?"

It was strange. Besides the stinging sensation, Lin didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary for her. She flinched when the needle pierced her hide but after that, it was as if everything was just normal, if uneventful. The sensation can be compared to running through thick brambles, some of which stuck to their skin; minor sensations but only noticeable once they had to come off. Those really bothered her as a child but as she grew up, it wasn't anything to talk about. Everyone knew it like she did and nobody would think about it. Having to experience it again was bizarre since it was a whole new scenario. 

As for Sen, he didn't see why he shouldn't try this process out for himself. Lin was fine, more or less, and he didn't stand to lose anything. He approached Hizhel and sat down before him, ready to undergo this procedure.

"I'd like to also have one of these examinations. And if I may ask, does healing magic have limitations? Like casting a spell can heal scars but can't heal side effects of having infected wounds?"

As uncharacteristic it was for Sen to ask about anything magic-related, he was secretly curious about this aspect. He had some form of healing magic granted to him but he never really had a chance to ask about the extent of it. It wasn't something he would openly ask about but nonetheless needed to get it out sooner or later. Even Lin was surprised by this, given his attitude to magic was for the longest time a negative one. Only recently did he show any sign of lightening up on this stance. A pleasant one, perhaps, and she was happy he got this chance. 

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@Blitz Boom

"Hmm... I suppose the spa ponies could give you a tour of the place. Aloe and Lotus are the most well-known proprietors of the spa and they are very knowledgeable about the services they offer. We could speak to them if you want to know more. And if you want, the animal sanctuary is always open to visitors. Well, within reasonable visitation hours, but the animals seem to like having you around. Usually only Doctor Fauna and I go there during odd hours but they don't seem to mind; I'm sure they'll appreciate getting to spend more time with you."

Perhaps some time has passed between leaving the castle and having this tour around town. Fluttershy was now curious about what Nerzhei might think of this. On one hoof, it sounded like a good idea to let the dragon stroll around town and maybe relax a bit. On the other, it might make her think the pegasus is deliberately trying to avoid having to continue working on her assertiveness and confidence issues. But wouldn't it send the right message the dragon to learn that the timid pegasus is taking charge on the matter? Maybe but not everyone sees eye to eye on this. It really depends on what Nerzhei sees or chooses to see and how she understands it. But there was no point in letting the what ifs stew in her head; Fluttershy had let her know about what she and Lyriel have been thinking. 

"So, shall we head on back to the castle? Let's let Nerzhei know about what we have in store for her tomorrow!"

[Early Sunsets 2,106]

@Blitz Boom @Moonlit

"Draconequui?" Zephyr scratched the back of his head. "I'm not going to get turned into a muffin, am I?"

Sun Fire shook her head. "If they're associated with the Princess I'm sure we'll be fine. I trust she wouldn't allow them to do as they want if they were hostile. I think so, anyway," she said nervously. She glanced at the garden again. It certainly didn't look dangerous, but the unnaturalness of it creeped her out a bit. "I guess the name Discord fits him quite well if this was his doing," she thought.

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom @Zephyr / Karou Serenade keeps sniffing "I can smell him"  Her eyes turn green and she bears her teeth, fangs included. Her wings and tail twitch. She keeps moving her head back and forth, and she's stomping her hooves.

[Blitz Boom 4,581]

@Lucid_Nightlight

"Well, the mango got the fight, but the lemon went on to get itself a life... I think they both won?"

She snapped her tail and the mango turned to dust, before going once more and patching up the holes that had been left from the acid it had spend time spitting around.

Heh, silly pony running off. The coffee's not gonna stop following him. See?"

Anomaly pointed at the liquid which followed the decaff pony without delay. Silly thing probably thought that he could just escape the weirdness. Hah! They were draconequui (and Lucid). There were no escape from their meddling.

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@Dji @FanOfManyShows

Enzo glanced up towards the dragon on the balcony, who were only a little larger than a regular sized pony, and wore armor carrying marks of both the Night and Solar guards.

"Little dragon who acts like a pony. Hardly a threat."

He still weren't happy seeing a dragon, considered his history with their kind, but this tiny morsel were hardly part of those who deserved his ire. He looked far too young, and those the sphinx had known were not fans of ponies. They would never wear the equine guards colors like this.

"When you're done with this matter, Dew, you will come to us without delay. My patience for your time will not remain forever."

With that, Enzo turned and slowly - to make sure he didn't hit anyone - made his way over to a more quiet part of the garden, where he could set both bag and Aurora down, then unravel the bag and start putting the books within into some piles to make them easier to sort through by whatever fool were to assist with this.

"Why do you find the presence of dragons shocking, little pony? Are they they not common among your kind, or do you harbor ill will towards their kind?"

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@Dji

"Heh, gonna end with that if they don't fly out 'round his parts of the country. Ain't gonna disappoint my queen by letting her message go unsent, though wandering into that hive with the rep she have? *whistles* That's gonna be a tricky deal to get sorted. Sounds like you'd be up for it if it went to that though, eh?"

Happy joked about it, but really, other changelings weren't too thrilled with Onache at the best of times before, and now, reaching out to one of those that she were likely to have been pretty harsh on? Were gonna test how much Thorax had been able to let go, along with his subjects, since he'd probably not risk a revolt by trying to connect with a queen that his own drones weren't to thrilled about.

Still, could be kinda fun to see some of his old hivemates that had migrated over from what he understood. Might be they'd be less on his case when they weren't hungry and jealous of the attention he got from their queen.

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@Dji

"I'm a scholar. I hardly see how I couldn't know how to use one."

Opening her bag, she pulled out a small, elongated wooden box, and opened it to reveal a crude stone quilt filled with squid ink, and two eagle feathers. She picked up the one who had clearly already been used, and put it down on one side of the desk, along with the ink, though she didn't pull any paper up from her bag. It hadn't been something she carried around with her often, and she imagined that what she had were now destroyed after the sphinx had her angry phase earlier, so it were lost. Along with several translated pages of this book, though at least she could remember those and were able to write them down again if needed be. It would be far worse if the book itself had been ruined.

"I usually harvest my own materials, but if this isn't befitting the paper you have, I'll work with what you have.

That being said, how do you wish to proceed on this? The words are intermingled, so perhaps we each have a piece of paper, discuss the meaning of certain words and write what it might mean from our respective sides, then write it down on a third piece when we are in agreement on the correct translation?"

There'd likely be other ways too, but Nerzhei weren't used to working with others besides Lotus, and the bunny usually did what she were doing now when it came to this, by jumping into the bag and taking herself a nap.

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@Catpone Cerberus

"I wouldn't trust this town to hold one great enough with the sort of enchantments I think you would wish for in regards to your necklace. Worry not though, I will ask around when we reach the auction, and see if I can find a name of one who is prone to doing such things effectively, as well as discreetly. Wouldn't want to have anyone tell on you now, would we?"

Marley gave her a knowing look, as he were certain that anyone who would just be doing their job would be threatened into silence by the hidden dragon to keep her secret, which might end badly. Using one who were used to dealing with shady types and criminals who should not be crossed, would ensure one who knew how to keep their muzzles shut, as they wouldn't want to be known as a snitch. Those had a tendency to disappear under mysterious circumstances.

"As for the my intentions, it is merely to ensure that you are well fed, as it hardly seems fitting to treat one for dinner but then leave them hungry. If your stomach are not sated, and a hunt is then needed, the very least I could do would be to direct you towards a fitting area and ensure that you can do as you wish to undisturbed, yes?"

He were but a gentlebird, wanting to do right by those around him. Unless they got on his nerves, or threatened his friends or employer. At that point, one would find a less than gentle side of the muscular griffon. He'd hardly be worth his salt as a bodyguard if words were the only thing he could sling out after all, no?

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@Catpone Cerberus

Fah'lina started clapping her paws and nodding in response to Nada's question, happy that the siren got what she were on about, before flying up the river at a speed that'd allow Nada to keep pace, though she would test how quick the siren could swim a few times just to see if she could speed up.

Eventually they'd reach a point where the river expanded into a minor lake, from where a large hole had gotten bashed into the ground a long time ago. The river continued after that, but this here were a nice enough place in the mimic's opinion. Rich on varied fish that swam in the stream or lingered/rested here for a time, surrounded by rocky formations that kept it somewhat tougher to get to for land dwellers, and there were some underwater crevices to hide in, just in case some troublesome folks came around.

The part with all the fish though, were what Fah'lina were mostly focused on, and she pointed down into the water at the swimming dinner arrangement who'd try to scurry away from the siren on sight. The mimic weren't something they really registered as much of a threat that easy, but the siren were large, so it triggered their instincts easier. Nothing a good fish pony couldn't handle though.

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@EQ_Theta

On 2/15/2019 at 3:58 PM, EQ_Theta said:

"I'd like to also have one of these examinations. And if I may ask, does healing magic have limitations? Like casting a spell can heal scars but can't heal side effects of having infected wounds?"

"Everything have some limitations. Healing wounds are the basics, but dealing with side effects of infections, such as necrosis or discoloration, requires an advanced understanding of the craft. Magical wounds are another matter entirely, which usually requires a specialist that are well versed in draining the magical residue whilst healing at the same time. Changeling doctors are surprisingly efficient at this, but I know of a few kitsune who could give them a run for their money, depending on the magic used.

Then of course, there's the highly advanced arts of reattaching limbs. Not say, a finger or an ear, which any healer worth their salt can do. More along the lines of attaching an entire limb, or in extreme cases, using a suitable donor limb to replace what were taken. Few are good at that, as it requires a being well versed in balancing both healing and necromancy in a harmonious way, which are not easy with opposing magic like that. I couldn't think of one specific that could do so, including myself, but I've read in some books before that the far away country of Harrowmark once prided itself in being able to harness light atop ground infested by dark magic. If there's any credence to that, they'd likely be the best place to look for information about this sort of thing.

It will be risky business even if you knew what to do though. Necromancy are forbidden magic for a reason, as it corrupts and decays by its very nature. Good could come from knowing what were needed to reach the peak of the healing arts, but it is far too easy to fall into temptation or get consumed by the darkness, so at least here in Neighpon, both the ponies and us agrees that no practice into necromancy are to be tolerated.

Not that there's much of a need for us, as there's being made some strides in realistic-looking, magical prosthetics that are perhaps not as good as a regular limb, but can be made to feel realistic enough. A far better solution than meddle with things that tend to only spell ruin."

While talking, the kitsune were putting Sen through the same process as Lin had been through, from the magical needle poking through to the wisp searching through his being, though this time, it went faster, as there were quite the similarities between himself and Lin, which meant there were technically lesser to write. Though even with that in mind, she still managed to fill around the same amount of pages of a new notebook that she had on Lin. Writing differences tended to fill out pages too.

"You had a small fracture on your hip that I patched up, but other than that, you seem healthy.

Ah, and as for what you mentioned miss, you just need to be out and about some more, so to speak. We can mend up a leg without much issue, but your muscles will need to get to work again since they tend to end up slumbering some after the process. It's not ideal, but the olden days alternative tends to include an incredible amount of pain, so it's seen as the lesser evil. I'd suggest some stretching motions too, just don't overdo it, or start to run around. Let things ease in by itself. I'd tell you to say that to this one too, but I know he's awake and listening. You have to pretend better to cheat ears like these, thestral."

"I'm just *urgh* listening in."

Rosa's eyes opened slowly, though as he spoke, it should already be apparent tell that he felt tired, drained, and as sore as if he'd flown straight into a house. The gaze he sent into the ceiling didn't hide it either.

"Sure you are, and I'm a diamond dog, heh. Joking aside though, before your friends squeeze all the life out of you, we had to rip your outfit off to get to your wounds, but the blood pretty much ruined ruined the cloth anyway. Your head piece is intact though."

"I can... Replace the rest. So *groan* what happened? Is the... Statue okay?"

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@EQ_Theta

"Following them and seeing what they may have sounds good, thank you. I will speak with Lotus at the next possible time to figure out if she would be comfortable spending time without her draconic friend for a while. Her opinion should be weighed in.

But for now, yes, let us return to our friends. They may miss us. Hmhm, or perhaps they've found a tome, and are fighting over who gets to read first?"

Lyriel let out a short, pearly giggle at the thought of the pony and dragon pulling on each end of a large tome, both going *Mine!*. It were highly unlikely of course, yet as the imagery had entered her mind, she could not help but laugh at how it seemed to fit the two. In an exaggerated matter of course.

That fun little moment aside, she would follow Fluittershy back towards the castle, and feast upon what she had been given slowly. Lyriel were not one to gorge on things, so there were a good chance that both of these things may hang off from her for around an hour, if not more, depending on what her attention would be directed towards. Potentially less if say, a hummingbird came flying around who wished to have a small drink, which she would not deny it.

A lot had happened in the short span of time they had been out that would occupy her mind for a time when night fell and she were to return to the forest, yet Lyriel found that it were a blessing to have found a pony like Fluttershy, who had been willing to show her all of these things, and explain to her what they meant. Lyriel wanted desperately to be welcomed among the ponies, so that she may find some connections besides those of the animals, much like she had with her old brethren. The sphinx had seemingly managed to cast the spell over the forest which she claimed would cleanse her brethren of their corruption if they ever were to enter the Everfree Forest, but she held no hope that she could ever get them here, and as such, she would have to find new friends, and if the Earth Mother were willing, a new family. From what she could see, this place brought in many, varied beings at least, so who knew? Perhaps one day, another of her kind would wander in, seeking an enclave.

Ah, but that were thoughts for another day. For the time being, there were enough to juggle with for her for a time, yet there were one thing that she needed to do first, after she had wandered and thought for a few minutes.

"Fluttershy? I would like to thank you. I had long wished to see this town for myself, but knew not how to approach it, or even when. Then you came forth, and welcomed me to not only join in the sights, but also be told of and experience the lives that your kind have here. Perhaps it means little to others, but to me, it is a kindness that speaks well of your warm heart, and I cannot thank you enough for giving me your trust. I hope that one day, I may be able to repay you for the wonderful gift you have bestowed upon me, and that you will allow me to think of you as a friend."

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@Moonlit @Zephyr / Karou

"If you were, I would think it to be a temporary thing at worst, as Discord have sided with the forces of Equestria. Whatever pranks may happen will likely be harmless or reverted quickly, as to not catch ire from his companions.

As for the female draconequus though... Well, I will say that I don't think she would turn you into a doughnut, however I cannot assure you she won't do other things, and perhaps make you something more nature-specific. Such as an evergrown.

To explain it briefly, I have only met her once, at the outskirts of town before reconstruction could begin, and at the time I learned that she is both a draconequus who take high interest in mutations and plant life, as well as her being a more neutral force than anything, only doing things for her own amusement. She also uhm... *clears throat* Created my kind by mutating regular beings around six centuries ago."

The last part were spat out quickly after his pause, as he thought of whatever or not this should be mentioned. However, hard as it were to accept this fact, it were undeniable, and he had to both live with that, and share the word to those who would listen.

"I know not her reasons, if ever there were any, but I have sensed the seed that she planted to grow the first of the sacred trees. The essence of nature and chaos were impossible to mistake for anything else, and had I not begged her to stop, she would have planted it in town to prove that it were indeed her doing that created my kind.

I am aware that it is a difficult one to believe. I did not wish to either, and I think many more of my kind will be reluctant to trust this, but the truth remains what it is, and it is something that serves no purpose being hidden away. As for how it relates to this, it is simply that if this garden is her creation, rather than Discord's, I cannot say what will happen if you step off the path and thread upon the grass, but I beg of you to not test it, lest the mood have struck for her to set a trap for her own amusement."

Some way from them, Cherish jumped back from seeing Serenade growl. Not that she were visible so that they could see it, but regardless, the sudden change in Serenade had stricken Cherish with surprise and honestly worry, as for whom it were she referred to.

"W-Who are you talking about? The p-ponies over there? Have they d-done something to you before?"

The growling, stomping, head swaying back and forth. And those fangs! Dear Celestia, what had befallen Serenade to make her react this way? And by whom? Had to be one of the ponies up there, but which one? The cape-wearer with the weird tail, or the other one, who didn't have that many things that made him stand out she could easily put a finger on. Not currently at least.

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom @Zephyr / Karou "Not the ponies...HIM". Sereande sniffs the air again, "The unhinged one...Discord". Serenade's eyes continue to glow green, "Changlings and Sirens used to fight over our food supply...Changlings feed on positive emotions, Sirens can do both..but Discord...." She growls again, "His reign nearly wiped out our races."

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom

"Maybe he will become a cowboy and he will have decaf chasing him for a while until there is a final fight and he kills the decaf."

"That would be so cool!"

Lucid looked at Pringle.

"Cowboys don't say argh and make ponies walk the plank, silly! Ninjas do that."

"Argh! I'm a ninja!"

[Early Sunsets 2,106]

@Blitz Boom @Moonlit

"That's good to hear. I don't want to be a muffin for the rest of my life," Zephyr said.

Sun Fire looked at Briar, shocked. "A draconequus can do that? I knew they were powerful, but I didn't know they could create an entirely new race. We're lucky they're not hostile, then," she said nervously. She glanced at the unusual tree, still unable to get over the wrongness the garden made her feel. It wasn't that it felt dangerous; it just felt like nothing in the garden felt like it should even exist, let alone sit in a small town in the middle of Equestria.

[EQ_Theta 449]

@Blitz Boom

"I suppose so. It's all so new and different, learning about this. All I grew up with are herbal remedies, medicinal plants that have a lot of uses from making bandages to consumable drinks. Never once did I ever consider the possibility of seeing healing magic close up until recently."

"Or just being able to see this new perspective on medicine in general. Thanks for patching up that fracture. Didn't think that was there until you pointed it out."

As this was going on, the poking needle that Lin commented on earlier came into view, piercing Sen's skin and he could now see the innate magical gift granted to him at work. His skin weaved around the needle, sealing the exposed opening as quickly as it came to be. It was never quite as hyperactive as it is at the moment but the sight was rather uncomfortable to see, let alone feel. It was like a claw grabbing a barbed stick; one can feel the sharpened edges digging into the skin. Difficult to keep out of mind when the sensations of the barb moving beneath the surface was apparent in even the most subtle of motions. No doubt it was a relief when the needle was removed. And even better was Rosa waking up.

"Rosa! There's plenty of good news!" Lin exclaimed as she moved over to his bedside, grabbing her saddlebag off of her brother on the way there.

"The statue's been delivered and the trial is happening tomorrow. Scarcity thought you might be interested in these documents. Seems like she dug up some of Filigree's past and these birth certificates are part of it. Might this be more proof about your brother's identity? It is likely we might be see him tomorrow; you can meet and chat him up. I suppose he might have some questions about all of this when he finds out." 

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@Blitz Boom

"I'm sure Twilight will be gushing in excitement over wanting to share her insights. She's very excitable when she's got a good book and wouldn't stop talking about it."

Just that thought was enough to get Fluttershy giggling. Rainbow Dash and Twilight certainly exude that kind of image when they get their hooves on a new Daring Do book. Before they know it, they'll bar themselves into the castle library and talk all day about what they just read, bringing back the old books and mentioning any and all call-backs to the previous stories or planning a visit to the next Daring Do convention. Twilight's duties oftentimes keep her from going but Dash would bring back some merchandise, including signed posters. It certainly helps that she knows the author behind the books, even went on adventures with her. Very few can brag about that without being called a liar, and even fewer could bring up being on the cover of a book, approved by the one and only A.K. Yearling. 

What followed is Lyriel's heartfelt thanks, a positive wave of emotions surged over the pegasus. Genuine and heartwarming to hear, a confirmation that even without being defined by being chosen to wield the element of kindness, her heart was an exemplar of that virtue. Fluttershy leaned close and hugged Lyriel before beginning their walk back to the castle.

"We are friends now, Lyriel. You don't owe me anything. I like to think about the best in everypony and every creature I meet and seeing your interactions with nature and animals makes me think we'll get along very well." 

[Catpone Cerberus 23,540]

@Blitz Boom
Ruby took Marley's word on the topic of the necklace, as she was not only unfamiliar with the needed magic, but also with ponies in general when it came to knowing who to trust, so she just nodded at his his 'question'. "Well, like I said, I have nothing against a little hunt, so lead the way my little birdy, I'll be more than happy to show you my magnificence in its full glory." the later part of the sentence had a humorous undertone, like she was making fun of the fact that she had a very high opinion about herself and she knew it.

-------------------------------------
Nada wasn't swimming to her full potential, so she was able to speed up quite a bit from her original speed, it was one of the perks of being smaller than sirens usually, as the small size made swimming quite a lot easier and faster. She stayed in place underwater for a moment when they had arrived to the lake, scanning the area with her senses to get a picture of the surrounding area and the fish that was available, and when she was done, after few laps around the lake, she proceeded to catch some fish without any particular problems, sure few got away before she caught them, but that was the life of a hunter, sometimes the prey got away.

 

[OptimisticNeighsayer 471]

On 1/15/2019 at 1:26 PM, Blitz Boom said:

@OptimisticNeighsayer

As the music began, Vivid had closed her eyes and stood still, soaking in the tunes as they slowly rolled in, calm as a trip to the beach. It were a soothing begining yet her favorite part were not that, but rather what were the come.

When the music took on in force and intensity, to a point where it felt as if the ground shook beneath her hooves, a smile spread on her face. Memories of her sitting quietly near a party hall and listening to this very song play through the walls came to mind. Memories from a happier, more innocent time, even if she weren't allowed to go inside the building. It had all been so simple back then, without the hardships that came later in life, and through the years she had to seek harder and harder to remember this kind of good memory. It hadn't been perfect obviously, but compared to being chased out of town by a fraudulent shaman, the years on the road and then her eventual deal with the demons? It were pretty good, and throughout the years she had spent locked in crystal, this had been the setting she had stayed in, within her dreams.

Eventually, the music would end, yet Vivid still stood with closed eyes and just basked in the moment a little more, reluctant to let go of this pleasant blast from her past. When she did open them again, she still felt happier than usual though, and somewhat removed from the worries and stress of the last few days for the time being. She assumed this was what ponies felt when they went to a spa these days. An experience she wished she could have, yet due to her condition, that were currently not an option, much to Cadence's dismay. The princess had hopes that something like that would ease Vivid's mind a little.

"It have been nearly four thousand years since last I heard that melody, yet it still ignites a spark of joy in my chest. Especially when done this well. You have my gratitude for playing that."

Vivid were usually not one with a friendly look over her. The narrow eyes, the runes, flaming ears, alluring, shoulder-devil voice and general outfit, weren't something that tended to make her look as if she were anything less than bad news, wrapped in a passable pony disguise meant to lure the foolish into trouble. Now however... Well, she looked the same, but there was a certain spark in her eyes, and joyfulness that mixed in her facial features and voice that were at least making her feel more pleasant.

"You have fulfilled your end of our bargain, and I always honor my deals. So tell me then, are you ready to have this moved to your home, or whatever building you may have room for this in?"

"Th-thank you," Ivory replied. He knew that he had made a few errors in the playing, particularly on a technically difficult passage in the middle where he ended up playing augmented chords in the left hoof while the back hooves and right hoof played diminished sevenths. But Vivid apparently didn't notice, or wasn't too picky on interpretations. What mattered was the light in her eyes and the smile on her face, a sudden and joyfully-offputting change that gave himself a big, if awkward, grin as well.

"Well..." he continued in response to her question. "I didn't intend to actually have this thing moved anywhere. This place is still Royal property, and I heard rumors that Celestia is going to make the Castle a historical site--you seem to know them well, is that true? The console's well bolted to the floor and we could risk ripping up the walls if we try to touch the pipes. My house--and shop--barely has room for this thing in any case."

On 1/15/2019 at 1:26 PM, Blitz Boom said:

@OptimisticNeighsayer

Cover-up cautiously took a sip of the offered liquid. It was pretty much as Starlight said, and he could certainly see why it was something you'd offer others. The blend of bitter and sweet were interesting, and from what he had seen of Equestrians, they sure loved their sweets. However, he personally just thought it passable, and that was mainly for it still being bitter. He hadn't grown up with sweets like other ponies in this country had, and his snacks were more earthy, bitter, and occasionally salty in it. Sweets for him had been a small bag of nuts and roasted roots, along with a cup of dreadberry tea, and those kinds of tastes were still his favorite.

That being said, he would get through this a little by little, and enjoy it as much as he could, as being offered something and then just rejecting it seemed like it could be seen the wrong way, and he didn't want to step on anyponys hooves.

"Well, I've lived in Equestria since I was two, but my family and everypony else I knew were settlers from Harrowmark."

If Starlight had ever heard of that country, it would provide an additional layer of challenge, as though the country were small, the concentration of magic users were quite noticeable, and most stories would revolve around how they were either mistrustful of outsiders because they might be minions of the wilderness witches, or of the mentioned magic users themselves. Magic - and especially the dark kind - ran thickly through the ground there, giving raise to a sort of back and forth between the wilderness witches, who were generally evil, and the harvest mages, who tended to be protectors of their towns. It were a twisted kind of balance between them and the farmers that rarely included unicorns, and which seemed crazy to most who just looked at it from a distance. Some scholars had managed to make some fascinating books about it though, yet as the country were small and far from Equestria, who could tell who'd know of the place.

"Mother told me that they settled in Equestria because they wanted to escape the curses from a vindictive witch, so they raised a town deep in the wilderness far to the north, and that's pretty much it. We kept to ourselves, and there weren't really any tourists. The mayor said something about the princess once sending an envoy to see what were going on, but I dunno what happened. He didn't want to talk about it.

A-Anyway, Ormenthal were just fine until... E-Everything just... *whimper*"

Cover-up felt his pulse raise and had to stop himself for a little while to gather himself again.

"...Sorry, It's just that I don't know what happened. One minute I'm going inside to set a painting up on the wall, the next there's a lot of noise, and I have a building collapse on me. I didn't even have time to register what was going on before I woke up in the hospital. They said... O-Ormenthal is gone. Reduced tor rubble, and they couldn't find anypony. Just traces of dark magic everywhere."

He started shaking and had to put the cup down, or it would have ended up falling out of his hoof.

"I didn't know what to do. I was alone, everypony I knew were gone, and I was barely stitched together. So I just left when I was healthy enough to walk, and started drifting aimlessly. I came to Ponyville because of uhm... P-Personal reasons, and thought that perhaps if I could be more like you Equestrians, it would make it easier out here. And since you're friendly, I saw this was a friendship school and uhm... H-Here I am.

And uhm... I-If the tattoos are a problem, I can draw some new ones on me instead. I just really need to have some on me. Collapsing buildings leaves their marks..."

Hopefully she'd get that he were talking about scars, as he'd prefer not to show them if he could avoid it. They were pretty personal, and as his tattoos would prove, covered most of his body. Thank the grave warden that he had his ability so that he could at least pretend like they weren't there.

Starlight politely nodded every time Cover-up took a pause in his story. She then took a sip of her own cocoa and reclined back in her chair. "Hmm... Harrowmark... Ormenthal. I unfortunately have not heard of those places, though I grew up in Sire's Hollow, and, well... started my own town in the Northern Mountains before I got kicked out." She then took a great swig of her cocoa, as if to forget about her own dark past. "Maybe Headmare Twilight knows something about them. And she probably does," she said with a chuckling smile. "And no, your tattoos are fine, I understand," she replied. "Nopony likes looking ugly. Now, do you have a place to stay already? If not, I think--but I'll have to check again--we have some extra dorms that you can stay in. Technically I can't assign you a room until you are formally registered but I'm sure Twilight would understand your situation." She was a little surprised that she had to ask that--everything about his background and personality made him seem that he didn't already have a place.

OOC: I apologize for nearly forgetting this, @Blitz Boom. 

Edited February 18, 2019 by OptimisticNeighsayer

[Rising Dusk 27,199]

@Blitz Boom

Rising Dusk left Scarlet in an understandably grumpy state.  She needed to learn though that all cases were pretty and emotions needed to be kept in check.  There will be times she witnesses something terrible and that there are times to handle the backlash of them.  An officer can't let a criminal get to them as they poke and prod trying to find weaknesses to use against them.  At least Bash was being left behind to keep the two mares in check should Scarlet become to curious and not just keeping Lily behind a closed door.  Soon Tussle should also be returning from her mission of getting letters sent off to various authorities for aid.  A little Alicorn back up or advice would be nice, but doubtful.  Some Royal Guards could be helpful, but time is a bit short for them to assemble anything worthwhile.

It was time for the detective to learn something new though.  Rather surprised it took this long to find out he'd been referring to the workshop by the incorrect name.  He'd only mentioned it a hoof full of times.  So, Workshop 05 was actually his place of work before coming to Manehatten, mostly likely at Center Zero.  Would that make this one Workshop 06 then?  Or perhaps there was more to the name of these workshops than just the order one lives in them.  "I stand corrected," he affirmed with the large spider.

They're trip back to the workshop in question though was met with yet another obstacle.  Rising Dusk knew the voices before the door open.  Quickly using his magic to pull the swinging doors closed quicker to prevent Lily from hearing the noise at the front door to the O.M.I.  It was rather impressive so see the smaller pegasus able to push through the door with a larger earth pony wrapped around her torso to try and stop her.  He didn't need to do much detective work to figure Null wasn't as pleased as Void had hoped about the idea of Rising Dusk putting into her head that Null could fly again.  Not too surprised they could even open the door considering their nullification field didn't treat wards too kindly.  He'll need to bring up in the next meeting that they need to be more mindful of locking the door and not relying so much on the wards for lock downs.

Not skipping a beat, he addressed the sisters now baring his exit.  "Ladies, good timing," he smiled.  "This is my friend Felicia.  A sentient mechanical spider created by Molotov Boom," he introduced.  Depending on how much Void managed to tell Null, maybe showing the kind of work Molotov was capable of could help convince her his claims weren't so far fetched.  "She's pretty awesome," he channeled Scarlet for a moment.  "If you'd care to join us, I'm sure we can discuss your grievances," he offered, trying to squeeze by the small pegasus and get them to go with him to Molotov's.  "We're actually on our way to go see him now."

[Blitz Boom 4,581]

@OptimisticNeighsayer

Vivid weren't deaf to the musical number not being perfect, but it were a four thousand year old piece that apparently had gotten several interpretations since then. That this pony made a few errors on something that to most likely seemed ancient, would be to nitpick, as it were honestly amazing that he even knew it in the first place. Besides, had she not enjoyed it anyway? The smile on her face as the number had played, and the sense of calm that she found rare in her life recently would say yes.

She found another smirk on her face as he began speaking, and mentioned his nervousness over moving this, and the legality of it all. It were amusing how little faith he had in her abilities, which were something that honestly tended to bug her, yet this pony didn't swing that in along with incredible distaste for her as a being. It changed things when you weren't viewed as some sort of freak or lesser being.

"I could move every pipe of this thing, and leave something else in its place, to ensure the walls wouldn't fall. But if what you're saying are true, and they intend to freshen this place up and present it as a historical site, perhaps you are right in it being best to leave it here. I simply didn't want it to just stand unused and rust away.

As for my relationship with the royals, it varies who I have spoken with. Celestia have gazed upon me once, as I delivered her a message, and her sister and I have met at times, when she wandered into my endless dream. Yet since awakening, I haven't seen her. Not that I did much ever since the mare sealed the door to my dreams shut either, but that is a conversation I will have with her in due time.

The Princess Twilight is one whom I am eager to meet, but I am currently forbidden to, and the rules of Shining Armor and Princess Cadence are to be followed. It's in my contract."

Her horn glowed a deep purple, and a small bauble of dark magic emerged in the air in front of her, which solidified into a rolled up parchment that began folding out to show a several meter long contract, written in small, dark letters, and at the end, signed in blood by her current masters. However, the part she wished to highlight were about halfway in, where the a small line would spell out what she had been speaking off.

*Who is to be contacted at any given time, can be chosen, restricted, or outright banned by the signed entities without the requirement of a reason.*

If he kept reading on, it were line after line of rules restricting every possible outcome to be either outlawed - in the sense of violence without it being an emergency - or her every action being something they could decide, up to and including following other parts of the contract. A small section added in case they specifically wished for her to be a little more hooves on, but knew she'd be restricted by the rules set about her not harming others.

"You will find that this contract is binding on a metaphysical level. I am quite literally unable to act against it, even if I lost all control over myself."

Rambling on, she'd roll the contract up when she were sure it were no longer being looked upon, though at the earliest when she were done speaking. Hopefully showing this would not cast a bad light upon her or her masters, though if needed be, she would defend it, and them. It were herself that had written this thing with the intent of it being airtight after all.

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

 

@OptimisticNeighsayer

"Nono, I'm... I'm okay. I have a room at the inn. They're kind to me there, and I make enough bits painting and such to cover it."

Honestly, he didn't want to settle in a new place in town right now. This school seemed like it might be fine to learn from, but being here constantly? Cover-up had grown up in an isolationist society. He couldn't handle being around that many ponies constantly. Besides, as he had said, they treated him well over at the inn. And by that he meant basically leaving him alone, and when seen, not try to interact too much with him, as Bubble Tea had told the others that he would prefer to go to them if there were something, and otherwise not be bothered too much. He liked how the innkeeper had taken into consideration how little the colt were comfortable with social interactions.

"Uhm, the headmaster you mentioned, Twilight... I-Is that Princess Twilight? I dunno how well she'd take it to see somepony from Harrowmark. It's... Well, full of some pretty dark magic, and I heard someone talk about her being a hero. Won't she... N-No, sorry. I didn't mean to..."

Cover-up fell silent and averted his gaze, whilst taking another small sip of cocoa. To think that he had just implied that the princess might actually meet him with hostility, in her own school. What mustn't Starlight be thinking about him after that?

"...Sorry to hear you were kicked out of your town..."

This would either be the right thing to say, or make Starlight angry, and get himself booted out. He didn't know, but he had to say something, and this were the only thing he could think of in the moment.

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

 

@EQ_Theta

On 2/17/2019 at 8:26 AM, EQ_Theta said:

"I suppose so. It's all so new and different, learning about this. All I grew up with are herbal remedies, medicinal plants that have a lot of uses from making bandages to consumable drinks. Never once did I ever consider the possibility of seeing healing magic close up until recently."

"Or just being able to see this new perspective on medicine in general. Thanks for patching up that fracture. Didn't think that was there until you pointed it out."

"We use herbs and remedies too, but mostly for side effects, viruses, and small degrees of pain like headaches. They're quite effective in their own right.

And I'm honestly surprised you didn't manage to simply mend that wound yourself. Judging from the reaction your body had to my examination, it seems you're carrying a strong regenerative degree of magic. Have you not learned to harness it? I think I have a book about that sort of thing somewhere if you'd like? It pains me to see wasted potential like that."

Rosa in the meantime, listened in to what were being told, whilst the doctor curiously beckoned Omen over for an examination of her own. It seemed like the longma and the thestral had things to speak about regardless, so she might as well. Might be that Equestrian ponies had some differences to the Neighpoon equines they tended to have books on.

On 2/17/2019 at 8:26 AM, EQ_Theta said:

"The statue's been delivered and the trial is happening tomorrow. Scarcity thought you might be interested in these documents. Seems like she dug up some of Filigree's past and these birth certificates are part of it. Might this be more proof about your brother's identity? It is likely we might be see him tomorrow; you can meet and chat him up. I suppose he might have some questions about all of this when he finds out." 

"No, we have to... Find him before the trial. He needs... To know what's going on, before... Filigree tries to sway him."

Rosa slowly got up, winching in pain and groaning through the entire process, to a point where Hizhel made a few pills float out of her drawer and straight into his muzzle. Made him cough something awful, but right now she were his doctor, and she'd make sure he got the medication needed for now. Since it sounded like he were more pained after his process than first expected, she determined him to need pain killers. They should kick in in a few minutes.

"Tastes like... Sawdust. Can I see the certificates?"

(after he had a chance to glance over them, and finding himself disturbed, yet not surprised about how she had managed to get his own as well)

"A guard. It won't be... Easy to make him listen then. But... Thank you for bringing me this. It means... A lot."

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

 

@EQ_Theta

Lyriel tenderly returned the hug the best she could. Unlike Nerzhei, she enjoyed this aspect of ponies

"You are a kind soul to nature, and the animals within Fluttershy. I could think of no better pony to call my friend. You are everything the animals speak off and more, which is no small feat considering most holds your name in reverence. For a time, I actually thought you to be another deity of nature, before it was clarified for me that you were indeed a pony. The sparrows found much enjoyment over that."

No ill will towards the small birds, but they could give off surprisingly sarcastic comments off if you were able to understand their words, and at the time, Lyriel had found herself to have become quite blushed over the whole situation. They meant nothing harmful with it far as she knew, it were simply how they were, and after the fact she could look back on it and admit to find amusement in it as well. Not everyday you had the chance to make a creature at least fifty times your size squirm awkwardly over mistaking a pony for a god, or woodland spirit at the very least.

"I hope the castle have fared well since we were last there. I would ask what problems they could cause in an hour, yet they are both resourceful beings. I'm certain that if they set their mind to it, this could be quite the spectacle to return to."

It were said in jest of course, as she didn't think they would do anything, but she didn't lie when she said they were likely capable, so if they had a reason, they could likely have done something significant whilst they were gone. Non-violent stuff hopefully.

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

 

@Moonlit @Zephyr / Karou

"To my awareness, they are able to do many things, and Discord himself is not innocent in the creation of other beings. We should praise ourselves lucky that their kind are not generally evil, but mostly wish to prank us. I shutter to think what would happen, were one of them to ever wish for our annihilation."

Even Discord when he ruled, had not been completely evil. He simply loved to be the ruler and to do with everything as he so pleased. For one such as him, the whole thing were likely no more than a game, wherein he made all the rules, and the players couldn't leave the game. If he had wished for nothing but destruction, everything could have been far, far more dire.

At the same time as he mentioned this, Cherish felt like she had grown pale from what Serenade said. Discord? The god of chaos himself? W-What were he doing here? She had heard others talk about him being back and perhaps helping around the place, but surely, if Serenade reacted like this, it couldn't be that easy. R-Right?

"S-Serenade, please, you n-need to calm down. You're uhm... S-Showing."

"I'm profoundly sorry for intruding, but I feel like I must inform you that it may not be him. Could be somepony else, so if it is a personal vendetta you hold against him, there may be no cause for alarm."

Serenade might find eventually that it were draconequus energy, though this garden had not been made by him. It were a collaboration between the female draconequus Anomaly, and the chaos-infused pony Lucid, though none present had been around to see them as they made something out here to pass the time, and seem friendly. Or perhaps she may not, though regardless, she might not find the intrusion from the evergrown to be welcome for varied reasons. Among them being that he were clearly listening in to at least some degree, even if Serenade stood a good deal of way from the other group.

"Again, I apologize my rudeness miss, but you sounded increasingly agitated over something regarding him, and I felt that you may wish to see that things were not as simple as it may appear. I can assure you, I did not listen in to most of what you said, but the name were said with what I can only assume is justified rage, which were hard not to hear for my rather sensitive ears."

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

 

@Rising Dusk

"Pff, fancy bunch of bolts probably put together with magic. It'll break down like everything else."

Seeing as Void were currently stiff with a mixture of awe and confusion over the spider, Null managed to wriggle out of her stronger sisters grip and go over to push the spider on the face, as if it were nothing. An action which she assumed would end like it tended to with magical constructs: Felicia falling down. Instead the spider just looked at her, and then pushed the pony back on her forehead with the tip of one of her bladed legs.

"𝕐𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕗𝕣𝕒𝕞𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕝𝕖𝕥𝕖, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕔𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕠𝕣 𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕜𝕤 𝕡𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣."

It was her way of trying to send a savage insult back, which seemed a fitting response to hurl back from being called nothing but a bunch of bolts, though it would be more effective against robots.

Seeing as she got a response back, and that Felicia weren't harmed by the effect of the pegasus, since she hadn't any magic in her construction, Null had some of the air taken out of the build up rage she had gotten blown up before Void and her had gotten here, but that didn't mean that she weren't going to confront him, and turned to face him straight on.

"So he can build machines. Whatever. Doesn't mean that you have the right to go over and just stomp around on something you know nothing about."

Her words were cold, but as tended to happen when she got too riled up towards somepony who didn't deserve it, Void interrupted. This time, by taking a grip in her sisters shoulders and starting to both drag her backwards and shake her a little.

"P-please just... He just wants to help."

"Help? Help?! How does it help to try and dangle hope over my head, when there is none? It's just another trap!"

"Stop it!"

This finally seemed to stun Null, as Void raised her voice to her sister and nearly shouted into her head with tears streaming down the side of her eyes.

"The detective have done nothing but try and help, and you keep pushing him away. For once, just try and trust that somepony wants to do something good for you big sis. P-Please..."

The gears in Null's head ran high as she glanced into her sisters sad face, and heard her give her basically a verbal slap in the face. One that she really meant too,  as her nervous stuttering had gone away for a time as she got the most emotional parts of the response out.

"J-Just look at what he can make. We've n-never seen anything like that work without m-magic, so how do you know he c-can't work with wings too? The o-officer trusts that he can, and he d-deserves better from you than being yelled at."

She hated having to scold Null. Her big sister had always been the one taking care of things. Making sure they got food on the table, kept healthy, somewhat educated, and first and foremost, stayed alive. To tell her off felt wrong to Void, because she loved her sister, and knew that the pegasus weren't truly angry about the offer itself, but rather, she were afraid.

Null feared hope. In part because it had been offered and taken from them so much during the years - and usually ended with at least one of them getting physically hurt - and in part because getting her hopes up and having it crushed had tended to almost destroy her mentally, to the point where she eventually just started to believe that there truly were no hope for herself, and had placed what little she had left in how Void's life could turn out. Being offered something she so fundamentally wished for like flight, were tugging on old strings for Null, and her fear over how it would turn out made her lash out. Increasingly so because she had actually started to place some degree of trust in Rising, and having him join the ones who preached false hope would feel especially harsh.

Whilst all of this sentimental stuff went on with them over the span of a few minutes, Felicia eventually just rose herself up on the tips of her legs, and wandered past them. She had no vested interest in their relationship, and they were in a hurry, so she wished not to linger and observe them anymore.

"W-We're following you, officer. Just l-lead the way."

Null wouldn't get a say in this, as Void lifted her sister up and put her on her own back. As Null were essentially filly sized, and Null were larger than normal, it weren't much of an issue carrying her around like this, and it would hopefully give Null a small bit of comfort. Not that the pegaus would show it, as she averted her eyes from all of them and sat down on Void's back whilst grumbling. Seems like she had resigned herself to following the group, which might prove to be the best case scenario.

"𝕎𝕖 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕨𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖. ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕔𝕖𝕖𝕕, 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕝𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕣."

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

 

@Lucid_Nightlight

"No that's pirates, duh! And there's totally cowboy pirates. They ride on sharks and robs seabanks."

From somewhere unseen, a drum riff to cement the joke made it's classic *badum tss* sound, and slowly faded into nothing.

"Pirate ninjas sounds fun too! What do they do? Hide in canons? Wear throwing parrots? Make their own language out of pure aaaaargh's?"

Quick as usual, they had now gone on to the next topic, and left the weirdness of the fruit fight from before in the past. How they hadn't been asked to leave yet or had somepony chase them with torches were really starting to talk about how jaded these ponies were. This dimension sure were weird.

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"I will respond to the sight with the appropriate awe and worship then."

Marley chuckled at yet another fun interaction between the dragon and himself, before starting to make his way out of the old building. It seemed now that he may finally get a true glance at who he were dealing with, and what size said dragon might end up being too, which were going to be important, in case a fight ensued. Not between them hopefully, though the information may well be worth it there too, but more in case they needed to strongarm their way out of some situation, in which case it would be good to know what his ally actually had of physical mass.

Heh, guess he'd get both a dinner and a show then. What a great day this were turning out to be.

When eventually they'd get out, and he closed the door behind them out of habit, he'd point further out towards the rundown part of town, in a direction that would lead them towards the protective barrier.

"If they have not since closed it down after the Canterlot Attack, there should be a walking trail to the outside if we follow that path. Allow me to speak with the guard if we encounter one, and I shall smoothen things out so he doesn't suspect we are sneaking around."

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

Fah'lina sat on a branch and looked over how the siren hunted with interest. Sure it looked mostly like what Serenade did, but the movements were quicker as Nada had less mass than the younger siren, and really, watching something else chase fish were just entertaining regardless.

Once the siren were done though, it was her time to show off, so the mimic dove in headfirst, aimed for the first fish she could see that were about the same size as her, and opened her maw wide.

The gaping mouth of the mimic embraced the fish as she swam across it, and help it down with the three rows of sharp teeth that lined both the top and bottom of her mouth, behind the typical critter teeth up front.

Poor thing didn't stand a chance as it were engulfed, knocked out during the process after it were gobbled up - which included Fah'lina having spouts of water more or less burst out of her gills like an underwater hose - and went on to be devoure, whilst the mimic in question swam up to the surface, and let out a small burp. She looked mighty pleased about herself, though one might wonder how it were physically possible for her to contain this, and only seem to bulge a little.

If anypony ever found the answer, it would end up being the same being who would be able to scientifically explain where Pinkie pulled her party canon from, yet both things seemed unlikely. Sometimes things were just unexplainable.

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom

"Cowboy pirates? I thought they prefer to ride on dolphins."

"Everyone knows cowboy pirates ride on jellyfish, silly! And yes, pirate ninjas do hide in cannons."

A portal appeared before the three and a green unicorn with the cutiemark of a broken lightbulb stepped out. The portal then closed behind him.

"I was on a beach eating fries and a seagull ate one of my fries! Now I will take over your world so that the ducks will pay dearly!"

"BOOOOO! Worst acting ever!"

"Yeah! Your acting is even less original than Lucid's trick where he turned tables into fish!"

Lucid quickly looked over at Novia.

"Hey! That trick was very original!"

"I'm serious! I will take over the world and then I'll uh... probably be evil and stuff!"

[Catpone Cerberus 23,540]

@Blitz Boom
"You'd better." Ruby simply replied, again her tone hinting just a bit about the humor behind the words chosen. She was more than glad to get to show a bit on what she's capable of, especially because she knew that Marley would most likely highly underestimate her based on her size, she was already planning what she would catch, maybe a bear, not because they tasted particularly good or anything, but because it would be bigger than Marley, so it would work as a not that subtle hint to not underestimate her. To his latter comment she just nodded, she had nothing to add.
---------------------------------
Nada watched curiously as Fah'lina hunted, she didn't really like to watch other creatures hunting or eating, because even though she did so herself, she didn't like to see animals getting killed, even prey, but she still watched the mimic to do it, because she really wanted to know how she did it. When Fah'lina had caught the fish and came to the surface, Nada hit her hooves together to give a little bit of praise to the mimic.

 

[EQ_Theta 449]

@Blitz Boom

"This regenerative magic is fairly new, really," Sen turned to Hizhel, then examined the rest of his body. He thought about moving his hip to see if he could notice where the fracture was evident but it seemed like it's been dealt with quickly. It's like it was never there at all. "None of my kind grew up with magic and they have this really big anti-magic stance. Information on any kind of magic, healing or otherwise, is more or less unknown. The same could be said for me but ever since I gained this kind of magic, I never got a chance to learn about it. Maybe I'd like to have a look at that book."

As for Rosa's concerns about Filigree, it was a sound one that got both of the siblings worried. If Filigree was able to have he way long before they met and learned about the mine incident, then there might be a chance Stargazer could be swayed to support her. And if things don't go the way they hoped, they would then have to contend with Equestrian law. Who knows how many crimes they could be accused of when the story is spun in Filigree's favor. It gave them some pause, but with Rosa's current condition, they couldn't afford to rush into this.

"You need to regain your strength, Rosa. You weren't looking very good when we saw you come out from Lin's gate. We gave you some crude first aid treatment for your wounds but uh, I think I tore up your mask a bit. Sorry." Sen rummaged through his pack and pulled out Rosa's torn and smelly mask, accompanied with a sheepish grin.

"At least these documents confirm what we know," Lin added. "A bat pony, a guard, and Filigree's child. There's no way the Stargazer we met in Ponyville isn't the same one mentioned here. Let's rest up here for a bit and plan how we'll approach this. We still have an evening to wait out but if it makes you comfortable, we can leave early and hopefully run into Stargazer before he leaves for Canterlot. The trial starts at 9 am."

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

@Blitz Boom

"I'm sure Twilight and Nerzhei would have found something interesting. They probably a book they would discuss with each other for a very long time. I won't be surprised if they are having snacks right about now like a book club meeting. Those are fairly popular here! And... I was just thinking about what you mentioned, about the animals revering me. I don't know whether I should be feeling good about that or concerned. Having that kind of attention on me is a little daunting."

Though Fluttershy had issues about being nervous in a crowd, she never once had that issue among animals. She loves their company and honestly never saw them like ponies do. If there was an apt comparison for that, it would be a stage performance. She'd be fine if the spotlight was on her and only her friends were there to watch her. Once other ponies come in and a sizable presence is growing, that's when her legs lock up and the metaphorical butterflies in her tummy come out. The thought of that got the pegasus to slow her walk for a bit though she quickly returned to normal after clearing her mind.

Eventually, the castle was within view, the walk into town was a short one and with a quaint little town like Ponyville, navigating the streets was only difficult if the central square market was around. Thankfully, it wouldn't be until the weekends when they would show up. With no crowds to contend with, the pegasus led Lyriel into the castle and to Nerzhei and Twilight.

"We're back! How is everyone doing?"

[FanOfManyShows 396]

@Blitz Boom

Astal eventually made her way out of the train, waiting outside for Chow to catch up. "Are you excited as last time?"

"Not really, the excitement dies down dramatically after the first time here."

"Oh yeah, I've had that, weird that can happen."
Astral looked around, as if panicking a little.
"Why would Iron take so long?"

"Pretty sure he is just fine."

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

@Dji

"Subject for what?" He paused his step, looking to her.
"Why don't you just use somepony else for that? Because I'm not risking anything when I'm being called a 'subject'."
He resumed walking, and at this point Watts could notice he was on his way to the train, nothing to take notice of,
since there were many things nearby that he could be heading to.

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

@Blitz Boom

Iron was listening, right until Emerald mentioned the corpse digging,
and did a very visible double take as he wore a face of shock. "Her- your corpse?!"

"Yes, we kind of need it to do this."

"Well-" He paused, looking to Emerald while gesturing to her.. "Why doesn't she need to dig up hers?"

Sapphire sighed. "I had destroyed it while killing her so it's not an option." She looked up. "But nevermind that, we have to find those crystals, like she said."

"Actually, you won't have to go far, I have a few on hand, but all of them have magic in them already."

"Great, we can just go get those now then."

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

Warlock too his time getting over to the food, using his remaining hoof to eat it. Definitely used to not having legs by now.
"How long will it be before I get out of here anyway?" He asked in passing.
"Can't imagine it'll be short. But it'd be good to know what to expect. For me, that is."

===============================
Sure, he was a bit caught up in his haphazard speech, but being used to crazy things by now, he ignored the sphinx, though gave a few glances as he spoke.
But it was the axe that caught his attention, the runes would glow as the axe lifted up,
tilting a bit as it was off balance for a bit, but before long he got it balanced, and started spinning it, though not that fast, to be safe of course.
"Awesome."  He smiled and slowed it down, putting it upright. "Just what I was hoping for." He said with a smile to Benny.

[Rising Dusk 27,199]

@Blitz Boom

It was difficult not to be amused watching the interaction between Null and Felicia.  Not that he could even be sure she had bolts at all to be honest, but it would probably be rude to ask.  Such things you just didn't ask a lady, regardless of origin.  Even her attempt at an insult to the pegasus who just went to poke at the spider bot with her own insults.  Well, at least he thought it was an insult, but based on what he learned from Molotov in a short time, it was most likely an insult.  Targeting her missing wing to claim her frame was incomplete.  Kinda harsh, but not untrue.

Rising Dusk wasn't going to get much of a word in it seems as the altercation with the spider bot triggered something he, or Null for that matter, was expecting.  With the interactions he had with Void so far, he didn't think this outburst was something she was capable of.  And judging from the expression on Null's voice, it didn't happen often, or at all.  She should be applauded though to finally bring her older sister under hoof and give a verbal slap in the face.  He couldn't blame her with what he's heard so far about the darkness of this world they've had to experience.  Trust was a very fragile concept that was way more easy to break than build.  The detective has met his fair share of ponies with mottoes to trust no pony and you won't ever be disappointed.  In the same vein though, he could understand how that kind of negative attitude would be exhausting for the earth pony dealing with it day in and day out.  Especially when trying to settle into a new happy life in Ponyville

Remaining silent though, he let this family affair be between the two siblings.  Void was putting a lot of trust in him and in a pony she hadn't met, but Rising Dusk trusted him.  A lot of trust being tossed around and he only hoped it all worked out.  No, he'd make sure it would, with everything in his power.  It was also pleasant that Felicia remained patient, to and extent while this all happened as well.  Long enough anyways for Null to be defeated and placed on the larger sister's back for their trip.  He simply nodded to Void about following him and to Felicia who spurred them to move on from this.  Setting out into the city, this time more following Felicia than the other way around, just in case the spider bot got ahead of them and he needed to lead the sisters to the workshop himself.  Not quite sure how fast Void would move with that leg and a pegasus on her back.

[Sekel 692]

@FanOfManyShows

WATTS MECHANO

"You said you've had a stump of a horn for most of your life. I believe I can correct that with some rudimentary techonology. Get a magic battery that can recycle its own energy, and put it in a cone-shaped metal rod that lights up whatever magic you want to use! Of course, I still need to figure out the odds and ends off reigniting and reconnecting the nerves to the new horn but I'm sure I can work it out!" Watts said excitedly, quickly catching up to Zealous and walking side by side with him. "It'll work, I'm sure of it! I just need to get an opinion on the biological side of things."

@Blitz Boom

KARMIC FATE

"Dragons are uncommon in Equestria. The only dragon that we all really know about is Princess Twilight's assistant, Spike," Karmic explained as she sat down by the piles Enzo was sorting through. She flicked her tail so it rested around her hooves and she looked down at the pile of books. "Do you need help sorting through these? At least one of them should bring out a vessel for Atzy or something."

@Blitz Boom

TWILIGHT SPARKLE

"That sounds like a grand idea, Nerzhei. We should we go page by page together and try to figure out which word means what if we can't come up with a conclusion on our own," Twilight suggested as she looked at the book, and then the writing implement Nerzhei would use. "The quill you're using. It looks a bit too sharp but try writing with it anyway."

@Blitz Boom

AURORA LIGHTS

"Road trips are so much fun! It'll be a blast just getting to the hive, much less actually seeing it!" Aurora laughed, her wings flapping in her happiness at this prospect.

@Widdershins

DAWN STREAK

Dawn did two things when she landed. She began to laugh deliriously as she laid between Kaltrops' claws, all the adrenaline rushing through her body. The second thing she did, was laugh even harder when Kaltrops finished speaking. "YOU RHYMED!" Dawn bellowed as she laughed hysterically. She did eventually manage to calm down though and drew in heaving breaths. "My wings are smaller than normal. I have a scar that renders one of them practically useless."

[Early Sunsets 2,106]

@Blitz Boom @Moonlit

Zephyr looked over at the others. He hadn't noticed anypony else walking towards the castle, but that was mostly because of the strange garden that had apparently popped up for no particular reason. As long as no draconequus transformed him into anything, he didn't particularly care who was around. He glanced back at Sun Fire. She seemed more herself today, especially after she sang her song earlier. "It's good that she finally got her emotions out. She's always had a bad habit of keeping things to herself," he thought, smiling.

Sun Fire was too distracted to notice much of anything else going on. She was still having a hard time understanding how one being could be so powerful, especially while remaining at least relatively lawful.

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom @Zephyr / Karou Serenade blinked, then shook her head. She hated when She  took over. She keeps blinking until her eyes are back to their normal color, "Thanks Cherish." she whispers then turns to face the owner of the voice, "That may be true, I need to stop jumping to conclusions. And you are?"

[Blitz Boom 4,581]

@Rising Dusk

Rising would find that despite Null being carried around, Void were no slower than she usually were. Pegasi were not the heaviest at the best of times, and Null were about the same size as a filly, which helped take off some extra weight. Plus that with Void being larger than the average earth pony, and having some strong legs, and you'd find that carrying her sister around wasn't an issue unless Null started to act up. Thankfully, she did not do that as they proceeded to go towards the workshop, though the whole menagerie they had going there still got quite a lot of looks as they moved along, which did make Null sneer at a few here and there. Pretty tame behavior in Void's mind, plus as they got to the workshop, she had other things to think about. Namely whatever or not they were gonna be in huge problems, as this place looked both fortified and ready to deal with intruders.

As they approached though, Felicia would increase in speed and wander in first, stand in the middle of the path leading to the workshop itself, and let out a series of loud clicks. A phonetic password to allow for the extra traffic that Molotov were likely not gonna be thrilled about were part of his security system, yet had been implemented by Felicia regardless, in case the situation arose that a larger flock needed to get here. Regular systems about allowing a few guests had some limitations, and she were unsure whatever or not Molotov had turned on the system again after Scarlet had been there. It had seemed best to do this, just in case.

After the procedure were done, she'd go up to the workshop, crawl in through her opening above the door, and soon after, the door got opened, leaving the others to gain access.

"Y'know Felicia, you could've just knocked. Ain't nice to just act like I don't matter in all of this."

Molotov had been standing over at a pile of tools he had used earlier on the cage and were halfway through polishing them all, when folks started to wander in. Among them, a few familiar faces that got a smile on the stallions face.

"If it ain't Scarlet and Dusky. I'm guessing the cage were a success since you ain't coming with chains to lock 'round my legs? And this big fellah... Nah, cant say I know him. How's it hanging? Wha-"

His eyes then fell on the sisters and his grin went into a face of brief shock, as he met eyes with Void. The mare in question weren't in doubt about who this were as she saw him, and felt the color slightly drain from her face, whilst he got a sting of joy from the look of it.

"Heeeeey, I remember you. You were at that big ol' food stand in Ponyville, serving out soup and that belly churning chili. What're you doing here gorgeous? Couldn't stay away from me anymore?"

"I... I uhm... T-That..."

Void hadn't known what to do against his advances back in Ponyville, and she certainly didn't now, as it became apparent that the stallion who had hit on her in Ponyville were not only here, but also the inventor that they were looking for, who could potentially help her sister. In a way she should really have expected that, considering she saw his metallic wings back then too, but it just hadn't crossed her mind that he'd be anywhere near this place.

"Hey! Back off!"

That got he attention of Null though, who jumped down from Void's back, placed herself between the two, and growled up at him.

"I didn't know you had a filly. Hey there little fellah, don't worry, I ain't gonna hurt your momma."

There wouldn't be time for anypony to stop the next action taken by Null, who took hold in the surprised stallions neck, and violently pulled him down to the point where she'd be so face to face with him, that her eyeballs were nearly touching his.

"Don't. Call. Me. A. Filly."

This were starting of well... Felicia at least seemed to be enjoying this, and letting out the monotone sound that made for her laughter at this. Seeing her creator being put in his place tended to be highly amusing to her.

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

 

@EQ_Theta

On 2/20/2019 at 12:14 AM, EQ_Theta said:

"None of my kind grew up with magic and they have this really big anti-magic stance. Information on any kind of magic, healing or otherwise, is more or less unknown. The same could be said for me but ever since I gained this kind of magic, I never got a chance to learn about it. Maybe I'd like to have a look at that book."

"So your kind doesn't have initiate magic, nor welcome it? That's uhm... Strange... Are you two witches then or something?"

Hizhel were distracted from the sound of it, as she had started to answer not long after beginning her examination of Omen, and now found herself confused and honestly rather disturbed, though she weren't saying why currently. Might be something with Omen, or it could be in regards to the society that Sen and Lin had grown up in, which to a member of a race where magic were everything, sounded pretty dreadful.

On 2/20/2019 at 12:14 AM, EQ_Theta said:

"You need to regain your strength, Rosa. You weren't looking very good when we saw you come out from Lin's gate. We gave you some crude first aid treatment for your wounds but uh, I think I tore up your mask a bit. Sorry."

Rosa examined the mask - or what was left of it anyway - and examined the only parts of it that really mattered. That being the glass, and the filtration system in the muzzle. Both thankfully seemed to be intact, even if the mask weren't, which were good. Especially the later, as glass were easy to replace, while that were an uncommon sight that he weren't sure if anypony in Equestria even know for certain how to deal with. Some diving instructors likely had the basic ideas, but otherwise, he'd have to break back into his own country, and that were a can of worms that were not not easy to open and not cause all kinds of trouble.

"It's fine. I can... Repair it. You did what... You could to save me. More important than... A mask."

On 2/20/2019 at 12:14 AM, EQ_Theta said:

"At least these documents confirm what we know," Lin added. "A bat pony, a guard, and Filigree's child. There's no way the Stargazer we met in Ponyville isn't the same one mentioned here. Let's rest up here for a bit and plan how we'll approach this. We still have an evening to wait out but if it makes you comfortable, we can leave early and hopefully run into Stargazer before he leaves for Canterlot. The trial starts at 9 am."

Rosa slowly made it into an upright position, not feeling as pained as he had before, as the medication were starting to kick in. Still weren't making it any easier for him to speak full sentences without having to take a breath, but hopefully it'd be enough to not making him think needles were poking him in the hooves whilst they were walking. There weren't time to just sit here, though as he took the first hoof and sat it on the floor, he certainly wished there were, as for a brief moment, it felt like his leg had gotten out of its socket, and the movement got it set again. Something which repeated itself for every hoof put down, along with a heavy feeling, as if he were carrying uncomfortably bumpy belts of lead around his legs and stomach.

"The longer we wait... The worse. We should go... To Ponyville, before he gets told... Anything about the case. He needs to... Hear it from me."

"You are allowed to leave, but uhm... Gonna have to ask you something first. What is this?"

Hizhel interrupted, and pointed towards Omen after removing her paw from the creatures chest.

"The lungs aren't functional or active, there are three, impossibly large stomachs with something being stored in one of them, no heartbeat, a tongue that wraps around several times in a way that would make a humming bird jealous, and for some reason when I examine her brain, all I can see is a ball of yarn being batted around by a cat. Is this a new kind of golem I haven't heard of before? Because this is most certainly Not a pony."

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

 

@EQ_Theta @Dji

On 2/20/2019 at 12:14 AM, EQ_Theta said:

"I'm sure Twilight and Nerzhei would have found something interesting. They probably a book they would discuss with each other for a very long time. I won't be surprised if they are having snacks right about now like a book club meeting. Those are fairly popular here! And... I was just thinking about what you mentioned, about the animals revering me. I don't know whether I should be feeling good about that or concerned. Having that kind of attention on me is a little daunting."

"You should feel honored that they think of you so highly. Whilst they are not ones to worship or pray towards, the animals does have their adoration and kind words, which translates well to others that they meet. Even those who have not met you are bound to learn of your kindness Fluttershy, and perhaps in time, it will be enough to vouch for ponies in general. Things would be easier, were there no want for the predators to hunt your kind."

Fluttershy may not wish to be adored as much as she were, but the animals saw her inthe shining light that they did, which wouldn't change unless she suddenly began doing many a horrible thing, and Lyriel could not see that happening on purpose. Fluttershy's personality were one of kindness and caring, not malice. It were hidden well if it were there at least.

It were not long before they came back to the castle, and passed some ponies talking outside near the peculiar garden. They seemed occupied, so Lyriel did not interfere, though she did bite notice in the peculiar stallion with the sharp teeth. Not a mutation she had seen in ponies before that, but certainly fascinating. Perhaps later, she could find this one and ask more in to that, but for now, they had a princess and a dragon to meet.

As they entered, they'd find the two in conversation, with Nerzhei just replying something of her own before Fluttershy spoke.

"If your paper isn't sturdy enough, I concede to that point. I'll accept using one of your pens for the time being."

The dragon had barely started to pack her own feather pen away before Fluttershy interrupted things, and she looked over from the table the two of them were sitting at, ready to scribble away.

"Were trying to do some research. You?"

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

It was a peaceful stroll down the abandoned area of town, all the way up until they reached the path out which correctly, had a guard station. Two guards occupied the space, with one seemingly taking a nap, and the other painting the barricade they were guarding. It were pretty obvious that nothing much happened here. Doubly so when the guard looked at the two beings approaching with surprise, and almost dropped his paint brush.

"Uh... Halt? Who goes there?"

"I am Marley, and this is my travelling companion, Ruby. We would like to pass your guard station and enter into the forest."

"Why?"

"I have the urge to fish, and my companion here are fairly interested in a type of plant that grows near the river banks."

The guard looked at the two with a curious glance, then shrugged.

"I guess that sounds legitimate enough. Try not to get yourselves hurt down there."

"We will endeavor not to. If you would excuse us."

Once the barrier had left room for them to exit, and they had gotten some way from the station Marley would run a claw through his hair and chuckle.

"Slacker duty as can be expected. They don't check too many things and seem to regard it as a vacation. I would personally reprimand them, but it have come to our favor at least. Now then, will you join me on a quiet stroll through the woods, madame?"

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

Fah'lina bowed before the impressed audience. Or the siren were sarcastic, but whatever, it weren't like the mimic didn't enjoy employing that sort of thing herself either. Even her response could be seen as such, though it were mostly genuine right now, with her just playing along.

Cleaning a fish scale out that got stuck in her front teeth, the mimic would swim to the shore and shake the water out of her fur then ran to a nearby bush where she'd rummage around, and come back with a few raspberries that she put down in front of the siren, and gesturing towards as something to eat, in case she needed greens, then back at the bush to indicate that she could get more if it were.

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

 

@Lucid_Nightlight

"This here's your villain? Pff, weak. At least Tirek were intimidating. This guy couldn't scare the fleas off a dog."

She snapped her tail, and a crown of flowers and mushrooms fell on top of the pony's head. Nothing poisonous though!... This time.

"Hmm... He's kinda cute though. Hey crazy pony, wanna be mine? I'll make sure to give you lots of pets, wriggly food, and pinatas shaped like ducks to beat the tar out of. Take the offer now, and I'll also throw in a free toaster, and a pair of phoenix wings to make you look prettier and stuff. Warning, they might singe you a tiiiiiiny bit."

Anomaly would pull a bundle of flowers duct taped together with a confused, wriggling duck trying to snap at her hoof from... Somewhere, and point them towards the pony whose name she hadn't really caught since he hadn't said it. Ponies dug flowers, right? And she had all the great ones like roses, tulips, poison joke, doomseye, and of course, broccoli. It should be an easy, clear winner for the equine, and he were all hers, she could start fixing him up so he looked less uniform and boring. Poor fellah desperately needed some fun mutations.

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

 

@Moonlit @Zephyr / Karou

"N-No problem."

Cherish were pretty concerned about how that pojy were able to hear them, considering the distance between them, but it seemed he had helped Serebade get herself under control again, so that were good. Or were it her speaking about it that got the siren out of it? Well, whatever the reason, Serenade were less dangerous to look at now, so that were a relief, though meeting others now meant that Cherish had to be quiet again to not expose herself, whilst the pony moved a little closer, and took a bow before Serenade.

"Briar Trapjaw, at your service."

He gave her a friendly smile showing off his pearly whites - hiding his sharp teeth tended to make others more suspicious of him in the long run - before facing his closed eyes towards the siren's general area, whilst sniffing the air in Serenade's direction.

"Peculiar, I could have sworn I heard another voice before... I must have misheard something then.

Ah, how rude of me to forget. This is Zephyr and Sun Fire, new residents of Ponyville whom I am showing around the town. And this is my ward, Brittle Buzz. May I inquire about your name?"

Briar had gestured towards his companions as he mentioned them, embarassed that he had forgotten to introduce them earlier, but hoping that it were okay.

Brittle meanwhile, were covering behind the evergrown, with her head held nearly to the dirt, and looked up at the siren in disguise with fear and confusion. There was something odd about this pony that the changeling couldn't place, and it wasn't making her feel any more comfortable around the mare.

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

 

@Dji

"Dragons helping pony princesses and generals. The world have gone weird since I were imprisoned.

Regardless, if you want to help, sort the books written in equine. I can handle the draconic ones."

Mostly he just sorted them by certain words he could glance, as well as one pile that were generally unknown to him, but the equine ones were another matter. He had seen the one he had handed to the pony earlier, but what else may lie in these piles, he couldn't say.

They wouldn't have been at it for long before the elderly former general showed up near them, but his helmet down to reveal the aging face beneath it, and cleared his throat before speaking. He had no illusions that at least the sphinx heard him though, as the ears of that kind were quite sensitive, yet there were also the mare, so best to make his presence known before speaking, just in case.

"I appreciate both of you not trying to make things worse after landing back there. Handing over the reigns to a new general can be a delicate situation for the guards."

"Among my kind, our leaders stay in power until they die. Your ideas are complicating a simple process."

"It depends on the eyes that sees, but we can discuss that another time, Enzo. As for your companion... I believe you were the one kidnapped by the serpanther earlier, right miss? Are you feeling well?"

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

 

@Dji

Happy chuckled at seeing the other drone getting all thrilled about the prospect of going off to see Thorax's hive. Reminded him of some of the less bitey nymphs back from the old hive.

"Easy there girlie, we still need to check out if they'll take the letter first. Roadtrip's in case that goes out the window, and we can figure out where he is."

They were almost in Ponyville, so they'd figure out soon enough. Hmmm... Perhaps he should stock up in some empty bottles while they were at it? A few crates of the good stuff might be the sort of gesture the new king would appreciate. If not, he could always use it in case some other ponies came around that wanted to get plastered.

Happy should have a look in his cart when he got to it next, see what he already had first though. Might be there were enough as it were.

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

 

@FanOfManyShows

"- back within the hour. Y'know I'm good on my word."

Chow exited the train, ending his talk with a conductor who looked after the pony with a shrug and a small smirk. Snarky one, but he was fair, and gave Chow a chance in cases like this. First time the pet food maker messed up though, and he'd get into issues.

"Right bugger that one, but eh, what can you do?

Now you two get yourselves home  and I'll be there soon. Gotta rush home so I can get the bits back here before the timer ends. That guy's really into keeping things on time. Go figure with that job."

He gave a short glance around before going over and putting a hoof over to pat Astral on the back a couple of times.

"He'll find you Astral, I'm sure of it. Iron's a tough ol' stallion and they're messing with his turf. I'm sure he's just getting some intel out of 'em or something."

He weren't sure whatever or not this were true, and his voice betrayed him a small bit, but he had to try and think the best here. Astral already got a big hit with what went on with her momma. Her dad getting into trouble would crush the poor thing, and frankly, he couldn't blame her for what that might lead to. Never easy to lose family like that. Better hope Iron were okay.

Soon as Misty and Astral would move, Chow would get going too, though in the direction of his shop first. If the two wouldn't move yet and started talking, he'd stay, though eventually there wouldn't be a choice, and he'd have to run off. The train were vital to his business, so he couldn't get on their bad side.

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

 

@FanOfManyShows

"She grinded me into this *mist*, though it wouldn't have mattered. My body were too disease riddled to be cleansed. Even if there were bones left, I couldn't have returned."

Though it were somewhat difficult to vocalise much emotion in this state, Emerald's voice carried a bitter tone, as she answered herself what Sapphire had before. Having to face the fact that regardless of how it would have gone, her body were not possible to salvage, were not an easy fact to swallow, and she only recently had to be forced to do so. Being reminded of her defeat stung deeply too, yet not as much as this had.

"Sapphire can, and will, return, but her bones needs to be cleansed of the illness that took her. It's pointless otherwise.

Now, you say you have those crystals? Find them, and expend what lies in them to the last drop. The consequences are dire if we try doing the ritual with cross-contaminated crystals."

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

 

@FanOfManyShows

The question were met with awkward silence from Hogweed, as she thought over how best to say this.

"I don't know, but... Attacking the capitol, endagering the lives of civilians, assaulting the guards, wounding the diplomat... Thankfully nopony died, but even then, that could easily be at least twenty years.

Good behavior and cooperation in rehabilitation programs can reduce it substantially, and if you are able to help with the magic you know of, as you claimed earlier... A couple of years? Perhaps less? The princesses decides in the end when it comes to high profile cases like yours, so I don't know what they might think about this.

I'll try and speak your case as well as I can, but it comes down to your own effort in the long run. The more you prove to have changed or wishes to, the better the odds are that you will be free earlier on. Perhaps a lot sooner if Discord's case is to be judged from, though that might also have something to do with it being impossible to keep him in a cell."

It didn't feel right to be unable to give a definitive answer, but there were just too many variables for it to be possible, as this leaned more towards the Discord scenario, than some random street thug, who had more strict guidelines associated with thier programs.

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

 

@FanOfManyShows

Benny were looking mortified when the axe didn't behave all that well at first. Sure he hadn't laid a hand on it since the time when it were just meant to be a regular axe, and had to guide the twins in how to deal with the finishing, personal touches, as his hands were still damaged after he had to grab the sword that Warlock threw, but this were still on his head if things went poorly, as he were the forge master, and the responsibility of went through there were his.

When it finally stabilized, and the general expressed his delight with the finished product, the color poured back into Benny's face and he let out a shaky sigh of relief, before bowing before the new general and wander back into the castle.

Now it were time for the other generals to step forward and stand close to Iron, in full view of the guards below. Screecher stood tall and rank at his right, with her piercing gaze pointed towards their subordinates, whilst Tidal stood more casually to his left, with a cheeky grin on her face.

"On behalf of the Night Guard, we welcome you, General Iron Wings. May we see this country to safety together."

The members of the Night Guard - primarily bat ponies - beneath, rose their heads and right front hoof nearly at the same time, and saluted the new general once more.

"You got some big shoes to fill, but know that when the going gets tough, you can count on the Coastal Guard to sort it out. Make some noise for him folks."

Tidal grinned even wider as her crew rose their triforces, and battered the hilt into the floor in almost perfect unison, giving off a pretty good sound if she were to say it herself, as well as a nice show of her subordinates standing like they meant business.

Tidal would then poke Iron in the side with her elbow and gesture towards the crowd with her head. It was his turn now to finish this up and say a few words about unity, responsibility, or whatever. His subordinates were waiting.

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

@Blitz Boom

"You shall not mock me pumpkin ladybug thing! I will rule this world! I am Lumen Obscurum, the ruler of uh... evil stuff! I will now choose a random individual to destroy! How about that chair!"

Lumen pushed over a chair that was right next to him.

"BOOOOOO! It didn't even break!"

"CHANGE THE CHANNEL!"

He pointed at Pringle.

"Fear me, lizar-"

Pringle simply bit his hoof.

"OW! That actually hurt!"

[EQ_Theta 449]

@Blitz Boom

"Not witches, Hizhel," Sen replied. "More like victims of circumstance. My sister, Lin, lost her original body and had one created to avoid dark magic from consuming her. Mine was provided by magical specters who now wished to remain unfound. I am Sen, by the way, and the one you are examining now is Omen."

With two different conversations going on, both Sen and Lin found it fitting that they should tackle each separately, preferably with some care as their approach might be a little rash if they don't plan accordingly. As agreed, Sen opted to stay put and speak with Rosa while Lin walked up to Omen and Hizhel to hopefully clear things up. It is a rather difficult subject to explain given that even she is a little baffled by it. 

"Rosa, I suppose we could go and see Stargazer but we need to be careful about the subject. I don't know how much he knows but we shouldn't rush this. Once we pay him a visit, we'll also need to find you a place to stay and rest. Though Stargazer might be willing to let you stay in his home, I'll think of some alternatives in case that doesn't happen."

Lin, in the meantime, scratched her head while trying to make sense of Omen's rather strange anatomy. She is about as stumped as Hizhel with this bizarre display of internal organ arrangement. She hasn't had any formal education on the subject but just the description is enough to get the gears in her head to come screeching to a halt. It's really that odd. Well, except for the tongue. She's seen it enough to know that it is a lot longer than an average pony's. 

"It's odd and chaotic, yes, but I guess there is an explanation for this. Have you heard of a creature called a draconequus? A well-known one by the name of Discord? Yeah... that's the short explanation. The long version is Discord, eh... fashioned Omen from a formless state, created the physical form you see here to resemble a pony in shape. Knowing Discord, the oddities you noticed are very likely his doing. Omen is no golem, that's for sure."

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

@Blitz Boom @Dji

Fluttershy took Lyriel's words to heart, listening intently but still unsure how to go about it. It is true the animals look up to her, or go to her, because of the reputation she's build with them. Odd that the pegasus who fell from the clouds would rather prefer the company of animals over other ponies but for the longest time, she could honestly live on her own on the ground. Then there was the even stranger bit: very few noticed her absence from flight camp. Maybe Rainbow Dash did once her race with the bullies ended but for a while, it seemed like no one really cared. Only later did her family find out and confronted her about the change in habitation. Perhaps all that time spent on the ground drew her in to their more pleasant attitudes and appearances, and her strange ability to understand them, sealed the deal. 

Eventually, that all worked out and that first meeting with the butterflies led to her finding her cutie mark and the rest is history. Though it never really occurred to her how migrating butterflies managed to hold up another organism over a hundred times heavier than them. One of the mysteries of Equestria better left unknown... The pegasus appreciated Lyriel's response, but would rather think about it some more in silence. Back to reality, Fluttershy returned to the castle to find Twilight and Nerzhei, who both appeared to be absorbed with an interesting topic.

"I showed Lyriel around town, taking in the sights and sounds by the animal sanctuary, and ate some doughnuts at Sugarcube Corner! I hope we didn't interrupt something important. You two seemed to have found something interesting."

[Catpone Cerberus 23,540]

@Blitz Boom
To her usual manner, Ruby stayed quiet the whole travel until Marley spoke to her "I fail to understand the purpose of guards there." she started "I can see why you wouldn't want let some creatures in, but I don't see why they care who leaves the city." she didn't sound curious, and instead her tone was blank, almost bored sounding, it was most likely just something she felt like mentioning but didn't necessarily care what the reason for the guards caring who left actually was. "And yes, I'm more than happy to join you Birdie."

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

Nada looked at the berries for a second, clearly trying to remember something "Thank you Fah'lina, it's been a while since I have had, raspberries I think they're called." she didn't really need to eat things like berries, but it didn't mean she never did, it would have gotten old pretty quick if she never ate anything else than fish. She picked them up with her mouth because she would have just crushed them if she would have tried picking them up with her hooves "Do you like berries?"

 

[Early Sunsets 2,106]

@Blitz Boom @Moonlit

Zephyr nodded at Serenade, not wanting to get too involved in their conversation. When it came to groups, he never really felt like talking much. That much speaking tended to make him feel rather tired after a while.

Sun Fire turned from the garden and smiled politely at Serenade before glancing back at the garden. She had finally realized why so much of her attention was focused on the garden; it was inspiring her to write another song. Something about the disorganization of it called to her, like fragments of a melody with distant undertones of harmony that only she could hear. "Hmm... I think I can work with this..." she thought. Inspiration tended to be quite elusive, so it was always exciting when she found something new.