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Blitz Boom

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@Blitz Boom

Sure, Lucid could've fought her or something like that, he did have the abilities of a draconequus after all. Of course, he didn't fight, he just went out the portal since fighting wasn't necessary. He did have to hold Pringle back though.

"Pringle, stop acting all mad. All she did was try to kill you, it isn't that big of a deal."

"Yeah! Things try to kill me all the time!"

"Just wait until she finds out about plastic straws and grocery bags."

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@Blitz Boom
Ruby to her usual manner didn't say anything for most of the time,since nothing she cared about happened, and at most, she just nodded to Spicy's comment. She shook her head to the question about food, and replied "I'm not hungry, and other than that, I don't really care what we do, but it could be nice to rest my legs a bit, it's slightly annoying to have to carry this around." 

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Nada decided not to comment about the bugging thing, whatever it meant, since she doubted it actually meant putting insects in the house, since that made no sense. "I guess we could go to the forest, it's not like I have anything better to do here, since I'm still to afraid to sing here."

 

 

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@Blitz Boom

On 5/19/2019 at 3:38 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"I hate to interrupt dear, but you will not find anything of the size I'm referring to among my selection. The gems I acquire tend to already be broken down into smaller pieces who then gets cut into even smaller, yet more elegant stones. You would need to take measure of the gem itself, then add a chunk of gemstone around five inches larger than that at a minimum to make for a suitable container.

For the time being, I again urge you to use the bags until further notice to at least cover it up some, whilst you acquire the needed crystal from Gem Stud. It sounds as if you know him, so perhaps there is some hope, but if not, do return, and we will think of something else."

“Heh heh… I think we got carried away in our excitement. Maybe I should stay here. Can you show me how to pack these eh… plastic bags?”

“It’s settled then. We’ll bring back a large diamond chunk. Omen, I’ll tag along with you to the diamond mine.” 

Handling gems was interesting to say the least. He was familiar with the tiny stones and shards he had back home and while they are precious, seeing the ones in Amethyst’s shop was already put the ones he had to shame. Larger by a margin yet small enough to fit in his palm, ponies really have strange tastes when it comes to precious stones. It wasn’t all that different though; both ponies and longma made jeweled accessories out of them though the latter tended to use much fewer gems of quality and cut. Whatever looks good is usually good enough and the rest would be accompanied by colored stones and beads.

On the other side of the gate, Sen walked in on Gem Stud’s shocked reaction to their sudden arrival. As much as it is amusing to see and hear that kind of reaction, he didn’t want to talk about it. There were several things in his mind he needed to say lest they put the stallion and his employees at risk. 

“More like the same one we stopped the last time. Filigree’s escaped imprisonment and while the Canterlot guard are out looking for her, we thought you might be able to help us. Do you happen to have a large piece of diamond? About as large as… I don’t know, an average pony’s head? Maybe five inches larger than that?”

“We have something Filigree needs to take over Equestria and we intend to move it as far away from here as possible. Unfortunately, it isn’t safe for us to keep it in a regular box and a crystal or jewel case is needed. It's very important Filigree doesn't get her hooves on it again."

Edited by EQ_Theta
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@Widdershins

DAWN STREAK

"Yeah, well, I had no choice in the matter, now did I?" Dawn huffed, still trying her best to keep looking away from the dragon. She couldn't help herself though and looked back, staring down her body at Kaltrops. "You flung me into the air like a ragdoll. How was I meant to react to that!?"

@Blitz Boom

TWILIGHT SPARKLE

"Unpossession?" Twilight asked incredulously before looking at the shelves that surrounded them. She gave a distracted goodbye to Serenade and floated down a couple of books she spotted near the bottom of the shelf nearest them. While it was weird to talk to a ghost, maybe having it free roam wouldn't hurt. "I think these will help. Ghost Song's Unpossession Techniques and Church Book's Exorciser. Maybe that second one is a bit too rough and dramatic for you," she mused mostly to herself but did hear what else the ghostly pony had to say and turned to her more out of curiosity than anything else. "You want to help me out? I've already got an assistant though. He's not here right now but he's around."

@Blitz Boom

AURORA LIGHTS

"I doubt Thorax will suspect I... wait, he may. He doesn't about Queen Onache's reformation," Aurora said worriedly. She looked around nervously at hearing Happy mention 'smooth sailing' and wondered not for the umpteenth time if something will come out and get them. "I-It's the Everfree Forest ... um ... it's just ... uh ... a forest ... with magical creatures that want to tear anypony limb from limb. It'll be f-f-fine, I'm sure of it."

@Blitz Boom

KARMIC FATE

"It's comforting ... Atzy seems to have been placated as well," Karmic mused as she rested her head in her forehooves. At least the mind-numbing chatter and insane whispers from her ride-along partner were gone. For now. "It's working. I haven't had a clear mind since I got jumped by her."

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@Blitz Boom

 

To Belladonna, Marcus replied, “I appreciate your offer and gladly accept.  If you would, I should like to see an updated map marking territorial borders as well as whomsoever rules over them.  In the millennia I have been gone, I’m sure even some of the terrain has changed.  Some of the mountains on the horizon have lost the tips of their peaks, others once capped with snow are now barren.  The world I know is gone, but I have not yet realized it until now.  I must now fight to take back the world as it once was, but I must also let it become what it must be.  A paradox if I ever did see one.  In order to move forward, we must take a step back.”  He paused a moment looking around at the silent faces whose eyes were upon him, then addressed the crowd in a much more cheerful tone, “Let the feast continue!  When the night is done, rest well that we may prepare for our journey to the Sacred Springs!”  He was clearly putting on an act to bring cheer back into the room, but at least one of his followers had caught on and held up his mug of cider for a toast, “To Marcus!  May we all be saved by the Sacred Springs!”  With that, mugs would begin clinking together, and the sounds of merriment  would return to the room.

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@Blitz Boom

The swamps of Harrowmark felt very hollow down here in the mud and muck.  Like being stuck at the bottom of a well and having to feel the world around him whilst everything was dull and muted.  Even all wrapped up in his hoodie, no longer beige from the ventures in a swamp, Rising Dusk felt cold.  He was pretty sure somepony was talking to him, but he couldn't quite place where they were.  They sounded familiar, so that was at least a good sign.  The antidote in his body did what it needed to keep the detective in the mortal world, but didn't quite deal with all of the side effects.

If any of his senses were working, it was his extra one of magic.  From his position on the swamp floor, the area was alive with the work he had just performed.  Lights danced along the weaves of magic he rushed together as dark spells were slowly deconstructed.  Bursts of freed souls finally getting the relief they so desperately sought after.  A pulsating new leyline that ran beneath the swamp to the alter.  Longest couple of days of his life, and he would know, he cane remember every single one.  And it wasn't even over, already the hollow voice making mentions of his return to deal with issues in the future while his meddling did its thing for a while.  He wondered if Harrowmark would be a more pleasant place to visit if he was actually invited.  Do they serve cupcakes?  A cupcake sounds real good right now.  Maybe a nice hayburger from the stall on his street corner.

The detective's return home was a wee problem in the immediate though.  He did not posses the ability to teleport on his own, not that he even had the energy to do it if he did.  Not even enough focus in him to turn any of these weaves around them into one.  Quickly even finding out the ability to speak was beyond him at the moment from his bottom of the well perception levels.  Only vaguely aware he was even being moved when his sense of the magic around him was changing to indicate some sort of movement.  He couldn't feel himself floating, but he had managed to make out that the familiar speaker was taking him somewhere.  Safe or not remained to be seen. 

Rising Dusk took a quick mental inventory of his saddle bags and hoodie pouch, having expended a decent deal in his fights with Twisted.  His return home was going to rely on somepony from the O.M.I. to come get him, but he needed access to an artifact in his bag in order to let them know he was ready for a pick up and where.  Sadly beyond him at the moment, but after some rest he should manage.  And the first thing he was doing when he got home, okay maybe third thing after a shower and hayburger, was drop a vacation request on The Captain's desk.

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@Moonlit

Once she reached her house, Fah'lina would tap the window to get her attention and show she were there, then unlock it and crawl out the opening. The faint smell of coffee and caramel hung in the air around her, signalling that there had been a visit from Berry early on, but the house seemed quiet for now.

She may want to go in and close the window after the mimic, but beyond that, Fah'lina would stay on her head and point towards the hospital the closer they got. Once they got in and reached Ziggy's room, they'd hear the end of a sentence from the zegasus from the half-open door.

"- and stretch appropriatly without adding too much stress to the muscles. It's okay silly, I know what I'm doing."

She were out of bed and free of both the gauze keeping her wings tucked in to ensure they got rested, and the holster around her leg. The elderly mare doctor who had kept check on her so far stood and gave the youngling a stern look after what were likely some warnings to the zegasus, yet Ziggy were more focused on the two visitors who showed up soon after and she turned to face them, albeit in a more normal speed than her usual zooming kind of way.

"Hey! Check it out, I'm back on my hooves and life's the beach, hehe. You two had fun?"

The mimic squeaked loudly and swooped over to Ziggy, where she'd start to crawl around the mare and poke a few places to see if she were actually up and around. Mostly this just caused Ziggy to giggle, as she were somewhat ticklish.

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@Catpone Cerberus

"Alright, slam your flank down and take a breather. And don't you worry bout thieves here. They won't make it out in one piece."

This weren't just boasting. She'd seen somepony try to nick something and make a run for it at one of Scarcity's auctions before. It were... Not a pretty sight, but she'd give that it were very educational. Learned her not to try anything, that's for sure.

Wandering over to the benches, Spicy jumped up and leaned back on one of them, getting a good, relaxing posture going for herself as she glanced over at her newest companion.

"So, mind me asking what the big deal is with that buncha coins you bought? Gotta be some sorta hidden treasure in there for ya to invest, right?"

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@Catpone Cerberus

"Sounds like we got a plan then. I'll go down to the river and wander along it until you find me. Are you bringing the little one with you?"

Fah'lina shook her head in response, let out a yawn, and flew up to her preferred sleeping spot.

"Huh, looks like it's just us this time 'round then. Well, better get going then. Remember to lock the door before you leave Nada. You don't want them to plant listening devices everywhere while you're gone."

With this comment and a grin, Berry would exit the building and make her way to the forest. She'd be there in about four minutes, which Nada should be able to beat by quite a margin considering her shortcut, though how far into the forest Berry would have to go before the siren popped up remained to be seen. Hay, perhaps Nada even stalked her for a bit to try and ambush the loonie mare for a bit of a laugh or something. Berry sure didn't know, she just followed the stream, and kept her eye out for timberwolves, both real and automated. She didn't care that everypony said the technology weren't anywhere close to make that, she knew the truth!

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@Lucid_Nightlight

"I showed her a plastic bag once. But then I also had a second island so... Y'know, bad idea."

She blew up an island?

"No no, she erased it. I told you, pure destruction. That means there isn't even ash left. She gets you, you don't exist anymore. It's pretty cool, but she needs to control her temper. She's far more fun when she makes stuff. Like this! Isn't it pretty?"

Anomaly held forth one of the lotus mantises that Rose had made, which didn't seem like it knew what were going on, and just raised it's small scythe-claws towards the beings in front of it to seem intimidating. Especially at the lizard, which it's tiny brain were well able to identify as a predator.

"Anyway, she's cooling off, so hows about we go outside and make the altar and stuff ready? Oh! We need a priest too. Lucid or Novia, quick, take an online course!"

How do you even know about those?

"Not important! It's this, or we have to kidnap a priest. That's pretty easy, right? They can't run in those silly dresses."

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@Dji

The two books being presented each got their own reaction from Cherish. The first one givjng her a glimmer of hope in her face, whilst the second made her cringe and take a step back.

"P-Please don't exorcise me. I don't want to find out if it's as bad as the stories I've read makes it sound."

Being freed were a good thing, no worries there, but exorcism carried some pretty negative vibes with it, considering the stories Cherish had read in the castle made it clear it were used to get rid of unwanted spirits. As in, likely hurl them towards the afterlife clawing and screaming, and she wasn't ready to move on.

The forat book sounded more like it regarded getting a spirit to just be removed from whatever it were possessing, which were essentially what she asked for too, so hopefully that one would be able to help in some fashion, and she wouldn't end up finding out something bad via it, like she needed to be tethered to a place to cling to this world or something equally horrible. That would be rather depressing if it turned out to be the case.

"And I'm not uhm, trying to take your assistants work from him. I just... If you can help me, I'd like to help you too, and I guess he needs to sleep sometimes, right? I don't. Perhaps I can help after he goes to sleep with something sometimes? Maybe? But uhm..  First, could you please look in the first book and see what it says about y'know, getting me separated from an object? I guess it might have to be done at the castle itself or something, but I don't know how it works. The old castle doesn't really have any good books on ghosts, just fairy tales and legends."

Cherish floated over and with her telekinesis, lifted the book she meant and lead it gently to the nearest table. A minor perk a out being a ghost she supposed. Having this sort of magic even though she were a pegasus, though if it got used at too high power or to cover a pony fully, Cherish had found that it tended to leave ectoplasm behind, which could be kinda gross. Guess the princess might find it kinda interesting to see this sorta ghost goo though? She should probably bring something with her the next time something happened that caused it to form.

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@Dji

"Hey, relax there, alright? If anything tries to mess with us, I got us covered. My queen didn't keep any weaklings around, and I know how to blast and cut like the rest. Had to earn my spot through more than my devilishly good looks."

Happy chuckled. It were pretty fun to see this one all jittery too, but she didn't have anything to worry about. They'd gotten left alone so far after a-

A timberwolf trio sprung out of a nearby bush and went straight for Aurora, identifying her as the weak one in the herd in their eyes, likely because of all the trouble the varied ponies in the area gave them.

They wouldn't get near before one had been pulled up by the blue'ish aura of Happy's magic, smashed into another three times until the receiver had been bashed to bark, and then the one taken to begin with were slung into a tree with the same results. As for the last one, it stopped up and looked at Happy, whose eyes were glowing with magical aura, and fixated on the wooden canine.

"Get. Lost."

His words were cold and unfeeling, and it seemed to get the point through as the timberwolf turned on the spot and ran away with its tail between its legs.

"Gotta put yourself in respect with these things now and again. Don't worry bout 'em though, they'll reform soon enough, and then if they're smart, they stay away. Otherwise I'm just gonna repeat it until they get it.

Heh, would you believe that I'd never really fought before getting here? This world changes a man, lemme tell ya."

His tone had gone back to joyful as he just kept on walking like it were nothing. To the side, the scattered remains of the timberwolves were already stirring and starting to gather up again, but they should be long gone before it were over.

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@Dji

"Then when next this happens, we will know what to do. Archivist, have you found any truths in your texts yet?"

"Uhm, I might have actually. It's a little sketchy I suppose, but there is a ritual described here to rebirth a soul in an egg. It's meant for dragons, but perhaps it will work for something else?"

"It should be functional. Describe what is needed."

"Raw draconic magic, a decoy egg made of pure diamond, half a gallon of fresh, healthy dragon's blood, and something called a *Reaper's Kiss*. Whatever it is, it seemed to be what is needed to relocate the soul from the old body. It seems like in this story, they then torched the old one after that, as it were withered and dying, and the elder dragon lived again. There's a scribble saying *La Perinne* but I don't know what that is.

You uhm... Y-You're not really going to do this, are you? I mean, this is just a legend, and even then, it looks to be a dragon's ritual. It won't work on ponies."

"I consider that none of your business. But if you worry of the blood, you can calm your small mind, archivist. I don't intend to kill to get it. I know of better ways to gain both that, and the plant you spoke of."

"A plant? I've been studying for over forty years, and I have never heard of a plant like that."

"Perhaps you simply call it something else. Now begone, and tell your master that I will return once my task is complete, to speak of the terms of our arrangement. I can assure him that a life will be saved, not taken, before I am done."

Enzo scooped Karmic up with his paw and placed her on his back, before covering a large portion of the courtyard with the shadows from his unfolding wings, and ascending form. The two of them would be away from the castle in a matter of seconds.

"A ritual for a dragon, can be one for a changeling too. The magic must change, as so must the source of blood, but it seems feasible, long as we can find the ingredient that list did not speak off: A being which harnesses the power of death. Only they can pluck the flower, and with some luck, may even grow them. I remember it as something we were warned off when I were but a kitten. A small, seemingly insignificant thing, yet so deadly to all but the darkest of minds. There is much that we must do, but tell me first, Karmic. Do you know of any being who practices the dark arts? You ponies may call it necromancy?"

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@EQ_Theta

On 5/20/2019 at 1:47 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Heh heh… I think we got carried away in our excitement. Maybe I should stay here. Can you show me how to pack these eh… plastic bags?”

“It’s settled then. We’ll bring back a large diamond chunk. Omen, I’ll tag along with you to the diamond mine.”

"Certainly dear. Now, you simply open up here, and then-"

Amethyst would go through the rather simply process of opening the bag at the top, then slide the beast heart in, and sealing the top up again. The first two layers she would also use a couple of the bags as a sort of pair of gloves, to not make skin contact with the chunk of gem, but after the second layer, it should be safe to handle. At that point, she'd reach it towards Lin, along with a few bags, and encourage her to try it herself. It should be a simple process by then, provided that she did not poke a hole in any of the bags. if that happened, that one would have to be torn off, and a new one applied, and Amethyst would not be satisfied until there were at least six layers around this heart.

On 5/20/2019 at 1:47 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“More like the same one we stopped the last time. Filigree’s escaped imprisonment and while the Canterlot guard are out looking for her, we thought you might be able to help us. Do you happen to have a large piece of diamond? About as large as… I don’t know, an average pony’s head? Maybe five inches larger than that?”

“We have something Filigree needs to take over Equestria and we intend to move it as far away from here as possible. Unfortunately, it isn’t safe for us to keep it in a regular box and a crystal or jewel case is needed. It's very important Filigree doesn't get her hooves on it again."

"They let her get away? Son of a diamond dog!"

Studs stomped into the ground in frustration. Here he were thinking that the worst news he'd be getting today were that it would be a few hours before the machine got working again, and now this instead were on his back? Before they could even get the defense system remotely repaired? This was a catastrophe!

"Grrr, this is nothing but bad news. And what you're asking for isn't really a small thing y'know? Clusters that big tend to attract quite the eye of our customers, but if it stops her...

Tell me something first. That thing she wants, is that what covered her in those changeling emeralds she tried hurling into my mine?"

"Yes."

Studs stood and chewed his lower lip for a bit, thinking rapidly on the problems this here could cause, versus the costs of letting go of such a huge chunk. Eventually though, he'd give off a defeated look, and just give off a small nod.

"It ain't worth the risk, even if the guard's are on her. We have a cluster down there. Biggest one I've seen in years. If that ain't gonna do it, I dunno what will. Follow me down there, and stay on the path. I don't want somepony getting a pickax in the shoulder, or worse."

He'd start to lead them down there, on a wooden path with railings, to ensure that whoever came wandering around here, wouldn't get in the way of the workers hacking away at the sides of the mine with any sort of ease. Health and safety were clear on that being a requirement, among a lot of other things like hard hats and scheduled breaks. All stuff he agreed on frankly, since he didn't want his workers or any visitors ending up in the hospital. His granddad might've worked this way, but he certainly wasn't gonna follow the crazed old loon's example.

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@Seamore Sandwich

"I can procure that in a matter of minutes, if my companion here will be willing to return me to where she found me earlier. Omen, please get us back to my home."

belladonna considered the request a pretty easy one to accomplish, but to do it in a quick manner, she would require the assistance of Omen, who were currently lifting another piece of flaming coal up with her elongated tongue, and putting it into her muzzle to be consumed like those before it.

"Okay."

"Thank you. We will return shortly, Marcus."

Omen opened a gate - which made quite a few who looked at it back away - and Belladonna and herself left through it. It would swirl into a small dot and vanish within a few seconds after they had passed the threshold.

"Strange pair."

Brute weren't a big fan of strange magic like that, but it seemed convenient at least, though the practitioner were one she should be cautious around. Eating fire, opening portals, and speaking in one's heads, marked her as a pretty strange pony, and one who might easily be trouble, if the circumstances were bad.

"My sister have always been the way she is now. Just not as well dressed. It seems life have treated her well."

Sugar were still shaky and unsure of what he had to do, with all the reveals given in the last half hour, but what he did knew were that Marcus were going to save them all, as the legends said he did for so many others. Perhaps for now it were best that he focused on that, and not how they had lost these springs to begin with, why there were no mention of them in their history, and what it would mean to suddenly have these years back that he had given through the use of the relic. And this wasn't even touching on how Belladonna seemed to have a good life now, and what she might do if she were welcomed back here. Likely not stay, but perhaps visit? Surely she would wish to see her niece and nephew.

Oh dear, having that conversation with his both her and his wife... This were going to be a trying period, but perhaps now were a good time for him to actually go and speak with her, rather than take part in the festive mood. She should be with most of the other mothers right now, nurturing the foals whilst the others had gathered here, and waiting anxiously to know what were happening. He knew they wished to be here, but it were late, and the small ones needed their rest, so some had to remain to keep an eye on them.

"In any case, if you would please excuse me, I have some others to tell what happened here. I'll see you all in the morning."

With that and a bow towards Marcus, Sugar went on his way, whilst Brute glanced in his general direction, and then turned back to the stallion of the hour, Marcus.

"I'll celebrate once we've won. Keep the crowd entertained."

With that, she'd wander over to the elders to ask about where there were some debris that had been mentioned that she could move out of the way. She might as well make herself useful before getting some sleep somewhere. She wouldn't be missed back int eh main room either she guessed. Marcus were the star attraction for these beings, and Brute had been in enough arenas to know that if you got the crowd going, you made sure they kept it up so that morale would stay high and the energy got built up in the fighters. Hopefully they would get drunk though. They needed clears heads for tomorrow, not beings complaining about headaches.

Five minutes later, Belladonna would return along with Omen, via another gate opening near Marcus. The green mare would then reach a large, thick book and a folded up map towards him with her horn, making them float out of reach of any liquids that might be around here, such as cups of cider.

"A full world map, along with more detailed maps within the book, both nautical and land based. They have both been released within the last twenty years, and barring a few changes in certain towns, dams being built and such in more reclusive countries, it should contain accurate information. Especially of the current territories, which are as you can see within these pages. Will this be sufficient?"

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@Rising Dusk

It seemed that the outsider were non-responsive, as no words or any real signs of him reacting to her words were shown. It appeared as if whatever he had taken had impacted him quite substantial. A power boost with a cost perhaps? It certainly seemed that way, though he had at least staved off the worst cost of them all. Yet, he were going to need a place to rest, food and water to give him energy, and time. For that, they needed to find a settlement.

For the next half hour, Thistle would direct them through swampland, following the directions of towns that she once knew were in the area, and hoping that that they were still there. The first had proven not to be, but that had been too close too, so it were no big surprise to find only ruins in the mushy ground. She needed to go further.

Several creatures tried to interfere with them on the way. Another bog hunter attempted to lure them to its domain, but to no avail, and after seeing even the slightest sign of the light of Viz'nay, it decided to retreat and look for other prey. A few risen shambled near them, determined to feast on the easy meal, but were swatted aside and smashed on some nearby trees by Thistle. A fate she also had in mind for a few gnarly creatures that loomed near them, in the shadows of great bogs with nothing but three yellow eyes showing, but they wisely kept their distance, and let them travel in peace.

Not only bad things were in the swamplands though. A few creatures looking like a mixture between a squirrel and a fox would poke out of holes in more solid dirt, and look at them with curious, segmented eyes - a few even followed them for a few minutes, whilst a nearby elk eyed them with curiosity for a moment before running away. There weren't many good creatures here though. Swamps tended to not be the best, but as they reached more solid ground, they would start seeing more regular wildlife like boars, birds of prey, and even a few hares that dispersed quickly when the two got into view. It were a good sign to see these for Thistle, as wildlife meant there should not be long for- Ah, here they went.

It were a reasonably sized village they would pass some trees to see. About thirty houses of varied sized, some minor streets, and living, regular inhabitants, most of which were ponies. A few burly diamond dogs were there though, which weren't too uncommon in Harrowmark, as the simple life suited the calmer ones of their kind well, and they were generally welcomed, long as they behaved.

There were a lot of worried eyes on the two of them as they entered from the locals, who curried away to their homes, or those of other families nearby that would welcome them to seek shelter there. Most of the clothed ones were carrying clothes rather similar to what the captive witch in Canterlot wore, though as it were a warm season right now, most of them didn't feel the need to wear these kinds of things. Most had belts with weapons and/or tool sin them though. Even the younglings, down to about 10 years of age. One never knew when they had to fight off someone, and right now, they were eyeing some troubling outsiders. One of which were among the dead, and the other who didn't seem like a local. He were too vibrant compared to the normally dull colors of anyone born in Harrowmark, and dressed in things not familiar to them. It caused suspicion, and in Harrowmark, one were smartest if they were as cautious as could be.

A strong looking earth pony stallion with a large, weathered hat would slowly approach them, and block the way to the town square.

"Leave with him, and don't return. Oaksbrook doesn't want any part in housing outsiders."

Thistle met his steely glance with her own, none of them blinking as some locals started to draw their tools and weapons and get ready to go in close. Some of the things were enchanted, and she could feel it, but she cared not. This situation were not as it seemed to them, and they were to be told the facts.

"𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕠𝕦𝕥𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕕𝕖𝕗𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕋𝕨𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝔾𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕤. 𝕊𝕙𝕖𝕝𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕚𝕤 𝕓𝕦𝕥 𝕒 𝕤𝕞𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕠𝕨𝕖 𝕙𝕚𝕞."

This got the attention of the locals and the mayor too, who even beneath his scruffy beard were clearly cringing from this message. Something which they had all wished to hear for generations, yet to hear it told? Impossible.

"Whole militias have tried to take him out, and you wish to tell  me that this single unicorn have defeated the herald? Is this another of his tests to test our obedience?"

A large pair of moth wings grew on Thistle's back, as pale and light as the moonlight above on a cloudless night. Her expression were one of annoyance, and in her now glowing eyes, were shown beginning disdain for this meager mortal who were challenging her word.

"𝔸𝕣𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕢𝕦𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕤𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕍𝕚𝕫'𝕟𝕒𝕪?"

The stallion looked on with a mixture of regret and wonder at the sight, whereas everyone else - even the ones hiding inside and only peeking out to see what would happen - would simple stare on in amazement.

"This light, this must mean... P-Priestess Thistle?"

He got a nod in response, as the light summoned were dismissed again. Something which did not lessen the awe of the town, as one and all bowed down before the specter. A few of the diamond dogs were slow in the uptake and just went with the flow after they saw the rest move, though they weren't sure what were going on.

"The light yet remains then. Please, follow me. The outsider shall gain my personal chambers, and the care befitting of a lord."

He would lead them onwards, and soon get them to a large, wooden hut, wherein he would lead them to the back room, which functioned as his bedroom. A bed, a nightstand, a few books on local legends and such, these were the kinds of things here, which weren't really anything compared to a more high end house in Manehattan, but this were a smaller place too. Someplace that had been under the iron hoof of a mad pony for generations, who made sure they were kept in line and did as told. One of the reasons why the selection of books were so limited here. It were easier to control an area when those inhabiting it didn't have access to the more inspiring tales that might lead to rebellious thoughts. Though they still managed to sneak some in here and there without his knowledge, mixed in with other supplies from varied other towns.

Rising would be put on the bed, and the soft blanket be put over him, whilst the stallion went outside to address the population of Oaksbrook.

"𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕟𝕖𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕤𝕖𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕖𝕩𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕦𝕚𝕤𝕙𝕖𝕕. 𝕀 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕣𝕖𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕟 𝕠𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕖𝕟𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕕."

With that, Thistle would leave. Soon after, loud cheers could be heard outside, along with the chanting of both Thistle's name, and that of Rising. He would be treated well here, that were certain. He would have a minimum of one visitor within the next ten minutes.

Edited by Blitz Boom
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@Blitz Boom

Pringle looked at the mantis thing. This would be the fight of the century. Pringle stepped up to the thing and ate it.

"How about a pastor?"

"Yeah those are easier to find."

"Or maybe a mayor. It would be great for our political campaign against geese."

Lucid decided to ask Anomaly a question.

"What would happen if I insulted nature in front of the weird nature thing?"

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@Blitz Boom
"There indeed is more to them than anybody else thinks." Ruby replied after sitting down in a way she could look after the bag "I obviously won't reveal too many details, but there is few things I can mention." "Firstly, they are worthless when it comes to money, they are good example of being so old and rare that no creature knows anything about them, besides me of course." "Their worth comes from how due to the way they were created, they can be used other than as form of payment." "Though I haven't figured that way out yet, because I haven't been able to test it due to how rare they are around here."

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

Nada checked the door was locked after Berry, then heading to the pool, not hurrying with the swimming since she knew she was bound to be faster than Berry.She could tell from the water when she passed Berry, but continued a little bit, until eventually she rose to the surface and waited for Berry, humming quietly to herself.

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@Blitz Boom "In a way, introduced Princess Bookworm to Cherish, who by the way, apologizes. Got the new Siren settled in with Luna. Then picked up Fah'lina, and now you. My parents place in Manehatten awaits" She looks toward the Doc, "Question Doc, is Ziggy able to travel?"

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@Blitz Boom

Sen followed Gem Stud, keeping himself as distant as he can from the nearby workers. As much as he’d be fine with walking normally to avoid drawing attention to himself, he couldn’t help but try to make much thinner than he looks, and it became awkward to him being so conscious of trying not to touch anything that he’d become an attraction to anyone looking at him. Even the way he walked shifted from normal to waddling to snaking, moving along the wooden path. He couldn’t help it when the pickaxes really spooked him for some reason. 

“Thank you for your help, Gem Stud,” the longma said after he calmed down and began to resume walking normally. 

“We discovered this morning that Filigree was broken out of her cell by a diamond dog gang. They covered their escape well enough that the guards couldn’t follow them. Seeing as they appear to be good at digging, do you see them as a competition or a threat in this kind of work?” 

Meanwhile, Lin observed how Amethyst was packing the heart in the plastic bags and slowly copied Amethyst starting with using some of the bags as a pair of gloves. She hesitated for a bit before picking up another bag and inserting the sealed heart in it. A delicate procedure considering her claws were already poking at the edges of the bag gloves but she did it again, and a third time…

By the time Lin was finished with her sixth layer, she placed the heart down and looked at her covered claws, pondering at what she just finished. She was satisfied but there a look of concern was plastered on her face. 

“Amethyst, are there any side effects from holding the heart with bare claws? Ever since we took the beast heart from Filigree, Sen’s been holding that thing unprotected. Well... he's only held it about twice or thrice since we first got it but I'm worried we might have problems with that."

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@Catpone Cerberus

"Never pitched you as an avid coin historian. Fancy that."

Spicy were genuinely surprised by this revelation. She figured Ruby were just sort of a thug with a special gift, looking for a quick buck, but just you see what hid beneath the hard outer shell once her new companion peeled a layer off.

"So their worth is not in any value that most folks would know about these days, and they got themselves another use than currency, 'cause they were made in a special way? Sounds like a bit of a treasure hunt you got going there, Ruby. I'd ask what you're looking to gain from it, but stuff like that I'd understand a want to keep a closed muzzle on. Ain't fun to have anypony just swoop in and snatch up your price just in front of ya.

I'll ask this though: Once you get it, are you gonna start trying to take over the country? No offense to ya, but we got enough of those troublemakers already, so can't hurt to ask."

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"Heeey, there you were. Figured you'd be further out than this."

Berry sped up to get over to Nada once she saw and heard the humming siren just lay on the riverbank and wait for her. Go figure this one were faster with that escape route, but that were just good. Nice practice for when she got her own, and had to run some panic drills to make sure everything were in order, in case things went real bad. Berry sure were gonna push for Nada to run that at least. Never could be too careful.

"So, fresh air, forest seems clear. What do you fancy doing out here?

Oh hey, we could go check up on that desert area, and see if something's showing? Mighty curious if They are trying their hooves at terraforming or extreme weather manipulation, and figured this were a good place to test it."

It were a pretty strange thing to pop up all of a sudden, and she couldn't remember going there to look up on it yesterday. Were a whole lot to get done then, so it might have been nothing, and she just sorta tuned it out between trying to keep the grinder going and deal with the surge of workers looking for a good cup of joe. Well, that and Nada here, along with her hell-spawn of a squirrel thing. Mighty weird day actually, now that she were thinking about it.

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

 

@Moonlit

"It's okay, it were an accident. I'll tell her that next time we run into her."

"Accident or not, the damages doesn't change from that. Now, that everfree spirit might have helped on the healing, but your leg is still not completely okay. Focus more on flying than walking, and I mean regular flying young lady. None of that strange zigging and zagging I've seen you do."

"Awh, I said I understood it. Normal flight only for at least a day more."

The doctor gave her a narrowed look, then came wandering over to Serenade instead. Her nose wrinkled a little as she smelled salt water for some reason, but with the spa in town, this were hardly the weirdest she'd run into. Bath salts were getting ridiculous at times.

"Keep an eye on her, don't let her strain herself, and make sure she takes her pills every two hours. She's safe for travel long as that is upheld."

"Heeeey, I got it the first time."

Ziggy pouted a little, which the doctor didn't even turn to look at. The zegasus might be a doctor as well, but she were young and full of energy. Too much of it in fact, which is why she needed the pills to keep it in check until she were completely ready again. Hopefully that would be around tomorrow, long as there were not added unneeded strain on her leg.

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

 

@EQ_Theta

Stud saw how jittery the Longma were, though honestly, he shouldn't be too worried about the others here. Most barely noticed he were there as they were busy working, and the few that did, just cast a few curious glances before getting back to the job at hoof. They had a well paying job to do, and that were generally more important than eyeing some outsider that they didn't know about 

Omen wouldn't get many looks, but she would have her own to deal with, as Shrimp were stirring on her back and started to look around at all the gems with flaring nostrils and hunger in his sleepy eyes. Something which Stud also bit notice in, and threw a loose piece of diamond towards it. It were pretty low quality stuff that had been tossed aside for now, so he might as well feed this to this weird, dragon-like creature instead of losing something good to it suddenly reaching out to get something of worth. Omen caught the gem with her tongue and brought it to Shrimp, which did made Stud raise an eyebrow, but he said nothing, until Sen eventually calmed down enough to open his mouth and start talking.

18 hours ago, EQ_Theta said:

“Thank you for your help, Gem Stud,” the longma said after he calmed down and began to resume walking normally. 

“We discovered this morning that Filigree was broken out of her cell by a diamond dog gang. They covered their escape well enough that the guards couldn’t follow them. Seeing as they appear to be good at digging, do you see them as a competition or a threat in this kind of work?” 

"I've seen what she can do. I'm not risking my mine or my country for that to happen again.

And diamond dogs are a mixed bunch. Some of them are opportunistic scavengers looking for a quick place to mine everything they can get. Others are willing to put in some work for it."

He' point towards a burly diamond dog down in the quarry, who were bashing away at some rocks surrounding a few carts worth of diamonds with his massive paws. Said paws seemed to have iron gloves on them, to prevent him from injuring himself too much.

"Lucky is one of a dozen or so I have on rotation who works hard for their gems. Valuable workers if you can reach an agreement with them, but the ones you have a beef with sounds more like the other kind.  The sort my father had to deal with for years on end when it was his turn to take over this mine. What sorta tribe are they in?"

"Diggers'N Thieves."

"Wait, what?! They are running in Equestrian main land now? What sorta idiot are paying them enough to risk getting caught like that? Gotta be somepony with deep pockets and a lucky star hanging above 'em, 'cause if they got caught, they'd talk in a heart beat. They're only looking out for themselves, not whoever is willing to line their pockets."

18 hours ago, EQ_Theta said:

“Amethyst, are there any side effects from holding the heart with bare claws? Ever since we took the beast heart from Filigree, Sen’s been holding that thing unprotected. Well... he's only held it about twice or thrice since we first got it but I'm worried we might have problems with that."

"Honestly dear, I don't know. I know that this thing can infect and overtake whoever touches it, but I don't know what the requirements are. Weak of heart? Greed? An agreement to accept it in? Or is it simply randomly, flourishing when it is no longer dormant? I haven't a clue, and honestly, I dare not to take the chance. For the time being I can only assume that it have gone dormant and didn't have the strength to try and tempt Sen. I have doubts that it will have infected him somehow now though. The creature should need its heart to spread from what I have been told, so if he have not shown any strange signs yet, he should hopefully be fine.

That being said, we may want to check him with a fine comb once he returns, in case the changeling emeralds have started to grow on him from touching the heart. It is better to be safe than sorry."

Sadly, there were a lot that she didn't know of the story of these hearts and how they worked. The one she had spoken with had been reluctant to provide many answers on the subject, and especially when it came to how the hearts in themselves worked. Likely out of fear that the information may be spread, and others would be prone to try and gain power from these beasts, rather than leave them be, as one should do. Perhaps the time for this secrecy were over now though, with one chasing the hearts. They might have been able to detain one of them here, but there were dozens more out in the world. Some likely more dangerous than this one, and they couldn't be expected to deal with it fully if they were walking into things blindly.

Going over to a nearby closet, Amethyst pulled out a pair of cups, and a thermos filled with clear, steaming water, which she'd pour into the first cup, before hovering over the second.

"Some tea dear?"

From the same closet, she'd use her horn to pull out a wooden box of segmented tea leaves, ready to be taken out and stirred into the water, along with a small compartment where small boxes of cream and sugar would be provided, in case either of them wanted that.

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

 

@Lucid_Nightlight

Anomaly looked on as the mantis got eaten, and shrug her shoulders.

"Eh, guess it were too weak to live then. Anyway, stealing a pastor or mayor sounds fun. But which one to choose..."

She stood and thought on it for a little, then went outside and snapped her tail, causing a wheel of fortune to grow out of the ground like a tree, and soon enough stand flourishing and ready for a spin. Ont he board were four options. Pastor. Mayor, Priest, and Giant Octopus.

"Spin the wheel, spin the wheel. Whoever it lands on, we will steal.

And Rose wouldn't hurt you for insulting nature, she'd just start getting snippy and prank you around. I'd be more worried of nature itself getting up and slapping you if you insult it. The grassy bore can be real uppity around here."

A hand of dirt rose up and slapped Anomaly in the back of the head, before going down again.

"See? What did I tell you?"

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@Blitz Boom

So the diamond dog gang who broke Filigree out of prison is well known? Must have been notorious enough to warrant that kind of notoriety. It wouldn’t really matter if there weren’t any witnesses around the Canterlot guards’ prison cells who could positively identify anyone who was immediately involved with the break-in, even if it was just a visual appearance. Given the look of the cell Filigree was in, they were smart about how they did it.

“I'm guessing Filigree had an agreement with those diamond dogs before we got involved. She was trying to get rid of everyone who worked with her in the mines and if the jewelry business makes her rich, she likely had the means to pay them well. Your thoughts, Omen? You have a guess?”

It was sound assessment and given what Sen knows about Filigree given their limited encounters with her, there was enough evidence to point to her. Beyond that, everyone Filigree’s worked with ended up being encased in changeling emeralds or in danger of being encased. If there was new evidence that proves otherwise, the longma wouldn’t know how all of that fits in and that would leave him confused and back to square one. Maybe Omen might have picked up on something he was missing like a motive from a brief time spent conversing with her. As far as he can remember, Omen spoke with Filigree in the mine but that was all he had going for him.

As for Lin, she listened and thought back to every possible instance Sen brought out the heart and not one instance did he ever comment about it behaving out of the ordinary. It was just about as ordinary as holding large jewel or rock. Sure, it looked like he shouldn’t be touching it but nothing was ever out of the ordinary for him or anyone around to see it. 

“It’s probably nothing. Sen didn’t mention anything about the heart talking to him so I guess he is fine. Wouldn’t hurt to have a look though.”

Once Lin saw Amethyst pulling out some cups and filling them with water, she looked at what else the mare was getting ready to mix into it. A familiar thing, a reminder of what the dinner setting was like back home.

“Yes, please,” Lin said, bowing her head as she took the cup and accepted Amethyst’s offer. “This reminds me of my mother. She’d brew a batch after evening meals over a fire using her mixture of aromatic leaves. The scent was very relaxing, almost making me fall asleep sometimes. What kinds of leaves do you use?”

Amethyst’s whole set-up was enough to get Lin to reminisce, imagining her mother was nearby picking and mixing herbs and leaves together before placing it all in a vessel and brewing it. Her whole home was filled with a soothing aroma that was just as effective at getting her to sleep as a lullaby. 

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(edited)

@Blitz Boom

"Pastors are usually nice and will simply volunteer to go with you. Mayors are protected by guards and ponies in suits."

"The mayor one does sound fun."

"And it will raise our social status if the mayor likes us, which they will because I am handsome."

"No, I am. Did you really forget that?"

Edited by Lucid_Nightlight
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@Blitz Boom
"Actually, I'm not really an avid coin historian, I just found out about these for...other reasons. But I do know a lot about history in general." Ruby corrected before responding to the question with a faked humorous grin "I have no interest leading a country, especially not one taken by force, after all, unhappy subjects would be a pain in a flank." though she would be more than happy to destroy the country and take over the land if she ever got a chance "All I will say is that if we still are in contact then, you will never see me again." 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Again Nada just ignored the part about them, because she would only get confused if she tried to understand anything about those, and it was confusing enough to have missed a millennia of pony stuff. "We could do that, I'm curious about the desert too, and I don't remember if I have actually ever been on a desert before." "But I'll come only on the edge, I won't leave the forest." 

 

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@Blitz Boom

Iron looked up at Chow and smiled a bit. "At least you're not asleep, Astral must've-" He walked forward, and hit something, sparking his mane and causing a barrier in the air to glow

Mister walked over, pausing as she saw this happen.
"Iron, did you beat them?"

"Not exactly, it didn't go that way, I'd like to discuss it inside, since I suspect that Astral-"

"Step away from him!" 
Misty looked back to Astral, whose eyes glowed, brows currled down as she stared Iron with a death glare.

"Well this is fantastic, your rejuvenated."

She walked forward until she was face to face with Iron 
"I know that you're working for them now, you did trigger that barrier that I literally set up to keep allies of her out of here."

Iron smirked and looked away.
"Glad you're smart to recognize when not to trust me, but surely I'd have a good reason?"

"We need to talk about it then, and you need to have a good reason for it."

"I do" He glanced to Chow. "Do you have anything to sa-"

"Don't get him involved Iron, this is you and me now."

"Then let me inside, so we can discuss this away from him."
The barrier dropped, Iron sighing and walking straight upstairs. "Come on."

Misty looked at them as they headed upstairs, looking to Chow. "So uuhhhh, weather's nice right?"

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

Sapphire looked to Emerald, then looking away, sighing deeply "I should retreat into the element then. It'd let me avoid wasting magic,
but it'll mean I can't help you, you can figure things out though I'm sure."
Her form retreated, and her gem gently floated down, plenty of time for Emerald to catch it.

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

"I'd still be nervous doing anything in a court, my word would have a lot of power there, even if I was only a witness, even more so actually, being a general now." He sat down on a chair across from her. "But I'm sure I can figure things out."
 

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

Chariot sat near the bars of the cell, looking to Opal "Why not go get it now?"

"I need to be here to make sure they send you, or at least I'm sure I do need to be here."

"So you could leave without reason." He grinned at her

"Coercing me to leave so soon?" She cooed at him, Chariot looking the other way, grumbling. "Oh come on, you know you like me."

"I'd rather not stay in here any longer talking to you." He looked back to her. "Go talk to Astral about this."

"Will do, after they return." She chuckled as Chariot grumbled more, looking forward to the opposite wall, waiting a few minutes for the guards to return.

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

@Dji

"That does not make you any more trustworthy, if anything it makes you less trustworthy."
He walked down ahead of her before turning around.
"Now where is this place?"

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@Blitz Boom

Rising Dusk could feel his blinks getting long and heavy.  His body already numb from the side effects of the red pill and the antidote that was the green pill, but the floating didn't help either.  Not really wanting to move his limbs was ideal and time in perspective was starting to slip away.  Every time he blinked he could tell they had moved a good distance even through his slightly blurred vision.  The magic he could sense was changing the further they moved away from the alter of the Dark God, although it was easy to tell he was still in Harrowmark.  His extra sense was the only one he could trust right now under the effects of the antidote, which was limited.

Another blink and he could hear muffled voices.  Blurred shadows played at the edges of his vision as the town ponies scurried into their homes scared of the outsider.  It was pretty easy to tell via the tone though, he wasn't welcome.  He's been kicked out of a bar before, once he was identified as a law enforcement officer, but a town was a new one.  The detective's companion wasn't having it though and felt it necessary to display her power and authority with use of light power.  Which to Rising Dusk's currently oversensitive extra sense, was a rather assertive weave.  Luckily it didn't have to last too long before the town ponies were convinced this was no test or invasion from Equestria.  Whole militia fought against Twisted Gears before?  Numbers weren't always the answer to a problem and he could only imagine how many of their souls further fed the Dark God.

He blinked again and finally he felt just a little something.  A blurry ceiling filled his vision and he felt pretty confident he was now laying on a bed.  Probably getting it all dirty with the swamp muck that had been covering his body and hoodie at the time.  Not that he could do much about it at the moment, he'll just have to apologize later.  Going for another blink cast the detective into darkness.

Another dark room, an unknown light source shining down on the sitting detective.  Not all that alone though.  The light tainted wisp fluttered around the unicorn's head, but otherwise wasn't up to much.  Whispers crept up from the darkness at the edge of the light.  The riling inky mass kept at the edge as the bubbles took up the shape of ponies before popping.  Their whispers were a lot more different than their first meeting.  They were more upbeat, as if cheering, but with all of them trying to speak at the same time, it was still difficult to make anything out.  Definitely no longer in the category of nightmare though, it wasn't hard to pick it out as a dream.  His perfectly clean hoodie and lack of numbness to his body was a pretty big give away.  Might need to see a pony about why he often dreams in a dark single source light room.  Meh, a letter to Princess Luna would never hurt.

With a smile his horn ignited and he took control of the white wisp.  "Be free," he told the trapped souls that clung to his body.  He cast the wisp at the vile inky black mass.  The tendrils thrashed and withered under the presence of the light tainted wisp.  It hissed and screamed, the bubbles popping one more time to let out a small glowing mass that he figured his subconscious translated as a soul in the dream realm.  The final ends of the magics left over from the first artifact Rising Dusk dispelled that started this whole mess, were extinguished and the remaining souls were released. 

With the last of the darkness erased, the light wisp came flying back to him like a rubber band.  Resounding snap included.  The light source above him went out and he could feel himself falling.

A loud thud rang out in the small hovel he was staying in.  The unicorn laying half in bed and half on the floor.  Oh sweet floor, we meet again.  "Ow..."

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@Catpone Cerberus

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. The world's a smaller place than you think, and sometimes it makes folks run into eachother again at some really weird moments. Sides, I like to have you around, so I'm thinking that when you eventually crack this one right open, my charm and winning personality will have made you go all dependent, and you'll stick around so you won't have to miss me."

The mare laughed a little. Sure she had some of the charm and personality she were speaking off, but that didn't hold on to folks. Cold cash did that, as were evident by Marley's presence in general. She were pretty sure that if he didn't get a paycheck, he'd be gone within the hour, no matter how many fun stories the two of 'em had. Just how things worked.

"Heh, all joking aside, we'll see what time brings. If it splits us, then eh, might as well enjoy the good, profitable times while they're here."

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"Smart moves. Let's go check the edge and see what's lurking in there."

It'd be a short travel to get to the edge of the desert area. The animals were still disturbed by the presence of this, yet it seemed that certain sturdy creatures were starting to make an advance on the area, as whilst the resources were low, it were currently safe from many predators, as for example the timberwolves seemed to avoid the place like the plague.

The area were larger than they could eye from their current position, and in the distance (marking the middle of the desert) could be seen a temple of sorts, though it were too far away to really get any details.

"Seems like there's something in there. Pity I didn't bring my binoculars for this. I could've gotten a might good look at... Wait, something's headed our way."

That something were little more than a blur at first, but as it got rapidly closer, the form of a changeling of sorts would get more prominent. And she seemed both annoyed, and focused on Nada, who she'd address first once she stopped buzzing towards them, around two meters from the edge where the two of them stood/floated.

2uHij2p.jpg

"This desert is my domain, and sirens are not welcome to set even a single fin upon the sands. You can feast on the negativity of your prey animal elsewhere."

The changeling waved a hoof towards Berry, whom she were certain were just there because the siren had used her song to force the pony with her.

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

 

@Moonlit

"Hehe, it's okay. I move around a lot normally, so I burn off a ton of calories. You should see the sorta stuff I sometimes lived on in Las Pegasus, and just at me, fit and healthy."

Fah'lina's response to the promise of food were joyful too, with the critter currently clinging to Ziggy's recently mended leg with her tail and feet, raising her front paws up and clapping enthusiastically with a grin on her face. The promise of food always made her interested, and really started to make her feel good about not being part of her colony anymore. Less mouths to share with, at least for now. They'd see once mating season started and she had to figure out if she were going to start her own colony.

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@EQ_Theta

On 5/23/2019 at 3:03 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“I'm guessing Filigree had an agreement with those diamond dogs before we got involved. She was trying to get rid of everyone who worked with her in the mines and if the jewelry business makes her rich, she likely had the means to pay them well. Your thoughts, Omen? You have a guess?”

"No. Little time I had with her, she just wanted me to hold the gem. Stand still when she said weird words. Then suddenly you were there."

Filigree hadn't been keen on sharing details about herself, and especially not once she quickly realized that Omen weren't exactly the quickest mind in Equestria, and only asked why she were in crystal. It had been easy to just tell her that she'd explain later and then get the ki'nathar to stand in the right spot as she completed the work that had been denied her ten years prior.

"Whatever the case, you'll come back here and let me know when you catch her again, you hear? And next time, put her in a cage at Shark Bay. The Coast Guard's got some good ones hanging above the water that can't be dug into, and hopefully not anypony who'd be possible to bribe to just let her go."

If there were one thing Stud loathed more than a smart villain, it were a smart villain with deep pockets. That allowed some degree of resourcefulness that allowed for some far reaching issues and problems solving, such as this alleged pay to the diamond dog gang that had broken her out.

They'd soon enough get to near the bottom of the mine, and end up at a cluster bigger than they had asked for, but it were the only one who'd do right now. There were four miners trying to get it loose at the current moment, and they seemed like they almost got it too, with a padded cart ready to catch it the second they got it down.

"Few more minutes and this'll be free. You folks think you can lift it? It ain't hollow ya know."

On 5/23/2019 at 3:03 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Yes, please,” Lin said, bowing her head as she took the cup and accepted Amethyst’s offer. “This reminds me of my mother. She’d brew a batch after evening meals over a fire using her mixture of aromatic leaves. The scent was very relaxing, almost making me fall asleep sometimes. What kinds of leaves do you use?”

"I have a friend to ensures I get a good specialty box like this every few months. This current one are focused on tastes from the northern countries like Harrowmark, Norwhinny, and Germane. The selection are focused on strong, earthy blends of mostly sweet or bitter tastes.If you prefer bitter, a crimsonleaf mixture from Harrowmark will be best, whereas one hardly goes wrong with a frenzyroot for a more sweet taste. One of the better ones from Norwhinny I must say. Ah, but my personal suggestion if you want something refreshing, will always be this."

Amethyst pointed towards a particular, frosty-looking thing that almost looked like a flower petal.

"The famous Germane mint tulip. I don't know how they make these grow, but the taste of delightful and refreshing. Please though, take your pick of any in the box. I believe she have carved into the lid what each one is."

The one making these had indeed done that, and they could find a brief description of the base taste, and where it were from from that. Lin should have a good variety, unless she liked more subtle tastes. These were more meant as surprisingly powerful ones that you couldn't avoid tasting.

"May I ask what kinds of tea you and your mother enjoyed dear? Never seen an area with creatures quite like you after all, and I wonder what your tastes, or accessibility may be when it comes to things like this."

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@FanOfManyShows

"Yeah, weathers looking mighty fine... Thinking it might start to rain punches with how this is going though."

This whole thing had been a right mess ever since Chow opened the door and saw Iron there. A happy sight at first, since he figured this would really help Astral relax, but it snowballed downhill once the barrier got activated. Then Astral showed up, thundering about, saying that Iron were actually working with her mom and aunt, and... Yeah, it was a giant mess. Positive note, none of them were on fire yet, so that were something. Negative note: Basically everything, as the aspect of some traitor stuff going on here were starting to stink up the air, and Iron better have a real good explanation for this, as well as why he were trying to use Chow as a shield by trying to get him on his side. Kind of a harsh move, but Astral turned out to have none of that.

Moving aside so that they could get him in, Chow kept close to Misty, just in case something were going down and he had to dive down to avoid her getting hit by some random spell or debris from an impulsive attack. He didn't think it'd happen, but the chance were there, and that were more than enough to make him cautious and prepared for the worst. Weren't like he could actually fight these, so yeah, pony shield it were. Weren't much, but it were an honest living.

Once they got up there to a secure enough room, Chow would keep his muzzle shut and let Astral lead this on. She'd likely have plenty enough to ask for all of 'em.

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@FanOfManyShows

Emerald used some of her magic to catch the gem, and floated it in front of her cloudy form. To think how much she had gone through to try and get control of this, and now it were within reach, yet unusable for her... What a cruel irony, yet there were not time to think on that, as she placed the gem on a nearby pillow and floated out of the room again. She'd return within thirty minutes, inhabiting the body of a rat, and with a story to tell that had gotten her quite rattled, no pun intended. Yet that could wait until Sapphire were awake again. Until that time, she'd lay down nearby and try to rest too. With a body, even as small as this, she could at least do that, rather than float around like swamp gas and wait. It got tiring.

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@FanOfManyShows

"You better, 'cause this here's your job now mate. At least until you find a replacement, dies, or gets thrown out in disgrace. It ain't like in the Coast Guard where we compete over who's general every year, so you're in for a long run, or an embarrassing short one, though so far, it's going pretty good for ya. You already caught your first threat to the kingdom, and you hadn't even gotten the reigns then. Pretty good start."

Tidal Wave grinned and gave the new general a small pat with her hoof. A good kid, but he had a good deal of growing into this role to do. Dew hadn't been much different when he first took charge, so y'know, Wings here would probably be fine, long as he got the necessary support from the other generals, the guards, and varied legal agencies, such as the Manehatten O.M.I. They're really making a push on things these days, what with their fixing of magical issues like cursed and nasty looking trinkets. A nice bunch, and their captain was quite the imposing sight once she got riled up.

"Say, speaking about starts, we're holding the next competition in around June next year. What do you say you come 'round and have a looksie? I kept asking Dew, but he kept avoiding it, and Screecher only shows now and again to see if there'd be somepony new leading us. Come on, it'll be fun, and you get to see if I can keep my job five years running."

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@FanOfManyShows

It wouldn't be long before the medical team with Hogweed in front came around, and wandered over to the cell.

"Sorry for the wait. Things got a little uhm... Yeah, hectic I guess. A-Anyway, thank you for keep an eye on him. We'll take care of things from here."

The lieutenant would direct the ones she had brought to get Chariot on the bier and secure him so that he wouldn't fall off, as well as ensuring that the chains remained where they were, so that he couldn't use magic. They'd be on their way to the special room within the next few minutes.

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@Rising Dusk

Rising would find that a good deal of the souls would vanish in a small flutter of light, with the sound of tiny wings flapping around them. They seemed happy nonetheless, yet it appeared as if Viz'nay were taking or guiding them as they left his presence, helped by the light that Rising had carried of hers. It eased the process, even if it were a very small piece of her light.

As Rising fell to the floor, he'd find that there were a pair of hooves grabbing him nearly instantaneously and with some degree of trouble, would get him pushed back into the bed.

"Ease yourself, great outsider. You're safe in our town."

The soft but nervous voice belonged to a unicorn mare in her twenties, looking at him with big, pale-blue eyes filled with both awe and concern. Her mane were as long and flowing as her tail, colored in dark blue and with a line of golden blond hair going down the midst of it. Her coat were light blue as water in a pool, and she wore an outfit that were reminiscent of what the witch in Manehattan wore, just in a brighter shade of brown, no hat, and a longer skirt. She wished she had been able to present herself better than this, but they needed her to help this warrior from lands far beyond their shores with some degree of haste, so there had been no time.

A tray consistent of a warm, nutritious root stew were placed on a tray next to Rising's current bed, along with a bowl of fresh water, a couple of sugar cubes, and some local specialties she'd found whilst getting this meal ready in a hurry. Mainly some oat brownies with a bitter aftertaste that the locals considered hearty, and a bowl of some random berries covered in a pale, icy glazing of undetermined origins. It'd taste rather sweet though, with a good crunch, though it certainly weren't sugar.

Putting the blanket over Rising again, she'd look at him to see if he stayed awake, though whatever he did or not, she'd start talking all the same.

"You have endured much, but you need your strength. Please, when you are ready, I have prepared a meal for you that should help."

The tip of her horn flared with a small, blue ember, and the stew would get a stir with the wooden spoon, and start to bubble ever so slightly. This mare had some strong, yet controlled pyrotelekinesis abilities, so moving around things and warming/quickly preparing food like this were not an issue for her. It also proved useful in case the creatures from the swamp got a little too confident and went towards their town. Fire had a way of solving many things like that.

One might question though why she had moved Rising up on the bed using her hooves instead of her horn though, once she saw that he had fallen out of it, yet that were just one of around three dozens that should already be possible to ask for Rising, if he got the chance between eating/getting fed. Which version depended on if he had the energy to lift the spoon himself.

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@Lucid_Nightlight

"Hey! We do this right. You spin the wheel, and then we take whoever it lands on to do this."

Even the giant octopus?

"Yep. Totally legal here on my isle. Now come on, someone spinny the wheelie! Your human can decide what it lands on, and then if everything goes wrong, we can blame him. Hehe, human in pony prison sounds like fun."

I feel sorry for him, yet at the same time, at least it's not me for once.

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@Blitz Boom

Lucid spun the wheel and waited until it eventually landed on... the other author's life savings? Well, it's Anomaly's wheel, so you can blame her.

"Hey! Anomaly's author! Hand over your life savings!"

"I don't think can send it since he is normal and stuff."

"Send Anomaly in there to retrieve it then."

Lucid opened a portal, went in so that he could eat all the iron and silver that was in the house. When he was done, he came back to Anomaly's island.

"Okay, it should be safe for you to enter. Also, author guy, your house is a mess and looks like an animal ran through it."

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(edited)

@Blitz Boom

“Yeah, I remember what happened at the mines,” Sen replied to Omen, still somewhat uneasy about that memory lingering in his mind. After what he did to put the entire rescue effort at risk, he feels ashamed about taking that risk. He knew it would be faster but disastrous in the long run. As much as how things still went well in the end, the guilt weighs heavy even now. “She is persistent about getting things her way no matter the situation.”

Once they were approaching the bottom of the mine, Sen took a moment to really take in the size of the diamond. It looked like the right kind of size for the job and he’d prefer it if this is the one they need. No unnecessary trips back and forth; just enough time needed to pass in order to get everything set up here and back at Amethyst’s shop so Shrimp could begin his part in all of this.

“I think I might be able to lift that back to Canterlot. And I’ll take your suggestion to the Canterlot guards. They’ll probably want another place to hold her while they repair the dug out floor of their cell. Here’s hoping Filigree hasn’t paid off any sea creatures near the bay as well.” Sen chuckled at that last remark but quickly let out a cough before regaining his more serious composure. 

As for Lin, she wasn’t quite sure what to pick. Looking over the selection, she was certain she wanted to try all of them but asked herself what one option she would pick. It boiled down to Amethyst’s suggestion and chose the Germane Mint Tulip, taking about two leaves and adding it to her cup.

“Mother often used ginger root or Osmanthus but would sometimes add Jasmine leaves. On the occasion a trading caravan from another village stops by, she’d also use the petals of the rare Jade Orchid. It has a strong, sweet taste with an equally powerful scent once heated. They say the scent alone is powerful enough to clear a headache within minutes! I wouldn’t know about that claim since I haven’t had a chance to test it. Those are very difficult to get a hold of since they only grow on specific trees and so few ever fully blossom. Otherwise, mother would stick to Osmathus since their buds are more commonly found and harvested, not to mention having a preferable fruity taste over the bitter ginger root. She preferred the latter though.”

After about a minute or two has passed, Lin took a sip from her cup and allowed the taste to settle in her mouth. She moved the liquid around, left and right, taking in everything she could from her beverage. Once she downed the first sip, she smiled and sipped another.

“This is delicious! I feel like I’ve woken up from a good nap and ready to take on anything!”

Edited by EQ_Theta
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@Blitz Boom Serenade smiles, "I got three tickets for the Friendship Express to Manehatten, and it leaves in about half a hour" She turns and waits for Ziggy, she tries to stop from giggling. Her Dad will spoil Fah'lina rotten, and she knows it. 

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@Blitz Boom
"The world is small place yes, but I assure you, if I was to decide we wouldn't meet again, we wouldn't." "Like you know your way in the criminal world, I know my way in other things." Ruby responded, even though Spicy had made it clear she understood that without her saying that "But it is like you said indeed, it's best to enjoy our partnership as long as it lasts." she would of course take all use from it that she could, but if she ever managed to find the right information to use her new tools to her advantage, she would return to her homelands and take over few treasure piles.

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Nada was quiet as she observed the desert and focused on what looked like some kind of building, and she didn't notice the creature before Berry mentioned about it. She tilted her head curiously when the creature came to view, as she had never seen changelings in any form, and in fact didn't even know they were a thing, so she was curious about what for her was totally new creature. When the creature spoke, accusing Nada of planning to collect negativity, she seemed like she had expected it to some extend, though she was clearly disappointed . "Don't worry, I haven't done that for over a millennia, and I'm not sure if I even can consume negativity anymore." "Though I wasn't planning to come to the desert regardless, because besides some personal reasons, the dryness of it doesn't exactly attract me, I just wanted to see if it was really there." "But even if you don't believe me, do you really think that an empty looking desert would be my go to place for negativity? When there's a town full of ponies not far from here?" she knew she could have chosen a bit nicer way to response, but after being driven to hiding for so long, and meeting a nice pony like Berry after that, she had decided to treat others based on how they treated her.

 

 

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@Blitz Boom

Pain had always been a good teacher, but right now it served another important purpose.  Feeling pain right now was good as it meant he was out of danger from the poison of the power pill killing him.  The side effects from the antidote counteracting the red pill were, for the most part, gone.  Now only having to deal with the bump that would form latter from his encounter with the floor.  It was also nice to have use of all six of his senses again.  Sounds weren't muffled like he was at the bottom of a well anymore, his vision was clear and everything wasn't saturated in light.  With everything else up and running, focus wasn't as put heavily on his extra sense and he didn't need to observe the world through only magic.

Rising Dusk's meeting with the floor though was to be short lived as a pair of hoofs were quick to scoop him up and shuffle him back into the bed.  He blinked and took in his surroundings, having not gotten the chance with all his senses upon his entrance to the village, and hovel over all.  It was small and simple, something he'd expect in a land under the iron hoof of Twisted Gears.  So much taken from them that it was difficult to really advance one's village.  The detective wasn't alone in this room though, evident by the helping back into bed, and the voice in greeting.  Turning his attention to the mare unicorn dressed in what he's identified as rather common attire in this land with those he's met so far.  Not that he was one to comment on fashion, but he was pretty sure his sister would have a thing or two to say.  Something about earth tones being out in mainstream fashion these days.

Safe was yet to he a term he'd consider attached to a place like Harrowmark thus far, but even when no longer in a state of dying, he was still pretty weak.  So he'd have to trust the stranger for now.  At least he had to the energy to sit up in the bed and not need to be tucked in like a foal.  Moving his gaze to the aforementioned food, which in his current condition wouldn't be a bad idea to help regain some strength.  The water in of itself was rather desirable.  Nodding his head, accepting her kindness of food.  Getting an extra treat in watching the magic she used to heat up his soup.  New spells were always interesting to see.  A fiery weave that marked a beautifully crafted pyrotelekinesis spell that warmed his soup.  A very useful skill for any unicorn wishing to be a cook.  She'd get along with Flare Blitz quite well.

With the cooking down, he gladly accepted the food.  Igniting his own horn to collect the items he needed to feed himself.  "Thank you," he told the stranger with a tired smile.  Sampling some berries and the soup.  Nothing one would get from Manehatten, but being in a different country was a whole other story.  It was pleasant though, and warm, and gave him energy so he wasn't going to complain.  "I'm Detective Rising Dusk," he introduced himself after swallowing some of her soup.

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@Catpone Cerberus

"Alright, I'll take your word for it, but I tell ya, you never know how the world spins 'round. A lot of weird stuff happening everywhere."

Was gonna be a weird thing when this one went away honestly. Been a short time, but Spicy liked having Ruby around. She were fun in her own way, and certainly useful. That shiny radar of hers were great.

"When time comes for us to split though, here's hoping all three of us are alive, free, and first and foremost: Loaded with riches. Ain't nothing like the sound of jingling coins."

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@Catpone Cerberus

On 5/25/2019 at 9:32 PM, Catpone Cerberus said:

"Don't worry, I haven't done that for over a millennia, and I'm not sure if I even can consume negativity anymore." "Though I wasn't planning to come to the desert regardless, because besides some personal reasons, the dryness of it doesn't exactly attract me, I just wanted to see if it was really there." "But even if you don't believe me, do you really think that an empty looking desert would be my go to place for negativity? When there's a town full of ponies not far from here?"

"Ponies who can also fight back and disrupt your feast. It's safer to enthrall a single prey and leave with them."

"Alright, alright, you two put a lid on it. I'm not prey. Nada here's my friend, and no fluffy bug is gonna tell me otherwise."'

The glare that Berry got for that *fluffy bug* comment were unnerving her for some reason, as were the strange sound of fluttering wings that seemed to surround them as the changeling's horn glowed ever so slightly, yet there were nothing to be seen. Were she playing tricks on them?

"How curious, your mind haven't been touched. Not recently at least."

Her gaze refocused on Nada, yet were curious, as she stepped a little closer to the aquatic equine.

"So it have come to this then? Dragons, draconequui, changelings, and now even sirens. The ponies are making peace with many of their old enemies."

She stood and pondered things for a little after that. This situation were... Peculiar. Dangerous even, with what it implied, yet she hadn't much of a choice but to accept these new times now, did she? If the ponies could accept the siren's presence, then sadly, so would she.

"...The feud between our kind is a long and bloody one, but if this is how times are going, then I presume I simply have to accept that those ties are changing too. I guess I can welcome you then, to the edge of my domain."

"Alright, getting somewhere, so... Who are you, and why have you turned this into a desert? Have Thorax ordered you to mess something up here?"

A small smirk/smile were seen briefly on the changeling's face at this, showing her amusement over this comment, as well as her reluctance to be perceived as a happy creature. Force of habit that may change in due time.

"Thorax have never been a king of mine. I am the queen of my own domain, given to me by the sphinx who passed through earlier, after I accepted this... Change. A bitter pill to swallow, yet one that were sadly needed.

As for who I am, I am Queen Onache. Formerly known as-"

"The slaver queen? Seriously? They reformed YOU?!"

Berry's jaw almost dropped to the ground as she gawked in disbelief at this changeling. Were she actually serious here?

"So some do know of changelings from far beyond these shores. Peculiar...

Be that as it may though, I have no need to enslave prey anymore, so my title is forfeit."

Onache were visibly pleased this time that there were somepony who knew of her, even though the mixture of disbelief and concern that she were given from the pony weren't the usual response to one who knew her. That tended to be more along the lines of fear of panic, though recognition would suffice for now at least. It may make the transition phase... Difficult though, yet they'd see. She may be worried about nothing.

"What of you though, siren? Who are you, who claims to have been around for millennia? One who made a name and a title for herself too perhaps? One whom I may have heard off?"

Onache had a definite tone of one who were used to be risen above others, yet she were trying to be somewhat kind to whom she less than a day ago would consider a mortal enemy, as well as a prey animal. It were not easy to get away from this sort of mindset, even though the second she accepted to change like this, she knew that she had to change her viewpoint and tone when it came to ponies, and their allies. That said allies would then quickly turn out to include sirens were a blow that she had not anticipated though, and it may well had made her reconsider her choice to go down the path she now wandered upon.

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@Moonlit

"Hehe, goodie. Then let's g-Auw."

Ziggy cringed a bit as the needle the doctor had jammed into her leg administered it's medicine and got pulled out. A quick and easy process, done while she weren't paying attention. Tricky old mare this one.

"Remember to take your medicine every six hours to keep your energy level down, and no food for at least three, until everything have cleaned from your system. Water only."

After that, the mare would give Ziggy a stern look, and then get on her way. She had other patients to deal with.

"She's a good doctor, but boy howdy is she a stubborn one. And I think she's kinda paranoid since she gave me another sedative. I mean jeez, I know what the medicine are for, and to take it until the last of it is gone. The needle was just, y'know, overkill."

Ziggy leaned in and whispered most of what she said, in case the doctor were around here somewhere and could hear her.

"Sooo... What're we gonna do for a half hour? Jog down there and wait? I'll race y-No wait, I won't! I swear."

Her eyes darted around, looking for a sign of somepony looking at her, though the grin on her face should tell well that she were just goofing around.

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@EQ_Theta

On 5/25/2019 at 3:01 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“I think I might be able to lift that back to Canterlot. And I’ll take your suggestion to the Canterlot guards. They’ll probably want another place to hold her while they repair the dug out floor of their cell. Here’s hoping Filigree hasn’t paid off any sea creatures near the bay as well.” Sen chuckled at that last remark but quickly let out a cough before regaining his more serious composure.

"It's not called Shark Bay for nothing. The Coast Guard headquarters are overseeing the biggest shark infested piece of ocean Equestria have to offer, and the guards are fiercely protective of keeping this shark reservation safe. Nothing that can be bribed by some random pony swims there, so unless she have some Coast Guards on her payroll, she ain't going anywhere if she gets one of their cages.

And don't get ideas if you ever go there. The Coast Guard might make companions of the sharks, and have gotten most of them tamed throughout the generations, but they're still full of sharp teeth and a want for meat. At best they'll snap after you for fun, at worst they're aiming for a leg. Both cases, you're gonna get face to face with a maw full of teeth.

Believe me, there's a reason why no sane pony chooses to serve their time anywhere near Shark Bay, even if it'd get reduced."

Other branches made use of what animals were in their area, but for the top branch, it were sharks all the way, and they made good use of it. Tourists loved to see them ride around on 'em, nature lovers enjoyed seeing the thriving animals and the coral reef, and of course, you couldn't miss their famous shark wrestling tournaments. Bunch of crazies who'd be willing to wrestle a shark in his mind, but it were something that were undeniably entertaining, and the current general were a pro there. Wouldn't think so when looking at her, but she were the best they'd had in generations, and she sure liked to show off. Even got some more feral specimens in at times to show she got what it took to prove her superiority. Again, crazies, but that were the Coast Guard for you. 

Looking at the workers going at loosening the diamond, Stud suddenly went over and grabbed hold of one of the ponies pick, which made him instantly stop and look over  on his boss, who just glared back at him until the pick were let go off.

Twirling it in his hoof, Stud then went over and hacked straight into the rock beneath the cluster. One hit, some stones cracking, and then soon after, the cluster fell out and rolled down into the padded cart.

"There, it's done. Go get it ready, and don't show here again before she's back in jail where she belongs."

"...Thank you."

Omen were still wary about whatever or not this were the right time, but it seemed to go over well. Kinda? maybe? Stud just nodded in their direction and went back to work, so she weren't sure. He hadn't yelled though, so that were good. Had to be positive then.

Regardless, she'd open a gate back to where Lin would be. Sen would be expected by her to go first, once he had the gem ready, though if it proved too heavy, she'd help him. Starting by using her tongue as a sort of rope to tie around the gem, so that it, and the cart it were in, could be dragged with them. A weird sight, but that would only be a thing if Sen couldn't handle the load. He might be strong, but this were a big gem after all. Who could say if he had the strength?

On 5/25/2019 at 3:01 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Mother often used ginger root or Osmanthus but would sometimes add Jasmine leaves. On the occasion a trading caravan from another village stops by, she’d also use the petals of the rare Jade Orchid. It has a strong, sweet taste with an equally powerful scent once heated. They say the scent alone is powerful enough to clear a headache within minutes! I wouldn’t know about that claim since I haven’t had a chance to test it. Those are very difficult to get a hold of since they only grow on specific trees and so few ever fully blossom. Otherwise, mother would stick to Osmathus since their buds are more commonly found and harvested, not to mention having a preferable fruity taste over the bitter ginger root. She preferred the latter though.

Amethyst listened with interest to Lin'd story, as she slowly drank her own tea. She had gone with a Harrowmark blend, as the bitter taste were rather refreshing to her, and something which she thought would be good to pep her up a little. Not unlike how most had it with coffee honestly, though that never really fell well in her taste. Something about how the water blended she supposed.

The tale of Lin's mother using some herbs that the mare had mostly just heard off were quite interesting too, and made for a good conversation piece over the warm cups that they sat with. Osmanthus were for one a herb that Amethyst had never even heard off, but perhaps it were a local specialty where Lin came from? She could ask a few in the know, and see what they said. Perhaps she could find some of it, and see for herself how it would blend. From how it were described, it sounded lovely at least, and would fit well in a package of summer tea.

On 5/25/2019 at 3:01 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“This is delicious! I feel like I’ve woken up from a good nap and ready to take on anything!”

Amethyst smiled at the enthusiastic response to the Germane blend. She would lie if she said her own had not been similarly pleasing the first time, as it were very rejuvenating, and there were just something about seeing the response from another that made her feel all warm and fuzzy with delight. As did it when she saw that Lin tasted the tea, instead of just gulping it down, and savored the first taste of the cup. There were far too many that wanted to just down it and be done with it, but one should savor new flavors like this, not just chug it like a barbarian. It were pleasing to see that Lin were a step above those when it came to new sensations.

"I must admit a fondness for it myself, yet it is hardly anything compared to the famed Jade Orchid Tea. The stories I have heard makes it sound like little more than a legend, but it sounds as if there are an origin after all. That they rarely bloom sadly explains why it is hardly ever found. Are they simply hard to cultivate, or are there some outside forces working against them, such as particular insects? And if not, have your kind potentially considered trying to farm a large area with said trees, and then have focused cultivators there, to ensure a steady growth and harvest? I'm sure that there would be some gardeners who'd be more than happy to offer you some advice on troublesome plant-life."

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@Lucid_Nightlight

Alright, that's it, I quit. Have fun you... Weirdoes.

"Hey wait, come back here!

Awh phooey, he's not even narrating this anymore. Uhm... *Anomaly jumped through the portal, didn't see anyone in there, and no trace of the author*

...Heeeey, wait a minute, this isn't his place! There's pictures of some other people in here, and the walls are different. I think he broke in or squatted after the snake incident. Weak sauce!

Peh, lame human. Whatever, he'll be back later. Let's find out which one we'll kidnap. Not sure how his life savings even got on the board, I didn't write it there. Did you two cheat? I mean, I'm totally for that, just wondering."

*This was gonna be totally lame, but the narration would at least be better. Nooooo doubt about that.*

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

 

@Rising Dusk

6 hours ago, Rising Dusk said:

"I'm Detective Rising Dusk,"

"It's an honor to meet you, Dusk. My name is Will-O Wisp, but many just calls me Willow, or merely Wisp. You may call me whatever you wish to though."

A smile and a slight blush went over her face as she saw Rising eat of her stew. It were somewhat rushed, but thankfully, her abilities made it easier to create a simple meal such as this, yet she had been afraid that perhaps the flavor were not to his liking. He were no local after all, and might not enjoy the simple tastes they were able to offer on such short notice. That she had been able to crush enough Mold Beetles to create the sugary coating for the berries were a minor miracle in itself, yet she wished dearly that she had been able to get enough time to provide him with a feast unlike any he had seen before. For what he had done for them, it were the very least they should be doing for him.

"The priestess will not be long, but she needs time to provide guidance. We have been in darkness for so long, that we have forgotten the light. It would have remained so, had you not entered our country, great o- I mean, Dusk."

Going over and opening a window to allow some air to enter, the mare would also light a few blue wisps around the bed, which should ensure that it would not get too cold, yet without setting something ablaze. It were all a matter of distance really, and controlling the small balls of floating fire, which hardly took any effort. She had potential, and that were unfortunately the sort of thing that would catch the eye of Twisted, who had started to eye the mare whenever he had been in the area, and not in the sense that he liked her pretty face. He only saw the magical potential that laid in someone being this good at controlling both fire and telekinesis, despite having no formal trainer, and needing to try and keep it hidden from him. Twisted had been interested in seeing how far she could go if she had no restrictions on her, and let go of those pesky morals of hers, but fortunately, that had been denied him.

"Is there anything you need right now? More pillows? Something strong to drink? Anything you wish for, I will do whatever I can to make it yours."

The loo kin her eyes told volumes of her meaning exactly what she said. Had Rising any want, he would be treated to it, if it were possible to get for him. Provided it were not a sacrifice. She would be loathe to bring him the body of someone in their village, as that would hardly be better than how it had been with Twisted, though she were sure that this one had no desire for that. He were from the outside. Surely he would have wants of another nature.

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