open Casual stroll

[Catpone Cerberus 23,426]

@Blitz Boom
"He does?." Ruby asked "I thought he just tolerates me." she faked her voice to sound as drunk as Spicy was, even though she was positive that Spicy wouldn't remember much about any of this. When eventually Ruby would finish the drink, her drunkness would be on the level that her balance and such were slightly effected, but her sense was still mostly there, she also appeared notably more friendly, though there was still a recognizable coldness mixed in.  She of course acted more drunk just in case. 

------------------------------------------------
"Mostly the problem is with new words they use, I learned lot about the new language through songbooks that found their way to my lake, but even they didn't have many of the new words." Nada responded "The written language is also its own mess, but I can handle it, even though it does take some patience." "It would probably be best if instead of trying to explain the difference, I give you an example, I'll sing the same exact verse first in the language I originally learned it in, and then in the newer language." she then proceeded do do exactly that, she first sang a verse from a song in old ponyish, then she followed that up by singing the same verse in modern ponyish. 

[Azure Acrylic 24]

@Blitz Boom @Critical-Hit

The little blue Pegasus, who was staring at Thunders big eyes, started to speak in a shy, yet perfectly feminine Transatlantic accent with a hint of French mixed in.

“Hi... um, never seen anypony like you, uhh, comment t’appelles-tu?”

She blushes and tried to look away as she stared into the pony’s massive eyes.

Edited November 19, 2019 by Rainbows2424

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Blitz Boom @Rainbows2424

Thunder would smile and shake off the effect, though he was feeling a little whoozy, "Y-yep, this is..." he was about to say Cloudsdale, but the tiny pony landed on his nose and he'd blink a little "O-oh my.." he would say and then looks down at the tiny pony and smiles "Hello, I'm nothing special, just your regular pony" he would say then "My name is Thunder Rush, and this here is Shell Tooth, She is a guard with the Coastal Guards, I'm a recruit" he'd smile "and..you are?"

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

@Moonlit

See? More sneaky talk! This family had loads of secrets, and Ziggy were getting preeeeeetty sure it weren't all siren related.

Oh well, not her right to dig into it unless they wanted to share after all, hehe. Perhaps eventually, they'd just tell her, and she'd learn all sorts of strange things. Like why Harmony were hiding who got a retirement party that wasn't given officially, nor for any job she were willing to specify. Or why they had so many foals here, which she loved, but were still kinda weird.

That'd likely require loads of trust, so she had to show them that she were completely trustworthy. Then she bet they'd tell her all sorts of important things. Just nothing Too important. Sometimes, her muzzle worked faster than her brain.

...Huh, perhaps that's why she weren't let in on super secret stuff then?

"Sure! Sounds like it could be fun, and if he's important to Serenade, I wanna meet him for sure."

The mimic were starting to stir a little lured in by the smell of food, and rose her head a little to look around with barely opened, groggy eyes.

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

 

@cwhip9

Much as he'd talk and point towards the statues, they remained as inactive and indifferent as ever, as stone tended to be. Regular stone it would turn out to be too, as no magic would be found on them, nor the entrances below them. Past some of the entrances however, there would be something, which should be strong enough to give some readings for the peculiar creation, as well as for the explorer that had brought it along, even from outside the room and through ice.

The dragon entrance were the strongest, and would grow considerably if they moved nearer to the entrance. The magic were dark and alluring, with hints of illusions and a pull that would make following it intriguing. It may simply be the entrance itself, or something were stored in there which gave off a dark signature that attempted to draw in the unwary. If they were good at tracking, they'd find several other, smaller signatures, though these did not seem to try and reach out towards others.

The bat pony entrance would be silent, containing nothing noteworthy of magic, and the same would mostly be the case with the griffon gate. Something seemed to be very weakly stirring in there, from a few, varied sources, but even with good tracking, the reach so far were flimsy at the best of times, and would tell nothing.

At last, the zebra doorway radiated strange magics from it that did not seem to reach out for you, as that which laid at the dragon statue, yet it were still something easily felt out, especially if you got closer, and would carry several strains of magic that would feel foreign to most. A natural aura would be the most prominent though, and feel quite old. Like wandering through an old forest, where the smell of wet moss and thick tree sap would waft through the air.

As for the paths behind them, there would be nothing, though if they looked everywhere, they would find one more source of magic: The sphere hanging above them, yet it seemed weak and fragmented. Likely it were either losing power, or had been broken somehow, and were meant for more. Potentially it had once upon a time been a heat source, and they would find the key to reactivating it again in one of the rooms?

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

 

@EQ_Theta

On 11/18/2019 at 3:05 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“I feel like all of this is happening really fast and I’m not sure just how much things are going to change. I want this to work but do you think I’m getting in over my head here? Like I’m asking for too much?”

"Quite honestly, I would be more concerned if you didn't worry about this.

I will not lie to you, Sen. Things will change, if you chose to accept being an ambassador. How will depend on the longma's approach, but I can tell you roughly how I expect it to go, based on how it is for others.

First off, you will not lose your home, but you won't be there often, I would think. More than likely, you would be sent to various towns and settlements, whom will provide you with adequate housing for the time that you are there, before things have come in order, and you will move on to the next place. At the start, this will more than likely take most of your time, as various details will need to be discussed several times over, counter offers on trade will come into play, potential worries of racially motivated attacks will need to be discussed several times, so on and so forth.

I can imagine the first few months will feel dishelsving, but I believe you can manage, and it will become simpler as time goes on. You may even end up making some strong friendships with either the ones you need to bring along as your guards, or some of the other ambassadors you meet. Potentially both.

As yes, and the guards I mention... Point number two, you will need to have a small amount of bodyguards with you, as is standard. Personally, I would advice two, along with one adviser, though if that does not seem enough protection for you, do not go above four guards, and show yourself to be carrying a weapon of your own. Too many guards will mark you as overly paranoid, whilst being alone or unarmed will get you depicted as foolish. It may work for the ponies to go against these rules at times, but usually that can be attributed to their large degree of potential magical powers, and even then most tends to bring an honor guard.

Although, before any of that, you'd need to know how to speak politically with others, as trade is not as simple as saying yes and no. If the time comes, I can give you a moderate crash course, though this is one of several reason why I would recommend an adviser. Someone with the smarts and paranoia to see how things may be used against you and your village, and inform you of it, so that you can take that into consideration. You will find that those you meet will not hesitate to skew things in their own favor, if they think you're gullible enough. At least not until you have proven yourself.

Does this make some degree of sense to you so far, Sen?"

Rosa could have put in a mention to what else Sen had said,instead of only focusing on this, but it seemed as if the longma had as little interest in knowing of his methods, as the thestral had in sharing them.

Let it never be said that Rosa had tried to sugarcoat that the spy business were not a pretty and innocent thing. Even if he had spared them of the more grizzly details, fact of the matter were that sometimes as a spy, he had to do some things he should not be proud of, to get the job done. This could include everything from lying, and kidnapping, to... Forced coercion. He tried to avoid going too far, and he always made sure that if he had to kidnap someone, they would be delivered or found unharmed, yet it still didn't make his work prettier. Just a case of the ends, justifies the means.

Turned out it hadn't though, and he imagined that he'd have to atone for that, for as long as he drew breath.

On 11/18/2019 at 3:05 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Hahaha! Okay, Shrimp. I know you’re excited but we have some work to do.” The longma brought out the heavy diamond chunk and placed it before her. She, however, didn’t pick up the refraction and move it closer to the diamond, hoping to see how he will respond. 

“Can you, uh, do your thing with this diamond? No need to go through it all in one go. We get this done and we can play some more later, alright?”

Shrimp groveled a little, none too happy about seemingly getting no playtime yet, but getting put over towards the gem and go through what little he understood of what Lin told him, combined with the lack of pets and where they now were, made him understand what she wanted him to do. And so far, when he had done something good the others liked, he'd get something. Perhaps food to put in his chest, or Lin would be willing to play? That he weren't sure about, yet he were grasping cause and effect, so he'd slither over and start to chomp down on the gem, and drain some more of it.

He'd sporadically start to let out some glittering fire to be rid of excess energy, and would aim towards the entrance to this place, since he had noticed the others - minus Omen - weren't too happy getting the fire in their faces. It would be telegraphed quite easily though. Lin just had to watch for whenever Shrimp's scales started to crackle with energy, as had been shown a few times before.

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@Catpone Cerberus

"Nawh nawh, I Know the guy, alright? It's real easy to see the difference between those he likes, and those he doesn't. Not that he Likes likes you. Nuhuh, that guy's waaaaay too stuck-up to think about going interracial. Griffons Only."

Spicy noticed how Ruby had downed her drink, and as her instinctual reaction to this were *Yeah? I'll show her!* he went over and downed the rest of her own too, almost losing her footing entirely, and had to start leaning on the table to not fall down on the pretty, suddenly wavy floor.

"I... I know this couple right? They're not as weird about it. No no, There's a mare knows that there's some good loving to be found in a dragon, Hah! Awh man, could you imagine that, just getting-"

The world spaced out for her again, this time for several minutes where she almost started to drool down her glass, before suddenly the light flickered on again.

"- big mouth. Must be a fetish thing o-Oah!"

Her power to keep hold of the desk suddenly vanished, and Spicy slipped down to the ground and wobbled around, moving to what she perceived as the floor being a good deal less solid than it had when they had entered this room to begin with.

"Ehehehe, hello Mr. Floor. Fancy a drink too?"

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

Lyriel stood and listened closely to the song, and to what differences it contained. Quite a bit more than she had first expected honestly, even if the language seemed similar in many ways.

"I see why you struggle now, Nada. In some ways, I can hear the similarities, yet much have indeed changed. I find myself amazed at how easily you have managed to adapt regardless of this, in the short amount of time you have been with these equines of the current age."

Perhaps it were not everything that Nada adapted to with much haste, yet to understand and communicate with others were important, if she were to talk and smoothen things out with them, so in many ways, were this not the most important skill to obtain? Lyriel would think so, and it impressed her how easily Nada seemed to have adapted, as prior to the comparability song, the dryad had not once heard the siren speak in the olden manner.

"Still, I have not seen you in many places yet, so I cannot say for sure if things are sometimes worse when you are in the presence of your other friends. I hope it is not though. Communication is a valuable thing to have, and it would be a shame if the waters got muddied from a small misunderstanding, due to what words you may say."

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

 

@Critical-Hit @Rainbows2424

("Hmph, she's very rude is what she is...")

Shell had the thought go through her head as she saw the two of them communicate, whilst the small breezie that had landed on Thunder's muzzle just flat out ignored her. Sure she had heard that these small ones were not the most fun to be around, but this? This were just plain rude.

*sigh* Well, since those two were getting along or something now, she might as well just... Look around herself, and have a looksie at wha- Oooh, a pegasus riding by on a slow moving cloud. Man this looked weird up close.

[EcstaticWind 572]

On 11/16/2019 at 7:55 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"I have not tried this in quite a while, and my first impression were less than perfect. I were unaware at the time that it were unwise to consume a large bowl of it in quick succession."

Brain freeze were a horrendous experience, which his own kind were unfortunately not immune towards. in fact, as his nervous system were a little more spread out, rather than being completely focused there, it presented a rather... Troubling time for him, which he had not wished to test again.

"I c-can't remember if I e-ever tried it..."

The issue were the opposite for Brittle, who had no memories before the circus, and were never treated well enough to get stuff like ice cream. Combined with the fact that she couldn't eat all kinds of food, she couldn't say for sure whatever or not it were even a good idea to try.

"Perhaps then, this is a sign that it is time for us both to take a chance. Would you be so kind as to inform us the price of them, Velvet? I'm afraid the sign is not speaking loud enough for me to hear it."

Sometimes it made others uncomfortable when he joked about his eyesight around others, but in his mind, it were less awkward than having to deal with others stepping on eggshells around him. He could understand it, yet he wished to cause less discomfort in his presence. Why else would he try and keep his teeth hidden, and wear this cape to shield others from watching the buds growing from his body, if not to try and seem less of a threat? Or at the very least, an outsider?

 

Velvet chuckled at the joke, though he did wish such jokes weren't necessary, Perhaps in time, such barriers need not exist, but for the time being, better to try and ease the situation with humor.

"Well, the price varies depending on whether how many scoops you want. This place doesn't do more than three, which is 2 bits per scoop. You can add in an extra bit for some toppings like nuts, strawberries or flavored syrups if you get it in a cup instead of a cone, which is an extra bit or two. The choice can be surprisingly daunting, but it's worth it when you find a flavor you like."

The Earth pony offered a smile, trying to be helpful to Briar and Brittle. He wanted them to know that, even if he didn't have it in him to venture out into the wilds beyond, he would still accept them as friends. After all, that had been the lesson that Princess Twilight had tried to teach, were it not? Though, he wasn't sure if he could ever know for sure, having never met the Princess personally.

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom the trays beside the mimic and Serenade are full of tiny morsels of crab, eel and other small salt-water fish. The kind of 'claw' food that energizes any a power nap. The smell is frankly AMAZING to carnivores, although Ponies might find it a bit...off putting. Serenade is still out like a light, her barrel raising slowly. 

Harmony smiles, "He is, Serenade thinks of him like an Uncle, and frankly the pair are...trouble when together" She smiles widely, "Until then, would you like to help me bake?"

[Azure Acrylic 24]

@Blitz Boom @Critical-Hit

Azure looked at the pony's eyes and managed to stutter out another sentence.
"Uh, my name is Azure Acrylic, um, I'm an artist from Equestria."

She notices Shell looking at her and jumps and turns in confusion.

"Oh, umm, you are Shell Tooth, init?"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Blitz Boom @Rainbows2424

Thunder would nod "Well it is nice to meet you Azure Acrylic, but perhaps you ought to have said hello to Shell as well" he would say, having felt and seen his companion's discomfort "It would only be polite" he'd smile.

[EQ_Theta 415]

@Blitz Boom

This was to be expected from Shrimp, the petulance of a young child still needing a little nudge to understand that not everything is about fun and games. Of course, Lin couldn’t rush this one lesson, only ease it in little by little. She did promise they will play later, after all. At least Shrimp agreed to work on the diamond chunk but even the promise is a small comfort. The longma crouched down next to the refraction and started slowly stroked his back. 

“I know its not what you wanted to do but there is a time for everything, for work and play.” Lin gently said, not even caring about her proximity to he glittering fire. “It’s important we sort this matter out but we’ll play later. I still have that wicker ball you enjoyed rolling around; we can play with that.” 

“I’m happy you’re doing this, Shrimp. I hope you know that.” 

But on Sen’s end, hearing about the process, the reality that he would likely face one day was good. Tough, but given how he spent his last few years traveling, it shouldn’t be too big of a change. It’s probably more drastic to see himself setting down for good but even that might not happen any time soon. There are some advantages to being in a more dignified position but learning the jargon, the ins and outs of diplomacy and trade, things that sound so foreign to him. It’ll be like learning to understand idioms and body language, the nuances in tone and the common tongue’s intricacies all over again. That goes doubly so for anyone wanting to take advantage of his naivety, with or without an advisor. 

However, at the mere mention of guards, the longma grew squeamish and uncomfortable. Not that the suggestion felt off, it is understandable for Rosa to mention them, but if he had to recruit bodyguards from the hunters from back home… that thought didn’t sit well with him. There is a lot of bad blood between him and them and while he couldn’t say for certain individuals, the entirety of the hunters is tainted. Even their promise rings hollow. Sen grew silent for some time to think about everything Rosa mentioned, and about his own personal troubles. 

“I… I get what you’re saying, Rosa. I’ll take up that offer for a course on political talk when we have time, maybe even stick around when we get a chance to speak with Elder Ghilan. Learning is a lot more interesting with company. Although with everything that you said, it made me realize there will be plenty of things to work on back home. But what about you? Nervous about tomorrow? I doubt we’ll be let ‘off the hook,’ as ponies say, after the hearing is over.”

Terrible as small talk goes but Sen wasn’t quite adept at coming up with casual topics to bring up. As much as he’d want to, he hasn’t found himself in this situation, having to initiate a conversation using mundane talking points. But with everything happening fast and all at once, he couldn’t forget about the trial that is to come for Rosa and if the thought of that was eating at him. 

Edited November 20, 2019 by EQ_Theta

[Azure Acrylic 24]

@Blitz Boom @Critical-Hit

Azure realized this and turned to Shell, who was staring at her.

”Oh, um, hello, uhh, Shell Tooth, umm, you’re working with Thunder, is it?”

She waited for an answer.

[Widdershins 9,955]

@Sekel

 "Hmph." Kaltrop pouted, laying down in agreement towards Dawn with his snout pointed askew of the mare. "I'm a dwagun, I know how to take care of myself."

 

~~~

@Catpone Cerberus

 With a perfunctory expression, Widdershins caps a classroom marker.

Drew what?

Out of the draconequus's line of sight, the other end of the capped pen squirts out copious ink and is immediately useless.

I only applied visual aids. Not drew anything, You're getting your actions muddled.

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

@EcstaticWind

"Flavored syrup? Intriguing concept. As one whom have tasted the nectar of the trees many a time, I do wonder if I will know the tree sort they harvested this from, as well as the region? Yes, I do believe I know what would interest me. What of you, Brittle? Hear or see something that you like?"

The changeling were tugged in closely to him, not feeling too good about all the ponies and varied creatures out here, several of which she could feel just... Starring at her. It reminded her of ill times in her life, though at least there weren't any laughter, or others throwing things yet. She had to think of the positive things, r-right? That's what Briar tried to tell her at least.

"I-I don't know... I've o-only tried h-honey, oaths and c-chocolate that d-didn't go up again, or h-hurt. I d-don't know about t-these other things. Uhm... E-Except strawberries. Not g-good for my t-tummy."

"Ah yes, we certainly would not want to cause such an effect, and this seems an ill opportune time to try and see what you might be able to feast upon.

I know that most chocolate have milk within them, as does ice, and you can drink water. So the ice itself should be okay. As for the additions... Velvet, would you be so kind as to inform us if there are an option for honey? If so, I believe a couple of vanilla one scoop servings will suffice, with one having a random sirup addition, and the other with honey. Both in cups. I may have some usage for them, later on."

As he spoke, the flower on Briar's head would begin to slightly glow, and the petals rustled, as if the wind blew through it. A clear green aura of magic came from this, and embraced his necklace, where it would open it to reveal it to be mostly full of bits. Around twenty regular bits, with a few five bit coins here and there. From his calculations, a single five bit coin, as well as three singles, would cover what he had heard, which is what he floated out before closing his combined necklace and wallet again.

A fortunate thing of the grim reality in Ponyville recently, had been the need of some extra muscle here and there whilst rebuilding efforts had been underway. As such, his services had been most welcome here and there, and had allowed Briar to earn some bits here and there for his time. Quite honestly, he took far less for his work than what he could, but the area had been in shambles, and he wished not to put a large burden on the residents. Just a few bits here and there to cover potential expenses, such as this trip with Brittle.

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

 

@Moonlit

The smell of crab were all it would take for Fah'lina to stumble drowsily over, and start slowly nibbling away on her plate. It were getting pretty apparent to Ziggy that she'd have to arrange some beach trips now and again with the mimic when they got back to Ponyville at some point, so that she could stock up on these sort of things now and again, as she were clearly enjoying this, and would probably get cranky if she were cut off from getting it again. The zegasus wouldn't want her little friend to experience that, and not just because it would results in more pranks and bites. It were part of it, but not a big one.

Good that she didn't get queasy from seeing and smelling this sort of food, or it would just get complicated. The hospital in Las Pegasus however, had thankfully been a varied place, as there came a lot of tourists into town, and some of them got a bit hurt. As a curious sort, she had gotten used to these sorts of things early on, when wandering around and checking on the occasional griffon and such. It sorta jaded her to it. Also helped that getting her doctorate, she had to understand how to help several of their allied races too, and as such could look on what carnivores had to eat more pragmatically. Just... Nothing live and fuzzy being eaten. She couldn't get used to the idea of for example seeing a cute bunny just getting... *shivers*

"Huh? Bake? That sounds fun! Just don't let me control the oven, or stove. I'm really bad at not burning things. Unless it's in a cauldron. My siblings are still way better at that sort than me, but mixing and stuff in cauldrons still kinda works, long as I don't try and make my own potions. Whenever I go freestyle, it ends with something weird, like flaming bubble breath. Dad still have no idea how I did that, and honestly, I don't either. Sorta lost track at some point and spilled a few things."

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

 

@EQ_Theta

On 11/20/2019 at 2:23 PM, EQ_Theta said:

I still have that wicker ball you enjoyed rolling around; we can play with that.”

Shrimp wriggled beneath the petting, with a few half-purring sounds escaping his otherwise occupied mouth. It wasn't as good as playtime right now, but he enjoyed it nonetheless, and it made him go at the crystal with more ferocity, as he considered this - and the words he heard her speak - as signs that he were doing good. Or at least what Lin wanted him do to, as the concept of good and bad were currently too complex for his underdeveloped intellect.

He did briefly take his face off the crystal though, as he heard the mention of the wicker ball, and looked up at Lin with big, excited eyes. Only for a moment though, as he then turned his head away from her and let out a large, glittering flame in the opposite direction of the longma, as to try and avoid hitting her, and potentially make her mad at him. Or worst case, hurt her, as he had noticed that some things got broken when he hit them with the flames, and he didn't want his caretakers to be broken too. So far he understood that it didn't break Omen, but he weren't sure about Lin yet, and they might smell alike, though they looked differently.

After releasing this, he  turned his head and looked up at lin again, chirping excitingly, and nudged his face forward in the air a few times to indicate the ball he had been pushing about. He were trying to understand if he understood this right, and were about ready to go back to the gem right after, ready to give it his best so that she would let him play- And then he sneezed. Which unfortunately, came with a small blast/mist of the glittering fire, right at where Lin's face had been when he looked up.

If she got hit, it would just be slightly disorienting, like rising from a chair too quickly, as this wasn't a strong or focused blast, but just a sort of vaguely influenced puff of air. Shrimp did not get that though, and got closer to Lin, clawing at her arm and chirping up at her with big, worried eyes, concerned that she had gotten hurt, or might be angry with him. It wasn't on purpose after all.

On 11/20/2019 at 2:23 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“I… I get what you’re saying, Rosa. I’ll take up that offer for a course on political talk when we have time, maybe even stick around when we get a chance to speak with Elder Ghilan. Learning is a lot more interesting with company. Although with everything that you said, it made me realize there will be plenty of things to work on back home. But what about you? Nervous about tomorrow? I doubt we’ll be let ‘off the hook,’ as ponies say, after the hearing is over.”

"My main concern about tomorrow, is how Stargazer will take this. I have long since come to accept that I will in one form or another, have to answer for my transgressions, and as I am aware that neither you, Lin, nor Omen, will be dragged down with me, I feel more secure about whatever is to come. I have already caused too many others to be hurt for my actions that did not deserve it, and it eases my mind to know that none of you will be among those.

Yet, a brothers judgement on this, is what troubles me the most. I can still understand if he wants nothing to do with me, and will cast me out of his life, especially as he have a daughter that he wishes to protect. That said, I still feel the want to be part of that life, in some sort of way. To have those of my own blood accept me, as strained as it may be for a while, is a want that I cannot deny. Everything is on him however, and what he comes to in his own conclusion. As said, I do not blame him if he rejects me, considering both I and our mother are technically criminals, and he would not want any sort of danger to befall his daughter. It would be petty to judge him for being a father."

Hopefully it would still go, as he did wish to get to know the little filly, whom had greeted them at Stargazer's door in Ponyville, a little more. A halfbreed by the looks of things, yet a kindhearted one, who clearly had most of her genetics from her thestral side, considering the need for glasses and overlal looks. Were it not for the unusual coloring, one might well have thought she were a full blood thestral, but be that as it may. Rosa knew well how his family historically had viewed the concept of keeping the bloodline pure, and he did not condone it, yet the focus on it were not something that were simply easy to toss aside. It would enter his mind. The important part would be to not act upon it, which he had no desire to do. The kind little thing did not need to be scoffed at, and especially not by one who had no high ground to judge others from.

"In regards to the talk with your elder, I can share what I know with him as well, though I do reserve the right to bring some literature with me, in case you need more advanced information early on. Nothing you need to concern yourself about yet, though. I would rather that you thought of any in particular you'd believe were able to stand around and look menacing, without talking much, along with a paranoid adviser. I can assure you, paranoia is a valuable tool to have for a diplomat, as long as the biggest user of that, is not the diplomat himself, but rather one who are to give their perspective of things. You never know whom might take advantage of you."

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

 

@Critical-Hit @Rainbows2424

"Huh?"

Shell turned around, as she heard a tiny voice talk to her, and noticed that finally the breezie had noticed her! Miracles did indeed happen then, hehe.

"Oh, hello there Mrs. Breezie."

Shell grinned, and made a salute towards the tiny creature, thinking that perhaps this would do the trick, in case her looking like a mummified guard didn't go off putting, but she didn't really think about that. You'd be amazed what sort of thing you could just sort of forget about in the long run.

"Yep, he's a new recruit, and I'm here to make sure he's okay. And to sight see. Standing in a cloud city is really something."

Edited November 21, 2019 by Blitz Boom

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom Harmony smiles, "Serenade was the same way growing up, but I have a few ideas. I'm going to be making muffins and a cake, so I'm thinking I can put you in charge of a few things." Harmony heads for the kitchen, "What kind of muffins would you like?"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Blitz Boom @Rainbows2424

Thunder would smile "Yep, I thought as Shell here was kind enough to me back at the barracks, I'd give her a chance to sight see around Cloudsdale, and to also meet my parents, while I tell them that i successfully became a guard" he'd say with a big grin looking at the tiny pony on his muzzle before turning to look at Shell "Oh just be aware, my mother may innocently ask if we're dating" he'd chuckle.

[EQ_Theta 415]

@Blitz Boom

Though it seemingly appeared as if Lin might have been singed by the blast of flame, it merely blazed past her nostrils, barely touching them. This got Shrimp worried but she smiled and stroked her little friend to reassure him she is fine and unharmed. To be honest, she was a lot happier realizing her conversations with Shrimp weren’t so one-sided after noticing how he reacted once she finished speaking. That was a breakthrough she wasn’t expecting but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless, so much so that she forgot about the near accident with Shrimp’s flaming sneeze. 

“It’s alright, Shrimp. No harm done, no need to worry,” the longma gently said. “I think I know you’re excited for play time and I’m looking forward to showing you a few things you might like!”

As for Sen, it was a little disconcerting for him to hear about how the the trial would go, or rather how Stargazer will take the revelation despite already being told before. It is understandable to want to distance himself from the kind of lifestyle opposite of his own profession and someone who lived the former. At the same time, would forgiveness just make it go away? As Rosa said, Stargazer is a father and the decision was very much his to make, a weighty one at that.

It got Sen to forget about the conversation returning to the the matter of diplomacy and politics, the training he and Elder Ghilan would undergo. Important as things will go in the future but in the short term, he’d probably be dragged back to the search and capture of Filigree and possibly the diamond dog gang helping her. That might acquit Rosa and prove he is good on his word but not so much when it comes to Stargazer. And finding the right candidates for bodyguards and a paranoid advisor will be tough as things will go in the future. 

“I’ll be honest, I really wish this story has a happy ending. There’s enough pain and sorrow for you already and it is time for good things to balance them out. Well, that is something many would say, finding balance and all but I believe it. It does wonders to uplift your spirits especially when things are at their bleakest.”

[Catpone Cerberus 23,426]

@Blitz Boom
Ruby just observed as Spicy did her thing, she wasn't going to act as drunk as Spicy was, she had some dignity left at least, besides, spicy started to be in a state where she would be unlikely to care that Ruby wasn't wobbling on the ground. Though it was slightly amusing to see the mare on the floor out of her mind, Ruby didn't feel this all was really worth, being trapped in a room unknown length of time, not that she could do anything about it, but still. 

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"Well, like I said, I have gotten my hooves on songbooks from different times, including newer ones, so I knew a little bit already, and who knows, maybe my kind has easier time learning languages." "Though before you even ask, I have no idea where the song books came from, they just appeared now and then." Nada responded, "And I'm sure I won't say anything that would be too bad, after all, when you're worried you'll be banished, you really make sure you don't upset anyone." she didn't sound like she was fully convinced herself.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

@Widdershins
"It was a drawing." Cerberus pointed out, crushing the paper between his hooves making it disappear somehow "So even if you made it just appear out of nowhere, you still drew it, just very quickly and without using required tools." he shrugged "But terms aside, my point is it was very bad visual aid." from behind him a cat walked next to him and he petted it, no cats had walked behind him at any point, as most of them were laying down after a good meal. 

[Azure Acrylic 24]

@Blitz Boom @Critical-Hit 

Azure listened to Thunder’s reply as she looked at Shell, who was staring at the sights of Cloudsdale the whole time. Clearly, Azure thought, she hadn’t been to Cloudsdale any bit, so this would be quite breathtaking for her. 

Azure turned back to Thunder and made out another reply, this time smoother “Yep, Shell definitely seems to be taking in the sights, she probably had never come to Cloudsdale before. This place is kinda cold, sometimes, I don’t know if she’ll do fine here.” Azure shivers a bit from the cold.

She turns her head back to Shell, which was strangely, giving frequent glances at Thunder, while still gazing at the ancient Greek temple-like buildings of Cloudsdale. This is odd, she thought, does Shell actually like Thunder? I’ll have to wait and see.

 

Edited November 22, 2019 by Rainbows2424

[Rising Dusk 26,068]

@Blitz Boom

Oh, Rising Dusk was well aware of the proper term used in such a spell.  Evident by the smirk from her reaction after delivering the terms of her crime.  Just because he was though, didn't mean the powerful playful ponies like Minty Lis Snow Delice or Princess Celestia, the one's making up the rules as they go with the O.M.I., didn't put their own flair on these statutes.  Or how the fact that a scry spell in Equestria were more likely used in playful fashions that a witch of the wilds could easily roll her eyes at.  Sorry to disappoint Lily, but Equestria wasn't the post practical of countries.  A pity that her records would forever show a mark for peeping.

"Can't say I'm familiar with Harrowmark laws," Rising admitted simply.  Whether Lily was a willing participant or not, punishments were due.  Where Equestria would simply commit her to community service, as long as she didn't kill any pony herself, he couldn't speak for anything run by a High Priestess.  The Goddess of Light sounded forgiving enough, but who knows.  As much a part he did in changing Harrowmark's current distribution of power, his ultimate concerns were the protection of Equestria from the dark wizard.  Hard to bring up at a celebration that if Twisted hadn't simply extended his reach too far outside his borders, he'd never had drawn attention from the one that would dethrone him.

Other concerns were appearing though.  Not needing to rely on the creaking or bending of the bars to know something bad as happening.  The spell work that draped over the cage like a veil was showing easy signs of failure.  Like cables on a bridge, the first once snapped from the strain of the experimental anti-magic cage.  The snap resulting in a flash of crimson light that only Rising could sense.  The lose of a cable put more strain on the following pillar of the spell matrix, of its own that was starting to unravel at a rapid pace.  Once enough of the matrix unraveled, the next cable in the line broke, each resulting in a bar bending inward as the cage moved toward implosion.

It wouldn't be hard to assume Rising was simply sitting there, staring as the cage worked to crush the prisoner.  Quite the contrary though, the unicorn was analyzing, watching as the spell split itself apart.  Waiting, waiting for the right conditions, waiting for the perfect thread to reveal itself.  If he tugged the wrong one at the wrong time, the spell could completely exploded or just implode all at once.  This was a spell he create though, wrote down as a magic circle for Molotov to use on his next cage design.  Aaaaand right about there... his horn flared and just like the first cage they experimented with that was imploding, he tugged out a single strand of the spell, ending the chain reaction.  With nothing holding it together anymore, there was a soft fizzle as the spell withered away and returned to the aether.

Hm, another failure, he tsked.  Storing the image of the magic veil for later refinement.  The cage clicked, but instead of swinging open, the damage already done caused, the door slipped of its hinges and fell off to the side.

"Her?" the detective inquired without skipping a beat, as if what happened was just an everyday thing.  And sadly at the O.M.I., kinda was.

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

@Rising Dusk

23 hours ago, Rising Dusk said:

Hm, another failure, he tsked.  Storing the image of the magic veil for later refinement.  The cage clicked, but instead of swinging open, the damage already done caused, the door slipped of its hinges and fell off to the side.

The door had barely hit the ground before Lily came tumbling out of the cage, having pressed herself against the door in the moments before it had fallen off the hinges, in a desperate attempt to try and break out before she were squashed.

Now in her newfound freedom, out of the cage and its magic-depressing nature, she could now finally enact her revenge on Rising for - from her perspective - just looking on as she got more and more panicked over the rapidly deteriorating cage. She might not have the raw magic or expertise of Twisted, but she still knew plenty, and could use it as best she could against the detective.

Or she Would, if not for the fact that she were freaking out, and didn't stop stumbling forward until she hit a wall of some kind that she could place her back against. At that point, she would finally turn around, still on the floor, and look towards the remnants of the cage with fear going over her pale face.

Even though Rising had stopped it from going too critical, it had still gotten far in the process. With the entirety of the top corners the furthers from the cage door having gotten dangerously close towards the middle, and the bars just overall looking as if something large had stomped on the whole thing. A half minute or so more at the pace the chain reaction had gone at, and Lily would have gotten severely hurt. A broken leg as a bare minimum, and likely far worse.

This sort of scare tactic were not unusual in her life per se. Twisted had some imaginative ways to keep his disciples/slaves in line, but not only had Lily not expected this sort of tactic to come out of what she had judged to be an overly pleasant society, but she also hadn't expected this pony to hit the scare tactic that worked the most efficiently on her.

Sure, she feared the inevitable, but having her years taken away again were not as bad as being essentially buried alive and knowing the end would feel gruelingly slow and painful. What had been about to happen were far too close to both that, and Twisted's own variations of that, to not affect her, and it left her mind far, far away from thoughts of retaliation right now. She didn't even bite notice in how her magic weren't kept down anymore, which you might expect a magic user to think of before much else.

23 hours ago, Rising Dusk said:

"Her?" the detective inquired without skipping a beat, as if what happened was just an everyday thing.  And sadly at the O.M.I., kinda was.

"Will-O! H-Her name is Will-O Wisp!"

Cursed be this interrogator! She had hoped to keep this information, or at least use part of it as a bargaining chip to get out of this situation in a more pleasant manner. Potentially by emphasizing more what would happen if she didn't make it back in time. Yet as were evident by this, she had nothing to hold against this pony. He had all the cards, and he clearly knew that, what with his trickery regarding the cage and everything else.

What wouldn't he do now if she still tried to hold back what she knew? To her? To Sickle? There were several things he could pick from to hurt her both directly and indirectly, and right now, she didn't have the rational thinking needed to consider that he had perhaps stopped a faulty cage from crumbling her up, since it had stopped after the door fell off the hinges. Nor how up tot his point, he did not appear to use or employ threatening rhetoric or tactics. Fear were clouding her mind, and as such, she expected the worst if she did not talk. Just like how it had been with Twisted.

"Unwilling spawn of the cursed one. Clueless about the blood in her veins, but others will soon enough remember her weakened mother. Without Him keeping them away, they will send questions to the other towns, and when they have their answers, she will be made to suffer. It won't matter whatever she have friends that care for her, or power to spare. She does not have his cruelty. and if those she trusts comes for her, she won't have the heart to fight them off."

If he had any other questions, now might be a good time to ask them, as Rising would perhaps not enjoy the view there were on him currently, but the terrified witch would be less inclined to lie to him, long as she feared him and his methods. It might be in his best interest to neglect telling her the details of what actually happened for a little while longer.

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

Spicy would just deteriorate rapidly over the next half hour. Between the booze already in her, and the gulps taken from various other flasks, whilst spouting random tidbits and trying to get the floor drunk, it were safe to say that she were pretty well hammered, and had wandered over the point of no return.

It would seem like there were any reason why she'd have to be kept in here beyond potential random property damage from rolling bottles around, until she eventually withdrew one of the cards she had stashed in her wing, and looked at Ruby. Her muzzle said *You wanna see a magic trick?* but the only words coming out of her made it sound more like she were asking for a pixie stick.

Regardless, she wouldn't wait for an answer before taking said card, run it down her vest, and then hold it up to show that it had caught on fire. A little trick up her sleeve so to speak, to have fake cards doused in a concoction that just needed a little something more to set it off, then having the sides of her vest covered in the right sort of rough material, to make herself work as sort of a match box, when the cards were run down it at the proper speed.

How dangerous they were? Well, when she threw it as a bucket in the corner, it exploded, so that were not a good sign. Neither were it that she were laughing and fumbling around after another card.

Ruby might start to get some idea were the previously mentioned arson charges might have come into the picture. She might also realize it were best to stop Spicy, before she'd set off the sprinklers or something.

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

 

"You are a creature of musical talents. Perhaps it would make sense that language would come easier to one with a gift like yours."

It were a double sided sword, to have a voice like that. One one hand - or hoof, as the ponies said - it were part of why sirens were as dangerous as they were. Yet at the same time, the melodies that came from this were worthy of a deity. A beautiful voice, wasted away because of racial fears... A pity that things had gone as they had, but hopefully things would change now, and Nada could come out of the shadows. Back into the world, to spread her voice to those willing to hear the beauty within, rather than fear the one who sang, simply for what she were.

"I find it curious though, that you mention you do not know where the songbooks comes from. Could it be that there were one whom knew of your existence, and had empathy with your plight, and helped you like one would a wounded boar? If you see past the books and replace that with food, it sounds as if how I have heard some ponies have taken contact with frightened animals in need of help: Helpful, but with caution, to avoid the wounded one getting spooked off or retaliate out of fear."

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

 

@Moonlit

"I get to chose some? Could it be pear and lemon muffins with hazelnuts then? It might sound kinda weird, but it's all yummy with crunchy and a bit of sour. Delicious."

Yeah yeah, it wasn't normal all things considered, but she just wasn't much for apples, compared to pears. And adding a bit of zing with the lemon, along with a bit of crunch, really made for the best thing. Even if you had to work a bit on getting the balance right.

"Hehe, but your kitchen, I do what you say. What sorta thing should I do? Like... Mixing? I'm real fast, so I can go rummage a whole bowl up real good. Some in the hospital kitchen used to ask me to make whipped cream because of it sometimes. I liked those times. It smelled real nice in the kitchen, and I got something else to do between the rehabilitation workouts."

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

 

@Critical-Hit @Rainbows2424

"Heh, that's okay. I have another friend who's mom asked that the first time she met me too. I think mothers just really want their foals to get somepony nice in their lives.

And the cold's not that bad. Usually the waters around Shark Bay's colder this time of year. The thin air is kinda weird though. Feels like I have to keep taking small breaths all the time."

She neglected to say anything about whatever or not she liked Thunder, because quite honestly, she didn't find it that important to the conversation. There were more important things in her mind, such as how the tiny one seemed to be focused back on Thunder, which made her think that Azure had something for their new recruit. It was kinda sweet, but pretty wrong too. It'd be like if the general married the old dragon lord. Granted, Tidal Wave clearly had a thing for big stallions, since her husband were the next-biggest stallion they had at the headquarters, but the size difference between this breezie and Thunder were bigger percentage wise. At least it looked that way. Not having depth perception due to one eye being covered sorta sucked at times.

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

 

@EQ_Theta

On 11/22/2019 at 4:20 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“It’s alright, Shrimp. No harm done, no need to worry,” the longma gently said. “I think I know you’re excited for play time and I’m looking forward to showing you a few things you might like!”

Shrimp's worried expression switched quickly into a big smile again, soon as he saw that Lin were not angry with him, nor hurt. He weren't sure exactly what she were talking about though, but she did speak about playing, so to him, that meant that she really weren't angry with him, so everything was good again! Although he wanted to be more careful to not do something again, so after rubbing his head up her affectionally - not unlike how a cat might do it - he would turn back and start draining more of the gem, and this time, keep his gaze and mouth away from her.

There'd still be some work to go, as the gem were rather large, and he weren't, but you could see a few inches had already gone away, leaving a clear, see-through surface behind. Perhaps if they pushed Shrimp a bit today, they might actually manage to get it done before midnight, though it might not be wise to force feed him with this much energy. It could well be dangerous.

On 11/22/2019 at 4:20 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“I’ll be honest, I really wish this story has a happy ending. There’s enough pain and sorrow for you already and it is time for good things to balance them out. Well, that is something many would say, finding balance and all but I believe it. It does wonders to uplift your spirits especially when things are at their bleakest.”

"Reality is rarely that kind, in my experience."

Rosa wanted to keep some degree of hope on how things would go, but he were also a realist, and too used to thinking over how could go wrong, to comfortably just put all his faith in hope. An occupational hazard he supposed. As a spy, he had to consider several angles on things, including what might go wrong, so that he could have backup plans ready. That point of view then went into other parts of his life, and made his whole outlook somewhat bleak, in some beings eyes.

Personally, he considered it to just be a matter of having hope for the best, but expect the worst. And in the case with Stargazer and the trial as a whole, he wished that like Sen did, everything worked out alright, and there'd be a happy ending. Yet at the same time, he knew his own crimes, how Equestria looked at that, and the inherent risk it were to keep a spy close by, as you could never be sure of their true intentions. He could see how for others, just letting him go, or allowing him completely into their lives, were a high risk, making himself essentially the worst case scenario in the whole proceeding. Combine that line of thought with his general guilt over his actions, and feeling that he needed to be punished, and you had a cocktail for bleakness.

*sigh* he supposed they'd just have to wait and see how it went, though he hoped that Sen were more right than he were.

"Balance is a fickle thing. What might seem like balancing, or fairness to me, could be seen as further imbalance elsewhere. If for example, I went free for my crimes. Then where would the balance be for those I hurt? Even if I try to make amends, will that matter in their lives?"

His ears vibrated slightly, and Rose looked away from Sen, towards the door.

"I would say more, but it sounds as if we have company."

"You're no fun to snoop on, y'know that?"

Golden opened the door, and gave them a big, jolly grin on top of the teasing words. On his back, he'd carry a tray of assorted apple dishes, such as a half apple pie, cut into three slices, a small bowl of apple fritters, some cut apples, a few caramelized apples, and one of their own specialties: A bowl of honey-roasted apple seeds. There would also be three small tankards of apple cider, about the size of a can of soda each. The entire tray would be set on a stump in the corner that he used to write on, or as a table. Sometimes a stool, if he had to reach a bit higher.

"Bit of somethin' good for everypony here. Go ahead and try a bit of this and that, and don't skimp over the cider. Some folks would sleep in a tent outside the farm for four days to get a shot at a freshly made batch, so when you get the chance, there's a pretty good reason to take it."

Their variety of the Apple family's cider were a bit more spicy in it, but it still had the quality taste that their family had been made famous for throughout Equestria.

Edited November 24, 2019 by Blitz Boom

[Catpone Cerberus 23,426]

@Blitz Boom
Ruby just watched Spicy pull out the exploding cards, she knew she probably should have done something about it, but she decided against it, because why would she intervene now that it finally started to get interesting, what was the worst that could happen? Spicy would have to pay for damages? That wasn't Ruby's problem. She calmly made her way to the couch and sat down to watch.

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"That's really the only explanation, I just never even sensed anyone unusual, even when I was above the water." Nada agreed "There's also one detail that I didn't mention, that being, there were always one or more cats hanging around the books, they always left when I saw them, but there always were some." "I noticed it pretty quickly even back then but didn't think too much of it since it wasn't unusual for animals to come listen my singing, but now that I think about it again, that was pretty weird." 

 

[EQ_Theta 415]

@Blitz Boom

Would balance matter in those who wouldn’t see its value? Sen grew quiet when he paraphrased Rosa’s question right back at him and he was left without words. A fair point that those who’ve already gone through too much hardship and suffering wouldn’t see the point, that it wouldn’t make a difference after having enough of life ruined for them. If there was an answer to this question, Sen wouldn’t know, and so he kept to his thoughts and his mind circled this question over and over, seemingly oblivious to the goings on around him, even to Golden Delicious walking in and Rosa already noticing the earth pony stallion eavesdropping on them. 

That and the assortment of apple-themed dishes being brought in for them to try, even that famous apple cider the longma’s heard of. And ponies really seem to like it if they’d go to great lengths to get a sample of the stuff? Sounds too good to be true… It was then that the longma snapped out of his introspection and walked over, certain that the cider would be his pick. Sen went for that first, sipping a little and letting it swirl in his mouth, getting the taste and really savoring it. There wasn’t really much for him to expect other than it being good but with nothing else to go with.

“Huh… fruity, sweet, apple taste but there’s a little something more there that I can’t describe. It’s delicious, don’t get me wrong, but is this taste normal for cider? That slight burn in my mouth?”

A question directed either Rosa or Golden to answer as they might have a better understanding of Equestrian delicacies given how Apple Family cider is a hit with everypony. Perhaps Sen might learn a thing or two, like whether or not this cider is a hard beverage. 

Meanwhile, Lin was satisfied with her talk with Shrimp and the progress he was making, already seeing marked changes in the diamond chunk. There was still a ways to go but between that and the affectionate rubbing, it was a nice feeling of making progress and learning a little bit more about how to interact with Shrimp. She’d let the refraction continue to work on the diamond but only allowing it to go for another hour before stopping the little creature. 

It was enough for Shrimp to simply do what he can and Lin wouldn’t push him further, maybe even Shrimp would know his own limits. If he hasn’t stopped after an hour has passed, then she’ll come in and tell him it’s okay to take a break. She promised him playtime and she’ll honor it, preparing herself with the wicker ball and trying out a few of her tricks to show the refraction later. 

[Moonlit 593]

@Blitz Boom Harmony nods, "Lemon and Pear Muffins". She grabs several baking sheets, bowls, flour and all the other ingredients needed for muffins. "I don't have any hazelhuts, but I will put them on the shopping list. I'm also going to make Banana and Apple Muffins for the party tonight"

[Sekel 685]

@Blitz Boom

AURORA LIGHTS

Aurora gulped and shook as she walked beside Happy. She kept her eyes trained on the ground, focusing on putting one hoof in front of the other. "I don't l-l-like this. It's t-t-too .. too nerve-wracking, Happini."

@Blitz Boom

KARMIC FATE

"They're trying to surround us," Karmic said slowly, her eyes narrowing despite her heart thumping hard in her chest. She was scared, she was certain of that, but at the very least she can keep her head clear when needed. She stayed stable despite her breath coming in pants. "I think we should ... no .. they're trying to get us to go further. I don't like this!"

@Blitz Boom

TWILIGHT SPARKLE

"As do I, Last. Your world sounds a heck of a lot more violent than mine," Twilight said quietly as they went towards her castle. "But enough of that for now. I hope that what we got equates for a good substitution for a Tatzlwurm flower."

@Widdershins

DAWN STREAK

"If you're not welcome here, then ... then ... then I'm not welcome here too!" Dawn said forcefully, her hoof stamping into the floor. She didn't know what compelled her but she did know that she didn't want to lose the companionship of this drake. At least that's what she's telling herself. Companionship. Yep. Certainly not anything else. "If you leave. I leave! We aren't separating!"

[Azure Acrylic 24]

@Blitz Boom @Critical-Hit

Azure listened closely to Shell’s reply, wondering about what she didn’t say in it “There’s something she’s hiding from both me and Thunder. Maybe Shell does like Thunder, it’s that she’s too shy to say it?”

She looks back at Thunder, his eyes appearing massive to her, both focused at her. She realizes something that might be hazardous to her and stutters it out “Umm, Thunder, maybe, since I’m so small, could you maybe watch out and not step on me if I’m on the ground? For me, getting squashed by a gigantic hoof is pretty painful for me, and the resulting injures could last for days, since I’m so small.”

[cwhip9 1,078]

On 11/19/2019 at 4:41 PM, Blitz Boom said:

The dragon entrance were the strongest, and would grow considerably if they moved nearer to the entrance. The magic were dark and alluring, with hints of illusions and a pull that would make following it intriguing. It may simply be the entrance itself, or something were stored in there which gave off a dark signature that attempted to draw in the unwary. If they were good at tracking, they'd find several other, smaller signatures, though these did not seem to try and reach out towards others.

feeling the pull from the dragon statue being strongest the unicorn smirked "of course you would have the strongst pull from the others but miss zebra also had a strong pull..." he said thinking outloud. 

Useing his magic the unicorn pulled out a set of plying 6 sided dice "even dragon, odd zebra" he said rolling the dice on the floor
one die had 5 
the other 3 

"dragons it is" he smiled scoping  them back up putting them in his hat inner pocket. and decided to go down the hallway that had the dragon satue