open Casual stroll

Blitz Boom · February 16, 2020

On 2/15/2020 at 3:21 AM, Pastel-chan said:

"Fair maiden, I've found thee~! Oh, and is this your daddy?! Woooaahh, he's tall!"

He towered over the filly, for sure. She boldly stood in front of him and offered her tiny hoof.

"Good day, sir! May I have the honor of escorting your daughter on a grand adventure across the kingdom?"

Stargazer looked down on the small filly that had approached him, with a tired, yet warm smile on his face. It sounded like this were indeed somepony that his daughter had been talking to, and though she seemed like a bit of a troublemaker, that wasn't much of an issue. He trusted his daughter, and knew that she wouldn't go down a wrong path, despite whatever company she kept. Besides, this were but a filly. Foals this age would do what they did, and he'd be foolish to try and stop it. Best one could do were just to try and prepare them to know where the limit went, and how to get out of a sticky situation.

He'd carefully reach down and shake her small hoof, making sure not to put too much strength in it, so that it might hurt her. Something which were often a worry when it came to one of his size, yet so far, he had thankfully not hurt a foal by misjudging it. Today wouldn't be the day either, if he could help it.

"It's nice to meet you little one. My name is Stargazer."

His voice were somewhat gruff and gravelly, but kind as he talked to his daughter's new friend. A daughter who turned around and came flying over right as she heard him talk, and charged in to give him a tight hug around his muscular neck. Something which Stargazer returned with a gentle hug with his leg around her back, keeping her safely in place as she couldn't fly like this.

"Heya daddy. You look tired."

"Just been a long day sweetie, I'm fine.

So, your new friend here sounds like she wants you to go and play?"

He slowly let go of her, and Jelly bounced down on the ground to stand next to Pastel, looking up at him expectantly.

"Uhuh, can we? Pleeeease?"

"Just make sure to not stray too far from town, okay? Your mother would never let me hear the end of it if you got lost."

"Don't worry daddy, we won't get lost, and I'll make sure that we're home before it gets dark."

Suddenly, a large spider with thick grey fuzz covering it's body to a point where only its eyes and legs were visible, would crawl from Stargazer's neck, and down towards the foals. Something which made Jelly really happy.

"Yey, you brought Gary!"

She reached her head over and let the fuzzy little thing crawl unto her head, where he'd cover himself as best he could inside her tall mane, before she patted him gently on his head. Judging by the chittering, it sounded as if he enjoyed it.

"He's been acting up the last half hour, so I thought it best. I think he missed you.

Now then, before you run off, remember to go and tell your friends guardian or parents, okay? They'd probably be worried if she were out for a long time without hearing from her.

Might I ask what their name or names are actually, little one?"

He'd refocus on Pastel as he asked this. It were probably for the best if these two hung out together, that he got in contact with her parents or legal guardians later. It were better that they got a functional dialogue going if possible, rather than just hearing from each part through their foals. It'd make it easier to arrange things like sleepovers, extended play times, or trips, if that became a thing that were needed later on.

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@EQ_Theta

"I don't want to do this Lin, but if you make me, I Will incapacitate you."

He might still not be at his absolute high point, bur Rosa had something that Lin (at least in her currently instinct driven state) sorely lacked: Proper combat experience. Instinct were well and good to give you an idea of where to strike without thinking, but without thought and proper training, it would be useless. It'd have you strike at any movement, react to any sound, and be too easy to distract and parry. It made you predictable.

With a calm head and proper training however, you could adapt, find openings, and strike at the right time to finish the fight in your favor. He'd likely need to parry for a little while to garner her combat style, but a lot of his combat training were focused on exactly that. The few times when he struck first, it were ambushes. Taking advantage of where others stood and the element of surprise. Mainly he fought by reacting and being defensive via parrying, dodging, and just waiting until the right time for a well placed hoof to finish it. Let the enemy come to him, and he'd have the upper hoof.

Thankfully, much as he stood ready and had tensed his muscles in preparation, Lin regained her senses, having only slung Sen, whom seemed to have gotten through that without much issues. Longma seemed to have rather sturdy hides for him to not even complain at this manhandling, even if he leaned up against the wall for support after getting on his feet... Might be something worth remembering actually, were he to actually have to fight one another time. It might take a bit of a harder kick than he were at first anticipating.

On 2/15/2020 at 3:19 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Rosa? What’s going on? I remember a white void and getting in a heated argument, then this.”

"My best guess would be that your mind were straying from your body, and it reacted instinctively to a perceived threat."

Her fight or flight instinct were also clear at this point, but it didn't seem the right time to bring that up. As Sen said just before this, they both wanted to know what exactly had gone on for things to escalate this far, and that were an actually important subject to cover with some potentially disturbing implications, depending on the answer. Hopefully it would not be as troubling as he instinctively feared that it might be.

On 2/15/2020 at 3:19 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“I… yes. Just let me sit down and get my strength back.” Lin picked up the orb and looked at it intently, probably aware that their request for privacy couldn’t be fulfilled now. “No use for a quiet conversation anymore when Sen and Rosa overheard us.”

The orb's occupants were silent for a while but they relented and addressed everyone present. “We reluctantly agree. No doubt you all have questions for us.”

"We do, such as what in the worlds caused you to get into what seemed like an altercation, or verbal argument at the very least. Though first and foremost, I would like to ask that this mind meld or whatever you might call it, does not happen again. Taking the consciousness from a body is highly dangerous, and I do not wish for Lin to become a vegetable.

As long as we have that clear, tell us the basics: What did you argue about, and why did you try to keep it from us?"

As things seemed to have calmed, he'd sit down and wait to hear what they'd say to this, though he remained alert, in case this would suddenly turn around and Lin would start to get a bit crazed again, or the orb would start spewing out spells. There wasn't anything he could really do to stop the second potential option of the first two that had come to mind, but perhaps if he mentally prepared for it, he'd be able to seek cover before he were zapped into a small pile of ash, or something else of the sort.

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@Catpone Cerberus

So on a positive note, she hadn't been assaulted. Considering everything, that were a real risk that had more often than not, resulted in the one Leviathan tried to get in contact with attempting an attack. Ruby here were still a sour one sadly, but dragons didn't change easily either, so she hadn't expected anything drastic to happen here either.

"I'm not a water dragon. I'm half of them, and half air dragon. A storm dragon, as I call it."

She didn't rise to react on being called out as a fish. It were potentially a taunt meant to rile her up, and she weren't taking it, like others of her simpler kind might have.

"And us living among these lesser races isn't a sign of weakness. It's a necessity for some, law for others, and for those like me, a matter of being clever.

Dragons on their own so rarely have anything of value, at least not here. A bit of raw gold, some gems, that sort of thing. But others like the ponies, they focus on getting riches, producing things of value. Mining, refining, extracting, and creating. All of it are to further their own lives, but there's much for us to harvest from them. Just like you do when you con them. Much easier than to fight other dragons for their treasure, isn't it? In my opinion it isn't weakness. It's just accepting them for what they're worth, and taking advantage of it.

Besides, what is it worth to be stranded in a cave, doing little more than hunt and sleep on your riches? The other races have advanced and made some interesting things even dragonkin could make use of. Why not take part and enjoy those things too? It doesn't mean that we're weak, or have to forget who and what we are."

Leviathan were a big believer in weakness being isolating yourself, rather than mingling into society. Sure some became docile and intermingled a little too much for her taste, but overall, there were just too much to gain from interacting with the society of others. It was all about being able to accept it, and not losing yourself whilst doing so. A tricky balancing act for some, but she had a lifetime of learning how to take the most advantage of things. Much like Ruby seemed to have, even if they had different views on how to do it.

Hopefully she'd get her view on this through to her in some fashion though. It were fine enough that Ruby went and hunted the lower rung races that were gullible enough to fall for her tricks, but that didn't have to mean that she had to constantly hide like them to achieve it. In fact, if she just took advantage of being able to do this more publically, they were likely to more or less shower her with gold. A lot of ponies for some reason enjoyed seeing special sights, and a dragon changing forms would undoubtedly attract a crowd. And that were only one of several ways she could take advantage of her situation that didn't include being a wolf in sheeps clothing.

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@Catpone Cerberus

"If ever you need me, you know how to find me."

Nada would have been transported there the first times by the animals, but it would also work, were she to ask around and then wait until one of the critters understood her enough to lead the way, or go get the dryad themselves. As the forests protector, she had quite the influence with them, and especially the critters generally liked her, or at least knew who to come for if there were trouble. It were a job with no end in sight, considering she were the lone one of her kind here, but it were okay. She enjoyed being busy, and know that those around her felt better, be they animals, dragons, ponies, or even sirens.

"I might be harder to find me if you have a reason for it, as I am studying along with the princess these days, but I suppose I'd still be mostly in or around the cave.

I'm more curious about that house you're speaking of. It sounded as if you didn't want others to see you, no? Then why stay in the town at this point, when there is a risk to be seen?"

Pastel Heart · February 17, 2020

@Blitz Boom

"Nice to meet ya, Stargazer! I am Pastel Heart, adventure mare extraordinaire! And my, what a big beard you have!"

...She had a long way to go in the compliments department. Her attempt at flattery was well meant, atleast.

Pastel smiled as she watched the father and daughter, and their pet spider apparently, all have fun together. For a second, the filly wondered what he birth father was like, what kind of pony he was... But there's no use thinking of stuff like that; she had grandpa, and grandpa was great! She snapped out of her stupor as Stargazer spoke to her, popping up with a cartoonish bounce.

"Oh, I don't have a mom and dad; I just gave my grandpa! His name is, uhh... Oh, I think it's Iron Shoal!"

...A surprising name sprung from Pastels mouth. Iron Shoal was the name of a Manehattan wrestling pony from a long time ago. Stargazer may or may not recognize the name, depending on his sports knowledge. Iron Shoal was most famous two to three decades ago, he owned the world championship for some time before being defeated by his more famous and beloved rival, Hoof Holster. Years later, Iron Shoal was involved in a scandal and was disgraced by the Manehattan wrestling community. With the sport far less popular now, Shoal was largely forgotten and was unheard of for a long time.

One would wonder how such a stallion would come to adopt a filly like Pastel. It seemed like an odd circumstance, and despite the reputation, Pastel seemed happy talking about him.

Rising Dusk · February 17, 2020

@Blitz Boom

Rising Dusk could feel his tail twitch as Lily offered the details that he did not. There goes any chance of keeping his sister from finding out what he really did. Worse yet, it wouldn't be long now before his mother finds out now. His venture wasn't against mere common criminals, but against a dark god and a tyrant. Worrying his family was not in his plans for the evening. His sister ever so subtly raised her eyebrow, comparing their two comments in her head. Rising was not going to win this one. Three... Two... One... a knowing smile crossed the mare's lips, but she remained silent. Ugh, he knew that look all too well.

Her attention turned to Lily as she introduced herself. Young lady? Must be some sort of traditional greeting in Harrowmark. Lowing herself into a respectful bow, "Well met Lily Monkshade of Harrowmark. I am Setting Dawn." With the other mare in the company of her brother, showering on the titles wasn't anything she thought was necessary. Straightening herself back up, she tapped her hoof against the marble floor twice, causing the soft rainbow ripples to appear again. A clean beige hoodie rose out of the 'pond' Dawn had created from the solid stone floor. Rising had a few items kept at the house from the occasional visit. Taking the summoned cloths, "Thank you," he told his sister and took a brief moment to sit down and remove the swamp stained hoodie so that he could put on a clean one.

"Slipped in a swamp..." Dawn mused in echo. "Leave it to my brother, the detective, to down play such an event," the mare sighed, turning to walk a short distance away from the duo. A large globe of their world made of marble dripped out of floor and floated a little off the ground before her. All thus far performed without a glow of her horn. Spinning in place slowly, "I felt you leave Equestria..." she started in an almost somber tone. Like most twins, the two shared a degree of extrasensory connections. They could feel each other's moods when they were extreme and at times even the general area of where the other was. "I could only guess where you had ended up," she continued, standing on her hind legs to place her front hooves on the globe while facing away from them, stopping it at a point where Harrowmark stood her way. "Only with your beacon could you be found," Dawn had concluded, which Rising had done to call Minty for a rescue. "But I could feel... darkness," her tone hardened as she ran a hoof over Harrowmark's general area. That area on the globe oozed and bubbled a black tar, not all that dissimilar to how it actually felt to the detective while he was in such a dark land. "What was it like brother? What was it like feeling such darkness with your magic sense. Lapping at the edges of your mind. Whispering dreams and seducing your sanity like all the stories of old said it would. No pony can sense what you do... what if it had won you over like others in its own lands?" she paused, it was hard to tell anymore if Dawn was talking to anypony but herself. "What a calamity you'd become..." she breathed out as the thought scared her. Thoughts that he himself had while walking through Twisted's 'workshop'. Dawn might as well had been the narrator of some new horror film coming to theaters near you. The other mares and stallions presented had found themselves absorbed in the story, many holding each other but all didn't dare breath a word. Rising could feel his heart sink a bit.

Dawn dropped her hoofs back to the marble floor and the globe crumble and fell back into the ground as if liquid. Slowly, she looked over her shoulder at the pair again. Tears streamed down her soft sunset orange cheeks with black lines from her runny makeup. A lump formed in the detective's throat at the sight. "But you were the hero... and came home to us," Dawn managed to get out before the tears turned to sobs. The mare fully turned and sprinted to her brother. Throwing herself to hug her twin close and tight, laying her head over his shoulder to let out her tears. Rising returned her embrace while lightly patting her back, "Awkward sibling hug." Dawn couldn't help but smile through her sobs, "Awkward... -sniff- sibling hug."

EQ_Theta · February 17, 2020

@Blitz Boom

“Consider it done. The whole point of having the conversation away from the physical realm is because the subject is… difficult. Hard to speak about as it pertains to our fate. Namely: what becomes of us should we no longer be bound to this orb? We have no physical bodies to return to and even if there was a way to restore them, we have no home or kin to go back to.”

“Either they remain as they are, forever bound to the orb as its inhabitants or set them free but effectively end their existence. That is what Mother asked me to handle. I feel this isn’t a choice I could or should make, only them but the scholars couldn’t make up their mind and are asking me to make the choice for them.”

The topic on life and what comes after, if there is such thing as an afterlife or reincarnation, weighed heavily on them all. Lin and the scholars alike couldn’t come to a decision as this was no simple matter. Sen, too, remained silent as he thought on the two options given and found himself in the same dilemma. The Hyracotherian scholars understood their role in being in the orb, preserving information and using what they know to help those who seek guidance, or at least avoid making the mistakes their race made in the past. Whether they dug themselves into this situation knowingly is out of the question, only what is to become of them moving forward.

Having two options is also not the whole picture. The longma’s own experience with the orb calls back to the possibility that someone unscrupulous could use the magic in the orb for nefarious purposes, or use the knowledge within to gain unspeakable power. Even the scholars themselves could use magic sampled from other known entities provided they are aware of how they worked.

“Should we be released from the orb, there are other things to consider. First, the knowledge contained within will no longer grow. It simply becomes a repository of everything we have gathered up to our final moments. Second, anyone who comes across the orb can wield magic at a greater proficiency as the orb itself is a focus for channeling magic, or grant those without magic the ability to use it. Lastly, you still have to decide what to do with what remains: keep the orb for yourself, hide it away, or leave it with someone you trust in the hopes that it will never fall into the wrong hooves."

“Your thoughts?”

Lin said her piece, unsure about what should be done. Sen, likewise, could not provide an answer, still deep in thought and processing the information. Rosa could provide his opinion on the matter but all this could open up more avenues to dig in to the mindset of the scholars. As it is right now, the longma siblings are wondering how to prod for more information without coming off as insensitive. If anything, the scholars’ indecision on the matter suggests not all of them can even come to an agreement between themselves.

Edited February 17, 2020 by EQ_Theta

Catpone Cerberus · February 17, 2020

@Blitz Boom
Ruby just blinked when she heard Leviathan wasn't actually a water dragon, she couldn't really be blamed for thinking she was considering she had just said she had never interacted with water dragons.

"Taking the easy route is quite weak don't you think?" Ruby pointed out, she hadn't listened every word of Leviathan's argument because it sounded too much of like the friendship speeches the ponies liked so much "And unlike you, I...and my kind in general, don't see treasure's worth as currency, it is more a sign of strength, since having a lot tells others you have not only gathered, but also been able to protect all of it."

"And what are you gonna do when all of this collapses? it will eventually, and when it does, those who haven't let themselves to become weak will take over."

"You'll probably try to point out that I too am here living among them, but that's simply not true, I'm here temporally, only until I'm ready to kill my mother and take back what I have lost."

Leviathan would find that convincing someone who has believed one thing for their whole life isn't easy, even if your arguments are good ones.

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"It's actually more on the edge of town, and there's a second entrance that is hidden well enough that you wouldn't notice me even if you were standing on the front door." Nada explained "But I'm always prepared to flee in case there's any reason to think I have been spotted."

Widdershins · February 17, 2020

@Catpone Cerberus

Fail at what? Widdershins shrinks a little, continuing to float in a slow, drifting circle around Cerberus like the trailing tail ribbon of a kite in flight.

By Flying Cakes, I meant the Parasprites I created, of course! I just got done saying that, didn't I? And by Station, I meant a place which detects things and Weather being whether something was happening somewhere! In this case YOU would be the Weather Station! What a great title for you to have! It's like those broad ears of yours are Radar Dishes!

...Radar, of course, being "Sensory Input Devices." It's all pretty simple, Do keep up!

Leeeeeaaaaad the waaay, Mademoiselle! The draconequus trilled out loud while lazily spinning a floating Aileron Roll. *

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@Sekel

DAWN STREAK:

Righting himself to lazily glare at the mare, the drake sighs. "I seem to recall you needing to be batted into place like a ball of yarn. For a pony with wings, you sure aren't agile. And I'll have you know I did not choose pillow, these indoor floors of you ponies are every bit as soft as-..." Kaltrop interrupts himself to pause, standing straight up in attention to look at Dawn to beg for explanation of what he had just caught. "...Boyfriend? ...what do you mean? How would that even work, I'd split you in half." He blinks and clarifies to reassert the point towards himself once again. "Seeing as how I could likely rend you in half with the slightest gesture with my powerful, sleek dragony powers." The young drake stretches tall from his sitting position to pose and prove his point at being superior to a pony and likely equally from pride at being given a title as such. At not much more a hoof higher than her (what would be some four or five inches likely) if they were side by side, Kaltrop likely only had length and wingspan on her and in this case, the difference between dragon and pony would sure not seem as great as claimed.

DAZZLE GLEAM:

Shortstack takes a stomp forward, crunching another cobblestone underhoof with more force than his small limbs, by any logical, scientific reasoning, should be able to do.

"I ain' Short!! An' I dinnae ask fer yer name!! Easier ta insult INNIT?! Whal if yee wan a fight than I'll be winnin' et! This-!" The small stallion punctuates his declaration. "...is the part wha ya either Hide or I make ya hide, by buryin' yee in rubble!" and with that he takes another lunge at Gleam.

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@Blitz Boom

"What, me?! Nooo!" Blither looked at the older, gray-maned mare, wide-eyed and his head in a slow worried shake.* He began to visibly sweat profusely. "I'm- I am a pony j-just like you! W-why would you think oth-... I-it's not like I'm some magically crafted suit by some random w-wild animal! Who'd walk into a whole town of ponies like that and have a flimsy story s-set up with no way of backing it up?! How crazy would you have to be to do that!"

The light blue stallion would hang his head down dejectedly and direct to himself in the same tone "... and terribly unfortunate."

"Don't... don't look at me as if I were just some giant, slavering beast bent on devouring your city. I swear. I've always held pony culture in the utmost of respect."

With that, Alonsus came barging in at a seemingly opportune time, Blither's head flickering over to him almost instinctively and in sudden, lighter tone. "I think you mean 'Victorious.' ...Sorry, I read a lot. And I have a lot of siblings I try to keep educated too.... when they listen, heh." He said with an abashed chuckle.

Behind Alonsus would follow Chop. Judging eyes weren't welcome to Blither... but here, there was a certain, silent connection and unspoken word somehow between one who'd been well-aquainted with numerous rows of predatory teeth and another who'd.... had just as much practice on the opposite end. There was a difference between one who hunted sharks and one who was often on equal "ground" with them. And what Gallimaufry was wasn't too far removed from what sharks were by what numerous theory in books on the matter talked about. Predators tended to pick on prey that looked more like a meal, not one that could meet you hoof to claw. Blither would hardly say that he had much predatory instinct left in him these days so much as a stuffy old ambassador but.... it didn't feel so much like fear as a sudden, internal silence.

Blither met his gaze just as coldly. Swinging through emotions seemed to be one of the clear underlying trends of the Cephalli family. From somewhere deep inside, a question bubbled up.

"You hunt?"

~~Meanwhile!!!~~

On 2/13/2020 at 2:48 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"In general this is true, but there are some who likes their personal space, so one shouldn't always simply jump to hugs as the first response. It's wise to observe the situation first, and see if it appears they could need one."

"YEH! But Hugs Heal!" It was Sunny Flush's stance, if she could phrase it in such a way as resolute and learned as some of her brothers could, that you needed to make others feel warm and welcome. That if you broke those barriers, showed yourself to the world what you really were, then you could meet everyone on the most honest and deep level possible. It was Sunny that always kept that flame kindled that the world would see them as a friend and place in the loving world she knew it to be. Even if a great many times they had proven that clearly not always the case. It just meant you kept leaping spread-hoofed into new friends!

"So iffen ya hurt wit' a hug, you'd use another hug to heal 'em of it! Simple as that!"

After that things got quiet. Old Horsy Lady had started talking to another pony that had come down from the sky. Sunny had taken a shine to this new old mare and wanted to listen to her and took a quiet stand behind her like most little girls did. A bit fidgety and puffed in the cheeks with impatience. She'd never seen a batpony before, at least not recently anyhow, and the urge to hug was building up again, but she wanted to be a part of the conversation again so she waited a turn. She felt that's what Old Lady Horsy would want. Sunny mentally added that note in her head that maybe she should stop thinking of her solely by her age but that idea flew out again as the guard stallion addressed her.

"Am I?!!?" Sunny nearly popped as she excitedly burst into a dull roar of appreciativeness. "You found Blither? YAAY!"

And so it began once again. What usually started trouble for the family, apart from the numerous brawls Shortstack & Flit got into. Sunny wanted to show her appreciation. Now some stallions wouldn't mind too terribly a greatly affectionate, large, beautiful mare that couldn't keep her hooves off you, but it was often the sheer suddenness. Or her many brothers that took varying levels of offense at you hitting on their only sister who just happened to be the baby of the family.

She scooped down in a way that made some older ponies start fainting and others compare to an overloaded cart toppling onto you. You knew it was coming, but not how to stop it. Sunny Flush picked up the burly nightguard like a mother would her newborn colt and started cradling him to her dense, fluffy but strong chest in a big, friendly bear hug.

Given enough struggling, sure, she could take the hint. Especially as Officer Stargazer no doubt had strength enough to take down a perpetrator… but if that was warranted when it was clearly a show of affection would be up for debate. Especially judging as she would begin rocking him in her front hooves like a baby. Not enough struggling though... well, there had only been three cases so far where she had crushed the consciousness out of an innocent bystander and that was only because of the difference in size. But those were sad days for Sunny, when hugging was apparently semi-lethal. Somewhat ironic how Sunny's shows of affection had been the only thing to throw them out of Kludge Town in that incident with that one shrimp.

Regardless, Scarcity would have the entertaining view in front of her of military stallion being cuddled like a baby in front of her.

*You're never going to get over that, are you? It's not how any of that works!!! You never even played that series.

*I'm sorry. I couldn't stop myself.

Azure Acrylic · February 17, 2020

@AzureMoon @Blitz Boom

Upon hearing Thunder’s compliment, Azure’s cheeks turn bright red, while she looks away from Thunder shyly, blushing profusely.

”Awwwwwwww, thanks, Thunder! I do think that you too are a cute, fluffy stallion! Your mane and tail are so soft!”

Still blushing, Azure flies down to Thunder’s chest and starts brushing his soft chest fluff, her hoof feeling the fluffiness of his chest fur.

Azure then turns to Shell, pausing her brushing against Thunder’s fur to talk.

“I wouldn’t wanna get hurt, that’ll be bad for my wings. And I can imagine myself wearing blinkers, I tend to get distracted easily, and I nearly crash into other Breezies sometimes.”

She thinks of the time she hit a tree trunk and broke her wings for a few weeks, and shudders in pain.

”And Sergeant Kelp sorta reminds me of the generals of the Canterlot royal guards, those who always yell at their recruits. I bet she would be as tough as them.”

Sphinx-Ara · February 17, 2020

@Azure Acrylic @Blitz Boom

Thunder would smile and blush a little at her compliments, then even more as she would brush his chest fur "Thank you Azure, not sure how snuggling would work though, I wouldn't want to squish you" he'd chuckle, then turn to Shell, "Ah yes, those kind of blinkers, I call them blindsiders, but blinkers works as well." he'd say then nod "Well from what I know of Kelp when I met her, she isn't too bad, but you do need to weed out the weaker ones from the strong ones, that and weed out the ones who aren't really there for the right reasons" he says and then chuckles "Aaand no pun intended on Kelp's name"

Blitz Boom · February 18, 2020

@Rising Dusk

More theatrics, though it seemed to mostly be for show, or a personality quirk of some kind. Regardless of the reason, it weren't too obnoxious to deal with, and it did shine through rather clearly that she cared for her brothers well being, which did give her some leeway in the way she behaved, far as Lily were concerned. Even though she would miss the hoodie he had worn. The slight swamp smell had been homey, though she supposed it were best he got it cleaned. Considering the things that place had lurking, he'd probably get an infection in the long run otherwise.

Getting back to Dawn though, it were some rather interesting tricks she showed off during her speech, she would give her that. Especially that strange globe of hers were rather peculiar to Lily, who had some degree of jealousy towards this, as she had to rely on old, barely readable maps from before Twisted's time to see how the outside looked, prior to getting here. This seems quite a bit more practical. It didn't strike Lily as all that odd that Dawn's horn didn't glow though, considering she came from a place where magic didn't have to require one, and even unicorns had some more stealthy ways of casting things, so she just assumed this were some kind of stealthy caster. Or perhaps items that Equestria could just make. It seemed they were far ahead technologically compared to anything she knew, so it wouldn't surprise her if this were commonplace, or at worst a novelty item for those with means.

The theatrics and the speech ended (for now) with Dawn throwing herself over to hug it out with her brother. A common gesture here in Equestria, yet at least here it felt more normal to Lily, seeing as this were family, and not strangers. Equestria were a weird country honestly.

"If it is any consolation, it usually takes a while for the darkness to drive you mad, and it mostly happens to those living on their own. Socializing tends to keep the whispering voices and temptation to give in at bay. And in my country's defense, it's not that bad everywhere. He assaulted the heart of the tyrants lair, far from any harvest mage or wards. It were more or less the fourth worst place he could have hit. Potentially fifth, I can't say for sure. Haven't been out near the Hallowed Pines Orchard in decades."

Perhaps not the best endorsement of Harrowmark, to say that there were actually someplace worse than where Rising had been, but what would it matter? The areas that were, he hadn't been near, and it were doubtful he would be later on, seeing how far this country were from theirs. Heck, even if he did visit to bask in the glory of his actions, or act as a political pony in some capacity, he would be in cities, and likely with a priestess or harvest mage being assigned to him, to make completely sure that he'd be cut off from the worst of the dark energies of Harrowmark. He'd be fine.

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

@Pastel-chan

"Iron Shoal?"

Stargazer's eyebrow rose slightly in surprise. Whilst he had never himself interacted with, nor followed the career of this particular wrestler, he had heard about him through the times he had to go and collect bets during the earlier years in the Night Guard. Betting were a regular pass time, and wrestling matches had been a solid one for most to bet on, and this name had been tossed around some. He didn't know what happened to him though, before the sport began to drop off in interest with others, over the more *free for all* fighting championships that had risen since then, but it sounded like it hadn't ended in a positive way. Clearly this were someone that he needed to have a word with, once work allowed it. Due to him having to go back to the sibling hunt soon, it wouldn't be anytime soon it sadly seemed. *sigh* Ponyville were a busy town...

"I'll have a talk with him when I can. You two go off and take care, okay? And please be back before dinner, Jelly."

"I will daddy."

She gave him another hug, before bouncing over to Pastel and facing her new friend with a big, happy grin on her face.

"Hehe, we can go now. Where do we start?"

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

@EQ_Theta

Rosa were silent on the matter for a few minutes, as he pondered the options, and the pros and cons of each choice. It weren't an easy one, that much were sure, as there were no perfect solutions in sight. Either there would be a great loss of knowledge, potentially someone powerhungry would rise in power, or attempting to destroy the orb, would result in a massive magical eruption, which could cause a large crater, or worse, a disruption in the ley lines, if the theories of magic that he had to endure in one of his elective classes were correct.

"...I cannot say with any certainty what the best option would be.

Staying put would be the safest option for others more than likely, but you yourselves would remain in this limbo without being able to move on. It's the sort of thing that isn't healthy, and if you are in any way resembling actual spirits, you might one day end up as mad spirits, or poltergeists if you would. Which is a rather disturbing thought, considering the powers that your extensive knowledge have accumulated, more than likely.

If you were to move on and the orb be just a sanctuary of your knowledge though, it would still be immeasurably dangerous, and would either have to be hidden away - which means it will benefit no one - or be left in the care of some being who'd then either need to be immortal and without a dark thought in their mind, or whoever follows the one carrying it at first, could end up passing it along to one with less morals. I wouldn't even consider attempting the risk destroying it. The knowledge lost is one thing, but to think of what it could cause... It is best not to go that route.

*sigh* No perfect solution, when considering the long term implications...

Have you considered alternatives? You mentioned not having bodies to return to, but in theory, that could be remedied.

Tell me, what do you know of golems?"

Golems were a tricky thing. It required a good deal of magic and proper rituals to make them alive, and then came infusing them with magic, potentially a soul, making sure the bodies were not just stable, but efficient from the get go, etc. It were a mess that took a true professional, and he didn't personally know anyone that could fit that role, but if it were, he most certainly knew one who would.

If this were considered an option to the collective were a good question too, but they would make the best carriers of this potentially, as they had seen how badly it could go, and a properly build golem could essentially work forever, long as there were enough upkeep by the inhabitant. Hay, it might even feel like a real body, what did he know? The knowledge he had on golems were pretty scarce, sadly. He just knew enough to propose an option.

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

@Widdershins

Mayor Mare didn't look at him any more favorably the more he rambled on. Quite the contrary actually, as the way he spoke just reeked of somepony trying to cover for themselves, and still included some phrases that made him sound as if he weren't a pony.

He didn't strike her as a changeling though. They were usually a good deal better at this, or would just show themselves, in parts since that were legal now. But... What Were he then? This were something she pondered as she silently judged Blither, and went through the options she knew off, and crossed most of them off as being a ludicrous idea since they wouldn't normally behave like this, nor be able to shift forms.

Stare on the other hoof, just let him talk. She had some of the same thoughts that the mayor did on his behavior, but it were more a strange hunch than anything she considered to be real, or something to worry about. There were too many tangible things to be concerned about to focus on this, such as roaming dragons, another changeling attack, or a certain stallion breaking in and disrupting the peace.

There were a time when Alonsus doing this would have made her jump up and hide around the nearest corner, but time had made her a little jaded she supposed, or just more used to these sorts of noise interruptions, so she just calmly turned around and looked at him, as well as Chop. This one surprised her to see, considering he usually spent his time in the kitchen this time of the day, but there had been a lot to carry, so that were probably the reason why he were here.

Well, one of them, anyway...

The cook in question knew well that she were there, but he were having a stare-down with Blither for now, and Chop did not back down from that so easily. So their gazes were locked, with both parties seeming to have a somewhat cold, judging glaze in their eyes. At least that's what Chop saw and felt, along with a strange feeling he hadn't felt in a while now. The instinctual want to grab his spear - or since his termination from the Coastal Guard, the large cooking knife down his side - and get ready to fight. A bit weird really. He usually only had this feeling around large predators, such as sirens or humongous, out of control grizzly bears.

23 hours ago, Widdershins said:

"You hunt?"

"Depends on what I'm cooking."

With that, he'd break eye contact, and go over to drop off the food on the crate functioning as a counter, or desk of sorts.

Stare would be over with him shortly after to help unload the burden and keep watch over things, to make sure that a certain somepony didn't try to nick all of it. A bowl would be fine, but Blither weren't allowed to eat all of this. It had to be for all of them.

"You didn't have to come."

Stare looked at Chop as she unloaded yet another steaming bowl of something unspecified. Hard to tell with the lid on, though it did smell good, and full of some sort of curry.

He met her gaze too, though if anypoy cared to look, they'd find that his gaze were not hard when it came to her. It had a more friendly vibe, that wasn't at all reminiscent of how it had been when Blither and him were locking eyes.

Chop wouldn't say a word, but whatever he tried to get through seemed to work, as Stare just gave a small nod and gently stroked the side of her head against his neck with closed eyes, before moving past him to help Alonsus with his items.

As for that one, he were already in full swing, as full of joy and confidence as always, to a point were it almost reeked of it.

"It seems I misspoke then, my friend. Sadly, even the great Alonsus is not without fault."

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

@Widdershins

On 2/17/2020 at 5:10 PM, Widdershins said:

And so it began once again. What usually started trouble for the family, apart from the numerous brawls Shortstack & Flit got into. Sunny wanted to show her appreciation. Now some stallions wouldn't mind too terribly a greatly affectionate, large, beautiful mare that couldn't keep her hooves off you, but it was often the sheer suddenness. Or her many brothers that took varying levels of offense at you hitting on their only sister who just happened to be the baby of the family.

She scooped down in a way that made some older ponies start fainting and others compare to an overloaded cart toppling onto you. You knew it was coming, but not how to stop it. Sunny Flush picked up the burly nightguard like a mother would her newborn colt and started cradling him to her dense, fluffy but strong chest in a big, friendly bear hug.

Given enough struggling, sure, she could take the hint. Especially as Officer Stargazer no doubt had strength enough to take down a perpetrator… but if that was warranted when it was clearly a show of affection would be up for debate. Especially judging as she would begin rocking him in her front hooves like a baby. Not enough struggling though... well, there had only been three cases so far where she had crushed the consciousness out of an innocent bystander and that was only because of the difference in size. But those were sad days for Sunny, when hugging was apparently semi-lethal. Somewhat ironic how Sunny's shows of affection had been the only thing to throw them out of Kludge Town in that incident with that one shrimp.

Regardless, Scarcity would have the entertaining view in front of her of military stallion being cuddled like a baby in front of her.

Scarcity did indeed find enjoyment in this, though it weren't a massive laughing fit she had, as much as simply raising her hoof elegantly over her muzzle and having a bit of a small, pearly laughter. She just wasn't the sort who laughed out massively, so a dignified laugh like this were about as good as it got from her.

"My my, what a strong mare she is, to lift one of your proportions."

Admittedly, Stargazer were surprised, but didn't make much of an effort to get loose after he had been scooped up and essentially cradled. Not the most dignified moment of his life, but honestly, not his lowest point by a mile either. It were one of the weirder ones though, he'd readily admit that.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but could you not have deflected that hit?"

"I haven't slept right in a few days now. Too much to do."

"Ah, I see. That undoubtedly does slow ones reflexes, though I must insist that you try and get some sleep soon then dear. It simply isn't healthy to avoid for that long."

"I'm well aware, but duty calls. Miss Sunny? Would you mind putting me down please?"

He took this situation rather calmly, as there wasn't really a threat here. Although unusual in her way of showing it, Sunny were clearly just happy, and had no malicious intent with her actions, so it were out of the question for hi to try and pin her down, even if technically, he could likely raise the case that it were needed, due to the compromising position she put him in.

That however, were an excuse used by bullies who had no right wearing a badge, or guard uniform, and he couldn't stoop to those levels. He's just calmly, rationally try to talk Sunny into putting him down on the ground, and then escort her back to the station to see her brother.

@Sekel

"O-Officer Stargazer we need you h- Huh?"

A pony came running, looking for the officer, but got a little stumped as he saw the strange situation the pony in question were in.

"Ignore it. What's wrong?"

"Uh... R-Right, right. There's two ponies fighting on the street, and they're making a real mess of things. One of them even threw my neighbor at the other! Please, you got to break it up before it escalates."

The thestral let out a long, drawn out sigh, that just oozed of a *This place...* mentality, before he started to put some muscle in to get lose of the grip he were put in, in case Sunny hadn't let him go by then.

"Miss Sunny, I must insist that you let me go this instant. I have to break up a fight."

If she didn't, he'd get ready break free by force, but would be suddenly teleported a few feet away from her instead, courtesy of Scarcity, who didn't want this to escalate. Messy business to cause a scene for something this trivial.

Regardless of what way he got loose, he'd follow the other pony in his sprint back towards the ones fighting, flying himself, and getting ready to having to tackle somepony who wouldn't calm down on their own.

"You mentioned one of your brothers being rather aggressive, yes? Perhaps he's part of this fight, and you being there could help calm him down. If nothing else, I'm sure he'd enjoy a large hug from his favorite sister, no?"

Might be nothing, but it seemed like an opportunity that might lead to some results, so why not see if there were something to it?

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

@AzureMoon @Azure Acrylic

Shell giggles as she sees the little breezie fawning over Thunder and messing around in his chest fluff. They were a pretty adorable pair to look at honestly, especially when stuff like this happened, along with the throwing back and forth of compliments. She were sure they'd have some happy times in the years going forward.

She did wrinkle her nose some when the mention of the generals came up though. Just two of them, as Azure said the royal guards, of which the Coastal Guards were not part of, but she still knew of those two, and that sort of behavior sounded odd.

"You mean General Midnight Screecher and General Morning Dew? Uuh... I've never heard of them yelling at recruits all that much, unless it were a public thing and they were trying to make sure everypony heard them, but I guess if there were some issues, General Screecher might raise her voice. Some stories goes she could rupture your ear drum if she wanted to, but I'm not sure how true that is. Sounds kinda far fetched, but she never comes to Shark bay, so I don't know.

I've seen General Dew a few times though. He's a really calm, collected pony. Waaaay different than his predecessor, who did have a reputation for being real great at his job, but having a temper you didn't want to flare up. Rumor has it he's been trying to retire, but something happened to the one who were gonna succeed him. It's a pretty new story, but Ankle Biter - another recruit - said that he'd been told that by the Solar Guard when there were a general meeting yesterday in Canterlot, that something bad had happened to the new general, and that General Dew had to take over again. I like General Dew, but I still hope his successor gets through whatever happened. Can't be good if he had to withdraw again after less than a day."

A bit of a somber, darkened vibe that came from this story perhaps, but the talk were there,and the rumor came to mind, so... She shared. Again, it were perhaps just a rumor, but nopony could tell for sure, until there were a public statement made, and that could take days whilst they waited to potentially get a medical evaluation of the new general. Again, if this were true. They'd have to wait and see.

"So uh... Something more positive... The puns, right. You shouldn't be sorry for them, Thunder. Sergeant Kelp uses a lot of them too. I think the first time she had me a turn through her trial, she lured me into thinking I had the upper hoof,then out of nowhere, she suddenly had me wrapped me up in wire, hung me from the ceiling, and went with *And that right here's what I call a bait and fish.*. I still don't know if there were more laughter or groaning at that one."

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

@Catpone Cerberus

"Empires rise, and empires falls. That's just how the world goes, and when this one is gone, I'll just move on to how the world then works. Be it ruled by dragons, gods, or even diamond dogs, there is always some kind of system to life wherever you go, and I'm highly adaptable."

Be it in the ocean, some foreign land, or here in an equine sky city, Leviathan had lived successfully through many sorts of lives and environments, and she had found a way to get out on top most places. At least what she considered on top, which Ruby likely disagreed with, as she appeared to be part of a more primitive branch of dragonkind.

"With regards to treasure, I don't see it as all that valuable, or a sign of power. Just things to use for whatever you want, but we're all different in how we see a hoard.

Personally, I don't chase gold and other material things beyond what I want to live fairly well, blended into whatever area where it counts as currency. Treasure for me, are things of personal value. A wedding ring, a gift from a long lost friend, or say, a necklace that someone seems to be attached to. That's the sort of thing my hoard are build up of."

It were pathetic to most dragons, and she knew it, but she didn't care. There were something special about the things she had stashed away in her actual home to her, rather than things that were just shiny. It felt more important to her, even if it did look odd.

"Is it okay if I ask why you want to kill your mother? If she ate your father, I'd understand."

Perhaps too personal, but if she wanted to get close to this dragoness, she needed to find out where the limit went, and work from there.

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

@Catpone Cerberus

"Always wise to have a backup plan."

Seemed like Nada were generally smart about things if she even had an escape route planned out in advance, and a point near the ponies where she could examine them closer, without being seen. A little bold maybe, but there were some merit to the old phrase about keeping your enemies close, though this were perhaps taking it a bit too literally. Hopefully, it wouldn't turn around and bite Serenade in the fin.

"I'm curious about one thing though. How did you get a home made, even on the outskirts of town, without being noticed? I'm not claiming ponies to be the best observers, but even they should know there were a settlement of some kind suddenly showing up. Or is it an underwater lair of some kind?"

Pastel Heart · February 19, 2020

@Blitz Boom

Pastel waved at Stargazer as he walked away and scooted to Jellys side, making a sound that sounded like a wheel screeching to a halt.

"Where first? Weeelll we can visit grandpa, stake out the castle, or we can do something totally crazy! I'm down for anything! Maybe we can even head to tje end of town and see if there's anything fun there~ a journey awaits! Believe it!"

Pastel smirked and pointed forward with, like a pirate captain pointing out an island to land on. She wasn't pointing at anything in particular; it seemed like it's just something she wanted to do.

Sekel · February 19, 2020

@Blitz Boom

KARMIC FATE & ATZY

Atzy stared at the gem Enzo had passed to her. Her horn lit up in a soft blue hue and grabbing the gem in it's field, brought it closer to her. "Enzo is right. We don't eat ponies. We eat gems. I do understand that the Princesses need a bit more details. When your superiors get here, I will gladly divulge whatever information they wish from me," she then bit into the gem and quietly munched on the shards before swallowing them. She ran a hoof over her gem-studded legs while keeping eye contact with Hailstorm. "But, I will say this. Gemlings have a finer control in manipulating the various gems here in Equestria than any other species. Even those Diamond Dogs. We aren't like Changelings. We do not change our shape, we merely look like them in most regards. As you can see, the visual differences are striking."

"So far so good," Karmic whispered to Enzo from on top of his shoulder as her eyes went from a stark white and faded back to their normal, greyish selves. "I can't see anything going wrong yet."

"You look like a very intelligent pony though, which is more than I can say for the underlings you have," Atzy said softly, only speaking loud enough for Hailstorm to hear, as well as potentially Enzo if his hearing was strong enough.

@Blitz Boom

TWILIGHT SPARKLE

"One last check," Twilight mumbled more to herself than to Last and checked over their supplies and bags. Once she had placed the stick that Cherish resided in in her own saddlebags, she nodded to herself and looked back at Last. "Off we go," she said, lighting up her horn. Her lavender magic engulfed both herself and Last as Twilight concentrated on the co-ordinates. They vanished with a pop and reappeared on the pathway leading up to a tunnel. Twilight shook her head and breathed out, dispelling the dizziness from that vast distance they had traveled. Without looking around, Twilight wasn't sure if Last was there or not. It did take a lot out of her to transport them to the location in a flash, after all. "Last? Did you make it?"

@Blitz Boom

AURORA LIGHTS

"I have no idea what I'm doing," Aurora sighed heavily in defeat. "I apologise. I thought this would have been easier to do. I'm a newly-found Queen. King Thorax here is the one in charge of this particular hive," she told Wall Render and glanced up at Happy. She felt relieved that Thorax was taking charge but she still felt obligated to attend the meeting. She didn't know what it was, but she suspected it had to do with her being a Queen now. She smiled at the abomination and spoke up. "Happy, I think Queen Onache would like to know about these new species as well. We should go with Thorax and Wall Render."

@Widdershins

DAWN STREAK

"You're bluffing. You don't have any special dragony powers," Dawn scoffed and laughed, only looking slightly up at Kaltrops. "You are no taller than I am, even if it is a couple of inches. But I do have to say that your wingspan and tail are longer than mine." She then realised what she was saying and looked away with a mild glare and a blush. Her tail flicked in agitation as she spoke. "Not that I like it or anything, definitely nothing like that. I slipped up on boyfriend. We haven't known each other long. So definitely I don't like you or anything."

@Widdershins, @Blitz Boom

DAZZLE GLEAM

"Whoa, easy fella," Dazzle giggled, easily sidestepping out of the way of his charge. "You're a lot shorter than me, but you're definitely stockier. So Short, how in Equestria do you go around looking like and blowing up at every little mention of your shortcomings?" she questioned him as she prepared herself. The scale pattern underneath her coat lit up blue. Her maw opened up and lightning blasted out of it, streaking straight towards Shortstack.

EQ_Theta · February 19, 2020

@Blitz Boom

“Golems? Ancient technology from a time when magic was used to create artificial constructs built to act as servants. If you suggest transferring our essences into golem shells, it would take time and enormous amounts of magic to perform. On top of this, you will also require someone with the knowledge to create the shells necessary to house us as well as materials to build them with. Stones and hewn metal are commonly used but you will need plenty of both.”

“We do not possess the knowledge to construct golems but should you know of someone who does, we will consider it.”

A shame this decision was not unanimously made. The scholars’ indecision has left them split almost evenly on what they would consider doing. Some wanted to continue living while others wanted to rest, all were afraid of the choice to abandon their duty. Still, there weren’t other options that sat well with them; creating an artificial body that mimics a living organism is something worth looking into but it isn’t known if anyone could or will do it and necromancy is undoubtedly off the table.

Golems could be the next best thing provided more information about it is known. It could lead to something bizarre, sights like ancient technology coming back to life and mingling with the populace is an interesting prospect. Then again, it might bring the scholars back to the same problem about being bound to objects, no different than their present situation.

“We once considered approaching Princess Celestia. She is a benevolent ruler who has not shown signs of wanting power for herself and she teaches at a school. We thought about offering ourselves as a teaching apparatus but that would likely tempt someone to steal the orb if they knew the kind of power we have.”

“Why not restore your old bodies? Your magic must be powerful enough to do something like that, right?”

“In theory, yes but that will require time dedicated to developing a spell and a powerful magic user or source of magic to fuel its creation. And there is more than one of us here. For now, we’d like to know more about the golem option. Can you tell us more, Rosa?”

Edited February 19, 2020 by EQ_Theta

Blitz Boom · February 20, 2020

@Sekel

Hailstorm watched closely as the gem were being munched on, wanting to make sure it wasn't a trick were say, it were teleported away at the end, or dissolved with acidic spit. He weren't sure if the later could happen, but he tried to keep his options open on this, just in case.

Yet it seemed like everything were legit here. She ate it like he had seen dragons do before, with small shards showing between her teeth as she crunched on. Atzy may yet be a threat of course, but he'd judge more fairly now that he were seeing that this didn't appear to be an emotion eater. It eased tensions some, at least for him.

"Peculiar to witness a non-dragon or diamond dog that can eat or manipulate gems, but the evidence so far speaks for themselves. Be advised though, that what you're telling me now will be recorded later, and spread throughout the Royal Guard. It isn't efficient to have you questioned constantly on the same basis as changelings."

He'd raise a hoof and wave off towards the barracksthree times, which hesitantly made about half of the guards leave the area, with only a half dozen remaining nearby that weren't on too high alert, and the sneakier group hiding in the shadows behind Enzo. A minor precaution if you would, along with a signal that he considered Atzy and her group to not require a minor regiment just to keep watch over.

On 2/19/2020 at 5:11 AM, Sekel said:

"You look like a very intelligent pony though, which is more than I can say for the underlings you have,"

This made Hailstorm smile a little. He wasn't infalliblebor anything. He had some soft spots that could be used to garner a bit of favor with him, and minorly fanning his ego, whilst basically agreeing with his previous assessment of the sergeant. A pony who were given more of a rank than he deserved, in the captain's opinion.

"Whilst I'm able to remain calm and know from experience what should and shouldn't be considered an alarming development that requires instant hostile actions, understand that your group are pretty much textbook trouble. Sphinx and changelings of any variant, have caused pretty substantial issues for ponykind before, so I don't blame them for being on alert.

Hmph. Or rather, I don't blame the recruits. A certain sergeant should know better at this stage in his career."

He responded in a low tone, as he had a suspicion that his own superior would soon be there, and didn't want to seem like he were singling anypony out, regardless of them deserving it or not.

And correctly so, as the superior in question did arrive shortly after, wandering calmly out of the door and facing towards the sphinx first and foremost.

"Enzo. I see you've returned then, and you brought some friends it appears? Captain, anything of note to report?"

"Yes sir. Atzy here is a new changeling variant called a gemling, here to speak her case for acceptance. Her and the sphinx also seem to be travelling with the prisoner used as a hostage by the seer Zhu, on previous occasion."

The general removed his helmet, showing an aging, yet still spry stallion that looked over Atzy and Karmic with curious, kind eyes.

"Any hostilities from us or them?"

"Minor alert from our side, none from theirs, General Dew."

"General? Hadn't you retired, last I were here?"

Dew let out a sigh and shook his head slowly at the question.

"In the time since you left, my successor had a substantial accident that have left him unable to lift the mantle of general. Potentially permanently. So my retirement will have to be postponed for the time being.

In any case, Miss... Atzy, were it? It's a pleasure to meet you. I am General Morning Dew, of the Solar Guards. I apologize if your arival have been rough, but things have not been going well the past few days, and it puts a lot of us on edge."

He'd offer her a hoof to shake, whilst giving a warm smile. Might be he hadn't seen this one before, and didn't know what to think of her potential threat level, but he trusted his captain's assessment of her.

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

@Sekel

"Yes, your majesty."

The guardsmare would stretch herself out as she rose up from the hole she had landed in for some unknown reason. A side effect of teleportation maybe? She had barely seen it used in her entire life, and never been part of it, so she honestly didn't know what to expect. Might be that it were meant to spread out the ones taken along to the immediate area, instead of placing them all near. Made sense enough she supposed. Safer too, if it teleported somewhere there were others present, as it'd avoid teleporting right into another. Something which brought rather disturbing pictures to mind for her, that she tried to shake out of her head as she aproached the princess.

Looking around, it seemed as if they had come to the right place, judging by the path going into the tunnel. Would be some walking distance from here until they got to the shrine, but it were safer, so better to use that time in her opinion. Gave the princess s chance to ask questions too, which she'd likely do, considering she appeared to be a curious sort.

"And Cherish?"

The air near the princess fizzled, and Cherish popped into existence, though she looked a bit wavy in her appearance, and the colors were somewhat washed out of her atire and mane.

"I'm okay, just... Dizzy, I guess. It's probably okay if we just go along while I try to gather myself."

So, seemed like ghosts could teleport then, but the transport messed up her form a little, causing it to act up somewhat. Probably from the long distance and magic interfering with her ectoplama, but she didn't know enough about this sort of thing to say for sure. Guess it didn't matter either, right? They were all here, and the worst that happened were that she ended up a little scrambled for a time. That wasn't so bad.

"Are you okay though, Twilight? No weird side effects or anything, r-right?"

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

@Sekel

Happy chuckled lowly to himself, under the dual pressure to join in, as whilst Aurora were asking him, Thorax's eyes were practically begging. Seemed like he weren't keen on going into this on his own at all, and were looking to get anyone he could to join in.

"Bit of pressure coming from two royals. Hmhmhm, why not? Like you said, my queen would likely want to hear of this."

"So one king, one queen, one strange human?"

"Yes."

Wall stood still for a few seconds after that, whilst his diamond eye blinked, indicating that he were again being communicated with.

"...They accept. Is there any place you'd want to meet them in particular."

"There is a small ruin, about three miles north of here that could be used. Would that suffice?"

Another small pause would come before the gemling would slowly nod.

"They will be there, waiting for you."

With that, he'd step into the gem again, which would engulf him and dig out of there, back the way it came, whilst collapsing the tunnel at the same time. A nice touch in Happy's eyes at least, as were the curious glance Wall had sent Aurora, which seemed to betray his instinctual reaction to consider her the one in charge, purely by what he knew of when it came to royal changelings. It just didn't feel right ro him that there were a king now instead, and this one were without her own hive, whens he looked as if she should be in control of a large one.

"Well, sounds like we got ourselves a playdate. Mind if we stop by my cart before we take off? I might as well bring something along to break the ice."

"I suppose that wouldn't hurt. And well... Thank you both for joining on this. I'm still not used to all of these politics, and it helps having others there with me."

Happy would get up and pat Thorax on the head, like he were a house cat. The look on his face made it clear that he felt about the same as one too, when a stranger came around to try and pet them right off the bat. A pretty amusing sight honestly, at least to Happy himself.

"Eh, don't sweat it. Aurora here's got a good head on her shoulders, and I'd like for it to stay there, so sure thing I'm coming along to soak up some intel, and try to keep you two from getting into trouble. Might be I don't know magic as well as you two might, but I know how to use these."

He'd pat the two golden sickles down his side, and grinned mischievously. Sure he didn't intent to use them right off the bat, but if the moment came, y'know? Best to be prepared.

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

@EQ_Theta

"Much as Equestria would likely welcome the teaching option, recent years have made it painfully clear that they aren't all that good at keeping their powerful artifacts out of their enemies hooves. Even if they eventually get the items back, or have them destroyed, the fact that they have lost quite a few of them in the first place is concerning."

Before going on to the heavier topic at hoof, Rosa wished to set the record straight on this thing first and foremost, as he considered it a bad idea to offer the orb to Celestia She might be one of the more benevolent rulers who'd use it well, but as mentioned, the security in Equestria were rather lacking these days when it came to powerful items like this, so he'd strongly advice against leaving the orb in her sole care.

"Now, regarding the golems, I'd like to preface this by saying that I do not know anyone directly who meddles in this kind of thing, but I do know one with a lot of connections whom can be asked. I am rather confident that she'd know at least one who'd practice this kind of thing."

Sen and Lin should know who he were talking of at this point, as Scarcity had proven herself a resourceful mare with many a connection, evident by her apparently trivial acquisition of papers and evidence that Rosa hadn't been able to get even a whiff off by himself. If anyone would know where to find a golem master, it'd likely be her, though the question remained what her price would be to part with that information.

"I can say this for certain though: There are still practitioners around. I've run into golems before that have been made in ancient times, but some are clearly of a far more recent design, with one made of material that weren't even invented until around 25 years ago. It is still something that can be attained, though it isn't as simple as technology. I've seen golems made of clay, the old relics which you seem familiar with, and some made of pure metal. The material itself seems to be somewhat irrelevant, compared to being able to go through the proper rituals needed to implement the correct magic, and potentially filter a soul through it.

Much as I'd like to give out immense details on this, I can only go by what I've seen, as golem crafting is a highly specialized kind of magical engineering, which for reasons I am not entirely sure about, doesn't have practitioners who openly flaunt their skills. It might have something to do with some botched versions causing a complete mess in New Hayshire a few decades ago, which were certainly a really messy affair, yet I cannot say for sure. I only speculate that is why they try not to be too open about what they do, though it might also be that they just prefer the peace and lack of scrutiny that comes from being looked at too closely."

He wish he could say more, but most of the info he had on this were that he knew one who could say more, and then add a bit of speculation, and his own, limited knowledge on the constructs themselves. Sadly this were one of the times where they had to make due with that, rather than a lengthy list of details as he tended to be able to provide.

"If you are willing, perhaps we could either go and fetch her, or bring you to her, and you could discuss your options with her personally? Be it restoring your old shells or make golems, I'm certain we could figure out something, if that is something you'd want to pursue. The world's a vast place full of powerful beings and magic after all, and I find it highly doubtful there wouldn't be ways to assist you in whatever the choice might be."

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

@Pastel-chan

Jelly made sure to wave goodbye to her daddy before he got out of sight and back to work. Had to be something important since he seemed so busy, but that was the life of a guard she supposed, and one day, it'd be her turn. Hehe, she could barely wait.

But that were the future, this were the present. And in the present, she had a new friend now to go on an adventure with.

"Well, if we're looking for the princess, the castle would be a good place to start, but we should probably go tell your grandpa about things too? I think daddy's gonna talk to him soon enough though, so maybe it's not that urgent? Uuuh..."

She scratched her head, trying to figure this out. Used to be a whole lot easier when it seemed like the first contact had to come from them, and not her dad, but between this and Pastel saying he were okay with her being out for a while after school, maybe it wasn't that simple?

"You decide, Pastel. Your grandpa after all, right? Hehe."

This seemed like the right choice all in all, as Pastel should probably know him best of all, and be able to decide what were best in the current situation then.

She'd jump in place, eager to hear where they'd be going to. Wherever it were, would probably be more lively then here, that were for sure, since during them yapping off, most of the students and parents had left. It were just a few lingering to make sure they had their stuff and the teachers left by now. Likely off to do whatever they did after school, like trying to get their cutie marks for example, or sports club of some sort. Or apple bucking. She heard Apple Bloom had to go do that today at least. Must be a really strong filly if she could just do that along with the grown ups, but she could go and check up on that another day. For now, she had a friend to have some fun with right in front of her, and she were sure that whatever were gonna happen today with her, would be quite the adventure.

Catpone Cerberus · February 20, 2020

@Widdershins
Cerberus just rolled his eyes, he felt that if he tried to remind Widdershins what the dragonwhatever had just said a moment before, they would only end up in a loop.

"I guess that makes sense, if you are even supposed to make sense, I don't know if not making sense is species wide thing or if it's just Discord." he shrugged "I'm still not sure what weather station has to do with this though, are you saying that parasites are visible there?" "Why do ponies need such station anyway? they control the weather, they always know what will happen." he kept going into the direction he had chosen.

---------------------------------
@Blitz Boom
"First, I want to clear things up right away, I don't really care for this necklace other than it shines, it just happens to be cursed in a way that I can't help but wear it." Ruby explained "Then for your question, the answer is very simple, revenge." "She attacked me and stole from me, so I'll do the same to her, the only difference being that only one of us will make out of it alive this time." "And not being sure if you were joking or not, I don't know anything about my father, it is very possible my mother ate him, it wouldn't be unheard of, but I don't know, nor do I really care." it was easy to tell that this topic didn't really cause any emotional effect on Ruby besides hate towards her mother.

Ruby didn't comment on Leviathan's first comment because all she could have said was 'fair enough' since she didn't know the small dragon well enough to know if it was true.

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

"I think I mentioned this before, but it's not actually my house." Nada explained "It's my friends house, I just have gotten the permission to live there until I know if I get my own place or not." "That's why I didn't want to show you the place, I don't know if my friend would appreciate me bringing everyone I meet there, after all, there's a reason why it's where it is."

Randimaxis · February 20, 2020

On 2/14/2020 at 12:41 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"In my time, what you're talking off were still what we called an alchemist. Some might be obsessed with searching for ways to make gold, but any kind of concoction-maker were referred to by the same name. Unless they were zebra, in which case that were simply what we called them, as the words at were synonymous with one another anyway. The elixir-making equines were a strange breed back then, but very effective. It wasn't unusual to get some strong healing potions from them, even if they weren't allowed in any of the villages, be it among the earth ponies, pegasi, and especially unicorns.

"Truly, it still confounds me that such a separation of beings over a mere trifling as race is indeed something that still goes on to some degree in current times. I have found that the outer shell of an individual typically has little bearing upon the personality of said being, with exceptions to cultural dispositions, of course. Such a separation stilfles communication and even retards the possibilities for expansion of one's knowledge, which is an incredible sorrow to witness."

Clever sighed, then tried to give a grin. "Still, what you refer to sounds as though there was at least a minimal amount of bonhomie within your own personage to accept differences such as the ones you have spoken of... and I am pleased at such. Of course, with the inherent wisdom that I assume would arrive due to such an expanded lifespan, I find little surprising that you seem so accepting of the circumstances."

On 2/14/2020 at 12:41 PM, Blitz Boom said:

Regardless, it sounds as if you function somewhat like them. Making many a strange concoction for quite a few situations, and following tradition whilst doing so, but stepping into the hoofsteps of those who came before you. I'm sure that your mother would be proud to know that you took up her mantle, and continued to help others after her unfortunate passing."

Clever's expression fell, and he looked down at the ground. "I... yes, thank you."

He was quiet for a moment, but tried his best not to go silent; he had managed to find a friend, and he was determined to continue to make such a friend. Even if what she said hurt.

Even if it hurt a lot.

On 2/14/2020 at 12:41 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"When Discord still ruled Equestria, I were forced to go and give him an ultimatum: Surrender your kingdom, or perish. As you can imagine, he did not take kindly to that, and after he wholeheartedly trounced me in battle, as if I were little more than a rag doll, he engulfed me in crystal and banished me to somewhere deep within what would eventually become the Crystal Empire, never to be found again.

As a matter of fact, it have been but a few months now since I were found in there, and released by the mercy of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, to whom I owe my life, as well as my second chance to reunite with the world as a legal citizen.

Annoying as it is though, I too owe my life to Discord for removing me from the equation for so long. Those who once had control of me had perished in the time that passed, so by robbing me of my freedom then, he ultimately saved me from a most grizzly fate. An irony that I am sure he will wholeheartedly enjoy when I eventually meet him again, and have to express my begrudging appreciation for his act."

He shook himself out of his own head, and cleared his throat before adressing Vivid.

"I assure you, my interest is of little consequence; there is an exceedingly minute amount of scientific data available for draconequui, and my own interest is merely one of curiosity. However, being at least apssingly aware of the mindset of said draconequus, it would not prove to be a surprise to find your statement wholly accurate. My condolences to what may eventually become your future interaction with said individual."

Clever watched as the small village was coming into view, but was still far enough away to continue talking for a bit. He thought for a moment, then gave a small smile as he spoke again.

"Perhaps, with all of my studious questions forthcoming, it would be a novel idea for myself to inquire as to what might count as one of your more jovial or humourous memories? A happenstance that, when mentioned, brings a smile to your expression? As I would most certainly admit, your smile is not only wonderful to behold, but also highly infectuous!"

And maybe we can involve ourselves in conversation that does not refer back to my mother, hopefully...

Pastel Heart · February 21, 2020

@Blitz Boom

It seemed like deflection the decision onto Jelly didn't work this time. Decisions are hard. Every time she played those choose your own adventure books, she died!

Pastel sat down suddenly. This was her thinking pose, for some reason. She didn't think her grandpa would get mad or worried unless she was out until bed time hours. She could hear his voice in her head... "DON'T STAY OUT PAST BED TIME AND MAKE YOUR GRANDPA WORRY, DON'T BE THE JABRONI". Whatever that word meant...

She popped up and smiled at Jelly.

"I think it's okay as long as I'm back before dark! Besides, he might be a little loud for your ears. Let's go let's go!"

She bounced around Jelly, eying her wings as she did so. She wondered how they felt... Maybe some other time though! Princesses and adventure awaited after all.

Seamore Sandwich · February 21, 2020

@Blitz Boom

(Continued from page 357)

As Zhu’s keen eyes may have noticed, he wasn’t the only predator following another. An owl began to follow him as soon as he gave chase, one that Gaea had asked for assistance, anticipating that she might not be able to leave camp quickly enough. The owl would keep enough distance behind Zhu that though he might be able to see the owl, it was far enough that Brooke and Skye wouldn’t notice. Along the way, the owl would leave markings for Gaea to follow such as scratches on trees and the occasional dropped feathers. Eventually, the two would lead the way to an outcropping of rocks that had a cave that went into the ground. The entrance they went through was well camouflaged with a sheet of moss covering the entrance. Inside the cave was a glow from an unnatural and most likely magical source. When the moss curtain closed behind Brooke and Skye, the moss was thick enough to block all the light from getting through. They set down their haul with a pile of gold items, and took off their enchanted rings, setting them on a small wooden table on which Zhu’s magical items lay. Skye put the toupee on her bald head and raised the scepter into the air and proclaimed, “None could have done this but Skye and Brooke, for no other thief would be so bold as to steal the hair from my sleeping head! Find them at once, and you may be shown mercy! If you allow my dignity to be tarnished so for much longer, you shall be punished in their stead!” Clearly she was mocking the noble. For not having actually met him that night, her assumptions of his personality weren’t too far from the truth. If he didn’t get his things back, especially his toupee and cane, his guards would suffer for it, though it wouldn’t go as far as any formal punishments, he would probably just work them much harder than normal, making ridiculous requests to make their jobs even harder than they had to be.

@Blitz Boom

(Continued from page 361)

“Let us hope that meeting comes soon,” Tock replied, looking forward to the next time they would meet. He could gaze into her eyes all day. He found her mysterious in a way. It was as if she couldn’t possibly exist. The world itself to him seemed out of place when she was in it. Somehow, she belonged there but everything else did not. It was a paradox within his mind, but it could not distract him from the reality that was her beauty. He would eventually ask to learn everything about her, but now was not the time. They were about to leave, so for now, all he could do was take in all of her beauty. He would keep her image in his mind until the next time they met.

Penny began her countdown with instructions, “On ‘Go,’ put the chocolate in your mouth and let it melt. 3. 2. 1. Go!” If the others followed instructions properly, the chocolates would begin to melt in their mouths rather quickly, with the magic cream adding a light sweetness with a little bit of tingling. As the chocolate melted, the world would seem to melt around them in stages. First the sky would melt away, then the buildings, then the ponies around them, and then the ground beneath their hooves, until all that remained were the three of them and the cart. Where everything else once was, it was replaced with nothingness. It wasn’t just a black space, but it was truly nothing, a concept that couldn’t really be put into words. At the same time, it would feel as if gravity itself melted away, but it wasn’t like they were floating, it was just a feeling of weightlessness. Then in the same way the world had melted away, it came back as if it was melted, but reformed as it fell into place. However, the world that formed around them was a big city. The chocolates worked and they were now at the side of a road in Manehattan. “Did everyone make the trip in one piece?” Penny was slightly concerned since these long distance teleportations could affect those prone to motion sickness.

(Marcus is on page 362, and Charlie is on page 363)

Edited February 21, 2020 by Seamore Sandwich

Rising Dusk · February 21, 2020

@Blitz Boom

Lily was not helping. Evening Rising didn't want to think about the idea of there being places in Harrowmark that seeped MORE darkness than in the shrine of the dark god itself. Herald or whatever Twisted considered himself lived in a dark enough place that already played with the detective's senses. Now he knows what to look out for, but that still wouldn't make it impossible consider his ultra sensitivity to such things. There apparently others in Harrowmark designed to fight against this sort of thing for those areas the average citizen wasn't prepared for. A note to keep in mind if he were to be dragged to such a location without aid. Something had to be floating in the endless stacks of the O.M.I. basement that could help as well. Dawn had to pause though to Lily's comment. Decades? She looked her own age, and to claim decades was a bit of a stretch in the realm of experience for travel.

Right now though, the stallion just continued to pat his twin's back while she let out her soft sobs. Not that they needed to await all that long before the unicorn was able to recollect her composure. Dawn wasn't always put into such a scare from his regular cases, but having to feel the darkness close in on her twin at the edges of their connection must have been daunting. One last sniff to rid her sobbing and invisible hoofs whipped away the black marked tears, leaving the host of the manor as pristine as when they first saw her. Pulling away from her brother's embrace, the two stood back up. "Enough of this sappy sibling moment," the mare chuckled and tapped her hoof against the floor. The rainbow ripple cascaded outside from the point across the whole floor of the ball room. Colored lights started to flash again as the music started back up. Party goers whispered to each other about what they just witnessed, but the party did start back up at least a small bit.

"You'll be pleased to know, I evacuated mother and father the moment the attack on the city began," Dawn assured him, even though he knew she would. By evacuate, she meant more than once her connections informed her of the issues happening, mother was teleported out of the kitchen while doing dishes and father simply poofed in the middle of a lecture at the city's University without warning. When they were younger, Dawn had done that to father once. Teleported him to stand before his blackboard at the home office and he simply kept writing his notes on the board in chalk for a good deal of time before noticing he was giving the lecture to his children at home instead of his students. So hyper focused in his lectures. Rising nodded, the O.M.I. was quick enough to respond that his fear for his parents was low.

There was a soft pop as a parchment of paper poofed into exsistance and floated around the mare. "I got your letter. How can I help?" she inquired, having revealed the letter Rising had Scarlet deliver on her way home. Motioning with his hoof to Lily and the bauble she carried, "I need to return her home. Preferably with a way for me to get back this time." Dawn tilted her head, such a thing seemed an odd request with why it needed to be so quick. "You need a Watch?" she asked and he didn't quite want to tell her what he did to Scarlet's at the moment. "I need a Watch," he confirmed. The mare's head tilted the other way, "Does Minty know?" Rising shook his head, "No." She smiled like a girlish mare just learning the most juicy of gossip. "Watches aren't free," Dawn teased with a flick of her tail. Igniting his horn, his right saddle bag opened, "I bring payment," he jibbed and the to-go tray from their dinner came floating out.

His twin's eyes went wide, "The Good Burg Burg," she whispered in a wanting tone, careful with the fear that a raised voice could scare the sacred treasure away. "The Good Burg Burg," the detective smiled. Who had the upper hoof now... sister?

Edited February 21, 2020 by Rising Dusk

EQ_Theta · February 21, 2020

@Blitz Boom

The golem option was enticing but once Rosa spoke his piece, the scholars were at a crossroads… so to speak. They remained silent on the outside but within the solid shell of the golden orb they resided in, they were mulling the options they had. Golems would be preferential to living within a stationary object but acclimating to a new body undoubtedly will take time. If there are practitioners in the craft of making golem shells, then they might be the obvious choice. Unfortunately, the scholars did have information on some form of the craft that gave them pause. The implications of that unnerved them.

“Would making us into golems allow us to maintain our free will? There are troubling side effects of the process that sometimes involve the creation of a control rod, meant to direct the golem and provide it with instruction but removes the capacity for independent thought.”

“Look, some of you have reservations with becoming golems. Let’s get that sorted out because you sound like you’re stalling. How many of you want to go through with this and how many wish to do something else?”

“It’s not that we wish to become golems, but whether or not we’ll be able to choose when to pass on from this world of our own volition. We understand no one can make this choice for us; only we can decide that but this is about us deciding when. As much as we have already lived longer than any of our kind-“

“It’s about having the wisdom to say you’ve all seen enough for one lifetime.”

Sen interjected, knowing what the scholars had in mind and putting it into a simple statement. It encapsulated the idea that while they wished to live and possibly see the world without the constraints of being in an orb, they still longed for the rest they wanted but could never have. It was the best of both and they could all agree on it. Perhaps if they continued to speak of the subject while on the move, they could come to a better understanding of what it is they truly wanted. There is a fair distance between the cave and Canterlot.

“We will meet with your contact, Rosa, and we can discuss this matter further as we go. This is a delicate subject but if a golem wished to no longer be a exist, would it have the option to do so of its own will?”

Chiroptera · February 22, 2020

Ahhh... Good to finally be narrating again... Oh, sorry, don't mind me. Just doing a bit of narration. Er. I mean...

Anyway, moving on. Lets get to it, shall we? Icy Creation had had a bad past week, when it really comes down to it. Not only did she not manage to make anything, but it turns out that she isn't quite welcome in Cloudsdale. That is, unless past events in your stuff indicates that Cloudsdale pegasi as a whole wouldn't be insulted or feel mocked by her wings. In that case, disregard that little fact about her and Cloudsdale. Anyways, moving on. She was walking along the path, not knowing where it led- Ponyville, for the knowledge of you writers reading this- and trying to remember whether or not she actually finished the freeze cutter before she left that other town to head off to see Cloudsdale. Meanwhile, she was levitating a brown, white, and red milkshake in front of her, occasionally drinking it. Honestly, I kind of want to know how one of those would taste, but I don't have tastebuds- nor do I have a body for that matter- and I'm not in that verse anyway. But enough about me, back to her.

As she walked along the path, she noticed a smallish town come into view, and next to the 'Free too. Perfect for her to stay for a bit, make a few bits, spend a few bits, collect a few bits, and make a few bobs... Shut up, I know that was awful, you don't have to tell me. Probably the worst I've ever done. I apologise for the rust. Or is it blood? Eh, either way, point stands. Now, as is typical for Icy when coming upon a new town, there is one thought that dominated her mind before any other. One more important question than anything that anybody in ponykind's history had ever asked. So important it could be life and death...

'I wonder if they have milkshakes...'

And then she continued to walk and drink, wondering who she would meet in this new place, and what new kinds of milkshakes she might discover. The second one was more important, though.

Blitz Boom · February 22, 2020

@Randimaxis

"A joyous memory..."

Vivid paused, thinking on this for a time as her eyes wandered over her peculiar new companion.

She were not blind to the effects it had when she had mentioned his mother before. Pain of many kinds had been made quite clear to her throughout her life, and emotional ones such as this, were sadly not an uncommon sight, even from herself. Whatever she had said there, had stung him deeply, and the most obvious answer were the comment about his mother. Something which she had meant as a compliment, yet which seemed to have backfired. Likely because it brought some unfortunate memories along with it.

*sigh* At least he had not wandered off after this, so she had a chance to make amends for that, likely with an apology, but perhaps she should answer his question first. It might be best to give her that time to think on how the phrase it, and him to get a little further past the actual situation that had transpired.

"One who tends to bring me fond memories, would be the day I met my husband.

Know that back in my time at least, spirit guides as you call them these days, were not welcomed in most cities. We were seen as pariahs and freaks, and at best, we would be allowed the leniency of shopping within city limits, though we'd rarely be able to find any shelter. The path of souls were - and likely still are - one of loneliness. Even in places where the craft helped, it did not give a good deal of appreciation, yet it were still something that needed to be done. Even if life would have been easier had I only hid this ability, the dead were often the only ones whom I had in my life, and I heard their plea for salvation. After my father left and I were thrown out of my home town, it became easier to pursue those calls, even if the life that came with it were a tough one to bear at times.

Yet, one such town, a stallion were in grave trouble by a spirit haunting his home. Much like other times, I went there, I helped the wayward soul see the path and move on, and then I prepared to leave before I were called out for being a monster.

For the first time in my life though, I were stopped, by someone who were thankful for what I had done, and whom looked at me with genuine curiosity and appreciation for what had happened. He offered me a meal and a roof over my head for a time, and with the weather being what I were at the time, I tentatively accepted. Of course, I worried it might be a trap, but days passed, and nothing bad came of it.

We talked for hours on end, with stories exchanged of souls and his jewelers work, of life's ups and downs... For the first time, I felt as if someone living genuinely cared about me, and I started to care for him in a way that I never had of another. Yet, I worried that it were only me, and that I saw things that weren't there. That perhaps I simply put too much into his friendliness, and the thoughts of this kept festering the longer time went by.

It culminated one evening a few weeks later, when others came and told him to get out of their way, so that they may cleanse the witch's presence from their town. He was such a gentle stallion whom hadn't risen his voice to me once, and yet as they said this, I saw him go closer and sneer directly into their faces. I almost thought he'd shout them, yet in the end, he simply told them in rather crude terms to leave, and not return."

Vivid looked up at the town they were getting closer to, yet her eyes were focused on something else. A mental image, embedded in her mind of a place likely gone long ago, on the night when someone she barely even knew, stood up to his own townsfolks for her sake.

"They would return of course, but the law of the land prevented them from expelling a husband from his wife, and in that time, he had long since proposed. I fondly remember that night, after they had left and he clumsily withdrew the ring he had worked on for the occasion..."

A tear rolled down her smiling face, as she envisioned the silly stallion, getting on a knee and tripping over both his own hooves and words. He had planned this whole thing so perfectly, and yet there he were, clumsily making a mess of all of it, and looking like a schoolcolt approaching his first date.

"We were married before they had a chance to return and demand that I could be thrown out for not being legally a citizen of their town, and the next few years went well. I stayed mostly in the house and took care of that, between making some trips to nearby areas where I heard the voices call out for salvation, as he kept his business going and flourishing. He did get some stigma for being with me, but he never wavered in his devotion to me, and I loved him ever more for that.

I can remember fondly the day our oldest daughter were born, as well as the concerns that came when he had to sell his business, and we went on the road, yet we always did well, and kept together. It felt like there were hope for a good, long life, where we'd eventually find a place to settle down that would be just perfect for our growing family.

That is, until he got sick..."

A dark cloud seemed to metaphorically grow above Vivid as the thoughts then came to the end of her happiest years, though she dismissed this feeling shortly after, and got a smile back on her face.

"There were nothing anyone could do for him, but he were there long enough to see his second daughter being born, and to say farewell to us all before he slept peacefully in, and passed on to the realms beyond.

His passing will always hurt, but I know that whilst I can never go where he went, I know that he is at peace there, and I pray that so too are our foals. It helps ease the pain when I think of the end, though I still have years of fond memories to look back at before that which I will always treasure, along with his encouraging words that keeps me on my path. It makes life easier for me, knowing that he wished for me to go on.

Yet, I shouldn't expect the same point of view to fit to every situation, nor every being. Know that I genuinely only wished to pay a respectful compliment with what I said earlier, Clever, but I see that I instead dug into something painful that were not for me to bring up, and for that, I am sorry."

Perhaps not the smoothest transition she had ever done, but it felt the right way to put it, as she had gotten to the end of her own tale. Hopefully this would clear the air some, and he'd understand that she had no intention of bringing him pain with her words, nor intended to do so again. The subject of his mother wouldn't be brought up again, lest he did so himself.

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

@Catpone Cerberus

"As the saying goes *An eye for en eye, a tooth for a tooth*. She sounds as if she deserves whatever comes her way."

Sounded like Ruby's breed of dragon - or at least her family - lived rather sad lives, as least in her perspective. Not even knowing your father, and saying there were a great chance that he had been eaten by her own mother, who then later on came around and stole everything from her own daughter... No wonder this member of her kin were so protective. She had no reason to think that connections made you anything but weak, when even her own baseline family life were that of potential cannibalism and non-existent parenting figures. Were Leviathan in her scales, she might have ended as detached from any value of family and friends as this one were. A sad tale in her perspective, which spoke not of a tough dragoness, but one who puffed up their chest to look the part, because it were all they knew and thought mattered.

There would be quite the amount of work to go through, were she to make connection with Ruby and help her it seemed. Effort that might not be worth the time investment really. Yet at the same time, the poor thing seemed as if more than most she knew, this one needed someone to push themselves into her life and open her eyes some, before she end up as just another, cranky old dragon, loitering around on their mountain of gold, bitter at the world they blame for making them miserable, whilst lying to themselves about being happy with just their hoard.

"And I weren't joking. My mother ate my father, and stomped their clutch to pieces. I don't blame her really. Water dragons are very invested in whom and what they see as theirs, and he cheated on her, brazenly. Seems fair that she want to get rid of him, and everything that reminded her of him, though it admittedly did make us meeting up later on a tense affair."

You mated with a water dragon, you stayed with a water dragon. That were a rule set in stone, and gods help whoever broke that bond, as her idiot of a father had learned the hard way. Leviathan's beliefs were not as strong in that as a purebred water dragon might have been, but she certainly understood those who retaliated against those who broke the trust it took to be that intimate with another, and had actively helped others seeking revenge for it if she happened to find herself in the vicinity. Some unfortunate lightning strikes that had happened here and there when that were.

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

@Catpone Cerberus

"Ah yes, now that you mention it, I do recall you talking of that actually. I'm sorry for forgetting that, Nada."

A little embarrassing here honestly, but she supposed, so much had happened that some things had just slipped her mind unfortunately. Hopefully the siren would not think lesser of her for forgetting this.

"...I see. I suppose it's understandable that you don't want to cause your friend unwanted scrutiny."

The way Nada spoke of this, and how the place had been described with a siren entrance essentially built into the structure, it made it somewhat evident that there were more than likely more than one siren in the area. It weren't assured of course, but there were just something about the way that Nada had spoken of it all that gave off a certain vibe to it, and almost seemed as if she were hinting about it with that last comment of hers. Probably best to keep this assumption to herself though, at least until further notice. No need to expose either of them, when they seemingly hadn't done any harm.

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

@Pastel-chan

Okay, that was settled then, and pastel were right, it were time for some adventure!

The filly were already having a bad influence on Jelly it seemed, and she happily started to take off on hoof, aiming for the castle. That were, after the giving off a *hoot hoot* sound, meant to represent a train whistle. Y'know, to signal that the adventure trip were about to start, or something like that. Honestly, Jelly just liked trains and felt like doing this in the moment. That had to count for something too, right?

Getting to the castle, they'd find that there were certainly something weird going on. The castle's garden (which had not been there, a day or so prior to this) seemed to have an issue with a large fountain with water sprites dancing around the water, creatures seemingly made of bubbles floating through the air, with some getting hunted by the larger, predatory versions, though none were larger than that of a small garden snake.

The grass had roaming benches, with some seemingly wandering around like grazing cattle, and others either sleeping, frolicking, or whatever else you'd expect animated benched to do. If you were crazy that were.

It did look pretty though, with a lot of flower bushes, a nice pathway in granite, well trimmed grass, etc. It just looked somewhat chaotic, which wasn't lessened by the fact that there were a large tree the side, which seemingly had fruit of every kind imaginable, growing on it's multi-colored branched.

"Woah. Do you think Discord made this? Daddy said he makes lots of weird things happen."

Pastel might be somewhat distracted by the fact that there would be a red flower around the size of her eye, which would be waving it's leaves in a way that clearly indicated *Hey, come over here*. It were probably not smart to meddle with it.

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

@Seamore Sandwich

What were going to happen to the noble's staff were inconsequential, far as Zhu were concerned. They would get punished, yet not in a too harsh way, and in a few of the threads he had seen unfold, punishment like this would eventually cause them to snap and revolt. Not always with kind results, but alas, one harvested what they sowed at times, and hopefully that would be the true fate of this one. It would serve him right.

Be that as it may though, he had something more present to attend to. A pair of thieves who had taken some items which annoyed him some to have lost, and one particular one whom he were far more invested in having lost.

Now, he could simply use pure wind and blast these two away whilst getting his items back, but he had an inkling that this wouldn't go well. They might have wards, and if not that, were able to resist, or accidentally smashed into his sisters egg, which were a risk that he could not take. He might be better of trying to simply blow them up into the air as a more safe option, where it'd be easier to say, send them into a tree, yet being in a cave as they were, that weren't easy to just do.

*sigh* Supposed there were nothing to it, he would need to sit and wait for Gaea to come, whom had likely followed the trace of that avian friend of hers. It would give him a little time to prepare something in the meantime.

Using his magic, he get a few rocks, some moss and a small casing of shed bark, then floated them up to him and began mumbling off incantations. The natural items would gather inside the bark, which would begin to glow and slowly engulf the things, smashing itself closer and closer, until nothing but a small sphere of bark, around the size of a tennis ball, were sitting in his paw. Then he'd carve some runes into the casing whilst mumbling more of the spellwork needed to go into this.

The whole process would take about 4-5 minutes, and in the end, he'd have a small, impromptu trinket of sorts. Nothing spectacular, but it would be able to provide a cover of sorts, were it going to be needed to either keep them out of sight, or potentially trapping these two in the cave. They'd see once Gaea arrived and they could get to work, though if they appeared to be moving before she got here, he'd have to make his move first.

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

@Seamore Sandwich

Hmhmhm, sounded like Tick Tock were getting enthralled to some degree. How tempting it were to toy with a little more, seeing this unfold even further, but she would let the poor stallion have some rest. There would be plenty more times forher to entice him and see if his fascination held true, yet for the time being, they had work to do, so this fun would have to be postponed until a time later on. Perhaps she should take the first step and send him an invitation when they were done with this whole affair? Something to ponder there.

Before taking off, Scarcity would give him yet another smile, and then await the preparations given by Penny, whilst Brick would give Tick Tock a narrow, very stern look that seemed to ooze *I am watching you*. Though odds were that he were too infatuated with Scarcity to be aware of this stink eye he were currently getting.

Listening to the instructions, both Scarcity and Brick would chomp down on their chocolates at the exact point when it were asked of them, and feel the taste flow throughout their muzzles as the effects kicked in. Brick cared little for the taste, as it were too sweet for his preference, but Scarcity did savor it. It wasn't bad per se in her opinion, but it could use a bit of coconut in her personal opinion. To each their own taste though, of course.

The feeling of teleportation through this were a peculiar one. Scarcity had tried many kinds of teleportation at this point, ranging from the more simply unicorn spells, to more outlandish summon circles and deals with certain beings who traveled via portals that then handled transportation, yet this melting, floating sensation were a new one. Quite delightful honestly. She enjoyed learning new things, and this were certainly in the category of that, with certain interesting applications. Why, she knew several in the abduction business who'd be thrilled to have the option of merely offering their target some candy to get them transported elsewhere, rather than the usual messy or traceable methods. It would even be easier to get through customs, since she doubted anypony would bat an eye over a box of candy. The things one could do with this were making her positively giddy. Though of course, she'd have to find out how to get these anchored at a certain point first. That would be important for the clientele she had in mind right now.

She'd also need to inquire on whatever or not those she got hold of got sea sick it appeared, as the motions she felt as they got to their location were reminiscent of that. Now, she didn't get really queasy or anything from this. She had spent many a time at sea, and did enjoy it to some degree. It were merely a small stirring in her bowels that were hardly an issue to just ignore. Bricks on the other hoof, she knew not about, since he tended to not be on the boat trips unless she asked him to, and even then, he spent most of the time scouring it for potential traps. As per her request, of course. Far as she knew, he hadn't an issue with these sorts of things though, yet one should take into consideration that he did not speak of, nor show weakness all that much, so he might simply hide it well.

"I'm quite alright darling. Brick? How have you fared?"

Her bodyguard stood still, not answering anything, then let out a sneeze. That were about the only reaction that came from him before nodding to his boss, seemingly unfazed. Might be he hadn't been part of the Coastal Guard, but flying around and doing aerial combat were much akin to a rough boat ride, and that didn't get to him all that much either. At worst, his head would spin a little if it got too hectic.

"A minor reaction it seems, but we appear to both be of good spirits. What of you, Penny? Have the trip been kind to you?"

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

@Rising Dusk

"I take it this is a symbolic trade? Otherwise, I do not fathom how the value of a watch can compare to that of food. It seemed easy to purchase for him."

These two were certainly a unique pair, that much were certain. Especially this mare, whom seemed to weave seamlessly between varied emotional states in her theatrical display of emotions and flair. Rising seemed positively normal compared to her, and he were quite the strange one to behold regardless, and least from her perspective.

Of course, she still considered him more competent than this one. Not to say that this mare were not useful and had her gifts. That would be foolish to assume, as this whole place, and the way that Rising approached her to help them find a way to Harrowmark just screamed of her being far more competent that she seemed on the surface. However, she weren't the one who had ended 600 years of tyranny from an ever-living monster, so quite frankly, much as she might be a force to be reckoned with, it were hard to beat the standard that Rising had set.

"If not and you do require real payment, I don't have much, but I could offer a variety of not yet confiscated magical items from a mad tyrant, or some of his personal spellbooks, if you have usage for such things? Perhaps some of the treasure he stole too, or a vessel containing some primordial magic of a god, if that is what it takes. Whatever the price, I'll pay it. I just have to get back before something ha-"

The bauble suddenly gave off a noticeable flash that made her squint her eyes from the glare, though when she looked over on it, it were thankfully not as bad as she had initially thought, which had been either a helhest, or potentially a geistswarm. Instead, it were a flock of wickermen. Or well, it Used to be a flock of wickermen, though right now, it were nothing more than several dozen piles of ashes, with Wisp seemingly gasping for air in the wagon. She hadn't been paying attention, but even she knew that this meant that the mare had just flash burned some adversaries. A strong burst of pale magical fire that engulfed instantly and left nothing behind, but it were incredibly draining for the young mare. The group going towards them must have been of the faster variants if she went into enough of a panic to make use of that. Something which the others could confirm, had they looked at the bauble floating near her at the time.

Seemed like she weren't passing out this time though, but just went weak in the knee and drained. It seemed like she had improved since the last time Lily had seen this skill in use. Spoke of the potential of her blood, and yet another reason why there were understandable reasons for concerns regarding her, that would come up soon as the others back home learned of her heritage.

"Viz'nay be praised it wasn't worse."

Lily fell back and took some deep breaths to try and get herself under control. Something easier said than done when every attack here potentially put her daughters life at stake.

"Listen, I am painfully aware that I am in no position to make demands, but whatever it must take, or cost, I will offer it, if only it means that we can go back to Harrowmark, so that I can ensure that I don't find that the only family I still know for sure where lives, have gotten harmed after that... Irresponsible charlatan used her as a carrier."

Holding the bauble up, it should be easy for the mare to see whom Lily meant, as there were only one in the wagon who were currently passed out with a glowing rune on the side of her belly. Thankfully still alive and well protected, but much as she knew these could make the trip, it did not make her worry any less about what might happen on the way to Copperhagen. The roads were rather treacherous at the best of times.

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

@EQ_Theta

On 2/21/2020 at 4:18 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Would making us into golems allow us to maintain our free will? There are troubling side effects of the process that sometimes involve the creation of a control rod, meant to direct the golem and provide it with instruction but removes the capacity for independent thought.”

“Look, some of you have reservations with becoming golems. Let’s get that sorted out because you sound like you’re stalling. How many of you want to go through with this and how many wish to do something else?”

“It’s not that we wish to become golems, but whether or not we’ll be able to choose when to pass on from this world of our own volition. We understand no one can make this choice for us; only we can decide that but this is about us deciding when. As much as we have already lived longer than any of our kind-“

“It’s about having the wisdom to say you’ve all seen enough for one lifetime.”

"My... Associate is a fair one. She will not have you go to one whom would try and enslave you."

Much as he would accuse Scarcity of many things, slavery were one whom he were rather positive that she would not indulge in. No semblance of proof had been found for her endorsing anything of the like, and according to some theories based on insufficient evidence, there were a possibility that she had actively ensured that the practice were harshly punished, were she to find it happening someplace where her influence spanned.

Rosa weren't sure how much he could trust these theories, but knowing what he did personally of the mare, and having experienced how she treated those who did not try and work against her interests, it seemed true that she were an honest dealer, so to speak. Not roping someone into forced servitude would be part of that, though to be sure, it were likely best to specify it to her that such an aspect were strictly forbidden.

"As for the matter of choice, why not have individual bodies, where then whomever decides to split up can do so, once they feel like their time is over? Or are you all connected in a way that prevents this from becoming anything else but an *All or nothing* approach?"

It were likely easier to make one collected body, rather than many for each soul, but it had to be taken into consideration at least, yes? Of course, unless it weren't an option, in which case they could simply walk away from that. Until he knew better though, Rosa would pur forth the argument, and then let them decide among themselves what to do here, and which ones would cling on, could they split up. As Sen had said, there had to come a time when someone had to finally accept the inevitable, and for some in this legion of souls, that time might have already come. Which sounded as if it were part of the arguments from the varied parties within this orb.

On 2/21/2020 at 4:18 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“We will meet with your contact, Rosa, and we can discuss this matter further as we go. This is a delicate subject but if a golem wished to no longer be a exist, would it have the option to do so of its own will?”

"Everything that lives can die. Golems are no different."

Exactly how would depend on the material of course, but for example clay golems could get smashed with a substantial force, the ancient ones tended to need magic, metal ones were tougher, but could be melted in theory, etc. etc. There'd be ways for them to pass on no matter what they were made of, even though admittedly, he didn't know the inns and outs of this entirely. He just knew that as mentioned, if it could live, then so too it could die. That were a law of the world, and one that had in his experience, always held true.

"Well, if you are ready then... Lin? Do you think you could arrange for us to return to Scarcity's store? Or at least as close to it as you are able to."

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

@Icy Creation

"Mmm, caramelized apple fritters."

Benny were walking down the street carrying a little bowl of apple fritters with him in a necklace of sorts. A fun little sort or touristy way to eat things without having to stop up or use magic that he found quite interesting, though that were just going to be his excuse to be why he had bought this glorified mule bag. Honestly it were all about the caramelized apples, and anyone who knew him were well aware of that. The dragon were just predictable when it came to treats like that, though especially caramelized. If you could dip it in the stuff and sell it on a corner, odds were that he'd stop up and purchase some of it, as he were halfway addicted to the delicious substance that just seemed to make any food better. Including caramelized crystals, which were one of the best things he had ever tasted in Manehattan. He really had to go back there one day when he had some time off.

Heh, well, more time off he supposed, as he were technically on sick leave now.

He'd look down on his hands, where gauze wrapped thickly around the palms, covering the deep cut that had been made by that blade he had tried to stop with his hands. A heroic deed for sure, but it had cut rather bad, and the doctor had been very clear that he weren't allowed to do forge work whilst this were healing up. So seeing as he didn't have much to do there, and were due some time off anyway, the general had ordered him to let the twins take over for a time, and go do something for a couple of weeks whilst this healed up. Something which he well knew would mean time for Benny to go and see his beloved marefriend.

He had been on the way to visit her too, but then this delicious smell had gotten to his nostrils, and well... He had to go and tast the local treats, right? It were just a tiny detour anyway, no biggie. Plus it gave him a bit more time to think further on how he were planning to use this holiday to finally propose. He had the suit ready in the saddlebag down his right, along with the ring. Now he just needed the right setting and well... *gulp* Hope that he didn't do something stupid, like stumble and throw flowers in her face again. Some days he really praised Celestia that she hadn't just left right then and there, but had given this stumbling idiot another chance.

The amusing memory of that first meeting between them had him chuckling as he wandered along, which accidentally caused him to bump into someone that he hadn't even noticed at first.

"Huh? Oh, whoops, sorry. I didn't see you there. Sorta lost in my own thoughts I guess."

Benny would reach a hand up and awkwardly scratch himself at the back of his head, as a goody grin spread on his face. For a dragon, he looked about as threatening as a sleeping puppy. Especially now that he didn't have his armor on, but y'know, that were for work, this were his free time. Best he could show off there were that the saddlebags down his sides had respectively a Solar Guard and Night Guard emblem emblazoned upon them, to show the association he had with the guard.

Honestly it weren't helping hi either that one of the apple fritters had jumped up, and were currently gliding slowly down the side of his face.

"I'm Benny. Hope I didn't give you a scare or anything miss."

Sekel · February 22, 2020

@Blitz Boom

KARMIC FATE & ATZY

Karmic's eyes turned a stark white, luckily though she was hidden enough so the generals wouldn't see it. She thought she saw ponies in trees, sneaking up on Enzo, and hurling spears at him. She shook her head with a small whimper to dispel the vision and lightly tapped his shoulder. "I could be wrong, but I think there's a guard contingency sneaking up on you. The vision was a bit too dark to make things out clearly," Karmic whispered to Enzo.

"Hello, General," Atzy smiled easily enough and shook the pony's hoof with her own. "My name is Princess Atzy. I'm a royal gemling and I wish to see if my kind are welcome here. Going off of your guard's initially stupid reactions, it seems like that's not really the case."

@Blitz Boom

TWILIGHT SPARKLE

Twilight didn't feel scrambled or anything of the sort. She's too used to teleporting around to different places to get that way anymore. She was relieve to hear both her companions had made it with her. "I am perfectly fine, Cherish, thanks for asking," she smiled at the transparent ghost and then looked down the pathway towards the tunnel. "I've never travelled to this part of Equestria, and I suspect with good reason. Last, since you know this area so well, it would probably be best for you to lead the way, please."

@Blitz Boom

AURORA LIGHTS

"The only magic I know is changing forms, and I so wish to remain being a griffin," Aurora sighed heavily. "I don't have any choice though. I've got to stay in this form so as not to scare our new ... friend? Acquaintance? Is there a proper term for this?" she was very confused about how politics worked, having never really been one to get into them herself. Yet now, she was thrust into the middle of all of it with the revelation of her being a Queen and the successor to Chrysalis' hive! She did notice the way Wall Render looked at her and decided to bring it up as they walked along towards Happy's cart. "Why did that gem creature look at me curiously? I thought he would have done that to King Thorax or Happy."

Chiroptera · February 22, 2020

1 hour ago, Blitz Boom said:

"Mmm, caramelized apple fritters."

Benny were walking down the street carrying a little bowl of apple fritters with him in a necklace of sorts. A fun little sort or touristy way to eat things without having to stop up or use magic that he found quite interesting, though that were just going to be his excuse to be why he had bought this glorified mule bag. Honestly it were all about the caramelized apples, and anyone who knew him were well aware of that. The dragon were just predictable when it came to treats like that, though especially caramelized. If you could dip it in the stuff and sell it on a corner, odds were that he'd stop up and purchase some of it, as he were halfway addicted to the delicious substance that just seemed to make any food better. Including caramelized crystals, which were one of the best things he had ever tasted in Manehattan. He really had to go back there one day when he had some time off.

Heh, well, more time off he supposed, as he were technically on sick leave now.

He'd look down on his hands, where gauze wrapped thickly around the palms, covering the deep cut that had been made by that blade he had tried to stop with his hands. A heroic deed for sure, but it had cut rather bad, and the doctor had been very clear that he weren't allowed to do forge work whilst this were healing up. So seeing as he didn't have much to do there, and were due some time off anyway, the general had ordered him to let the twins take over for a time, and go do something for a couple of weeks whilst this healed up. Something which he well knew would mean time for Benny to go and see his beloved marefriend.

He had been on the way to visit her too, but then this delicious smell had gotten to his nostrils, and well... He had to go and tast the local treats, right? It were just a tiny detour anyway, no biggie. Plus it gave him a bit more time to think further on how he were planning to use this holiday to finally propose. He had the suit ready in the saddlebag down his right, along with the ring. Now he just needed the right setting and well... *gulp* Hope that he didn't do something stupid, like stumble and throw flowers in her face again. Some days he really praised Celestia that she hadn't just left right then and there, but had given this stumbling idiot another chance.

The amusing memory of that first meeting between them had him chuckling as he wandered along, which accidentally caused him to bump into someone that he hadn't even noticed at first.

"Huh? Oh, whoops, sorry. I didn't see you there. Sorta lost in my own thoughts I guess."

Benny would reach a hand up and awkwardly scratch himself at the back of his head, as a goody grin spread on his face. For a dragon, he looked about as threatening as a sleeping puppy. Especially now that he didn't have his armor on, but y'know, that were for work, this were his free time. Best he could show off there were that the saddlebags down his sides had respectively a Solar Guard and Night Guard emblem emblazoned upon them, to show the association he had with the guard.

Honestly it weren't helping hi either that one of the apple fritters had jumped up, and were currently gliding slowly down the side of his face.

"I'm Benny. Hope I didn't give you a scare or anything miss."

[=~ He had scared her, as she was thinking of other things. In fact, he scared her so much that she had accidentally stopped holding the milkshake with her levitation. As the snowy aura dissipated- something I believe Midnight forgot to mention is that her aura is cold enough to cause snow to form around it- the milkshake dropped to the ground, spilling. Now, despite her obsession- because that is what it is- with milkshakes, she wasn't even slightly angry. Not even a little.

Though that is probably because she was trying to keep herself from laughing at his face.

She didn't really notice the emblems, though, and even if she had, she wouldn't really care. Anyway, as she looked at him, really trying not to laugh, she alerted him to the presence of the offending fritters.

"It's fine..." She said sadly, looking over down at the milkshake, before looking up at him and almost laughing, holding her hoof over her mouth, "You... You have a... A fritter on your face..." Able to get through talking with only a few giggles (Jesus it feels strange saying that word...), she flaps her wings once sharply, almost like a non-verbal laugh, putting her hoof back on the ground. Still smiling, though. ~=]

Edited February 22, 2020 by Icy Creation

Pastel Heart · February 23, 2020

@Blitz Boom

Upon arriving at the castle, even Pastel felt a little thrown off by what she was seeing.

A great war between bubbles and water sprites, a living bench party, gardens straight out of a picture book or some board game, this place has gone completely mad.

It was...

SO COOL!

Pastel broke out giggling at what she saw, having a lot of fun with the surreal scenery.

"Holy horses, look at all this! Maybe you're right, I could TOTALLY see Discord doing this, he's so cool! Or, there's a witch out there bent on the destruction of all things good and well structured! ...Wait, wouldn't that just be another Discord? Haha, oh well!"

Pastel clapped and watch the great war and the Bench Gala commence, bouncing up and down. She had no idea what was going on, but she was here to see it with her best friend! DEFINITELY an ideal adventure!

That was when the easily distracted filly would, predictably notice the flower beckoning her over. Even if it wasn't the smart thing to do, Pastel was a thrillseeker first, and a logical thinker second. Or third. Or fourth.

"Ooohh, I think this flower has a quest for us, Jelly!"

She started trotting towards the flower. Celestia rest her soul.

EQ_Theta · February 23, 2020

@Blitz Boom

“I can open a way to her shop, or just outside in an alleyway so as to not spook anypony passing by. Wouldn’t want to give a reason for Scarcity to think we’ve got no sense of space.”

A gate opened just before the group, on the way out of the cave. Lin figured with Omen’s ability to pick up scents and trace them back to their originators, she’d be able to find them in case their meeting would take longer than expected. Suffice to say, this one would likely need a bit of negotiation as Scarcity might not be willing to part with the information for free. A favor for a favor might be the course for their transaction. Deep down, she hoped the scholars would have something interesting to part with.

The orb then glowed and raised above ground, moving a little under its own power and prepared to follow the group to the other side, though it wouldn’t forget to provide an answer to Rosa’s query just before leaving.

“If it is certain that we could decide our fates, then that will be enough. We can part ways, each of us going where we wish for we are not bound beyond the confines of this orb. There are five of us here and once we are released, there will be five of us separated. The orb, however, will still need to be looked after though we can take care of it; we have plans to hopefully share the knowledge stored in it in a more efficient manner.”

Traveling is probably the one thing they would all want to do first. How they long to see the world now without being stuck in a spherical shell or hidden away in some crumbling ruins… that would be top priority in their hypothetical bucket list. Even now, despite having an androgynous voice that doesn’t provide a hint of emotion, they would be ecstatic at the idea that they could finally be on the paths of their choosing, no longer burdened by obligations honor-bound as they believed themselves to be.

They would hover to Sen and he’d carry them on to the other side, awaiting what follows. Sure enough, that was a sign for everyone to hop on over and see what proposal would befit their request.

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