open Casual stroll

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Blitz Boom

Skittles would smile and nod "If I were to get you a Phoenix chick, I would first have to ask Ember for permission to enter the Dragon Lands, and to get a chick for you" she would say, nodding some "While it isn't actually necessary, it's better to have that assurance and permission, so that the other dragons don't think we're trespassing or anything" she smiles a little "while most are..okay with ponies being there now-a-days, some are still prickly about it" she chuckles some and nods "As for the Phoenixes in the Everfree, unofrtunately, as tehy are magical creatures, they are effected by the wild magic of the forest, making them a lot harder to tame, only Fluttershy could do that" she smiles.

After sipping a bit more on her latte, she would nod "Mm, mild coffee like Lattes are fine, though I still don't have too much, and for the bobba tea, it is quite nice and refreshing, especially on a warm, sunny day" she looks to him "And the pearls, well you can as they are edible, but some choose not to" she shrugs "It's really upto you if you eat them or not"

[Widdershins 9,955]

On 2022-07-26 at 6:14 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"I'm... I'm s-sorry if I misunderstand it, and you couldn't set it on fire, b-but I just... F-Fire is fire to me. I don't k-know any better."

 Whett was mostly trotting alongside (in varying circles around Cover Up, really. It seemed this kirin could outrun him if it weren't for his attention span.) and stopped to stare at the other stallion with a wide-eyed blink as he talked. Scrunched in an expression of a thought as it occurred Whet responded.  "You seem to be doin' a stutter man. Here, maybe there's something I can do to help you feel better around me."

 They'd stop their walk momentarily as the Kirin walked in front of him to cross over to the side of the road and stick his head into the wheat for a quick second. Which given the prior conversation about combustion would have made his host flinch for a bit, but he came away with no ill effect with a thin wheat stick complete with underdeveloped characteristic wheat poof on the end. Whett walked over silently to Cover Up, handed him the tiny strand then proceeded to take a step back and plop down on his hindquarters to wave Pinkishly at his travelling partner.

 "Here ya go! Now stick that in my nose, man! Give me a tickle!"

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

@Sekel & Blitz

 

"Pride is simply an awareness, I say. I simply occupy my own airspace.

My own blood, is dragonblood. And as such, It does what I command it to do and it only ever boils when I want it to." Kaltrop said proudly. Then gave a blink with all the expression of intoning that he was pretty sure that's how that biology worked anyway.

[Sekel 685]

@Blitz Boom & @Props

TWILIGHT SPARKLE

"Oh yes, you're right," Twilight said appreciatively, smiling at Zeehva. "I think for now, these are all the clues I'm going to get until we reach this ghost Alluria so I'm going to do my best to see if the documents are false or not."

Twilight would take the papers in her own magic and examined them thoroughly, trying to detect if they were false in any way. She cast some spells to reveal lies and forged documents but it all rang true. She did drop the papers in the midst of her investigation when Drone got attacked and twirled to face them. She had no idea what the shrine maiden was after but she wouldn't let her hurt her friend. She abandoned Magnolia for a bit to gallop up to the attacking Maiden with a fierce expression. It was unprovoked and it shouldn't have happened in the first place.

"What is your problem!? Drone was being perfectly civil and not attacking anything, even with Last Stand being here!" the princess shouted at the other Shrine Maiden. "I know Shrine Maidens and Manetids fight each other to the death over something or other Princess Luna left behind but this isn't the Shrine you protect, nor is there anything here for the Manetid to go after!"

@Blitz Boom & @Widdershins

DAWN STREAK & DAZZLE GLEAM

"Fine, whatever," Dawn muttered. "Blood boiling is just an expression anyway," she added and quickly trotted inside to cool off.

"Staying with you wouldn't be so bad, Stare," Dazzle smiled at her friend. "I guess waiting will have to be what we're doing. Is there anything good to do here? I'm technically a tourist after all and it looks like these four aren't much help," she added, waving a hoof at Pop, Benny, Kaltrops, and Dawn. When she looked she only saw the dragon and Pop there. "Or well, I guess just Pop and the angry sex dragon."

@Blitz Boom

AURORA LIGHTS

"I'm only really able to become a griffin," Aurora told the Changeling queen. She hadn't had a chance to try out other forms but the theory should be the same. Concentrate on the form and then Aurora becomes it but she had no idea on how to actually implement it for other forms. "I haven't tried being anything else other than a griffin, really ... you want me to try other forms?" she asked nervously, back to being naive in the wake of all this new information. "Sorry, Queen Onache. I'm very, very, very new to this."

@Blitz Boom

KARMIC FATE & ATZY

Karmic and Atzy quickly made their way off the dragon. "Is this the famous brother you've been telling us about, Blitzy?" Atzy asked as she approached the pair. She'd take the dragon's words to heart and would file them away to keep a note of them. She smiled at Blitz's brother and gave a wave. "I'm Atzy. This is my sister Karmic," she added, pointing to the white earth pony. "Blitz said you had robots here!?"

"I'm just making sure Atzy doesn't make any trouble," Karmic smiled. "The sphynx is our friend, but he has a thing about dragons that's too lengthy to go into now."

[Magnolia]

@Blitz Boom @Sekel

Quote

"I won't kill you, if you annoy the princess. I'll break your legs."

The feeling was most certainly mutual here. Magnolia already didn't like this mare all that much. She admired her dedication and whatever role she set out to perform. Twilight was her sister after all, so she felt as though she was capable of choosing her guards wisely. Last seemed to be much more than a mere guard though. She'd want to find more about that. Both of them could learn from each other to say the least. Magnolia simply sighed and rolled her eyes at Last's comment towards her. It wasn't worth the engagement.

Quote

"P-Please don't fight. If uh... You want to get to the bottom of this, you'd best speak with Alluria. I h-hear you're a very t-taught mare, Princess Twilight, yes? So... Y-You'd want all the available clues, and information, b-before you dismiss everything out of hoof, y-yes?"

Magnolia smiled to Zeehva and gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Zeehva is right you know, you should calm down a bit and we can have a civil and honest conversation." her eyes looked into Last's with a look of intensity - yet not one of hostility. A serious look, yet it were quite calm. Her tone towards Zeehva were warm and friendly, indicating that Magnolia wasn't a harsh pony out to get anyone for no particular reason.

What happened next, was something of concern. The Shrine Maiden had apparently tried to attack the Mantid. Not that Magnolia knew what either of those two were or why they were at odds, she would look pleased that Stitch Wraith had restrained them. "I don't understand the problem either of you two have. Like Zeehva said, we shouldn't be fighting here." her eyes bore a look of intensity.

"You are in the presence of many powerful ones here. My sister, and myself are one of them. I would highly appreciate it if the two of you can leave your grievances beside you. I don't know what causes either of you server, and quite frankly I don't really care. Keep it to yourselves." she walked up with heavy hoof steps, looking them both dead in the eyes before pulling away.

Prior to the intrusion of the Shrine Maiden's attempted to attack, she had noticed Twilight doing something with the papers. She sighed calmly and looked away from the Shrine Maiden and the Mantid - then to her sister. "Notice something, Twilight?" she asked, the hostility fading away in her tone as she looked towards the papers in a more longing manner. Longing for that connection she never had with her sister.

"I don't know what is happening here. I don't know why you have a...guard?" she pointed to Last. "Or why those two were fighting each other," she pointed to the Shrine Maiden and Mantid. "But it's clear the both of us have a lot of explaining and catching up to do. Please - I want the two of us to stand side by side, as we always should have from the start.." she sighed calmly.

 

 

 

[EQ_Theta 415]

@Blitz Boom

On 2022-09-26 at 5:15 AM, Blitz Boom said:

The ultimate goal in my mind, will be to find a middle ground here, for you need both approaches, in a correct balance. Lins' mistrust, and passion, provides energy that you will need, and a focus on what it is, that you want done. It it must be filtered through Sen's approach, where one have to push towards these goals, within reasonable confines, or be seen as a mere rebel, or troublemaker. You must neither seem too weak, nor too strong in your approach, lest you get banished again, or dismissed.

I would suggest beginning from the focal point, where the elders themselves, would have to acknowledge a problem. That being the elder who banished you in the first place. As I understand it, his schemes, did eventually come back to cause them personal trouble, in which you, and Omen, intervened. Is that correct? In that case, they too would have to acknowledge that having one such as him, abusing what is meant to be a position of leadership, for personal gains, at the detriment of your kin, are a situation, that would have to be avoided. Through that, one can mention examples of what he did, and question how many - if any - of his judgement were fair, or reasonable, and how many were just to further his own goals.

“Could it really just be like that? Getting the elders to see where the problem started is going to be tougher that saying what happened. The real Elder Solasan is long gone, and the one in his place was a fake taking on his appearance. Not to mention that said fake was tasked by the real one to continue in his place. Who’s to say if the real one was good once? What if he was just as bad as the fake?”

“If the real former elder was good at some point, then the fake one was good at hiding his darker qualities… But that’s beside the point. Even if this argument came up, it still wouldn’t help with the other matter. Exile as a practice has its merits, but that was because it was always a last resort… until we learned exactly when it wouldn’t be a last resort.”

“You also have a point about saving the village, Rosa, and some could vouch for us on that. It should help gain some folks who could back us, and it earned us some goodwill. Sadly, I think discussions with the other elders would happen in private, and the only one who can speak then is Ghilan. It won’t bring mother and father back, but we just don’t want anyone else to experience what we experienced. I still think about what I learned back at the Thicket, about other longma never finding peace because of unjust exile. It felt terrible back then, carrying around that pain and without anyone to help…”

“And sister? I may be disappointed in you about not seeing just what rashness has done to you, but seeing you like this also hurts me. I do what I can to keep what’s left of our family together, but I couldn’t let you walk a dark path again, not if it would destroy you. If that came to be, it’ll feel like I failed you, mother, and father.”

There was a hint that Sen was slowly falling into despair as he said his piece, though he’d still try to keep his composure, if only to make sure Lin understood exactly why all of this conflict was putting pressure on him, even going so far as to suppress his anger from earlier. She didn’t need to answer him immediately, only understand, and if the message came across clearly, it was enough.

“I guess all of this came about because we were too heated to see beyond what we know. We don’t know how things will turn out, and not knowing isn’t a good place to be. It’s terrifying, but we have to do something. I don’t like the idea that what we’ll do will amount to nothing, and I’d rather not sit and wait for something to change, not if I could help it. Thanks, Rosa, for helping us see things a little more clearly.”

Sen and Lin paused for a moment, their anger now turned into sadness, then an affirmation of their resolve. They looked to each other, still uneasy but now with some clarity. They know they can’t get everything back, but it was worth trying Rosa’s suggestions and hope something good can come of their desire. Once Rosa said his piece and the siblings took it all in, they both nodded. They had to try, but they would do so smartly and with respect. 

Once they’ve had a chance to cool off, Lin would go up to the thestral and give him a warm hug. It seemed like her smile was coming back, and all this brought back memories of the campfire after passing the dreary swamp, the time they first really got to know Rosa and affirmed their reasons for standing by him. Despite his past, the longma siblings know he has a good heart, a clear head, and a way with words when those would matter most. Eventually, even Sen couldn’t help himself and joined Lin to give his friend a hug. It was pretty much their way of saying thank you at this point. It may seem like things had resolved quickly, but Lin wasn't beyond unreasonable; if given enough rational arguments against her points, she'd begrudgingly concede. Judging by the arguments put forward, she had to understand that she wasn't at a very good vantage point.

On 2022-09-26 at 5:15 AM, Blitz Boom said:

When the baker arrived, Hammond would raise a paw, and wave at her, then do some hoof signs. They would translate into "Hello to pony", though she probably didn't know that.

When offered the ball, Hammond would take one, then look down upon the treat in his paw. He'd then munch through it, clearly not minding that there were more dough in it. Tasted kinda good actually, though he were still trying to learn what were good taste, and bad taste, so his opinion might not be too valid. Not with the sort of thing he has fished out of the trash, and considered good.

Yet when he were done, he'd look up at her, silently as always, then suddenly jump through a gate, that closed behind him. Around twenty seconds later, he would return, now holding a packaged in, piece of candy. One from Scarcity's visitor bowl. Specifically, it were a golden-paper packaged, ball of dark chocolate, around a center of hazelnut flakes, and creamy caramel. Rather high end stuff, and something that he thought would make for a good gift back for her. Like with Munchkin yesterday.

Peaks would notice Hammond waving, and she’d return the gesture. This one didn’t seem to speak, at least in the way Omen did, though she was noticing something similar about them. Odd creatures, but they were both courteous, so she didn’t mind the oddities. There were more freshly baked carrot balls, though he came back with a treat of his own to give to her. It was rather cute how he did that, even with the whole schtick of opening gates to somewhere she didn’t know.

“Aww… for me? Thank you so much! You know, you remind me of someone I met yesterday. She went by the name of ‘Omen.’ A strange one, but she was nice and very curious. Maybe you’d be interested in meeting her if there is a chance. Oh well, I should get back to the customers, but if you’d like to stop by again for more carrot balls, I make them fresh every morning. The bakery opens at six o’clock. Then again, you could stay if you want to hang out with Munchkin. She pretty much stays around the bakery until closing time.”

The baker would return inside to find Omen there, though the without seeing the gates open before her, it seemed like she just wandered in like a typical customer. No oddities here meant the baker wouldn’t get spooked all of a sudden.

“Hello again from yesterday, Miss Omen! I take it you’re staying in town for a while, right? What’ll you be having today? Oh, and before I forget, I saw this cute, dark squirrel-like creature with long ears just now with Munchkin. Didn’t make noise but made these signs with her little paws. They’re around the back eating some of those carrot balls I made yesterday.”

[Blitz Boom 4,429]

@Kujamih

Shark took... Somewhat well to what he were trying to teach her.

Tissues and napkins, were a little odd, but she understood why they were good. You might have a bad tasting thing stuck to your face, of your tongue couldn't reach. This sorta thing were good when it came to fish scales and stuff, getting stuck in her new fur too. A nice little thing to use sometimes.

Plates weren't hard for her to get accustomed to either. It were a thing you used, to carry food, when it wasn't possible to have everything in your mouth at once. Her mouth were a lot smaller now, than it were when she were in the ocean, so this made perfect sense. Especially for ponies, who always had these smaller mouths, but likely still wanted lots of food. She also got that it were not good to just have these sort of things stain everything, when not everything could just be licked clean.

Utensils though, were not a success. She did not think there were a need for those things to hold food, and transport them to your mouth. Especially not when it were then much slower, and you only got tiny bits into your mouth. And since one could argue with her, that it were good due to being able to cut the food, considering her teeth... Well, perhaps in time, when she cared one tiny little bit, about table manners, it might be worth it again, but right now, the fact others would judge her for it, were utterly inconsequential to her.

As she were standing and chewing through the leeks - an odd, yet refreshing taste to her, though she commented it would be better with some fish - Alonsus would finish a section of steamed greens himself, and wipe his mouth.

"Ah, a refreshing meal. Say then friend, what does ones like you, do to entertain yourselves? Ponyville are a collection of many a wondrous mind, with many fascinating hobbies. Might Alonsus ask, what your vice be? I can tell of mine own, if it pleases first? I collect porcelain figures, of mystical creatures."

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

 

@AuroraGlimmer

"I see. So the ah, local phoenixes, are not tamable per se, but normal methods. I have ah, seen one in town. It fluttered around a few, but mostly an ah, local astrologist. She haven't been home some weeks, but her friend seems to be ah, keeping her home watched, and the bird still goes there. I assumed a pet, but perhaps it is ah, more a matter of an ah, wild one, making friends.

As for the Dragon Lands, I understand your wish to ask permission from the dragon lord, but might some ah, local assistance, be of some help? Say, an escort? We do have a dragon from the main land, living in the area. There's ah, also Circle Pop's mate, but he's mostly in Canterlot. Just in case it would ah, make it easier for you."

Granted, he didn't really know the new, human-height dragon in the area. He had seen her in town once, and she had had arm in a sling, whilst nurturing a headache, by all accounts. Far as he knew, she lived in a small cave in the woods, with a small, pink bunny. One of the more eye catching new residents he had seen, considering she wore an adventurer robe, and he weren't used to see dragons care about clothes.

"And I will ah, keep your recommendation about boba tea in mind. I know they serve it here, so perhaps next time, I shall give it a try."

He'd take a few spoons of his stew, enjoying the heat it brought, in both warmth, and spice.

"How's ah, your food? Hopefully to your liking?"

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

 

@Widdershins

On 2022-09-26 at 8:33 PM, Widdershins said:

.  "You seem to be doin' a stutter man. Here, maybe there's something I can do to help you feel better around me."

"I'm s-sorry, I am a little nervous by nature."

Cover Up weren't scared per se, just... Well, kinda feeling like a constant outsider, clashing against the proper Equestria, as he traversed it. It were not the culture he were used to, and he just felt... Awkward in it all, more often than not. And worried that he'd cause offense to someone, by acting incorrectly.

Then now there where also Whett, who he worried might cause issues, that would then spill over on him. yet at the same time, it felt wrong to just leave him hanging, all by himself. It were a bit of a difficult situation.

On 2022-09-26 at 8:33 PM, Widdershins said:

They'd stop their walk momentarily as the Kirin walked in front of him to cross over to the side of the road and stick his head into the wheat for a quick second. Which given the prior conversation about combustion would have made his host flinch for a bit, but he came away with no ill effect with a thin wheat stick complete with underdeveloped characteristic wheat poof on the end. Whett walked over silently to Cover Up, handed him the tiny strand then proceeded to take a step back and plop down on his hindquarters to wave Pinkishly at his travelling partner.

 "Here ya go! Now stick that in my nose, man! Give me a tickle!"

The correct term for what Cover Up felt, as he saw Whett go into the wheat, were mortified. The farmer looking at them, just glanced on confused, unsure what were going on. Including when Whett returned with a single strand of grain. Cover Up turned from mortified, to relieved, and then confused, as he were handed the wheat strain. What where the meaning of... Oh no.

He had been told, as he were pondering, and that seemed like an ah... A very bad idea, basically. He would protest, but... The wheat hadn't been set on fire, and this seemed to be a test of faith, perhaps? Something to make him calm down, and understand it were not as bad as he feared? It were not ideal, yet if he were to be friendly with Whett, perhaps it would be best to humor him here, and let him prove his point.

"Well... O-Okay then."

So he'd do what he were asked, and braced himself for either fire, or snot. All the while, the farm worker would keep watching, still not sure what were going on, but too curious to look away anymore.

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

 

@Sekel @Props

On 2022-09-27 at 4:16 AM, Sekel said:

"What is your problem!? Drone was being perfectly civil and not attacking anything, even with Last Stand being here!" the princess shouted at the other Shrine Maiden. "I know Shrine Maidens and Manetids fight each other to the death over something or other Princess Luna left behind but this isn't the Shrine you protect, nor is there anything here for the Manetid to go after!"

On 2022-09-27 at 6:53 AM, Magnolia said:

What happened next, was something of concern. The Shrine Maiden had apparently tried to attack the Mantid. Not that Magnolia knew what either of those two were or why they were at odds, she would look pleased that Stitch Wraith had restrained them. "I don't understand the problem either of you two have. Like Zeehva said, we shouldn't be fighting here." her eyes bore a look of intensity.

"You are in the presence of many powerful ones here. My sister, and myself are one of them. I would highly appreciate it if the two of you can leave your grievances beside you. I don't know what causes either of you server, and quite frankly I don't really care. Keep it to yourselves." she walked up with heavy hoof steps, looking them both dead in the eyes before pulling away.

If Twilight tried getting too close, she'd be pushed back a bit, by Stitch's magic. She did not want a confrontation here.

"You don't know these creatures. One scout shows, then suddenly a swarm descends. Let me finish this!"

"Under the orders of her majesty, Princes Twilight Sparkle, this drone is to be kept alive."

The two of them were of opposing views, to some extend - Last did not trust Drone, but she had her orders - and as she were done, she'd glare up towards whomever it were, that had dived in, whilst that one in turn, would look down. The fire in them both withered away, as they saw eye to eye.

"Wha- Mom?"

"N-No, not like this. Lemme go! Lemme go!"

She struggled harder, which just made Stitch use more magic to keep her there, whilst Drone stopped resisting, and calmed down from her battle stance.

"Krxxttxh. Shrine Maides and Manetid, have fought for a millennia. If the Eternal Queen yet lived, she would be right to fear I were a scout.

Things are different now. I won't fight back."

Drone were let go shortly after, just before Hawk Eye would tentatively be let down too, just as Last approached. The odd looking, mutated pony, would then take off, running away from here. Last almost followed, but her duty... She had to stay, much as her eyes told otherwise of her wants. Duty before all. Such were the rules. Though Twilight should remember her too, from the forest in the valley. Just the last time, bugs had been running around in the bone construct she essentially were by now, and she were straining to control herself.

"Well, that's the most lively I've seen her yet. Not in the best way though."

"I'l uh, go find her, and try and see if I can't get her back here, just... M-More calm. I'll see you at the tower, probably."

Zeehva would look at Last, and understand to some extend, what were going through the mare's head. Apparently, that pony-ish creature, had been her mom, and then she had run off... Something were off here, and it were likely best that it got sorted.

"Wait, don't approach her. She's infested."

"You mean the whole *living hive* thing? Nah, she's been cleaned out, bugs, eggs, and everything, and those nasty critters were thoroughly burned. She's clean. And normally, apparently a bit depressed. You two need to talk I think."

Last now seemed even more willing to run off., but remained, straining against her own will.

Drone meanwhile, looked down at the odd mare, who she had answered before, about the history. Just very boiled down. And looking down were correct, considering the large insectoid creature, were about double the height of Magnolia.

"Krrxthxxtt. You ask of the guard, little one? This one is a princess, and the Shrine Maidens served one. This one found a new princess to serve, when they left."

Seems like things had been rather uh... Hectic, but they had calmed down a bit more now, so that were a plus.

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

 

@Sekel @Widdershins

On 2022-09-26 at 8:33 PM, Widdershins said:

"Pride is simply an awareness, I say. I simply occupy my own airspace.

My own blood, is dragonblood. And as such, It does what I command it to do and it only ever boils when I want it to." Kaltrop said proudly. Then gave a blink with all the expression of intoning that he was pretty sure that's how that biology worked anyway.

On 2022-09-27 at 4:16 AM, Sekel said:

"Fine, whatever," Dawn muttered. "Blood boiling is just an expression anyway," she added and quickly trotted inside to cool off.

"Staying with you wouldn't be so bad, Stare," Dazzle smiled at her friend. "I guess waiting will have to be what we're doing. Is there anything good to do here? I'm technically a tourist after all and it looks like these four aren't much help," she added, waving a hoof at Pop, Benny, Kaltrops, and Dawn. When she looked she only saw the dragon and Pop there. "Or well, I guess just Pop and the angry sex dragon."

Benny couldn't respond at first, considering he had been dragged outside, but he'd pop his head out to respond, once he thought the coast were clear. AKA: Pop were talking to Dawn. The latter of whom, would be entering the building, with pop following shortly after, worried that it might not be a good idea, to leave Dawn alone, when she were in a bad mood.

"That's not really how blood works. I think you're confusing it with temper. And pride's a normal dragon thing, but we're stronger if we have it under control. Otherwise, somepony might use it against you, yeah? And that wouldn't be fun. Not as fun as it were, to hear you sh- Ouch. Okay okay, I'll stop."

He had winched, from having something thrown at his rear, when he were about to yap off. Pop were still very much listening in, it seemed.

"Wanna come in too? Or just stand here having fun for a bit, with Dazzle and Stare?"

"We'll be fine. I can show Dazzle around a bit.

I guess... We can start at the bakery. That's always a good start, and we can pick something for lunch.

You don't have any allergies, do you? Just, anything you're aware of anyway?"

She should probably have asked that earlier, but well, better late than never, and Dazzle seemed fine, so it were probably okay.

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

 

@Sekel

"Clearly.

Try a pony form. Their shapes are close to ours, so they are the easiest to imitate."

She would prove that point, by going into her own disguise form once again.

Not the most inconspicuous, but she were a prideful sort, and refused to lower her height, nor her standards, as much as some others were willing. This were the closest to a commoner she'd stoop to, lest she had no other choice.

"You know how to cover your leg holes, and transform your wings, clearly. As well as hiding your horn. It's the same idea as a griffon, but with fur, instead of feathers. Among a few other changes."

In a sign of solidarity, Happy too, would go from his reformed changeling form, to his disguise.

"You just need to approach it with confidence. If you get nervous, it's gonna be less effective. Come on. I believe in you. Just out with the fires of transformation, and visualize a pony for yaself. Doesn't need to be your own from scratch Try thinking of one you know well. Always a fine start."

Most changelings were made to infiltrate, if they were good at transformation, and that often came down to copying the looks of others, who were then taken. Others liked to make up their own forms, and just try and blend in, without needing to learn all that much, about some random pony they never knew before. Like Happy did. His form were by his own design.

"If you cannot, I suppose that may be a trait of your hive. One living among griffons, looking as them. Can't say I know of a hive like that, off of the top of my head. Not exclusively."

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

 

@Sekel

"Yep. Molotov Boom, that's me."

Molotov's horn would vaguely glow, and some of the levers on his eyewear would be pulled around, as he looked at the mare's grinning.

"Oof, you ladies are pulling my leg, ain't ya? Heat signature, surface- It ain't the same. Hah! I love it.

Yeah, I got robots. Felicia's just moping 'round a bit, but Carmen's here. Come say hi."

He'd put his hoof to his mane, and when he pulled it out, a somewhat large, fuzzy spider would sit on it, and lifted a leg to awkwardly try and wave at the two sisters.

If they looked closer, they'd notice the signs that this one weren't organic. The legs for one, were dark, but the metallic joints became obvious, once you got close. And the eyes were not clusters of spider eyes, but just two diodes, glowing red. There also came a whirr of metal and gears, when she vocalized, which made Molotov chuckle.

"She says hi. Machine's a bit of a limited chat, but it's fine and all."

"It sounds as if you will be fine for now. I will return to the docks. You best behave now, everyone."

"I'll be as good as always, don't worry 'bout a thing."

Lest more were to be said, she'd take off. It wouldn't be long after she had taken off, before Felicia decided to enter the picture. Skittering out of a hatch above the door, and landing on the ground with a soft thud, as the tip of her bladed legs, hit the ground, with her bending down slightly along with the movements, to lessen the blow. Like some others would, by bending their knees.

Felicia were a lot less cuddly, than her smaller sister. Fully metallic in nature, and with no attempt at hiding it, the light glistening off of her sharp legs, should also tell that she were far more combat oriented, than Carmen were. If the fact she were far larger, didn't already give that off. She were large enough, to have room for a pony to comfortably lay on her abdomen, and a pony to lay flat on her main body. A pony and a half, if they sat close, so like, Atzy and Blitz.

She did not give out sounds, but would instead, use her front legs to scribble a *Greetings* into the ground.

"Ah, there ya were girl. Bit iffy 'round ol' Greatha, eh? No biggie.

This here's Atzy, Karmic, and Enzo. Everypony, this here's Felicia. She's Carmen's sister."

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

 

@EQ_Theta

On 2022-09-27 at 1:57 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Could it really just be like that? Getting the elders to see where the problem started is going to be tougher that saying what happened. The real Elder Solasan is long gone, and the one in his place was a fake taking on his appearance. Not to mention that said fake was tasked by the real one to continue in his place. Who’s to say if the real one was good once? What if he was just as bad as the fake?”

“If the real former elder was good at some point, then the fake one was good at hiding his darker qualities… But that’s beside the point. Even if this argument came up, it still wouldn’t help with the other matter. Exile as a practice has its merits, but that was because it was always a last resort… until we learned exactly when it wouldn’t be a last resort.”

“You also have a point about saving the village, Rosa, and some could vouch for us on that. It should help gain some folks who could back us, and it earned us some goodwill. Sadly, I think discussions with the other elders would happen in private, and the only one who can speak then is Ghilan. It won’t bring mother and father back, but we just don’t want anyone else to experience what we experienced. I still think about what I learned back at the Thicket, about other longma never finding peace because of unjust exile. It felt terrible back then, carrying around that pain and without anyone to help…”

“And sister? I may be disappointed in you about not seeing just what rashness has done to you, but seeing you like this also hurts me. I do what I can to keep what’s left of our family together, but I couldn’t let you walk a dark path again, not if it would destroy you. If that came to be, it’ll feel like I failed you, mother, and father.”

"As mentioned, I grossly oversimplified it. There is more to it, to make them see there are errors, but the broad ideal would be to have them face the reality, that while there is tradition, and perhaps some merit to the practice, it is clearly proven that a rogue element, can use it in their own favor. As such, it would do well in mayhap have some more checks and balances, if nothing else. A small step towards abolition, on a long road. But at the very least, if more hurdles are there, it would potentially save others from being thrown out, for frivolous reasons. It will be a start.

As for the matter of fake or real Salosan, the fact remains that a copy were able to so frivolously take over, without anyone noticing. If he worked upon orders from the original, or worked from his own volition, is generally speaking irrelevant, as the former elder would have had a hoof in putting him in the position he got to, regardless of the circumstances. Which is still a clear compromise of his position, and judgement.

The matter of the citizenry having your back, is also not as irrelevant as you might think. If the populace have your back, then by and large, Ghilan might feel empowered to bring up the general sentiment of the village, as he will have more support behind him. It can also just be a general point in your favor, that you are seen with appreciate eyes. If these elders truly are leaders of your villages, then they must too, have some degree of vested interest, in your villages running well, which entails listening to others, on at least some level.

Also, if you got booted out, whilst being seen well upon, it could cause revolt. Any leader worth their position, would not wish for that to happen.

Things will not be easy, nor will they be quick. There will be pushback, as always happens, when it comes to changing tradition. But look at the long term impact, and understand that in the end, it will help more, to avoid unjust exile. As for those exiled... Well, I do not technically need the longmas permission to send some informational pamphlets around, to neighboring countries and cities, so they would be prepared for potential longma either facing exile, or wanting to leave their home for some reason. I am sensing from much of what you say, that a sense of community is important. It might be a thing that saves others, although as you say, some exiles will be for good reasons. Those will have a chance to prove they can learn, and improve.

Worry not, I will not give direct directions, as to where the longma would come from. The veil of secrecy, will remain intact for now."

He'd let out a sigh, and take a deep breath. He yet had one more thing to say, before they'd respond, and he wished to say so now, as he leaned forward.

"Your family have suffered gravely from this. That pain, and those lives, cannot be salvaged. Yet you still have one another. Take it from one, with precious little family of worth to speak of, in this world: Fight for each other. Not against each other. Do not walk a lone path, lined with dark decisions."

On 2022-09-27 at 1:57 PM, EQ_Theta said:

Once they’ve had a chance to cool off, Lin would go up to the thestral and give him a warm hug. It seemed like her smile was coming back, and all this brought back memories of the campfire after passing the dreary swamp, the time they first really got to know Rosa and affirmed their reasons for standing by him. Despite his past, the longma siblings know he has a good heart, a clear head, and a way with words when those would matter most. Eventually, even Sen couldn’t help himself and joined Lin to give his friend a hug. It was pretty much their way of saying thank you at this point. It may seem like things had resolved quickly, but Lin wasn't beyond unreasonable; if given enough rational arguments against her points, she'd begrudgingly concede. Judging by the arguments put forward, she had to understand that she wasn't at a very good vantage point.

Rosa were surprised by this very Equestrian way of showing appreciation, but he were receptive, and would return the hug in kind. It were a fine way to sort of ease the tensions, and were generally speaking, a nice way of interacting. He could certainly see the appeal at least, and when it were done, he'd rise up, and stretch his legs.

"Now then, as the fires are smoldering, rather than flaring, shall we perchance think of breakfast? We may as well begin the day, now that we are all awake."

On 2022-09-27 at 1:57 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Aww… for me? Thank you so much! You know, you remind me of someone I met yesterday. She went by the name of ‘Omen.’ A strange one, but she was nice and very curious. Maybe you’d be interested in meeting her if there is a chance. Oh well, I should get back to the customers, but if you’d like to stop by again for more carrot balls, I make them fresh every morning. The bakery opens at six o’clock. Then again, you could stay if you want to hang out with Munchkin. She pretty much stays around the bakery until closing time.”

Hammond's ears perked, as he heard this description, and he began to sense around him. Did not take long, for him to focus in on exactly where his sister stood, inside the store. Such a strange coincidence, but maybe he could go and say hello, before returning to Munchkin?

As the baker moved, he would too, though his movements, would get him more towards the door, where he'd be staring in, at the back of his sister. In case Munchkin followed, she'd see another, familiar face, in Shrimp, seemingly unable to decide where to point his long little face. Too many good smells in here.

On 2022-09-27 at 1:57 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Hello again from yesterday, Miss Omen! I take it you’re staying in town for a while, right? What’ll you be having today? Oh, and before I forget, I saw this cute, dark squirrel-like creature with long ears just now with Munchkin. Didn’t make noise but made these signs with her little paws. They’re around the back eating some of those carrot balls I made yesterday.”

Omen listened to the description, confused at what she heard. It sounded like her brother, but she could not feel him. Perhaps she had seen a regular squirrel? She thought they looked a lot like her brother. Maybe she should check, after she had gotten what she came from. Besides, the pony had called the squirrel a she. Hammond was male, as she understood it.

"Hello. I am here to get bread things for my friends. I do not know what they like. Whatever you think is good, for this. Maybe something small for SHrimp too? I think he likes the smells?"

She'd put the twenty bits down on the counter. She would just take the bakers best advise on what to spend them on there. It should probably be enough for some buns, and mayhap some morning cakes. It sorta depended on the prices, but she put down the cash, and intended to use them all here. So whatever they were worth in bread, she'd return to her friends with.

She had just put the bits down though, when she felt something poke her, and she looked down, to see her brother. Just as she knew him, but with a strange gem, around his neck. She'd lean down to see him closer, and sniff the gem. She did not get a scent from it... Strange. Very strange.

"Hello brother. How are you hidden from me? Is it the gem?"

Hammond would nod.

"Your master is very smart, brother. She will be good for you."

[Evil Pink One 12,990]

@Blitz Boom

"eeeeeee.... I like... Going to places I guess? Traveling yes... Seeing new places hehe." Light awkwardly replied.

"I tried collecting before. I always get the cursed ones, so I kinda have to quit collecting stuff hahaha."

 

Edited September 28, 2022 by Kujamih

[Rising Dusk 26,083]

@Blitz Boom

It was going to take a very long time for the darkness that was Twisted to wash away from Harrowmark.  Made all the worse when the land's High Priestess has a long memory and connection to the growth that lead to the rise of the dark wizard.  Hard to say what rough roads laid ahead and what Equestria's part would be in this recovering.  In the end, it also played into the important role Rising had to made right now as a beacon or savior.  

The family remained quite on their short journey down the tunnel to their next destination.  Grace and Dawn reflected upon the horrors, from their perspective, that they had just witnessed in the ritual chamber.  Star Echo was much more positively reflective and it did all the more to stoke his curiosity into the mystery that was Harrowmark for the scholar.  

Their next location continued the trend of introducing more and more different elements of the Harrowmark castle.  Abet, this was the first one considered messy among the more clean and more well kept areas of the castle.  Somepony was doing a bit of spring cleaning.  Well, at least in the stage of purging before the actual cleaning part began.  The family entered just in time to watch the smashing of more stone.  Plenty of mess around to piece together parts of this resume the older mare was attempting to sweep under the rug.  A half head here, a wing there, a snoot over there, an ear.  Her attitude toward these former statues was easily enough to tell who they belonged to, but all the pieces brought to life Twisted in Rising's mind.

Rising's name and titled has been traveling far and quickly inside the castle.  His name made sense at least, but it was just moments ago the knighting ceremony took place.  Harrowmark suffered the same plague Manehatten did, gossip travels faster than light.  "I am.  Well met Stone Matron," the detective greeted with a short Equestrian bow.  Better to follow the prince's lead in this regard.  "Ho ho ho.  A surprising coincidence indeed.  Who knew when we named him that it also served as a title of position in such a far away land," Star chuckled and adjusted his glasses.  "I have not been magically scanned before, no," Rising confirmed.  That answered his previous inquiry in how this was going to go.  An odd thought that Twisted himself might have been here for such a scan too for all this smashed statues.  Although, he was slightly considered about this 'don't move' part of the scan.  "He tends to break magic.  Perhaps a little more instruction, Stone Matron?" Dawn urged the older mare to continue.  Let's eliminate some of that 'not so bad' before the savior of Harrowmark breaks their stone scanner out of reflex mid scan. 

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Blitz Boom

She would smile, closing her eyes as she enjoys the food she had been served, nodding "I am not familiar with that mare, or the phoenix who call her friend, so I wouldn't know about it, but as for getting local help, that would certainly be very much appreciated" she'd say to him, finishing her food and drink "The food is delicious, as always" she smiles to him, wiping her mouth and stretching some.

[EQ_Theta 415]

@Blitz Boom

On 2022-09-29 at 6:30 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"Hello. I am here to get bread things for my friends. I do not know what they like. Whatever you think is good, for this. Maybe something small for SHrimp too? I think he likes the smells?"

She'd put the twenty bits down on the counter. She would just take the bakers best advise on what to spend them on there. It should probably be enough for some buns, and mayhap some morning cakes. It sorta depended on the prices, but she put down the cash, and intended to use them all here. So whatever they were worth in bread, she'd return to her friends with.

She had just put the bits down though, when she felt something poke her, and she looked down, to see her brother. Just as she knew him, but with a strange gem, around his neck. She'd lean down to see him closer, and sniff the gem. She did not get a scent from it... Strange. Very strange.

"Hello brother. How are you hidden from me? Is it the gem?"

“Wait, you’re related?! But, you look like a pony… and he’s… well… much smaller and… I think I need to sit and think about this. Or… how about I get you your bread? There’s something here that you might like, especially if you’re putting down twenty bits at once. An eastern steamed bun platter with a side of sweet condensed milk as a dipping sauce. I say steamed buns even though some look fried, but they're actually steamed first before they’re air-fried. For twenty bits, you’ll get twelve buns: four steamed, four steamed and fried, and four filled with red bean paste. I’ll even throw in some carrot balls for your little friend, free of charge. I made more than I expected since there was a lot of leftover dough, and it wouldn’t be right if you paid for something that isn’t on the menu.”

The baker would grab four pieces of bread, two flaky croissants and two [other bread here], placing them in a paper bag with a second one filled with the air-fried carrot balls Shrimp liked from the day before. This wasn’t really how she expected to start her day, but there weren’t too many customers lining up for purchases, so there was a bit of time to rest and think this through. Appearance-wise, Omen and Hammond were so different, it would be odd to imagine them being related, yet there it was, right there as said by the Ki’Nathar. 

“By the way, Miss Omen, could you explain something to me? Who is your, uh… brother, and how exactly are you, well… siblings?”

In the meantime, the sound of familiar meowing came from the rear kitchen, making its way into the store. Soon enough Munchkin found the familiar guest from yesterday, and along with her is Shrimp. It may be time to do some more prodding and get its attention by going up to Omen and rubbing her scent all around her legs. The cat wondered how the refraction will act today, though it was possible it’ll get the same reaction as before, but it could be surprised at something new.

As for the siblings, they’d give Rosa some room and go back to being seated at the dining room. They still need to think on what they were told, and there was merit to what he said about having some support for them. Lin just didn’t see it, as even if they had some goodwill from the villagers, they were quick to go quiet. Some definitely were willing to interact with them a little more readily, but they seemingly had this silent agreement that they’d keep to themselves out of respect. No need to butt into another’s business if one didn’t have business with each other. 

Something else gave them pause, though. 

On 2022-09-29 at 6:30 AM, Blitz Boom said:

Things will not be easy, nor will they be quick. There will be pushback, as always happens, when it comes to changing tradition. But look at the long term impact, and understand that in the end, it will help more, to avoid unjust exile. As for those exiled... Well, I do not technically need the longmas permission to send some informational pamphlets around, to neighboring countries and cities, so they would be prepared for potential longma either facing exile, or wanting to leave their home for some reason. I am sensing from much of what you say, that a sense of community is important. It might be a thing that saves others, although as you say, some exiles will be for good reasons. Those will have a chance to prove they can learn, and improve.

Worry not, I will not give direct directions, as to where the longma would come from. The veil of secrecy, will remain intact for now."

He'd let out a sigh, and take a deep breath. He yet had one more thing to say, before they'd respond, and he wished to say so now, as he leaned forward.

"Your family have suffered gravely from this. That pain, and those lives, cannot be salvaged. Yet you still have one another. Take it from one, with precious little family of worth to speak of, in this world: Fight for each other. Not against each other. Do not walk a lone path, lined with dark decisions."

Rosa were surprised by this very Equestrian way of showing appreciation, but he were receptive, and would return the hug in kind. It were a fine way to sort of ease the tensions, and were generally speaking, a nice way of interacting. He could certainly see the appeal at least, and when it were done, he'd rise up, and stretch his legs.

"Now then, as the fires are smoldering, rather than flaring, shall we perchance think of breakfast? We may as well begin the day, now that we are all awake."

“Rosa? About what you said… the longma don’t like word getting around that they exist, even if we’re already making friends and meeting other creatures. Being isolated is something they’d like to maintain, so others knowing about them isn’t really going to make them calm. I guess even the exile part had an unwritten rule that the exiled should stay within the confines of the forest, but no one, not even the exiled, would know about that. Being outside of it is like entering a whole different world, one that might attract danger to those who remain.”

“It wouldn’t be worth anything if the exiled longma are ending up in Equestria. Others know about our kind, whether the elders back home like it or not, so all the more reason why the elders should really consider what we have to say.”

“I’m saying we need to be careful about getting the word out. There’s no need to make more enemies or cause concern if it can be done, but all of this won't amount to much unless we could put it into practice. We’ve helped the village out of a tough spot once; that’s got to have earned us some positive sentiment from the villagers, right? We just have to be careful when speaking with the elders.”

“I suppose, though that means I’ve got some apologizing to do. Even if they don’t know it, maybe I need to come clean with them.”

Sen and Lin paused to think and allowed what’s left of their heated emotions subside, no longer having any more to argue about. They once more looked at each other’s ways, accepting that they each had a point, but they were only seeing one side of the argument. Perhaps what they need was to accept that the other had a point to be made about their own approaches. As the thestral said, they need to fight for each other, especially since their wishes ultimately aligned. They needed to come to a middle ground, and they'd have to come to it one day, maybe sooner or later.

“We’ll think on what you told us, Rosa. This is going to be tough when it happens, but until then, it's best to have our options ready. On other matters, how was your evening? Did you sleep well? I bet having a nice, soft bed is a step up from the hard ground in a cave.”

[Catpone Cerberus 23,427]

@Blitz Boom
Ruby's worry didn't link in any way to who or how someone bothered her kind, after all, her kind would be just fine, no amount of firepower, skill, or numbers would make a difference when the land itself was so hard to navigate that only those who hatched there could do it with any kind of efficiency, and that was ignoring how toxic the place was for life, both literally and figuratively. It was probably why it had gone unexplored by others, even from outside it looked like a unpleasant place to be, and the few that ignored that would find an ecosystem as toxic as the volcanic ash floating in the air, where even the smallest of prey animals were violent and hostile. Her worry was entirely on how her kind would react, it was better for everyone that they were let to focus on killing each other.

"You really need to ask?" Ruby asked "I'm sometimes stuck like this for days, and while I'm not much of a flyer, you tend to miss even the lesser things when they are taken away." she made sure they weren't listened "You may ask why I'm not a pegasus, and the answer is simple, pegasus magic, those tiny wings are worthless without it." she wasn't sure if she had said that before, but if she hadn't, she had now "Though I must disagree regarding confinement to certain extend when it comes to myself, while of course forcing such on someone is not good, I myself do enjoy my confined spaces, thus I prefer caves over houses, even besides the pleasant climate, deep cave brings security and peace that open skies simply do not." this of course was matter of preference and upbringing, like her preference to walking over flying came from her living in a forest most of her life, her preference for caves over big open areas came from that being the optimal way for survival back home, the best way to defend from a bigger dragon was to be in a place where they couldn't fit. 

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

Even though it was impossible to see from Solar's half-metallic face, he didn't share the arrogance of the royal guard against the coastal guard, because in their world, there wasn't such separation, sure they had border guards as their own sector, who in turn were split between coastal and land based, but all of them were Solar guards, they just had different duties, and while he was unarguably more capable than the more basic troops, they all were best at their own duties. That didn't mean that he didn't look down on the Coastal guard at all though, he did, but not specifically, to him, every single guard in this world was...weak, in lack of a better world, and even that he blamed on the princesses and not the individual guards, after all, it wasn't the guard's fault that the princesses hadn't put more effort into the military capabilities of their military.

"We don't really have plans." Trox stated "Onache, who I wouldn't necessarily call a friend, and more like a...travel companion who we have mutual interests with, she has been showing us around and that was the plan until, well." he gestured towards her room "We are not planning to go after whoever did this, because while Onache did save our lives, the only real upset is the fact that I lacked the knowledge to help her, and we don't really have the tools to track them down anyway." "This may seem cold, but the truth is, things like this, it's the norm for us, or at least was, being hunted, losing an ally, we have grown numb to it." 

"We won't hide either, if whoever it is wants to try their luck, so be it, we are not scared of some random killer, we have faced lot worse, and frankly, you finding them before they come from us is not to protect us, it is to protect them, because while we won't hunt them down, you can be sure we won't hold back either if they come for us." "We are lot more concerned about Sheez, and that's family business. not something you or any other guard can help with." 

Chega joined in, she had moved back to Sear now that Sheska had calmed down "You could come stay in the tavern with us, I'll pay, you would have a place to stay while you plan your next move and we would be in the same place to make the guard's job easier." "If for nothing else, you still owe me that story you promised." "I guess we could do that, it's not like we have anywhere else to go, and we can't exactly live in the hospital." 

 

 

[Blitz Boom 4,429]

@EQ_Theta

On 2022-09-30 at 2:12 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Wait, you’re related?! But, you look like a pony… and he’s… well… much smaller and… I think I need to sit and think about this. Or… how about I get you your bread? There’s something here that you might like, especially if you’re putting down twenty bits at once. An eastern steamed bun platter with a side of sweet condensed milk as a dipping sauce. I say steamed buns even though some look fried, but they're actually steamed first before they’re air-fried. For twenty bits, you’ll get twelve buns: four steamed, four steamed and fried, and four filled with red bean paste. I’ll even throw in some carrot balls for your little friend, free of charge. I made more than I expected since there was a lot of leftover dough, and it wouldn’t be right if you paid for something that isn’t on the menu.”

The baker would grab four pieces of bread, two flaky croissants and two [other bread here], placing them in a paper bag with a second one filled with the air-fried carrot balls Shrimp liked from the day before. This wasn’t really how she expected to start her day, but there weren’t too many customers lining up for purchases, so there was a bit of time to rest and think this through. Appearance-wise, Omen and Hammond were so different, it would be odd to imagine them being related, yet there it was, right there as said by the Ki’Nathar. 

“By the way, Miss Omen, could you explain something to me? Who is your, uh… brother, and how exactly are you, well… siblings?”

Omen would look at the bag of bread, then slowly nod, and let some of her long tongue out. It would wrap around the top of the bag, and she'd lift it off the table, so that she could lift it up next to her.

As for the questions though? Well, she and Hammond would both look at her, with big, pale eyes, as she'd give an answer. if it were one the baker liked, were hard to say though. Omen did not know, nor really cared. The baker had asked, and thus, Omen would answer.

Before talking, she would open a small gate though. Around the size of her head, leaving a fair window into her home realm, in all it's calm shades of dark and grey, moving around in the dim, ghostly light.

"This is our home. Where Mother make us, and we wait.

She can not make us whole herself. We are shadows, and eyes, until we are made whole.

When someone comes, who have magic, we flock to them. We offer us to them, in exchange for being whole. If Mother likes them, she will tell them how to use their magic, to make us complete. The masters then make us, and give us form. In exchange, we serve them, and learn from them, until we are ready to live ourselves.

Hammond has a master, who wanted him to look like this. And long ago, Master Discord, decided I should look like this.

We look different, but we are still family, And brother is lucky. His master seems very smart. She will teach him many things."

Hammond for his part, would scurry forward, and turn the gem, then turn it up, to show to the baker. The backside of the gem, had itself a little metal plate stuck to it, with a short message, in small, engraved letters.

"To my dearest Hammond.

If found, please return to Scarcity's Antique Boutique, in West Canterlot, for a reward."

"Hold on."

Omen would poke her head through the gate, along with the bag, and open a gate not far away from it, after looking over a little bit. She had to stretch her tongue to the limit, but she did manage to get the food through, and have it land on the kitchen table, where her friends would be near. Along with Shrimp, who had followed the bag, and were sniffing and circling it. Though he'd return when he noticed the tongue retracting, and the gate closing afterwards. Same with the one in the bakery, once they were back, and Shrimp returned to sitting upon her head.

"There.

Also, Hammond is not exactly like me. His master made him more like a real being. Master Discord, just made me look like a pony. He said I am made differently. The kitsune said the same. I do not understand, but ponies can be strange. Many things I still do not understand about you.

 I can ask something too now, yes? How does baking work? I see others put stuff in a box, and then bread comes out. Is it magic?"

On 2022-09-30 at 2:12 PM, EQ_Theta said:

In the meantime, the sound of familiar meowing came from the rear kitchen, making its way into the store. Soon enough Munchkin found the familiar guest from yesterday, and along with her is Shrimp. It may be time to do some more prodding and get its attention by going up to Omen and rubbing her scent all around her legs. The cat wondered how the refraction will act today, though it was possible it’ll get the same reaction as before, but it could be surprised at something new.

Omen would look down, but not react beyond that, while Shrimp would lean over, hearing the sound of meowing, and hiss down towards the cat. Hammond would pick this time to scurry up his sister's side, and go up to him, where he would try and pet Shrimp, to calm him down. It seemed to work, considering the pleased coo's that came from him, but it appeared he were still weary about Munchkin. Mayhap though, they could have a bit better interaction this time around, as it were getting progressively less troubling, with their every meeting.

On 2022-09-30 at 2:12 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Rosa? About what you said… the longma don’t like word getting around that they exist, even if we’re already making friends and meeting other creatures. Being isolated is something they’d like to maintain, so others knowing about them isn’t really going to make them calm. I guess even the exile part had an unwritten rule that the exiled should stay within the confines of the forest, but no one, not even the exiled, would know about that. Being outside of it is like entering a whole different world, one that might attract danger to those who remain.”

“It wouldn’t be worth anything if the exiled longma are ending up in Equestria. Others know about our kind, whether the elders back home like it or not, so all the more reason why the elders should really consider what we have to say.”

“I’m saying we need to be careful about getting the word out. There’s no need to make more enemies or cause concern if it can be done, but all of this won't amount to much unless we could put it into practice. We’ve helped the village out of a tough spot once; that’s got to have earned us some positive sentiment from the villagers, right? We just have to be careful when speaking with the elders.”

“I suppose, though that means I’ve got some apologizing to do. Even if they don’t know it, maybe I need to come clean with them.”

"A fair assessment, but I do not want your kin to be seen as mere animals, or unknown dangers, coming from your forest... Perhaps a more sensible approach, is to let the rumor mill work in our favor? Let some depictions stumble into some places where eyes are, like taverns, and minor places of learning, like local libraries? A vague notion in them, speaking of something along the lines of *A rarely spotted, yet friendly creature, hailing from unknown lands", with some flourishment, depending on the localle, of course. It will not directly set something up, but it will mean that areas that are not aware of your kind, will know what you look like, and that you are a sentient race. It should avoid the general hassle, of being shot at by self proclaimed town defenders.

I could whip something up, one of these days. Forgery is a rather calming process, and quite frankly, I would not leave it to just anymore. The wrong wording, and it would be seen more of a wanted poster, or one that seemed like others would be paid, if they captured one alive. You would not believe the sort of thing, that amateur work can cause.

But it will be something to mull over, for a while, until a properly secure plan, can take place. I would perhaps think pamphlets. Put in a box set to fail at the right time, it could cause a more natural spread of information, going from one town, and spreading... Hmm, much to ponder.

Also, in regards to your presence, there are other than simply Equestria. You have to remember, that the kitsune, have also interacted with you now, and have taken it rather well. They are an elusive, but prominent part of Neighpon, so I'd say that integration is not as hard, as some might think, since both they, and equines, appear to overall accept you. barring some... Unfortunate elements, here in Equestria."

He'd wander over and opened the fridge, to see if perhaps, there were something in here. He found a tin of butter, and a packet of expired bread. Riveting...

On 2022-09-30 at 2:12 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“We’ll think on what you told us, Rosa. This is going to be tough when it happens, but until then, it's best to have our options ready. On other matters, how was your evening? Did you sleep well? I bet having a nice, soft bed is a step up from the hard ground in a cave.”

"I slept fairly well, though I do look forward, to when I no longer need to lay down, as prescribed by the kitsune doctor. I miss hanging from the ceiling. Yet it were still fairly good. However, speaking of the day, we may have to-"

It were around then, that Omen would pop through, with a bag of bread, and then vanish quickly after.

"...It appears that Omen thought of us then. I must remember to thank her for that, when she returns.

I have some butter here. Have a seat, and I will get us some knives. And do look in the gift basket, please. I think there is a glass of marmelade in there."

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

 

@Kujamih

"A wandering soul? Equestria can always use those. Yet if cursed items be your weakness, Alonsus think that mayhap, you should get yourself some help, lest you end up turning to stone, or some other grim fate. Such grave luck as yours, should not be your downfall."

They got their fair share of adventurers passing through, these days. He would not lie and say, that the thought of joining some were not tempting, but he preferred to be in a stable environment. Especially as otherwise, his parole officer might raise the alarm, thinking he were attempting to escape. That he could not risk.

"What of your lovely mate? Pray tell, what do you do for fun?"

"I chase fishies! And mate is very smart. He is... Teeea-chiiii-ng. Teaching. He is teaching me many new thing. Maybe learn fun friend thing too!"

She enthusiastically fluttered in the air a little bit, grinning from ear to ear.

"Ah, an unburdened soul. To be so light of mind and temper, yes?

Have you thought of taking her, and see the old castle in the woods? Alonsus may not know all, but he knows it to be an important part, of equine history. Mayhap you will both find it a fascinating place."

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

 

@AuroraGlimmer

"She is ah, rather hard to miss, if you do spot her. She's a quite tall, striped pegasus, with frames and no glasses, and a small vest. The most ah, peculiar doctor I've  ever met, but anyway, I should perhaps ah, set that aside for now.

The dragon, we can go and ah, check up on her, after we finish eating, if you'd prefer that? I'm sure we'll be fine, long as we don't run into some of the forests ah, lesser friendly inhabitants."

He were not far from being done at this point, with both his stew, and his drink finished within a few minutes. After that, it were a mere formality of paying the bill. Since it were his idea to go here, it seemed only fair that he paid for this for them both.

He'd await her decision, of course, but if she were ready, he'd have no issue moving towards the Everfree Forest right away. Hopefully it would be fine. He had heard some... Odd rumors, the past few days, so he weren't sure what would be out there right now. He wouldn't normally put too much stock in it, but he had seen some like that shark pony in town, and the odd, unnatural garden that had seemingly popped up out of nowhere, around the princesses' castle, that made him have to question if perhaps, this time there were some hold to the talk.

If they would be moving towards the forest, or remain in the diner a bit more, he'd still elaborate, about the dragon he were mentioning before.

"I know ah, very little about the dragoness in question. I've seen her only once, in fact. She appeared to have hurt her arm, and were nursing a headache. A most peculiar sight regardless. Walked on two legs, like the ah, faery tale depictions of humans. parchment-yellow scales with purple dots, short hair or horns, I am ah, not certain, and wearing something resembling a somewhat rough, adventurer's garb. I believe I saw a shoulder bag too, but I could ah, not see much. I figured it would be rude to stare.

She also appeared to have a pink bunny, that were ah, riding her shoulder. I recall that one rather clearly, as it ah... Well... I must admit, it is ah, hard to forget the sight, of a bunny that is ah, flipping you off."

An aggressive little thing it appeared, but he supposed, hanging out with a dragon, one had to be a little more headstrong. It were just a rabbit though. What were the worst it could do?

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

 

@Rising Dusk

"A magic breaker? Explains a lot, yet you must still be more than you seem. He crushed others who negated him before. Hm, perhaps those from your land, are just different? Guess we'll see as time goes.

Now then, the scan..."

She'd wander over and rummage through a shelf, until she uncovered a wooden box. Unfolding it, she would reveal it to contain a piece of granite, around the size of her head, and a pulsating crystal, formed like a bat wing. It were brimming with magic, but nothing overly hostile. It would be somewhat akin to what were used, when Lily began to watch others, combined with a memorizing and projection spell. The stone itself, also seemed to have some magic on it, but it were seemingly dormant, albeit connected to the wing in some manner. It were likely an activation magic.

The stone matron would put the stone on a small pedestal, after clearing it of some pieces of the filth she had to make before, and then brought the gem over towards them, so that the detective could get a nice look.

"A simple little thing. It will scrutinize you from top to bottom, and then carry it to this rock. It gives me a nice, detailed look at you, for when I begin work on your real statue. So you best take on a good posture when I begin young man, and don't interfere with the spell. I just hope you're not ticklish. Records show, that Brackwater the Faithless, had to be tied down to get scanned, because of that.

Hero or not, don't think I won't do the same, if you try anything. Even if your parents are watching."

She'd keep smiling, though the way the prince got a slightly nervous tick at his eye, indicated that she were not joking.

She'd have him put on a proper stance, and posture. A good ten minutes at least, to upwards of a half hour, would be spend on that, as she were somewhat nitpicky on things, and did not want a boring statue to work on. Though if she had to get some rope and tie him down, she'd just do that instead, and then get creative with the result.

Regardless, once the wing came forth, it would float in the air, and then hover around Rising. He'd definitely be able to feel that he were getting scanned, over every inch of his body, which would give off a somewhat tingling sensation. Something which could be seen as tickling, in case he had an issue with that.

Curiously though, as he were scanned, he'd also be able to see small pieces of the rock fall off, and when all were said and done, there'd be an exact copy of him standing there, perfect down to the last detail. Unless he had moved, in which case they had to start over. This were delicate work, and it did not get better, if he were to move around, or interfere with the transference process.

Provided they'd eventually get through this, the wing would crumble to dust after use, and the matron would go over, and blow excess dust off of the granite statue.

"Yes, that should do nicely. Just need the right rock, and colors now, and you'll be making a fetching exhibit, in our hall of heroes."

"Pardon my inquiries, stone matron, but might I ask how long it might take?"

"Sundown, if I get to work now. So shoo. Shoo all of you. I have work to do, and precious little time to do it in, if I want it done, to finish off the festivities."

She'd literally point them towards the door, with a dismissive motion. She'd be more in to talking later, but right now, she needed to focus.

They would not make it far out of the door though, with it closing behind them, before a young diamond dog would creak it open again. The pale-yellow dog would bow as he saw them, each in turn - the prince, then rising, then the rest - before taking his paw back, behind his cape, and pull out a box, similar to what they had just seen in use.

"Sir Dusk. Stone Matron Gretchen, wish you to have this. She said she believed you'd get a kick out of it. I uhm... M-Must go again. Gods be with you, and your family."

He'd close the door again, after bowing before Dusk once more. And inside the box, would be just what they had seen in action before, between one and five times, depending on how workable Rising had been, in the process.

"I may have to arrange for a holder of sorts. I can imagine, there shall be several others, who wish to impart gifts upon you."

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"My heritage show in this manner. Wind aligned dragons are free, and seeking the clear, endless horizons. Being contained feels a bit iffy. The exception is the cave system where I live, but that comes down to the other half of it. Water aligned ones likes their territory, and that one's mine."

Leviathan would yawn again, small sparks crackling at the edge of her mouth.

"And I get your point about pegasi. Really says something, when a race have wings, but can't use them properly, without magic. Seems a bit pointless, y'know? But evolution's a funny thing sometimes. Mayhap once you get a better grasp of your magic though, we can see at making the pegasi part fit better? Oooh, or bat pony. Maybe that would work better for you. Their wings look enough like dragon wings, that you could use your real ones, and get you some lift. Long term idea though. I remember what you said, about how long it takes for you, to make a form in the first place. Never hurts having long term plans though, right? Sides, bat ponies are cave and forest dwellers too, so no one would bat an eye, if you pretty much went like you do normally then, if you looked like one of those.

Plus, I think you'd look kinda pretty, in a more dark color."

She were mayhap just talking, to fit some time for now. Ruby knew best where her house were after all, and it seemed bad to go in there, before her. The whole territory thing, that she knew well too. It tended to irk her, when someone went in before her, and Ruby seemed the sort who'd tear off a limb, if they did that to her. At least if she had a bad day.

She were also talking since she were excited. Soon, they'd get to work, on teaching their young friend how to understand the language, which meant that she could communicate with him properly. That were something that were making her feel all giddy.

"I really hope Charir takes quickly to his lessons. It's gonna be so good, when I have the chance to talk to him without the translation. Not that I don't appreciate you, Ruby. Of course I do. But it'll still be nice to not have him look at me so confused sometimes."

She'd skip along, and out of boredom, summon herself a few clouds. Weaving through them with her right hand, they'd merge and follow her, changing shape into that of a long, snake-like dragon, flying alongside her. It almost seemed as the thing were dancing, as it spun around, doing a few spins, and letting out puffs of pretend smoke.

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"Not your friend you say? You sure seemed to have gotten overly concerned over somepony, that you talk so casually about now."

Harpoon gave a small smile towards Trox and Sheska. Didn't seem like they wanted to admit that the queen meant more to them, than they let on, or they just weren't overly aware of it. This whole thing, would not have affected them as much, had they not cared about her, as anything else, than one with a similar goal, showing them around. If that were the case, why not just leave here quickly, with the dragon and other kobold? They seemed to be friendly towards them too. So why even be here in the first place?

Of course, might just be that they were good kobolds, and in general cared about others, on some level. Or felt some sort of obligation. Could well be that she were just overthinking this, but it didn't seem so to her.

"Be that as it may, if you're going out there, you'll be on your own, lest Officer Stargazer comes around. I need to protect the patient, in case the assassin tries to finish the job. I can't take the risk."

"Seems an appropriate time, for me to come around for an update."

"Sir."

"Ma'am."

The two would salute one another, as Stargazer wandered into the room. He seemed even more tired than before, as he wandered in. It appeared as if things were both physically, and mentally draining him.

"From my end, we have yet to find the assassin. We found the likely position, and I've roused every guard that were stationed in town, to help, but we're running on very little. Including who it were, that have done these things in the first place.

A fellow Night Guard, have agreed to watch over the original victims. And if you are looking to head out anyway, my request to take this position, seems timely. It makes for a better place for the others to track me down, in case of updates.

*sigh* Any news on your end?"

"The queen is alive, and are expected to make a full recovery, but it will likely be upwards of a few days. There's been... Other updates, but nothing related to this particular case, and I don't think it right to burden you currently."

"It is appreciated."

He'd pull over a chair, and sit down in it, then look around at the others.

"I can assure you, that we will put what resources we have, into finding the culprit. Sadly those resources are few, as Princess Twilight does not currently have a dedicated guard force. You have my apologies, and promise that I will bring this up to her, next time I have the chance to meet her."

"...It appears things are covered here then. I will continue my watch over this group. I'll send word if something happens, in relation to this case."

Harpoon would be ready to follow, as the group would move on. Eyes and ears perked, expecting something to happen, but hoping it would not.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Blitz Boom

Skittles had just finished her food and would nod "Ah yes, I have heard of the doctor, haven't had the chance to meet her, but she sounds...ecentric, or is exotic a better word?" she'd ask, tilting her head beore shaking it and smiling at him "but she sounds like someone I might like to meet" she says and then raises an eyebrow at the mention of the dragon "So she is bipedal? I mean most dragons are, as for the coloration, perhaps a bit more..different, as most dragons have green, red, purple etc scales" she then laughs at the mention of the pink bunny flipping him off "Oh boy, sounds like we have another angel bunny on our hooves"

After she finsihed all her food, she'd pay for her orders and stand up "I would love to go see this friend of yours, and hopefully get you your very own Phoenix Chick."

[Evil Pink One 12,990]

@Blitz Boom

" perhaps... Thanks for the suggestion good sir." He replied to Alonsus

He now then ponder about Shark more thanks to what Alonsus just said.

It made him wonder now.... What DOES make Shark Jaeger tick? He never did see Shark got angry.

He looks even ever so deeper at sharks eyes that at a point he notices and blushes a bit.  Maybe it would be best that he does not do that at all. 

[EQ_Theta 415]

@Blitz Boom

On 2022-10-05 at 6:18 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"This is our home. Where Mother make us, and we wait.

She can not make us whole herself. We are shadows, and eyes, until we are made whole.

When someone comes, who have magic, we flock to them. We offer us to them, in exchange for being whole. If Mother likes them, she will tell them how to use their magic, to make us complete. The masters then make us, and give us form. In exchange, we serve them, and learn from them, until we are ready to live ourselves.

Hammond has a master, who wanted him to look like this. And long ago, Master Discord, decided I should look like this.

We look different, but we are still family, And brother is lucky. His master seems very smart. She will teach him many things."

The baker could only gasp and hold her mouth agape as she peeked into the black void to see Omen’s home. It was bizarre, and a little discomforting, but there was a kind of understanding behind it. A reason why creatures like Omen’s mother would want her children to find lives outside of that place. Maybe some of the details were lost to her, but Peaks could understand why it needed to be done.

“I still find all of this difficult to wrap my head around. Your home, your family… It’s a little too much to take in right now, but your friends seem to have taken in all of this just fine. Maybe I won’t be able to understand everything that goes into how you both came to be, but as long as you’ve gone to good homes, then I suppose that would be enough for me to know. I don’t know this Ms. Scarcity, but Discord’s an old name who caused trouble for Equestria a while back. He seems to be doing better nowadays, but it’s not my place to snoop. Maybe Princess Twilight and her friends managed to get through to him.”

“To be honest, your mother may have taken a gamble with letting other creatures raise her children, but if she’s been going with the same process all this time, something must be going right. You’re a strange one, Ms. Omen, but you surround yourself with good friends, and their better qualities will carry on over to you. Same goes for your brother.” 

“Now, to your question about baking… I like to think the bread making process is magic, but it’s a lot less enchanting than it looks. I make the dough and throw in the ingredients for the different recipes I sell. Then, I put the bread in all of the different baking trays needed for certain types of bread and put them in the oven, or the ‘box’ you might be talking about, to let them cook. The important thing is to make sure all of the ingredients are mixed just right before baking. I suppose the ‘magic’ that you might be interested in seeing is watching the bread rise. You may see a flat sheet of flour and water at first, but give it enough time, and you’ll see them rise and turn puffy.”

Peaks offered to show Omen the kitchen, her equipment, and the large industrial ovens she uses to bake the bread she sells. It may look cramped in the back, but having all of that equipment around only to have them set off to the side was a side effect of having a large central workstation where all of the preparation happens. Mixers, rolling pins, and bottles of different liquid ingredients were strewn about, but the process was the important part that determines the kinds of bread that will go on the shelves. 

If Omen were to take a look around, she’d see a variety of bread in different shapes and ingredients. All of this was dictated by the tools Peaks uses, and the ingredients that determine the flavor. Having a supply of baker’s yeast was just about the most important thing to have to see the dough rise, yet proper measurements were just as important.

“So, I normally don’t let customers see what goes on in the back, but I take it you are curious about the process of baking bread, yes? Maybe I can give you a little demonstration because my morning is going a little slow. I gotta prepare another batch of carrot balls for our little friends anyway.”

The mention of carrot balls seemed to draw Munchkin’s attention away from the refraction, but it got the kind of reaction she intended to see from Shrimp. Maybe one day, he won’t be too agitated by the sight of a creature attempting to steal away his caretaker, but today may not be that day.

On 2022-10-05 at 6:18 AM, Blitz Boom said:

I could whip something up, one of these days. Forgery is a rather calming process, and quite frankly, I would not leave it to just anymore. The wrong wording, and it would be seen more of a wanted poster, or one that seemed like others would be paid, if they captured one alive. You would not believe the sort of thing, that amateur work can cause.

But it will be something to mull over, for a while, until a properly secure plan, can take place. I would perhaps think pamphlets. Put in a box set to fail at the right time, it could cause a more natural spread of information, going from one town, and spreading... Hmm, much to ponder.

Also, in regards to your presence, there are other than simply Equestria. You have to remember, that the kitsune, have also interacted with you now, and have taken it rather well. They are an elusive, but prominent part of Neighpon, so I'd say that integration is not as hard, as some might think, since both they, and equines, appear to overall accept you. barring some... Unfortunate elements, here in Equestria."

“You could do that? I… mean, we wouldn’t want to impose this on you, Rosa, but you are right that we should think on this for a while. We should be careful.”

“Kind of makes me wonder exactly how the kitsune did it. They keep to themselves, and not many ponies appear to have seen them, yet there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of trouble. Or at least, visible signs of troubles surrounding that. That kind of perspective could help us, even if we are just thinking of ways to approach the issue.”

For now, it would seem that the conversation would go into hypotheticals, but the siblings were a little more comfortable. Seeing Omen drop off a bag with their breakfast looked like it was their signal to start preparing, and they’d be getting more than just a couple of berries for the morning. The assortment was pretty noticeable with three types of bread already packaged with some dipping sauce. In the meantime, Sen wandered over to the gift basket as instructed and pulled out what could be the glass jar Rosa mentioned. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it might be something else to add to their meal.

“I think this is it?” The longma placed the glass down on the table and attempted to read the label, though he wasn’t getting much from attempting to read it. “Mar-me-lade… Is this a fancy name for something?”

"While we're at this, maybe you'd like to take it easy today? I suppose we are in a rush to do anything, well... unless we're suddenly called away to something important..."

[Catpone Cerberus 23,427]

@Blitz Boom
Leviathan's opinion on Ruby in darker colors went either ignored or unnoticed by Ruby, as she didn't really understand physical attraction in the same way that most did, and thus couldn't really form an opinion on things like color, though she did agree on the usefulness part, as batpony would have better fit her lifestyle and the darker color would have helped with hiding, she liked her real form the most of course, but even she didn't deny that her bright red appearance wasn't the most stealthy thing out there. But, there was one thing Leviathan had forgotten "If I am to make a new form, it will most likely be that of an Equestrian dragon, while walking bipedal would take some practice, it would be the most practical and comfortable form that is not my own." "It also takes less work when the only thing to change is the general structure." the thing about turning into a pony was that besides the shape being different, she also had to grow hair, reshape her teeth and do other changes like that, after all, she was not only changing species, but animal class, changing from reptile into a mammal, but if she was to change into a different kind of dragon instead, she would only need to change shape and size, while the basics of her physicality could stay the same.

"It is unlikely that he'll take long to learn the basics, but learning specific words may take bit longer, for example, friendship, while we do have a word for it 'sunera', it is not used, and thus the meaning is lost, it took me some days of research to understand what exactly is meant with it." "Lot of our language is lost to time, and I had to relearn my own language almost as much as I had to learn a new one." 

Charir, as to be expected at this point, watched excitedly at Leviathan's cloud dragon, he really enjoyed seeing her magic in work, partly because he didn't really understand it, and could just sit and watch for hours and hours, or in this case, walk and watch. He realized something that was almost funny to him, for his whole life he had been taught to be against magic, yet, the moment he saw it in action, he wanted to learn it, and not even for power, as he too believed physical capabilities to be more important for that, but for fun, for entertainment, he wanted to be able to create his own tiny cloud shows, summon his own tiny lightning clouds.

 

If nothing happened, they would arrive to the quiet end of Ruby's home street, neither of Ruby's neighbors were outside this time, the weird pegasus opposite to her house may or may have not been home, it was hard to tell due to the lack of obvious signs of life, and the hybrid next door was inside her house based on slight movement seen on one of the windows, as she, presumably, quickly checked to see who was walking in front of her house.

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

The kobolds didn't respond to Harpoon's remark, but Trox gave her a look of 'I meant what I said', because well, what he said was true, truthfully speaking, if Onache didn't make it, they wouldn't grief her much more than the candy shop keeper they had met before would, they were friendly yes, but friendly wasn't the same as being a friend. It may be that Harpoon was overthinking it, or that she wasn't thinking enough, but she made the mistake of comparing the siblings to ponies, as social relationships worked differently for kobolds. 

Because while Onache wasn't a friend, she was still part of their group, and as their opinion on Sheez probably made clear, loyalty was kinda a big deal to them, and that meant that you took care of those who were part of your group, be it a friend, a stranger, someone with mutual goals, or even someone you despised, if you took someone's trust, you better make sure you were worth it. And then there was their personal obligations, the more obvious one being Sheska, as she was a healer, a medic, it was quite literally her job to worry about others, and Trox, well, you didn't become a rebel in a world like theirs if you didn't want to help others, as Solar had said, everyone had a choice to make there. and the siblings had chosen to forfeit their own comfort for sake of upholding their morals.

As Harpoon and Stargazer had their interaction, the reptiles got ready to leave, which basically just meant that Chega went to grab her instrument and put it on her back, since Sear had everything with her all the time, and the siblings didn't have anything to gather. They all acknowledged Stargazer's promise, but none of them had anything to say to it. Sheska and Trox were secretly little glad though, hearing about the resource trouble, because while it was unfortunate that innocent suffered from lack of guards, it was also nice to know that there wasn't eyes of the guards behind every corner, the opposite extreme wasn't the ideal of course, they knew that guard was needed, but it was nice change of pace coming from the other extreme.

Nothing obvious happened when they made their way out, but something may have been going on, as suddenly, without obvious explanation, Chega's instrument rang a bit, not much, it wasn't like anything touched it, but rather the strings vibrated slightly, letting out a faintest of sounds, something most individuals likely wouldn't even notice, in fact, Chega paid no attention to it, nor did Sear, but the siblings tensed up immediately, and started looking around in subtle way, as if trying to hide the fact they noticed anything. 

If Harpoon caught on this, and tried to see what they were looking for, there would be nothing obvious to see or hear, but the two kobolds were clearly focused on something slightly above the group.

 

 

 

 

 

[Blitz Boom 4,429]

@AuroraGlimmer

On 2022-10-05 at 8:03 AM, AuroraGlimmer said:

Skittles had just finished her food and would nod "Ah yes, I have heard of the doctor, haven't had the chance to meet her, but she sounds...ecentric, or is exotic a better word?" she'd ask, tilting her head beore shaking it and smiling at him "but she sounds like someone I might like to meet"

"I am ah, certain that you will. I can say from personal experience, that she appears to have a fascination, for swooping down, and hugging random creatures. It is ah, rather peculiar, and eccentric, as you put it. Yet harmless at least."

On 2022-10-05 at 8:03 AM, AuroraGlimmer said:

"So she is bipedal? I mean most dragons are, as for the coloration, perhaps a bit more..different, as most dragons have green, red, purple etc scales" she then laughs at the mention of the pink bunny flipping him off "Oh boy, sounds like we have another angel bunny on our hooves"

After she finsihed all her food, she'd pay for her orders and stand up "I would love to go see this friend of yours, and hopefully get you your very own Phoenix Chick."

"I ah, wouldn't go so far as to call her a friend. As mentioned, I have seen her once, and that does not include speaking. She seemed to be rather busy at the time, and I didn't want to intrude. I only really can say what I saw, but you can likely ah, see in more details, if we do find her. I only know her to live in a cave, in the forest, due to what I have heard others talk about in passing, at the market."

She might be able to save some time, by asking the animals in the forest. If not, they'd still be able to find a minorly threaded path, not too far in, that would lead to a cave, with a large enough stone to block the entrance, sitting next to the entrance. Had they been led there by animals, they'd probably have been informed, that it were a relatively safe space, as the dragon had no interest in dealing with the local wildlife, outside of shooing some of the more annoying ones away. She did not appear to one of the dragons that hunted live prey.

Honey were about to say something, when an angry roar, would reverberate, out of the entrance, and the words withered on his lips.

"Rrrrr... Air."

The dragoness in question, would exit soon after, clutching her right upper arm, with her left hand. It were redder tinted than the other, and seemed slightly swollen, as well as slathered in some sort of green paste, with yellow spots unevenly distributed. Seeds potentially. Either way, the way she held, and strained her clutched arm, as it hung down, made it rather obvious that whatever were going on, were rather painful. If not that, then the uneven breathing, and overall tension for the next ten seconds or so, should be an obvious sign.

When the time had gone, the goo - which had turned from green, to a yellow hue - would seemingly start to harden a bit, and she'd let out a raspy sigh of relief.

"*pant* That'll do."

The dragon were not currently wearing her robes proper, as the arm were exposed, but from the left side pocket, she'd withdraw something. A sling it appeared, that she'd start to bring up, when she noticed she had visitors. She did not halt her action though, and would continue to put her right arm in the sling, as she looked questioningly on the two of them.

"More complaints? I have already told you fringe dwellers: It's going to be a few days. Accept it."

Her voice were somewhat raspy and gravelly, and her eyes did not brim with hatred, or scorn, but more of a scrutinizing gaze. With some anger too, due to the pain still abating, and thus, affecting her mood.

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

 

@Kujamih

Shark wasn't sure why Light were looking her in the eyes, but she'd do the same to him, and just watch into those big, big eyes of his. Ponies had such huuuuuuge eyes. She did too now. Much different from befo- Hey, he looked away! Nuhuh!

She'd tackle him, and stand above him, legs on the sides of his torso, so he could not escape, and starred down at him, a playful glimmer in her blue eyes.

"Is this a friend thing? Am I... Wiiii-niiii-ng. Winning. Am I winning?"

If he said yes, she'd grin, and flutter off, head held high. If he said no, she'd boop his snout with hers, and ask again, then keep doing so, until he did something, or admitted defeat.

As for why she were not angry... Well, what did she have to be angry about? The drink and a few other things were bad, but she dealt with them, and moved on. She couldn't waste her time on even staying a little annoyed by those things, for more than a brief period of time. Not when there were a big, curious world for her to explore, and learn from. And she needed to learn lots and lots of things, so she'd be ready for egg season! She had to make sure that not only did she have a good river for the eggs, but also knew how to make sue of this new, land-based culture, and area, to raise her pups extra strong and healthy. As well as safe. And they better be that, because if someone tried hurting her pups, she'd chew parts of them off with her teeth!

Before that day, Light would hopefully have taught her better, so she wouldn't accidentally cause massive trouble...

"No worries on the suggestion. Normally, Alonsus would add the forest holds grave dangers, which you shouldn't face, in the mere seek of a thrill. Yet I would fear naught, had I her at my side either. Your marefriend seems quite capable of handling herself. Protective too, I would imagine? You can tell Alonsus. Even amidst fawning adoration, he shall not let it slip his lips."

Honestly, he were liking these two, because they were rather odd. Odd ones tended to get along with him better, and these were probably the oddest ones he'd seen in about... Two days. A fair bit friendlier than that one too, at least when all gathered up. A shark pony were a thing to behold of course, but considering the one he thought of, where a group of ponies, that when gathered up, had turned into a hydra... Odd times these days. Odd times.

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

 

@EQ_Theta

On 2022-10-06 at 2:02 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“I still find all of this difficult to wrap my head around. Your home, your family… It’s a little too much to take in right now, but your friends seem to have taken in all of this just fine. Maybe I won’t be able to understand everything that goes into how you both came to be, but as long as you’ve gone to good homes, then I suppose that would be enough for me to know. I don’t know this Ms. Scarcity, but Discord’s an old name who caused trouble for Equestria a while back. He seems to be doing better nowadays, but it’s not my place to snoop. Maybe Princess Twilight and her friends managed to get through to him.”

“To be honest, your mother may have taken a gamble with letting other creatures raise her children, but if she’s been going with the same process all this time, something must be going right. You’re a strange one, Ms. Omen, but you surround yourself with good friends, and their better qualities will carry on over to you. Same goes for your brother.” 

“Now, to your question about baking… I like to think the bread making process is magic, but it’s a lot less enchanting than it looks. I make the dough and throw in the ingredients for the different recipes I sell. Then, I put the bread in all of the different baking trays needed for certain types of bread and put them in the oven, or the ‘box’ you might be talking about, to let them cook. The important thing is to make sure all of the ingredients are mixed just right before baking. I suppose the ‘magic’ that you might be interested in seeing is watching the bread rise. You may see a flat sheet of flour and water at first, but give it enough time, and you’ll see them rise and turn puffy.”

Omen would answer as she'd follow, with possibly the animals around her, still doing their thing, with her more or less at the center of it.  Strange how many critters, or being formed like them, were starting to be around her these days.

"Master Discord has changed. When he made me, everything was chaos. He did not care much about things. Or others. Then he was gone, and the chaos vanished.

I waited a long, long time, before Mother told me, that I needed to try and live without his wisdom, and go back to Equestria.

I have seen him many times, since Sen and Lin, helped me find him. I know he have changed. The way he is around, and talks to, the yellow mare, is different. He care about her, and some others I see too. If he did not, I think he would bring his chaos back. Not just use it a little.

I am not sure what is better, but the way others speak about him, sounds like they are better to them, than when he made me. I want them to be right. Maybe Master Discord, will not be sad so often then."

She still didn't understand the concept of sadness. But when her master said he were sad, and she then saw him act the same way, more times in the future, she could go by that. And the times she had seen him since coming here, she had not seen him be like that. Probably because he now had others in his life, yes? That is what he wanted for, back in the day. It seemed now he had it, he were a better being. At least, she were somewhat sure that was right. No one were trying to turn him to stone currently, so that were a start, yes?

"Mother knows what is best for us. We must trust in Mother, so we grow up good and strong.

And baking still sounds like magic. Mixing things, using other strange things, and then there is bread. It sounds confusing. Like magic."

On 2022-10-06 at 2:02 PM, EQ_Theta said:

If Omen were to take a look around, she’d see a variety of bread in different shapes and ingredients. All of this was dictated by the tools Peaks uses, and the ingredients that determine the flavor. Having a supply of baker’s yeast was just about the most important thing to have to see the dough rise, yet proper measurements were just as important.

“So, I normally don’t let customers see what goes on in the back, but I take it you are curious about the process of baking bread, yes? Maybe I can give you a little demonstration because my morning is going a little slow. I gotta prepare another batch of carrot balls for our little friends anyway.”

The mention of carrot balls seemed to draw Munchkin’s attention away from the refraction, but it got the kind of reaction she intended to see from Shrimp. Maybe one day, he won’t be too agitated by the sight of a creature attempting to steal away his caretaker, but today may not be that day.

Omen did look around, and were curious about things. So many kinds of breads, and smells. It seemed very advanced, if Peaks were able to make all of these. She must be a very smart pony, to do these things right.

"I am always curious. Master Discord did not teach me many things, before the princesses took him away. And Mother can not leave our home. She does not know this world, so she could not teach me instead. So there is much I still do not know, or understand."

She'd follow and watch, seeing if there were something she could learn from this. As for Shrimp and Hammond... Well, Shrimp had calmed down, from Hammond tending to him a little. So when they got around to the kitchen, he were more at ease, and had just snuck back into Omen's mane for now. As such, Hammond would flap down to the floor, to now spend time with Munchkin. If they used him as a sort of middle man, perhaps she and Shrimp, could try to get at least a bit closer to one another, but it'd likely have to be be in a more calm, comfy environment for the refraction, to cause less friction.

"Have it taken you long, to learn how to bake? It sounds difficult. Must mean it was not easy to learn, yes?"

On 2022-10-06 at 2:02 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“You could do that? I… mean, we wouldn’t want to impose this on you, Rosa, but you are right that we should think on this for a while. We should be careful.”

“Kind of makes me wonder exactly how the kitsune did it. They keep to themselves, and not many ponies appear to have seen them, yet there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of trouble. Or at least, visible signs of troubles surrounding that. That kind of perspective could help us, even if we are just thinking of ways to approach the issue.”

"Oh, that one's easy to answer: The kitsune makes use of illusions, to keep their settlements hidden away. Yet they still mingle, as they want their kits to learn about the outside world. It is one reason why there are several reports, of them just singling out a lone being, or smaller group somewhere, and then toying around with them a little, via their illusions. Those being there, to keep the kits they bring along safe, while they're taught about the one/ones they run into. It is highly advised, that if it happens to you, to just simply play along, and be open, if they ask questions. I've read what happens, when instead the ones they try to interact with, try to harm to kits... It is not pretty.

Essentially though, the base idea could be used for the longma. In essence after all, the kitsune are merely introducing their kin to the outside, but on their terms. Places they chose, with them having the avantage, in case something goes wrong. A similar idea, but perhaps with use of an isolated location, under longma control, yet far from your settlements, could be potentially usable. But we'll see how things goes.

As for the forgery, I can, and I have. Several times, in fact. Infiltration is all well and good, but sometimes, something that seemed official and legit, can open more advanced doors, or create opportunities, that will handle a few... Cumbersome bumps in the road."

On 2022-10-06 at 2:02 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“I think this is it?” The longma placed the glass down on the table and attempted to read the label, though he wasn’t getting much from attempting to read it. “Mar-me-lade… Is this a fancy name for something?”

"While we're at this, maybe you'd like to take it easy today? I suppose we are in a rush to do anything, well... unless we're suddenly called away to something important..."

Rosa would pause as he were cutting the buns, to look over, and see the jar in question.

"Yes, that would be it. Worry not, it is nothing bad. It is essentially mushed fruits, with a bit of sugar to counteract the bitterness, to some extend. You've got nothing to worry about.

And while I'd enjoy taking things easy for a time, I am getting the distinct impression, that that will simply not be happening. My work at the Canterlot anti-spy department, are ought to start eventually, and as you might recall, Scarcity made it somewhat clear, that we would be called upon within a few days. Now I do not know of course. how much work either are going to be, but still, I will set my expectations low, when it comes to the odds of me having much relaxation.

What of you though? Any worries for what the day might bring? Please, have a seat, and let us discuss over breakfast."

Some buns were cut and ready, along with the marmelade, sat on the table. A pity he could not offer a more generous spread, but he had to get paid first. One reason why frankly, he hoped to be called in to either of his bosses today, that he might then work out some details with them.

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"Well, far be it for me to tell you what to pick, though you don't have to be bipedal, to be an Equestrian dragon. Especially the older ones, tend to end up on all fours all the same, due to increased body mass. Plenty of city dwellers also go on all fours, and get used to it. Like you see me do, most of the time. It's more practical, since going on two, means there's shorter to the roof. Not so bad once you get used to it."

It was honestly rather rare, that Leviathan walked on two legs only these days. Unless she were in the open, and had something like a cup in hand, she tended to just adapt, and walk like the equines around. It made it far easier for her, to actually enter their buildings, and enjoy things. Might be she wasn't the largest dragoness, but she were still not exactly tiny either, and equines build their stuff around four legged ones, their own size. You do the math.

Sides, it had some advantages. Most who saw her like this, for some reason didn't think she could leap up, and snatch something, or toss them over her shoulder. Gave her some fun moments every now and again.

"Hehe, and now I know a word from your language. I'll be keeping that one in mind. And listen in reeeeally closely otherwise, when you start his lessons. Outta be something interesting to learn, and I welcome most new things and experiences.  Dreadfully boring to just stick to the same things, all your life. Least with lives as long as ours."

Leviathan would notice how it seemed to cheer Charir up, that she were toying around with this cloud dragon. It were honestly more of a fun thing she were doing, rather than something with much point to it. Her studies into magic had at first, all been about power. She had to be able to fight for herself after all. But then came a point where it started to dawn on her, that it couldn't be as simple as small clouds, and spewing thunder. What laid beyond power? What happened, if she approached it, with more fun and intrigue in mind?

Going at it with that mindset, were how she learned how to eventually form magic in more fun ways. Pretend cloud dragons. Water slides. Ice skating fields, etc. And she kept learning, all the time. Maybe once they figured out exactly what sorta magic Charir had, and he had gone through some training to first learn how to harness it, she could see if there were something fun that she could teach him too. It'd be nice.

As for fun and Charir though, she would spice this up a bit. Summoning a dragon of rainy water, and thunder, then have all three of them swirl around Charir playfully, as they moved along. It seemed to entertain him, so why not? Sure it got them a few odd looks, but eh. This were Ponyville. They had seen weirder, and would continue to as well.

She'd dismiss them when they reached the house, but she'd keep this in mind. Could be something fun, and potentially informative later on.

"I know, I know, might seem like a waste of time and magic, to do that sorta thing, but it's a great party trick. And to distract. I've stolen So many things using this trick, you wouldn't believe it."

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

 

@Catpone Cerberus

Harpoon did not bite much notice, in how the instrument let out a sound. The wind, a movement- A lot of things could cause a string o vibrate a little, so no big deal, right?

She did however, note how they seemed more tense out here. She assumed because they were worried that the assassin were gonna strike again, and that next time, it were them the attack would be aimed towards. More loose ends, as it were. Though it seemed that so far, they were not being attacked. The kobolds though, did not seem to tense up less, as the tip went on... Peculiar. Mayhap they just did not ease up all that easily? Still, that wouldn't explain how it seemed their gaze were aimed elsewhere.

She'd try to look at where the siblings were starring, but the point that their eyes were turned to, did not seem to hold anything at all. Maybe she should just brush this off, but something seemed odd about this, in a way that she didn't like. It felt like there were trouble brewing.

"Should I know, or is it best I don't?"

She'd ask Trox and Sheska directly about this, though in a low voice, as to not get unwanted attention. It seemed like they knew something was up, and whatever it were, she were not sure if it were something that she should know off. Might be nothing. Might be related to that distant relative of theirs, Sheez. Could be the assassin, had marked them in some way, that she couldn't see. At this point, she could not rule out anything. And honestly, it did not sit well with her. With how things were right now, it were hard not to get at least a little bit paranoid.

Edited October 8, 2022 by Blitz Boom

[Evil Pink One 12,990]

@Blitz Boom

"Ooff!" Light exhaled as Shark tackled her.

" You win you win! " He blushes.

As she flutters about, 

Light could only blush while thoughts rushed in his head.

" Seriously Shark... You know how to tug a stallion's heart strings.... And quite violently too... Hmm never thought I was that kind of a pony..."Light said as he picks himself up. 

" Shark I think you need to learn about personal space... To other creatures that is. I-i don't mind you doing it to me though ahmm... " He adds... 

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Blitz Boom

Skittles would nod as she listened to Honey Dew Talk, "Ooh, yes, I've heard of her now, she's frightened poor Fluttershy a few times, though I kno shedidn't mean to, and Fluttershy soon learned to tell when she was coming her way, as she does enjoy the hugs" shesays with a smile, walking into the forest with him and then asking a few questions to the foret animals for a way to where the dragon lived, and luckily forthe two of them, a small rabbit who Skittles had helped a litlte while back had remembered her and tookthem the quick way to the cave.

She then nods at his remark about about the dragonness and as soon as they heard the roar, she knew the bunny had taken them to the right place. Thanking the bunny with a hug and a kiss to the nose, to which the bunny would cutely wiggles its nose and twitch its whiskers in response before hopping off. She would smile but then would frown as she saw the dragon with her arm in the sling, "Oh-oh no, not here to complain, Honey Dew here said you might be able to uhm 'escort' us into and through the Dragonlands, as you see, he'd like to have a pet Phoenix Chick, and I know the best place for one is in the Dragonlands and..." she'd ramble on for a little but then smile "If you're busy though, I can see if Spike can take us or Smolder" she apologises.

[Delilah Dusk]

The charcoal grey pegasus mare blinked as her eyes struggled to regain focus. The world had gone quite blurry for a moment, and she swore she saw a drastic shift in colors as she stomped a hoof and closed her eyes. It was then she realized that she felt grass beneath her hooves, which struck her as odd. An ear on her head twitched at feeling a breeze move past her, and hearing the noise of rustled foliage it carried with it.

"Uh... hello?" she asked aloud, eyes still closed and now with the wonderful edition of a throbbing headache settling in. She tried a step forward, and found herself suddenly feeling rather wobbly, but her wings remained ever pinned at her sides as she instead allowed her forelegs to fold and herself to gently fall to the ground as she continued her attempts to get her bearings.

"Anypony around?" she asked through gritted teeth.

[EQ_Theta 415]

@Blitz Boom

On 2022-10-08 at 5:45 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"Master Discord has changed. When he made me, everything was chaos. He did not care much about things. Or others. Then he was gone, and the chaos vanished.

I waited a long, long time, before Mother told me, that I needed to try and live without his wisdom, and go back to Equestria.

I have seen him many times, since Sen and Lin, helped me find him. I know he have changed. The way he is around, and talks to, the yellow mare, is different. He care about her, and some others I see too. If he did not, I think he would bring his chaos back. Not just use it a little.

I am not sure what is better, but the way others speak about him, sounds like they are better to them, than when he made me. I want them to be right. Maybe Master Discord, will not be sad so often then."

“Sounds like you have some good friends, just like Discord found a good friend in that mare you mentioned. Being around those kinds of ponies, those that can inspire you to be good in return, are the kind that can help you grow into something better. Your mother may be right in wanting you to be in Equestria so you can grow. It’s great feeling, having those types of friends, because your bonds with them are strong and deep. I suppose that is something that you might know already, but being reminded of it every now and again isn’t so bad. Kind of makes me want to have more friends like those…”

“To your question, I suppose there is a kind of magic in baking, like other things that could catch somepony’s attention. You can say I was drawn to that kind of ‘magic,’ even as a filly. Baking was a hobby for me when I was young, so even if I didn’t make a living out of making bread, I was already trying it and learning as much as I could. You’re right in saying it wasn’t easy, but nothing worth doing is ever easy. It took years of practice, trying again after every failure until I got the hang of it. Eventually, all that hard work paid off, and now I run this bakery.”

As Peaks was talking, she already began making a fresh batch of dough, mixing some flour, water, and yeast in a bowl before letting an electrical mixer homogenize the ingredients into a damp concoction. It all seemed routine for the mare that she could go about her usual process of measuring, mixing, and cutting up other ingredients as if it was all second-nature to her. As she was already preparing her dough to rise, she went on to cutting up some fresh carrots into small, bite-sized pieces for Munchkin, Hammond, and Shrimp, and getting her air fryer ready once the dough was sufficiently fluffed up. 

While they were at it, the cat returned to her little corner of the store and kneaded her pet bed before settling into it. It was a little early for nap time, but she always loved lounging in her spot like it was a home. Hammond was welcome to join her, though not much would happen with the cat simply enjoying her moment of relaxation. By then, Peaks was already preparing another batch of steamed buns, though these would be the regular solo orders that customers would have to buy per piece. 

“At first, the hard part was getting the measurements for the dough’s ingredients right. Too much water, and you’d end up with soup, while too much flour will leave you with a sticky mess that’ll be too hard to form into dough. Once all that was taken care of, the hard part became learning the techniques of making different kinds of bread. It’s like that assorted bun platter you got; three different ways to prepare a dish with only twelve pieces of bread. Sounds like a hoofful, right?”

Meanwhile, Sen and Lin watched Rosa prepare the rest of the morning meals, though the former could help notice a side of thick milk that came along with the buns. Perhaps that was intended to be part of the dish, but he wouldn’t speak up on the matter. If his friend preferred adding mushy fruits, there wouldn’t be a need to interrupt. The same could not be said for about a third of the buns since they already had a red bean paste filling. The assortment was very much appreciated. 

On 2022-10-08 at 5:45 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"Oh, that one's easy to answer: The kitsune makes use of illusions, to keep their settlements hidden away. Yet they still mingle, as they want their kits to learn about the outside world. It is one reason why there are several reports, of them just singling out a lone being, or smaller group somewhere, and then toying around with them a little, via their illusions. Those being there, to keep the kits they bring along safe, while they're taught about the one/ones they run into. It is highly advised, that if it happens to you, to just simply play along, and be open, if they ask questions. I've read what happens, when instead the ones they try to interact with, try to harm to kits... It is not pretty.

Essentially though, the base idea could be used for the longma. In essence after all, the kitsune are merely introducing their kin to the outside, but on their terms. Places they chose, with them having the avantage, in case something goes wrong. A similar idea, but perhaps with use of an isolated location, under longma control, yet far from your settlements, could be potentially usable. But we'll see how things goes.

“That sounds like something we could try, though the illusions part would need to be swapped with something else since the longma don’t have that ability. I think slow introductions in small groups could work, though they’ll need time to adjust to seeing an outsider that isn’t trying to harm them.”

“Wouldn’t work the same way it did for us since we had to adapt, although a short meeting like how we came to know Omen may be possible. A few villagers at home can already mingle with Omen just fine, though that 'few' includes the village healer, Elder Ghilan, and our grandfather. Not exactly as widespread as we hoped.”

The siblings wouldn’t immediately proceed with breakfast, as they were waiting for Omen to get back. It wouldn’t be right for them to start without their friend, and they already had a few pieces of Sen’s remaining dried berries. Still, those freshly baked buns were already looking pretty delicious, even without taking a bite.

On 2022-10-08 at 5:45 AM, Blitz Boom said:

And while I'd enjoy taking things easy for a time, I am getting the distinct impression, that that will simply not be happening. My work at the Canterlot anti-spy department, are ought to start eventually, and as you might recall, Scarcity made it somewhat clear, that we would be called upon within a few days. Now I do not know of course. how much work either are going to be, but still, I will set my expectations low, when it comes to the odds of me having much relaxation.

What of you though? Any worries for what the day might bring? Please, have a seat, and let us discuss over breakfast."

“You’re right, though staying here would make it more likely for your new bosses to find you. It sure feels like there’s a lot that will happen, even if nothing’s happened yet.”

“All this talk about discussions with the elders and wondering what the day will bring got me thinking that I should go back home first. It may help us prepare if the elders are really going to move with convening soon. There’s no need to go back home with me, Sen. I don’t think it’ll take me long. Then again, we probably need to make some preparations. Between what we’ve been talking about, Scarcity’s deal with our friends in the orb, Zhu’s visions after that sudden visit, we may be in for a lot more than we think.”

“If you need us to stick around, even if it’s just to make sure you’re all right… just let us know, okay?”

Hearing those things had Sen wondering if they’d all be taking different paths to attend to different issues. It’s already getting the longma anxious about what’s to come, especially for the thestral. It seemed like there may be a lot on his mind. The new job, Scarcity, his relationship with his brother, and so much more. One could only imagine having to juggle multiple sources of anxiety, and yet, Rosa had this air of composure on him. 

[Blitz Boom 4,429]

@AuroraGlimmer @flutterJackdash

On 2022-10-08 at 12:58 AM, AuroraGlimmer said:

She would smile but then would frown as she saw the dragon with her arm in the sling, "Oh-oh no, not here to complain, Honey Dew here said you might be able to uhm 'escort' us into and through the Dragonlands, as you see, he'd like to have a pet Phoenix Chick, and I know the best place for one is in the Dragonlands and..." she'd ramble on for a little but then smile "If you're busy though, I can see if Spike can take us or Smolder" she apologises.

"Normally, I would say no. They do not like me back there, and the feeling is very mutual."

Nerzhei would adjust her arm in the sling, to make it more comfortable. She loathed having to do this, but her arm needed rest, while it were healing, so she did not have many options.

"But I tire of these weak remedies. I need draconic medicine. So fine. Are you ready now? If not, I can wait an hour, but then I'll leave, while I still have some degree of urge to go back to that dump."

Behind her, another one would pop out of the cave, as she were speaking. A pink bunny, with a tuft of extra long hair, on top of her head. Almost made it seem as if she had short hair, yet her focus were not on them. Her ear were perked, turned towards the west. Honestly seemed like she could not care much less about them.

"I'm ah, terribly sorry for the ah, situation we seem to be putting you in. And for your injury. It looks ah, to be quite painful."

"It is. Hence why again, I need draconic medicine, and this town doesn't have it."

She'd put her robe on best she could, considering her arm needed air for now, and checked her pockets. She'd need a few more things from the inside of the cave, but she were more or less ready. Though her attention would be drawn away from that, when she felt something poke at her leg, and she looked down, to see the bunny look up at her.

"Huh? Something the matter, Lotus?"

The critter would point towards the west, and make a few signs. Sure there were someone here who understood *I can hear a pony asking for help, that way.*, but Nerzhei did not understand critter. Yet she understood Lotus enough, to get what it were she were communicating. The signs were helping, but posture, movements, look in her eyes, etc. There were a lot of signs to go with, that made it easier for the two of them to communicate.

"*sigh* Another one getting lost, or trapped, and needing help, it sounds like... Fine, let's go get it over with."

Lotus would lead the way, with Nerzhei right after, and the two ponies there, to make up the flank of the group.

On 2022-10-08 at 1:54 AM, Delilah Dusk said:

"Uh... hello?" she asked aloud, eyes still closed and now with the wonderful edition of a throbbing headache settling in. She tried a step forward, and found herself suddenly feeling rather wobbly, but her wings remained ever pinned at her sides as she instead allowed her forelegs to fold and herself to gently fall to the ground as she continued her attempts to get her bearings.

"Anypony around?" she asked through gritted teeth.

They did not have to go far, before they reached a small clearing in the forest, where the sun shone down nicely, upon a mare. Lotus would jump over to said mare, and look at her. If she tried to make a motion to pet Lotus, the bunny would kick her hoof away, and with an angry expression, and risen paw, say some things that were best not translated, in polite conversation. Boiled down to her not being some sort of pet, that you just went and patted. Along with come colorful phrasing.

"At least this one isn't in a pit, like the last one."

Nerzhei stepped forth, and would look down upon the mare, with her dark-brown eyes. Her look were inquisitive, and seemed to be trying to see if she could spot some sort of damage on her.

"Oh my. Uhm, h-hello miss. Be not alarmed please, we're just ah, here to help. Are you feeling okay?"

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

 

@Kujamih

 

"Peeeeer-sooooo-naaal. Personal. Spaaaaa-ceeeee. Space. Personal Space... What is? Is food? Can we eat it?"

"Let Alonsus clear your mind, fair maiden. It means that not all, are in favor of others being really close to them, at all times. Some would not feel comfortable, were you in their face, as you were just before. Worry not of me though. I adore attention, and fear you not."

It would come to a test, as she considered that an invitation, and would fly up, to stand on his back. Then she'd lean forward, neck bend, so that she could look at him, eye to eye, from that position. She'd then boop his nose with her hoof, causing him to laugh.

"Ahaha! A curious mind indeed. Worry not little friend, Alonsus can take this pressure. Mine body will not break with ease.

Aaaah, it have been long since some had the want to be so carefree around me. Alonsus are greatly appreciating of this, my newfound friends. Shall we cheer upon it?"

He'd raise a glass of soda, then have another laugh, as Shark assumed it were for her, as it were risen to her head height, and would drink from it. So he'd let her have that, and take another. Normal these two weren't, but that were fine by him. At least they were tolerant, and interesting. That seemed more delightful to him anyway.

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

 

@EQ_Theta

On 2022-10-09 at 10:48 AM, EQ_Theta said:

“Sounds like you have some good friends, just like Discord found a good friend in that mare you mentioned. Being around those kinds of ponies, those that can inspire you to be good in return, are the kind that can help you grow into something better. Your mother may be right in wanting you to be in Equestria so you can grow. It’s great feeling, having those types of friends, because your bonds with them are strong and deep. I suppose that is something that you might know already, but being reminded of it every now and again isn’t so bad. Kind of makes me want to have more friends like those…”

“To your question, I suppose there is a kind of magic in baking, like other things that could catch somepony’s attention. You can say I was drawn to that kind of ‘magic,’ even as a filly. Baking was a hobby for me when I was young, so even if I didn’t make a living out of making bread, I was already trying it and learning as much as I could. You’re right in saying it wasn’t easy, but nothing worth doing is ever easy. It took years of practice, trying again after every failure until I got the hang of it. Eventually, all that hard work paid off, and now I run this bakery.”

"I have tried to do many things on my own, since Master Discord went away, but it did not work. He brought me into a world of chaos. Everything he taught me, were around that. When he were taken, and the chaos went away, nothing made sense to me anymore. I tried to ask the princesses, but the ponies did not want me to get close to them. They also did not want to talk to me, so I could not learn anything. That is why I went home, and waited for my master to come back.

Things were very different, when Mother said I had to go back. There were just one princess, and no one knew who Luna were. They spoke to me, but most just scream, or ran away. Or told me to get lost. I did not learn many things, until I met Sen. Then Lin. Then many others. I have been taught many things since I met them. Lin taught me how to read and write a few words for example. That were nice. When Shrimp gets bigger, and smarter, she says we will learn to read together.

My friends have helped me more in the time I have known them, than what Master Discord did, long ago. Friends like this, are important. You need friends too? We can be friends, yes? This is how it works?"

She'd assume that it were one way that it could happen. Some of the others had become friends, by speaking some, and sharing story, so... This meant they could be friends too, yes? Even if this one sounded busy. Did not have much time perhaps, but it were okay. Omen did not sleep. She could be there, and watch Peaks some evenings. Just look at her in her sleep, like she did her other friends. Except Lin. Lin did not sleep anymore.

"And it sounds like you are very good, at what you do, because you trained long, yes? That is nice. I will try and remember that, if I see something I would like to be good at, it takes time, and practice. Master Discord did not say that, but he is changed. Maybe the new him does."

On 2022-10-09 at 10:48 AM, EQ_Theta said:

As Peaks was talking, she already began making a fresh batch of dough, mixing some flour, water, and yeast in a bowl before letting an electrical mixer homogenize the ingredients into a damp concoction. It all seemed routine for the mare that she could go about her usual process of measuring, mixing, and cutting up other ingredients as if it was all second-nature to her. As she was already preparing her dough to rise, she went on to cutting up some fresh carrots into small, bite-sized pieces for Munchkin, Hammond, and Shrimp, and getting her air fryer ready once the dough was sufficiently fluffed up. 

While they were at it, the cat returned to her little corner of the store and kneaded her pet bed before settling into it. It was a little early for nap time, but she always loved lounging in her spot like it was a home. Hammond was welcome to join her, though not much would happen with the cat simply enjoying her moment of relaxation. By then, Peaks was already preparing another batch of steamed buns, though these would be the regular solo orders that customers would have to buy per piece. 

Hammond would flutter over to Munchkin, as she went on to her little bed, and would pet the cat a little. He figured that maybe, if Shrimp could see that they both enjoyed getting pet, they would not be so strange around one another. He did not understand what were going on between them, but he did understand that something were off, and not exactly right. So he tried to make things, into what he assumed were right. And Shrimp certainly followed them both with his eyes, silently, and without much in the way of showing what it were, that went through his small, reptilian brain right now.

As for Omen, she did what she did best. Not say a word, and just stare unblinkingly, as the magic of baking unfolded in front of her. She'd even stay and gaze at the dough noticing how it very slowly, began to rise. Reminded her of the times, that she had stood and watched mold grow. Strange times that. Especially when it began to grow on her. It made her look like she had real color, like normal ponies.

On 2022-10-09 at 10:48 AM, EQ_Theta said:

“At first, the hard part was getting the measurements for the dough’s ingredients right. Too much water, and you’d end up with soup, while too much flour will leave you with a sticky mess that’ll be too hard to form into dough. Once all that was taken care of, the hard part became learning the techniques of making different kinds of bread. It’s like that assorted bun platter you got; three different ways to prepare a dish with only twelve pieces of bread. Sounds like a hoofful, right?”

"It sounds complicated. I understand why ponies have so many books about this now. It sounds easy to do badly.

Is this the sort of thing, all the big books with the pictures of food in them, talk about? How much you need of things, and how to put them together? Are you using books too? Or do you remember what you need to?"

On 2022-10-09 at 10:48 AM, EQ_Theta said:

“You’re right, though staying here would make it more likely for your new bosses to find you. It sure feels like there’s a lot that will happen, even if nothing’s happened yet.”

“All this talk about discussions with the elders and wondering what the day will bring got me thinking that I should go back home first. It may help us prepare if the elders are really going to move with convening soon. There’s no need to go back home with me, Sen. I don’t think it’ll take me long. Then again, we probably need to make some preparations. Between what we’ve been talking about, Scarcity’s deal with our friends in the orb, Zhu’s visions after that sudden visit, we may be in for a lot more than we think.”

“If you need us to stick around, even if it’s just to make sure you’re all right… just let us know, okay?”

Hearing those things had Sen wondering if they’d all be taking different paths to attend to different issues. It’s already getting the longma anxious about what’s to come, especially for the thestral. It seemed like there may be a lot on his mind. The new job, Scarcity, his relationship with his brother, and so much more. One could only imagine having to juggle multiple sources of anxiety, and yet, Rosa had this air of composure on him. 

"I wouldn't worry about them, not being able to find me. If it is the guard, they have guards stationed around the city. It would not be hard for one of them, to find me, lest I openly try and avoid them. As for Scarcity, I assume she will just send Hammond, for ease of use. I assume that long as I am within city limits, things should work out fairly well.

Regardless, your idea of preparing for the meeting, is a wise one. In case it would rely on you both being away for a time, I can ask Omen to relay a message to you, if I get an update of importance too. Though I'd advice before anyone goes anywhere, that they at least attempt to partake in breakfast. Omen appeared to have been busy, so I do not think she would mind that we begin before she returns, whenever that may be. Surely she wished for us to eat, since she left the bag with us, yes?"

He'd assume that were her intent at least. Besides, he were hungry, yet were holding back from actually eating yet, as he did not want to come off, as doing something in bad taste.

"I for one, have a simple plan today. I will either be sought out, or I will seek out the ones that employ me myself, that details can then be arranged, so I can start to get paid, as well as inquire, on what my duties specifically shall be. I should also send a letter to my brother. A day have passed, since the trial. He have had time to think of things, and hopefully come to some at least tentative conclusion to things. And when everything is said and done - which includes inquiring about the progress of the orb and the golems -, there is the matter of inquiring around on what Zhu mentioned. A draconequus in the Everfree Forest, that is not Discord, whom can help my father, for a price... I will need to have all other things done, but when it is, I am hoping to be able to confront that today. It depends much, on what will come."

He might seem composed, but Rosa did have a lot of thoughts about these things, swirling in his head. It were just, that he were trained to be able to handle these kinds of things, with the appearance of being cool and composed on the outside, while he'd methodically, set up a plan, and section things, that he had to deal with, in his head. Sometimes he cracked, but right now, it seemed...  Widely encompassing, and somewhat daunting, yet feasible.

[Delilah Dusk]

14 minutes ago, Blitz Boom said:

@AuroraGlimmer @flutterJackdash

On 2022-10-07 at 6:58 PM, AuroraGlimmer said:

She would smile but then would frown as she saw the dragon with her arm in the sling, "Oh-oh no, not here to complain, Honey Dew here said you might be able to uhm 'escort' us into and through the Dragonlands, as you see, he'd like to have a pet Phoenix Chick, and I know the best place for one is in the Dragonlands and..." she'd ramble on for a little but then smile "If you're busy though, I can see if Spike can take us or Smolder" she apologises.

"Normally, I would say no. They do not like me back there, and the feeling is very mutual."

Nerzhei would adjust her arm in the sling, to make it more comfortable. She loathed having to do this, but her arm needed rest, while it were healing, so she did not have many options.

"But I tire of these weak remedies. I need draconic medicine. So fine. Are you ready now? If not, I can wait an hour, but then I'll leave, while I still have some degree of urge to go back to that dump."

Behind her, another one would pop out of the cave, as she were speaking. A pink bunny, with a tuft of extra long hair, on top of her head. Almost made it seem as if she had short hair, yet her focus were not on them. Her ear were perked, turned towards the west. Honestly seemed like she could not care much less about them.

"I'm ah, terribly sorry for the ah, situation we seem to be putting you in. And for your injury. It looks ah, to be quite painful."

"It is. Hence why again, I need draconic medicine, and this town doesn't have it."

She'd put her robe on best she could, considering her arm needed air for now, and checked her pockets. She'd need a few more things from the inside of the cave, but she were more or less ready. Though her attention would be drawn away from that, when she felt something poke at her leg, and she looked down, to see the bunny look up at her.

"Huh? Something the matter, Lotus?"

The critter would point towards the west, and make a few signs. Sure there were someone here who understood *I can hear a pony asking for help, that way.*, but Nerzhei did not understand critter. Yet she understood Lotus enough, to get what it were she were communicating. The signs were helping, but posture, movements, look in her eyes, etc. There were a lot of signs to go with, that made it easier for the two of them to communicate.

"*sigh* Another one getting lost, or trapped, and needing help, it sounds like... Fine, let's go get it over with."

Lotus would lead the way, with Nerzhei right after, and the two ponies there, to make up the flank of the group.

On 2022-10-07 at 7:54 PM, Delilah Dusk said:

"Uh... hello?" she asked aloud, eyes still closed and now with the wonderful edition of a throbbing headache settling in. She tried a step forward, and found herself suddenly feeling rather wobbly, but her wings remained ever pinned at her sides as she instead allowed her forelegs to fold and herself to gently fall to the ground as she continued her attempts to get her bearings.

"Anypony around?" she asked through gritted teeth.

They did not have to go far, before they reached a small clearing in the forest, where the sun shone down nicely, upon a mare. Lotus would jump over to said mare, and look at her. If she tried to make a motion to pet Lotus, the bunny would kick her hoof away, and with an angry expression, and risen paw, say some things that were best not translated, in polite conversation. Boiled down to her not being some sort of pet, that you just went and patted. Along with come colorful phrasing.

"At least this one isn't in a pit, like the last one."

Nerzhei stepped forth, and would look down upon the mare, with her dark-brown eyes. Her look were inquisitive, and seemed to be trying to see if she could spot some sort of damage on her.

"Oh my. Uhm, h-hello miss. Be not alarmed please, we're just ah, here to help. Are you feeling okay?"

@Blitz Boom @AuroraGlimmer

The mare's ear twitched as her muzzle shifted to look toward the speaker, even though her eyes remained closed. The puff of her mane and tail settled in the air of the wood, the sun revealing a sheen to her coat, as though it had been recently cleaned and brushed, and her breathing looked a little uneven.

"Oh, hello," she said softly, "Well, I do have quite a headache... but everything else feels to be order, at least. I'm not sure where I am, nor how I came to be here though."

With that, the mare rubbed at a temple with her left hoof, "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude but I feel as though if I open my eyes I'll just be inviting even more pain into my head... and my vision was pretty blurry anyway, the last I checked."

After a moment more thought she attempted to push herself up from her position lying on all fours, and found she hadn't all the strength needed to accomplish it easily. As such she wobbled a bit as she rose up, shaking like a leaf where she stood with her eyes still closed and her nose now twitching with new scents.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@Blitz Boom

Skittles would nod at the dragon's comments "I..don't often go to the Dragonlands either, Some ofthe dragons there are okay, but the majority just see me...as a bit of a snack" she would say ands huffle her hooves a little at that "but uh..yeah, only places that I know of that I can get a Phoenix chick for Honey Dew here is there, the ones in the Forest aren't very..tamable" she would say and then look over to where the bunny is "Oh hello" she would say to the bunny, nodding and then looking to the Dragon, "Alright, lets go rescue this pony, and then we can go to the Dragonlands..the sooner we get there and back, the better"

@flutterJackdash

As the trio arrive at where the pony was, she would blink "O-oh dear, you look a frightful mess dear" she would say, "Let me think of how we can get you out" she'd say "I can call on the critters to help, Our acquantance here could I suppose, but with her injury" she looks to the dragon "I'm not sure she is able to"

[Evil Pink One 12,990]

@Blitz Boom

Light would slowly grab Shark to the point he is hugging her and dragging her away to put a distance between her and Alonsus, putting himself in the middle of them.

" ....hehehe Don't make an enemy of me today Alonsus for we just started this friendship.  you should worry about me though..." In a way Light gave a grin. a bit of a jest with a really big hint of a warning. 

" Shark sorry for being possessive but I'm not comfortable when you're too close with other stallion's.... Or any in particular opposite sex from you."

Light calmly and lovingly said while still embracing her ever so tightly in his hooves.