private Deep Science 1x1 with Blitz Boom

[Illiad Easle 3,257]

@Blitz Boom

(Ardee)

Ardee looked over the changeling, clearly a bit hesitant, but not seeing any obvious reason to fear them they shrugged, "I've never seen one before, so I don't have a preference, I'm just looking around for now, getting a feel for the area, you know?"

She looked back at the sign for a moment before continuing, "Is there anything else interesting here? Or is just the shows and gambling?"

 

(School)

On 2023-02-04 at 2:26 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"Maybe we can talk more later."

Gypsum looked concerned, "I didn't mean that you can't talk to each other, in fact I encourage it, I was just suggesting finding a seat rather than standing around while we wait."

 

On 2023-02-04 at 2:26 AM, Blitz Boom said:

Cherish would rise up a hoof immediately. She had gone to school in Equestria, like normal foals had, before the crisis came and... And...

Gypsum had a kind smile as she nodded, "I see, well that shouldn't be an issue, as we'll be doing things a bit differently from how school is normally taught, but you should be able to notice some similarities as we go."

She moved around to the front of the desk, "Let's start with a short tour of the classroom. While I was able to meet with you all personally, I know that not all of you got to see the classroom before today."

Most of the classroom was taken up by the desks facing the front where the teacher's desk was as well as a chalkboard. Towards the back of the classroom there was a corner with several shelves of books and more comfortable seats, and in the adjacent corner were a few larger desks with a good variety of art supplies. She motioned for everyone to come over, "Why don't we start here for our first activity? Each of you will make your own name plates for your desk. Think of it as a way to introduce yourself to your classmates by including things that you like on it, in addition to your name. Feel free to ask for help if you need it. It doesn't have to be perfect after all."

(I'll let Cherish go first on this, and give the rest of their efforts next)

[Blitz Boom 4,750]

@Illiad Easle

(Ardee)

"Well, it's a casino, so gambling and shows are the main attractions. Same with the buffet, hehe.

But there's a few things else to look around and do. Some like to mingle with the changelings, and see if they can catch a glimpse of our pseudo queen, or figure out how things work. A lot are assuming a hive just can't work without an actual queen, but Miss Bling is doing a surprisingly good job. Can't say I envy her things sometimes, but she earned a chance to show she got this, fair and square. Even the more critical of us, can't deny that, after what happened.

There's also a playing area for the young, in case families come in and book rooms. Can't have them locked up all day, nor on the gambling room, so it's easier to just have a safe space for them to have fun.

Let's see, what else... There's mingling in general too, but otherwise, most things happen around town. Like in the old theater, the other casinos, down the main street- Plenty to see. Long as one doesn't stray. Back alleys aren't as bad as they once were, but I wouldn't go there alone.

Oh right, and the shows. I might look forward to the musical, but I'm a bit partial towards Lightshow Performa, In B Minor. If it's anything like the performance in C Hyphen, it's gonna be quite a weird trip. Honestly still amazed that Miss Bling let those things go on. Probably because they're popular, but still.

Oh right, there's also the moth farm, behind the hotel. That's a weird little thing."

A fair section of options here, and recommendations. Might be something that Ardee would find interesting from that. If not, the town were big, and full ad things to witness.

 

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

 

(Null, to some extend)

At the counter, the front desk helper of the casino, would be arranging the keys, to make sure there were order in them, when the bell dinged behind him.

He turned, to see that a rather average looking, reddish pony, with a flowing scarlet mane, and thick garbs were looking back at him. His eyes were... Odd though, which made the pony manning the desk, pause a little. They seemed simple and green, but he felt that something were off, about the way this newcomer looked at him, even though he couldn't put a hoof on what it were. 

Maybe he were just confused and tired. It had been a long run of beings today, and he were nearing the end of his shift. It were probably just his mind, messing with him.

"Oh, hello there sir, and welcome to the Top Suites. How may I help you?"

"A room please. 37C."

The pony would raise a hoof, and put a coin purse on the table.

Opening it, the clerk were surprised to find that it were filled with actual currency. Specifically, Equestrian Bits. He hadn't seen those in years, and raised one in surprise, poking at it, to make sure that it were genuine. And it seemed so. A currency which by itself, might not be valuable here, but it were still gold, and gold were legal tender just about everywhere.

"An Equestrian? Can't say I expected... Ah, but my musings are not important, please forgive me that. Here is your key sir."

He'd have to check the bag through, but it seemed to be enough easily, for 7-9 nights, in one of the nicer rooms, that was of a reasonable price. Not a bad way to end his shift honestly, and he would smilingly, reach the key towards their guest, along with a complimentary buffet voucher.

"Have a pleasant stay, sir."

"We'll see."

The pony seemed a little dull in it for his taste, but it were likely the long travel, as he assumed this one had come with the caravan. He could do with some water too, he'd say. it sounded as if the pony had a low growl to his voice, but without the irritation aspects. Could well be a sore throat, in need of water. One reason for the voucher, beyond them having a surplus, and the extended stay he had just paid for, being profitable enough, for the helper to think it a suitable bonus.

He'd ask if the pony needed direction, as he wandered there, with saddlebags dangling heavily, down his sides, but the strange one had wandered off in the right direction, before he could say much. A peculiar one. Hadn't even filled the guest list... Well, he'd just write down *Red* there for now, and makke note of it being a temporary name. No need to bother their guests, when he likely wanted rest.

The one in question, would wander quietly up the halls, and the stairs, avoiding looking at as many others there as possible. The room he were headed for, would come soon enough. 37c, the room on the other side, where Null and Arcade were resting. Meaning they now had neighbors on both sides, with Ardee having the room on the other side of them.

The pony would unlock the door, wander in quietly, and close it, without a peep.

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

 

(School)

On 2/12/2023 at 10:06 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Gypsum looked concerned, "I didn't mean that you can't talk to each other, in fact I encourage it, I was just suggesting finding a seat rather than standing around while we wait."

"Sorry miss Gypsum. I'm used to another kind of school."

Cherish were used to schools were when the teacher started to talk, you shut up, and let them finish. You were only meant to say something, if they asked it from you. Maybe this were different though? Which were okay, she just had to get used to it.

On 2/12/2023 at 10:06 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Most of the classroom was taken up by the desks facing the front where the teacher's desk was as well as a chalkboard. Towards the back of the classroom there was a corner with several shelves of books and more comfortable seats, and in the adjacent corner were a few larger desks with a good variety of art supplies. She motioned for everyone to come over, "Why don't we start here for our first activity? Each of you will make your own name plates for your desk. Think of it as a way to introduce yourself to your classmates by including things that you like on it, in addition to your name. Feel free to ask for help if you need it. It doesn't have to be perfect after all."

Cherish perked up by this idea, and she knew just what to work with too, for a name plate!

She'd go into her bag, and pull out a damaged, ashen colored dragon scale.

"Miss Gypsum? Is it okay if I use this on my nameplate? It's from a friend."

One who were not going here, but that were okay. She had her reasons, and she were still Cherish's best friend. Had even given her this as a friendly gesture, once she had finally shed it properly. It'd be nice if she could let her know later today, that she had used that. It'd likely make her happy, to know that Cherish were still thinking about her, even in here.

Honestly though, the scale were large enough to kinda be used as a nameplate in and by itself, if she just had something to make it a bit more colorful around. Maybe some frills and writing in pink, or white upon it? Frills always made things look nicer to her. Glitter used to as well, but it were uhm... I-It didn't feel so nice for her anymore.

She'd look towards the other students, that she had just been talking to before, with an idea forming in her head.

"Wanna make them in a group?"

She'd turn and ask the others in the back too, but something told her they might not be too keen on the idea. They had placed themselves a fair bit from the rest after all, though she'd like for them to join. She liked thestrals quite a lot. Their leathery wings looked so pretty to her.

[Illiad Easle 3,257]

@Blitz Boom

(Ardee)

Nothing she was told about seemed to spark her interest until the very end,

On 2023-02-20 at 12:46 PM, Blitz Boom said:

Oh right, there's also the moth farm, behind the hotel. That's a weird little thing."

She raised an eyebrow at that, "A moth farm?" While outside the casino wasn't exactly where she had said that she would be, she figured it was close enough, and she'd probably be back inside before they woke up anyway, "Could you show me where that is? Or some directions if you're too busy, I'd like to see it." Plus, getting a look around couldn't hurt, maybe next time she could explore some of the town?

 

(School)

On 2023-02-20 at 12:46 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Miss Gypsum? Is it okay if I use this on my nameplate? It's from a friend."

Gypsum nodded, "Of course! Though it is a bit large to use as a decoration. Do you want to share with the others what that is and what it means to you?"

 

The young ponies joined Cherish at the art table as did the pair of thestrals, though the older thestral mostly hovered over the younger one as she worked, not really participating beyond writing a barely legible 'Nova Fastar' on a tag. Whether the quality was due to a lack of skill or interest was unclear.

On 2023-02-20 at 12:46 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Wanna make them in a group?"

While the young ponies weren't too interested beyond sharing materials between them, the young thestral filly nodded, "I can't write very good, but I can draw nice! Maybe if you could write my name for me I could draw something for you? I'm Lilac by the way, and this is my big brother Nova, he keeps me safe wherever I go."

Nova would continue to hover over Lilac's shoulder, coming a bit closer as she moved towards Cherish.

Elef tried to approach Nova from the other side, "Were you at the thestral festival?" But Nova just stared him down before simply nodding and going back to watching over Lilac.

Gypsum looked conflicted as to how she should react, but decided to leave things be unless something went wrong. It was the first day after all, surely they'd warm up to each other over time.

[Blitz Boom 4,750]

@Illiad Easle

(Ardee)

This honestly surprised the changeling. They didn't expect to hear anyone wanting to get all the way to this city, to see a moth farm, of all things.

Well... Had to try and keep the customers happy, yeah?

"I'll show you. Part of my work, to help guests. And it's best you don't go there alone. You'll understand."

A bit ominous, but hey, nothing too bad would happen... probably. Anyway! On the road they went. Or rather, down to hall, to the left, then left again, and then a right, past the break rooms. There would be a door there, with a sign above going *Kingdom of Mothria", written beautifully, on a piece of what appeared to be either old driftwood, or a rusted slab of metal. Either way, it were a bit odd.

The changeling would wander over to the door right next to it, which did not have a sign, but rather a myriad of runes, signs, and various phrases, in several languages, sprawled over the door. Anyone who knew their salt, would know these runes and protective phrases, would have little to no effect. No magic put into them, and the mixing were too sloppily made, to really do anything. At worst, someone trying to break in here, would end up belching uncontrollably for a half hour.

Regardless, not long after the knocking, a mare would open up, and poke her grinning head out of there. Grinning even wider, as she saw who were there.

(Imagine her with a patch over the right eye, with scarring around the wound area)

"Chippy! So good to see you. What're y- Hey, who're that? New friend?"

"New guest actually. They wanted to see the moth farm."

The mare opened the door fully, revealing a few things as she did so. One being that her right front leg were gone, replaced by a peg leg, that seemed to have seen better days. As had her rear, as her rump seemed seared by fire damage, to the point where her tail were a charred stump, and a fair portion around it, didn't have fur to cover her somewhat boiled skin. The nerves were likely fried, judging by the looks of things. A few spots down her back left leg, seemed to indicate that whatever had happened, had singed there a bit too, but the hair there were just frizzled, and the skin visible, seemed healthy.

She also had four young moths sitting on her head, all wearing tiny helmets, looking down at their guests. With one more sleeping on the bridge of her nose.

"Good! The more the merrier, in Mothria.

Yeah yeah everypony, I get it. The lil' ones says hi."

She'd wander out, and close the door behind her. Though if she looked in, Ardee would be able to see there were a lot of what seemed like newspaper articles, and various scraps of paper on the wall, marked with varied colors of string, and small notes scribble down, and put on, seemingly at random.

"We can go in and have a looksie, soon as you're ready. But I wanna know who you are first, yeah? We're all civilized ponies here."

She'd raise her peg leg, and reach it forth halfway, before halting herself, putting it down, and reaching her left one out instead, preparing for a shake.

"Sorry, Sometimes I still forget, y'know? Anyway, I'm Berry Swirl. Custodian/assistant, of the moth farm."

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

 

(School)

On 2/22/2023 at 9:55 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Gypsum nodded, "Of course! Though it is a bit large to use as a decoration. Do you want to share with the others what that is and what it means to you?"

"Uhuh. It's from my dragon friend, outside of town. Her name is Crow. She's a little paranoid about town, and others, so she doesn't get too close to town yet.

She were shedding some of her old damaged scales, and gave me this. It's seen better days, but I like it. It reminds me of her."

Crow had also seen better days, but it were okay. As were this. She could just use some glue or string, and have it hang from the table. It would fit well as a marker that way, without taking table space. thankfully wasn't a giant scale, from one of the big dragons. Those were bigger than the desk and Cherish combined. This one were more of a bit bigger than her hooves, side by side. Which wasn't too bad. She were a little petite, even for her age.

On 2/22/2023 at 9:55 PM, Illiad Easle said:

While the young ponies weren't too interested beyond sharing materials between them, the young thestral filly nodded, "I can't write very good, but I can draw nice! Maybe if you could write my name for me I could draw something for you? I'm Lilac by the way, and this is my big brother Nova, he keeps me safe wherever I go."

Nova would continue to hover over Lilac's shoulder, coming a bit closer as she moved towards Cherish.

Elef tried to approach Nova from the other side, "Were you at the thestral festival?" But Nova just stared him down before simply nodding and going back to watching over Lilac.

Gypsum looked conflicted as to how she should react, but decided to leave things be unless something went wrong. It was the first day after all, surely they'd warm up to each other over time.

Cherish looked up at the clearly protective brother, hovering over Lilac like a hawk, beaming with merriment.

"Awh, it's so nice that you look out for your sister. I used to uhm. T-They uh...

I can write for you Lilac, no problem. What if I draw your name on something, and you you could draw a nice heart, with a tail? That always makes things look so friendly.

Oh, and I'm Cherish Sky. Nice to meet you and your big bro."

There were a brief moment, when she looked up at Nova, when she had almost cracked, remembering some friends of hers, that she had seen meet a very unpleasant end, to say the least. Her lower lip had gotten stuck, shaking ever so slightly, whilst a brief fear passed her eyes.

She just tried to look past it. To just... Look away from him, and to Lilac, then focus on this, and put the smile and joy back on her face. The writing, the drawing, the others in class. They were real. They were tangible. Everything were okay. Everything Had to be okay, yeah? She had to keep telling herself that, and hope that this were the last episode of hers today. She weren't used to having this many right after one another anymore, and she didn't like it. It felt like she were going in the wrong direction.

As for the writing, she'd take whatever materials she were offered to write on, as well as whatever color pen Lilac wanted, of what were near, and write down her name. Cherish had a surprisingly beautiful, curvy hoofwriting, that almost looked like the sort you'd find in a fairytale. She had practiced it a lot back in the day, so that she could help her class mates, write love letters to their crushes, but these days, that sorta thing wasn't needed, or really had much chance of an outlet. Writing well were still good though, and her adoptive mother, had told her that perhaps, she could end up being a writer someday. Cherish weren't sure she had the talent for that, as she still needed to be able to make a compelling story, but who knew? It were a nice thought to have regardless.

That aside though, she'd finish writing Lilac's name, then wait to see how the heart would come back, before writing on the scale. She had to make sure there were room for both.

[Illiad Easle 3,257]

@Blitz Boom

(Ardee)

Ardee was a bit excited as they traveled through the lesser used hallways to get to the farm. The different style of the sign further adding to the air of mystery around it.

(I'm glad to see you brought back the moth helm)

She was further intrigued to see the moths on the mare, which she had seen a few in the rundown lab she had been saved from, she had never seen one wearing a helmet before. Maybe that was just the style here? She had to admit they were cuter like that.

On 2023-02-23 at 3:37 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Sorry, Sometimes I still forget, y'know? Anyway, I'm Berry Swirl. Custodian/assistant, of the moth farm."

Ardee didn't comment on the mixup, and simply shook the offered hoof, "I'm Ardee, just visiting. I've never seen, or heard of, a moth farm before, what is it like?"

 

(School)

On 2023-02-23 at 3:37 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Awh, it's so nice that you look out for your sister. I used to uhm. T-They uh...

I can write for you Lilac, no problem. What if I draw your name on something, and you you could draw a nice heart, with a tail? That always makes things look so friendly.

Oh, and I'm Cherish Sky. Nice to meet you and your big bro."

Nova didn't react much to what Cherish said, other than that he seemed to relax a bit over time as it seemed that Cherish didn't pose any threat to his sister. 

Lilac was happy to be given something to draw, and would set out to gather a few colors that she thought would look good on both of their papers. Doing her best to get colors that matched their coats and manes.

A short while later everyone would be finished with their nametags, Lilac having taken it upon herself to decorate Nova's after finishing with Cherish's and her own. Drawing a little picture of her hugging her brother on his.

Once Gypsum saw that they were all done she nodded, "Alright, it looks like you're all done? Let's all clean up real quick, then we can put them on the desks." She pulled out some holders that would allow them to hang the names form the desks as well as easily move them between desks if they ever wanted to move, and set about carefully putting them in while the ponies cleaned up the supplies.

Everyone initially went back to the seats they had started with but Gypsum stopped them as she gave back the name tags in their holders. "Rather than assigning an organization, or going by a first-come first-served basis, why don't we come up with a fair way to decide where everyone goes?"

The young ponies seemed intrigued by the idea, as did Lilac, but Nova didn't seem to care.

Gypsum smiled, "Lets start with the front row, who would prefer to sit up front?" Lilac, Toupé, and Teal each raised a hoof. Which, given there were three seats, would make it easy, but if Cherish also wanted to sit up front, they'd have to make a decision. (Please have Cherish raise a hoof if she's interested, even if she would immediately retract upon seeing how many others want it. If she honestly wouldn't want to sit up front then no worries.)

[Blitz Boom 4,750]

@Illiad Easle

(Ardee)

"Fairly nice really, long as you know how to deal with the one in charge of it. Last time I checked, he seemed to be relaxed, but lemme just have a look..."

The mare went over and creaked the door open, having a brief look inside, before closing it again.

"Yep, seems like an easy one. Follow me, and whatever you do, don't try and touch the tree."

She'd open the door again, and walk through, giving the others access to follow her.

The place beyond this were... Underwhelming, one might say? It were semi-natural, with some piles of scrap cloth in a few locations, some plants - a few of them potted, as they couldn't grow here regularly - and some bowls of water. The entire minor area - around the size of one of the larger suites - were covered in what seemed like tarp, over a large poultry netting. A few glow in the dark lights were in here, where moths fluttered lazily around at times, and the tarp had holes in them, giving some rays of light, but overall, a rather dim lighting.

In the middle, there were two things of note: The lesser one, being a flowerbed, where if you looked closely, some larva were eating leaves, and other, older specimens, were eating what suited their regional diet. An overall calm, relaxing area.

The other thing, were a ramshackle *tree* of sorts. Made of seemingly wire, broken wood, and leaves made of random scraps of paper, it stood semi-ominously, in the exact center of this place. On top of it, in the crowns, rested a large moth. Like, unnaturally large. The only recorded ones that had been known to be bigger, were the Sacred Harrowish Giant Moths. Those were able to be as large as Big Mac, if the books were to be believed.

The size of this one though, were that of an average pony, and in vivid greys and black, with dark-orange antenna. It seemed to be resting on the *branches* of the tree, its chest bulging in and out, whilst a flimsy, plastic crown, wobbled slightly on its head. The crown itself, seemed as if it were taken from some sort of long-ruined child's toy.

"I still can't believe you got them here..."

"Oh pish posh. Yarney's not so bad. You just need to know how to react to their moods."

As they were talking, the moth began to drowsily open it's segmented eyes, and look around. At which point Berry would wander forth, and raise a hoof, saluting it, whilst saying in a clear, high pitched voice:

"Bzz bzz, glerglfhhht bzz."

She'd stomp twice after that, right her peg leg. In response, the moth fluttered its wings lazily in response, and seemed to fall back asleep.

"See? no problem. They're happy and drowsy today, so it's easy to get a nice, good look at everything. But for the love of Celestia, don't touch them."

The moths on her head did at least, as they started to flutter about, interacting with other moths in the area. Some of them having hats on too, but most not wearing any, at this point in time. To be honest, Berry were one of only two so far, who had shown interest in this project, but it hadn't been long. Give it time, and that might change.

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

 

(School)

21 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

A short while later everyone would be finished with their nametags, Lilac having taken it upon herself to decorate Nova's after finishing with Cherish's and her own. Drawing a little picture of her hugging her brother on his.

Cherish had complimented Nova on the pictures, and openly let out a *D'aaaw* sound, as she saw the one she had made for her brother. Sure he seemed a bit cold and ever-present, but that was okay. He were just being a protective older brother. He didn't know any of them, right? For all he knew, they were bullies, so why wouldn't be try and be a little intimidating of sorts now? He'd thaw up eventually. Cherish were sure of it. And then they'd get to see his dazzling smile too, with those big, shiny fangs.

She wasn't sure why she liked those so much honestly. Sure there had been bat ponies in Canterlot, but most of those had been around, when she were sleeping. She rarely ever even saw any. Much less interacted with them. For some reason though, she were just a big fan, of their teeth, and leathery wings. Maybe it had something to do with that guard she saw once? He looked all buff and majestic. Even her dad had been halting for that. That had been a nice day.

She'd get to clean up after she were done, and prepare to get her nametag ready on the table. Looked good now, with the heart covering the damaged part, some frills she had added, and the nice text- She hoped Crow could see this someday too. She'd probably be happy to see, that Cherish thought so highly of her, that the scale were something she wanted to use so prominently.

22 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

Everyone initially went back to the seats they had started with but Gypsum stopped them as she gave back the name tags in their holders. "Rather than assigning an organization, or going by a first-come first-served basis, why don't we come up with a fair way to decide where everyone goes?"

The young ponies seemed intrigued by the idea, as did Lilac, but Nova didn't seem to care.

Gypsum smiled, "Lets start with the front row, who would prefer to sit up front?" Lilac, Toupé, and Teal each raised a hoof. Which, given there were three seats, would make it easy, but if Cherish also wanted to sit up front, they'd have to make a decision. (Please have Cherish raise a hoof if she's interested, even if she would immediately retract upon seeing how many others want it. If she honestly wouldn't want to sit up front then no worries.)

Oh? She hadn't expected this were going to come up. But it seemed like a nice idea really. Made sure as many could sit together as possible, right? Already there were three for grabs up front, and three who were interested, which honestly, she were perfectly fine with. Cherish liked sitting in the middle instead, where she could get a better look of her classmates, as well as the teacher, without falling out of sight, as it were. One more reason why she had never had an issue switching seats back in her old school. Rare were it that others wanted these, and it gave her a chance to see the others, from various angles.

Yet the teachers had not infrequently, insisted that she went up front, because she were smaller than a filly her age should be. So they meant it were best she were in front, in case she needed to raise a hoof for a question, and then leave some of the taller ones further back instead. Since it appeared that that wouldn't be an issue here, and that three others had already called dibs essentially, that meant that she could get a spot she wanted more, and this time, hopefully without teacher intervention. How nice. Almost made her heart flutter a bit in joy.

She'd wait until the call would come out for the second row, before she'd say anything, at which point, she'd raise a hoof up. That were more her jam. Ideally in the very middle, but they'd see who else were interested.

[Illiad Easle 3,257]

@Blitz Boom

(Ardee)

Ardee nodded at the instructions, she wasn't much inclined to touch things anyway, given her upbringing, so she kept her hooves and wings to herself as she observed her surroundings. Sure, it wasn't the same level of quality as the rest of the casino, but that only served to make it feel more familiar to Ardee. It reminded her of something Efs or Ayjay would put together before...

The memory brought a tear to her eye but she quickly wiped it away with a wingtip before returning her attention to the task at hoof, "I shouldn't touch them because it might hurt them right? They're not dangerous, are they?" Regardless of the answer she was still not inclined to touch them. "Follow-up question, why moths? do they produce something useful? Or is their purpose more artistic?" It was clear by her tone that she was genuinely curious, and not disparaging despite how her phrasing might be interpreted.

 

(School)

As it was just the three ponies interested in the front row, Gypsum let them decide for themselves how to arrange themselves. Teal took the left seat, Toupé took the middle, and Lilac took the right.

The three remaining students all were fine sitting in the middle row, Nova sitting on the right behind Lilac, Cherish getting the middle, and Elef sitting on the left behind Teal.

That did leave the three desks in the back row empty, but maybe there would be more students in the future?

Gypsum smiled as they all got settled in, "Alright, is everyone happy with where they are? We don't have to keep it this way the whole time, but we also don't have to change it if you don't want to. And at any point you can feel free to switch seats with someone , just make sure they agree to it first."

Unless anyone spoke up she would nod, "Now, I know it's a bit unusual, but lets push the desks aside and come sit in a circle. Bring your nametags, and we'll go around the circle having everyone introduce themselves, show off the nametag you made, and share something small about you."

Gypsum would help Lilac to move her desk, and Cherish if she needed it, before taking a seat at the head of the circle, producing a nametag of her own. "I'll go first to show how it is done, then we'll take a volunteer to go next." She waved generally to the group, "My name is Gypsum Rover, and I'm a diamond dog. Like most diamond dogs I like to eat gemstones, and so I colored the letters of my name with the colors of some of my favorite gems." The letters were a mix of red, blue, and green, they also seemed to have a bit of sparkle to them. She nodded then looked around the group, "That's how it goes, who would like to go next?"

(Even if Cherish doesn't volunteer, you can include her introduction to the class in your next post, and I'll slot it in depending on where you decide to put her in the circle. The only place she can't be is between Lilac and Nova) 

[Blitz Boom 4,750]

@Illiad Easle

(Ardee)

"No, you can touch the regular ones, long as you're gentle. But the big one up there? That's Yarney. They do not like getting touched, nor the tree being felt."

She'd lean in after that, to whisper something to Ardee, that wasn't meant to be picked up by the overgrown moth.

"Yarney's a changeling, that's a little fried in the noggin. Just roll with it."

She'd lean back out after, and go on to answer the rest.

"And moths are great little creatures. It mostly came from a business investment, that Miss Bling is trying out though, far as I've come to understand it. Some mare that makes hats for moths, that make them able to understand ponish, and communicate via tapping on you, like horse code. Novelty companions, y'know? She just needed an avenue to get moths from, and Yarney were the right one for the job. I'm just here because I know how to speak with them better, and thus could convince them to relocate here, as well as keep them happy. It's not something I'm used to, but I can't do my old job again. Not like this."

She'd wave her peg leg, to further her point.

"Used to be a barista in Ponyville of all places, y'know? Got stuck in Canterlot overnight, due to a convention, and missed the epicenter. The ripples though? Not so much. Had to hide in a pile of bodies for two days, waiting for an opening to get out. Then they started to chop up and burn the corpses...

*sigh* Sorry, didn't mean to vent. We were talking about the moth farm, not me. Like I said, they're novelty companions, and when paired with a moth helmet, pretty sentient. These four I have with me, recently got their helmets, and I'm trying to give a hoof in making them learn stuff, and become more adjusted to being around ponies. They're doing really well. Especially Bubbles, up here to the front left. He's learned to use horse code, to give a pretty good rendition of a bar crawler song. I'm still not sure where he picked it up, but I'm still impressed."

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

 

(School)

This were starting to remind Cherish of her first day in proper school too, where the students gathered up, and got to know one another a bit better. It were pretty nice to see that happening here too, so they could get a bit more of a feel for one another. And she were happy to get some help to move her desk. She wasn't all that physically impressive, which were gonna really show for the inevitable gym classes, so any help were welcome, when it came to moving heavy things, like this table.

When they were all set and done, and gathered up, Cherish would look on attentively, as Gypsum introduced herself.

It were not the first diamond dog that Cherish had seen in her life. She had seen some, growing up, even if they had mainly stayed for themselves, and she were told they weren't this smart. She wasn't sure how right they had been, since the first one she heard talk were Gypsum, and she sounded plenty smart. She were a teacher. She couldn't be a fool then, right?

As the question came about who wanted to go next, Cherish would hesitate for a second, then raise her hoof up, and take a deep breath. She had to introduce herself to the others, to get to know them. Just be brave, and push through it. It'd be fine. Perfectly fine, with nothing going wrong... Right?

"I'll go.

My name is Cherish Sky, and I come from Equestria. I like to play with lizards, sew, and I write a lot..

This scale come from my best friend, Crow. She's a dragon, but she haven't gone into town, 'cause she's shy.

Oh, and I live with Sooth Sayer. She's a therapist in town, who adopted me, some time after I were taken into town. I... Don't want to talk about what happened between Equestria and here, so please don't ask, okay?"

Her smile faltered a little at the end, as she pleaded tot he class to not dig into this. She didn't want to remember, but it got harder and harder not to, when she were made to talk about what happened, between the crisis starting, and her ending up here. Besides, it weren't a good story, and there were enough of those from everyone. They didn't need to bring them up, and get depressed.

[Illiad Easle 3,257]

@Blitz Boom

(Ardee)

On 2023-03-04 at 2:27 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"No, you can touch the regular ones, long as you're gentle. But the big one up there? That's Yarney. They do not like getting touched, nor the tree being felt."

She'd lean in after that, to whisper something to Ardee, that wasn't meant to be picked up by the overgrown moth.

"Yarney's a changeling, that's a little fried in the noggin. Just roll with it."

Ardee nodded at that. She didn't have much experience with Changelings outside of the lab environment. But she had heard about the strange changelings that Arcade had had to deal with, so she understood why it would be a good idea to keep her distance and not risk aggravating the giant moth.

On 2023-03-04 at 2:27 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"And moths are great little creatures. It mostly came from a business investment, that Miss Bling is trying out though, far as I've come to understand it. Some mare that makes hats for moths, that make them able to understand ponish, and communicate via tapping on you, like horse code. Novelty companions, y'know? She just needed an avenue to get moths from, and Yarney were the right one for the job. I'm just here because I know how to speak with them better, and thus could convince them to relocate here, as well as keep them happy. It's not something I'm used to, but I can't do my old job again. Not like this."

She raised an eyebrow at that, "A hat that makes moths smarter? I wonder how she figured that out. But I can see why that would make them more desirable." 

On 2023-03-04 at 2:27 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Used to be a barista in Ponyville of all places, y'know? Got stuck in Canterlot overnight, due to a convention, and missed the epicenter. The ripples though? Not so much. Had to hide in a pile of bodies for two days, waiting for an opening to get out. Then they started to chop up and burn the corpses...

*sigh* Sorry, didn't mean to vent. We were talking about the moth farm, not me. Like I said, they're novelty companions, and when paired with a moth helmet, pretty sentient. These four I have with me, recently got their helmets, and I'm trying to give a hoof in making them learn stuff, and become more adjusted to being around ponies. They're doing really well. Especially Bubbles, up here to the front left. He's learned to use horse code, to give a pretty good rendition of a bar crawler song. I'm still not sure where he picked it up, but I'm still impressed."

She was quiet while she listened to what the mare said of her past. While she and the others had seen a bit of what had happened from a distance when they got moved out of the lab to the facility, she had never really witnessed normal pony society to understand how different it was from the collapse. But she got the idea that asking about it might not be the best topic of conversation.

Seeing the moths as pets though gave her a thought, she'd have to ask Null about the possibility of getting a pet of her own, it would help the times when she was by herself. "So, do you sell the moths? What sort of upkeep do they need?"

 

(Null)

There was a knock at their door, and if they were quick they'd get to see the messenger as they walked away, distinctly someone from the Tartarus Pits, otherwise they'd just find the letter addressed to Null by the dragons of the Tartarus Pits casino: "We hope this message finds you well. We've heard tell that you're back in our town, and that you've become bereft of your previous gift. If you are so inclined, we would like to measure the effects of our curse on one who has previously seen through it. We promise that you are in no danger, and should things turn towards enthrallment we'll have you returned to your room without pushing the matter further."

 

(School)

As eager as Cherish was, Teal beat her to it, and as such got to introduce herself first:

"Well, um, hello everyone! I'm Teal," she pointed to her name tag, which just had the letters TL, there were some tracing lines that showed how hard she had worked to get the letters just perfect, and it was otherwise undecorated, "I'm a unicorn, and, um... my siblings and I were rescued by a mare named Null and now we live with her sister Void and a doe named Vale who take care of us. I'm excited to learn new things with you all."

Cherish would get to share next, all present a bit saddened when Cherish mentioned not wanting to talk about her past, not out of disappointment of course, Gypsum responding, "That's perfectly alright Cherish. Thank you for telling us so that we can avoid those topics in the future, we don't want anyone here to be uncomfortable after all."

Toupé would go next, "I'm Toupé, an earth pony," her sign had '2P' on it, she had at least added some colors to the number and letter to reflect her own coloration, "I also like learning and reading, yeah..."

Gypsum nodded, "It's alright, you don't have to share more if you don't want to."

Elef followed up, "I'm Elef, and I'm a thestral like Lilac and Nova, we met before at the Fastar festival a bit ago." His sign had his name as LF Fastar, "I got unofficially accepted into the Fastar clan there, since I don't know if I was in a clan before. I want to be a storyteller when I grow up."

Lilac was next, "I'm Lilac Fastar, I'm a thestral too. My brother takes care of me and keeps me safe while our parents are gone. I hope they come back soon..." She shook it off, though Nova looked sad, "I don't know what I want to do when I'm big, but I like flowers. My mother made dyes, maybe I can do that too?"

Nova was last, "I'm Nova. I'm only here for my sister." by his voice it was obvious that he didn't speak out loud much.

Now that everyone had introduced themselves, Gypsum nodded, sure she had hoped for a bit more participation, but she was hopeful that there would be more as they warmed up to each other.

"Alright everyone, it looks like we've got time for one more activity. I'd like you all to pair off with someone you didn't come here with and get to know each other a bit better. Once you're done I'll have you share something that you learned about your partner, alright? Cherish, since you came by yourself today, why don't you pick who you want to learn more about, and we'll determine pairs from there."

[Blitz Boom 4,750]

@Illiad Easle

(Ardee)

On 2023-03-07 at 8:57 PM, Illiad Easle said:

She raised an eyebrow at that, "A hat that makes moths smarter? I wonder how she figured that out. But I can see why that would make them more desirable." 

"Who knows? New Las Pegasus have all kinds of creatures. The bigger the spread, the more things you get to see."

She'd lean in again, and whisper, whilst looking slightly to the sides.

"There's also tons of secrets. A conspiracy of lies and hidden knowledge."

She'd lean back out again, and grin like nothing happened.

It wasn't like she had much proof of anything overarching and nefarious, but Berry felt pretty sure that she had rummaged through the layers, and uncovered dark, twisted secrets. Like how the mist creature, weren't actually made of mist, or some sort of cloud, but were instead an imagine, sent by a projector, manned by hundreds of small insects. That's why he were always intangible. It were just their shadows, merging around, like a school of sardines.

Or how the missing daughter Epsilon, of the departed owner of the Top Suites, were actually the new Grey Mare.

She didn't share these sorts of things with anypony though. Especially the part about the mist creature, as she were sure that if the truth as she had uncovered it came out, he would send some to take her out, but she'd continue her research, in her free time, and find the truth. Maybe when she did, they'd try to silence her, but the truth had to be learned? If for nothing else, then because it were far too late to back down know, and her only defense in the long run, would be to know so much, that they'd be scared of offing her.

She had to remember to rummage through their bins this night again, looking for more clues. She had found some hours where she could collect her evidence undisturbed, and would do best in taking advantage of it. Even if this peg leg, didn't make it as easy as it once were. Aaah, the good old days of rummaging through Princess Twilight's trash, both hooves deep down, and unravelling dark secrets. As well as lots of bottles of hoof shine. Twilight really went overboard with that stuff.

On 2023-03-07 at 8:57 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Seeing the moths as pets though gave her a thought, she'd have to ask Null about the possibility of getting a pet of her own, it would help the times when she was by herself. "So, do you sell the moths? What sort of upkeep do they need?"

"I'm more of an assistant of sorts. I keep Yarney happy, he keeps the moths thriving, and then... I dunno, I don't think Bling have thought about who'd sell them yet. It's pretty new, this whole thing. I could probably do it though. The boss lady got other things to focus on most of the time. And hey, maybe she'd let me work on commission for that. Get another chance to earn up some currency, so I can get a better leg. Can't do a whole lot with this, beyond keeping my balance.

Anyway, they don't really need a lot. You need to keep them safe from predators. And they're fragile, so you have to be careful, and not put them in danger. I'd advise keeping a little room they can be safe in on you, like a box with a hole. You can put something for them to eat in that too, and have it in your coat pocket, or on your head, or under your wing- There's lots of options. They don't eat a lot either, so they're pretty low maintenance. They're very curious, once they get the hat on though, so you're gonna want to learn horse code. It takes a bit of time, but it's pretty nice being able to communicate like this, and they're some adorable little scamps.

Chewey keeps asking me to show him more shiny things, and gets really excited when I do find some. Makes him flutter with joy.

You ever had a companion before?"

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

 

(School)

On 2023-03-07 at 8:57 PM, Illiad Easle said:

"Well, um, hello everyone! I'm Teal," she pointed to her name tag, which just had the letters TL, there were some tracing lines that showed how hard she had worked to get the letters just perfect, and it was otherwise undecorated, "I'm a unicorn, and, um... my siblings and I were rescued by a mare named Null and now we live with her sister Void and a doe named Vale who take care of us. I'm excited to learn new things with you all."

Cherish wasn't gonna say anything, but she did perk up a bit, when she heard about the ones that they said had rescued them. She knew them! Kind of. Null she had only seen maybe once or twice, whereas Void had been there often. Only the latter had she even spoken with in the first place, and she didn't know what they were there for. Sooth wasn't gonna talk about what her patients were there for, so Cherish didn't ask. And if she grasped something, she didn't talk about it. She wouldn't be happy, if it were others suddenly started to talk about, what she had been bringing up in her own therapy session, so she wouldn't about others, and would try and listen in, even if she were curious sometimes.

As for Null and Void, she wasn't sure what to think about them. Null were tiny, and seemed to be pretty angry when she arrived, then sullen as she left. Void over time though, had appeared to be less shaky and fidgety. As if she had been afraid of something. Void seemed nice at least.

On 2023-03-07 at 8:57 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Cherish would get to share next, all present a bit saddened when Cherish mentioned not wanting to talk about her past, not out of disappointment of course, Gypsum responding, "That's perfectly alright Cherish. Thank you for telling us so that we can avoid those topics in the future, we don't want anyone here to be uncomfortable after all."

"I don't mind talking about other things from before, just... Not how I got here."

She had a lot of good memories from her past. Some which now hurt, taking into context what happened later, but the trip here? She had no good memories of that. Not a single good thing had happened there, until she stood here in Troy, alone and scared.

That were one of the things that helped her connect with Crow, as the dragon also had nothing good to say, about her trip here. At least she said so, and by the looks of her, when she got to things she did not want to talk about, Cherish believed her.

On 2023-03-07 at 8:57 PM, Illiad Easle said:

"Alright everyone, it looks like we've got time for one more activity. I'd like you all to pair off with someone you didn't come here with and get to know each other a bit better. Once you're done I'll have you share something that you learned about your partner, alright? Cherish, since you came by yourself today, why don't you pick who you want to learn more about, and we'll determine pairs from there."

She had listened in, as the others gave their introductions. Not a whole lot to grasp from that, but it were just a small intro, and it still gave her a bit of an idea of who the other ones were. A lot of interesting ones there, who seemed to have a lot of story to tell. Might be there'd be a good friend or two in the bunch eventually? That'd be nice. She'd even include Nova in that, even though he were pretty clear that he weren't so much here to make friends, as to keep an eye out for his sister. But that still said tons about him, as a big brother. Lilac were lucky to have him.

There were also a bit of a sad moment, that Lilac seemed to have missed. A brief window, that marred her brother's face, when she mentioned their parents... It said a lot too, and definitely made it clearer why he were so protective. Had to hurt though, that Lilac apparently didn't know. Definitely a good big brother, to shield her from things, so she could keep a smile on her face. Probably also best to not bring up their parents while he could hear it either. She didn't want to dig into wounds like that.

Soon after all had given their piece though, it were time for them to pair up. How fun! And she got to pick first? Oooh, that'd be nice, but who to pick?

The way she looked around, did show her preference for thestrals, as she mostly looked between Nova, Lilac, and Elef. Seemed like the thing would be that they had to team up, with someone they hadn't showed up with, so Lilac and Nova wouldn't be paired. She'd like to pick Nova, and learn something, but the others had showed up in one big group, so if it were to match, she had to pick one from Elef's group, right? Then Teal and Toupé, could match with Lilac and Nova. That made sense to her.

"I pick... Elef then. I haven't learned a lot about him yet. Outta be fun."

She'd smile, and wander over towards him, looking up at the thestral. He seemed nice and harmless. It'd be a good time, and then she could learn about Nova and Lilac later, or maybe some other school day, yeah? The others too, of course. All of them.

[Illiad Easle 3,257]

@Blitz Boom

(You didn't respond to the prompt for Null)

(Ardee)

On 2023-03-10 at 3:46 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"There's also tons of secrets. A conspiracy of lies and hidden knowledge."

She might be disappointed to see that Ardee was unfazed by her comment, simply nodding as though that were common knowledge that didn't really interest her.

On 2023-03-10 at 3:46 AM, Blitz Boom said:

Anyway, they don't really need a lot. You need to keep them safe from predators. And they're fragile, so you have to be careful, and not put them in danger. I'd advise keeping a little room they can be safe in on you, like a box with a hole. You can put something for them to eat in that too, and have it in your coat pocket, or on your head, or under your wing- There's lots of options. They don't eat a lot either, so they're pretty low maintenance. They're very curious, once they get the hat on though, so you're gonna want to learn horse code. It takes a bit of time, but it's pretty nice being able to communicate like this, and they're some adorable little scamps.

Ardee looked a little disappointed to hear all the care that needed to go into a moth. She'd definitely prefer something a but more robust, self-sufficient, that could handle a life outside. Still though, it was good to learn.

On 2023-03-10 at 3:46 AM, Blitz Boom said:

You ever had a companion before?"

She shook her head, "I mean, I've been traveling with my siblings for a while, but I've mostly just been the care-giver. This is my first time really being on my own, and I guess it's a bit strange to be by myself after so long."

That said she'd turn towards the door, "I should be getting back, thanks for showing me around."

 

(School)

Gypsum nodded at Cherish's choice, "Excellent, that will make the other pairings easier. Teal and Toupé can talk with Nova and Lilac. Lets start with one of you asking questions and the other answering them, then after a few minutes we'll switch sides, alright? I'll let you decide between yourselves who goes first."

Elef would give Cherish the opportunity to go first, but if she didn't want it or took too long to ask a question he would go ahead, "Um... You mentioned being ok talking about things before, can you tell me what it was like where you grew up?"

[Blitz Boom 4,750]

@Illiad Easle

(Null) didn't see it. Whoops.

Null were indeed awake, and got to the door quickly, with an irritated scowl on her face. She were assuming it were whoever had moved in to the room next to them. She had been perfectly asleep, when she suddenly heard something impacting the wall repeatedly, and then someone loudly saying something along the lines of *No. Stop it.*. It were frankly annoying, and had some noise behind it, for her to hear it here. Might be this wasn't the fancy area of the casino, but it were still enough of a high end place, for the walls to be fairly thick, so it took some to get sound through. Likely also including as she had gone out briefly, pounded the door, and though it, had told whoever were in there to shut it.

She had barely gotten in when the door had been knocked on. Thinking it were the one from there, she had gotten ready for a growling match. Not shouting, though that were temping, as she didn't want to get kicked out of this place.

Instead, she had seen someone with a fancy outfit, that she recalled she had seen on some staf, for one of the hotels before. She couldn't remember which one though, until she were presented with the letter, or were outright told. Whichever had been the case, it would still reveal who had sent it, and what the matter were about. Seemed like she were going to be a lab rat again... *sigh* but at least with this, she could make the choice herself, and it might present her a chance to ask them something, in case the effects weren't that bad. Though she assumed it would be, as she wasn't protected anymore.

"Hold on."

She'd go back in the room, and check if Arcade were awake. If he were, she'd ask if he wanted to come along here. If he wasn't, she'd write down that she were summoned, and that she'd be back soon. No reason to wake him up, if he wasn't awake. He could use the sleep.

Then again, if the one outside had simply left, or said it weren't a thing they needed to do in a hurry, she'd just go back in, crumple up the paper, and throw it out, before laying down again. If it wasn't something where she were expected to go with the courier, she might as well wait until he were awake, and enjoy a few more moments of his presence.

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

 

(Ardee)

Berry weren't disappointed that there were no reaction to what she whispered. She were used to folks saying she were crazy, and that she were just a conspiracy nut, who saw connections, where there weren't any. But they'd see eventually. She'd end up with an airtight case, and then they'd all have to admit, that she were right all along.

2 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

She shook her head, "I mean, I've been traveling with my siblings for a while, but I've mostly just been the care-giver. This is my first time really being on my own, and I guess it's a bit strange to be by myself after so long."

That said she'd turn towards the door, "I should be getting back, thanks for showing me around."

"Aaah, that's why you're looking for a companion. Feels a bit lonely, yeah? Moths are more of a good fit, if you're staying in town, but I know some places if you're looking for a more travel friendly sort. Come poke around some other time, and I'll see if I can't help you, yeah?

Both of you take care."

She'd hear a sound behind her, and turn around, to see Yarney's left wing were buzzing faintly, in an all too familiar pattern to her, at this point.

"Seems like it's time for me to get him some sugar water too anyway. Hope to see you around, and if anyone wants an easy companion, for an easy life, let 'em know about us."

She'd grin at Ardee, and the changeling, and wave them off as they began leaving, before going over to a corner and start mixing up something for Yarney. Weren't just his mental state she had to handle. The lad needed to be fed too, and sometimes, the emotion gel weren't all that he craved.

As for the changeling, once they got out, they'd look at Ardee, curious, yet not as to what she thought of this place. Not currently at least.

"So, do you need directions for anywhere else? Maybe some help getting back to your room?"

Much could be said about the workers here, but the customer service being lackluster, weren't part of it. Not fromt he ones that Ardee had run into so far at least, so at the bare minimum, she would've had to have gotten a good first impression, yeah?

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

 

(School)

Cherish were admiring Elef at first, as well as thinking he were just gonna ask things first anyway, so she didn't get to ask first. And it seemed they were going right into some harder hitting ones, huh? Well, at least it hadn't been about her trip here, so that were good. She could grasp from more happy memories, to answer his questions.

"It was nice and colorful. Full of plant life, and many animals.

It was the outskirts of Baltimare. Not as big as Canterlot, but it were still a big city, if you went to the actual city. Places like the outskirts where I grew up though, it were very natural. My mom used to tend flowers in town, while my dad went and did accounting in the big city, so outside of school, I mostly spend time with her, or with my friends.

It were all just so calm and serene. The sort of place where nothing bad really happened, and we could all just run around and play.

I remember spending time trying to make two others from school get together. They both had huge crushes on the other, but just didn't know how to bring it up, so I were trying to give them a bit of a helping hoof. Then not long after, I saw them,,. going off on their first date, all blushing and giggling.

*sigh* Love always seems so fantastic. I don't think I could ever get tired of seeing it."

Cherish had gotten a dreamy look in her eyes briefly, as she recalled the look in her friend, and the other foal's eyes, when they had finally spilled the beans to one another, and started to make a couple. Maybe it wouldn't last, like some had said. Might just be a couple of young foals, having a crush. But she still recalled greatly how they had looked in that moment, and she felt sure from that, that even if it didn't last, it would still be an experience they'd cherish.

Assuming it were her turn to ask afterwards then, she'd turn that question right back at him.

"What were it like where you grew up?"

Edited March 16, 2023 by Blitz Boom

[Illiad Easle 3,257]

@Blitz Boom

(Null)

On 2023-03-16 at 4:09 PM, Blitz Boom said:

Then again, if the one outside had simply left, or said it weren't a thing they needed to do in a hurry, she'd just go back in, crumple up the paper, and throw it out, before laying down again. If it wasn't something where she were expected to go with the courier, she might as well wait until he were awake, and enjoy a few more moments of his presence.

The messenger was already headed down the hall when Null got to the door. Clearly they had only been meant to leave the letter and not wait for a response.

The message didn't seem urgent, so she could reasonably interpret it as an open invitation.

 

(Ardee)

On 2023-03-16 at 4:09 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"So, do you need directions for anywhere else? Maybe some help getting back to your room?"

She shook her head, "I can find my way back on my own, but thank you."

She would start to head towards her room, but would pause once she got back to the central area, looking over at the theater. She then shrugged and headed over, may as well see what all the fuss was about, maybe it would prove as interesting as the moths had.

(School)

Elef looked a little disappointed that he didn't recognize the cities that Cherish mentioned, but still listened intently to her story.

When she returned the question he thought for a bit on the answer, "Well... It was very different from how Miss Void and Miss Vale have been caring for us. I'd say it was cold, cramped. We grew up in a sort of science facility, my siblings and I, under the care of Mistress. Every day we'd have some tests to do, often on our own, then be back together for the night." He shrugged, "It was very routine, but we never knew any different." He smiled a bit, "Your story sounds nice though, I wish I had grown up somewhere like that."

He thought for another moment before asking, "What's something that you like doing? Like, for fun?"

[Blitz Boom 4,750]

@Illiad Easle

(Null)

As it didn't seem urgent, Null would have closed the door, and gone back to Arcade, laying down next to him. A little at a distance at first, but then soon after, she'd shuffle closer, and rest her head on his shoulder. She never thought it would be like this. Her, resting so comfortably near a stallion. Yet now, after she met Arcade, it were hard for her to imagine something else than this. He made her feel happy. Something she hadn't for a long, long time now. Sure she had been surviving along with Void, but happy? No, that wasn't in the cards. At least she hadn't thought so.

Yet here Arcade were. Stumbling into her life, and now, she actually felt joy. Believed that maybe, just maybe, there could be the future for her, that she had given up on, so long ago, that she honestly forgot when it happened anymore.

She didn't want to leave this pillar of happiness in her life, when there weren't a rush. And she wasn't gonna leave him behind, period. Duty or terrors be damned, she didn't want to have him ripped from her life. Just the thought...

A small tear rolled from her eye, as she nuzzled her snout in his mane, and tried to get some more rest.

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

 

(Ardee)

Inside the theater, there were actually someone around the stage, though not a performer yet. That were soon enough, but until then, the stage still had to be prepared. Though it had to be a very odd one, considering the things being set up.

Essentially, it involved a half dozen ponies and changelings, fluttering around and putting up a variety of crystal formations, strobe lights, small mirrors that had to be angled very specifically, judging by the amount of rulers that were in play here.

There were also some extra speakers brought in, and hooked up to a few corners, to make sure there'd be enough of the correct sound around. All of it together, connected to a strange thing on stage, that were likely a custom made instrument of some sort.

It appeared as some sort of elongated halfmoon, with three rows of various buttons, knobs, strings, levers, and crystals. None of it seemed to be made of mechanical parts, but rather from wood, and some parts of metal. At least on the outside. The various parts, were also too small for a pony to easily use it, without the use of magic, or wingtips.

That said, there were someone on stage, currently poking at various things, booping their head at some imagined sounds. It were not done with hooves or wings though, but instead, several magic-sustained, ethereal tails, springing from the rear of the young kitsune male on stage.

It were a mixture of reddish-yellow, reminiscent of sand coloring, and charcoal black. His paws were tapping along on the ground, and his actual real tail, large and fluffy, yet ending in a tip, as kitsune tails tended to do, were twisting randomly from side to side. He were humming with his eyes closed, and didn't notice that someone had entered the room at all.

No one would stop Ardee, if she wanted to get a closer look at this one. They were busy with the prep work, as there weren't long until the show was gonna start. And if she had checked the markers on the door, she would've seen that two had been hastily switched, taking the theater production to later, and the one next up, being Lightshow Performa, in B Minor. Likely why everyone were in such a hurry. They had to prep fast.

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

 

(School)

"That doesn't sound like a nice place to grow up... I mean, it's good you had your family there, but hopefully it will be better for you here in Troy."

She hadn't thought anyone had better lives now, than they did before the crisis, but what Elef said were honestly sad. Sure he had his siblings, but growing up in a lab, mostly doing tests, in cold and cramped places? That were really, really not a good way to start life. It made it sound like him and his siblings, had been science experiments or something. Which were a thought so nasty, it almost made her shiver. Poor Elef... Hopefully Miss Vale and Miss Void would take good care of them now. And she would make sure to work extra hard, to be nice and friendly to them.

"I don't think I've seen Miss Vale, but I have seen Miss Void sometimes. She seems nice. I'm sure she takes real good care of you."

She'd smile broadly, and almost beam up at Elef. She did feel a small sting, as a brief image of her own mom to in her mind, but thankfully it had been one of the good memories, and not... No, best not to finish that thought. It might bring the floodgates down.

"And fun... Fun... Well, I like lots of things. I like to write a lot, and read. Mostly fantasy, and romance. But I also like to go to the outskirts of town, and hang out with my friend Crow. She likes to hunt wildlife, and scavenge, so it's kinda like adventuring. That's pretty fun, even if it were a bit scary at first.

What do you like to do for fun?"

Whatever it were, she bet it was something cool. And done at night. She always heard most bat ponies were night active, and that had been true, when she had seen them. But here were several, active during the day, so she could learn more stuff now. Probably because there weren't any night schooling here, but still.

[Illiad Easle 3,257]

@Blitz Boom

(Null)

(It occurs to me that Arcade doesn't really have a concept of romance, given he lived his whole life in a lab. So if you want anything to happen between them Null will need to take the initiative)

 

(Ardee)

Now this was something she had not seen before. The kitsune grabbed her attention as it appeared to be a clearly intelligent and magical creature, but she had never seen one like it in the facility, and she had seen some strange creatures during her time there. Still though, she knew better than to approach something new and strange on her own, so she would simply take a seat where she could watch the strange creature work. It seemed to be setting something up, and she was curious to see what that something would be.

(School)

On 3/20/2023 at 3:13 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"That doesn't sound like a nice place to grow up... I mean, it's good you had your family there, but hopefully it will be better for you here in Troy."

Elef seemed inwardly struck by her comment, but shook it off.

On 3/20/2023 at 3:13 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"I don't think I've seen Miss Vale, but I have seen Miss Void sometimes. She seems nice. I'm sure she takes real good care of you."

He nodded, a smile returning to his face, "They are, and so is Miss Ada. She's a thestral guard who takes me outside the walls to hunt."

On 3/20/2023 at 3:13 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"And fun... Fun... Well, I like lots of things. I like to write a lot, and read. Mostly fantasy, and romance. But I also like to go to the outskirts of town, and hang out with my friend Crow. She likes to hunt wildlife, and scavenge, so it's kinda like adventuring. That's pretty fun, even if it were a bit scary at first.

What do you like to do for fun?"

He looked surprised, "You like writing? I'm not very good at it. I'm not very good at reading either, but I like hearing stories. Maybe you'll be able to tell me a story some time?"

"As to fun, well, I like learning things, and I like flying around outside at night when the air is cool. I like hunting too, though I'm only supposed to hunt the small things that like to hide in the sand."

He thought for another moment before asking: "Well, um-"

But Gypsum interrupted, "Alright, lets change sides, now let your partner take the lead in asking questions."

He looked a little relieved, "I guess it's your turn to ask the questions."

[Blitz Boom 4,750]

@Illiad Easle

(Ardee)

It would actually be a few more minutes, before anyone would even notice that Ardee were there, and even then, it were by complete accident. One of the stage hooves, had been setting up something above her, and it slipped and fell. The changeling caught it, but they still did so not far from Ardee, and thus, noticed her finally. It were impressive it took so long really, when you thought about it.

"Heeey wait a second. It's not time for the audience yet."

"Did someone say *Audience*?"

The kitsune's ears had perked, as he actually heard a voice, rather than the sound of things being set up around the place, and looked down, to notice that there were indeed a pony in the rows already.

"Probably just a mistake. Miss, I'm gonna have to ask you to le-"

She were interrupted by a loud whistle from the kitsune, that actually got a half dozen others to stop up, and look down towards him.

"Not you, keep going. We gotta be ready for the concert."

The others would get to work again, as the kitsune rose from his seat, ethereal tails shimmering out of existence, and jumped over his instrument, then down over some of the seats, in a slightly zig zagged path, paws landing gently on the backs of them, with a grace and quietness, you wouldn't think from a creature larger than a cat. The seats did not even seem to move that much, from him hitting them, as he jumped around here, with the clear look of a creature, meant to quickly traverse a thick forest, filled with protruding roots, and other vegetation, which would slow down less capable creatures.

A few seconds were all it took, and he'd be on the seatback in front of Ardee, paws planted solidly up on the top of it, and looked down on her, with hazel-colored eyes. They seemed to glimmer with excitement, interest, and a glimmer of mischief, though that last one were par for the core, when it came to kitsune. Trickery creatures, as many who had been exposed to them and their powerful illusions, could attest to.

"Slinked in early, eh? So you're either a big fan, bold, or both. Either way, I like it."

His voice were rather light and joyous, carrying not the deeper, more gravelly tone of many equine males.

"And it's perfect timing. We had to cover things quick. Too quick to test if things are attuned properly. You don't mind hearing a few samples early, do you?"

If she didn't deny it... Okay, who were he kidding? He were jumping back on stage and doing it anyway. She had snuck in here, she could work a bit for it then. The show must commence!

When up there, he'd go into a cheeky little grin, then spawn a few tails via magic again. It were not something he technically Had to do. Some minor telekinesis would do the trick. But what were the point in being a performer, if he couldn't show off, and give it some flair?

He'd turn a crank with one, then run his left paw down a set of buttons. The effect were a melodious tune, wafting from the stage. Though she may more than that, bite notice in how a line of things dangling around, would begin to slowly glow. Then he let out a pleased little yip up on the stage, and looked directly at Ardee.

"Let's roll!"

He'd hit a lever, rise two buttons in the left, run his paws in a sideways rolling motion across a blank part of the *Panel* of the instrument, and boop his head a little, as the magic flowed from him, and into this thing. Which in turn, would let out a short, fifteen second beat, akin to what you'd hear in one of the nightclubs in Equestria, if DJ Pon3 had attended.

All around, several things in a half-bow around Ardee, began glowing, then emating a series of lights. Lights that coalesced into stars in a few places, where in a few others, they were distorted and blurry. Then the stars began to swirl a bit, and light up along with the beat, expanding and contracting. Then sudden as it had started, he stopped up there, and they faded away quickly after that.

"Hah! That's the stuff. Just need the receivers set up proper. Too much distortion, and that were just in a small area.

What you think of the early preview... Oh yeah, I forgot to ask your name, right? Well, mine's Sato Kozue. Last name first. Tradition's weird like that in Neighpon, but just roll with it.

Now you. And I want to know if the sound were off to you. A bit hollow, maybe?"

He were testing her. The sound had been crisp, and clear. Kozue were just testing to see if she had actually listened.

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

 

(School)

"Oh, I'd love to tell you stories! That'd be fun."

Cherish had waited until he were done talking, before answering. Which were also on the other side of the interruption from Gypsum, though it weren't much needed. They were switching who asked a question here already, yeah?

"I think you'd really like Crow too actually. She liked hunting in the desert for prey. She says she goes for dune foxes mostly, but likes stuff like scorpions too, after she snaps off the tail. Something about them being nice and crunchy."

Not every pony that liked to be part of huntiong and stuff, due to it hurting animals technically, but Crow were pretty direct about these things, and in a way that made sense: She needed to eat, and the locals said themselves, that there were too many dune foxes. So they made for ideal prey, that had to be thinned out anyway. Sure Cherish didn't like seeing her eat one of those, but Crow were nice about it, and didn't reveal much. Mostly she covered things with her wings when it happened, then buried the remains. It were rare Cherish saw anything there. Though she were trying to get used to the thought, the dune foxes, still looked like dogs more or less, and she liked dogs.

Crow knew this, and that's why she mostly went for critters, that could be handled in one mouthful, rather than these.. But sometimes Cherish came around, when she were hungry for a proper meal, and the dragon did her best to accommodate her friend a bit. She'd probably be happy with a less squeamish hunting buddy sometimes.

Back to the things at hoof though...

"Well, if I got to ask more stuff... What's it like being around at day? I've always been told, that thestrals are supposed to be around at night. Does it hurt your eyes?"

She always kinda assumed before all of this, that bat ponies had eyes more suited for the dark, so harsh sunlight would hurt. But so far, she hadn't seen that be the case. Or at least not in a way that seemed to be notable. Except for the one she saw, that walked around with sunglasses on all the time.

She had a lot of assumptions about Thestrals, but not a lot of actual information. So why not try and ask, and get smarter about these leather-winged, cool ponies, as well as on how Elef handled it, if it were a problem. Or maybe had been? Could be Thestrals could just train their eyes to deal with sun better. A likely, yet boring answer.

[Illiad Easle 3,257]

@Blitz Boom

(Ardee)

If they catch you where you're not supposed to be, they'll kill you.

Ardee had been taught from the moment she had first been saved by Mistress that she needed to stay out of trouble, and that the consequences were dire if she were ever caught. Running had served her well thus far, and she had not survived as long as she had by being slow.

It didn't help that the Kitsune was something that she hadn't seen before, and thus didn't know if it could, or would, kill her.

She was already starting to move when the Kitsune noticed her after the changeling stagehand had called her out. The Kitsune's whistle sounded more like a warning to her than an invitation, which spurred her to move faster, sprinting for the door she had entered from. Seeing the kitsune start to pursue her pushed her even faster. She had stayed close to the door just in case she needed to leave in a hurry, so she'd rush towards it.

If the kitsune got between her and the door she would not hesitate to jump over him, or attempt to strike him if she couldn't make it over. She didn't have her wing blades on her, or her bow or knife, but she was sufficiently skilled at unarmed combat to hold her own.

If she made it out the door first, she would not stop running until she got back into her room, dodging any who tried to get in her way.

Throughout it all, any nearby changelings would be able to detect her fear, tempered only by her determination to escape. Those experienced enough would be able to detect that this was a familiar sensation to her. She had had to run for her life before.

(Sorry to interrupt your scene, but Ardee is not one to react well at anything rushing at her, especially a creature she's never seen before. So the alternative was her launching into combat with the kitsune to defend herself. Despite the fact that she doesn't fly, whenever she's by herself her flight instinct is always on high alert.)

 

(School)

On 3/25/2023 at 4:17 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Well, if I got to ask more stuff... What's it like being around at day? I've always been told, that thestrals are supposed to be around at night. Does it hurt your eyes?"

He shrugged, "I guess it's just normal for me. I mean I can see better in the dark, but not as good as the other thestrals. I didn't grow up with thestrals, so I didn't get the same upbringing that thestrals would get. I'm sure if I spent more time with thestrals my eyes would adjust, and then I'd need sunglasses like Ada has."

He thought for a moment before shrugging, "There isn't really a good way to turn that question around, but I've heard that Troy was a mostly nocturnal society before everything, and now it's a mix given all the ponies from Equestria being used to something different. Do you have a preference to being awake with the sun or the moon?"

[Blitz Boom 4,750]

@Illiad Easle

(Ardee)

Awh, and here he had it all planned out in his head. Had imagined how things would go and everything, up to and including some minor mistakes, related to his act. However this one seemed to be a flighty one, so all those things went out the window, as she made a run for it. It was a pity, but he couldn't just drag her back here to see the show, if she wanted to or not. Or rather, he could. Fairly easily too in fact. He had enough illusions up his sleeve to work with, to make her walk in a circle, and get right back here, never knowing the real way out.

But the show was about to start, so he had to keep his focus here. Besides, the owner probably wouldn't like it if he did something like that too much, and he liked his cozy position here. It helped him to earn some coin, and a bit of respite, before he'd one day be on his way again. This town were nice and all, but it weren't home, and with things finally clearing up out there, eventually it would be time to get on the road. Either to return directly to the ruin of his former home, and see who else were left who'd show up, to help with rebuilding it, or maybe have a side trip. See if he could find others of his scattered kin, to bring back home...

Oh well, the show went on, and he'd soon be having enough to do. That said though...

He'd grab a piece of paper, and began scribbling on it. Thankfully this room had plenty of access to pen and paper, so this wasn't hard. Something about in case folks wanted autographs, which honestly, were pretty neat. Might be he weren't asked a lot, but just wait and see. Someday, his mixture of tradition and new age, that he had mixed up in his peculiar little concerts, would be the stuff that'd get. crowd in the thousands.

Anyway, grandiose hopes for the future aside, he'd be done writing quickly. Afterwards, he'd begin to fold the paper, turning it into a small, origami fox. It were simple from there. Just a breath of magic, and it would spring to life.

"Find that pony, yeah?"

He'd put it down, and it would begin to run across the floor, chasing after the trail of Ardee. It should reach her eventually, though she'd comfortably get to her room, and have a fair bit of breathing time. It were rather small after all, and needed to avoid others, who might accidentally trample it otherwise, so it would take time for it to get to her.

Another would get there way before that though. That being a changeling, who had been rushed past by this fearful pony. She had been pretty close by, and given some orders by Penny Pincher, when the mare had rushed by. Penny was busy, and didn't seem all that affected, but she did have a thing of seeming overly professional sometimes. She were working on it, but it would take time.

In any case, with Penny essentially being her manager in this situation, she had asked if it were okay if she went and checked up on the mare. Penny had agreed, as this might end up being an issue with the hotel itself - or the zebra spooking someone again - and thus were something to have fixed. Though she did say to not linger for too long, if it seemed things were fine.

So the changeling had gone to her room, with the smell of fear lingering thickly yet, and worriedly knocked on the door twice. The knock not done with hooves, but talons, as this were one changeling, who stood in the form of a gryphon, with parrot-like coloration. Sure they could be open and honest, but... She liked looking like a gryphon. She also thought it suited the maid outfit better.

"Miss? I'm sorry if I'm interrupting, but... Is everything okay? I felt a huge fear spike when you ran by."

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

 

(School)

"I like nighttime. The silvery glow of the stars and moon are pretty, and I get to see all sorts of night creatures then, like thestrals. I always wanted to go and fly around with them during the night, and try doing things together. But I needed to get up early for school, so I had to stay inside. I'm hoping to try someday when I'm grown up though. Writing stuff, sleep early, and get a chance to try the night life."

She'd look into thin air, with a brief, dreamy look in her eyes. Wasn't something that a lot of her friends at school, or her family, had been able to understand, but it sometimes just felt like the night called to her. Yet she were young, and didn't have a say in the matter, so when her parents told her to get to bed, she had to listen eventually, instead of looking out of the window, and see the thestrals swoop from the forest, with the silvery light from above, casting down upon their dark fur.

*sigh* Maybe her aunt were right, and her inclination towards love, made her romanticize the night, and the mysterious, alluring beauty that it, and the creatures who lived in the sunless hours, could have. Cherish didn't know. She just knew that she would often find herself stretching how far she could take it, before she went to bed, looking outside, towards the wide open sky, with a sigh and a smile on her face.

Her parents had not approved of that. Seen by the fact that even when there were vacation, she were not allowed to stay up late at night. She didn't want to think about why, but as had come up in her therapy sessions sometimes, when talking about her parents, it did become kinda obvious that they were biased against thestrals, and didn't want their daughter to mingle with those kinds of creatures.

"Hehe, I guess I should ask something then? So... What's your favorite food?"

[Illiad Easle 3,257]

@Blitz Boom

(Ardee)

Ardee didn't respond when she heard the talons on her door, the knock only serving to push her fear higher, as well as hearing that they had somehow tracked her by her fear. She hadn't really been exposed to changelings before, and so while she knew that they consumed emotions, she didn't know that they could track her with them.

She squashed the fear down as best as she could as she readied her bow, managing to hold it still just in case the employee tried to enter the room.

Even if/when the employee left she would still hold her bow trained on the door. She had never had something following her give up before, so she assumed that whatever was after her would soon be back.

If the paper fox crawled under the door it would immediately get pinned to the floor by Ardee's arrow, only then would she start to calm down as she cautiously approached to see what exactly she had hit.

If the paper fox did not enter, Ardee would remain still, waiting for the attack that she was certain would soon arrive.

 

(School)

Elef appreciated Cherish's clear love for the night, "You know, maybe we could get school to be held at night? We'd be more in line with Trojan culture then, and it sounds like most of us would prefer it anyway." He shrugged, not feeling all that strongly about it.

Per her question he thought for a moment, "Well, there was this food at the Fastar clan festival I got to try, I don't know what exactly was in it, but the called them 'Fries' And they had lots of good food that you could put on top of them."

He smiled at the memory, but shook it off to continue, "How about you? What food do you like?"

[Blitz Boom 4,750]

@Illiad Easle

(Ardee)

The employer would stay at the door for about a half second, listening and feeling out. The fear were there. Along with wariness. A lot of it. Yet pain, or a feeling of encroaching death, were not there, and no whimpering were heard either. It seemed like this might not be as bad as it could, but were rather a panic attack. The sort where the one in there, wanted to be left alone.

"I hope you will feel better soon, miss."

With that said, she would wander off, and her shadow would no longer darken the doorstep. She'd spare a thought to the customer, and hope she'd be okay, but there were thing requiring her attention elsewhere.

A bit later, a smaller shadow would darken the door though. The little origami fox had found where the mare where, yet unfortunately, it were behind a locked door. Didn't matter much though. As it were made of paper, it simply flattened itself, and slid under the doorframe. Something which would result in an arrow being shot at it, impacting its right foreleg, and pinning it to the ground. A grave wound, had it been flesh and blood. Instead though, it would struggle to try and rip itself free, but to no avail. It could only do so, by literally tearing a leg off, and that were not part of things.

So it would struggle, and after a time, seemingly give up, and look up towards the mare, with its paper face. A pair of closed, fox-like eyes had been doodled on it, to allow it to see, albeit the way it did so, were up for debate. It were still just doodles after all, but kitsune magic were weird. As were their constructs. Others took pride in making beefy golems, with great power and finesse, whilst making small origami creatures like this, carrying messages, were less the flavor of equines.

If she bothered to release it, it would unfold, and the paper once legible, would rise up, hovering in the air, with the message scribbled upon it by the kitsune. The damage done on the paper, from the arrow, would stitch up and heal before her eyes, before it were even in head height, but it were debatable if she noticed, as the small hole hadn't been that bad, all things considered.

"Didn't mean to startle you, my bad. Try catching the show though, one of these days, yeah? Don't let one bad impression, ruin a good time.

Sato Kozue

P.S. Good luck with the little one. They're clingy."

Once she would be done reading the message eventually, the paper would fold back into the small, origami fox. It would look up towards her, with those lines that made its eyes, focusing on her. Then it'd start to jump around the room, looking things over, from the floor and up.

Sure these things could be made to just deliver a message, and then be done with it, or return to sender once done. But he figured this would make for a fun little gift of sorts. Worst case, she'd return to make him get rid of it, which would be a shame though. He might be culturally biased, but Kozue considered these things to be quite endearing.

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

 

(School)

"Trojan's have night school normally? I never knew that. That's so cool! I thought only older students and thestrals had that.

Must've been a reason why Miss Gypsum chose day though, right? Maybe she'll tell us later.

I still don't know a lot about Trojan culture. I try to learn, but there's a lot of it. It's very different from things in Equestria."

She had no strong opinion on what place had the best stuff, as she could see nice stuff on both sides. Night school here, being another plus for Trojan culture. That said, she did miss Equestria more. And not just because of those she had lost, but because she missed running around near a forest sometimes. Nothing like that here in the desert. But she'd acclimate in time, she were sure of it. Bit by bit, she were getting there too. Like, she had started to like the howling of wind going through the dunes. It were kinda soothing sometimes.

"Hmm... And what do I like to eat the most... Well, I like fries too. Hayfries and potato fries were always nice. I like carrot cake too. Blood oranges, squash, caramel, corndogs, and pears. Oh, and BBQ sauce. That's yummy on hayfries. Most I knew just used ketchup though.

Theres more things, but I remember these pretty well. Usually if there's not meat, and it's filled with juices, I wanna try it. Cactus have been pretty weird though. I'm still not sure if I like that.

So next question, yes? You talked about someone called Miss Vale? What's she like?"

[Illiad Easle 3,257]

@Blitz Boom

(Ardee)

There was a spike of fear when the voice spoke again, it it was unlikely to get the employee to stay longer.

Firing the arrow did wonders for relieving Ardee's tension though, and allowed her to consider that perhaps she had been overreacting. After all, Null and Arcade had brought her here, and they hadn't indicated that anywhere in this hotel was dangerous for her to go. Nonetheless, she wasn't embarrassed that she had run away, it was better to be safe and wrong than dead.

She was curious though at the paper fox she had hit. That she had managed to hit it at all was a testament to her skill with the bow. She hoped the hotel wouldn't mind that she had punctured their flooring though.

She held the fox down with a wing, waiting for it to stop resisting before pulling the arrow out and setting it aside. She would continue to hold it down until she was sure it didn't mean to harm her before letting up, allowing it to display the message that it had for her.

It took her a bit to read it, as she still wasn't all that well versed in written Equish, but the message seemed to confirm that she hadn't actually been in danger. She assumed that it was either from the strange creature that had run at her, or the changeling that had first called her out. Given the strange paper creature, she was inclined to believe the former was the case. Still, she suspected it might be a trap to lure her back, so she decided it would be best to not go back by herself, just in case.

She was intrigued when the message turned back into a fox, and that it seemed to recover quickly from the injury she had given it. It at the very least seemed to be a less fragile pet than a moth might be.

She would watch it explore the room as she waited for Null and Arcade to wake up, not wanting to go to sleep while it was here just in case it was some sort of distraction that would kill her in her sleep. Not until the others could assure her that it wasn't dangerous after all.

 

(School)

23 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

I still don't know a lot about Trojan culture. I try to learn, but there's a lot of it. It's very different from things in Equestria."

Elef shrugged, "I can't say I know much about it either. We haven't been here long. But maybe that's something they'll teach us? Though, I don't know if I'll stay around here. I think I want to go with the other thestrals once its safe to. But don't tell my sisters that."

Elef twitched when she mentioned blood oranges, and seemed distracted for the rest of her statement, taking a bit to notice that she had asked another question, "Oh! Sorry, you just... you remind me of someone else. Someone who... didn't make it."

He sighed, shaking his head, "Sorry, you asked a question?"

Assuming that she asked it again, and didn't press what he had brought up, he would nod, "Miss Vale is a deer, she reminds me of some of the researchers who used to take care of us, but kinder. She likes to teach us, rather than study us. She has a few... prosthetics? Fake parts, whatever the word for that is. One of her eyes glows, I think it's pretty cool!"

He'd look thoughtful before continuing, "You mentioned a friend named Crow before, what are they like?"

If she asked something else though, he'd have a different answer.

[Blitz Boom 4,750]

@Illiad Easle

(Ardee)

The little construct would simply keep looking around, though it would get twitchy and hide, in case the crossbow seemed to be brandished again, whilst being observed. Might be it could heal from the injury, but that didn't mean that it were all that enjoyable to be pinned down like that.

It wouldn't be long before reluctantly, Null would show up. She had wanted to lay down some more, but she hadn't been able to find more rest than about a half hour's worth. It were something, but she'd like to have kept staying in bed with Arcade, rather than moving around. But the thoughts were nagging her, about having work to do, and about whatever or not Ardee were okay, so she'd get up eventually, and go over to knock on the door.

If let in, she'd look at Ardee, giving her a look, as to make sure that she seemed alright. A movement not long after, caught her attention, as a certain little creature were jumping around on the bed.

"Okay, I'm fairly certain that right there, ain't standard for a room here. Least there ain't one in our room, so what've you been doing, while we took a nap?

Is it something from the gift shop or something? Looks familiar..."

She were scouring her brain for more, cause this little paper construct, did seem awfully familiar indeed. Not this exactly, but like... She had seen something that looked like it somewhere before, right? Least she thought so... Bugger. It were annoying when these things just kept dancing on the edge of your mind. It were probably a souvenir thing though, right? Looked like something you'd give your foals.

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

 

(School)

On 2023-04-02 at 10:22 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Elef shrugged, "I can't say I know much about it either. We haven't been here long. But maybe that's something they'll teach us? Though, I don't know if I'll stay around here. I think I want to go with the other thestrals once its safe to. But don't tell my sisters that."

"I promise I won't. Unless you leave without telling them. I don't want to see them scared that something happened to you."

Maybe it'd be the sort of thing where he'd leave, thinking they then couldn't convince him to move with the other thestrals too, but that'd be awful. His sisters would worry greatly about him, and she couldn't just stand there, knowing what had happened, and then leave them in the dark. She didn't want them hurting like that.

But she were sure it wouldn't come to that anyway. He probably just didn't want them to worry right now, while he were still thinking about it, and would tell them when he had made his decision proper. He did not seem like the sort of bad pony, who'd just slink away, in the middle of the night.

"And I hope we learn about the culture. I only know stuff about this place from Equestria, and they didn't say nice things about Troy."

On 2023-04-02 at 10:22 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Elef twitched when she mentioned blood oranges, and seemed distracted for the rest of her statement, taking a bit to notice that she had asked another question, "Oh! Sorry, you just... you remind me of someone else. Someone who... didn't make it."

He sighed, shaking his head, "Sorry, you asked a question?"

She wouldn't say anything to this, but she would look sad, as she didn't mean to remind him of someone that he missed. She knew how much that hurt to be reminded of, and didn't want to put others on the spot like that. She'd try and see if she could say sorry about that later, but maybe right now, it were best to just... Repeat what she had said before, and then take it from there? It might make it worse if she kept poking to it.

On 2023-04-02 at 10:22 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Assuming that she asked it again, and didn't press what he had brought up, he would nod, "Miss Vale is a deer, she reminds me of some of the researchers who used to take care of us, but kinder. She likes to teach us, rather than study us. She has a few... prosthetics? Fake parts, whatever the word for that is. One of her eyes glows, I think it's pretty cool!"

He'd look thoughtful before continuing, "You mentioned a friend named Crow before, what are they like?"

"Ooooh. I've heard about deer. They're supposed to look really majestic and beautiful. I hope I get to see her someday."

She had never seen a deer in her life, far as she knew at least. She had seen other with prosthetics though. Mostly false legs. Accidents happened sometimes, and one of her old teachers actually had a false leg. It were pretty nicely made though. You would hardly notice, if not for the clacking, as long as he kept the long sock on it.

"My old teacher Mr. Breeze, had a false leg. It's a little weird at first, but it's kinda nice really, that there's something to help you, if you get into an accident that bad.

I wonder is Miss Vale have the same sort that he had... Maybe I'll see someday, yeah? Never seen an eye glow though. I guess that's a prosthetic too? She sounds like a very interesting lady."

Well worth meeting that one, it sounded like. Maybe she had a laser eye, like in the comic books? That'd be kinda cool.

While she briefly thought of that possibility, she'd get a questions her way instead. One about Crow! She'd be happy to hear later, that others took an interest in her. Maybe. She'd possibly also get paranoid about it, it were hard to say.

"Crow? She's a nice dragon, that walks on all fours. She's about three times the size of me, and wears a pair of small glasses down her snout, when she needs to read. And socks, though I think there's only one of them left that's any good anymore. The rest have fallen apart, more or less.

What else... She's a little paranoid about others, and doesn't like feeling trapped in big groups. Big nono, to bring chains around her. I asked her why, but she didn't want to talk about it. Took a while before she wanted to talk to me in the first place too, but it's been fun getting to know her. She's a little twitchy at times around new faces though, but she'll get calmer, once she gets to know you. I just think she have issues trusting others for some reason. Lots of reasons for that these days, sadly...

*sigh* She'll probably seem a bit gruff if you see her the first time, but try and not let it get to you. She's just pretty defensive.

Now I wanna know... What are your sisters like?"

[Illiad Easle 3,257]

@Blitz Boom

(Ardee)

On 4/7/2023 at 10:11 AM, Blitz Boom said:

If let in, she'd look at Ardee, giving her a look, as to make sure that she seemed alright. A movement not long after, caught her attention, as a certain little creature were jumping around on the bed.

Arcade was a light sleeper himself, and so would get up when Null did. He had woken up when she got the note too, but he had stayed where he was then in case it was nothing and Null would rejoin him.

As she seemed to be heading towards Ardee's room, he would get up to join her.

Ardee had been waiting by the shared door for them, not wanting to intrude if this turned out to be harmless, and she was visibly relieved when Null knocked to enter the room.

On 4/7/2023 at 10:11 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"Okay, I'm fairly certain that right there, ain't standard for a room here. Least there ain't one in our room, so what've you been doing, while we took a nap?

Is it something from the gift shop or something? Looks familiar..."

Arcade raised an eyebrow, not having seen anything like it either.

Ardee sighed, "I... I think it followed me back. I went to scout around, one of the changelings said I should see the theater, but when I was in there they said that I shouldn't be there, and this strange creature with a lot of tails who was on the stage ran at me, so I ran back here."

She pointed at the paper fox, "It arrived a few minutes later, and I shot it when it came under the door. It had a message inside it, but it turned back into that afterwards."

Arcade looked concerned, "A creature with a lot of tails?" he turned to Null, "You know something like that?"

 

(School)

On 4/7/2023 at 10:11 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"And I hope we learn about the culture. I only know stuff about this place from Equestria, and they didn't say nice things about Troy."

He raised an eyebrow at that, "Oh? What did they say?"

On 4/7/2023 at 10:11 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"Ooooh. I've heard about deer. They're supposed to look really majestic and beautiful. I hope I get to see her someday."

Elef shrugged at that, "She's alright I guess, I wouldn't say she's any more majestic than a pony, but that's not to say that she isn't beautiful in her own way. Maybe she'll come here one day? She did teach us things before we came here."

On 4/7/2023 at 10:11 AM, Blitz Boom said:

I wonder is Miss Vale have the same sort that he had... Maybe I'll see someday, yeah? Never seen an eye glow though. I guess that's a prosthetic too? She sounds like a very interesting lady."

He shrugged again, "Her's seemed to be made of metal, but I never asked."

On 4/7/2023 at 10:11 AM, Blitz Boom said:

Now I wanna know... What are your sisters like?"

He looked over at the other two who were struggling to get Nova to open up, but looked down and sighed, "Are you just interested in these two? Or all of them?"

If she said just these two he would start,

"Teal, the purple one, is smart, and kind. Mistress taught her to be the one to keep us together and keep spirits high, along with... Effs..."

He shook his head, moving on, "Toupé, the pink one in the lab coat, is very smart. She was always close to Mistress, but otherwise keeps to herself when things are quiet."

"There are also two foals, Peal and Piecey, who are too young to come here, so Miss Vale and Miss Void are caring for them at home."

 

If she suggested wanting to know about all them, he would look less enthused, but would continue,

"There's also Ardee, who is out on an adventure with our brother Arcade and Miss Void's sister Null. She was the one to protect us along with Arcade."

"Then there are the ones who didn't make it... Ayjay, Effs, and... Rare."

He took a deep breath, "Ayjay was an earth pony, very strong, and one of the older ones. She saved my life once when I tried to help defend the others and got caught... she didn't make it back..."

"Effs was a pegasus, very caring, when she was around it was almost like Mistress was still there. She was brave too. When we were moving to a safer place she stayed behind to make sure Teal and Toupé could get to safety with the foals..."

"Rare... was very sweet, and especially curious, almost annoyingly so." He shook his head, "She was the kindest of all of them towards me, she followed me when I went hunting, and she got caught by a monster..."

There were a few tears in his eyes as he recounted the tale.

 

In either case, once they finished up Gypsum would call their attention, "Alright class, let's all come back together. Go ahead and take your seats again. Let's go around and share what you learned about your partner. Cherish? Is it alright if we start with you?"

[Blitz Boom 4,750]

@Illiad Easle

(Ardee)

"I know a fair few, but most of 'em are just regular beasts. The last ones aren't all that grand on this sort of magic. More brutes and weird mystics. This here... A message in a paper fox... I know I've seen it somewhere before."

She were twisting her mind. She were feeling more and more certain, that she had seen something like this before, but it were hard to place right now. Thinking it looked harmless though, she'd move closer, and the little paper fox would stop moving, then look up at her as she neared, and leaned in, eyes squinting at the little thing. Swiftly, it would suddenly jump up on top of the bridge of her nose, then move further up, and deliberately running its tail across her nose. The tip especially, would tickle her on the tip, causing her to sneeze. It would then jump up on the bed, with a giggling sound following.

"Urgh, Now I remember! They kept using these things to bring packages when they had Void and me trapped.

Ardee? The one you ran into? Bushy tail, lean build, around the size of a pony, with a pointy nose and slit eyes? I ain't never heard of one with multiple tails, but I'm pretty sure, that what you ran into, were a kitsune. Forest-dwelling tricksters from Neighpon. Had my sister and I lured into a maze where they kept us at the center for months once.

They're infuriating... *sigh* But at least they ain't cruel, from what I've seen. They kept us fed, and let us go once we found our way out."

She were not the biggest fan, and saying kitsune were harmless, were a mistake. With how much magic they had, and their sharp teeth and claws, they could do some solid damage if need be. But she had to admit, that all things considered, they hadn't been cruel or rude to them, as they had lured Void and her into a maze. Or well, they build the maze around them. Usually while they were asleep, as well as presented themselves as friendly, curious, and came bearing some small gifts and food, which made the sisters stay in the area.

Best she could guess, they had been curious, and had made a bet on whatever or not they'd actually be able to get this done, by using safe distance illusions, keeping the sisters happy enough to stay put, and then see how long it'd take for them to get out. They hadn't chased them after, and had made sure that the two didn't starve, or get cold, so they weren't that bad, comparatively to a lot of others they had gotten trapped by. Just... Annoying to have been through.

She were also fairly sure they had run into them later on, but it were hard to tell. The ones in the wild, tended to blend in, so they could easier play tricks on folks, or steal their stuff.

"Where did you say this one were? The theater? I wanna see, and make sure. Partially because I dunno what this little thing is gonna end up doing. They always fizzled out when they got too close to me back in the day."

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

 

(School)

On 2023-04-12 at 5:27 AM, Illiad Easle said:

He raised an eyebrow at that, "Oh? What did they say?"

"Stuff about Troy being cruel, and wanting to overthrow Equestria, imprison the princesses, and take over the country. Stuff like that. They made Troy seem like it was a hostile place, that just wanted to do bad things to Equestria. The teachers didn't say a lot though. Itwasn't that much in the books. Mostly the other foals who said stuff, that they had heard from home."

On 2023-04-12 at 5:27 AM, Illiad Easle said:

Elef shrugged at that, "She's alright I guess, I wouldn't say she's any more majestic than a pony, but that's not to say that she isn't beautiful in her own way. Maybe she'll come here one day? She did teach us things before we came here."

Cherish clapped her front hooves softly, joyous about the prospect of the doe coming here someday.

"Maybe she'll be a teacher too someday then? We're not many now, but maybe someday, there's gonna be a lot more kids, and they'll need the extra help."

On 2023-04-12 at 5:27 AM, Illiad Easle said:

He shrugged again, "Her's seemed to be made of metal, but I never asked."

"Metal eye? I only ever heard of glass eyes. Sure is a lot of different things to use for stuff, huh?"

On 2023-04-12 at 5:27 AM, Illiad Easle said:

He looked over at the other two who were struggling to get Nova to open up, but looked down and sighed, "Are you just interested in these two? Or all of them?"

If she said just these two he would start,

"Teal, the purple one, is smart, and kind. Mistress taught her to be the one to keep us together and keep spirits high, along with... Effs..."

He shook his head, moving on, "Toupé, the pink one in the lab coat, is very smart. She was always close to Mistress, but otherwise keeps to herself when things are quiet."

"There are also two foals, Peal and Piecey, who are too young to come here, so Miss Vale and Miss Void are caring for them at home."

"You have more siblings? I'd like to hear about those too another time, but I think Id like to focus on these two right now, if that's okay? I think it'd be fun to have your other siblings kinda be like a surprise, in case I met them. Or it's something we can talk about another time. It'd be nice to still have stuff to speak about later."

She'd listen closely to what were being told about the two who were here. Wasn't a lot, but it did give her a base idea about them. She also got some bonus info on two who were not here. Two small foals it sounded like. How cute.

"Sounds like they'll do well here in school. There's lots to learn here, for smart ponies.

It sounds like your mistress made sure that you all stayed close huh? She must be very special to you all. You don't have to tell me about her though. Everyone has some things they don't want to think or talk about these days, it seems.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to learning a lot more about you, Teal, Toupé and your other siblings, a bit by bit. You all seems like very interesting ponies, and it's nice maybe getting to have some new friends."

She were Equestrian. Making friends were too ingrained to just let go. Really though, she did actually wish to have more to play with, and get to know. The less time she spend alone, the less time she had with the dark thoughts, and the more friends, the less silence. It wasn't the only reason, and she'd look forward to making friends with them regardless, and would treat them nice of course, but she wouldn't lie and say that the prospect of more distractions weren't nice too.

On 2023-04-12 at 5:27 AM, Illiad Easle said:

In either case, once they finished up Gypsum would call their attention, "Alright class, let's all come back together. Go ahead and take your seats again. Let's go around and share what you learned about your partner. Cherish? Is it alright if we start with you?"

Oh? Seemed like questioning time were over for now. They had learned a fair bit too, so that was a good start anyway, and they should probably be doing some school stuff too. The day wouldn't last forever, and in her experience, the less you did during school hours, the more homework you'd get. That was no fun.

Cherish would get a little enthusiastic, as she were asked as the first one, on what she had learned during these rounds of questions.

"I learned that Elef has a large family, that he's very close with. He's also been talking about who takes care of them, and they sound like nice creatures too, who takes good care of them, after less nice things before.

He's also a hunter, which is pretty cool. So I hope to let Crow meet him someday. I bet they'd get along well."

She had learned a lot, but she assumed she needed to be swift, and not spend the next half hour recounting all that she had learned, about Elef.

[Illiad Easle 3,257]

@Blitz Boom

(Ardee)

On 2023-04-14 at 5:41 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Where did you say this one were? The theater? I wanna see, and make sure. Partially because I dunno what this little thing is gonna end up doing. They always fizzled out when they got too close to me back in the day."

She nodded, a bit relieved that Null didn't seem to be angry at her, or think that it was particularly dangerous if she wanted to go see it. "Alright, I can lead the way back." She'd pause at the doorway before setting her bow down, "They probably wouldn't want me going out armed, right?"

In any case, she'd lead the way back to the theater, hopefully they'd be able to get there before the kitsune's performance ended.

 

(School)

Gypsum nodded when Cherish finished sharing, "Very good Cherish, thank you for sharing. Elef? What did you learn about Cherish?"

Elefe thought for a moment before answering, "Cherish is from Equestria, near a place called Baltimare. She likes reading, being out at night, and spending time with her friend Crow. She also likes telling stories."

The rest of the group then shared their experience learning about each other, sans Nova, who declined to share, but Lilac was more than willing to fill in for him.

Lilac didn't have much more to share about Toupé and Teal than Elef had already told Cherish, but Toupé and Teal shared that Lilac liked the smell of lavender and drawing as well as spending time with her older brother. Nova hadn't shared much about himself, but Lilac had told the fillies that he liked reading, and he had a pen-pal at the Blackwater Protectorate named Oglevy.

After everyone had had the chance to share Gypsum nodded, "Alright then, I think that's a good place for us to stop today. I'll see you all again tomorrow, you all have a safe trip back home!"

(If Cherish wants to do something with the young ponies on the way home you can do that here, otherwise the young ponies will head straight back home.)