private The Æther Project

Illiad Easle · February 26, 2023

Aurum would remain unconscious. Given the strength of her emotions prior to falling unconscious it might be a bit before she woke back up.

Spiral would have an opportunity to share some of what she had seen to the other two before there was a soft knock at the door. If they answered it they'd find a feminine changeling with the coloration of Chrysalis's hive dressed in the uniform of a psychiatrist, "Sorry to disturb you, but Consul Wright sent me to see when our guest might be receptive to a psychological evaluation." She would show the proper documents if asked, "I noticed a large spike in fear and anxiety as I was approaching, is everything alright?"

Blitz Boom · February 27, 2023

@Illiad Easle @Props ValRoa

On 2/24/2023 at 9:20 PM, Spiral Spell said:

"Terrible memory she showed me. The Empress, her mother wanted to abuse her to hold all the power of those deceased unicorns. She was forced to do that..." Spiral sighed, a look of hate coming across her face for a second as she looked away. Spiral didn't like those who hurt foals.

"From what she told me, there are more sides to it. She mentioned a sister too, whom she were told vanished. At this stage, I am concerned that either she ran for her life, or Aurum were not the first intended target. In either case, I am thinking less and less of the mother. May she rot in whatever purgatory she have found herself in."

"Dunno what happened to her. All we know, is that there were a lot of noise, and then suddenly, she, and Light, were both gone. Best I can tell, he sacrificed himself, to remove her, somehow. And that's how I'll remember him at least. He deserves as much."

"If he truly removed her, then I would have to agree. A monster who'd do a thing such as this, to their own blood... How can one steep that low?"

Spiral had not answered the inquiry, so Briar had to assume that she had no medical training. So if something went wrong, he'd have to rely on the military grade stuff Last knew. At least that should be enough to do some stabilizing work, he supposed.

On 2/26/2023 at 10:21 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Aurum would remain unconscious. Given the strength of her emotions prior to falling unconscious it might be a bit before she woke back up.

Spiral would have an opportunity to share some of what she had seen to the other two before there was a soft knock at the door. If they answered it they'd find a feminine changeling with the coloration of Chrysalis's hive dressed in the uniform of a psychiatrist, "Sorry to disturb you, but Consul Wright sent me to see when our guest might be receptive to a psychological evaluation." She would show the proper documents if asked, "I noticed a large spike in fear and anxiety as I was approaching, is everything alright?"

Briar and Last, would both turn to the door as it opened, and a changeling approached. Brittle would too, nervous over which sort this were. She had met a few good ones, in recent days, but she still had plenty of memories of some rather bad ones. This one, didn't have the color scheme that she remembered, yet that were hardly evidence of her being a good one. As for Briar, he couldn't see colors, so he too, were unaware of the hive affiliation of this one. The same were the case with Last, as she had lived isolated, and hadn't come around, until years after the original Chrysalis hive were decimated.

That said, Last would still move to stand between the newcomer and Aurum, and would indeed be looking over the paperwork.

"While the concern is appreciated, I am afraid that now is not a good time. Aurum have just confronted some unfortunate history, and I think it best, if she is allowed some time to rest, and stabilize. I'm sorry you had to come so far for naught, but alas, things developed quite rapidly, and less than ideally.

Might I ask whom you are though? At least we might be able to prepare her for your eventual meeting, by providing her some idea of whom she are to meet. I hope that might ease her mind a bit more, when time comes.

I am Briar Trapjaw by the way. A pleasure to meet you, albeit I wish it were under better circumstances."

If she wanted fear and anxiety, she'd still have plenty to find from Brittle, who'd just get more of it, if the changeling tried to get closer to her. As for Aurum, there were a point to where Last wouldn't let her past. Same with Briar. Both of whom were protective of the filly. Especially now, in her state of fear-induced exhaustion, more or less. Besides, it might be dangerous to poke the sleeping bear, as one could put it. If the bear were able to blast your atoms into the stratosphere, that were.

Illiad Easle · March 2, 2023

@Blitz Boom @Props ValRoa

The changeling looked concerned when she was told what had happened,

On 2023-02-27 at 2:40 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"While the concern is appreciated, I am afraid that now is not a good time. Aurum have just confronted some unfortunate history, and I think it best, if she is allowed some time to rest, and stabilize. I'm sorry you had to come so far for naught, but alas, things developed quite rapidly, and less than ideally.

She shook her head, "On the contrary, I'd say my timing is impeccable, and my expertise is needed now more than ever."

On 2023-02-27 at 2:40 PM, Blitz Boom said:

Might I ask whom you are though? At least we might be able to prepare her for your eventual meeting, by providing her some idea of whom she are to meet. I hope that might ease her mind a bit more, when time comes.

I am Briar Trapjaw by the way. A pleasure to meet you, albeit I wish it were under better circumstances."

She blushed slightly at her misstep, while her name was on the paperwork she hadn't introduced herself to the group. "Apologies, I am Dr. Coxa, formerly of Hive Chrysalis. I too wish that our circumstances were more favorable, but I'm content to work with the situations we have."

On 2023-02-27 at 2:40 PM, Blitz Boom said:

If she wanted fear and anxiety, she'd still have plenty to find from Brittle, who'd just get more of it, if the changeling tried to get closer to her.

Dr. Coxa wouldn't try to approach Brittle, as her attention was solely on Aurum.

On 2023-02-27 at 3:35 PM, Spiral Spell said:

"Aurum is...emotionally unstable and not ready to deal with the world. She doesn't understand a lot of things and this information appears to send her into a sensory overload. We must take things slowly and carefully with her." Spiral said, and extended a hoof for the Changeling to shake.

She would shake Spiral's hoof before turning her attention back to the unconscious Aurum. She pulled out a notepad from her supplies to take down some notes. "What exactly did you tell her before she was overwhelmed? Do you think she has an aversion to a particular topic? Or did it seem more like a triggering event? Given what I was able to feel from outside either seems likely."

Regardless of the answer given she would move towards Aurum for a closer examination.

On 2023-02-27 at 2:40 PM, Blitz Boom said:

As for Aurum, there were a point to where Last wouldn't let her past. Same with Briar. Both of whom were protective of the filly. Especially now, in her state of fear-induced exhaustion, more or less. Besides, it might be dangerous to poke the sleeping bear, as one could put it. If the bear were able to blast your atoms into the stratosphere, that were.

Dr. Coxa didn't look happy at being impeded, "Her breathing looks rather shallow for a filly of her size, and I worry her heartrate may be similarly slowed. Would you allow me to examine her? If she's slipping into a coma it would be better to know sooner rather than later."

If she were allowed to examine Aurum she would proceed with the utmost care and caution, noting down what she could observe with her tools. Including examining her eyes with a small light. Once done with the physical examination she noted her findings and turned her attention back to the group. "Her heart rate is low, but not dangerously so, it is more reminiscent of a form of hibernation, but we'd need more observation to be sure. If her respiration or heartrate falls any further though there will be cause for concern." She looked back at Aurum, "I think it's odd though that hibernation would be her response to stress and anxiety..." she shook off her thoughts, "Regardless, looking at her eyes it looks like her blindness is due to surface scarring. Possibly caused by exposure to a corrosive agent. Now, I'm told that she was found encased in some form of amber? That could be the cause of her blindness as well as her hibernation reflex, but that is speculative at this point."

She'd give them an opportunity to respond to her observations before continuing. "Her hibernating does present the possibility of examining her mind directly, but we'd need to bring in a specialist for that."

Blitz Boom · March 2, 2023

@Illiad Easle @Props ValRoa

34 minutes ago, Illiad Easle said:

She blushed slightly at her misstep, while her name was on the paperwork she hadn't introduced herself to the group. "Apologies, I am Dr. Coxa, formerly of Hive Chrysalis. I too wish that our circumstances were more favorable, but I'm content to work with the situations we have."

"An... Unfortunate association. But we cannot chose to whom we are born. If you think it best to get to her now, then please, go to her. She feels stable to me, yet... *sigh* I cannot in good faith, risk her health. Just please be gentle."

Brittle had a bit of another reaction to hearing the association. Namely, she ran off, and his in a corner, whilst her tail would wave behind her, having switched to a three meter long, fluffy white tail of some sort, that were rustling a lot of hair off as she moved, leaving a trail to follow. She'd use the tail when she got far enough away, to hide herself behind. Not the most effectively, but she couldn't control this transformation, and thus, just tried to make use of things. At least she had kept her legs this time, so she could run off. Wasn't always she were that lucky.

3 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

Dr. Coxa didn't look happy at being impeded, "Her breathing looks rather shallow for a filly of her size, and I worry her heartrate may be similarly slowed. Would you allow me to examine her? If she's slipping into a coma it would be better to know sooner rather than later."

"Force of habit."

Last moved aside, letting the changeling through. She had been set to guard the filly, so of course, she had put herself in the way, when someone approached. That were more or less second nature to her, in a situation like that. But if said filly need potential medical attention too, it were best to let her through, for now. Though if she tried to hurt Aurum, the changeling with find the anti-magic sword down her side, to be stuck through her carapace, where her heart would be. The antimagic would likely kill her, but they'd see. It should hopefully not come to that. She did not want Aurum to potentially wake up, and see that.

3 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

If she were allowed to examine Aurum she would proceed with the utmost care and caution, noting down what she could observe with her tools. Including examining her eyes with a small light. Once done with the physical examination she noted her findings and turned her attention back to the group. "Her heart rate is low, but not dangerously so, it is more reminiscent of a form of hibernation, but we'd need more observation to be sure. If her respiration or heartrate falls any further though there will be cause for concern." She looked back at Aurum, "I think it's odd though that hibernation would be her response to stress and anxiety..." she shook off her thoughts, "Regardless, looking at her eyes it looks like her blindness is due to surface scarring. Possibly caused by exposure to a corrosive agent. Now, I'm told that she was found encased in some form of amber? That could be the cause of her blindness as well as her hibernation reflex, but that is speculative at this point."

She'd give them an opportunity to respond to her observations before continuing. "Her hibernating does present the possibility of examining her mind directly, but we'd need to bring in a specialist for that."

"I've been far and wide, and met a few who shut down in the same manner. I cannot explain why, but for some, it just seems like when the body overloads, it reacts in a primal way, that doesn't seem all that defensive, or beneficial. Hopefully this is a passing thing though, and she might merely have too much on her plate at once now. Some calm and stability, will do her good.

Regardless, I will keep note of this, and keep a close ear on her heart rate. Thank you for informing us of this."

It wasn't too hard really. His hearing being what it were, and his predatory aspects, did mean that close enough, he could hear the heart beat, and blood rush through the pony. Mostly he didn't think much of it though. Kept that sort of thing as background noise mostly, and barring things going haywire, it hardly mattered either. Just a regular, rhythmic sound, like traffic, or bees buzzing. The sort of sounds you just got used to tuning out most of the time, if you were around it enough.

Here though, he'd need to actively listen in a bit better. Especially if Aurum seemed fatigued at any point. Something which were good to know, as it gave him something to look out for, and react to, if need be.

"Regarding her hibernating state, and examining her mind... I would hope we can ask her for permission first, rather than invade the privacy of her mind. She should be given the same level of respect and thought as others, lest things become more of an emergency, and there is little in the way of choice. I cannot evaluate that myself, and thus, will rely on your expertise, and that of the specialist you might be thinking of. Just please, approach her with care. She is but a filly.

I do have a question about another thing though... You mention there are surface scarring on her eyes? I am woefully unaware of the magical, technological, and medicinal prowess there is present here, on The Æther, yet I feel as if I must ask: Is there hope to restore her sight, in some way? I am not implying it should be done out of nowhere, nor that it will be easy, nor fast, if it were possible. But with all the harshness she have experienced... *sigh* I would like to present her with some hope, for a better future."

She could live with being blind. He knew that personally, and she felt around her well with her magic, as he understood it. Yet still, if there were a chance, he felt as if he should ask.

He hadn't hope for himself. His physiology were different, and he did not have eyes in the first place. His only hope had been magical, and he had come to terms with the fact, that he'd likely never gain vision, much as he would have loved that. But Aurum's eyes were there. Damaged yes, but many things that were damaged, could be repaired. potentially replaced. Perhaps for her, there were hope, yes?

Illiad Easle · March 6, 2023

@Blitz Boom @Props ValRoa

On 2023-03-02 at 4:15 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"An... Unfortunate association. But we cannot chose to whom we are born.

Dr. Coxa shrugged, "As prideful as she was, she did care about us. She only attacked Canterlot out of desperation while we were starving. Still, let us not speak ill of the dead."

On 2023-03-02 at 4:15 PM, Blitz Boom said:

he feels stable to me, yet... *sigh* I cannot in good faith, risk her health. Just please be gentle."

She nodded, "Always."

On 2023-03-02 at 4:15 PM, Blitz Boom said:

She should be given the same level of respect and thought as others, lest things become more of an emergency, and there is little in the way of choice. I cannot evaluate that myself, and thus, will rely on your expertise, and that of the specialist you might be thinking of. Just please, approach her with care. She is but a filly.

She nodded, "Of course, our memory crawlers are professionals in every sense. Were it possible to secure her permission we would, but that depends on her mental state. It is not uncommon that coma patients have to be sought out in their subconscious in order to bring them back. Hopefully though it doesn't come to that. I'll come back tomorrow, and if nothing's changed we'll bring in the crawler and see what we can do. Of course, if her heartrate or breathing slows any further, don't hesitate to summon me. The guards outside know how to contact me."

On 2023-03-02 at 4:15 PM, Blitz Boom said:

I do have a question about another thing though... You mention there are surface scarring on her eyes? I am woefully unaware of the magical, technological, and medicinal prowess there is present here, on The Æther, yet I feel as if I must ask: Is there hope to restore her sight, in some way? I am not implying it should be done out of nowhere, nor that it will be easy, nor fast, if it were possible. But with all the harshness she have experienced... *sigh* I would like to present her with some hope, for a better future."

She was thoughtful for a bit, "It certainly depends. There have been cases of blindness cured here on the Project, but I'm hardly qualified to say whether her particular case can be reversed. But I will have a professional look into it once she's well enough to be properly examined. Best if you didn't get her hopes up though, just in case."

On 2023-03-03 at 5:53 PM, Spiral Spell said:

"Aurum remembered the events leading up to her encasement. Aurum did not want to be worshipped, nor did she want to be admired - but her mother abused her, to put it lightly."

She nodded at that, "I'd recommend not bringing that up in the future then. At least not until she's had some time to process her trauma."

On 2023-03-03 at 5:53 PM, Spiral Spell said:

"If you wish to see what Aurum had showed me in her memory, I can show you, with my memory. I have the ability to show things in other's minds. It's not particularly pleasant though.." Spiral would say to Dr.Coxa.

She was a bit more hesitant at that, "I think that would be useful. Go ahead."

She shuddered as the memory ended, "I see... we'll likely need to distance her from appearances of authority, as well as ensuring that she doesn't feel forced to do things."

That said she packed her tools back up and moved to leave. "I'll be back tomorrow, but again. don't hesitate to call for me if something changes for the worse."

Aurum would remain unconscious, but stable, for another hour or so after Dr. Coxa left. At which point she would stir back to wakefulness. However, there was something different about her. She didn't say anything as she got up, and simply sat up where she was, unmoving. Those still present in the room would be able to faintly hear words in their minds, the same series of words that Sprial and Last had heard when they first approached the Nexus:

On 2022-09-20 at 11:50 AM, Illiad Easle said:

Slipping through the cracks of a dark eternity With nothing but my pain and the paralyzing agony To tell me who I am. Who I was, Uncertainty enveloping my mind Till I can't break free and
Maybe it's a dream, maybe nothing else is real But it wouldn't mean a thing if I told you how I feel So I'm tired of all the pain, all the misery inside And I wish I could live feeling nothing but the night
You could tell me what to say, you could tell me where to go But I doubt that I would care and my heart would never know If I make another move, there'll be no more turning back Because everything would change and it all would fade to black
Will tomorrow ever come? Will I make it through the night? Will there ever be a place for the broken in the light? Am I hurting am I sad? Should I stay or should I go? I've forgotten how to tell, did I ever even know? I'm
Slipping through the cracks of a dark eternity With nothing but my pain and the paralyzing agony To tell me who I am. Who I was, Uncertainty enveloping my mind Till I can't break free and

Blitz Boom · March 10, 2023

@Illiad Easle @Props ValRoa

On 2023-03-06 at 2:03 AM, Illiad Easle said:

Dr. Coxa shrugged, "As prideful as she was, she did care about us. She only attacked Canterlot out of desperation while we were starving. Still, let us not speak ill of the dead."

"If that is your wish, I won't. Though perhaps one day, you can tell me of things from the side of the hive itself. I admit to not having heard that side."

Briar were open to learning about others, from multiple perspectives. What one side saw as a pariah, might well be a savior to others, and he believed that it were important to know the full context, to truly judge someone. Most of the time. Sometimes, one could look at one like Aurum's mother, and there it were just... Regardless of motive, there were nothing that would make her actions redeemable, in any way. Chrysalis might, if she were indeed acting in desperation, to get her hive fed. He heard of what could happen to a changeling, if they starved too much, and it frankly wasn't something, that he would wish upon his worst enemy.

On 2023-03-06 at 2:03 AM, Illiad Easle said:

She nodded, "Of course, our memory crawlers are professionals in every sense. Were it possible to secure her permission we would, but that depends on her mental state. It is not uncommon that coma patients have to be sought out in their subconscious in order to bring them back. Hopefully though it doesn't come to that. I'll come back tomorrow, and if nothing's changed we'll bring in the crawler and see what we can do. Of course, if her heartrate or breathing slows any further, don't hesitate to summon me. The guards outside know how to contact me."

"You have my word that if anything worsens, I will make immediate contact. I may not have known her for long, but Aurum have put her trust in me, and I won't betray that, by neglecting her wellbeing."

Was anyone's guess what the doctor might think of that, but Last almost felt like smiling vaguely, as she heard that. Might be he were more words than action, but at least so far, the evergrown seemed to be the sort of influence, and caretaker, that Aurum needed, from her point of view. The alicorn would need a lot more, but someone she could trust in, and that had her best in mind? It'd be a solid start.

On 2023-03-06 at 2:03 AM, Illiad Easle said:

She was thoughtful for a bit, "It certainly depends. There have been cases of blindness cured here on the Project, but I'm hardly qualified to say whether her particular case can be reversed. But I will have a professional look into it once she's well enough to be properly examined. Best if you didn't get her hopes up though, just in case."

"I will not, and thank you, for looking into it. I will pray to the Earth Mother, that your inquiries will bear fruitful answers."

He'd respectfully bow his head towards the changeling. That there had been blindness cured before, gave him hope, but she were right. It were hard to say, how Aurum's situation might be, before some in the know, had examined her properly. It were best to be cautiously optimistic, and pray for success. As well as not tell Aurum about this. He did not want her heart to be broken again, by presenting her with false hope.

On 2023-03-06 at 2:03 AM, Illiad Easle said:

That said she packed her tools back up and moved to leave. "I'll be back tomorrow, but again. don't hesitate to call for me if something changes for the worse."

Aurum would remain unconscious, but stable, for another hour or so after Dr. Coxa left. At which point she would stir back to wakefulness. However, there was something different about her. She didn't say anything as she got up, and simply sat up where she was, unmoving. Those still present in the room would be able to faintly hear words in their minds, the same series of words that Sprial and Last had heard when they first approached the Nexus:

Briar said his farewells to the changeling as she left, and post her leaving, Brittle would eventually come sneaking back over to him, as he sat and hummed a soothing song that he knew, for the resting Aurum.

Neither of them would do a lot as they waited, whilst Last would patrol around the area, seeing if she could spot any obvious weaknesses, or potential breaches. Might as well be productive, while she waited for something to happen.

Eventually, as Autum awoke, Briar would at first be joyous, to see her returned to consciousness, but something were amiss. She did not connect with him, as she had before, and her demeanor, and way of acting, made her seem... Distant? As if she were there, but not truly there.

Words did come though, eventually, but it didn't make sense to him. He'd try and talk back to her, trying to ask if she were concerned, with his inside voice concerned. Last however... Had a bit of another reaction, as she heard those things. Words she didn't get either, but this hadn't been the first time, that she had heard them, and she wandered over to Spiral, looking questioningly at the mare.

"Sounds familiar to you too? Got any idea what it's about?"

Illiad Easle · March 15, 2023

@Blitz Boom @Props ValRoa

Aurum shifted when Briar tried to reach out to her mentally, as well as when the other two talked around her.

She opened her eyes, and upon seeing that she could not (see that is), her eyes started to glow with her magic. She moved her lips to speak, and they could faintly hear her voice, but they heard her clearly in their minds. "I... I didn't anticipate that we would make it out. After sitting there, trapped for so long... you two weren't the first to try and free me."

She looked around, "Or... are we free? This does bear a resemblance to some prison cells I've seen."

She turned to look at Briar and Brittle, looking them over before bowing politely, "Sorry, I don't think we've met, I am Nexus."

Blitz Boom · March 16, 2023

@Illiad Easle @Props ValRoa

On 2023-03-11 at 3:41 AM, Spiral Spell said:

Upon hearing Aurum's word's, Spiral's ears would perk up despite it being a mental affect - "Coping mechanism, most likely. She is repeating what she said earlier...as if in a catatonic state. Like a turtle going back into it's shell." Spiral would say to Last, quietly.

"So some sort of shell shock? Not something a foal should go through. It ain't right."

Made sense though sadly. With everything that happened including her mother, she had to have been aware on some level at least, about what were happening. Might even remember some, and tried to repress it. Made sense enough why her mental state would be a bit fragile at times then, but still, it weren't right that she had to go through that. She were just a filly. And she hadn't even been in a warzone, like Last had. There were no reason that she should end up like this.

Whatever corner of Tartarus her mother were in now, it were still less than what she deserved.

"Let's hope it doesn't last for too long."

She'd speak in a low tone back to Spiral. Mostly for the sake of Aurum, as judging by the ears moved on that plant pony, he were likely hearing them perfectly fine.

23 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

She looked around, "Or... are we free? This does bear a resemblance to some prison cells I've seen."

She turned to look at Briar and Brittle, looking them over before bowing politely, "Sorry, I don't think we've met, I am Nexus."

Briar were initially thankful, as he saw her open her eyes, and speak once again. In his mind perhaps, but still, it were her way of communicating right now. In time, she would likely be able to do regular talk, but that would require her to undergo some language classes first. A fine beginning on her future education.

Thoughts of this however, as well as other things, wandered from his mind, as he saw how Aurum acted, and a worried expression spread on his face.

"Aurum? Are you okay? You... Do not remember us?"

Now he were definitely worried. Did she have short term amnesia? General memory problems? And what were with that name? Nexus? He hadn't heard that before. Not in the context of a name at least.

However, others had, which were the point where Last would step in and talk.

"Back down there, the kitsune said her name was Nexus. She didn't react well to that when we got her back up here though."

She would try and communicate with her mind too, in case she too were connected, though if it seemed like Aurum - or Nexus as she now called herself - were reacting on her words, she would just speak plainly instead. She weren't sure how this magic talk worked, but she assumed just focus on the filly, then think the words, yeah?

"Nexus? What is the last thing you can remember?"

She'd try, but with her luck, she'd end up being called a dirt pony again, and blasted across the room. Seemed to be a bit of a theme recently.

Illiad Easle · March 19, 2023

@Blitz Boom @Props ValRoa

On 2023-03-16 at 3:24 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Aurum? Are you okay? You... Do not remember us?"

Aurum, or Nexus, Tilted her head when Briar called her by that name, a bit of a confused and sad expression on her face. "I'm sorry, I don't recognize that name, and if we have met before I apologize again, you certainly seem like interesting creatures, hopefully we can become reacquainted?"

On 2023-03-16 at 3:24 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Back down there, the kitsune said her name was Nexus. She didn't react well to that when we got her back up here though."

She looked a bit happier but still confused when Last started speaking, "That's right, I remember you mentioned that before, the the Kitsune sent you to save me, though I'm surprised she would react poorly when you left with me. I thought she wanted me to get away from where I was? Although... this place does feel a lot like something an earth pony would make..." She shrugged as she looked over at Spiral, "But you wouldn't be here if it were something like that."

On 2023-03-16 at 3:24 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Nexus? What is the last thing you can remember?"

Before she answered, she seemed to pick up on Last's concerns about being degraded and attacked, "You don't need to worry, it's not in my interests to hurt anyone, especially not someone who risked their life to save me. Speaking of, I think that's the last thing I remember before waking up here: You, Spiral over there, and a creature I'd never seen before, working to free me from the Arcane Nexus. My memory ends when you stabbed the amber with that strange sword of yours, and severed my connection."

23 hours ago, Spiral Spell said:

"Are you okay? We are here to help."

She thought for a moment, but nodded, "I appear to be healthy, and unharmed, despite my time in the amber. It seems to have preserved me quite well over the years, though the process seems to have had unanticipated side-effects." She motioned towards her wings, "I've also noticed that many of my magic nodes have been greatly strengthened. Perhaps a lingering effect of all the souls used to power the Arcane Nexus."

She did not seem at all perturbed by her account of her history. Whether she didn't care, or simply didn't grasp the severity of the situation, was unclear. One thing was for certain, Nexus was far more in control of herself and her powers than Aurum was.

23 hours ago, Spiral Spell said:

"It seems like she has a split personality if I had any guesses..."

Nexus frowned at that, "Oh, I guess that isn't surprising. That is sad though, that there is a potential friend inside of me that I can't meet. But I'm happy though, that she did not get absorbed like the others."

She shrugged again, "Well, best to make of it what we can while we can, right?"

She sat down, a small smile on her face, as she watched the others to see how they would react.

Blitz Boom · March 20, 2023

@Illiad Easle @Props ValRoa

On 2023-03-19 at 5:39 AM, Illiad Easle said:

Aurum, or Nexus, Tilted her head when Briar called her by that name, a bit of a confused and sad expression on her face. "I'm sorry, I don't recognize that name, and if we have met before I apologize again, you certainly seem like interesting creatures, hopefully we can become reacquainted?"

"I... I see. Hopefully we will be reacquainted soon then. I am Briar Trapjaw, and this over here is my ward, Brittle Buzz."

Briar were worried now, as this seemed rather bad, yet... Hmm... He had thoughts on this, and the reason behind, which were not so much psychological, but more spiritual. He needed a few minutes to gather his thoughts though, and approach this cautiously, patiently, and rationally.

On 2023-03-19 at 5:39 AM, Illiad Easle said:

She looked a bit happier but still confused when Last started speaking, "That's right, I remember you mentioned that before, the the Kitsune sent you to save me, though I'm surprised she would react poorly when you left with me. I thought she wanted me to get away from where I was? Although... this place does feel a lot like something an earth pony would make..." She shrugged as she looked over at Spiral, "But you wouldn't be here if it were something like that."

"The kitsune didn't react badly. She asked us specifically to get you, then bring you back. But when you woke up, you said your name were Aurum. Didn't seem like you liked when we called you Nexus. Or non-unicorns. Beyond the plant over there, they all seemed to get tossed away.

Can't speak to who made this place. Never cared to learn it myself, but there's creatures of all sorts. Magical and not."

It appeared that while Aurum were timid, this side of her - that being Nexus - were more grounded, and thus, Last would speak more directly and openly to her, as well as share a few details, and see if perhaps that would rattle some memories.

On 2023-03-19 at 5:39 AM, Illiad Easle said:

Before she answered, she seemed to pick up on Last's concerns about being degraded and attacked, "You don't need to worry, it's not in my interests to hurt anyone, especially not someone who risked their life to save me. Speaking of, I think that's the last thing I remember before waking up here: You, Spiral over there, and a creature I'd never seen before, working to free me from the Arcane Nexus. My memory ends when you stabbed the amber with that strange sword of yours, and severed my connection."

"His name was Light, and one of his last acts, before sacrificing himself for the greater good, was enchanting this sword. It's coated with anti-magic, which got through your prison."

She didn't bear mention to the part about her being worried. Which she weren't really. She were bracing for it. The events recently, hadn't been the first day she had been tossed around like a ragdoll, and it wouldn't be the last either. She could take it, and she wouldn't hold a grudge against Nexus if it happened. She were just a foal after all, and would probably not act maliciously. Sides, she were an alicorn. It were hard for someone like Last, to carry a grudge against one of them.

On 2023-03-19 at 5:39 AM, Illiad Easle said:

Nexus frowned at that, "Oh, I guess that isn't surprising. That is sad though, that there is a potential friend inside of me that I can't meet. But I'm happy though, that she did not get absorbed like the others."

She shrugged again, "Well, best to make of it what we can while we can, right?"

She sat down, a small smile on her face, as she watched the others to see how they would react.

"Perhaps it would be wise if we had a specialist look you over, just in case?"

"I'd argue we got a medium. Call me superstitious, but I ain't sure it's more personalities. With the nexus being what it were, I'm more concerned it's multiple souls."

"...I will admit to briefly think that, though it seems unlikely. That sort of thing would surely be rare, yes?"

"Probably. I ain't an egg head, I'm soldier. Still saying we should try and get her looked at by folks with an open mind.

When you feel like it that is, Nexus. If you feel fine, I won't let you be forced to do something like that, against your will."

Far from home, and her princess dead, it didn't matter in the end. Last were a soldier for an alicorn, and she'd act that way too. She'd keep perspective though, and watch herself, as to not fall into the trap of worshipping Nexus again. It had been an embarrassment to her ancestors when she had done it the first time. She shouldn't shame them further, by repeating that mistake.

Illiad Easle · March 24, 2023

@Blitz Boom @Props ValRoa

On 3/20/2023 at 3:38 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"I... I see. Hopefully we will be reacquainted soon then. I am Briar Trapjaw, and this over here is my ward, Brittle Buzz."

Briar were worried now, as this seemed rather bad, yet... Hmm... He had thoughts on this, and the reason behind, which were not so much psychological, but more spiritual. He needed a few minutes to gather his thoughts though, and approach this cautiously, patiently, and rationally.

She smiled and nodded at them in turn, "It's nice to meet you, again I suppose."

On 3/20/2023 at 3:38 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"The kitsune didn't react badly. She asked us specifically to get you, then bring you back. But when you woke up, you said your name were Aurum. Didn't seem like you liked when we called you Nexus. Or non-unicorns. Beyond the plant over there, they all seemed to get tossed away.

Can't speak to who made this place. Never cared to learn it myself, but there's creatures of all sorts. Magical and not."

It appeared that while Aurum were timid, this side of her - that being Nexus - were more grounded, and thus, Last would speak more directly and openly to her, as well as share a few details, and see if perhaps that would rattle some memories.

Nexus looked curious, "Well, it sounds like she was a unicorn then, and I suppose I don't blame her for not liking the name, given how many were sacrificed to power it. She probably fought against it, strongly too."

She looked a bit sad, "It might not help her to know about me then... if she comes back, maybe it would be best to keep me a secret. I wouldn't want to distress her."

On 3/20/2023 at 3:38 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"His name was Light, and one of his last acts, before sacrificing himself for the greater good, was enchanting this sword. It's coated with anti-magic, which got through your prison."

She didn't look too sure about that, "Hmm... I could have sworn the third creature was also female, but maybe I was wrong." (She's talking about Ficus, who I think the two of you have forgotten about)

21 hours ago, Spiral Spell said:

"Could very well be. I would say that you could even have another soul inside of you, like Last said. You said you were Aurum after all, and you don't seem to remember anything that happened after we freed you. A lot happened. To sum it up, there was a lot of infighting aboard this vessel. The former leader was more interested in his own personal power rather than the good of those aboard, and we had to remove him from power...forcefully. There was another group lead by a traitor changeling named Red who shapeshifted into an Alicorn and lead another uprising, we had to deal with her as well..." she spoke.

She looked concerned, "I, well, if there is another soul inside me, I'm sorry they weren't able to move on like the others."

In regards to the infighting she nodded, "That sounds familiar, just like before."

22 hours ago, Spiral Spell said:

"You see, Nexus, Aurum, or whatever your name is - Equestrians, Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns were ruled by Alicorns for many millenia, and the desire to worship them comes first and foremost. Our entire society has been lost and destroyed by war, the former alicorn leaders being killed in that war. I was never there to witness any of it, only the aftermath. I was...brought back to life by someone a while back, and inhabited her body for a considerable amount of time until I was able to find this one." Spiral said to Nexus.

She looked confused by the new information, "Alicorns? I've never heard of those. They'd have to be very powerful to get the ponies to stop fighting, albeit temporarily it would seem. And millennia..."

She looked thoughtful before nodding, "That sounds about right, for how long it was quiet after I froze everything."

It seemed that she was aware of just how long she had been sitting there, while Aurum had not.

22 hours ago, Spiral Spell said:

"For your safety, we have to keep you a secret from the populace for now. The populace aboard this construct are still reeling from the infighting we had to deal with a week ago. For your information, this construct is for all intensive purposes, a city-sized airship. I'm not sure how it works, exactly, but it was built by Trojan scientists if I remember correctly." Spiral stated.

She nodded, "Okay, this looks like the sort of thing the Earth Ponies would build, or that the Enigma Machine would produce. Is Trojan another name for Earth Ponies?"

On 3/20/2023 at 3:38 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Perhaps it would be wise if we had a specialist look you over, just in case?"

"I'd argue we got a medium. Call me superstitious, but I ain't sure it's more personalities. With the nexus being what it were, I'm more concerned it's multiple souls."

"...I will admit to briefly think that, though it seems unlikely. That sort of thing would surely be rare, yes?"

"Probably. I ain't an egg head, I'm soldier. Still saying we should try and get her looked at by folks with an open mind.

When you feel like it that is, Nexus. If you feel fine, I won't let you be forced to do something like that, against your will."

22 hours ago, Spiral Spell said:

"More or less that is more evidence for my suspicions that her soul or consciousness is contained inside of you. I don't know for sure, though. We'll make the best of our situation, try to, and perservere through it, just like we have for the years that we've been aboard this vessel." Spiral said, calmly. She gave a small smile back.

She shrugged, "If you think it's best, I'm not opposed, can we do it now? I'd rather not wait to find out."

If they asked the guards outside about it, they'd indicate that the changeling doctor had given them the contact information for a full panel of different specialists considered trusted that they could call on if needed. One of which was mentioned to be both good at soul magic and memories.

Blitz Boom · March 26, 2023

@Illiad Easle @Props ValRoa

On 2023-03-24 at 6:08 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Nexus looked curious, "Well, it sounds like she was a unicorn then, and I suppose I don't blame her for not liking the name, given how many were sacrificed to power it. She probably fought against it, strongly too."

She looked a bit sad, "It might not help her to know about me then... if she comes back, maybe it would be best to keep me a secret. I wouldn't want to distress her."

"That is very considerate of you Nexus. You have my word, that I will not bring this up then, until such a time as you thinking that you two will need to approach one another, as it were."

"I don't see the point in stirring that hive either."

Briar knew that Brittle wouldn't say either. In parts because she were too scared to even try, but still, she were a very considerate young lady, when she were more calm. Just as Nexus seemed to be. Greatly rational and well spoken for her age actually... One could wonder if it were a mater of education, or that the soul that were her, were older, and Aurum the original? Quite hard to say, but might well be worth sparing a thought for. Though considering what he had been told... Maybe this were the real Nexus. Aurum's distaste for flappers and dirt ponies, did mark her as a pure unicorn, and if unicorn horns had been used... Byt he gods, did they do this to foals too? What evil had been leading those poor ponies?

On 2023-03-24 at 6:08 PM, Illiad Easle said:

She didn't look too sure about that, "Hmm... I could have sworn the third creature was also female, but maybe I was wrong." (She's talking about Ficus, who I think the two of you have forgotten about)

A small flicker of recognition flickered in the mind of Last, as she heard that, and she mumbled something to herself briefly. It was best not to listen. It wasn't words meant for younger ears.

"Might've been Ficus. I forgot about the egg heads. I were meant to check in and see if she were still okay, after all that kitsune magic she got hit with. Among other things.

I'll go check up on her later. See if they got out of that fine enough, and ask the general for permission to give an update on your health. She's probably worried too."

See, this is why she did not like pain meds. She had been fed them when chained down to the bed in the sick bay, and it had messed with her head. She had utterly forgotten about Ficus and the others, until just now. Mighty irritating, to forget something like that honestly, but at least she had the option to correct it now.

On 2023-03-23 at 7:54 PM, Spiral Spell said:

"You see, Nexus, Aurum, or whatever your name is - Equestrians, Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns were ruled by Alicorns for many millenia, and the desire to worship them comes first and foremost. Our entire society has been lost and destroyed by war, the former alicorn leaders being killed in that war. I was never there to witness any of it, only the aftermath. I was...brought back to life by someone a while back, and inhabited her body for a considerable amount of time until I was able to find this one." Spiral said to Nexus.

"You're a body snatcher?"

Last rose an eyebrow. She were tempted to just call Spiral a leech, but even for her, that seemed kinda rude. So she just went with body snatcher, which were still descriptive enough. Something to ask about another time maybe, when there weren't more pressing issues. Best they focused on Nexus/Aurum for now.

"Never would've guessed it. I figured you were the most regular one, in this group."

She'd lower her eyebrow again, then move ahead with things, She wanted to know, but at the same time, this did not sound like foal friendly story time, so it would have to wait. Maybe if she exchanged stories of body snatcher she had met before, it would be a fair trade in tales, at some point? Thou8gh hers related more to a cursed forest that controlled others, via a strange fungus, and insects turning the bodies of victims it dragged in there, to living hives, under their control. Rather grizzly stuff honestly, once you got into the details, which she sadly knew all too well.

Now that she thought about it, who were the normal one at this point? The nearly extinct plant guy, the resurrected body snatcher, the changeling who didn't seem to know her own powers, the alicorn filly with potentially multiple souls, or her? It better not be her. Things would have to be rather strange, for her to be the most normal.

On 2023-03-24 at 6:08 PM, Illiad Easle said:

She looked confused by the new information, "Alicorns? I've never heard of those. They'd have to be very powerful to get the ponies to stop fighting, albeit temporarily it would seem. And millennia..."

She looked thoughtful before nodding, "That sounds about right, for how long it was quiet after I froze everything."

It seemed that she was aware of just how long she had been sitting there, while Aurum had not.

"Easier to just think of alicorns, as ageless demi-god ponies. Where I'm from, we followed her royal majesty, Princess Luna's orders, even generations after we last saw her. Most Equestrians weren't as loyal as we, but they still had an alicorn in charge, that set their direction for thousands of years. It is what they know, and have always known.

I erred too. It won't happen again."

She weren't perfect, she admitted it. She had made a mistake, and now it were up to her, to prove that she had learned from it, and act accordingly. Something which she intended to do, to the best of her abilities. And if she erred? Spiral would be there, to see the signs, and pull her back, before it went too far. She'd put some trust in the mare, to help keep her in check like that.

On 2023-03-24 at 6:08 PM, Illiad Easle said:

She nodded, "Okay, this looks like the sort of thing the Earth Ponies would build, or that the Enigma Machine would produce. Is Trojan another name for Earth Ponies?"

"Trojans are creatures that come from Troy, a country near Equestria."

She wasn't gonna go into the differences the two countries had, as it wasn't important, and she honestly didn't care. The two did not like one another, she disagreed with Troy's look on things, and that was it. She didn't care much more about the warring and such between them, beyond a little context. That were in the past, when there still were a great country on both sides of the border. That age was over.

On 2023-03-24 at 6:08 PM, Illiad Easle said:

She shrugged, "If you think it's best, I'm not opposed, can we do it now? I'd rather not wait to find out."

If they asked the guards outside about it, they'd indicate that the changeling doctor had given them the contact information for a full panel of different specialists considered trusted that they could call on if needed. One of which was mentioned to be both good at soul magic and memories.

Last went and handled asking, and would return with the list. However, as she were not all that knowledgeable about science and such, someone would have to explain to her eventually, what most of these actually did. She did see the word soul further down though. That seemed promising.

"Might I please ask that you tell me what the paper says? Unless it is in braille, I cannot read it."

"I'll let the Spiral cover this. Too many words I ain't getting on this paper."

Illiad Easle · March 27, 2023

@Blitz Boom @Props ValRoa

20 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

"Might've been Ficus. I forgot about the egg heads. I were meant to check in and see if she were still okay, after all that kitsune magic she got hit with. Among other things.

I'll go check up on her later. See if they got out of that fine enough, and ask the general for permission to give an update on your health. She's probably worried too."

Nexus looked a bit sad about that, "Oh, I hope the kitsune didn't test you guys too hard. She was always concerned for my safety. Can you tell me about this Ficus? What is an 'egg head', is that a new kind of pony?"

14 hours ago, Spiral Spell said:

Spiral would nod to what Nexus said, "I am sure that if there is indeed another soul inside of you, we could have someone who is qualified to detect such things, come take a look and tell us if there is?" Spiral would suggest, though it was clear she would only accept such a thing if Nexus desired it.

She nodded at that.

20 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

"You're a body snatcher?"

Last rose an eyebrow. She were tempted to just call Spiral a leech, but even for her, that seemed kinda rude. So she just went with body snatcher, which were still descriptive enough. Something to ask about another time maybe, when there weren't more pressing issues. Best they focused on Nexus/Aurum for now.

"Never would've guessed it. I figured you were the most regular one, in this group."

14 hours ago, Spiral Spell said:

Spiral would chuckle to Last's comments, and look over to her, her eyes rolling to gaze into Last's own. "That's a rather colorful way to describe it. Though, I don't blame you for asking. You haven't seen what I actually look like, nobody has. I originally died over 300 years ago in an explosion, and it was only thanks to the one called "Trixie" that I was brought back...though she improperly did the spell, resulting in my soul being brought back into being inside of her, rather than my body being brought back as she intended...I used her body as my own for quite some time, until this one was gifted to me." she said, standing there, and showing her dull orange-grey body to Last, smirking somewhat, hinting that she looked far more impressive originally.

She was a bit more concerned with this revelation, but it did give her an idea, "If you could move your soul into another body, then maybe if there is an extra soul inside of me, they could be moved to another body too? Or... I could move, then I could meet her?"

20 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

"Easier to just think of alicorns, as ageless demi-god ponies. Where I'm from, we followed her royal majesty, Princess Luna's orders, even generations after we last saw her. Most Equestrians weren't as loyal as we, but they still had an alicorn in charge, that set their direction for thousands of years. It is what they know, and have always known.

I erred too. It won't happen again."

14 hours ago, Spiral Spell said:

Spiral would allow Last to answer this first, though she would follow up with saying, "Celestia and Luna, our previous rulers had enormous power that allowed them to raise the Sun and Moon themselves and their loyal populace commanded some of the most sophisticated and trained armies to ever walk this world, though, that all collapsed when Discord took over, and overthrew Equestria and destroyed everything that stood in his way...damage that will never be reverted." Spiral said with a distinct frown.

She listened intently, nodding to herself, "That sounds like what the Empress wanted to accomplish. Maybe one of her other ventures succeeded when I failed? I used to be the one who moved the sun and moon, back when I was in the Arcane Nexus. Or rather, I moved them when I was asked to, and after I froze everyone, no one asked me to move them anymore, but I noticed that something else did."

She cocked her head to the side, "So now that these alicorns are gone, and I'm not in the Nexus, who is moving the sun and moon now? Did they form a new order of mages to take over?"

14 hours ago, Spiral Spell said:

What is the Enigma Machine?

She looked less sure, "I only heard rumors, from those who had been sacrificed, but the Enigma Machine was something that the Earth Ponies had built to fulfil a similar role to what the Arcane Nexus did for the unicorns. It produced a series of machines far superior to anything the earth ponies had previously developed. It completely stopped the unicorns advances towards Terra Firma, and even pushed them back in places. Had I not frozen everyone, they might have eventually won."

14 hours ago, Spiral Spell said:

Spiral would look to Last and Briar, and would nod to them. "It says we can contact various specialists that are on call, that can help us out here. If there are no objections, I'll go ahead and contact them at once." Spiral said, and if there were no objections, she would contact the guards and ask for the one that was good at soul magic and memories to come down to give Nexus an examination.

It took about fifteen minutes for the specialist to arrive, a larger unicorn stallion that moved with surprising grace despite the developed musculature uncommon for a unicorn. His deep purple coat made the numerous scars easy to see and contrasted with their white mane and tail. His hair wasn't all that well kempt, parts of his mane and tail were braided with beads similar to a zebra style. He wore a few pieces of armor that held magic within them, as well as a few enchanted trinkets. His mark was that of a key in the key hole of a thought bubble.

Despite his rough and imposing appearance, he spoke in a soft, almost timid, manner. "I apologize for my appearance, I hadn't expected to be called on so soon, but it sounded urgent that I come. How can I help?"

If they explained the situation to him he would nod, "That sounds like something I can help with." He would slowly approach Nexus, who wasn't intimidated by him in the slightest, and sat down in front of her, "Hello Nexus, my name is Memory Lane. Why don't you start by telling me the first thing that you remember?"

Nexus nodded, "It was dark... and cold, but hot at the same time, like I was floating in... well, nothing I guess. It was before I discovered how to use my magic to see outside of where I was. I heard a voice, it asked me to do things, to repeat spells that it taught me. The voice called itself the Empress."

Memory nodded, "Okay, do you remember anything before this? Or were you ever told about things that you did before this memory?"

Nexus was contemplative for a bit, but shook her head, "No, I can't remember anything else."

Memory nodded again, "That's fine." He took one of the trinkets off of his foreleg and unraveled it to reveal a pair of necklaces. He passed one over to Nexus as he put on the other. "If it is alright with you, I'd like to look into your memories, maybe I'll be able to find something else. Or, if there's another soul inside you, I might be able to find them. Is that alright?"

Nexus nodded as she put on the other necklace, "Should I do anything?"

He shook his head, "Just relax. You might feel like something is poking or prodding you, try not to fight against it."

Memory then charged up the necklaces, which started to pull towards each other enough to lift off of their chests, but not enough to pull them together. Memory closed his eyes, as did Nexus, and all was quiet for about half an hour before Memory ended the spell. There were some tears in his eyes as he opened them, which Nexus noticed when she reactivated the spell that made her eyes glow and allowed her to see, "Is something wrong? Did I hurt you?"

Memory shook his head, wiping away the tears, "No no, you did wonderfully. You are a very strong pony. I just need to talk with the other ponies for a bit if that's alright?"

Nexus nodded and Memory stood up to move over to speak with Spiral, Last, and Briar. "To the best of my knowledge... there is only one soul inside of this filly. That being said, there is also evidence of several other souls, possibly even hundreds, having been present at one time or another. Her mental landscape is littered with impressions, fragmented memories that are not her own. It is too soon to tell, but it sounds like she is suffering from a form of dissociative identity disorder. If I understood the memories correctly, Aurum suffered an extremely traumatic event, enough to shut down completely. Nexus has no memory of the trauma, nor anything that happened before."

He sighed, "I'll have to do a more thorough examination once I've had some time to refresh myself on the symptoms and treatments, this is a rare outcome after all, but there may be hope for her yet. That said, if/when Aurum makes an appearance, try not to bring up her trauma and let me know. Examining the situation from her side of the mental space should help."

Blitz Boom · March 28, 2023

@Illiad Easle @Props ValRoa

On 2023-03-27 at 5:57 AM, Spiral Spell said:

Spiral would chuckle to Last's comments, and look over to her, her eyes rolling to gaze into Last's own. "That's a rather colorful way to describe it. Though, I don't blame you for asking. You haven't seen what I actually look like, nobody has. I originally died over 300 years ago in an explosion, and it was only thanks to the one called "Trixie" that I was brought back...though she improperly did the spell, resulting in my soul being brought back into being inside of her, rather than my body being brought back as she intended...I used her body as my own for quite some time, until this one was gifted to me." she said, standing there, and showing her dull orange-grey body to Last, smirking somewhat, hinting that she looked far more impressive originally.

"I'd offer a story myself, but I've said everything I got, that's foal friendly. Another time."

She'd look in the direction of Nexus as she said that, albeit briefly. Sure Nexus seemed more hardy, but basically everything she could share from here on out, involved death, mutilation, sacrifice, or tragedy. She could give some speech about loyalty, or belief, but that were not the place for it. In parts because those did still involve death, and they had spoken plenty enough about that for now, far as she were concerned.

Besides, Spiral knew the broad gist of things, as Last had told her that before. A fair few details remaining, but she should know her stance on things well at this point. Seemed like Last still had plenty to learn about Spiral though.

On 2023-03-27 at 8:51 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Nexus looked a bit sad about that, "Oh, I hope the kitsune didn't test you guys too hard. She was always concerned for my safety. Can you tell me about this Ficus? What is an 'egg head', is that a new kind of pony?"

"Minor stuff. Usual trickery stuff, from what I hear about their kind.

And an egg head is someone smart, but not fit for a battlefield. I grew up in a militaristic group, and these sorts who do the technical things, while the rest fights, we called egg heads. Doesn't mean they're not important, but they're not the ones littering the field."

Might be rude to some, that she called them egg heads, but she were used to being where it were a simple divide: There were the leaders, the egg heads, and the brutes. The last two, giving each other that nickname, and sticking with them. Used to be that they went with brains and meat shields, but with all the body parts that ended up going around, it started to sound a bit too macabre. Sides, the other part sounded more right to her.

"Ficus is one of the egg heads. Can't say much about her. Only met her on that one mission, and we didn't talk much. The kitsune put some sorta mojo on her though. Did on us all I think, though I still ain't sure what it actually did. I ain't versed in magic."

Something about it mattering when she needed it... Heck if she knew what that meant. Had felt like she did things well on her own, but eh, might have been something she just didn't notice. Or it were a placebo thing, to make them feel more confident. Whatever the case, she were still alive, and had her limbs intact. That were something.

On 2023-03-27 at 8:51 PM, Illiad Easle said:

She looked less sure, "I only heard rumors, from those who had been sacrificed, but the Enigma Machine was something that the Earth Ponies had built to fulfil a similar role to what the Arcane Nexus did for the unicorns. It produced a series of machines far superior to anything the earth ponies had previously developed. It completely stopped the unicorns advances towards Terra Firma, and even pushed them back in places. Had I not frozen everyone, they might have eventually won."

"Sounds like a bunch of cowards and heretics. If you wanna fight, do it on the battlefield. Sacrificial stuff like that? That's the sort of thing we were sent to end back in the day. Permanently."

There were also some general murder of needed individual. The historical texts they had at the shrine, weren't hiding that, but it still all had a purpose, in her majesty's plan. Something about balance, and the lesser evil. She had other things to think about right now, rather than that. Like how the earth ponies that Nexus spoke about, sounded like no better than the queen. Should've been put to the sword all the same. The ones in charge of it anyway.

On 2023-03-27 at 8:51 PM, Illiad Easle said:

It took about fifteen minutes for the specialist to arrive, a larger unicorn stallion that moved with surprising grace despite the developed musculature uncommon for a unicorn. His deep purple coat made the numerous scars easy to see and contrasted with their white mane and tail. His hair wasn't all that well kempt, parts of his mane and tail were braided with beads similar to a zebra style. He wore a few pieces of armor that held magic within them, as well as a few enchanted trinkets. His mark was that of a key in the key hole of a thought bubble.

Despite his rough and imposing appearance, he spoke in a soft, almost timid, manner. "I apologize for my appearance, I hadn't expected to be called on so soon, but it sounded urgent that I come. How can I help?"

Last would watch the newcomer closely. Last hadn't anything against unicorns per se, but she were dismayed at times, over how little brawn they tended to have. Magic were all fine and good, but what then, if that failed, or ran dry? You needed to be able to pack a punch. And this one surely would. A fine example of a unicorn. Her old captain, would've been fascinated by him. In more ways than one.

Last... Eh, he seemed tough, but she didn't feel it beyond that. He seemed more calm and collected, and as he spoke, his voice did not speak of one with a lot of fire. She figured if ever she would find interest in a stallion, it'd be one who could match her temper.

That aside, they had far more important things, that her odd little side tracked thought, though she wouldn't explain things. She let Briar do it, as he started to talk before her, explaining things briefly, and succinctly. Pretty well spoken, for a flower.

On 2023-03-27 at 8:51 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Memory nodded again, "That's fine." He took one of the trinkets off of his foreleg and unraveled it to reveal a pair of necklaces. He passed one over to Nexus as he put on the other. "If it is alright with you, I'd like to look into your memories, maybe I'll be able to find something else. Or, if there's another soul inside you, I might be able to find them. Is that alright?"

Nexus nodded as she put on the other necklace, "Should I do anything?"

He shook his head, "Just relax. You might feel like something is poking or prodding you, try not to fight against it."

While Last observed, Briar would move in closer to Nexus, for moral support. Might be she did not need it, like Aurum did, but they appeared to share a vessel, and Nexus were still, at the end of the day, a filly. Knowing not how this went, he wanted to show that he were there for her, in case she needed it. What he heard already though, were... Strange. Hopefully there were more to it, because he could not grasp what were happening, from that alone.

On 2023-03-27 at 8:51 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Memory then charged up the necklaces, which started to pull towards each other enough to lift off of their chests, but not enough to pull them together. Memory closed his eyes, as did Nexus, and all was quiet for about half an hour before Memory ended the spell. There were some tears in his eyes as he opened them, which Nexus noticed when she reactivated the spell that made her eyes glow and allowed her to see, "Is something wrong? Did I hurt you?"

Memory shook his head, wiping away the tears, "No no, you did wonderfully. You are a very strong pony. I just need to talk with the other ponies for a bit if that's alright?"

In the half hour that it took, before this process were over, Brittle would have calmed, and come over to hide behind Briar again. The evergrown sitting calmly where he had from the start, anxiously awaiting news about things here.

Last would be doing some rounds in the meantime, and after there were once again no sign of something wrong, she'd pull her sword, and a piece of cloth, and began polishing it. Since there didn't seem to be anything she could do here, beyond waiting and seeing, she might as well maintain her gear. Least it was something she could do.

She'd stop once the two of them *woke up* as it were, and put her blade back in its sheath again. Sounded like there were a need for her to join up too, so she'd come over, remaining silent for now, as she waited to hear what had been found out. As it seemed they were moving away from Nexus right now, Briar would wander with the unicorn, over to where he wanted them to be. Brittle followed him, but that should hardly be a surprise to them, at this point. She did not like his absence.

On 2023-03-27 at 8:51 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Nexus nodded and Memory stood up to move over to speak with Spiral, Last, and Briar. "To the best of my knowledge... there is only one soul inside of this filly. That being said, there is also evidence of several other souls, possibly even hundreds, having been present at one time or another. Her mental landscape is littered with impressions, fragmented memories that are not her own. It is too soon to tell, but it sounds like she is suffering from a form of dissociative identity disorder. If I understood the memories correctly, Aurum suffered an extremely traumatic event, enough to shut down completely. Nexus has no memory of the trauma, nor anything that happened before."

He sighed, "I'll have to do a more thorough examination once I've had some time to refresh myself on the symptoms and treatments, this is a rare outcome after all, but there may be hope for her yet. That said, if/when Aurum makes an appearance, try not to bring up her trauma and let me know. Examining the situation from her side of the mental space should help."

"So she ain't possessed, but still need a specialist? Aight. Assuming the goal is to merge the two or something, in the long run?"

"I wouldn't be so sure. If a lot of souls have been there, and imprinted on her, then it is hard to say what might come of this, or what the plan is... It concerns me greatly, yet still, I thank you for your help thus far, doctor. Earth Mother be willing, we will find a solution to this in the long run, which will help the poor filly.

We already discussed not mentioning to Aurum, about Nexus. I believe this simply confirms that it were a good call, and one we should continue."

He were not personally sure that there were not a second soul to worry about in this. Perhaps there were not yet, but all those memories, and that sheer change in personality? He had wandered far and wide in his days, searching for ways to get sight, and learn of the thriving world, outside of his former jungle home. He heard plenty of things in that time. Enough to believe that a new soul could well be born, from extraordinary circumstances. Would it happen? He could not say, but regardless, he still believed it to be important to keep track of peculiar changes, as time went on now. Who truly knew, what might happen?

"Anything else we should be aware of? I ain't sure how this whole soul conduit thing could end up affecting her, but is there something that'll be a red flag?"

Illiad Easle · April 2, 2023

@Blitz Boom @Props Valroa

On 3/28/2023 at 3:17 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Ficus is one of the egg heads. Can't say much about her. Only met her on that one mission, and we didn't talk much. The kitsune put some sorta mojo on her though. Did on us all I think, though I still ain't sure what it actually did. I ain't versed in magic."

Nexus was a bit disappointed that Last did not go on to explain what sort of creature Ficus was, but did not press the issue further, as at that point it seemed clear that Last and Spiral didn't want to tell her for whatever reason.

On 3/30/2023 at 12:51 PM, Spiral Spell said:

"That is definitely something in the realm of possibility. I will have to ask the others about that, but if it is true if there is an extra soul inside of you, it would do you both better to be separate, so then you could meet her properly." Spiral would say in response to this, hoping that it would be possible to do so.

She looked more hopeful at that.

On 3/30/2023 at 12:51 PM, Spiral Spell said:

Spiral's eyes would widen slightly upon this revelation and she'd walk a bit closer. "You used to raise the Sun and Moon? Can't say I expected that...I don't know who raises the Sun and Moon these days, though. The alicorns who once ruled us are dead as far as I know, and beyond that, is unknown, at least to me. Can you explain to me more about the Empress and her ventures?" Spiral asked, wanting to know more about that.

She looked less happy at that topic, "The Empress was mostly concerned with ending the war. That's what she told me at least when I asked why she wanted me to cast the spells that I did. But most of the spells seemed more focused on hurting ponies than ending the conflict, so I froze everyone to end the war."

On 3/28/2023 at 3:17 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Sounds like a bunch of cowards and heretics. If you wanna fight, do it on the battlefield. Sacrificial stuff like that? That's the sort of thing we were sent to end back in the day. Permanently."

There were also some general murder of needed individual. The historical texts they had at the shrine, weren't hiding that, but it still all had a purpose, in her majesty's plan. Something about balance, and the lesser evil. She had other things to think about right now, rather than that. Like how the earth ponies that Nexus spoke about, sounded like no better than the queen. Should've been put to the sword all the same. The ones in charge of it anyway.

On 3/30/2023 at 12:51 PM, Spiral Spell said:

Spiral would nod to this, "We haven't heard of anything like that in our history as far as I am aware. All of what we are taught, is that the three tribes were once warring against each other then the Windigoes would appear because of the division and discord of the three tribes, then they had to work together, and love each other - and the Windigoes went away, and Equestria was founded on their unity. At least that is what I know, there is a lot more to it, obviously, but the details of it, are most likely lost to our history...now with you, we have a living witness to it all..."

Nexus was a bit saddened by Last's comments, "They were desperate, willing to do anything to end the war before the Earth ponies could wipe them out."

In regards to the Wendigos, Nexus looked confused, "What is a wendigo? I don't think I've ever heard that term before."

On 3/28/2023 at 3:17 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"So she ain't possessed, but still need a specialist? Aight. Assuming the goal is to merge the two or something, in the long run?"

Memory shrugged, "If that is possible, but often those suffering from DID are never able to make it that far. And given the strength of the trauma... I don't know if it would be worth subjecting Aurum to it again in an effort to help her through it."

On 3/28/2023 at 3:17 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Anything else we should be aware of? I ain't sure how this whole soul conduit thing could end up affecting her, but is there something that'll be a red flag?"

Memory nodded, "While we've only seen Aurum and Nexus so far, they may not be the only identities that will emerge. There are enough fragmented memories in her mind that she could very well manifest a new personality under the right circumstances. I'll try and remove them in my future sessions in order to reduce that risk, but it will remain a possibility."

On 3/30/2023 at 12:51 PM, Spiral Spell said:

She'd listen to Memory's explanation, and would accept it. "So, she has multiple personalities but not multiple souls...this is all probably from when she was used as a focal point for all that magic, fried her mind. She is going to need mental treatment for a long time, if I had any guesses...we can't expose her to any more trauma, she must be kept safe. When Aurum comes about, we will let you know, so you can come again, to look into things from her side." Spiral would say, calmly.

He shook his head, "Surprisingly her mind seems perfectly healthy, but that could be due to the healing caused by her ascension. That may also reduce our chances for a merged outcome, as part of the trauma may be due to these changes, or these changes aggravated her trauma. In any case you're right, she's going to need therapy, either to help her confront her trauma, or to further hide it so it is not triggered again. As to Aurum... She should be told about her condition, so that she can better learn to deal with it. You won't be able to hide the fact that she's missing sections of memory for long. But if you want, I can explain it to her when she comes around, just like I'll explain to Nexus now."

He turned to address her, but she stopped him, a sad expression on her face, "I heard, and... I understand. I wish I could remember the trauma that caused me to emerge, so that I could help you avoid it in the future, but it seems that I've blocked it out. I... What can I do to help?"

Memory looked compassionate, and then dug through his bag to pull out a small notebook. "I'll bring a better one next time, but what you can do is to journal. Think of it as writing a letter to Aurum. When she cones out, she won't remember anything that you've done, but everyone else will. By keeping a journal you'll be able to fill her in on what she missed. And she'll be able to do the same for when you come back."

She took the offered notebook and nodded, "But... if she's blind like me... she won't be able to read will she?"

Memory blinked, then snorted in annoyance at himself, "Yeah that's true, forgive me. If you can write, you'll be able to have one of these mares read it to her."

She nodded at that, "That should work, thank you."

Blitz Boom · April 7, 2023

@Illiad Easle @Props ValRoa

On 2023-04-02 at 7:31 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Nexus was a bit disappointed that Last did not go on to explain what sort of creature Ficus was, but did not press the issue further, as at that point it seemed clear that Last and Spiral didn't want to tell her for whatever reason.

It wasn't that Last did not want to say that Spiral were a pony. It were more that she had spend so much of her life around ponies, that she didn't always think twice about mentioning the race of anyone, when speaking around and to other ponies. She'd probably think of that later, and correct things, but right now, it didn't even register with her.

On 2023-04-02 at 7:31 PM, Illiad Easle said:

She looked less happy at that topic, "The Empress was mostly concerned with ending the war. That's what she told me at least when I asked why she wanted me to cast the spells that I did. But most of the spells seemed more focused on hurting ponies than ending the conflict, so I froze everyone to end the war."

"You made the right call. Less casualties this way, in the long run."

Sure it'd be ideal if no one had died perhaps, but the world were not ideal, and sometimes, you had to weigh what sacrifices to make. Armies on two sides, along with likely some unfortunate innocents caught up in it too, and the major weapons that were fueling the war? A great price, but what if it hadn't been done? How far had things then gone, to try and destroy the other side? And what if either had won? Last had seen the empress. If someone like that had come into an unopposed position of power, with a superior military behind her? She could end up running several continents like a sadistic tyrant. And that weapon the earth ponies had used? That didn't speak greatly of their morals either, so there were no telling where things would have ended.

So to Last at least, it sounded like the right call were made by Nexus, given the circumstances.

On 2023-04-02 at 7:31 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Nexus was a bit saddened by Last's comments, "They were desperate, willing to do anything to end the war before the Earth ponies could wipe them out."

In regards to the Wendigos, Nexus looked confused, "What is a wendigo? I don't think I've ever heard that term before."

"Ain't sounding like either side were clean in this, but I weren't there. I can't say who had the highest moral ground to stand on.

And she said Windigo, not Wendigo. Windigo's from what I've heard, are basically winter spirits, that feeds off of hatred and fighting. I ain't sure what exactly a Wendigo is, but I heard something about cannibalism and mutations. Mad ravings from a pony that ran into our shrine once. Poor fighter, but he earned his keep with the vines we ate. Had a nasty wound going over his torso too. I remember my sister were impressed he hadn't fallen apart, with how deep they were.

...Not important, I guess. Spiral's smarter than me, so she can probably fill you in on these sorta things better."

Wasn't the only thing she recalled about that runner - one of the last they had gotten through the valley, before they had been relieved of duty - but she'd already rambled off for too long there. Didn't seem important that her sister had taken a liking to him, and had more or less made him propose. What did it matter? They were both dead. Everyone she knew were.

"I heard of both sorts of creatures. I made sure to listen to the warnings, and stay rather far away from areas, that were even rumored to have those creatures near. I neither wish to partake in senseless fighting, nor fend off a maddened predator. Though as an interesting sidenote: The latter ones? In the tribe I visited near the border to Caneighda, they called them *Hollowheads*. The description seemed to fit though.

*clears throat* But ahem, I believe this might not be a good topic. We are among young minds, and should not go to far. My apologies for indulging it."

On 2023-04-02 at 7:31 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Memory nodded, "While we've only seen Aurum and Nexus so far, they may not be the only identities that will emerge. There are enough fragmented memories in her mind that she could very well manifest a new personality under the right circumstances. I'll try and remove them in my future sessions in order to reduce that risk, but it will remain a possibility."

"Let's just hope that if any pops up, none of 'em are violent. Might have to think of ordering the egg heads to work on a tranquilizer though, just in case."

It were a big if, but frankly, if you didn't have at least one backup plan, did you really have one in the first place? Outta be something they'd have to think about, as well as how to apply it if it were. They'd probably need something with a bit of anti-magic, to make it work, but she'd leave that to the smart ones. This was more up their alleyway.

"Seems you got a plan for some preemptive stuff though. Keep us updated on changes, and try not pushing her too hard."

On 2023-04-02 at 7:31 PM, Illiad Easle said:

On 2023-03-30 at 8:51 PM, Spiral Spell said:

She'd listen to Memory's explanation, and would accept it. "So, she has multiple personalities but not multiple souls...this is all probably from when she was used as a focal point for all that magic, fried her mind. She is going to need mental treatment for a long time, if I had any guesses...we can't expose her to any more trauma, she must be kept safe. When Aurum comes about, we will let you know, so you can come again, to look into things from her side." Spiral would say, calmly.

He shook his head, "Surprisingly her mind seems perfectly healthy, but that could be due to the healing caused by her ascension. That may also reduce our chances for a merged outcome, as part of the trauma may be due to these changes, or these changes aggravated her trauma. In any case you're right, she's going to need therapy, either to help her confront her trauma, or to further hide it so it is not triggered again. As to Aurum... She should be told about her condition, so that she can better learn to deal with it. You won't be able to hide the fact that she's missing sections of memory for long. But if you want, I can explain it to her when she comes around, just like I'll explain to Nexus now."

He turned to address her, but she stopped him, a sad expression on her face, "I heard, and... I understand. I wish I could remember the trauma that caused me to emerge, so that I could help you avoid it in the future, but it seems that I've blocked it out. I... What can I do to help?"

Memory looked compassionate, and then dug through his bag to pull out a small notebook. "I'll bring a better one next time, but what you can do is to journal. Think of it as writing a letter to Aurum. When she cones out, she won't remember anything that you've done, but everyone else will. By keeping a journal you'll be able to fill her in on what she missed. And she'll be able to do the same for when you come back."

She took the offered notebook and nodded, "But... if she's blind like me... she won't be able to read will she?"

Memory blinked, then snorted in annoyance at himself, "Yeah that's true, forgive me. If you can write, you'll be able to have one of these mares read it to her."

She nodded at that, "That should work, thank you."

"If it helps, I can try and learn you both, how to read and write in braille. It might prove a better means of communication between you both, in the longer run. In case you have some things, that you wish to keep away from us, for whatever reason. You both deserve your privacy after all, Nexus."

It were saddening to notice, that Nexus appeared to have good enough hearing, to hear what had been talked about after all. Yet what were done, were done. All they could do now, were to act upon it, and offer what comfort, information, and consolation that there were to offer. In his case, that were an offer to help with a means of communication, from one blind individual to another. He would be a little rusty, as he hadn't written in braille for years by now, but he'd do his outmost to help, if it were something that Nexus would like to pursue.

"As for when Aurum surfaces again... Might I suggest that at least for now, we just tell her that she fell unconscious after the news, seemingly falling into slumber, and that she is okay? She had enough to deal with today. I do not wish to pile more on top of that, unless it is urgently required."

Briar would turn to Nexus then, and knelt down, to put himself more in face height with her.

"No matter what happens Nexus... You, Aurum, whomever might rise, from your scattered memories- You have those here, who wish the best for you, and will do what we can to help. Please remember that, and come to us, if there is something that troubles you, or you wish for companionship.

I said much the same to Aurum, and I mean it as genuinely as I did, when I told her that."

He knew not how long it might be, for Aurum to take over again, as it were. But he wished before that, to let Nexus hear that she did have support, and they weren't simply here to observe her, as if she were some sort of lab rat. He weren't at least, that much he knew with certainty. And yes, Nexus seemed to be a much more grown mind, that had developed more than Aurum's, but no matter the age, maturity level, or wisdom, he strongly believed that all needed to have someone they felt like were there for them. Someone who actually cared. Aurum had seemingly accepted that he were genuine about offering this to her, and while Nexus were partially her too, they were as of yet separate, and thus, should be addressed as such. Also since it seemed that they did not share memories, which were odd to him, but he were not a shrink. He knew not the intricate ways, that the mind worked.

Last watched this, with a vague smile on the side of her face, briefly crossing her face. A sappy guy this one, in more ways than one, but she supposed he were alright. At least for now.

"Sappy fellah, isn't he? Sounds like we got a lot to work towards anyway, but done right, she's gonna grow up healthy. Worth the effort I'd say."

She'd wander closer to Spiral as she said this, not wanting to spoilt he moment, or whatever were happening here. unless Spiral had gone in close to Nexus too, in which case Last would keep quiet, and see what'd happen.

Illiad Easle · April 12, 2023

@Blitz Boom @Props ValRoa

On 4/7/2023 at 3:37 PM, Blitz Boom said:

And she said Windigo, not Wendigo. Windigo's from what I've heard, are basically winter spirits, that feeds off of hatred and fighting. I ain't sure what exactly a Wendigo is, but I heard something about cannibalism and mutations. Mad ravings from a pony that ran into our shrine once. Poor fighter, but he earned his keep with the vines we ate. Had a nasty wound going over his torso too. I remember my sister were impressed he hadn't fallen apart, with how deep they were.

On 4/9/2023 at 4:47 PM, Spiral Spell said:

"Beings of pure ectoplasmic emotional energy that feed off of hate. Very little is known about them. In the early days of Equestria's founding, they caused blizzards and other extreme weather, all relating to winter. When the ponies instead turned to loving each other for what they have in common rather than their differences, they lost their power. Who knows where they retreated to, or what they are doing now, though. They haven't been seen in Millenia."

Nexus looked thoughtful, but shook her head, "I can't say it sounds familiar, but if they haven't been seen for so long I suppose we don't have to worry."

On 4/7/2023 at 3:37 PM, Blitz Boom said:

If it helps, I can try and learn you both, how to read and write in braille. It might prove a better means of communication between you both, in the longer run. In case you have some things, that you wish to keep away from us, for whatever reason. You both deserve your privacy after all, Nexus."

It were saddening to notice, that Nexus appeared to have good enough hearing, to hear what had been talked about after all. Yet what were done, were done. All they could do now, were to act upon it, and offer what comfort, information, and consolation that there were to offer. In his case, that were an offer to help with a means of communication, from one blind individual to another. He would be a little rusty, as he hadn't written in braille for years by now, but he'd do his outmost to help, if it were something that Nexus would like to pursue.

"As for when Aurum surfaces again... Might I suggest that at least for now, we just tell her that she fell unconscious after the news, seemingly falling into slumber, and that she is okay? She had enough to deal with today. I do not wish to pile more on top of that, unless it is urgently required."

Briar would turn to Nexus then, and knelt down, to put himself more in face height with her.

"No matter what happens Nexus... You, Aurum, whomever might rise, from your scattered memories- You have those here, who wish the best for you, and will do what we can to help. Please remember that, and come to us, if there is something that troubles you, or you wish for companionship.

I said much the same to Aurum, and I mean it as genuinely as I did, when I told her that."

Nexus nodded at that, and smiled, "I'm happy to hear that I have friends here."

Memory took that opportunity to leave, seeing that everything seemed to be fine.

That all said she turned her attention back to the group at large, "Well, while we wait to see when, Aurum returns, is there something that we need to do? "

Blitz Boom · April 15, 2023

@Illiad Easle @Props ValRoa

On 2023-04-10 at 12:47 AM, Spiral Spell said:

"Beings of pure ectoplasmic emotional energy that feed off of hate. Very little is known about them. In the early days of Equestria's founding, they caused blizzards and other extreme weather, all relating to winter. When the ponies instead turned to loving each other for what they have in common rather than their differences, they lost their power. Who knows where they retreated to, or what they are doing now, though. They haven't been seen in Millenia."

Beings that fed off of hate, huh? well, if that were the short and simple of it, the war might well have given them some pockets to recuperate proper, and gain some power back. probably a lot of vengeful sorts, with plenty of good reasons to hate others out there, bearing the physical and emotional scars of war. Guess they'd see what sort of old enemies, would end up crawling out of their hiding spots, over the years.

On 2023-04-10 at 12:47 AM, Spiral Spell said:

"Indeed. I think we can potentially just let them be. They are getting along well enough and we know what we need to know, now?" Spiral asked, thinking that they were done here, at least for now.

"Maybe we should go see to Spiral after this then. I completely forgot to keep track of her."

Not her proudest moment. Not the worst by a long shot though. Least this were just her forgetting for a little while. And one could argue, that she had her own things to focus on too. But she should go and check up on Spiral eventually, once they were done here for the time being, though they'd see when that were. Things seemed nice and calm now... Potentially, they could just make plans for later, and then leave these three to do whatever they were gonna do. It didn't seem like they needed protection currently.

On 2023-04-12 at 11:56 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Nexus nodded at that, and smiled, "I'm happy to hear that I have friends here."

Memory took that opportunity to leave, seeing that everything seemed to be fine.

That all said she turned her attention back to the group at large, "Well, while we wait to see when, Aurum returns, is there something that we need to do? "

Last nodded at Memory as he moved to leave, and Briar rose a hoof in farewell. They both assumed that they were gonna be meeting that one again, relatively soon.

"I have little in the way of demands, or plans made. Initially, I wished only to make sure that Aurum were feeling safe as she woke up, and ease her into things from there. Her first impression were not great, prior to today. Beyond that I merely planned to ensure that basic needs were handled.

Aurum had something to eat earlier, but might you be hungry, Nexus? I do have some sweets too if it is, though we are still uncertain if there are complications, with that. Aurum mentioned she were forbidden from eating them, and I fear that might be related to potential diabetes, or allergies. I'd rather not risk doing something rash, that might put your health at risk.

Beyond that, perhaps I could run you through some of the basic steps of communicating in braille perhaps? I'd need a few things, but I am certain that can be arranged, and if you are to keep a diary with Aurum, it might be better to handle sooner, rather than later.

That said, your want in things, do matter, Nexus. If you would rather something else, we can see what we can do. Albeit, it would have to be in here, for at least a little while longer. With some fortune, you will soon be able to wander around the ship, and witness what The Æther is like, but there are a fe preparations to handle first."

Illiad Easle · April 20, 2023

@Blitz Boom @Props ValRoa

On 2023-04-15 at 5:12 PM, Blitz Boom said:

Aurum had something to eat earlier, but might you be hungry, Nexus? I do have some sweets too if it is, though we are still uncertain if there are complications, with that. Aurum mentioned she were forbidden from eating them, and I fear that might be related to potential diabetes, or allergies. I'd rather not risk doing something rash, that might put your health at risk.

Beyond that, perhaps I could run you through some of the basic steps of communicating in braille perhaps? I'd need a few things, but I am certain that can be arranged, and if you are to keep a diary with Aurum, it might be better to handle sooner, rather than later.

Nexus looked thoughtful at being asked if she were hungry, "That's right... ponies eat food. When I was in the amber I never got hungry, maybe there was some sort of enchantment to keep my body in stasis?" She shrugged, "I don't think I'm hungry, which makes sense if Aurum ate soon before I arrived. Is there something we can do to test what we can eat? It might be a good gift for Aurum if we've already figured out what she can have before she comes back."

In regards to learning about braille she nodded, "I mean, I can see just fine, with my magic, but if she doesn't know the spell I'm using then I'll need to know it so I can read what she writes."

@Props Valroa

Nexus looked confused at the physical contact, but didn't seem adverse to being touched.

Spiral would be able to find the Consul in his office if she went looking for him. He'd look a little surprised to see her, "Back so soon? Nothing has gone wrong i hope?"

Blitz Boom · April 22, 2023

@Illiad Easle @Props ValRoa

On 2023-04-20 at 2:40 AM, Illiad Easle said:

In regards to learning about braille she nodded, "I mean, I can see just fine, with my magic, but if she doesn't know the spell I'm using then I'll need to know it so I can read what she writes."

"There are tests that can be done, but it must be done by a doctor. There is one here, whom I have full confidence in. He have treated me with the outmost care, when I had my own appointments, and I have come to trust that he will do things well. That will have to be run past the leadership still though, I will assume, but we will get to it, as soon as we are able. I can't say what he'd need to test though. Perhaps a blood sample? I am sadly not well versed in the way that equines function, when it comes to such things.

As for Aurum, as far as I am aware, she uses her magic to feel around the area she is in, to sense what, and whom are there. You appear to have a far more focused grasp on the same magic she uses, and it might be good if we can somehow teach her that as well.

Truth be told, I have been concerned. I can tell by personal experiences, that you can still live well, whilst being blind, but I yet worry, as it seemed to weigh upon Aurum. Perhaps if she can learn what you know too, it will bring her joy. If not... Well, I have experience as I said."

He'd open his eyelids, showing the grassy layer behind them, as he blinked a few times. Two blank spots, where eyes should have been, yet nothing but the same texture and look as his cheeks. Albeit with shorter grass.

"Either way, Earth Mother be willing, I can be a help for you both."

On 2023-04-20 at 2:40 AM, Illiad Easle said:

Nexus looked confused at the physical contact, but didn't seem adverse to being touched.

On 2023-04-17 at 9:23 PM, Spiral Spell said:

Spiral would look to Memory, Briar and Brittle. She'd nod to them all respectfully and would make a motion to leave as well. It seemed as if their work was done for now - and Aurum was definitely in capable trustworthy hooves. "I believe our work is done here? We will report to the Consul and inform him of the situation. We'll be back, soon, but for now I think you all should just rest and lay back a bit." Spiral would walk up to Nexus, and give the filly a gentle pat on the head, before turning to leave.

Last would take notice of what happened, but she would not go over to pat Nexus's head. She didn't really think it was appropriate.

"It seems you got this under control for now. Goodbye for now."

She'd pound her hoof against her chest for a salute once, then turn and walk out of here with Spiral. As they exited the room, Briar would chuckle softly.

"What a peculiar pair. They seem like they have their hearts in the right place though. May their travel be blessed."

On 2023-04-20 at 2:40 AM, Illiad Easle said:

Spiral would be able to find the Consul in his office if she went looking for him. He'd look a little surprised to see her, "Back so soon? Nothing has gone wrong i hope?"

"Consul. Aurum appear to have a split personality, and the plant wants her checked out by a doctor. Wanna know if she has diabetes or something else.

The other personality seems more grounded, and in control of herself. The shrink Memory Lane had a look at her, and so far found two. Aurum as you've seen her, and then this other one, Nexus. He ain't sure if there'll be more popping up. Nexus asked for some paper and writing tools, so they can pass messages between one another.

Beyond that, she seems safe and contend. Since the plant got a changeling with them too, I'm guessing she'll be accustomed to those soon enough.

It isn't much, but it's looking positive, Consul. Though if the farmers wants him back for a time, we'll have to inform both of the personalities about them being watched for a time, beforehand. Nexus I think would take it calmly, but I don't think Aurum would take it well, to suddenly be aware again, and be without him."

Last gave her report as well as she figured it should be done. It got the important parts, and since the consul likely had better things to do than listen to them yap for an hour, it were best in her mind, to just get that over with.

Illiad Easle · April 24, 2023

@Blitz Boom

On 2023-04-22 at 4:56 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Either way, Earth Mother be willing, I can be a help for you both."

She was a bit surprised to see that Briar didn't have any eyes, but didn't comment on it. "I don't know how I know the spell that I'm using. One of the ponies that died must have known it so I remember it. Maybe..."

She pondered for a moment, but shook her head, "I don't know how one would go about sharing spells without demonstrating it. I could maybe show it to another unicorn, and then they could teach it to Aurum?" She shrugged, "I don't know how urgent that would be though."

Briar might remember that the psychologist had been called from a list of pre-approved professionals, perhaps there was another on that list that they could call to examine Nexus? Although, they would need someone to read the list, as Briar could not.

@Props Valroa @Blitz Boom

The Consul paid close attention to what they had to say about the alicorn, waiting until they were done to sigh deeply, "Why couldn't it have just been simple...."

He took a deep breath before returning his focus to the mares, "At the very least, neither personality seems particularly attached to the idea of being an alicorn. So long as no other strong personalities appear it should then be easy to convince her to hide her nature in public, so as to avoid any further incidents. Further neither personality seems violent, so that's another plus."

He nodded, "Continue observation. I'm thinking at least a week to see if any other personalities arise, then we can start looking into integration into the school system. The farmlands can spare Briar for a week, so long as he still visits the scientists on schedule, then when she's integrated she won't need as much constant observation."

He turned to Spiral, "The amulet should be ready for you to enchant by the end of the day, I'll have it delivered to your quarters and you can bring it to me once it's ready so we can have the mages verify it won't have any unforeseen interactions with the project or the alicorn."

Turning back to Last he nodded, "That's probably good thinking about having her checked, though I don't know how many have experience with an alicorn. Given how much cake Princess Celestia is rumored to have consumed though, I don't think they have much in the way of dietary restrictions. But that's a very small sample size."

Unless they had further questions they were dismissed to continue observing as they saw fit. They didn't need to be there all the time after all.

Blitz Boom · May 2, 2023

@Illiad Easle

On 2023-04-24 at 8:58 PM, Illiad Easle said:

She pondered for a moment, but shook her head, "I don't know how one would go about sharing spells without demonstrating it. I could maybe show it to another unicorn, and then they could teach it to Aurum?" She shrugged, "I don't know how urgent that would be though."

"Perhaps not urgent, but something which we can pursue in the future. I just think it would ease her mind, if it were an option. I'd find it intriguing to try the same, but I would assume you needed eyes in the first place for that.

I hope it did not unsettle you to see that? Among my species, I am a mutation. A sub-species who are recognizable by among other things, being born without eyes. I still do have eyelids however, which I know, is rather peculiar. But at least that helps me to keep others more at ease around me. The more I wander like a pony, the more I found they accepted me like I were one, so my eyelids remained closed, and none would be the wiser. It were the same reason I wore a cloak once, to hide the bulbs on my back.

Yet I have come to find great acceptance upon this vessel, and as such, do not need it anymore. Instead, I gave it to Brittle, hoping that it would provide her some comfort, as it once did me."

Brittle would in fact be wearing it as they spoke. A bit odd looking on her, the somewhat ratty old thing, but it did what it were meant to: provide her a feeling of his presence, and ease her mind, however minorly it could.

"Ah, but my ramblings aside, perhaps it would not hurt to ask someone of these specialists, if teaching it would be possible."

He'd activate the flower on his head, and the list would float towards him. He could not read it himself of course, but he wished to do something here, that he thought were appropriate.

Brittle? Would you be so kind as to look, and see if you can find one that would fit?"

He hoped it would help to include Brittle, as she had been very quiet here, and likely not felt very included in things. Perhaps, she might even have worried that he were neglecting her, which were not the case. Nor would he wish for her to feel that way.

She would look over the note, as it came floating to her, and would eventually nod. She needed a few more seconds though, before she said something.

"T-There is one. Says uhm... M-magic t-teacher."

There were perhaps another term for it, but she would give this, as well as the name. Briar would then go to the front gate, and ask the guard there to please put them in contact, with the one in question.

He would not be gone for long, but it would leave Brittle there, sitting and looking anxiously at Nexus. Her head held near the ground, and looking up, as if she were concerned that the filly would start to hit her with a belt, or something similar. An unfortunately regular thought that she had, on meeting strangers, and sometimes, even those she did know. Especially if she felt like she had done something wrong, whatever or not that were true.

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

@Illiad Easle @Props Valroa

On 2023-04-23 at 7:59 PM, Spiral Spell said:

Spiral would allow Last to speak first to the Consul. She nodded at her explanations, and would add to it when Last was finished. "It's a rather complicated affair that I think will need to be under close watch by trained professionals. Aurum and Nexus may potentially need many months, if not years of mental help due to the way she was treated. That's just my recommendation. Do you have any other orders for us at the moment, that need attending to?" Spiral would ask calmly.

Last would nod in agreement with that. It were essentially what she had been thinking too, since it appeared the filly's head were all messed up. Enough for there to be multiple personalities in there. That had to be a complicated mess, that wouldn't just be solved in a moon cycle. It'd take a long, long time. Maybe even longer than The Æther would be flying around, before they'd return to the surface proper.

She still weren't totally sure that there weren't more souls in the filly though. Sure the expert had said differently, but she weren't that sure, that things were really that *simple*, so to speak. Or that they couldn't change later on. Stranger things would've happened, though realistically, there weren't a lot she could do about things either way. Just observe, see what would happen, and act as best as she could, along with the guidance of Spiral, the plant, and the orders of the acting Consul.

On 2023-04-24 at 8:58 PM, Illiad Easle said:

He nodded, "Continue observation. I'm thinking at least a week to see if any other personalities arise, then we can start looking into integration into the school system. The farmlands can spare Briar for a week, so long as he still visits the scientists on schedule, then when she's integrated she won't need as much constant observation."

"We'll work from that then, Consul. Hopefully you're right, that things can go smoothly, and she's not gonna need m- Us, to watch over her all the time. We'll see though. A week's plenty of time for something to happen."

She wanted to be hopeful, but at the same time, they did have to be grounded, and also think what bad could happen. If not, they might end up getting complacent, or miss things, out of bliss, and then where'd they be? Potentially on the wrong end of a lot of bad things. But they'd see. She did not want to be the gloom and doom of all of this. Simply show that she were cautious, regardless of how it looked right here and now.

On 2023-04-24 at 8:58 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Turning back to Last he nodded, "That's probably good thinking about having her checked, though I don't know how many have experience with an alicorn. Given how much cake Princess Celestia is rumored to have consumed though, I don't think they have much in the way of dietary restrictions. But that's a very small sample size."

Unless they had further questions they were dismissed to continue observing as they saw fit. They didn't need to be there all the time after all.

"We had plenty of stories of her majesty, Princess Luna, among the Shrine Maidens. If even half of what were rumored she and her sister could eat were true, they can certainly pack away a lot. I always just assumed that them being so large, their bodies worked through things better than us.

The princesses had to get some check ups though. Maybe one of the doctors, knows more about alicorns than you think, sir. I'd personally be asking whatever Equestrians on staff, if they ever partook, or knew something. I'm sure you could find an excuse for asking, Consul."

If there were nothing else, and they'd get dismissed, she'd do a respectful nod towards the consul, and then leave the room. She would not get far from it though, before she'd be approached. At high velocity. The one approaching would try and stop up, but would still have a bit of speed going, when impacting Last. Something which made the mare... Well, not anything really. She didn't even flinch, or move an inch.

Normally she might have seen it as an attack, and acted accordingly, but she had seen who it were, and refrained from doing that. And now, she would be looking down on the teenager in front of her, who were giggling, whilst wriggling her nose.

"Didn't expect to see you here. You here to speak with the Consul?"

"Nope. I was looking for you."

It were Blitz. The young mare had run off again, and while her escort were not far away, cursing under her breath, she had still managed to buy a few minutes. She'd probably be leashed to a wall or something later for this, but she did not care.

Last did, as she rose an eyebrow, curious as to why Blitz had sought her out. Like... The filly were enough, and she didn't hate her, but why had she gone and looked for her? Easy to tell how she were found, as others had likely seen her, and Blitz had gotten lucky, asking as she ran, but still.

Blitz would answer that, by pulling out a little box from a sack she had been running with. Opening it, she'd reveal an eyewear. A bulbous eyepatch to be exact, which seemed to be made from some sort of very dark glass, that were cut and shaped kind of like one of the goggle's on a pair of divers glasses. Just designed to fit as a patch, rather than a set, covering both eyes..

"You said in the sick ward, that you weren't blind, but your eye were reeeeeally light sensitive, right? This here's several layers of really dark kind-of-glass, that should be sturdy enough. I hit it with lots of hammers, and nothing. Anyway, you wear it, right? And then, there's just like, 5% light going through. Then when that's good, I can shave off a layer, to let a tiny bit more light in. Then more and more layers, and then someday, you can have your eye open again!"

She had to scrap a few things she had been working on to make this, but that were probably for the best. One of them, had been scrap from a bit of an accident, when she had seen a light that were flickering in or around the lab once, and had figured she could repair the bulb. She could not, and somehow it started to sway around, lighting at others passing by like it were an interrogator, and they were criminals. Scrap from that, some stuff where she tried to make a multi layer flashbang kind of fireworks, some bits she had salvaged others had used, etc. and she could make this fun little thing. It were fairly easy too. She knew the exact measurements, from looking at Last's face long enough, and the issue had mostly been about fitting it in between her regular duties, and finding a proper way to keep it fastened. Which had ended up being a flexible belt, that she had seen had been tossed int he trash, after the clasp had snapped. Easy for her to just take the part she needed, and reuse it. Recycling was important!

Last would look down on the thing folding up semi-neatly in the box, and then at the widely grinning Blitz, gazing up at her.

"...I'll give it a try later. Thanks."

It seemed rude to just dismiss this, and really, if it worked... She hadn't had proper depth perception for many years by now. Might do her good to have this to work with. Worst case, it didn't work, and nothing came of it. And it was kinda nice that Blitz were thinking about her enough, to do this, as well as that odd pulse weapon for the leg, that she had made, that she couldn't use proper herself. Something Last currently kept in her room. It hadn't felt like something she needed to wear right now, as they had gone to see Aurum.

"Yey! I hope it helps, and it makes you smile lots."

(following only happens if Spiral is there too)

"Oh! Someone else here. Hi! Who're you? Are you Last's friend? I'm Blitz Boom."

Blitz - joyous as ever - bit notice in Spiral around then, and approached her with a big, warm smile. The very thing she wished Last would have, although so far, it seemed like that mare never did smile. She hadn't seen it at least.

Blitz Boom · May 5, 2023

@Props Valroa

Blitz grinned even wider, as Spiral said that she were a friend of Last's.

"I knew it couldn't be true, when she said she didn't have any friends."

"I didn't."

Last were.... Surprised to hear Spiral say what she had. Sure she had hoped that perhaps, they could become friendly as time went on, as she were one of the few she had met, who seemed tolerable and relatable in some ways, but this already?

Perhaps it were more of a light thing to say for Spiral, than it were for Last though. She did not have friends, not just because she did poorly in relating to others. It were also because how she had been raised and taught, a friend were someone you were willing to fight and die for. It were not just the sort that you met every now and again at the grocery store, or fought alongside you. An acquaintance or a fellow soldier, were not the same as a friend to her. A friend were more akin to family, and as such, it were not a branding that were tossed around lightly.

She had friends in the past of course. Growing up, she had friends among the other foals that grew up around her, and fought gladly with them. She nearly lost an eye for one of them, and another earned her a severe gut wound, that she almost didn't recover from, when she went in to save them. But all of her friends - every single one she had ever known - were either dead during the fights to keep the shrine safe, or had perished in the war, protecting civilians, in the name of their princess.

She had some she had respect for. Others she would give some manner of praise for how they did, and even worked okay around, when she were sent on assignments here on The Æther. But throughout the years she had been here, she had no friends, and for the most part, she were alone. Left to remember those she lost, and live with ideals and culture, that others who knew, did not understand. In many ways, she felt as if even when she were surrounded by creatures, she were utterly alone.

And then, Blitz had started to pester her. Coming to her sick ward looking for her, after she heard how she were, and then offered some help. And much as Last had told her to get lost, and voiced that she did not want, nor need her help, the young mare had still went along with it, and kept a radiant smile on, to counter her sour demeanor. She were annoying for a time, but as her only visitor, that wasn't there on official business, she had come to look a bit forward to things, even if Blitz were - in her opinion - walking haphazardly on the line between genius and insanity.

And now she had come again. On the run from her long-suffering caretaker, to offer her some help, without expecting anything in return. Blitz were not a friend per se, but up until this point, she had been what Last considered to be the closest thing to one that she had. It appeared that perhaps, she would end up getting another who wandered that line too now... And she didn't know what to do about that, if she had to be honest. It were unusual, to connect with others in this sort of regard, over anything but battle. Spiral were under that too, but not as much as she were used to, where she could just sit around with another, compare scars, talk about their best kills, and then work from there.

It didn't show outwardly, but it did but her in an awkward, unfamiliar position, as others who had tried to connect by just being friendly and talk, like normal equines did, tended to quickly get turned off from trying, due to her cold demeanor. Blitz were seemingly obliviously persistent, or saw something in her that others didn't consider worth keeping at, and Spiral... She hadn't a clue, but maybe she'd see, in due time. Perhaps it were just that she didn't judge the mare for being resurrected, or do odd, dark-looking magic?

"Oh, that's just what a silly mare like you would say, hehe.

And it's nice meeting you, Spiral. Do you like bombs? I make lots of them. Sometimes the battle ponies use them. Are you a battle pony too, like Last? You look less grumpy than she does."

If she didn't answer, or didn't seem to want to keep talking, Blitz would rush over to give Last a hug, then run off within the next few minutes, to go get back to the lab. Before Grump found her, which she otherwise probably would soon.

Illiad Easle · May 5, 2023

@Blitz Boom

On 2023-05-02 at 3:41 PM, Blitz Boom said:

He would not be gone for long, but it would leave Brittle there, sitting and looking anxiously at Nexus. Her head held near the ground, and looking up, as if she were concerned that the filly would start to hit her with a belt, or something similar. An unfortunately regular thought that she had, on meeting strangers, and sometimes, even those she did know. Especially if she felt like she had done something wrong, whatever or not that were true.

Now that things had calmed down, Nexus had some opportunity to pay attention to Brittle, as she had previously ignored her since she had responded poorly to being spoken to mentally.

That posed an interesting problem for Nexus to overcome, as she had heard the others speaking, and it wasn't a language she knew, though she could recognize the occasional word. It seemed to her that the language spoken was some fusion of Unique, Terran, and Cirrun, which made sense for a unified culture.

As Nexus had the fragmented memories of several Earth ponies and Pegasi who had been captured and sacrificed to the Arcane Nexus, she would be able to work out a rudimentary understanding.

She turned her gaze towards Brittle as Briar went to talk to the guard, and attempted to speak, softly, while trying to not do anything that would make Brittle feel threatened. "He- Hel...lo? Am Nex-us." She wasn't a fan of these multi-syllable words. Unique had beauty in its monosyllabic chants, but had relied on magic and motions to expand the grammar, so she wasn't surprised that the new language had adopted Terran's longer word forms. "Who... you... is?"

It was a start, and maybe Brittle wouldn't want to answer, but Nexus wanted to try in a way that wouldn't discomfort her.

(Just in case you have a teacher in mind, I wanted to give you something to respond to. Otherwise I'll bring someone in in the next post.)

@Props Valroa @Blitz Boom

(I don't have much to add here as the two of you interact, but I enjoy seeing it.)

Blitz Boom · May 9, 2023

@Props Valroa

Blitz listened carefully to what were being said. Sure she were a bit scatterbrained at times, but she had gotten better at focusing on multiple things at once, so even though an idea for a new explosive composition went around in her head, she could and would, still listen to this. This were a special story, with a lot of twists and turns. It were important to listen to it! And when it were all done, Blitz did not seem the least bit disgusted, horrified, or judgmental. Frankly her grin seemed to only have grown.

"Wauv. You sure had a special life. I just thought you were a battle pony, but you're like, sixteen layers of deep. Magic, death, resurrection, and Trixie. The story got it all!

I saw Trixie in Ponyville once, doing a show. Pinkie Pie told me that she were full of it, but if she can resurrect the dead, then maybe she really is great and powerful, yeah?"

Trixie likely did not remember Blitz. It had been a fairly good sized crowd, and while Blitz stood out, she were also rather small. Even smaller back then, and so, others had an easy time sorta blocking some of the view of her. She had a fun time seeing that show though, she remembered that. One of the many fun memories she had, of her time in Ponyville. Like meeting Pinkie Pie, lighting up fireworks to cheer up sad foals she ran into, and the times she almost set the Everfree Forest on fire. The first time especially. It had been nice meeting the local firefighters, and to see their faces, once they found out that a filly lived alone in the woods.

"I never heard of natural shadow magic though. Sure sounds like a fun thing though."

She wouldn't have judged, even if it were dark magic. Everything could be used for bad things, but it was all about the intent. Her explosives could be used for a lot of bad things too, but it was intended to help. The application, and who wielded things, made the big difference, as nothing were inherently evil, without a malicious mind using it as such.

"I've seen it. It's pretty useful."

"I bet. Can I-"

"There you were."

A pony rushed over to them, looking down on a tracking device in her hoof, having followed it to get to Blitz.

"For the seven hundredth time, would you stop running away? You're not supposed to roam on your own."

"I wanted to give a present to Last."

She'd point to the pony. Grump would look, but remain silent, her gaze lingering a few seconds, then going back to Blitz. She did not much like Last. Something about her felt off. Maybe it were the intensity, or the lack of any discernable joy on her being. Perhaps it were how she had been told how many she beat up, during the fights? She didn't know, nor much cared. She just didn't want to linger around that one too much. A look Last knew, and didn't much care about. She got it too much, to really get affected by it anymore.

"You could have just said you wanted to make a detour. You didn't have to run out of the cafeteria. You know you make others nervous when you suddenly vanish like that.

I hope she hasn't been a nuisance?"

She'd look towards Spiral as she said that, hoping the answer were no. And if so, she could take Blitz back to the cafeteria, and again think that it would be a lot easier, if she were allowed to keep Blitz on a leash. These two probably had a lot to do today, and didn't need to be interrupted for too long.

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

@Illiad Easle

On 2023-05-05 at 7:34 PM, Illiad Easle said:

She turned her gaze towards Brittle as Briar went to talk to the guard, and attempted to speak, softly, while trying to not do anything that would make Brittle feel threatened. "He- Hel...lo? Am Nex-us." She wasn't a fan of these multi-syllable words. Unique had beauty in its monosyllabic chants, but had relied on magic and motions to expand the grammar, so she wasn't surprised that the new language had adopted Terran's longer word forms. "Who... you... is?"

Brittle were hesitant to answer. This one might be small, but she were still an alicorn, and even from regular foals, Brittle had a history of being bullied, or treated like some sort of monster. It wasn't like she just went around and drained others of emotions. When she had been alone, she had gotten emotions to eat, from draining a bit from others sleeping, including animals. Nothing much, as she didn't want to hurt others, and she did not break into houses or anything. Yet a lot acted like she would just go and snack on everyone, leaving them dead, or some sort of zombie.

It were easier after she met Briar. He let her feed off of him when she needed to, didn't judge her, and kept her safe from cruel ones. But now he had left her, even if she could still see him, alone with this alicorn filly... Maybe it was because he trusted her, to not be dangerous? Maybe he wanted her to try and deal with something herself, to boost her trust in others?

She... Maybe she could try?

"H-Hello..."

Okay, so far, so good. Try a few more words. It would be okay. It would be fine.

"I'm... B-Brittle Buzz."

It were a start. A slow one, but something, right? Nothing bad had happened either. No one were getting attacked, everything seemed calm.

Briar would return soon after, and sit himself next to her, having asked for the unicorn on the list. He could imagine he or she could help easily enough, and so, it would be better for him to support Brittle in trying to speak with Nexus.

"So uhm... H-How are you?"

They could try and talk until the doctor came. Likely would be small talk, but it would do wonders for them both, Briar believed. Brittle in feeling safer around Nexus, and Nexus getting a chance to speak proper, rather than just in their minds. A skill she would need to get developed sooner or later regardless.

A rough start perhaps, but this were going to be a long road, that were now starting to find some solid footing. Earth Mother be praised, in the times to come.

Edited May 10, 2023 by Blitz Boom

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