Anocratic empire's tour

[Skylight Scintillate 1,978]

13 hours ago, Xada said:

"I should introduce myself. I'm Glass Key, a retired soldiers. I studied necromancy in military academy served in colony on Acrab but was eventualy discharged after a projectile pierced my helmet and skull. I barely survived but the military has no use for disordered headshot survivors. So i was discharged on good terms, getting to keep my uniform with medals. It does not bother me, i would have to retire in few your anyway, probably. Despite my brain injury and mental illness i continue to live my life here in Ponynia, away from violence on Acrab. But i don't think i have much more time left." he explained slowlx, half of his muzzle staying limp, causing his speach to be slightly impared.

Harmony's ears flopped when she heard this. In Equestria, while necromancy wasn't outright forbidden, it was both legally and morally very complicated, filled with exceptions and counter-exceptions.

13 hours ago, Xada said:

"Such is life. As long as there are pirate bands and savage tribes, Acrab won't see peace." Harmonious Percussion added.

"I kinda question the military leadership for not doing more pre-emptive assaults. Most of the time, ponies are left to fend for themselfs, because the military can't always respond fast enought, to pirate raids." Glass Key said

"Good thing that the city and outposts on Acrab aren't build like circles and were constructed with defence in mind." Harmonious Percussion chimed in.

Harmony tried to understand the politics of the local region, but given how unfamiliar she was with this, it took quite a while to digest. Plus, she felt like she wasn't exactly in the best position to offer her opinion on this, especially with an influential figure from a region who is claiming to to be in conflict with Equestria sitting across from her.

8 hours ago, Carnelian Clout said:

"Many centuries ago, before the Empire vanished, my ancestors were the masterminds of the Empire's order and governance. House Onyx managed the internal affairs of the Crystal Empire, and we have always tried for the throne. We had one chance to get the throne, when one of the last Crystal Kings died. At the last moment, another Royal House got the throne and ceded many of our lands away to Equestria. They gave up the Empire's Honor and birthright to those who sought to steal our land. Their corruption and treachery was endless." Carnelian spoke. 

Harmony had no idea what to make of this. She had a feeling that the other Royal House that Carnelian was referring to was Sombra, but other than that, she didn't know any of this history about the Crystal Empire. 

[Xada 347]

@Props Valroa @Skylight Scintillate

"I hope you can resolve your grievances peacefuly, there is enough bloodshed on Acrab alone. The same must not repeat in east Equus." Glass Key answered slowly.

"I must agree with my comrade here.

Oh look! We are stopping at the station next to the grand tomb mentioned earlier. You can kinda see the entrance building from the train window." added Harmonious Percussion, pointing to a slate stone construction with a grand sculpture on top of it. With his green hoof.

Edited November 2, 2023 by Xada

[Xada 347]

Quite a number of ponies left the train here, making it less crowded. With so many ponies going in and out, the metal floor between seats was starting to get a little dirty, no longer looking sterile like it did at the start of the trip.

Edited November 3, 2023 by Xada

[Skylight Scintillate 1,978]

@Props Valroa 

12 hours ago, Xada said:

Oh look! We are stopping at the station next to the grand tomb mentioned earlier. You can kinda see the entrance building from the train window." added Harmonious Percussion, pointing to a slate stone construction with a grand sculpture on top of it. With his green hoof.

Harmony glanced out the window, trying to get a good look at the entrance building with the grand statue. "Oh wow, that building looks pretty impressive, especially with that statue on top," Harmony replied. "So who is buried at the grand tomb? Is it most ponies, or is it like only important ponies or a specific categorization of ponies?" Harmony asked.

7 hours ago, Xada said:

"Miss Carnelian, we are halfway to the capital we can take a detour after negotiating with Emperor Bigpip in his castle. Or i suppose our castle. It would be best to continue by train for the time being." Harmonious Percussion told her. While Glass Key was silent

Quite a number of ponies left the train here, making it less crowded. With so many ponies going in and out, the metal floor between seats was starting to get a little dirty, no longer looking sterile like it did at the start of the trip.

"Yes, I do believe that it is important to go straight there," Harmony remarked. However, she did note how dirty the floor was getting with Carnelian's remarks about the trains in Equestria.

Edited November 3, 2023 by Skylight Scintillate

[Xada 347]

"Most ponies who pass away on the mainland are burried there. Their corpses have vital organs harvested when possible, afterwhich, preserving steps are taken. Only after then they are burried. Fequm and Acrab have their own dedicated burrial grounds. It's a long tradition. Dating to the Anocratic empire's founding.

Do you you also practice organ harvesting and sarcophagus burrial at home?" Harmonious Percussion said

 

A bell ring was heard from the trainstation "Dear passangers, train 1697 hed a malfunction and will not continue on it's journey, a ship ride will be provided. We apologize for the inconvenience.' came from the station's electronic speakers

"Thankfuly thats not our train." said Glass Key. His skeleton bird doing a little dance on his head before sitting back again.

[Skylight Scintillate 1,978]

@Props Valroa 

11 hours ago, Xada said:

"Most ponies who pass away on the mainland are burried there. Their corpses have vital organs harvested when possible, afterwhich, preserving steps are taken. Only after then they are burried. Fequm and Acrab have their own dedicated burrial grounds. It's a long tradition. Dating to the Anocratic empire's founding.

Do you you also practice organ harvesting and sarcophagus burrial at home?" Harmonious Percussion said

"Huh, well that's interesting. I heard the region of southern Equestria called Somnambula also has a tradition of sarcophagus burial. There is a modified, more modern version of what Somnambula does that is popular with some groups of ponies. Either that or ponies opt to be buried individually. I heard that those who prefer the sarcophagus method put their organs in jars next to their sarcophagus, but organ harvesting for use on living ponies is quite rare. Instead, there's a lot of research going into using magic and magical medicine to improve the health and wellness of ponies. Currently, major research institutions are looking into ponies' average health spans significantly. Everypony jokes that it's because Princess Twilight doesn't plan on saying goodbye to her friends at all... " Harmony laughed nervously.

11 hours ago, Carnelian Clout said:

"We do not practice organ harvesting. When a pony is deceased, they are placed into the crypt which is located underneath the outskirts of the Capital. When a Crystal Pony dies, their organic features will fade away and the body will leave behind a fragile crystalline husk. We are both made of Crystal, both in life, and in death." Carnelian spoke with a hint of pride in her word. She'd look to Glass Key, hoping that the same fate wouldn't come to the train they were on. 

"Well thats... huh, I didn't know that. So what does it mean to be made of crystal?" Harmony asked.

[Xada 347]

"I see. Be that as it may. It has been a standard practice here for a long time, though originaly only simple graves were used. The practice of post mortem organ harvesting didn't come until later when medical knowlage advanced sufficiently. Medical knowlage has come a long way. Also by conducting studies on ruins of old structures on Acrab. Archeologists and medical experts were able to develop medical machines that could extend a pony's livespan at the cost of time and nutrition. It's not ideal but it is a way to theoreticaly make somepony live forever. However these machines can't heal most existing ailments, only make them less likely to appear. There has been a large scale government project to make these machines available to use across Anocratic empire for cheap price." Harmonious answered.

The train would travel across a wide bridge, which connected the Ponynia region to Chevrony region.

[Xada 347]

23 minutes ago, Carnelian Clout said:

Carnelian would then look over to Harmonious. "If that is true, what you say, then this would be an invaluable resource for the Crystal Empire. I would like to look more into such a thing. I am sure that in the future, I will have my scientists visit here and study such a machine, if that would be acceptable." Carnelian stated.

"I would not have an issue with that personaly but i feel like Emperor Bigpip or some bureaucrat from Ministry of kindness would have to approve that first. You know, they don't want untrustworthy people to know about stuff like that." Harmonious Percussion answered to Carnelian Clout.

From the trains window, it could be seen that the landscape has rather quickly transitioned from a temperate forest, to a desert. The train stopped here at a town, where Glass Key slowly left the train. Waving you a brief goodbye before tripping on the ground, a nearby pegasus helped him get up and the two of them entered the town to do whatever they needed to.

[Skylight Scintillate 1,978]

18 hours ago, Xada said:

"Archeologists and medical experts were able to develop medical machines that could extend a pony's livespan at the cost of time and nutrition. It's not ideal but it is a way to theoreticaly make somepony live forever. However these machines can't heal most existing ailments, only make them less likely to appear. There has been a large scale government project to make these machines available to use across Anocratic empire for cheap price." Harmonious answered.

"Huh, what do you mean by at the cost of time and nutrition?" Harmony asked. "Is it very expensive to do so?"

11 hours ago, Carnelian Clout said:

@Skylight Scintillate @Xada

Carnelian Clout would stand up when asked this question and walk over to Harmony. "The entire Crystal Capital, as you know of it - is an emotional conduit. Each Crystal Pony, when our emotions are at a peak, assume an alternate form which is entirely made of crystal. When we are in that form, our bodies are like an antenna, of emotions, to transmit into the conduit - of which the Crystal Heart is the focal point." Carnelian explained.

Carnelian closed her eyes and seemed to stand there for a few moments, before she struggled a bit before there was a flash of light throughout her body. Then after the flash, they could see Carnelian - looking as if her body was made of a living crystal. Despite that, she moved around normally, but clearly, she was made of solid crystal. How did that work? Her mane also looked flashier too. It was stunning.

"Reach out and touch my hoof." Carnelian spoke, reaching out her hoof to Harmony. If Harmony did as so, she would feel that Carnelian's hoof feels exactly like a crystal - or a rock. It was her way of proving that she was indeed, solid crystal. 

Harmony gasped when Carnelian suddenly flashed before her eyes. She would glance at Carnelian up and down, not really believing what she was seeing. However, she would hesitantly reach out her hoof to feel Carnelian's, and it confirmed what she was seeing. "Oh wow, that's pretty neat. So you all have an emotional connection to the Crystal Heart?" Harmony asked.

10 hours ago, Xada said:

"I would not have an issue with that personaly but i feel like Emperor Bigpip or some bureaucrat from Ministry of kindness would have to approve that first. You know, they don't want untrustworthy people to know about stuff like that." Harmonious Percussion answered to Carnelian Clout.

"Ministry of Kindness? Huh, how does that work? In Equestria, we have an Element of Kindness, Fluttershy, who spreads kindness throughout the region and demonstrates how showing a little kindness to others can go a long way. Is that similar to what this region has?" Harmony noted.

[Xada 347]

6 hours ago, Skylight Scintillate said:

"Huh, what do you mean by at the cost of time and nutrition?" Harmony asked. "Is it very expensive to do so?"

"Ministry of Kindness? Huh, how does that work? In Equestria, we have an Element of Kindness, Fluttershy, who spreads kindness throughout the region and demonstrates how showing a little kindness to others can go a long way. Is that similar to what this region has?" Harmony noted.

"Well it kinda is. Bye the way, Ministry of kindness is a government department responsible for managing healthcare over here. It is named after the element of Harmony.  There are five others government departments named after the elements of Harmony. The other important government departments being The police, Ministry of defence, Ministry of warfare, Department of Health and Safety, Department of Environment, Department of Utility, Department of Justice, Commercial unit ministry and Department of Transportation which manages the train we are on." Harmonious Percussion answered briefly. the train continued on it's way through the desert.

Edited November 5, 2023 by Xada

[Skylight Scintillate 1,978]

On 2023-11-05 at 1:03 AM, Carnelian Clout said:

Carnelian shook her head to this, "The Crystal Heart itself is a new artifact in terms of our history. For thousands of years, we have existed without it. It was uncovered one day in a mining expedition, the origins of the Heart are unclear. It is not known who created it. There are many legends about it being seen before it came to the Empire. The King of many generations ago, devised a plan to use the power of the heart to shield the Capital City from hostile magic and storms. After many years of experimentation, that was completed. It was discovered that the heart is like a battery, fueled by the emotions of the populace. It's a mere tool to be used." she spoke.

"Oh, I see," Harmony replied. While she did hear about the heart from others, she didn't really consider it this way. It was interesting to hear different perspectives and try to create a more complete picture with it.

On 2023-11-05 at 4:44 AM, Xada said:

"Well it kinda is. Bye the way, Ministry of kindness is a government department responsible for managing healthcare over here. It is named after the element of Harmony.  There are five others government departments named after the elements of Harmony. The other important government departments being The police, Ministry of defence, Ministry of warfare, Department of Health and Safety, Department of Environment, Department of Utility, Department of Justice, Commercial unit ministry and Department of Transportation which manages the train we are on." Harmonious Percussion answered briefly. the train continued on it's way through the desert.

"Huh, I suppose my question is, what made the government decide to name some of their departments after the Elements of Harmony? Do they view the elements quite favorably? And which department is named with which element?" Harmony asked.

[Xada 347]

"I am not sure why exactly, i think maybe it was for propaganda reason? They sure view elements of Harmony favourably, since they are virtues to live by.

Ministry of loyalty does national censuses and handles migration of people. On top of also occasionaly producing propaganda. Ministry of honesty is seperated into two departments. This is because its a organization dealing with goverment corruption and having just one depardment could lead to it's corruption and having the bureucrats corrupt in the organisation fighting corruption would be very bad. Ministry of laughter administrates goverment owned entertainment and cultural facilities. Such as museums, parks, brothels etc. Ministry of magic administrates goverment owned schools and handling of magicaly charged materials. As well as magic related research projects. Ministry of generosity helps coordinate general resource allocation between regionaly elected planners. However this organization doesn't really have a say in allocation of resources, since that is mostly responsibility of regional and local planners.

Phew, that was a mouthful, sometimes i'm glad that i'm just Bigpip's secretary and not him, because all this government stuff is confusing to most ponies, so i hope i didn't say too much or too little for your foreigner brain to understand miss." he said, looking a bit tired now.

The empty seat next to the guard was now taken by an old mare kirin with cloudy amber colored eyes, green coat, yellow mane and tail; wearing green jade-gold jewery and a white furry pelt made of a an unknown animal. She is wearing a  leather saddlebag over the pelt. A leather cowboy hat sitting on her head. She looks over the group of yours with interest, though she chooses to stays silent, not wanting to interupt thet conversation. 

The sun outside was starting to set. The capital was now visible in the distance as the train is getting closer to it.

[Skylight Scintillate 1,978]

@Props Valroa 

13 hours ago, Xada said:

"I am not sure why exactly, i think maybe it was for propaganda reason? They sure view elements of Harmony favourably, since they are virtues to live by.

Ministry of loyalty does national censuses and handles migration of people. On top of also occasionaly producing propaganda. Ministry of honesty is seperated into two departments. This is because its a organization dealing with goverment corruption and having just one depardment could lead to it's corruption and having the bureucrats corrupt in the organisation fighting corruption would be very bad. Ministry of laughter administrates goverment owned entertainment and cultural facilities. Such as museums, parks, brothels etc. Ministry of magic administrates goverment owned schools and handling of magicaly charged materials. As well as magic related research projects. Ministry of generosity helps coordinate general resource allocation between regionaly elected planners. However this organization doesn't really have a say in allocation of resources, since that is mostly responsibility of regional and local planners.

"Well that makes sense. I also think the elements are quite favorable. I think that they have quite positively impacted Equestria in pretty significant ways. Like Princess Twilight has substantially increased our diplomacy with other regions, and we try to understand and help these regions as much as we can. I'd like to think that as a diplomat for Equestria, I am pretty good at living up to the elements of harmony and what they represent," Harmony explained, gesturing around.

13 hours ago, Xada said:

The empty seat next to the guard was now taken by an old mare kirin with cloudy amber colored eyes, green coat, yellow mane and tail; wearing green jade-gold jewery and a white furry pelt made of a an unknown animal. She is wearing a  leather saddlebag over the pelt. A leather cowboy hat sitting on her head. She looks over the group of yours with interest, though she chooses to stays silent, not wanting to interupt thet conversation. 

Harmony waved to her, not really sure what else to say. However, she noted that it seemed that this region also seemed quite culturally diverse, with several different species seen on the train.

[Xada 347]

9 hours ago, Skylight Scintillate said:

@Props Valroa 

"Well that makes sense. I also think the elements are quite favorable. I think that they have quite positively impacted Equestria in pretty significant ways. Like Princess Twilight has substantially increased our diplomacy with other regions, and we try to understand and help these regions as much as we can. I'd like to think that as a diplomat for Equestria, I am pretty good at living up to the elements of harmony and what they represent," Harmony explained, gesturing around.

"The mainland of Anocratic empire, that being west Equus. Was settled by ponies from Equestria over two thousand years ago. So beliefs stemming from orthodox Harmonism carried over into symbols and traditions even in todays Neo-Harmonist society. Though, i don't know what elements Twilight Sparkle is suppose to represent since i don't know her." Harmonious Percussion answered.

The train now entered the tropical forest in front of the capital's entrance.

[Skylight Scintillate 1,978]

21 hours ago, Carnelian Clout said:

"Many centuries ago, the Crystal Empire encompassed what you now call Northern Equestria. We had cities everywhere. Our name was highly respected. It was only when the later Kings and Queens came to cater to the Equestrians, in exchange for lucrative sums of wealth - rather than standing by the valor of their own people. When Sombra came, the Empire had a civil war, of which he lost, and the Capital was lost. From what I've heard, the Empire collapsed without the Capital, and subsequently became part of Equestria. Many Crystal Ponies fled from Equestria, and founded the nations known as Laziomare, Franzington, and Carisle away from Equestrian shores." Carnelian would add.

"Oh, so Sombra is from the other royal house that you mentioned? What caused his rise to power? In what way was the Crystal Empire highly respected? Were they particularly powerful in terms of their military diplomacy or economy? What caused this change that resulted in the Crystal Empire catering to Equestrians? And where is Laziomare, Franzington, and Carisle and what are they like?" Harmony asked.

2 hours ago, Xada said:

"The mainland of Anocratic empire, that being west Equus. Was settled by ponies from Equestria over two thousand years ago. So beliefs stemming from orthodox Harmonism carried over into symbols and traditions even in todays Neo-Harmonist society. Though, i don't know what elements Twilight Sparkle is suppose to represent since i don't know her." Harmonious Percussion answered.

"Oh, so this is from the previous generations of bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Well the current element bearers are Princess Twilight Sparkle as the element of magic, Wonderbolt Rainbow Dash as the element of loyalty, Fluttershy as the element of kindness, Rarity as the element of generosity, Pinkie Pie as the element of laughter, and Applejack as the element of honesty," Harmony explained. She would describe some of the things that the current element bearers did to other ponies that best represented their elements.

[Xada 347]

 

32 minutes ago, Skylight Scintillate said:

"Oh, so this is from the previous generations of bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Well the current element bearers are Princess Twilight Sparkle as the element of magic, Wonderbolt Rainbow Dash as the element of loyalty, Fluttershy as the element of kindness, Rarity as the element of generosity, Pinkie Pie as the element of laughter, and Applejack as the element of honesty," Harmony explained. She would describe some of the things that the current element bearers did to other ponies that best represented their elements.

"Be that as it may Miss Harmony Song. I don't really follow with what is going on in Equestria, since i already have a lot of things to worry about in Anocratic empire.  We are about to embark in a minute, so we should prepare to grab our baggage, so that the janitors can quickly clean the train, before it travels again from the capital." Harmonious Percussion answered, the sun just set, the only source of light being artificial lamps. Ponies were crowding the trains doors as it was slowing down.

[Skylight Scintillate 1,978]

9 hours ago, Xada said:

"Be that as it may Miss Harmony Song. I don't really follow with what is going on in Equestria, since i already have a lot of things to worry about in Anocratic empire.  We are about to embark in a minute, so we should prepare to grab our baggage, so that the janitors can quickly clean the train, before it travels again from the capital." Harmonious Percussion answered, the sun just set, the only source of light being artificial lamps. Ponies were crowding the trains doors as it was slowing down.

"Oh, we're almost here," Harmony noted. She got up and began gathering her luggage from the overhead compartments and setting them next to her, preparing to get off the train. 

6 hours ago, Carnelian Clout said:

"To give you more information - Sombra's origins began as a humble scientist, and was born a Crystal Unicorn. For years, his services provided many needed discoveries for the Crystal Empire. I do not know much about him, from those times - but that was before he got corrupted by power. Eventually, from what I know - he began to have political ambitions and changed careers, he had begun to use his knowledge of science within the military. His ambitions grew, and one day - he discovered the Umbrum - a race of shadow beings that dwelled beneath the caverns beneath the Crystal Empire. Upon his meeting with them, he became corrupt." Carnelian would pause for a moment.

"The King and Queen at the time, had aimed to incorporate themselves into the Equestrian Royalty so they could vie for more influence beyond the Empire. A move that if they succeeded, would have removed the Empire from the map. Many Crystal Ponies disagreed with this, and when Sombra returned, they would follow him. And so began the civil war. Sombra's forces championed themselves as the leaders of freedom for the Empire, and fought several brutal long battles before the Two Sisters came in - banishing him, and scattering his armies to the Wind. With the Capital City gone, his former followers would exile themselves away and form the three nations of Laziomare, Franzington, and Carisle. There, they walled themselves away from the world, and adopted a strict loyalty to their "One True King". " she spoke and pulled out an expanded map of the world, pointing to three smaller nations grouped together in the far North-Western corner of the world.

"When Sombra returned, his mind was fried, to put it one way. Over 1,000 years of isolation and without a physical body drove him to complete insanity. After he was banished yet again, his remaining forces that were stuck in limbo in the capital made an agreement with the new leaders of the Crystal Empire that they would exile themselves away, yet again. Even in death the Old King and Queen's goal was established."

"Huh, I haven't heard of that perspective before," Harmony replied, slowly letting that information sink in. After a bit, she spoke up again. "Though I see why the Crystal Empire is the way it is now. It seems like Equestria and the Crystal Empire have quite a lot to discuss. I'm sure Princess Twilight Sparkle is willing to talk to you, but that would be for another diplomatic mission."

[Xada 347]

Harmonious Percussion would help Harmony Song with her baggage. The train's door opened and everypony in the train would leave. Taking stairs into an underground tunnel connecting the train platform with the rest of the platforns and station. There was a lot of platforms and trains parked, since this was the capital city. Despite being warmer then east coasts of Ponynia, the nightfall made the surrounding temperature pleasant. Slowly making your way down the stairs, you can see that the walls of whole tunnel were painted over with various abstract artworks.

"I don't remember this tunnel getting a nakeover, must have been done very recently by local artists. An improvement for sure from exposed bricks." Harmonious Percussion mused. It was slightly difficult to fully appreciate it fully with so many ponies moving through the tunnel.

[Xada 347]

2 hours ago, Carnelian Clout said:

Now was time to leave and Carnelian Clout and her guards would depart the train along with Harmony and Harmonious. She kept her eyes open to see what Harmonious was talking about, finding it to be somewhat interesting.

"I think we should move out the way towards our destination, which is Emperor Bigpip's castle. We are currently in the city center, so we will need to go south from the city center. I don't think it should take a long time getting there on hoof. I hope Bigpip is prepared to greet you at this time of day, since the night just Started. Thought it's not like he has much of a consistant sleep schedule as he has a lot of work when he isn't doing normal administration or attending government meetings." Stated Harmonious Percussion in stern tone.

[Skylight Scintillate 1,978]

@Props Valroa 

On 11/8/2023 at 9:20 AM, Xada said:

Harmonious Percussion would help Harmony Song with her baggage. The train's door opened and everypony in the train would leave. Taking stairs into an underground tunnel connecting the train platform with the rest of the platforns and station. There was a lot of platforms and trains parked, since this was the capital city. Despite being warmer then east coasts of Ponynia, the nightfall made the surrounding temperature pleasant. Slowly making your way down the stairs, you can see that the walls of whole tunnel were painted over with various abstract artworks.

"I don't remember this tunnel getting a nakeover, must have been done very recently by local artists. An improvement for sure from exposed bricks." Harmonious Percussion mused. It was slightly difficult to fully appreciate it fully with so many ponies moving through the tunnel.

When the train arrived at the station, Harmony followed the Harmonious off the train and into the complex network of tunnels. It was crowded, so Harmony struggled a bit in keeping up with Harmonious. However, she could still notice the artwork on the walls in her peripheral vision. She thought it was nice how the ponies here put effort into making the tunnels in their train stations pleasant. 

On 11/8/2023 at 3:01 PM, Xada said:

"I think we should move out the way towards our destination, which is Emperor Bigpip's castle. We are currently in the city center, so we will need to go south from the city center. I don't think it should take a long time getting there on hoof. I hope Bigpip is prepared to greet you at this time of day, since the night just Started. Thought it's not like he has much of a consistant sleep schedule as he has a lot of work when he isn't doing normal administration or attending government meetings." Stated Harmonious Percussion in stern tone.

“Ok I’ll keep that in mind. I’m ok with meeting him tomorrow morning and finding a place to stay if that works better for him,” Harmony replied. 

[Xada 347]

"I think it would be best to head to the castle and rest there, since there are always at least two guest bedrooms available at all times. I don't think Bigpip would mind. I think he will be interested in whatever you have to offer to him during negotiations. Afterwhich you can continue the tour if you so choose to, for like two additional days, depending on how long Emperor Bigpip will be alright with you staying. 

Anyhow, let's continue walking towards our destination. He leads you upstairs through the station building, which contained what looked like a small food store, with several benches to lay on.

Outside was a stone tile path connecting various buildings offering different services. Just like at the port of Ponynia, there was a park but bigger and empty at this time of day. The street didn't have lamps illuminating it but the moonlight was sufficient. 

It was far from silent still as ponies could be heard talking from the station and insects were buzzing by.

[Skylight Scintillate 1,978]

@Props Valroa 

On 2023-11-10 at 9:50 AM, Xada said:

"I think it would be best to head to the castle and rest there, since there are always at least two guest bedrooms available at all times. I don't think Bigpip would mind. I think he will be interested in whatever you have to offer to him during negotiations. Afterwhich you can continue the tour if you so choose to, for like two additional days, depending on how long Emperor Bigpip will be alright with you staying. 

Anyhow, let's continue walking towards our destination. He leads you upstairs through the station building, which contained what looked like a small food store, with several benches to lay on.

Outside was a stone tile path connecting various buildings offering different services. Just like at the port of Ponynia, there was a park but bigger and empty at this time of day. The street didn't have lamps illuminating it but the moonlight was sufficient. 

It was far from silent still as ponies could be heard talking from the station and insects were buzzing by.

"Alright then, let's head straight for the castle then," Harmony replied, following Harmonious closely. She didn't really have much else to say, so she would glance around to admire the sights of the city, and she would think about it compared to Ealuit or the cities in Equestria. However, she was quite interested in learning more about this region.

[Xada 347]

1 hour ago, Carnelian Clout said:

Carenelian didn't have too much to say to Harmonious as she would closely follow alongside the group. She hadn't planned to stay here for more than a week, so even if it was a few days it would suffice her needs for this diplomatic mission. As they walked about, she would take in the sights of the city. Looking up at the moonlight, it was interesting to see no street lamps anywhere as insects buzzed by. Insects were something that were rather rare in the Crystal Empire considering the climate. 

Harmonious Percussion would lead them from the city center, through a industrial zone. The lights were still on, implying that ponies were still working there even at night. The buildings here were a lot taller then they were in Ponynia, to accomodate the population density. They were made mostly of stone blocks like the rest of the city center. The industrial zone hed some lamps along the streets which emitted dim light.

Edited November 12, 2023 by Xada

[Skylight Scintillate 1,978]

 

On 2023-11-11 at 11:59 PM, Carnelian Clout said:

Carenelian didn't have too much to say to Harmonious as she would closely follow alongside the group. She hadn't planned to stay here for more than a week, so even if it was a few days it would suffice her needs for this diplomatic mission. As they walked about, she would take in the sights of the city. Looking up at the moonlight, it was interesting to see no street lamps anywhere as insects buzzed by. Insects were something that were rather rare in the Crystal Empire considering the climate. 

 

On 2023-11-12 at 1:56 AM, Xada said:

Harmonious Percussion would lead them from the city center, through a industrial zone. The lights were still on, implying that ponies were still working there even at night. The buildings here were a lot taller then they were in Ponynia, to accomodate the population density. They were made mostly of stone blocks like the rest of the city center. The industrial zone hed some lamps along the streets which emitted dim light.

Harmony didn't really have anything to add, so she just glanced around as she followed Harmonious silently. However, she did use this as a chance to glance around at the architecture and think about how it compared to Canterlot or the other capital cities she has been to. 

[Xada 347]

17 hours ago, Carnelian Clout said:

@Skylight Scintillate

Carnelian didn't have much else to add either. She walked about, keeping her eyes open as she looked about at the architecture. Her guards followed along, keeping Carnelian's stuff with them as they followed about. The guards were silent, and did not otherwise speak unless they were spoken to. 

Harmonious Percussion leads you to the edge of the circular city. Where some residential blocks are partialy surrounded by tropical vegetation. Between two apartment blocks is the Emperor's castle with a moat. The castle from the outside looks visibly older then the apartments to the side of it. In the front is a lowered wooden bridge and a small gate of polished stone. To the side of the gate are embrasures. The walls aren't particulary tall, much lower then the more recently constructed apartment building.

Harmonious Percussion would walk over the bridge and knock on the gate. Which shortly afterwards, slowly opened. Harmonious Percussion would wave over to you and quickly greet someone out of view, next to the opened gate. It was getting cloudy, obscuring the moon.