The Æther Returns

[Blitz Boom 4,626]

@Illiad Easle

(Sorrow)

On 2024-09-13 at 10:56 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Plein looked discouraged, "The Æther doesn't do rescue operations. Well, it hasn't so long as I can remember. I heard they did them before, but too often craft would get hijacked by spawn or loyalists, very rarely was anyone ever rescued. Things might be different when it stops though? Last I heard we were planning to settle near Whitetail Woods, is that near here? It might be safer to establish contact then with whoever they send to be the ground team."

With regards to flying up there she shook her head, "As big as the Æther looks, it is bigger than you think. It is much higher than other cloud cities to keep it safer from the spawn. It would take you hours to get up there, and then you'd just get shot down."

She sighed, "No, we'll just have to wait here and see what happens. Maybe things will have changed now that Discord's gone."

"Oh. Okay, I don't want to be shot. Maybe it's safer to try the woods then."

That cloud city seemed closer than several hours of flight away to her. Must mean that it was even more massive than she had thought then, right? And heavily armed too, by the sounds of things. And while she wanted to help send a signal of some sort, her own corpse, falling down from the skies like a sack of potatoes, were not the sort of thing that she had in mind.

The forest were not exactly safe either, but at least there she had a chance of getting through. But now she had to wait for some sign that they were making a ground post available then? *sigh* She hated feeling this useless, after what Plein and her team had done. She wanted to do something, but it kept feeling like every avenue were shut off.

At least it sounded like there were the right blood for Crank, so they could keep him stable, and hopefully alive for a good deal longer. Perhaps even keep him fine here, long as nothing more happened to him? They'd see, but she prayed that he would be safe.

Not to any gods per se. She tended to just pray that she hoped their ancestors would watch over them. She believed fully in an afterlife, but for some reason, she just didn't feel like there were any gods, neither here nor back in the human world, that had ever felt right to pray to. This felt more natural, though as with several other things, she didn't know why. She had a suspicion that maybe it had to do with her pony history, but that weren't coming back as fast as she'd like it to. Might take months, or years to know what she once had, and she did have the patience to do other things, but she just felt kinda... Incomplete, she supposed?

"The woods are close yes, but it's overrun by wild animals and maybe other stuff. I haven't gone there, so I can't say for sure, but maybe we could try to pop off a signal over the forest, and see if that helped? Right now it's probably unsafe to go in there.

Then again, I guess you do have a gun... That's useful if you did want to try."

On 2024-09-13 at 10:56 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Applejack nodded, "That's fair, I'll tell the others to give you some space in the mean time."

Applejack would leave, the rest of those in the medical area slowly turning their attention back to whatever they were doing before. If Sorrow moved to leave Plein would reach out, "You can stay, if you want."

Seemed Applejack had much the same thought, about the woods. Less warnings though, but then again, she might know what were in there? Sorrow just knew that she had heard murmurs, that it were overgrown, and some rumors about things lurking about. Could just be tall tales really, but then, so were magic and talking ponies at some point, and look at her now. You never knew what kind of weird fantasy tale might suddenly be reality.

Sorrow were surprised when she had been told that she could stay, as she were about to bow out, and give Plein the time and space that she wanted, but as she were told that she could stay, she halted again, and turned to face her again, with a nod.

"If it's not any trouble, then I'd like to, yes."

Once they were alone though... She had nothing else to speak of right now, did she? Delta were being taken care of. Applejack were off to handle things of her own, and now it were mostly just Plein and her. Waiting for something... But were it a good time? Maybe she should wait, and just tell her, once they got towards the woods? She still hadn't found the other letter after all. Maybe it were best to be quiet?

"Honest..."

Her eyes would open a bit more, and she'd look around her, trying to figure out where that voice had come from. It had sounded vague feminine, so probably a mare? An old one at that. But she didn't see anyone close enough for that weak voice to have come from, and she could've sworn that it were close by. Maybe... maybe she were just imagining that, and it had been a whisper on the wind? Could be all the stress too. Ancestors knowing, all of that couldn't be good for anyone.

She considered asking if Plein had heard anything, but she didn't want the mare to worry about her mental state right now. Wouldn't be good for Plein to think that they were crazy or anything.

Even if she had asked though, Plein wouldn't have heard the voice. 

"Actually, can I ask you something, Plein? Your last name... Do you know someone named Silver Easle, by chance? Or Silver Studs maybe? I know it sounds weird, but I had a note, when I woke up as a pony, that told me to look for someone called that, and hearing your last name before... It might be a coincidence, but maybe you know who I was supposed to find?"

She had the note on her. Well put down in the bag down her side, under something that would keep it safely in place, as she had been worried she might drop that too. If the name meant anything to Plein, and she wanted to see the note, Sorrow would pull it forth, and give it to the mare. Maybe she'd know what to make of it, and who IE were, though she didn't look forward to saying that she did not have the other note. She knew it were somewhere in the area, but there were still so much unexplored, and the fighting had been chaotic. She couldn't pinpoint it if she tried, and she had tried.

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

 

(Blitz)

On 2024-09-13 at 10:56 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Power nodded, "I won't be able to carry anything down, the stuff will have to be teleported down and then I'll have to project my body down there after them. It's a bit far to teleport..."

Euclid nodded, "We'll be passing overhead soon, we can airdrop them down in a crate. If we act fast we can convince the council to consider it a goodwill donation to the ponies down there, send a small amount of spare food and supplies, and hide this stuff in the crate for you to collect when you arrive. That way we can also disguise your presence down there as a diplomatic mission rather than having to explain all this to the council."

"Oh, right. Sorry. The airdrop sounds like a good idea, and we can probably convince the council of that. If they want to make contact, and be on good terms, a small sign of good will like this, would be useful. We can sneak some things in to help you into that. Good thinking Euclid."

She really should have thought of this herself, but with how things were right now, she would admit to have skipped over some information in her head. Among them being, how it were with Power, the distance, what the Council would think, etc. Thankfully Euclid knew how to deal with them, and thus had some good ideas on how to do this. A reasonable one too, that would be a good way to open up for communication with whom might be allies, down on the ground. Maybe they could even convince them to have a two way communication device down there in the crate too, so the two sides could begin talks prior to meeting in person? Sure would be a safer start than to simply meet up, and find out too late that the others were cannibals, or something else less ludicrous.

On 2024-09-13 at 10:56 PM, Illiad Easle said:

He shook his head, "I'm just in charge of research, so that's not my department. I don't know if the council has any plans to interact. I think they intend to wait until we've established a settlement to make contact, but maybe you can convince them otherwise? Silver and I will get the crate ready to drop, pull a few strings, so all you'll have to do is get a member of the council to authorize it. You can even tell them it'll come out of the research budget since it's not like we need it right now anyway. It looks like we've got about an hour before the optimal drop time."

"You still know more about these things than I do, Euclid. I'm just a lab rat. Outside of speaking with Spiral sometimes, I never really did have much to do with them. I'll try and see if maybe I can get her to sign off on this, by saying that it will be an early sign of good will, like you said. If she doesn't like the idea of Power being in the role of a diplomat, then maybe also say he could bring a two way communication device, so she or the council as a whole, could make first contact, on their own terms.

I could probably also say it'd be safer that we get acquainted with them, as whoever is down there, would likely know better what kind of troubles are on the surface. Preparation would make our own descent less risky for whomever leads the charge... I'll try and think of it. You prep things here, and I'll do what I can. If this doesn't help, I'll try to call on Occam to help. He's on good terms with a few council members, so maybe he can succeed if I fail.

I'll let you know how it goes."

And as such, she'd be on her way, to meet up with Consul Spiral. A mare that she had met some times, but it were often in relations to her connection to Last Stand. A mare whom she had a longer, more close story with, and were the more connected link between them.

Thinking on that, she would go and speed up, headed to where she assumed Last would be, and as such would be able to show up with her in tow, when eventually she'd be able to get in contact with the leadership. Though they might have to talk to another council member instead, in case Spiral was busy. Which she very likely would be, but Last's influence could still be helpful. She were likely to be one of the first to volunteer, to go down on the surface, along with her team. She could well argue for wanting to know something up to date on the area, in advance, if it were possible.

That was the argument she used to convince Last at least, and the older mare seemed to accept that as reasonable, and went along with it.

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

 

(Archback)

Jelly weren't unaware that Gary wasn't the most liked. Big spider and all that, meant that some just didn't get along with his presence, and she did at times have to put herself in the way of a shoe, or something being tossed by someone, who tried to squash him. Not that he needed much help to avoid it most of the time. He were a fast little critter, but he were her friend, so she would protect him, even when it gave her some marks every now and again. But she still didn't think that could be as many as were avoiding her, right?

Not that she knew what might be the reason then. She felt somewhat avoided, but though she stood out, it were not in a way that made her think that she were an outcast, or shunned. They had plenty of odd ones, and her father were a respected guard. But some were judgmental, and others had their own things to deal with. Just how things were sometimes, yeah? Best to just move on, and try talking to whom might be willing to chatter up, and be friendly. In this case, she'd try Spectral.

Janet also wandered alone, but... She were mean. Jelly didn't really want to have anything to do with her, long as she kept thinking herself so much better than everyone else.

So she'd wander closer, whilst Gary skittered up and down her back a little, to get some exercise, and momentum, in case he saw prey. She'd giggle a little, as it frankly tickled her, but she wouldn't try and stop him. He wasn't hurting anyone, and just enjoying himself. Why shouldn't he be allowed to do that, right?

"Hi Spectral. Reading something good?"

She'd speak to him like, a half meter away. Sneaking up on folks with a heavy book, wasn't exactly the smartest idea in the world, regardless of the usual temper of folks. Instincts could take over and all that, especially if one were tense, and things were pretty weird these days. It'd make some grow a bit more on edge, like her father were. He didn't say it, but she could feel it. Something were weighing on his mind, and it didn't take a lot to guess what it were.

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Blitz Boom

(Sorrow)

On 2024-09-16 at 12:07 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"The woods are close yes, but it's overrun by wild animals and maybe other stuff. I haven't gone there, so I can't say for sure, but maybe we could try to pop off a signal over the forest, and see if that helped? Right now it's probably unsafe to go in there.

Then again, I guess you do have a gun... That's useful if you did want to try."

Plein turned her attention to her weapon, "You mean my rifle? I don't think it would be much use against wild animals. It launches anti-magic, which is really effective against spawn and loyalists, but it isn't particularly lethal."

She shook her head, "I do know some combat magic though, my friend Aurum taught me, so I can defend myself if need be."

On 2024-09-16 at 12:07 PM, Blitz Boom said:

Seemed Applejack had much the same thought, about the woods. Less warnings though, but then again, she might know what were in there? Sorrow just knew that she had heard murmurs, that it were overgrown, and some rumors about things lurking about. Could just be tall tales really, but then, so were magic and talking ponies at some point, and look at her now. You never knew what kind of weird fantasy tale might suddenly be reality.

The group of survivors hadn't spread out too far from the ruins of Ponyville, not wanting to risk an excursion into the Everfree Forest or getting too far away from shelter in case of an ambush.

While Whitetail Woods had originally looked like a tamer alternative to the Everfree, which had overgrown the Apple farm and Fluttershy's cottage, those who approached reported similar signs of wild animals to those in the Everfree, and so it had been designated off limits for now. They had enough food and resources in town at the moment to not need to go scavenging in the woods just yet.

They figured they should finish clearing the town proper, and setting up proper fortifications and defenses, before doing too much exploring.

 

On 2024-09-16 at 12:07 PM, Blitz Boom said:

Even if she had asked though, Plein wouldn't have heard the voice. 

"Actually, can I ask you something, Plein? Your last name... Do you know someone named Silver Easle, by chance? Or Silver Studs maybe? I know it sounds weird, but I had a note, when I woke up as a pony, that told me to look for someone called that, and hearing your last name before... It might be a coincidence, but maybe you know who I was supposed to find?"

She had the note on her. Well put down in the bag down her side, under something that would keep it safely in place, as she had been worried she might drop that too. If the name meant anything to Plein, and she wanted to see the note, Sorrow would pull it forth, and give it to the mare. Maybe she'd know what to make of it, and who IE were, though she didn't look forward to saying that she did not have the other note. She knew it were somewhere in the area, but there were still so much unexplored, and the fighting had been chaotic. She couldn't pinpoint it if she tried, and she had tried.

Sorrow had Plein's attention now. Her eyes wide, "How do you know my mom!?" She took a steadying breath, "Sorry, yes, that's my mom's name. Can I see the note?"

She also seemed confused by Sorrow's comment that she woke up as a pony, but this note was far more interesting than that.

 

(Blitz)

On 2024-09-16 at 12:07 PM, Blitz Boom said:

Thinking on that, she would go and speed up, headed to where she assumed Last would be, and as such would be able to show up with her in tow, when eventually she'd be able to get in contact with the leadership. Though they might have to talk to another council member instead, in case Spiral was busy. Which she very likely would be, but Last's influence could still be helpful. She were likely to be one of the first to volunteer, to go down on the surface, along with her team. She could well argue for wanting to know something up to date on the area, in advance, if it were possible.

That was the argument she used to convince Last at least, and the older mare seemed to accept that as reasonable, and went along with it.

(Since the council and Consul is in your control, we'll proceed as though she had little issue getting approval)

On her way back to where Silver and Euclid were working, she would run into Aurum. She looked a bit worried, but relieved to see Blitz, "Oh, hello Blitz, have you seen Plein recently? She normally comes to visit after class, but she didn't come by today, and I can't seem to find her anywhere."

For a normal pony it was easy to lose track of others on the Æther, given the almost labyrinthian interior, but Aurum wasn't normal. Being blind she used her magic to see the world differently, and usually had no issues finding ponies she was familiar with through walls. So for her to not find someone was typically cause for concern.

Blitz did know where Plein was though, would she share that info with Aurum?

 

(Archback)

Spectral spared Jelly a glance over the top of his book before shrugging, "Not really, I couldn't get into the castle library today because of..." he gestured towards where they could see the missing mountains, "... all that." He turned his attention back to his book, which he adjusted so Jelly could read the title if she cared to, 'History of Archback, 990-999' "I already finished this one, it goes right up to before Our Mother returned." (Our Mother being the term the ponies of Archback who can trace a lineage back to the original 12 orphans use for Princess Luna) "I was hoping to get the next one today, I was looking forward to reading the account of her return."

He looked back at the missing mountains, "There were so many prophecies and hopes around it, kind of the opposite of what we've got now huh?"

[Blitz Boom 4,626]

@Illiad Easle

(Sorrow)

On 2024-09-24 at 11:04 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Plein turned her attention to her weapon, "You mean my rifle? I don't think it would be much use against wild animals. It launches anti-magic, which is really effective against spawn and loyalists, but it isn't particularly lethal."

She shook her head, "I do know some combat magic though, my friend Aurum taught me, so I can defend myself if need be."

"Oh, so that's what it does. Sorry, I'm only used to the sort who shoots bullets, and I keep clear of that stuff too, much as I can.

It might be a little dangerous then. It's pretty wild out there, and I'm not sure if combat magic would be enough. Granted, I don't know a lot of that either... Honestly, you probably know best, though I hope if you do go, that you'll be careful."

On 2024-09-24 at 11:04 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Sorrow had Plein's attention now. Her eyes wide, "How do you know my mom!?" She took a steadying breath, "Sorry, yes, that's my mom's name. Can I see the note?"

She also seemed confused by Sorrow's comment that she woke up as a pony, but this note was far more interesting than that.

Sorrow took a step back in surprise, at the initiate response she got. Sure enough, this had been a relative of Silver's alright, but she hadn't expected a response that animated.

"Uhm, yeah, here you go."

She'd hoof over the note to Plein, and let her read it a bit, before she would say something that would undoubtedly be on her mind.

"I am afraid I don't have the letter though. There were a lot of fighting here at first. Somewhere in the chaos, I think it must have fallen out of my bag, because I could only find the note.

I've been looking, and I have the others look too, if they find it, but no luck so far. But I'm not giving up on finding it. I know it's somewhere here, in Ponyville. It will show up."

She honestly felt rather bad, that she couldn't give that too, as it were obviously important. Yet she couldn't even remember having the letter honestly. When she found the note, it were already gone, but she had been nowhere else than that, far as she remembered. just the human world, then a blur of odd, fragmented nonsense, and then here, in Ponyville. It couldn't be anywhere else, than in this town.

Of course, it were also possible that it were hidden with magic, and she never did lose it, but that thought never crossed her mind. She were sure that she had simply dropped it, and she were working on finding it. She just... Figured she'd have more time to do so. Sadly didn't seem like that were the case.

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

 

(Blitz)

The meeting had gone well. A bit of hesitation, and back and forth, but it had been accepted, with the provision that Last were going to personally take part in delivering them. As one that she had known for twenty years, with a proven record of fierce loyalty to those she believed in, Last were trusted well enough to be considered a proper liaison too. Just in case things got rowdy down there, she'd be useful for it. Plus she had all but insisted, saying that Power might be good with words, but in case they needed brawn, she outclassed him, and it were best not to send a kid down alone.

Sure he were an adult, but she had seen him around since he was a small... Pebblefoal, or whatever you might call him. To her, he was a kid, and one that had potential, but he were still untested. It were best to keep him supervised to some extend. for his protection, if nothing else. And as for the budget, it were taken up to go out of that for research, which Blitz said had been agreed upon with Silver, since they were mor or less just on maintenance duty these days anyway.

She would be going off to tell her family, and the group, as well as gear herself up proper for takedown, so Blitz would meet Aurum on her own, when the mare would approach her out of nowhere.

On 2024-09-24 at 11:04 PM, Illiad Easle said:

On her way back to where Silver and Euclid were working, she would run into Aurum. She looked a bit worried, but relieved to see Blitz, "Oh, hello Blitz, have you seen Plein recently? She normally comes to visit after class, but she didn't come by today, and I can't seem to find her anywhere."

"Plein? Yes, her. I've not seen her per se, but Silver have told me where she is."

Oh boy. What to say... She didn't like lying, and she sorta expected Aurum might be able to tell if she did anyway, but if she were full on honest, and said that Plein were in danger down on the surface, Aurum might get involved, and there were enough going on right now, without having to add more to the chaos...

Maybe it were best if Silver decided, but she could at least say something, and then maybe get back to her about this later? She'd hate to worry Aurum, the way that she and Silver were.

"She's gone down to the surface, to check out a survivor group that's been spotted. Last is gonna go down there too soon."

She knew Last, so hopefully that would work to soothe her mind about this. If not, or if she spotted that Blitz weren't telling her the whole truth, she wasn't sure what was gonna happen, but she would definitely not try and say that Plein had been shot down. That were not going to help keeping her calm.

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

 

(Archback)

Jelly would go over and sit next to Spectral, after he had shown her the title of his book. Gary didn't mind him, keeping to himself in Jelly's mane for now, and looking around, in case interesting prey skittered around.

"Oh, I dunno. I think there's some hope in all of this.

Dad was worried and scared when the wall came down, and we got a look at what it were like out there, but we haven't been attacked. There's a big hole now, and nothing's trying to come in and munch on us, or worse. I try to focus on that, and hope that maybe this means that things are calmer out there. Maybe all the fighting have finally stopped?"

It weren't always easy to be positive, but she wanted to be, and think of something in the best way possible. It were what her mother would have wanted for her, and she wanted to make her proud. Though it sometimes hurt to think about her, since she'd never come back again...

A moment of gloom would pass over her, before she talked up again. A little less lively at first, but she'd pucker up as it went on.

"History is nice sometimes. I like reading how things were before it all went bad, when things were kind of simpler, and full of hope. But... If the fighting's finally done, there's a whole world out there to see now. Don't you wonder how that could change things?"

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Blitz Boom

(Sorrow)

On 2024-09-28 at 4:10 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Oh, so that's what it does. Sorry, I'm only used to the sort who shoots bullets, and I keep clear of that stuff too, much as I can.

It might be a little dangerous then. It's pretty wild out there, and I'm not sure if combat magic would be enough. Granted, I don't know a lot of that either... Honestly, you probably know best, though I hope if you do go, that you'll be careful."

Plein shrugged, "Yeah, they only made these once we had to start dealing with the spawn, so I'm not surprised they weren't common up here in Equestria."

As to going, she didn't look too sure, "I'm not planning to go right now, I'll wait until they've set up something before attempting, and only if Delta is stable by then."

On 2024-09-28 at 4:10 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Uhm, yeah, here you go."

She'd hoof over the note to Plein, and let her read it a bit, before she would say something that would undoubtedly be on her mind.

Plein's expression was hard to read as she read the note.

On 2024-09-28 at 4:10 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"I am afraid I don't have the letter though. There were a lot of fighting here at first. Somewhere in the chaos, I think it must have fallen out of my bag, because I could only find the note.

I've been looking, and I have the others look too, if they find it, but no luck so far. But I'm not giving up on finding it. I know it's somewhere here, in Ponyville. It will show up."

Plein stirred from her musing, "Oh, um, sorry, I..."

She wiped a tear from her eye as she gently traced the mark stamped at the bottom of the note. "This, I don't know if I can say for sure if it is his hornwriting, but this is his mark."

She looked desperate for more information, "Tell me everything, where'd you get this note? Why would he say that you wouldn't remember him? What facility did he get you out of? Where..."

She struggled to compose herself, "Where is my father?"

 

Sorrow had first noticed the note while she was in the human world, when she had first found herself with a bunch of other ponies after her vague memories of being in some sort of facility. While she hadn't read the note before arriving in Equestria, there was no doubt she had received it in the human world, which left the small chance that the letter was there as well.

On 2024-09-28 at 4:10 PM, Blitz Boom said:

Of course, it were also possible that it were hidden with magic, and she never did lose it, but that thought never crossed her mind. She were sure that she had simply dropped it, and she were working on finding it. She just... Figured she'd have more time to do so. Sadly didn't seem like that were the case.

It was too bad this idea didn't occur to her, as she had a unicorn here who actually seemed to know magic, unlike most of the unicorns in her group who were barely figuring out telekinesis. 

 

(Blitz)

On 2024-09-28 at 4:10 PM, Blitz Boom said:

The meeting had gone well. A bit of hesitation, and back and forth, but it had been accepted, with the provision that Last were going to personally take part in delivering them. As one that she had known for twenty years, with a proven record of fierce loyalty to those she believed in, Last were trusted well enough to be considered a proper liaison too. Just in case things got rowdy down there, she'd be useful for it. Plus she had all but insisted, saying that Power might be good with words, but in case they needed brawn, she outclassed him, and it were best not to send a kid down alone.

It was more surprising that she had managed to convince the council to do more than just drop a crate, expending another craft after one had been shot down? 

It really spoke to Blitz's hidden talent as a negotiator, or perhaps the council member had their own agenda?

Regardless, now Last would have to either be looped into the real plan, or distracted while Power went to deal with Panic.

 

On 2024-09-28 at 4:10 PM, Blitz Boom said:

Maybe it were best if Silver decided, but she could at least say something, and then maybe get back to her about this later? She'd hate to worry Aurum, the way that she and Silver were.

"She's gone down to the surface, to check out a survivor group that's been spotted. Last is gonna go down there too soon."

She knew Last, so hopefully that would work to soothe her mind about this. If not, or if she spotted that Blitz weren't telling her the whole truth, she wasn't sure what was gonna happen, but she would definitely not try and say that Plein had been shot down. That were not going to help keeping her calm.

Aurum looked concerned, like she had an idea that something more was going on. "Blitz, I can see your heart beating, I know your worried. Just tell me, is Plein alright?"

In any case, she wouldn't push the issue, saying that she was going to check on Brittle.

Unless, if Blitz decided to come clean as to what was going on, Aurum would want to help, "Sure, I'm not great at fighting, but I have a lot of magic, surely that could help somehow?"

Given how she restrained herself, it was easy to forget that she was secretly an alicorn. Blitz being one of the very few who had found out about it accidentally back when she used a necklace to hide her wings, before she had the enchantment tattooed onto her. Blitz had of course been sworn to keep it a secret, so she might have forgotten all about it anyway.

 

In either case, Blitz would need to let Silver and Euclid know about the change of plans. Unless Last intended to parachute down with the crate and stay there, there was now going to be a craft involved and a flight crew. Hopefully this wouldn't influence Power's chances of winning the fight against Panic, and that these extra ponies wouldn't become casualties.

 

(Archback)

On 2024-09-28 at 4:10 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Oh, I dunno. I think there's some hope in all of this.

Dad was worried and scared when the wall came down, and we got a look at what it were like out there, but we haven't been attacked. There's a big hole now, and nothing's trying to come in and munch on us, or worse. I try to focus on that, and hope that maybe this means that things are calmer out there. Maybe all the fighting have finally stopped?"

It weren't always easy to be positive, but she wanted to be, and think of something in the best way possible. It were what her mother would have wanted for her, and she wanted to make her proud. Though it sometimes hurt to think about her, since she'd never come back again...

A moment of gloom would pass over her, before she talked up again. A little less lively at first, but she'd pucker up as it went on.

"History is nice sometimes. I like reading how things were before it all went bad, when things were kind of simpler, and full of hope. But... If the fighting's finally done, there's a whole world out there to see now. Don't you wonder how that could change things?"

Spectral looked like he was going to dismiss Jelly's comments, he was known for being the 'Um, Actually' colt of the class, quick to correct any error made by a fellow student or their teacher, which had also contributed to him not having many friends in the class. However, his expression shifted to more contemplative as he listened closer to what Jelly said, "That's... actually not a bad assessment." 

He set the book down, "Sure, we haven't been attacked yet. But we were pretty isolated to begin with. It could just be that the danger hasn't arrived yet. As to if the fighting has ended? I doubt it, but there is room for hope."

He looked over at the book, "I was thinking, when our mother returned there was lots of positive prophesies and hopes, and then her return caused a lot of problems. Maybe this time will be different? There was a lot of negative prophecies about the mountains leaving, maybe things will be better than the prophecies thought?"

He shook his head, "At least I don't have to worry about it. Mom says I should think more positive, but dad says I should be a realist."

That was something, no one in the class knew who Spectral's parents were, and he didn't often talk about them. There were rumors that his parents had died, or gone missing, or he was the child of some affair involving the Lunar Order. Among other, less optimistic, theories.

He turned his attention to Jelly, "So what are you going to do? I'm finding it hard to think about or do anything other than worries about what the future might hold."

[Blitz Boom 4,626]

@Illiad Easle

(Sorrow)

On 2024-09-30 at 1:27 AM, Illiad Easle said:

Plein shrugged, "Yeah, they only made these once we had to start dealing with the spawn, so I'm not surprised they weren't common up here in Equestria."

As to going, she didn't look too sure, "I'm not planning to go right now, I'll wait until they've set up something before attempting, and only if Delta is stable by then."

"I didn't think you'd leave just now either. Just that when you eventually do, I hope you'll stay safe. There's death out in the forest."

She knew that was true. She could feel it, lurking around amongst the branches, and cluttering the soil. She couldn't just go there as it were, but she knew that there were corpses, and maybe even ghosts out there, as her instinct told her so, and she tended to be able to trust her instinct, when it came to this. A bit of a morbid sense to have, but it had caused her to find a few dead people before, back in the human world.

It also meant she had tried to be under suspicion before, but there were nothing to pin her on, so she had never been a suspect for long. Far as she were aware anyway, though she had sometimes felt like there were someone following her. Though that were usually Clackerjack. Journalistic sort from back there, who seemed to think that maybe he'd be there when she stumbled over a corpse, and could get a scoop like that. Pretty morbid, but he were an okay guy still.

*sigh* She hoped that he, and lots of the others were okay. Staying here, and remaining a pony, meant having to leave behind a few friends, as most of the small number she had, had not come from here, but this were right. Weird and strange as this place were, and being a pony felt at times, he knew that she belonged here. It felt more natural and right to her.

On 2024-09-30 at 1:27 AM, Illiad Easle said:

Plein stirred from her musing, "Oh, um, sorry, I..."

She wiped a tear from her eye as she gently traced the mark stamped at the bottom of the note. "This, I don't know if I can say for sure if it is his hornwriting, but this is his mark."

She looked desperate for more information, "Tell me everything, where'd you get this note? Why would he say that you wouldn't remember him? What facility did he get you out of? Where..."

She struggled to compose herself, "Where is my father?"

Hearing the reason, made the reaction all the more understandable to Sorrow, and she'd look at Pleing with deep sympathy. This being her father, who apparently were missing, how could she not act the way she had? A sign of life, that she apparently hadn't expected. Perhaps she had thought he were dead? She'd ask, but this were not the time, nor the place. There were much more important things for her to use her words on.

"IE is... Your father? I'll tell you what I know, though I don't think it'll help a lot."

So she did. A brief mention of her time in the human world, being a ghosthunter, and how she then suddenly found herself somewhere, after inspecting a particular house. This *Facility*, though what she could say about that wasn't very detailed, considering she had apparently not been very lucid at the time. Yet still, she'd talk about it all. including when they came here, what they had been told about returning, and what had happened to all the others, who as were obvious, were not here, despite so many of them being called back.

There were a few places where the note could have been lost, and she'd mention that, but she still believed it had to be somewhere here, where it made the most sense. As she said, what would the alternative be? That it were hidden intentionally? If so, then how, and why?

Much as she were filled in with a fair few things, Sorrow were still not understanding much about magic. That it were a thing, and that she could fly, were baffling enough, and with everything else going on, it weren't like she had a lot of chance to ask in, and maybe read some books about it. So she mostly knew that they could levitate stuff, and a few other quirky things, that she didn't see as often.

On 2024-09-30 at 1:27 AM, Illiad Easle said:

It was too bad this idea didn't occur to her, as she had a unicorn here who actually seemed to know magic, unlike most of the unicorns in her group who were barely figuring out telekinesis.

"Ask... Hidden..."

Sorrow's eyes would open a bit wider, and she'd look from side to side, with the skull calmly laying on her upper chest, barely moving, as it sat mostly firmly against her upper chest. She knew that she had heard someone. A mare's voice it sounded like.

"Sorrow..."

"That's weird..."

Whilst no word that had come to Sorrow, would be hearable by Plein, the weak, flaming wisps, that seemed to function as the skulls eyes, were following her, as it were taken from side the side.

Sorrow were not wrong, that the longer she were home like this, the closer she would come to understanding her story here, and what it meant. That the death-clad robot had come along, had just accelerated things slightly, as the overwhelming presence of vengeful, pleading souls, were more concentrated and explosive than anything she had encountered before.

She wouldn't start to suddenly wield a scythe and use death magic, but the voices were starting to slowly filter through. And one of them seemed to know her name.

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

 

(Blitz)

On 2024-09-30 at 1:27 AM, Illiad Easle said:

Aurum looked concerned, like she had an idea that something more was going on. "Blitz, I can see your heart beating, I know your worried. Just tell me, is Plein alright?"

In any case, she wouldn't push the issue, saying that she was going to check on Brittle.

Unless, if Blitz decided to come clean as to what was going on, Aurum would want to help, "Sure, I'm not great at fighting, but I have a lot of magic, surely that could help somehow?"

Given how she restrained herself, it was easy to forget that she was secretly an alicorn. Blitz being one of the very few who had found out about it accidentally back when she used a necklace to hide her wings, before she had the enchantment tattooed onto her. Blitz had of course been sworn to keep it a secret, so she might have forgotten all about it anyway.

"I... *sigh* There's no point trying to lie to you. I'm horrible at it, when I'm worried.

Plein went down to the surface, and engaged in combat with a robot of sorts, that were threatening a camp of survivors. The craft were shot down. We don't know what have happened to her, but we're sending down Last and Power to try and find out. Silver also thinks that Power is the key to defeating that robot, but we're still trying to use what backup options we have.

I don't know if you can help, but come along. Silver would probably have a better idea about that than I do right now."

Blitz honestly kept forgetting that Aurum were an alicorn. For the longest time, she had it in mind, as she had been sworn to secrecy after she had snuck away yet again, and seen something she weren't supposed to. A bit of an accidental mishap, but she had been told to Pinkie Promise, and she had. Something that she were never gonna break, as a Pinkie Promise were sacred to her. Yet over time, she sometimes forgot that Aurum were this super-powerful alicorn, because she only saw her like... Well, this. It usually didn't last long, as her promise then came to mind, but there were a few times when she had an internal *Aaaaah, right. That's why* when she thought about why she had made a promise to keep something secret about Aurum.

On 2024-09-30 at 1:27 AM, Illiad Easle said:

In either case, Blitz would need to let Silver and Euclid know about the change of plans. Unless Last intended to parachute down with the crate and stay there, there was now going to be a craft involved and a flight crew. Hopefully this wouldn't influence Power's chances of winning the fight against Panic, and that these extra ponies wouldn't become casualties.

(ignore the first part, if Aurum does not want to come along, but want to handle things from there, and just focus on the part with Last)

Blitz would have led the way back to the laboratory, where she'd explain as soon as she saw Silver. The mare were probably curious about why Aurum were with her here, of all places. Especially at a time like this.

"Before you start, I tried, but Aurum could sense I was lying. She wants to know if she can help.

And I got the transport secured, though Last Stand hijacked it a little. I couldn't stop that either. Her and Spiral goes way back, and the consul trusts her. So if I tried to argue against it, I'd just end up losing the tentative agreement. No more crafts though. She's gonna parachute down with the boxes, and function as a liaison for The Æther, along with Power."

It were a risk from Last, but she knew that getting some supplies and an extended hoof down there, were already gonna raise some eyebrows with the other high heads. Trying to send another craft, after the first were shot down? It'd likely be seen as a waste of resources, and outright denied. So Last did the only logical thing, and would take a one way ticket down. Which meant that if something went wrong, she were on her own, and she would not come back here, until The Æther could make proper landfall.

She would tell her family as much, whilst sparing them the grittier details. She'd much prefer to walk off The Æther with them, so she could see her kids first look, at the home that she had to run from, long before they were born. But if the surface were to be safe, and this classic slice of Equestria, be a place they could look upon in awe and amazement, she had to go there and make sure that she did her part, in making it welcoming to them.

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

 

(Archback)

"No one can say if things will get better, or worse from this. And I believe my dad and the other guards are probably smart to be ready for something to happen, but I dunno... If there's no hope, then what's the point? Why wake up in the first place? Why bother with anything, if you don't think there's a better tomorrow?

No. Maybe I'm naive, but I'd rather hope for things to have gotten better, than fear the sky is about to fall down on us."

It wasn't always easy to think of a better tomorrow, and she got why others were afraid what would happen, when the wall came down in first place. She had been too, expecting some large, scary monster, or a horde of those Tartarus spawn things to swarm through, but there were nothing. A grim view considering the mountains that she had seen pictures off in books, but they weren't being overrun, and they weren't getting engulfed in darkness or anything. Was it so bad then, to hope that this meant that things had changed for the better?

She knew that being optimistic made some scoff at her. She'd seen it from both adults and other foals, but she didn't hate them for it. She felt pity, that they had lost their hope. That's how she were told to look at it, and even when the days were dark, and things felt bad, she tried to keep that in mind. Even if she didn't always manage to convince herself about it.

"My dad is a lot like your dad, it sounds like. He's worried all sorts of things can happen now, even if they haven't yet. I kinda get it, but like he keeps telling me, when he teaches me survival stuff , *Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst*. I had to remind of him that a couple of times, heh."

Jelly would lean back and push her tinted glasses further up, whilst looking over the new view. Something she had to wear, when there were sunlight out, as she had very light sensitive eyes. A not too uncommon trait for bat ponies, and usually those affected, didn't get bothered, as they tended to be the ones who slept at night, and didn't go out until after dark. But her mother had always been very strict about how she wanted her daughter to share a regular day and night cycle, so she could mingle better with others, and live alongside her peers, rather than lingering in their shadow.

Her dad, being the big, muscular thestral that he were, caved with little protest. He saw the logic, and whilst he had been ready to simply alter his routines, he knew better than to fight the losing battle that arguing with his wife would be.

His looks really went against his core nature. Being as big and beefy as he were, some just took a glance and figured he'd be a muscle head, who hit first, and asked newer. But Stargazer were far from that. He were a kind soul. Overworked and sometimes awake days at a time, because he cared for the wellbeing of others, and even when the most tired, would not prioritize his sleep over spending time with his daughter. So he did at times look somewhat drained, which due to his looks, had the tendency to make him look more gruff than he wanted, but those who knew him, or gave him the time of day to listen, would see the softie he actually were. Unless he had to deal with someone who needed to be dealt with in his capacity as a guard. He wasn't so soft, that he couldn't dole out punishment, if it were needed.

He still looked good for his age too, and weren't too old to have more foals, so after his wife died, there had been some who had shown interest in him. Yet he couldn't get himself to even try a date with anyone, and respectfully declined the few advances some had tried so far. He didn't think it fair to lead anyone along, when his heart and mind were still with his deceased wife. And until he found out what had happened to her, he couldn't see himself being able to move on.

As for Spectral's parents... Jelly didn't know about them, and she didn't ask either. She figured the way others sometimes talked about them, were rather rude, and she wanted to try and make friends, not hurt him. And if it were the case that his parents were dead, she could understand how much that could hurt, and didn't want to dig around in that wound.

"What I wanna do? Well, I don't wanna sit and be gloomy about prophecies that might come true. I was thinking about having a fly around, and see how things were. Maybe find a lizard for Gary to hunt. He usually likes to hunt for prey around now.

I'm not going out there though. Dad says that's a bad idea, and I don't wanna give him more stuff to worry about. But I hope we're allowed to someday soon. I'm curious about how things are out there."

She turned her head and looked at Spectral. A lively light going around in her eyes.

"Wanna come too? Maybe it'll help get your mind off of stuff."

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Blitz Boom

(Sorrow)

On 2024-10-08 at 12:29 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"IE is... Your father? I'll tell you what I know, though I don't think it'll help a lot."

She nodded, still struggling to compose herself, "Yeah, Illiad Easle."

She listened intently to what Sorrow had to say, even though at times she found some of the details a bit hard to understand, or believe. 

(I was thinking, and I think it makes sense for Twilight to also be among those who are here, but she's mostly secluded herself in the Canterlot archives trying to figure out magic again. She's not the leader of the group which is why most haven't interacted with her up to this point.)

(She's not appearing soon unless you seek her out, just a note that she's present if needed)

Plein was silent for a bit as she processed everything she was told, "That... " she shook her head, "It's a tragedy, really, all that's happened to all of you. We, those of us who stayed, thought you were all dead. Plus, to almost entirely forget who you used to be? It's almost like you all did die." She sighed. "I wish we could have done more on our end, been ready to help when you returned, so you didn't have to face Discord alone."

She steadied herself, "My father, he was the Consul, which is what we called our leader in the Trojan Empire. After Equestria fell, Discord turned his attention south towards Troy. We built the Æther as a sort of ark to try and save as many as possible. He was supposed to go on it with my mother and I, I was barely two at the time so I don't really remember it, but he stayed behind to fight Discord. To give us time to leave. We thought he died there, like we thought everyone else who Discord got did. My mom didn't give up hope, it really hurt her for years, she only recently started to act like she used to."

She didn't really know where she was going with this, "Sorry for dumping all that on you. Hopefully we'll be able to find the missing note. I'll help you look if I can?"

 

On 2024-10-08 at 12:29 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Ask... Hidden..."

Sorrow's eyes would open a bit wider, and she'd look from side to side, with the skull calmly laying on her upper chest, barely moving, as it sat mostly firmly against her upper chest. She knew that she had heard someone. A mare's voice it sounded like.

"Sorrow..."

"That's weird..."

Plein did notice the strange sound, and her attention was drawn to the necklace, "That's a strange artifact you've got there. It looks zebrican. Did you find that here? Or did you have it before? It seems enchanted."

 

It started to darken outside as the Project started to pass overhead, casting a shadow over Ponyville.

 

(Blitz)

On 2024-10-08 at 12:29 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"I... *sigh* There's no point trying to lie to you. I'm horrible at it, when I'm worried.

Plein went down to the surface, and engaged in combat with a robot of sorts, that were threatening a camp of survivors. The craft were shot down. We don't know what have happened to her, but we're sending down Last and Power to try and find out. Silver also thinks that Power is the key to defeating that robot, but we're still trying to use what backup options we have.

I don't know if you can help, but come along. Silver would probably have a better idea about that than I do right now."

Blitz honestly kept forgetting that Aurum were an alicorn. For the longest time, she had it in mind, as she had been sworn to secrecy after she had snuck away yet again, and seen something she weren't supposed to. A bit of an accidental mishap, but she had been told to Pinkie Promise, and she had. Something that she were never gonna break, as a Pinkie Promise were sacred to her. Yet over time, she sometimes forgot that Aurum were this super-powerful alicorn, because she only saw her like... Well, this. It usually didn't last long, as her promise then came to mind, but there were a few times when she had an internal *Aaaaah, right. That's why* when she thought about why she had made a promise to keep something secret about Aurum.

Aurum nodded, "I might not be able to help Last much, and I'm not volunteering to go down there, but maybe I can help Power? Give him a boost? He's a mostly magical creature, maybe I could give him more power to work with?"

She'd follow Blitz's lead back to where the others were gathered.

On 2024-10-08 at 12:29 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Before you start, I tried, but Aurum could sense I was lying. She wants to know if she can help.

And I got the transport secured, though Last Stand hijacked it a little. I couldn't stop that either. Her and Spiral goes way back, and the consul trusts her. So if I tried to argue against it, I'd just end up losing the tentative agreement. No more crafts though. She's gonna parachute down with the boxes, and function as a liaison for The Æther, along with Power."

It were a risk from Last, but she knew that getting some supplies and an extended hoof down there, were already gonna raise some eyebrows with the other high heads. Trying to send another craft, after the first were shot down? It'd likely be seen as a waste of resources, and outright denied. So Last did the only logical thing, and would take a one way ticket down. Which meant that if something went wrong, she were on her own, and she would not come back here, until The Æther could make proper landfall.

She would tell her family as much, whilst sparing them the grittier details. She'd much prefer to walk off The Æther with them, so she could see her kids first look, at the home that she had to run from, long before they were born. But if the surface were to be safe, and this classic slice of Equestria, be a place they could look upon in awe and amazement, she had to go there and make sure that she did her part, in making it welcoming to them.

They all looked surprised by Last's offer to go down with it, Power asking, "Isn't she married? With foals?"

Silver was a bit more saddened, but seemed grateful, "That might be why she is so willing to go down, to save the foals of others while hers are safe up here."

 

Still, they resumed preparations, Euclid coming over to Aurum, "Well, I think you'll be a substantial help actually. We're keeping Power's core here, with him projecting his body outside of it. It will take a lot of power to keep it up, especially considering the distance. So adding your prodigious casting potential to the mix will help make sure he can stay down there long enough to finish his mission."

Aurum didn't ask exactly what Power was being sent down to do, figuring that it was to help Last with something dangerous.

 

It would only take them a bit longer to get the crate with the spare supplies ready, along with the secret compartment with Power's gear. Then they prepped a second crate with the necessary equipment for Last to stand up a radio transmitter on the ground. She would need it to maintain contact with the Project once she was on the ground, especially as the Project kept moving north.

They would be ready as soon as Last was.

 

(Archback)

On 2024-10-08 at 12:29 PM, Blitz Boom said:

No. Maybe I'm naive, but I'd rather hope for things to have gotten better, than fear the sky is about to fall down on us."

Spectral shrugged, "Well, maybe it's better to hope that things will get better, even if they aren't good right now. I don't think it's likely that things are great out there, but you're right, they might be, and if they are bad, they can only get better."

 

On 2024-10-08 at 12:29 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"What I wanna do? Well, I don't wanna sit and be gloomy about prophecies that might come true. I was thinking about having a fly around, and see how things were. Maybe find a lizard for Gary to hunt. He usually likes to hunt for prey around now.

I'm not going out there though. Dad says that's a bad idea, and I don't wanna give him more stuff to worry about. But I hope we're allowed to someday soon. I'm curious about how things are out there."

She turned her head and looked at Spectral. A lively light going around in her eyes.

"Wanna come too? Maybe it'll help get your mind off of stuff."

Spectral thought a moment before nodding, "Alright, sure, that sounds fun."

He stowed the book away before stretching his wings. "Lead the way."

 

The sports area they were in didn't have a ceiling, so they could just fly out. They were in the north east side of the mountain, which was the older section of the mountain settlement. During their time trapped here the Children had expanded the settlement to encompass the whole mountain, both on the outside and the inside by carving out rooms and passageways from natural and artificial caves. The newest part of the settlement was on the opposite side of the mountain, but it all looked about the same form the outside, even the inside wasn't that much different as the architectural style hadn't really changed.

The settlement went up as far as halfway up the mountain, leaving a gap between it and the plataeu where Archback Castle sat 3/4s of the way up the mountain, its towers extending most of the rest of the way up to the summit. (Archback mountain isn't terribly tall. Canterlot sits higher than Archback Castle)

The mood all over the mountain was a similar amount of subdued to the area they had come from, the wind was quite different from what they were used to, as previously the air currents had been pretty weak, but now the missing mountains allowed the winds to pass through the area, making it a bit harder to fly than before.

[Blitz Boom 4,626]

@Illiad Easle

(Sorrow)

On 2024-10-10 at 10:54 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Plein was silent for a bit as she processed everything she was told, "That... " she shook her head, "It's a tragedy, really, all that's happened to all of you. We, those of us who stayed, thought you were all dead. Plus, to almost entirely forget who you used to be? It's almost like you all did die." She sighed. "I wish we could have done more on our end, been ready to help when you returned, so you didn't have to face Discord alone."

She steadied herself, "My father, he was the Consul, which is what we called our leader in the Trojan Empire. After Equestria fell, Discord turned his attention south towards Troy. We built the Æther as a sort of ark to try and save as many as possible. He was supposed to go on it with my mother and I, I was barely two at the time so I don't really remember it, but he stayed behind to fight Discord. To give us time to leave. We thought he died there, like we thought everyone else who Discord got did. My mom didn't give up hope, it really hurt her for years, she only recently started to act like she used to."

She didn't really know where she was going with this, "Sorry for dumping all that on you. Hopefully we'll be able to find the missing note. I'll help you look if I can?"

"Well, I am happy to know that you managed to keep some safe at the least. Things have not looked well here, from what I understand. At some point, I'll probably begin to remember those I lost too, but it seems like it takes time. Small bits and pieces here and there, you know? And honestly, if you folks had been here when we all returned, I don't think it would have made things better. It'd just have caused more death, and we have had enough of that as it is. That's why I focus on scavenging around town. I can kinda feel out, where the dead is. It helps to find whatever stuff they might have left behind, and then make sure they get buried properly. Even if it is as fertilizer, it's still better than to lay around like debris.

*sigh* But there is still a lot of town I haven't been able to look through yet, and none of the others have found the letter either, though I've asked them to look out for one. The one we have found, were more mundane, from just before the incident, it seems. It brought a few closure, but most have been collected. Maybe there's some there, that will mean something to those from The Æther? We're mostly hanging on to them, for those who will decide to come back, when the time is right. But it's anyone's guess if there something that was meant for Troy."

She wasn't aware of how Troy and Equestria used to view one another, and thus how unlikely it would be. She said this in good faith, as she assumed that perhaps, a letter or two might have been meant to go out of country, to like, distant relatives, or a penpal.

"But, I'm not giving up hope for your letter, and there's still some places we could look, that's far away from that thing that were chasing me down, before you attacked it."

On 2024-10-10 at 10:54 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Plein did notice the strange sound, and her attention was drawn to the necklace, "That's a strange artifact you've got there. It looks zebrican. Did you find that here? Or did you have it before? It seems enchanted."

 

It started to darken outside as the Project started to pass overhead, casting a shadow over Ponyville.

"The skull? I honestly don't know. I think it's from here though, since I can't remember getting it in the human world. I just sorta... Always had it, you know? I didn't know where it came from, and several did ask. I just knew that it was a gift from someone important, and always kept it with me. It sounds odd, but it's always been a nice, comforting thing to have with me.

I'm guessing Zebrican is something from this world? I have no idea, but you can look, hold on."

Sorrow would take the chain, and lift it off of her neck. It felt weird, not having it on her right now, but she could still see it, it'd be o...Kay?

She glanced puzzled, and held the skull steady when she were faced with it, and saw the two small, weak lights in the sockets.

"Okay, it's never done this before. Not that I know of anyway."

"Sorrow... Hear me?"

"...There's that voice again. So That's why I couldn't pinpoint it. That's... Huh."

She should probably feel scared. A normal pony would, if they saw that a skull of all things, seemed to suddenly grow wisp eyes, and talk to them. Yet for some reason, she didn't feel that. More calm than scared actually. Even though she couldn't remember hearing the voice of a spirit before, this felt oddly natural to her. Was this something that she could do, before she were turned human?

She really were connected to death more than she had thought.

"I didn't expect that, but it's nice to know I've not gone crazy at least. Hello, spirit."

A warm smile would be sent towards the skull, who in turn seemed to radiate a feeling of joy. Likely from her finally being able to hear her.

"Been... Dear foal... Still weak... Time."

The mare tried to speak with her, but the voice were still weak. Likely she too, were just slowly waking from what were quite the number of years of dormancy.

As for Plein... If she could hear this voice, and hadn't just heard the wind blow through the skull, it meant she too were able to hear the dead. Perhaps only from this magically enhanced vessel, but even that would be rare, for a regular pony. And if it was more broadly, she might end up hearing more voices around town eventually, just as Sorrow would, little by little. Perhaps even see some things, that she'd rather not.

"It sounds strained. Maybe... Try and rest, and gather your strength?"

It seemed the skull accepted that, as the wisps flickered from the sockets, and she seemingly went dormant again.

"It's probably weird to say this, but hearing that, it's oddly comforting to finally hear the spirits talk back to me. I was a ghost hunter for years, and I never had anyone talk to me.

Anyway, here you go. Maybe you'll know something I don't."

She'd hold out the skull, so that Plein could take it and have a look. She'd find that it were local, as it were the skull of an Equestrian animal, and had no markings that would indicate that it came from Zebrica. Deep in the sockets though, were various, vaguely visible runes and engravings. Likely something used to bind the spirit to this vessel, or something else. The markings would be hard to read without a flashlight, but were arcane in nature. Some variation of necromancy.

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

 

(Blitz)

15 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

Aurum nodded, "I might not be able to help Last much, and I'm not volunteering to go down there, but maybe I can help Power? Give him a boost? He's a mostly magical creature, maybe I could give him more power to work with?"

She'd follow Blitz's lead back to where the others were gathered.

"He'd know better than me, but every little thing could help."

It might prove useful in the fight, if Power were given a little more juice, but would it be enough? And could it even be done? She didn't know, but she'd prefer at least trying to stack the deck in their favor, if it were possible to do so. It would give them a greater chance at success, which something told her they were going to need.

15 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

They all looked surprised by Last's offer to go down with it, Power asking, "Isn't she married? With foals?"

Silver was a bit more saddened, but seemed grateful, "That might be why she is so willing to go down, to save the foals of others while hers are safe up here."

"I asked her afterwards, cause I was as surprised by her suggestion as you are. And she did say that was one of the reasons. But I think it's also that she wants to make sure that the town is safe, when they can go to the surface. It's a place that she remembers, and I know that she's been looking towards the day that she could show her foals, even a little of the old country. I'm sure she wanted to go down with them, but she probably eyed the situation, and knew it was a way to make sure, that it'd be safe for them to land.

She didn't say as much, but you know how tight-lipped she can be sometimes.

Besides, you know she's not one to back down when things get tough. Though I did make her promise that her she'd please not go into the fight, if she can avoid it, but focus on whoever is down there. She'd be better off trying to defend the town, than rush into a situation she's ill equipped to handle. Safer too. I don't want to bring bad news back to her family. Not after everything."

Last were... Hard to explain sometimes. Like, she were simplistic on the surface. A fighter, a mother, a fervent, loyal mare to those who earned it- She were a reliable presence, but somewhat simplistic. But it had changed over time. Especially after she had gotten foals. Blitz didn't understand it at first, and didn't see that much, but she finally understood, when she had one of her own. Last would do everything, for those that were near to her. Even die fighting, if it meant they would see a brighter tomorrow. Once upon a time, that had been her comrades, her parents, and her sister. All of them had died when she arrived here, so she gave her all to The Æther, not caring how others considered her little more than a muscle-headed fanatic. But then after what happened back with Aurum... She tried to be more than just a tool, and Blitz were happy to see how she opened up at times, but it hadn't really culminated in much, until she got pregnant. Before that, she didn't have much else than her legacy, and the few close to her to think about, when it came to the future.

Now she had a family of her own, and while there were definitely voices who scoffed at her making her foals partake in combat training, and thought her uncaring about them, or her husband, they just didn't see that this were her way, of showing them how much they meant to her. To her, making sure they were ready for the world, for the day she wasn't there anymore, was her way of showing love. It was the way she had been raised, and while it were less excessive here, it stuck with her, and were part of the legacy she wanted to teach her foals, even if she hoped they'd never need to be part of the unending battle that her early years had been.

This were part of it. She didn't expect to die, and wouldn't want to be part of that either, but she wanted them to see the world that she knew, and the kingdom that her family, and countless generations of loyalists before her, had fought and died for. Sure there were practical reasons too, but she needed to make sure, that they could come down, and everything would be ready for her to show them around. Not open the doors, to be faced with a murderous robot, who might tear them apart.

She had a duty to her family, and she would not fail them. Even if it meant she had to go ahead and feel the sting of longing, that she always did, when she had to leave them. And she would stay out of the main fight, lest there were no choice, and would focus on building rapport with the locals, as well as keeping them safe, if something else decided it was an opportune time to try something. This sounded like it were above her paygrade, from how it had been described to her.

On 2024-10-10 at 10:54 PM, Illiad Easle said:

It would only take them a bit longer to get the crate with the spare supplies ready, along with the secret compartment with Power's gear. Then they prepped a second crate with the necessary equipment for Last to stand up a radio transmitter on the ground. She would need it to maintain contact with the Project once she was on the ground, especially as the Project kept moving north.

They would be ready as soon as Last was.

Last would show up not too long after they were done, in full equipment, including her sword. She might not seek a fight, but she were always expecting one, and anyone who had seen her fight, knew well that she were very capable of using it to cause some serious damage. As were the sleeve that she always wore, when going into things. The little thing Blitz made, that could send a shockwave. It were on offer for others too, but it required good aim, and the recoil wasn't something everyone could handle, so it wasn't the most wanted weapon frankly. It were a good one, for more physical fighters who didn't have other range, and could sort out how to use it properly, could make good use of it. A more heavy blast for knocking those nearby back, or thinner, or smaller blasts, that could work akin to blades or bullets.

Everything still required movement though, as they were powered via static electricity, muscle movements, etc. It was a strange construction, but it were practical in longer engages, if you were an active fighter, as it were constantly *reloading*. Last were likely the one who used it the best, but she had also been the first, with every upgrade and iteration been made with primarily her in mind, though Blitz did take some feedback for others. In fairness, she also trained a lot, so it were tough to keep up with her, all things considered.

"I'm ready when you are."

She'd at that point, notice that Aurum was there, and her gaze narrowed slightly. She were not angry, but you could see her jump to a conclusion, then processing it, and easing up her look again, before she spoke..

"You're helping with something from this end, Aurum?"

For a moment, she had wanted to straight up say that Aurum wasn't gonna go down, but she had thought before she spoke, and rationally, it made more sense that she were helping them with some of the stuff that Power were meant to be using, or with Power himself, since he were getting split or something like that. Call her somewhat overprotective, but Last had been one of those who had brought Aurum back here on the ship, and taken it as a personal responsibility to act as a guardian of sorts. Briar did the emotional stuff better, and had a larger part in her growing up, but Last still always felt a certain degree of a need to protect Aurum, as best she could.

Realistically, she did not need it. Aurum could obliterate things that Last would die fighting, and especially now that she were a full fledged adult, and had herself in good control. It didn't mean that she didn't feel protective though.

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

 

(Archback)

On 2024-10-10 at 10:54 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Spectral shrugged, "Well, maybe it's better to hope that things will get better, even if they aren't good right now. I don't think it's likely that things are great out there, but you're right, they might be, and if they are bad, they can only get better."

"Hehe, that's right. Doesn't hurt to think that things might not be good now, but why not hope for that to change, yeah?"

Seemed like Spectra was getting the mood now, in his own way. Being hopeful for things, didn't mean that they had to let their guard down, or ignore how bad things were now, in some aspects. At least to Jelly, it meant looking to the future, and hoping things would be better. Though she knew that hope alone, wasn't gonna be enough. You had to work for that vision, yeah? She intended to do, and grow up to become a guard that her dad could be proud of. The sort who'd make a positive difference for others, like he did.

Though if the chance came to see the world beyond... Well, either way, she'd need to be sure to keep healthy and both read up and train to be strong when she became an adult. She probably couldn't reach the physique her dad had, but she'd do what she could at the least.

On 2024-10-10 at 10:54 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Spectral thought a moment before nodding, "Alright, sure, that sounds fun."

He stowed the book away before stretching his wings. "Lead the way."

 

The sports area they were in didn't have a ceiling, so they could just fly out. They were in the north east side of the mountain, which was the older section of the mountain settlement. During their time trapped here the Children had expanded the settlement to encompass the whole mountain, both on the outside and the inside by carving out rooms and passageways from natural and artificial caves. The newest part of the settlement was on the opposite side of the mountain, but it all looked about the same form the outside, even the inside wasn't that much different as the architectural style hadn't really changed.

The settlement went up as far as halfway up the mountain, leaving a gap between it and the plataeu where Archback Castle sat 3/4s of the way up the mountain, its towers extending most of the rest of the way up to the summit. (Archback mountain isn't terribly tall. Canterlot sits higher than Archback Castle)

The mood all over the mountain was a similar amount of subdued to the area they had come from, the wind was quite different from what they were used to, as previously the air currents had been pretty weak, but now the missing mountains allowed the winds to pass through the area, making it a bit harder to fly than before.

Jelly would grin widely, and take flight. She didn't tend to have a single favorite spot to go, since the lizards tended to move around, if there were too much movement or predators, though she did have a few favored spots. As well as some that were off limits, because the prey were too big, or she knew that some in the area might have pet lizards, and she didn't want some pet on pet violence.

So she'd take it steadily up, flying carefully out of the sports area, and headed south-west. She wasn't aiming for the new settlement per se, but she were going for the general direction, as she figured there were a few places with good views there too, where she had seen some prey animals lurking around. Not always lizards though. Rodents were also a problem, and having them be hunted down did a little dent in their population. others did far more, but she liked to think that they did their part too, in keeping it manageable for everyone.

The wind were odd, since the mountain went up, and she had wobbled in the air sometimes, and even fallen a couple of times, though thankfully nothing serious. It did make her focus extra hard on her flying though, as she didn't want to plummet to her death. Also a reason why she didn't tend to go that far away from places were one could land, just in case she would start to fall. Better to fall a meter or two and scrape your knee, than plummet for a mile and become mush. She could probably regain her composure before getting squashed, but there wasn't really any reason to take that risk.

So she'd fly that route, and see what would come, landing the first time she noticed any sign of reasonably sized prey for Gary to snack on. The spider in the meantime, having a good grip in her mane, as he had gotten used to since he was a small hatchling. He were in the mood to hunt, but flying meant he kept his focus on this, since he did not want to fall off.

She might get distracted if they saw something unusual though, or have to land, if the winds started to act up. Could also be that Spectra got into trouble with the wind, or wanted to land. If so, she'd follow him down. This weren't just a flight for her or Gary. He were there, and she wouldn't just leave him behind. She got the feeling that enough had done that to him, and she didn't want to be added to that potential list. Especially not since she were trying to be his friend. Like, a real one. Not those who just kept you around because you had a use, and then toss you when you didn't. She'd... Been there before, and didn't want others to go through that.

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Blitz Boom

(Sorrow)

On 2024-10-13 at 4:12 PM, Blitz Boom said:

*sigh* But there is still a lot of town I haven't been able to look through yet, and none of the others have found the letter either, though I've asked them to look out for one. The one we have found, were more mundane, from just before the incident, it seems. It brought a few closure, but most have been collected. Maybe there's some there, that will mean something to those from The Æther? We're mostly hanging on to them, for those who will decide to come back, when the time is right. But it's anyone's guess if there something that was meant for Troy."

She wasn't aware of how Troy and Equestria used to view one another, and thus how unlikely it would be. She said this in good faith, as she assumed that perhaps, a letter or two might have been meant to go out of country, to like, distant relatives, or a penpal.

Plein shrugged, "Well, Troy's a long way off from here, I don't think many from Ponyville made it onto the Æther, but who knows? Stranger things have happened, and maybe Discord brought something here from down there? I mean, I was pretty sure that Canterlot Castle and the Archives would be much further away, but here they are."

 

On 2024-10-13 at 4:12 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"It sounds strained. Maybe... Try and rest, and gather your strength?"

It seemed the skull accepted that, as the wisps flickered from the sockets, and she seemingly went dormant again.

"It's probably weird to say this, but hearing that, it's oddly comforting to finally hear the spirits talk back to me. I was a ghost hunter for years, and I never had anyone talk to me.

Anyway, here you go. Maybe you'll know something I don't."

She'd hold out the skull, so that Plein could take it and have a look. She'd find that it were local, as it were the skull of an Equestrian animal, and had no markings that would indicate that it came from Zebrica. Deep in the sockets though, were various, vaguely visible runes and engravings. Likely something used to bind the spirit to this vessel, or something else. The markings would be hard to read without a flashlight, but were arcane in nature. Some variation of necromancy.

Plein would watch with a bit of trepidation as it spoke to Sorrow, but didn't interject.

Once Sorrow was done Plein would look it over, but she didn't have any expertise in bones or runes, so she couldn't tell where it came from. "Well, it is magical at least. But I can't tell anything else about it. Be careful though, there are lots of stories about what can go wrong with necromancy. Plenty of spirits offering to make deals that turn out bad."

She'd return the necklace in any case, turning her attention to the darkening sky, "Looks like the Æther is passing over. It's strange seeing it move from below, or at all. I was always on board before when it would move."

 

(Blitz)

On 2024-10-13 at 4:12 PM, Blitz Boom said:

She didn't say as much, but you know how tight-lipped she can be sometimes.

Besides, you know she's not one to back down when things get tough. Though I did make her promise that her she'd please not go into the fight, if she can avoid it, but focus on whoever is down there. She'd be better off trying to defend the town, than rush into a situation she's ill equipped to handle. Safer too. I don't want to bring bad news back to her family. Not after everything."

Euclid and Silver were less than pleased to hear how much of the plan had been shared with Last, but it was too late to do anything about it now. "Let's hope her tight lipped reputation continues. We don't need details about this spreading any further than needed." Euclid commented.

 

On 2024-10-13 at 4:12 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"I'm ready when you are."

She'd at that point, notice that Aurum was there, and her gaze narrowed slightly. She were not angry, but you could see her jump to a conclusion, then processing it, and easing up her look again, before she spoke..

"You're helping with something from this end, Aurum?"

For a moment, she had wanted to straight up say that Aurum wasn't gonna go down, but she had thought before she spoke, and rationally, it made more sense that she were helping them with some of the stuff that Power were meant to be using, or with Power himself, since he were getting split or something like that. Call her somewhat overprotective, but Last had been one of those who had brought Aurum back here on the ship, and taken it as a personal responsibility to act as a guardian of sorts. Briar did the emotional stuff better, and had a larger part in her growing up, but Last still always felt a certain degree of a need to protect Aurum, as best she could.

Realistically, she did not need it. Aurum could obliterate things that Last would die fighting, and especially now that she were a full fledged adult, and had herself in good control. It didn't mean that she didn't feel protective though.

The were all gathered in the hanger to drop the package and Last down with it. Aurum simply nodded at Last's question.

Euclid would walk Last through the process to set up the radio transmitter. The instructions having pictures included, since without it she would not be able to communicate with the Project.

That all set they would move to drop the package, and Last would be on her slow way down.

 

(Sorrow, again)

Plein had taken a moment to move outside to see the Project as it passed over, noticing something strange. "They... dropped something? " She snorted, "Mom's probably worried sick, forced them to do something, I hope she doesn't get in trouble for this."

 

(Archback)

Meanwhile, inside the mountain.

A good number of the adults were gathered in one of the upper meeting rooms under the castle, mostly members of the guard and leaders of the community. There was a lot of talk going on about what had happened and what it meant while they waited for the meeting to start. Some commented that they had seen a large group of zebra leaving, and wondered if they should do the same.

Notably, everyone who had been called to the meeting was over 40, so they had all experienced life before the crisis.

Spirit and Nightshade entered, representatives of the Lunar Order, and the room grew quiet. Spirit seemed chipper despite the general mood of the room, and did her best to ease the tension in the room. "So, quite an event we've just had right? Before we get into discussing what should happen, do we have any reports as to injuries or deaths as a result of the mountain wall vanishing? Any destruction of property to report?"

There was surprisingly few reports of any damage or injury occurring. Given everyone mostly stayed away from those mountains when they could, very few were present when they vanished.

[Blitz Boom 4,626]

@Illiad Easle

(Sorrow)

On 2024-10-30 at 10:13 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Plein shrugged, "Well, Troy's a long way off from here, I don't think many from Ponyville made it onto the Æther, but who knows? Stranger things have happened, and maybe Discord brought something here from down there? I mean, I was pretty sure that Canterlot Castle and the Archives would be much further away, but here they are."

"You know a lot more about this than I do, so I'll take your word for what were supposed to be here, and what wasn't. I'm just hoping that things will turn out okay, and that the fighting won't get worse again, so we can get the town cleaned up and made habitable again."

On 2024-10-30 at 10:13 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Plein would watch with a bit of trepidation as it spoke to Sorrow, but didn't interject.

Once Sorrow was done Plein would look it over, but she didn't have any expertise in bones or runes, so she couldn't tell where it came from. "Well, it is magical at least. But I can't tell anything else about it. Be careful though, there are lots of stories about what can go wrong with necromancy. Plenty of spirits offering to make deals that turn out bad."

She'd return the necklace in any case, turning her attention to the darkening sky, "Looks like the Æther is passing over. It's strange seeing it move from below, or at all. I was always on board before when it would move."

Sorrow would take it back, and without hesitation, put the chain back around her neck, and send Plein a warm smile.

"I can't remember a time when I didn't have this, so I'm pretty sure it's safe. Though I don't think I've done anything to it. I keep having the feeling that I were given this, by someone who meant a lot to me. Maybe they were a necromancer? I hope I'll remember eventually. It's frustrating to feel like there's a whole, meaningful life I've lived, and it's there, but it's all constantly just out of reach."

She'd look up, watching the immense thing move. Something that just made the whole size of that thing seem bigger and bigger.

"I can't imagine how huge that place must be up close. Even from way down here, it's just so... Gigantic. Like I've heard a few of the others talk about remembering a little about a large city in the sky, but never this large.

How is it able to move? Is it magic? I'm still trying to grasp what the limits of that is. Human world didn't really have that. Or at least not in any way that I ran into, I think."

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

 

(Blitz)

On 2024-10-30 at 10:13 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Euclid and Silver were less than pleased to hear how much of the plan had been shared with Last, but it was too late to do anything about it now. "Let's hope her tight lipped reputation continues. We don't need details about this spreading any further than needed." Euclid commented.

"Hey! I know she has a reputation for being a little... Extreme, but she's probably the most trustworthy pony I've ever known. She needed to know some things, so she knew what to expect down there, and didn't accidentally mess up the plan, by getting involved where she shouldn't, and she gave me her word that she weren't gonna tell others. Last doesn't break her word."

Blitz were actually feeling slightly offended here, and stood a bit more firmly here. Last and her had known one another for twenty years, and while yes, they had taken some time to connect, Blitz couldn't mention anyone she'd trust more to have her back, in case something happened. Last were a fanatic once, and yes, she were still devoted to her ideals, but she were also loyal without fault, to those she believed in, and the two of them were good friends. Last had even offered to train her filly, once she'd get old enough, which weren't something she tended to offer others.

It were still debatable if it were gonna happen, and some likely would think her crazy for having that response, about an infant, but Blitz understood where she were coming from. Meant she cared, and wanted to offer her help, in keeping Blitz's daughter safe.

She should probably not bring this up as an example though. Just let them see that no matter what happened, Last were gonna have their back on this, and be an asset, not a liability.

On 2024-10-30 at 10:13 PM, Illiad Easle said:

The were all gathered in the hanger to drop the package and Last down with it. Aurum simply nodded at Last's question.

Euclid would walk Last through the process to set up the radio transmitter. The instructions having pictures included, since without it she would not be able to communicate with the Project.

That all set they would move to drop the package, and Last would be on her slow way down.

"Good luck down there, Last. Try and keep safe."

"Don't worry. You haven't seen the last of me. Just keep focus on whatever it is you're gonna be doing."

With this minor joke, namedropping herself, she'd then go on to actually dropping down, along with the drop. It were time for her to focus, and get on with this job. Sooner it would be handled, the sooner the surface would be safe for her family, and she'd get to see them again. Were there any better motivation than that?

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

 

(Sorrow)

On 2024-10-30 at 10:13 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Plein had taken a moment to move outside to see the Project as it passed over, noticing something strange. "They... dropped something? " She snorted, "Mom's probably worried sick, forced them to do something, I hope she doesn't get in trouble for this."

The drop would land soon enough, with Last following shortly after, though she would land outside of town. Landing in the middle of it, heavily armed, seemed a poor decision. Ideally the box would also not end up in the middle of town, but if it did, she would simply have to go in there for it.

Getting out of the harness were a swift motion, that made it release her at once. A good thing, as it would be useless in battle, if they had to be dropped into such a zone and get to work right away otherwise.

If she saw Sorrow and Plein first, she'd go towards them. If she noticed Plein from the air, it were definitely where she would aim towards at the least, as her whereabouts were important. If it were any of the citizens though, probably from her not seeing Plein in advance, she'd instead speak up, to let them know her intention.

"My name is Last Stand. The Æther sends aid, as a sign of good faith, and wish to parlay with your leaders."

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

 

(Archback)

Almost as if called upon, a voice would come from somewhere to the right, close to Spirit, though at a respectful distance.

"There's been a few reports of material damage, but I've thankfully not yet heard about anyone dying so far, ma'am."

Stargazer would wander away from the wall he had been leaning up against, though they probably saw him quickly. He might blend in with the dark, but he were an immensely large pony. A head above the regular ponies, and with a large, muscular frame. His old medals tended to glisten in the light too at times. Things mostly from his past, that he kept around for several reasons. One of them being that they could hit rather hard, if he needed it to, and one even had a somewhat lose clasp. He swung his belt the right way in his hoof, and he could make it fling off, and smash someone rather severely, if needed. It also lead to a fair bit of his medals being somewhat bent, but he didn't care much. Relics of an old time, and he didn't care for the potential status they might have once had. He didn't want a high leading role, but just be able to provide for his daughter, and keep her safe.

"There's been injuries though. A fractured wing, and two broken legs, the last I heard about it. Half a residence crumbled down not far from the top too, but thankfully no one were home at the time.

There's of course the reports of missing objects and some pets, but so far, it seems we have gotten off relatively well. At least in the area I have been at, and trying to deal with the aftermath, ma'am.

Plenty are scared though. I can feel the tension, and some of the whispers makes me think that if we don't address this in some way soon, someone will take charge themselves, and drag others into doing something foolish."

He looked tired, but that were no big surprise. With how stressed things were after the wall fell, there were just more and more to do, for guards like him. Hadn't left much chance to sleep. Especially not when he also wanted to spend some time with his daughter, instead of just work and sleep. He could handle losing out on sleep for a few days, if he had to.

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Blitz Boom

(Sorrow)

On 2024-11-05 at 2:52 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"I can't imagine how huge that place must be up close. Even from way down here, it's just so... Gigantic. Like I've heard a few of the others talk about remembering a little about a large city in the sky, but never this large.

How is it able to move? Is it magic? I'm still trying to grasp what the limits of that is. Human world didn't really have that. Or at least not in any way that I ran into, I think."

Plein nodded, "Well, everything uses magic to some extent, but yeah, a lot of magic and engineering went into building it. My mom put a lot of effort into it herself. I'm not saying she's the one who invented it, but I don't think it would have made it this far without all the parts she invented."

She looked back at Sorrow, "It was built out of Troy's cloud city, Æther, I know Equestria had at least one, Cloudsdale, and I'm pretty sure it was even bigger than Æther was, but cloud cities are typically nebulous in size so it's hard to tell."

After watching the object fall for a bit she decided to return to Delta's side. If Sorrow followed her she would ask, "What was it like? In the human world? Was it... safe there?"

 

(Last)

On 2024-11-05 at 2:52 PM, Blitz Boom said:

If she saw Sorrow and Plein first, she'd go towards them. If she noticed Plein from the air, it were definitely where she would aim towards at the least, as her whereabouts were important. If it were any of the citizens though, probably from her not seeing Plein in advance, she'd instead speak up, to let them know her intention.

"My name is Last Stand. The Æther sends aid, as a sign of good faith, and wish to parlay with your leaders."

There wasn't much Last could do to steer the crate, so she was mostly up to the mercy of the wind to decide where she would land, but Euclid had plotted for her to land just outside of town, opposite from the crash site of Plein's craft.

She would have enough time to get her harness off and make sure the crate was undamaged before she was approached by Applejack and some of the other survivors.

"I reckon that would be me then, I'm Applejack, but you can call me AJ. It's good to meet you Last, we have a pair of ponies here who say they came from the Æther too."

(Continued below, but there's time to respond first)

 

(Blitz)

Once Last was safely on her way down the rest of the team gathered in Euclid's lab. It was far more organized than Silver's lab, large panes of dark glass lined the walls, illuminating with words and symbols when he entered.

From a cabinet Euclid pulled out a special container, which he set on a table and opened to reveal it was shaped inside to fit Power's central gem. "Been a while since we needed this."

Power snorted, but floated up onto the table, settling his volume over the container before moving his body away from his gem with a flash, the gem settling gently into the container. His body lost a lot of definition, the shape becoming much simpler. "This feels... strange." His voice was also distinct, harsher, like it came through a damaged speaker. Euclid poured some magic into the gem and his form stabilized a bit, but it was still off from his normal form.

"Alright, we charge the gem, and you head down. Best if you didn't put too much effort into appearance or speech, save the energy for what's important."

Power nodded, and Euclid turned towards Aurum. "It's good that you're here, I think your power will be more than enough to keep him stable while he's down there."

Aurum looked unsure, "Okay, do I just... grab it? Oh, oh! I see, this is a... a pooled energy spell." She nodded. "I'm ready then. Let's make this quick though."

She poured her magic into the gem, Power taking on a distinct amber hue to compliment his typical emerald coloration. Then with a flash he teleported away.

"Oh, that was different, I was never on the input end of this spell before."

 

(Last again)

With a pop Power appeared next to the crate, his form rather abstracted and glowing green and gold. He only vaguely looked like a pony.

"stand"

"back"

The voice had more in common with the mechanical monster's static than equine speech.

He opened the side of the crate, retrieving the stowed weapons, then started walking towards the town. Spooking the gathered ponies, who looked to Last for an explanation, a bit more suspicious now, "What in tarnation is that?"

 

"stay"

"away"

"from"

"castle"

Power would not be deterred from his mission.

 

(Archback)

On 2024-11-05 at 2:52 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"There's been injuries though. A fractured wing, and two broken legs, the last I heard about it. Half a residence crumbled down not far from the top too, but thankfully no one were home at the time.

There's of course the reports of missing objects and some pets, but so far, it seems we have gotten off relatively well. At least in the area I have been at, and trying to deal with the aftermath, ma'am.

Spirit nodded, "Nothing more than usual then, I imagine the damage would have occurred regardless, some of the newer structures haven't been built with quite as many materials as before. Hopefully the missing items are simply that, and we don't have a looting problem to consider."

On 2024-11-05 at 2:52 PM, Blitz Boom said:

Plenty are scared though. I can feel the tension, and some of the whispers makes me think that if we don't address this in some way soon, someone will take charge themselves, and drag others into doing something foolish."

He looked tired, but that were no big surprise. With how stressed things were after the wall fell, there were just more and more to do, for guards like him. Hadn't left much chance to sleep. Especially not when he also wanted to spend some time with his daughter, instead of just work and sleep. He could handle losing out on sleep for a few days, if he had to.

Spirit looked a bit sadder at that, "I wish I had more insight on that, but the Order is still deliberating on what ought to be done."

"Seems that's all they do these days."

It seemed some in the crowd weren't happy with the situation, one stallion speaking up, "The mountains leaving is one thing, but we've been having troubles down near the base of the mountain for months! And all the Order seems to want to do is talk about it while ponies get hurt, or killed."

Spirit tried to reign in the conversation, "I'm sorry to hear that but-"

"And where even is Midnight, huh? Or the Black Knight? The Order says they're fine, but no one's seen them in years! And who's been in charge since they went missing?"

The crowd was starting to turn on Spirit and Nightshade. Nightshade approached the stallion, "Speak plainly. What are you accusing the Order of, somehow killing our own father? And to what end?"

The stallion didn't respond, but tensions in the room were high.

Stargazer would remember, the Order didn't have a popular history, especially in recent years. They had been somewhat ineffectual as of late at maintaining harmony among the children of the moon, and had grown more withdrawn with each passing year. When it came to Stargazer's wife's death, they had similarly said that they would investigate, but they hadn't managed to find anything. At least, they hadn't told him if they had found anything.

[Blitz Boom 4,626]

@Illiad Easle

(Sorrow)

Sorrow would follow, and answer best she could. She were curious what had been dropped, but she were sure she'd find out eventually, and she were bonding with Plein currently. 

"Woah. That's... I can't even comprehend the sort of work what must have gone into that. That's really impressive.

I hope that when everything is more calm, that I can see it up close. I've never seen anything like it, and this has to be like, the pinnacle of science and magic, right? It must be all kinds of special up there.

Nothing like that in the human world. Sure there were technology, but that's more like phones and other stuff for entertainment. Well, and weapons. Sadly a lot of the smart ones kept being put on new ways to make weapons. Atomic bombs, gas weapons, guns guns and more guns... Bright minds, that could make the world better, and instead they used it to find new ways to fight wars.

Most of that was in other places, but there were still way too much of that, to make me say the human world was safe per se. The area I were in though, were pretty nice. Nothing standout, but it was a calm, simple town. I travelled about the country a bit now and again though, when I had the chance. Had to go find new haunted houses to rummage around, y'know? That could sometimes get a little dangerous, but most times you just had to worry about getting mugged, not attacked and dragged to He- Tartarus."

Honestly, the human world seemed safe compared to here, but it really depended on where you lived. Someone living in one of the war torn areas, would probably have a very different view of things than she did.

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

 

(Last)

Not the most ideal place to land she supposed, but it were good enough. She managed to get the harness off, and get to the crate to see that it appeared intact, before she were approached by some ponies. Which seemed to include their leader, so that saved her some time. Though she did raise her eyebrow slightly as she heard who this were. Certainly not a figure she had expected to see in anything but a history book, but she would act accordingly, now that she were: By raising a hoof to her upper chest, and bowing her head in a salute to the mare.

"It's an honor, ma'am. I've heard much good about you."

It wasn't often that she considered it an honor to meet someone, but AJ and her friends, would be a special exception. Wanting to meet them, had been one of her goals in going towards Ponyville in fact, after her dismissal, as she wanted to meet these new defenders. This were the first she could recall of seeing AJ, and she had certainly never expected to, after the war began. Definitely a mare she wanted to share stories with later, if there were time.

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

 

(Blitz)

"Stay safe down there, okay? We're counting on you."

It were weird to see Power like this, losing details in his form, as his core were plucked, for a lack of better term. But it seemed they were all sure this would work, so she would try and just go with it, and observe what happened, all the way through to where he had excess magic poured into the container, and then he teleported away. At this point, it were just waiting then, yes? Not much else to do for her at the least, but hope it were all enough, and that they'd both come back safe to them. Along with Plein too, of course.

"I hope they'll be okay down there... We're putting a lot on their shoulders here.

Is there anything I can do to help in some way? Prepare something for later perhaps, or assist in this somehow?"

It seemed everything were fine, but she really had no idea. She had never seen this happen before, and were completely in the dark about what to expect, and what to do here. If she were meant to do anything at all. But if she couldn't help with this, perhaps she could do something else? She just really needed to feel useful right now.

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

 

(Last)

Last let out a sigh, as she saw Powers appear, and then destroy every semblance of subtlety, leaving her to deal with a now suspicious bunch here. The two of them were gonna have some words later.

"That robot that attacked you, is a problem for The Æther too. So they sent someone along to deal with it. I assumed they would have been more patient, so I could explain that part too, but it seems it's enough of an issue that they don't want to hesitate.

I assure you ma'am, we don't come here to cause trouble. He's here to solve a problem, and then leave. I'm here to start talks between The Æther and you. By all means, inspect the crate, and do a body search, if it makes you feel safer. I won't resist."

She'd stand completely still, and let them do a search of her if they wished to. She'd be annoyed if they also went and disarmed her, but so be it. If that is what she'd need to ease tensions for now, that were just something she'd have to accept. She could get her blade and other things back later.

As for what they would find, they probably wouldn't be able to tell the sleeve were a weapon, but she did have her blade, and three other smaller blades with her. She didn't deal in those fancy, high tech weaponry beyond the sleeve, so she didn't have any guns, or nega-wumbo-whatever bombs on her. Though they would be able to find a pendant if they checked around her neck, and could open it to show a picture of her, Sugar, and their foals, taken around three years ago. They'd sure grown since then, but she still kept this picture near and dear to her heart. It reminded her of the most important ponies in her life. Those she'd fight for, more than anyone. Her little lights in the darkness, if you would. And she would resist if they tried to confiscate that. Mainly by scowling, and grabbing hold of it.

If they didn't elect to search her, but still the crate, it should just be what were promised. Some things that would be helpful, and hopefully no more hidden rooms. She swore, if they had hidden a bloody bomb in that thing, she were going to break something in their precious little lab. Potentially someone, if it made things much worse.

"Another thing. Plein and her crew? Are they okay?"

She wanted to bring this up earlier, but Last hadn't really been granted a winning hoof here, with the way they bungled up things, via the hidden stuff, and Power appearing like he had, whilst acting quite suspicious. Frankly in their hooves, she wouldn't be too trusting either. Granted she were somewhat paranoid about trusting others easily, but still.

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

 

(Archback)

On 2024-11-08 at 11:01 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Spirit nodded, "Nothing more than usual then, I imagine the damage would have occurred regardless, some of the newer structures haven't been built with quite as many materials as before. Hopefully the missing items are simply that, and we don't have a looting problem to consider."

Stargazer would nod at this. It were a valid concern, and not one he had thought of himself. He'd need to keep that in mind, when inspecting things next time, just in case it turned out that it provided some useful context for something that he'd see, that would help explain things more. Hopefully he'd find nothing though, cause looting right now, on top of everything else? That'd be a bad omen indeed, cause that would mean that some uproar were already starting.

On 2024-11-08 at 11:01 PM, Illiad Easle said:

"And where even is Midnight, huh? Or the Black Knight? The Order says they're fine, but no one's seen them in years! And who's been in charge since they went missing?"

The crowd was starting to turn on Spirit and Nightshade. Nightshade approached the stallion, "Speak plainly. What are you accusing the Order of, somehow killing our own father? And to what end?"

The stallion didn't respond, but tensions in the room were high.

"Calm down, please."

Stargazer would step forth, and raise his voice somewhat to get their attention. Not using that of a guard, as this were not the time to speak as authority, but rather that of another of them. A tired thestral who lived and worked with them. It was with that attitude, and honesty, that he would turn and address the one int he crowd who had spoken up, as it seemed the most pressing one to talk to. The voice of this group, and their many frustrations with The Order. Something shared by many, including himself.

"You aren't alone in wondering what have happened to them, sir. Nor the first who wonders where action are, over mere words. My wife were killed months ago, and all I get beyond silence, are the scraps of clues I can scrounge up myself. So I assure you that I share your frustration, and anger, that not more is being done. But a revolt will only cause us to lose more than we already have, and if someone is planning to attack us, we'd be wide open for it.

I want something to be done, just as you do, sir. But not enough to put who we still have in jeopardy."

He'd turn and address the one he had before next. Might be that he didn't want to have something started, but the stallion were not wrong. The Order were failing their duties, and their leaders were nowhere to be found. All they got were talks about how much The Order were considering things, and a whole slew of nothing. He could perhaps set his aching heart aside to an extend, but not everyone were so duty-bound, or willing to be patient as he. Especially not with everything else on top of what were going on now.

"However, ma'am? Perhaps these are extraordinary times, and it's harder to decide what to do, but he's not wrong either. The Order have to meet the people, and address their concerns with concrete action, or tensions like this will only build further. Words alone won't be enough, when your home are crumbling into the abyss, and your loved ones die around you.

If they won't listen, then tell me who I need to speak to, and I will go. I can't just sit idle, and watch our home fall into chaos, because the people and The Order have lost the ability to see eye to eye."

They needed something from The Order. Best would be for their leaders to return and take proper action, as the sight of The Black Knight especially, would certainly relieve tensions, but something told him that things were complicated with them, and that he shouldn't count on them being present. But The Order could still do something. They had guards, and resources to work with. if they wanted to, they could spring into action, yet most they did recently were just talking, and it simply wouldn't do. Especially not now, after the wall came down. The people needed leadership, and to see that those who were meant to guide them, actually cared. Sitting and discussing like it were a book club were only going to make tensions grow more and more, until the inevitable fighting would begin, and he didn't want that.

So if he must, he'd go and talk to them himself, and try to urge them to show any kind of action, even if it didn't seem like a whole lot, so they could try and regain some trust and grasp of the situation at hoof.

Had he the direct ear of one of them, you might think him wanting more to demand answers for his own trouble, but thought it pained him, he would set that aside, and focus on something that helped elsewhere. Especially down at the base, where they felt the most abandoned.

He loved his wife, and wanted desperately to find some answers, so he could get closure, but Jelly were still alive. As were many other of their children, and they would be in peril, if infighting broke out. So for her sake, he'd swallow his pain, and focus on others, until tensions finally began to ease up somewhat.

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Blitz Boom

(Sorrow)

Plein looked a bit sad at Sorrow's description of things, "I guess you didn't have an easy time of it over there either. Still, no sense in competing to be the 'lucky ones'. I suppose we were each lucky in our own ways. In any case, we're alive, we survived, and that's what matters."

She'd turn her attention back to Delta while she waited.

(More below)

 

(Last)

On 2024-11-16 at 5:43 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"It's an honor, ma'am. I've heard much good about you."

AJ blushed a bit and rubbed the back of her neck at Last's salute, "Shucks, really? Well, I hope I live up to expectations. I'm just trying to keep the ponies here organized, but any help is mighty appreciated."

 

On 2024-11-16 at 5:43 PM, Blitz Boom said:

I assure you ma'am, we don't come here to cause trouble. He's here to solve a problem, and then leave. I'm here to start talks between The Æther and you. By all means, inspect the crate, and do a body search, if it makes you feel safer. I won't resist."

She'd stand completely still, and let them do a search of her if they wished to. She'd be annoyed if they also went and disarmed her, but so be it. If that is what she'd need to ease tensions for now, that were just something she'd have to accept. She could get her blade and other things back later.

AJ kept eyes on the glowing pony as he made his way towards the castle, but still listened to what Last had to say. "Well, we're not interested in getting into any fights we don't have'ta." She turned to some of the ponies that had accompanied her. "Spread the word to leave that glowing pony alone, and to stay away from the castle. Make sure Twi's not in there neither."

She'd turn towards Last, "I can't say a search would be all that useful. We're not used to all this magic stuff so we wouldn't know if something was dangerous or not for ourselves. You seem truthful though, so we'll extend some trust your way until proven otherwise."

 

On 2024-11-16 at 5:43 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Another thing. Plein and her crew? Are they okay?"

She wanted to bring this up earlier, but Last hadn't really been granted a winning hoof here, with the way they bungled up things, via the hidden stuff, and Power appearing like he had, whilst acting quite suspicious. Frankly in their hooves, she wouldn't be too trusting either. Granted she were somewhat paranoid about trusting others easily, but still.

AJ cringed a bit, "Mostly? Plein seems alright herself, probably just shaken by the whole thing, the pegasus with her, I think her name is Delta, looked real banged up, missing a wing. Here, I'll bring you to them."

Last knew that Plein's crew had three ponies in it, or rather, Plein was part of Delta's crew of three, which left their engine, Crankshaft, unaccounted for.

If Last indicated it was okay she'd have a few earth ponies start pulling the crate itself into town towards what remained of the town hall building, which is where they had been gathering most of their supplies for distribution since it had the largest open room of the buildings in town.

Meanwhile AJ led Last to where Plein, Sorrow, and Delta were.

 

(Last & Sorrow)

Plein looked surprised to see Last  when she entered, "Last? What are you doing down here? And, why? I'm not... I'm not that important."

 

(Blitz)

On 2024-11-16 at 5:43 PM, Blitz Boom said:

Is there anything I can do to help in some way? Prepare something for later perhaps, or assist in this somehow?"

It seemed everything were fine, but she really had no idea. She had never seen this happen before, and were completely in the dark about what to expect, and what to do here. If she were meant to do anything at all. But if she couldn't help with this, perhaps she could do something else? She just really needed to feel useful right now.

Aurum seemed almost in a trance, like she had done this before. She didn't respond to Blitz's query. Euclid examined the situation as he withdrew his own magic from the spell. "It seems like she's got everything well under control. Not too surprising given how much power she has at her disposal. I think the best course of action is to simply observe, be ready if anything happens or if she needs something."

Silver came to soothe Blitz a bit, "I know that's not helpful, but there's not much we can do. Here, she'll probably be hungry when she's done, maybe we can get something ready for her? Do you know what sort of food she likes?"

Aurum had admitted to her in secret that she actually really liked fish, especially fried, citing that fish was something she'd never tried as a unicorn, and that as a princess she'd never been allowed unhealthy foods.

 

(Archback)

Putting himself between Nightshade, the general of the Order and a fairly well accomplished brawler, and the quarrelsome stallion may not have been Stargazer's best idea, but his diplomacy did seem to cool things enough that neither stallion resorted to violence.

Stargazer standing up to the Order did seem to gain him some support from the crowd, which Spirit was keen to try and capitalize on, "You're right, Stargazer, these are unique times that we, the Order, aren't used to dealing with. But that is no excuse for our inaction. I think there would be some merit in having more outside perspectives to the Order's decisions, and it seems you have the support of the ponies of this sector, would you be willing to meet with us and help us take more decisive action?"

[Blitz Boom 4,626]

@Illiad Easle

(Sorrow)

"Sadly far too many have died, from what I can understand. We've found a lot so far, but there are so many more. Some under rubble, or in the forest. I can feel it. It's been helping me when I scavenge, since there's usually something near the bodies too, but I'm mostly just happy I manage to gather them up, and get them something closer to a burial, than what they had. Maybe they're being planted for mulch, but it's better than before, and most of the time, we manage to find out who they were. I believe it helps them be at peace, but out there... How many just lies where they were killed? How many lost, angry souls are stuck, and growing hostile?

No one else really think about this I find, but for me, it's hard not to. Especially since I get the feeling that here, poltergeists can get a lot worse than the stories I know from back in the human world."

All that magic were bound to cause some issues, right? Like, stronger ghosts, than she could even imagine, and if the same rules applied here, with violent deaths, desecrated or no graves, etc... There were gonna be a lot of spirits around. Maybe they wouldn't be dangerous at first, but given time, stuck in loneliness and possibly a loop of how they died? It would drive them insane, and then they'd get worse and worse until the psychokinetic energies would finally start to kick in.

Could be that it wouldn't be a big issue for another 10, maybe 15 years in most cases. but with magic involved... Could be a lot less.

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

 

(Last)

On 2024-11-19 at 11:13 PM, Illiad Easle said:

AJ blushed a bit and rubbed the back of her neck at Last's salute, "Shucks, really? Well, I hope I live up to expectations. I'm just trying to keep the ponies here organized, but any help is mighty appreciated."

"Back when I served her majesty, Princess Luna, hearing about you and your friends had me headed towards Ponyville. Never managed to get there in time, but I heard some stories from survivors later. Some of them were fairly impressive, and I don't give out compliments lightly."

Which were true. You usually had to work hard for her to give you a compliment. Or be family, which were not really a realistic barrier for others to cross, as she wasn't looking to be divorced. And trying to get there by marrying one of her kids when they got older... Jeez, talking about her having high expectations before she'd give compliments. That was gonna be a tough run for whomever caught their fancy.

On 2024-11-19 at 11:13 PM, Illiad Easle said:

AJ kept eyes on the glowing pony as he made his way towards the castle, but still listened to what Last had to say. "Well, we're not interested in getting into any fights we don't have'ta." She turned to some of the ponies that had accompanied her. "Spread the word to leave that glowing pony alone, and to stay away from the castle. Make sure Twi's not in there neither."

She'd turn towards Last, "I can't say a search would be all that useful. We're not used to all this magic stuff so we wouldn't know if something was dangerous or not for ourselves. You seem truthful though, so we'll extend some trust your way until proven otherwise."

"Magic and technology. Some of the researchers spend a lot of time mixing that stuff up for all kinds of weird things. I prefer a good blade myself. Haven't failed on me yet."

Well, she had been injured, lost fights, nearly died a dozen or more times, lost friends and family because she couldn't stop what was coming for them with just a blade- And that was all before the crisis. Sometimes it got worse after, and she'd admit, if it weren't for this sleeve for instance, she probably wouldn't have gotten back to her kids one or two times. But primarily, she still trusted the weight and feel of a good, sharp blade, over all the guns and stuff most of the troops put their faith in. It were familiar and effective to her, though she wouldn't fault the others for trusting their tech. They didn't have the muscle memory that she did, nor the training with a blade instead, and it were safer.

Heck, at times she had to make use of those too. But she didn't plan on making a full switch anytime soon.

On 2024-11-19 at 11:13 PM, Illiad Easle said:

AJ cringed a bit, "Mostly? Plein seems alright herself, probably just shaken by the whole thing, the pegasus with her, I think her name is Delta, looked real banged up, missing a wing. Here, I'll bring you to them."

Last knew that Plein's crew had three ponies in it, or rather, Plein was part of Delta's crew of three, which left their engine, Crankshaft, unaccounted for.

If Last indicated it was okay she'd have a few earth ponies start pulling the crate itself into town towards what remained of the town hall building, which is where they had been gathering most of their supplies for distribution since it had the largest open room of the buildings in town.

Meanwhile AJ led Last to where Plein, Sorrow, and Delta were.

"Just them? A shame. Means that one of them didn't make it. I'll make sure to notify next of kin, and return their remains, if possible.

But if you'd lead the way for now, I can sort that out with them. It's appreciated that you've taken good care of them, ma'am."

She wasn't sure who it were. She were told Plein went down, but beyond that, she weren't sure who had gone down with her. She had just been told what they were a three pony crew, but Blitz had been hazy beyond that, as she weren't aware either. Or had forgotten in the chaos. Last wasn't sure, but she would work with what she had.

She'd follow stoically, not saying anything, but looking around as they wandered there. Quite a state the town were in, but she supposed that made sense, with everything that had gone on in recent years. But she could also see they were making progress. Some more helpers and maybe some tech and magic, and this could speed up a lot. Something that they might be able to get some help with, but one thing at a time of course.

There'd be no denying that she were a soldier, for anyone watching. Last were many things, but subtle were not one of them, and she looked like what she were. Not something she generally cared about either, since it were more honest than those speaking in two tongues. Slippery bureaucratic types never sat well with her.

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

 

(Last and Sorrow)

On 2024-11-19 at 11:13 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Plein looked surprised to see Last  when she entered, "Last? What are you doing down here? And, why? I'm not... I'm not that important."

"Your mom would disagree there. As does Blitz."

Last would wander in, and take a look at Delta, while she let the words sink in. Might be that Silver didn't think of asking Last for help right away, but Plein should know that Blitz would, considering that Last held the mare in high esteem, as they were long term friends.

"Doesn't look too good, but she appears stable. Long as she lives, we can help her with the injuries.

Though I'm sorry to hear that you lost one, Plein. I'm thankful it wasn't more, but you have my condolences."

She'd place a hoof on Plein's shoulder, and bow her neck, as a sign of respect. As well as give a minute of silence.. unless Plein spoke before then, in which case she'd simply respond after her.

"Now then, tell me what has happened."

Sorrow meanwhile kept quiet. This did not seem a situation where she should interject anything right now.

(changing Sorrow's color next post. I can't see the difference proper)

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

 

(Archback)

"If it helps, I'll gladly follow, and give my input."

This were not the outcome he had expected, nor really wanted, but he would do what he always had: Whatever he could, to help the most. Though he had halfway expected to be pummeled before he got too far, considering who he got in the way off, but it seemed he managed to somehow get through this, and handle things somewhat amendable.

*sigh* Though it were all but certain now, that it would be longer before he could return home. Thankfully he knew that Jelly could handle herself a little longer, and that she'd stay safe. She were a good filly, and one that he were ever proud of. Had her mother only been alive to see how she would continue to grow...

In any case, he'd salute, and be prepared to follow along quietly. When out of earshot of others though, he would try and address the general, considering he had technically shown insubordination before.

"Sir? About before, I apologize for talking out of line, and intervene. It was not my intention to speak out against a superior officer, but I worried things might escalate, and my orders are to try and retain some peace and normality. If there is disciplinary actions because of this, I understand."

If he did not go with them, he would instead address this to Spirit, but changing a few words. Either way though, he did know that it were not his place to question Nightshade, but between his concerns, duty, and sleep deprivation, it were one of those cases where *It seemed like a good idea at the time* were an applicable sentence.

He assumed there'd be some sort of punishment for this. Nothing immense, like a public flogging, but having to take one of the less desirable shifts, or on some other kind of punishment detail as it were, did seem like a possible outcome. Not ideal, but he taught Jelly that there were action, and there were consequence. He would not be a hypocrite, and set a bad example for her. He had made a choice, and he would accept where it might take him. To the extend that he didn't get flogged or something. That would seem overly excessive.

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Blitz Boom

(Sorrow)

On 2024-11-27 at 8:05 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Sadly far too many have died, from what I can understand. We've found a lot so far, but there are so many more. Some under rubble, or in the forest. I can feel it. It's been helping me when I scavenge, since there's usually something near the bodies too, but I'm mostly just happy I manage to gather them up, and get them something closer to a burial, than what they had. Maybe they're being planted for mulch, but it's better than before, and most of the time, we manage to find out who they were. I believe it helps them be at peace, but out there... How many just lies where they were killed? How many lost, angry souls are stuck, and growing hostile?

No one else really think about this I find, but for me, it's hard not to. Especially since I get the feeling that here, poltergeists can get a lot worse than the stories I know from back in the human world."

Plein looked concerned at that thought, but shrugged, "I can't say I've heard much talk about it myself. Outside of a bit of a revolution twenty years ago there have been very few deaths on the Project itself. But even then..." She shrugged again, "I'm not well versed on ghosts or spirits or what have you."

 

(Last)

On 2024-11-27 at 8:05 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Back when I served her majesty, Princess Luna, hearing about you and your friends had me headed towards Ponyville. Never managed to get there in time, but I heard some stories from survivors later. Some of them were fairly impressive, and I don't give out compliments lightly."

Which were true. You usually had to work hard for her to give you a compliment. Or be family, which were not really a realistic barrier for others to cross, as she wasn't looking to be divorced. And trying to get there by marrying one of her kids when they got older... Jeez, talking about her having high expectations before she'd give compliments. That was gonna be a tough run for whomever caught their fancy.

AJ looked a bit happier to hear that, "Ah, she's another one who made it, unfortunately she couldn't get to the portal in time so she's not with us, but she's working with the others to organize everyone on the other side for when it opens again in about five years."

Last would get more explanation on that when she asked for details later.

 

On 2024-11-27 at 8:05 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Magic and technology. Some of the researchers spend a lot of time mixing that stuff up for all kinds of weird things. I prefer a good blade myself. Haven't failed on me yet."

Well, she had been injured, lost fights, nearly died a dozen or more times, lost friends and family because she couldn't stop what was coming for them with just a blade- And that was all before the crisis. Sometimes it got worse after, and she'd admit, if it weren't for this sleeve for instance, she probably wouldn't have gotten back to her kids one or two times. But primarily, she still trusted the weight and feel of a good, sharp blade, over all the guns and stuff most of the troops put their faith in. It were familiar and effective to her, though she wouldn't fault the others for trusting their tech. They didn't have the muscle memory that she did, nor the training with a blade instead, and it were safer.

AJ nodded, "You and me both. There was some pretty interesting technology where we were, but I was just a rancher. Outside of keeping up with medicine for the animals I never really bought in to all the new stuff. If it's worked for hundreds of years, why change now?"

AJ seemed to be relaxing a bit towards Last, and the other ponies gathered seemed eased by it.

 

On 2024-11-27 at 8:05 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Just them? A shame. Means that one of them didn't make it. I'll make sure to notify next of kin, and return their remains, if possible.

But if you'd lead the way for now, I can sort that out with them. It's appreciated that you've taken good care of them, ma'am."

She wasn't sure who it were. She were told Plein went down, but beyond that, she weren't sure who had gone down with her. She had just been told what they were a three pony crew, but Blitz had been hazy beyond that, as she weren't aware either. Or had forgotten in the chaos. Last wasn't sure, but she would work with what she had.

She waived a hoof dismissively, "It's the least we could do, hopefully it was enough."

 

(Last & Sorrow)

On 2024-11-27 at 8:05 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Your mom would disagree there. As does Blitz."

Last would wander in, and take a look at Delta, while she let the words sink in. Might be that Silver didn't think of asking Last for help right away, but Plein should know that Blitz would, considering that Last held the mare in high esteem, as they were long term friends.

"Doesn't look too good, but she appears stable. Long as she lives, we can help her with the injuries.

Though I'm sorry to hear that you lost one, Plein. I'm thankful it wasn't more, but you have my condolences."

Plein looked away at that, "I hope you all didn't get in a bunch of trouble just for me. But... I'm glad you came."

She looked over at Delta, "I never really knew Crank, I was a new addition to this crew, but Delta was about as close with him as any pilot/engine pair should be. I'm sure she'll be torn up about it once she wakes up."

 

On 2024-11-27 at 8:05 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Now then, tell me what has happened."

Sorrow meanwhile kept quiet. This did not seem a situation where she should interject anything right now.

(Initially I thought you'd asked this to AJ, but on closer reading it could be she just asked Plein. I'll just have both answer just in case.)

Plein detailed that she had volunteered to scout the area with Delta and Crank. When they saw the machine attacking the ponies here she had shot at it with her rifle, but it hadn't had much effect other than drawing its attention away from the ponies, which got Crank killed and caused Delta to crash the craft. She had retrieved Delta from the wreckage with the help of Sorrow, gathered what supplies she could carry, and scuttled the craft along with Crank's body as per protocol. She's been here ever since.

 

AJ detailed to the best of her ability what had happened on their end. 25 years ago Discord used a spell to send ponies to another dimension where they were reborn as humans and lived for 25 years with little to no memory of their lives here. After 25 years the magic wore off and they turned back into ponies, the same state as they had been when they were sent away, which is why she hasn't appeared to have aged, and recovered a small amount of their memories, some more than others. Those who transformed gathered together as best as they could, found a way to a portal, and used it to return here just a few weeks ago (They're not entirely sure about the time due to the sun/moon still behaving strangely) where they fought off and defeated Discord, trapping him away in the same dimension using a formulation of the same spell he did for 100,000,000 years or so.

Most of them went back through the portal given the state of things here, and would be back when the portal opened again in about five years. On this side they had AJ, Flutters, and Twi, with the rest of the central characters staying behind to organize everyone over there.

 

"I know it's a lot to take in, and who knows how much of it was real and how much was just Discord, but that's our story."

 

(Blitz)

(You didn't say anything here)

 

(Archback)

On 2024-11-27 at 8:05 PM, Blitz Boom said:

In any case, he'd salute, and be prepared to follow along quietly. When out of earshot of others though, he would try and address the general, considering he had technically shown insubordination before.

"Sir? About before, I apologize for talking out of line, and intervene. It was not my intention to speak out against a superior officer, but I worried things might escalate, and my orders are to try and retain some peace and normality. If there is disciplinary actions because of this, I understand."

Nightshade looked about to say something before Spirit tapped him with a wing, which caused him to turn away, "No, my actions were inappropriate, I should not have escalated towards that stallion. Your intervention was most timely and commendable."

Spirit rolled her eyes, "He means thank you for stepping in. It probably would have been a brawl otherwise and that's the last thing we need right now."

 

Soon enough they arrived in the Order's meeting room. There were a few other extra ponies there, it seemed that some of the other pairs had had the same idea as to bringing in outside opinions.

Once they were all gathered, Gari, who Stargazer had not seen in some time and may have been surprised to see had seemingly become an alicorn, albeit not much taller than she had been before, since last he had seen her, a surprise many of the other invited ponies would share, stood to speak. "Alright, let's put everything in the open. First, yes, I became an alicorn. It was a fairly recent event, I won't be answering questions about it, and I don't intend to go by Princess or otherwise claim direct leadership of the colony. Second, it's true, we have not been able to communicate with the Black Knight for some time now."

The Black Knight was a Shadow Specter King bound to a suit of Minotaur battle armor that was even older than Archback Castle. A thousand years ago he and Midnight Star, heralded as the one true love of Princess Luna and the adoptive father of the original twelve Children of the Moon, had crusaded against Equestria in an effort to free the zebrican slaves and end the practice of slavery entirely. The Black Knight had been turned to stone for his efforts after capture, and had been freed by Discord during Discord's first emergence a few years before the crisis, and had served as the chief intermediary for international disputes at the Archback Global Council ever since.

"As some of you know, the Black Knight requires heat to survive, and given the mountains and almost constant cloud cover we've had, there hasn't been much in the mountain. Many of you have likely noticed how cold the mountain has gotten as of late. We believe that the Black Knight has entered a form of hibernation waiting until the land warms up again. Now that the mountains are gone and the clouds have started to dispurse, we hope that we will be able to speak with him again soon, but we have been operating without his guidance for several years now."

"Finally, it is also true, that Midnight Star is gone."

Midnight Star had the appearance of a Saddle Arabian with all the strength and speed of an alicorn but without the wings or horn. It was said that when he courted Princess Luna a thousand years ago she had granted him some boon that gave him this strength and longevity, as he had not seemed to age at all throughout the centuries. He had served as a father figure to the Order through the generations, though history told that he had often left on extended quests exploring the world, which had culminated in the founding of the Archback Global Council about a century before Nightmare Moon's return.

"He was quite occupied with some studies ever since we lost communication with the Black Knight. Completely holed up in the castle archives until recently when he disappeared. We believe he left before the mountains disappeared. The only notes we could find indicated some search for a cure, and that he had to witness the final battle."

 

Gari sighed, turning her attention outward, "Those are the big secrets. Now, we need a plan to move forward, to remain unified, and to prepare for whatever may be coming next."

[Blitz Boom 4,626]

@Illiad Easle

(Sorrow)

On 2024-12-05 at 11:26 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Plein looked concerned at that thought, but shrugged, "I can't say I've heard much talk about it myself. Outside of a bit of a revolution twenty years ago there have been very few deaths on the Project itself. But even then..." She shrugged again, "I'm not well versed on ghosts or spirits or what have you."

"Can't blame you there. A lot doesn't even believe in ghosts, so ghost hunters like myself were looked at as weirdos that wasted our time. Lack of a lot of tangible evidence meant a lot wasn't in the hobby for that many years either sadly. Can't blame them really. It wears on you, to have people laugh at you, and calling you crazy, with little to show for it."

It were not fun with the social stigma, but it were rewarding in her mind, to do it regardless. You got some close friendship with several members of the community that stayed long-term, and even though evidence that were easy to show off were rare, and often just dismissed as hoaxes or weird smudges, fog, etc. it were thrilling whenever something were noticed, however minute.

Nothing compared to here though. She'd sensed a lot more, and even heard a spirit now! And she wasn't going crazy, because Plein also saw the wisps in the eye sockets, and saw the skull were special. In what way exactly, neither of them knew, but it sounded like the voice in there had wanted to speak with her about something. Perhaps it were someone who knew her, back when she were a pony in the first place? That would be nice, as well as sad. It'd be good to hear about things from before, but at the same time, it would mean that they had been there for the past 25 years roughly, and not been able to communicate with her. It had to be rough.

Ah well, nothing to gain from worrying about it right now. In time, she would wake up, and they could have a proper chat. Plenty to do until then.

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

 

(Last)

On 2024-12-05 at 11:26 PM, Illiad Easle said:

AJ looked a bit happier to hear that, "Ah, she's another one who made it, unfortunately she couldn't get to the portal in time so she's not with us, but she's working with the others to organize everyone on the other side for when it opens again in about five years."

Last would get more explanation on that when she asked for details later.

This would actually manage to get a shocked reaction from Last. She'd even stagger in her step for a moment, as what Applejack had told her, hit her like a freight train. She'd regain her composure before she spoke, but her voice didn't hide that she were highly surprised at hearing this.

"Her majesty is alive? Were it any other, I would think them lying, but I always heard you were an honest mare, ma'am, so much as it puzzles me, I'll believe you.

I basked in her radiance only once, in all the years I served her, yet it was a sight I can never forget. And then when the war began, I felt crushed, hearing she were gone. To think she yet lives, and will return in five, short years...

Maybe later, we can swap stories? I would like to know how her majesty is doing, after all this time."

Perhaps Applejack would not like the stories she had to share, but context might explain to her, why it were that she so yearned to Princess Luna. Even if her order were now reformed, and would not be as fanatically loyal to the throne, as doing the dirty work unquestioning, there were still no mare that she would rather offer her blade to, than the princess of the night. Though if Luna would want her faithful back, were another matter entirely. Who could tell how she had changed, in these 25 years in the human world?

On 2024-12-05 at 11:26 PM, Illiad Easle said:

AJ nodded, "You and me both. There was some pretty interesting technology where we were, but I was just a rancher. Outside of keeping up with medicine for the animals I never really bought in to all the new stuff. If it's worked for hundreds of years, why change now?"

AJ seemed to be relaxing a bit towards Last, and the other ponies gathered seemed eased by it.

"Nothing wrong with things changing, and it works well for some, but there's something to be said for traditional tools. Can't say I know much about farming, but I've seen some of the tools they've used on the Æther, and I'd rather use a shovel. Keeps your legs strong."

There were other arguments one could make too, but in her mind, if she had to get to farming, she'd rather have the sweat on her brow, than some machine do all the work. It'd make the rewards all the more satisfying to her as well. Like she'd earned it.

Applejack seemed she were more about tradition, which she could respect too. Last weren't in a position to judge others for following tradition after all, seeing as her and more members of her family line than she could possibly keep track of, had lived and died by the ideals and orders, of a monarch that they knew they'd never live to see.

On 2024-12-05 at 11:26 PM, Illiad Easle said:

She waived a hoof dismissively, "It's the least we could do, hopefully it was enough."

"No matter what happens, at the least you'd have given it your best. Sometimes that's all we can do, even when it feels like we should've done more."

Last were no stranger to dead soldiers. Be it her comrades and family back at the shrine, or the years she had fought for the Æther, many had fallen around her, and she knew how it could weigh on you, to lose someone. The thoughts of how they had died, because you had failed them, or that you could have done more to prepare, or save them.

In the end, one had to try and accept that not everyone could be saved, and that you had done all you could, to try and change that. It wasn't easy, but it was a necessary lesson, lest you ended up growing mad from guilt.

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

(Last and Sorrow)

On 2024-12-05 at 11:26 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Plein looked away at that, "I hope you all didn't get in a bunch of trouble just for me. But... I'm glad you came."

She looked over at Delta, "I never really knew Crank, I was a new addition to this crew, but Delta was about as close with him as any pilot/engine pair should be. I'm sure she'll be torn up about it once she wakes up."

"If they're gonna come around and make a fuss, I care little. I'm loyal to the Æther. Not some paper pusher who can't see reason."

By that she meant that sometimes, the best way to help the Æther and their interests, it were to make her own choices, and even go against command. It wasn't often she did so, but sometimes there weren't time to wait for someone to figure out they were wrong, or for it all to go through the entire layer of high command.

Were she sometimes wrong? Yes. Last were not perfect, but she stood by her choices, good or bad, and accepted the consequences of her actions.

As for this situation? Blitz made a good argument that the Æther could make good contact with those below this way, whilst they solved an issue that would likely impact them later. And if they let it fester, there might not even be anyone below left, in case the machine killed them all first.

She knew that Blitz had only wanted for her to help argue with a particular consul, and not volunteer to lead things, but this had required a personal touch, to smooth things out, whilst Power did his thing. She might not be the most diplomatic one, but she were steadfast, and if things did go back, she could fend for herself. That wasn't something all the paper pushers could argue for, sheltered as they were.

Besides, Last were on Blitz's side, so their hidden plans were better kept eith her, whereas some random would ask too many questions. There wasn't time for that.

On 2024-12-05 at 11:26 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Plein detailed that she had volunteered to scout the area with Delta and Crank. When they saw the machine attacking the ponies here she had shot at it with her rifle, but it hadn't had much effect other than drawing its attention away from the ponies, which got Crank killed and caused Delta to crash the craft. She had retrieved Delta from the wreckage with the help of Sorrow, gathered what supplies she could carry, and scuttled the craft along with Crank's body as per protocol. She's been here ever since.

 

AJ detailed to the best of her ability what had happened on their end. 25 years ago Discord used a spell to send ponies to another dimension where they were reborn as humans and lived for 25 years with little to no memory of their lives here. After 25 years the magic wore off and they turned back into ponies, the same state as they had been when they were sent away, which is why she hasn't appeared to have aged, and recovered a small amount of their memories, some more than others. Those who transformed gathered together as best as they could, found a way to a portal, and used it to return here just a few weeks ago (They're not entirely sure about the time due to the sun/moon still behaving strangely) where they fought off and defeated Discord, trapping him away in the same dimension using a formulation of the same spell he did for 100,000,000 years or so.

Most of them went back through the portal given the state of things here, and would be back when the portal opened again in about five years. On this side they had AJ, Flutters, and Twi, with the rest of the central characters staying behind to organize everyone over there.

 

"I know it's a lot to take in, and who knows how much of it was real and how much was just Discord, but that's our story."

Last would listen carefully to both stories, not saying a word whilst they were being recited.

Plein's tale were the simplest, and straight forward. They had done some reconnaissance, and seen a problem, that they tried to fix. Which in a sense they had, except it had backfired profoundly on them in the process, resulting in severe injuries to one, and a casualty. A heroic act, but sadly heroism tended to have it's cost.

Applejack's tale were more fantastic, and required you to have certain knowledge of other dimensions, various levels of magic, and a belief in the power of Discord being great enough to do something like that, but also weak enough to where he were actually defeated by the same ponies he had overwhelmed.

that were somewhat beyond her, but Last would trust that Applejack told her the truth. The Element of Honesty, as her title once were, had shown how true that title were, in many tales that she had overheard, or been told. So fantastical and strange as it sound, Last were inclined to believe it. Though Applejack's real challenge, wouldn't be to convince one solitary solder, but the ruling councel on the Æther.

"Plein? It's regretable what happened to Crank and Delta, but your choice likely saved a lot of lives. What I were told, they likely wouldn't have much of a chance against this robot, if it would begin to cut through them.

Try and find solace in the lives you've saved, over the one you lost. And if the Consul or high command tries to give you grief, let me handle them. Focus on Delta. She'll need you there to get her through this, after she wakes up."

To Last, there weren't any mistaking this. The three had done a heroic act, and had saved lives. Even if they hadn't defeated the robot, their choice were not something that should awaken scorn, but rather talks about medals.

Of course, Crank's family and/or friends might not be able to see it the same way at the start, but that were understandable, seeing as they had lost a loved one, and grief clouded your objectivity. It were only natural.

"And Applejack? Yours is a fantastical story, and had I been told it from just some random pony, I would be questioning it's validity. As it stands however, I have little reason to not trust your word on this, but in the end, it isn't me eho you need to convince of this.

The crate that came with me? There's a communicator in there, so you can come in contact with the leaders of the Æther. They'll have more questions than I, and might not be as open-minded at first, but it's important that you can convince them, and open communications. With Discord gone, it's time to reestablish ground, and we all stand better if we work together, instead of opposing one another."

Last honestly hadn't a clue how difficult it would be to convince the high command, but it should carry some weight that they were talking with Applejack. Even if some might see her negatively, as she's an Equestrian, she were still a known figure, and one with much good said about her.

"You said Twilight were here too, yes? I know you'd likely want to talk to her, before making too many decisions, but I'd ask you to consider the wounded, and perhaps make the first contact not be delayed by talking things over for days on end? The Æther have better medical facilities than you do, and it could help not just Delta, but others, if you have anyone severely wounded."

Last would speak with Applejack, and while doing so, Sorrow would instead lean in closer to Plein, to say something while her eyes were still focused on the older mare.

"So uhm... If your mom send her, do you think she should know about the note too? Or is that between us and her now?"

Honestly, Sorrow didn't know what to think of Last. Sure she seemed nice enough, and Plein seemed to trust her, so she hadn't a reason to worry about her. But she didn't really get much of a diplomat vibe from her. The way she looked, acted, talked- It were all more of a soldier attitude, and she wasn't sure why they'd send a soldier, if she wasn't the one who went here to fight.

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

 

(Blitz)

Regardless that she couldn't really do soemthing, she didn't much enjoy being essentially helpless here. Blitz were the sort of mare who always did best, when she had something to work on. It were as true now, as it were when she had gotten on the Æther in the first place, and even before that. Difference were mainly that her idle hooves didn't cause as much havoc these days, as she had gotten out of her youthful ignorance, and rarely had time for idle hooves regardless, after her daughter had been born.

Thankfully she were presented with something that she could do, rather than stand idle and wait, whilst concerned about what might happen to Plein, Last, Powers, and everyone else involved.

"Something... Yes, I know something she likes. Not the most healthy, but you're right. She'll need something to eat after this.

I'll go to the cafeteria and get her something I know she likes. Please be careful with them both before that, okay?"

Ideally she'd have something for Power too, but unless she had some idea what he did/could take in, she were sadly unable to provide for him. Though if she were aware, she'd look into that as well.

If not (or after, if Power would want things that were not gotten at the cafeteria) she would go to the cafeteria, only halting briefly to fix a panel that she saw were sparking in the passing. Didn't take long to sort, and she had to do this. Couldn't risk some sort of malfunction, however small.

Getting there, she'd go towards the desk, provided that there were someone there, and it wasn't abandoned/ruined in some fashion, and see if they had some fried fish, and maybe something nice to drink  like a soda, or juice. Perhaps she'd want something more age-appropriate, but Blitz didn't much care for alcohol, and didn't think of that as a good thing to encourage others to drink either. If they wanted to, that were their choice, and Occam enjoyed a glass of wine ever so rarely, but she weren't gonna pick it up for others, most of the time. Definitely not when her head were also full of worries, and she were in a mixture of friend and mom mode right now.

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

 

(Archback)

(Before the meeting)

"I hoped it would help, and I'm thankful it did. There's enough unrest already, and with the wall down, everypony is more on edge than usual. I worry it won't take a lot to spark something at this point."

He couldn't blame them really. Years of reducing influence by their high leaders, and more from the council, which were ever more inefficient and slow to enact anything that addressed the worries of the populace. When the wall came down, it called for immediate action. A plan on how to address things in case something would come through, or what it meant, but... No. Mostly they were just told to remain valiant, and then some minor reponses. And the populace were getting to their breaking point.

(At the meeting)

Stargazer would act his stand, and salute the various higher ranking creatures at the meeting, as well as giving respectful nods to those he assumed were in a similar position to himself. Those who had spoken up, and wanted to ease worries. He'd be very interested in hearing their opinions on things, as they stood with the view of those who didn't know anything too, and thus might have a more outspoken reaction to what were said here than the higher ranking members who did hold most information, or at least more than the general populace.

His first big surprise though, came when he saw there were now an alicorn among them. It made his raise an eyebrow, as he hadn't seen one proper for years now. Not since Celestia really, and the appearance of one were certainly an omen. Of something good or bad, he couldn't tell, but alicornification were a significant event, and he would admit, that with everything happening, it more concerned than elated him. It suited Gari well, but the general vibe of the room made him think that there were going to be some concerning story behind it.

It didn't seem like she would be sharing what happened there though. Yet he would wonder if perhaps this had anything to do with the wall falling. A burst of new energy of alicorn magnitude, could certainly account for the force required to open up the wall, and he could certainly see why she didn't want that pinned on her. Perhap he could find time to ask her in private sometime, if she cared to answer, that were. If not, that were her choice to make. He neither could  nor wanted, to try and make her answer.

What came next though... Those were troubling news. The Black Knight had gone dormant, and Midnight had vanished without a word. It were not as final as some had whispered about out among the general populace, nor as good as he had hoped, with him just thinking that the Black Knight had issues with the mountain cooling, and Midnight were too focused on something important in the castle, and would emerge any day.

The irony in his assumptions being somewhat close to the truth were not lost on him, yet it were not something important in this case. They needed to discuss a way forward, and that would have to begin with the most basic: Midnight and the Black Knight.

"Ma'am, if I may?"

Stargazer would speak up, and try to give some input, though he'd wait, if others came before him, or he were told to wait. He were a small fish in this assembly, so to speak, and he were well aware of his stand.

Provided he were not halted though, he would proceed.

"I think the most immediate concern should be to discuss the Black Knight, and Midnight being out of the chain of command.

It's good to hear that neither have died, as the idea is starting to spread, and confirmation of that would certainly cause riots, but things are still concerning, and they want to know where their leaders are.

I would suggest they were told and shown something, so they know they're still alive at least.

Still, I worry things could spark if they heard the whole truth, as it could still look like a power grab.

I don't like subterfuge, but perhaps let them know what have befallen the Black Knight, and how Midnight have toiled to find a cure? They are highly respected, and Midnight's action are commendable, although not the part where no one were informed at the time.

It might be prudent to tell them that the Black Knight asked that the news not be spread, and to act as if he were still in charge in the background  to avoid panic?

Still, I can already imagine they would still ask why leadership have been - and I mean no disrespect with this ma'am - lackluster. I'm just one of many who lost someone  who have felt that not a lot are being done to address things.

Whatever happened before, I would strongly advise that more direct action have to be shown, or any understandable reasons for why things have changed  won't last for long. Especially not now, when no one knows what to do, after the wall fell down."

Edited December 12 by Blitz Boom

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Blitz Boom

(Last)

On 2024-12-11 at 7:59 AM, Blitz Boom said:

Maybe later, we can swap stories? I would like to know how her majesty is doing, after all this time."

Applejack looked a bit uncomfortable at how Last professed devotion to Luna, rubbing the back of her neck, "Yeah, I didn't meet her personally, or in my dreams, Twi did though, so maybe she could tell you more?"

In any case, they would proceed towards the building that Plein, Sorrow, and Delta were in.

 

(Last & Sorrow)

On 2024-12-11 at 7:59 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"If they're gonna come around and make a fuss, I care little. I'm loyal to the Æther. Not some paper pusher who can't see reason."

By that she meant that sometimes, the best way to help the Æther and their interests, it were to make her own choices, and even go against command. It wasn't often she did so, but sometimes there weren't time to wait for someone to figure out they were wrong, or for it all to go through the entire layer of high command.

Plein nodded, "Well, not much that can be done about it now anyway. Looks like we're welcome here if they kick us out of the Project."

(I was reading back, and I realized that Plein was a bit closer to Brittle than Blitz. Plein seeing Brittle as a friend, and Blitz as a bit of a friendly rival. Maybe Brittle could make an appearance on the Project also worried about Plein? Depends what she's busy with.)

 

On 2024-12-11 at 7:59 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"Plein? It's regretable what happened to Crank and Delta, but your choice likely saved a lot of lives. What I were told, they likely wouldn't have much of a chance against this robot, if it would begin to cut through them.

Try and find solace in the lives you've saved, over the one you lost. And if the Consul or high command tries to give you grief, let me handle them. Focus on Delta. She'll need you there to get her through this, after she wakes up."

Plein nodded, turning her attention towards Delta, "I'm more worried that she'll blame me than the rest." She shook her head, "Hopefully she'll see reason."

 

On 2024-12-11 at 7:59 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"And Applejack? Yours is a fantastical story, and had I been told it from just some random pony, I would be questioning it's validity. As it stands however, I have little reason to not trust your word on this, but in the end, it isn't me eho you need to convince of this.

The crate that came with me? There's a communicator in there, so you can come in contact with the leaders of the Æther. They'll have more questions than I, and might not be as open-minded at first, but it's important that you can convince them, and open communications. With Discord gone, it's time to reestablish ground, and we all stand better if we work together, instead of opposing one another."

Last honestly hadn't a clue how difficult it would be to convince the high command, but it should carry some weight that they were talking with Applejack. Even if some might see her negatively, as she's an Equestrian, she were still a known figure, and one with much good said about her.

"You said Twilight were here too, yes? I know you'd likely want to talk to her, before making too many decisions, but I'd ask you to consider the wounded, and perhaps make the first contact not be delayed by talking things over for days on end? The Æther have better medical facilities than you do, and it could help not just Delta, but others, if you have anyone severely wounded."

Applejack looked intrigued, "Oh, like a radio or something? I didn't know you guys would have something like that here. You're right though, we should talk with Twilight first. Shouldn't take too long though, she's not one to delay decisions. The only injured we have right now are the ones from that robot attack, help would be appreciated if you know how? We're doing the best we can but we're not used to pony medicine."

 

She turned to Plein and Sorrow, "You two alright for now?"

Plein nodded.

Applejack nodded back, "Alright, I'll show Last here over to Twilight, shouldn't be too long."

 

(Last)

Applejack led the way over to where the Canterlot Archives now sat, next to the damaged Canterlot Castle just outside of the town proper. There weren't any other ponies here, everyone focused on clearing the town before venturing into the labyrinth that was the Castle and the Archives.

Eveyone, except Twilight that was.

Before they could get to the archives though, there was a loud noise behind them, coming from the ruins of Twilight's castle, beams of light refracting off the chipped crystals and the sound of gunshots in retort as Power engaged Panic in combat. Applejack looked concerned as she watched the ponies in town running away from the castle. "You think that glowing pony'll be alright in there?"

 

(Sorrow)

On 2024-12-11 at 7:59 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"So uhm... If your mom send her, do you think she should know about the note too? Or is that between us and her now?"

Honestly, Sorrow didn't know what to think of Last. Sure she seemed nice enough, and Plein seemed to trust her, so she hadn't a reason to worry about her. But she didn't really get much of a diplomat vibe from her. The way she looked, acted, talked- It were all more of a soldier attitude, and she wasn't sure why they'd send a soldier, if she wasn't the one who went here to fight.

Plein shook her head, "Better if we don't spread this any further than it needs to. My mom has always been really sensitive about my dad. I don't think she would like it if anyone else knew before she did."

They would also hear the sounds of fighting starting in Twilight's castle, which made Plein more concerned, "I hope Power knows what he's doing..."

 

(Blitz)

On 2024-12-11 at 7:59 AM, Blitz Boom said:

Getting there, she'd go towards the desk, provided that there were someone there, and it wasn't abandoned/ruined in some fashion, and see if they had some fried fish, and maybe something nice to drink  like a soda, or juice. Perhaps she'd want something more age-appropriate, but Blitz didn't much care for alcohol, and didn't think of that as a good thing to encourage others to drink either. If they wanted to, that were their choice, and Occam enjoyed a glass of wine ever so rarely, but she weren't gonna pick it up for others, most of the time. Definitely not when her head were also full of worries, and she were in a mixture of friend and mom mode right now.

The food was easy enough to acquire, though the gryphon at the counter gave her an odd look when she asked for it, since it wasn't something a unicorn like her would normally want. Still, she got it without any fuss.

As to drinks, Blitz had never seen Aurum drink alcohol of any kind, she had always preferred sweet drinks though, she would just have to guess on the flavor.

 

Not much had changed by the time Blitz got back, Euclid simply commenting that the fighting had begun, Aurum standing as still as a statue as Silver did what she could to keep the larger unicorn comfortable while her focus was solely focused on the gem before her.

Really, there was nothing they could do but wait. Maybe they could get a view of the fight somehow? Or talk to take their minds off of things? Silver looked more interested in a distraction than Euclid did, he seemed to be focused on reading words as they appeared on his magical display boards.

 

(Archback)

On 2024-12-11 at 7:59 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"Ma'am, if I may?"

Stargazer would speak up, and try to give some input, though he'd wait, if others came before him, or he were told to wait. He were a small fish in this assembly, so to speak, and he were well aware of his stand.

Gari nodded, and all the eyes in the room turned towards him.

 

On 2024-12-11 at 7:59 AM, Blitz Boom said:

I don't like subterfuge, but perhaps let them know what have befallen the Black Knight, and how Midnight have toiled to find a cure? They are highly respected, and Midnight's action are commendable, although not the part where no one were informed at the time.

It might be prudent to tell them that the Black Knight asked that the news not be spread, and to act as if he were still in charge in the background  to avoid panic?

Still, I can already imagine they would still ask why leadership have been - and I mean no disrespect with this ma'am - lackluster. I'm just one of many who lost someone  who have felt that not a lot are being done to address things.

Whatever happened before, I would strongly advise that more direct action have to be shown, or any understandable reasons for why things have changed  won't last for long. Especially not now, when no one knows what to do, after the wall fell down."

The members of the council exchanged looks, while the other invited ponies seemed agreeable to Stargazer's points. A mare from the lower northeast colony, one who looked like she had some zebra in her ancestry, spoke up. "Midnight Star and the Black Knight have served as the connecting knot between the Mohotma'n zebra and the children of Archback for centuries. The elders have often said that the only reason they ever listened to the Council was because they had their blessing. With them out, I fear this could cause even more strife between the zebra and the children in the border zones."

A stallion from the lower southeast colony also spoke up, "This on top of the recent apparent division of the zebra witnessed this morning. If we reveal that Midnight and the Black Knight are gone, will more of them decide to leave? Will that be good or bad for us if they do?"

The room seemed split as to whether more zebra leaving would help or hurt the current situation. And whether the division among the zebra was a good thing or not. 

 

Gari sought to regain control of the meeting, "Let's all settle down. The divison of the zebra is already out of our hooves. We'll reach out to the remaining elders to see how best to proceed with this information. The issues between our herds on the borders has caused us no shortage of grief, and we can only hope that many of the instigators have elected to leave in this recent division."

There was some unrest at the implication that the zebra were responsible for the disturbances, but Gari continued. "I think there is merit in being open with this information, especially now that there is some hope. I think the children would understand that we waited to tell them this news until things had a chance to improve?"

Fly-By-Night, the council member in charge with communication throughout the mountain turned to the gathered ponies, "In addition, I think it would be helpful for the council to hear some of the grievances of the children directly, rather than just through me."

Gari nodded, "Yes, we should be open about that too. I'll open the table to all of you, what has the council failed to address that it should address now?"