private ~* Feral Ponies *~ {RP}

[Hive King 1,998]

@@Grapz224,

((It's edited now))

"Well, bash it with a rock until you crack it then" Mantorok grumbled, rolling his eyes and then lying down. He needed to rest up, at his age, naps were necessary to keep him going, especially since he didn't have his precious tome with him to slap on runic bandages whenever he felt bad 

[00Pony 286]

@,

 

She took her time in answering. Saron shrugged slightly to himself, figuring that she was not going to give an answer, which he had expected. He was surprised when she finally spoke up, dubbing herself as 'Sonnet'. The Crystal didn't turn to look at her, nor slow his pace. He only smiled a little and glanced up at the black form of Corvus alighting on branches ahead of them.

 

He was not sure where he was going, but judging by the lack of direction from the mare behind him, he figured he must be going in the right direction.

Once again, Saronyx's ears swiveled in her direction as she spoke up, stating his 'herd' were fools and questioning why they fought and he did not. Initially, the Visionary's only response was to give a dry chuckle. It lasted for a few seconds before he caught himself, cleared his throat, then spoke, "I agree with you on my companions being fools, though I do not wish death upon them. They are no friends of mine - I met them just this morning - but they are of my kingdom, so I cannot outright dislike them."

 

He stretched slightly as he stepped forward, allowing his back to crack slightly before continuing, "Violence rarely gets us anywhere worthwhile. All it did today was get many of us captured and injured. I did not fight because I am not combatant by nature. I've been around long enough to pick up a few Fallen Caesar techniques, and while that is a formidable style, I do not know how effective it would have been on your herd," here he actually glanced back in her direction, "And would you really have let me off so easily had I joined the fray, Sonnet?"

 

He chuckled once more, "All fighting would have gotten me was broken. I did not come here to fight. I merely came to learn."

Edited March 25, 2014 by 00Pony

[IridscentNionios 1,420]

@@Pripyat Pony,@@Aquaspark,  As soon as the new pony appeared she extended the metal claw she had on her right hoof and stretched the hoof to eye-height. She observed the pony as Lykos turned to do the same watching both the newcomer on the right and Glory on the left weary of the sudden re-appearance of the newcomer. 

"You're not a feral... i'll this slide but next time... Don't sneak upon me."

Lykos decided that since the Pony was not a feral it couldn't be that dangerous. He decided to be calmer after taking a breath.

"Excuse me and my friend here... I am Lykos, and this is Artemis... the... pony behind us is Glory. Before we answer any question... Who are you?"

He just hoped the new pony would not be creeped out my a talking wolf.

[Aquaspark 14]

@,@@Pripyat Pony, "Huh, a talking wolf. Not the oddest thing I have seen in my adventures, but still quite shocking." She says with a Cheshire grin. 

 

"The name is Aquaspark, unicorn guard with the ability to manipulate water, among other liquids. Water however is my main specialty. As for who I guard, I used to work under her majesty Princess Twilight. Then I took a leave of absence, and never really heard from her again..."

[IridscentNionios 1,420]

@@Aquaspark,@@Pripyat Pony,  "More like an "awakened" wolf. I could always speak, you just couldn't understand... it was a kind druid that saw me and Artemis and decided to give me the gift of sentience." said Lykos calmly explaining what his nature was. It was okay... he was used to being mistaken of being a transformed changeling, or even a pony-possessed animal. He sat on the ground with his hind legs calmly calculating the conversation.

In the meantime Artemis relaxed a bit... she was... okay, but she still didn't know what to think of Aquaspark. Artemis was glad however to know what this unicorn was capable of... she flapped her wings twice before calming down and speaking once again. She didn't mind much what happened to Princess Twilight...

"You still haven't quite explained how you got here... and how come you haven't heard of her? You think with such a pony of importance to guard someone would give you some news about her well-being."

[Aquaspark 14]

@,@@Pripyat Pony,

 

"I should have you know that time away can really keep you in the dark. Meditation increases that by about ten-fold in my books. I am surprised that you, are surprised that I didn't know about her well being."

 

Aqua says with a small shrug, sending water cascading from her mane and coat. 

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Wind Sonnet.

 

@@00Pony,

 

Sonnet butted the pony onwards - feeling that he was showing too much confidence for his own good. Even if she had cared for his questions, they wouldn't serve him well when surrounded by the rest of the herd.

 

"And to cause problems for us. Your presence here is dangerous... how can we be sure that you will not tell others of us? On your word? You travel with... with admittedly feeble warriors and warlocks - but the signs do not change with ability." She would have sighed - if she cared a little more. As it was though, the feral mare simply stated her thoughts in an even, informative tone. He was of little concern to her as a pony - it was the tribe, and the implications towards them that was the real threat. A threat that they would take very seriously. "You put us in a difficult situation. If you leave, you are a threat to us and our ways. If you stay captive, you eat our food and drink our water..."

 

She would have felt more than just the slight twinge of guilt had she cared more - but putting aside feelings like that was something that the plant could help with. She preferred it that way - it was simpler.

 

"Unfortunatly, the solution is simpler than you'd hope."

 

She continued in silence for a moment longer before speaking in a slightly offended tone - something that had clearly been bothering her about something that one of them had said.

 

"Don't think I chose you because you're docile! I'm a warrior - not some soft-hearted mother who needs to single out the weak... I thought you would fight more, and don't forget it!"

 

She had taken her time - taken care to trail as slowly as she could without seeming unusually inclined - but eventually they reached the clearing, and with still none if her real questions answered.

 

'A cage hardly seems important - he couldn't hurt us if he wanted to!'

 

'Shut up.'

 

Dangerous thoughts... she needed the plant before they became more frequent. She sometime felt... unusually inclined in such a state as she was now - having gone too long without it.

 

"We're coming close to my herd. I suggest limiting your questions, and avoiding eye contact. Both have been seen as threats in the past... and threats here are dealt with both swiftly and permanently."

Edited March 25, 2014 by Cinderscribe

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

@, Glory blushed to the roots of her mane as Lykos addressed her as an alicorn. "I'm not an alicorn," she replied, eventually. "Just a Pegacorn. That's a very rare result of a mating between a unicorn and a pegasus; normally, the foal is either one or the other. But my father is a chaos mage, so I suppose that had something to do with why I have wings as well as a horn. I'm nowhere near as powerful as an alicorn, tho. I'm not really surprised by a talking wolf, not after everything I've seen here."

 

@@Aquaspark, When the strange pony appeared, Glory squeaked in fright, expecting it to be a feral trap but calmed down when she heard him explain just who he was.

 

"I hope you're going to stay with us," she said. "After most of the group were captured, we need all the helping hooves we can get. My name is Glory, and I'm a healer."

 

@@Grapz224, Wish heard one of the prisoners requesting ointment from his bag. She didn't want for the prisoners to suffer unnecessarily, so she took the tube out and handed it to him via her horn magic.

[IridscentNionios 1,420]

@@Aquaspark, @@Pripyat Pony, "That's not my current concern... i am mostly interested in knowing how you came to be here. You still haven't answered that question..." she said with a suspicious look. Maybe she already was here? But sea seemed so far away... did she teleport? Lykos interrupted her thoughts when he spoke once again seeking a calmer approach to Aquaspark.

"What Artemis wants to say is that right now we need ponies to work with, but also we need to be able to trust those ponies... one of the previous ponies was really... odd and almost seemed like he wanted to sabotage this mission. We can't afford to have that kind here. Although if you were trusted enough to guard a Princess then you should be adequate with us... Although some incentive... like how you got here... would really help your case."

Unlike others of his kind Lykos was a beast which could comprehend logical arguments. He was willing to co-operate if some standards were met... he was cunning enough not to risk any mistakes. In the wild one mistake can cost you your life... and so far things didn't seem different in civilization. Not that they were in civilization now.

Edited March 26, 2014 by nioniosbbbb

[00Pony 286]

@,

 

Saronyx stumbled forward, not expecting to be shoved forward. Mercifully, he didn't lose his balance entirely and managed to keep his hooves beneath him. He stayed still for a few seconds to be sure that he really had his sense of balance under control before he moved onward. Right, so laughing - and likely calling her by name - was not something he was allowed to do. Good to know. Saron maintained silence as she responded to him. Of course she didn't trust his word. He could understand that. After all, in Sonnet's eyes he really was a trespasser. Were he in her place, would he trust himself? Probably not. She did raise an excellent point, one that he - as much as he hated to admit it - had not taken into consideration. Would they allow him to leave? Sonnet already practically told him 'no'. So he would be expected to stay here. He doubted they'd go out of their way to retrieve food that wasn't infected with the Equibane. Despite the anxiety he felt's overwhelming presence, Saronyx did not show it.

 

She fell silent after that. The Visionary kept a straight face, looking forward. He was not keen on staying here and becoming like them. It wasn't like he was able to just vanish from the face of Equestria. While most of his family was truly dead, and he had no mare who would be expecting him back, he still had someone to get back to. Serenity would likely not take it well to know that her brother was effectively dead. Corvus could be sent to relay the message but... That would likely not lessen the blow. Saron drew in his breath and let it out in a long sigh. He had grown overzealous in his orders and failed to consider the ramifications. He tensed slightly when Sonnet began to speak once again. He half expected to be struck, but thankfully she kept her offense to just her tone. Despite his position, it was rather amusing to him that she felt she had to specify that. However, before he could stop his tongue, he responded to her words with, "You expected a fight from me. I'll take that as a complement." He bit his tongue after that, unsure of how she would respond. Mercifully, he had said it quieter. Perhaps she hadn't heard.

 

Eventually however, they arrived to where he would be held. From first glance he could gather that this was predominantly inhabited by mares. Then again, it probably helped that he had heard the other Ferals state where the prisoners were to be taken. Saronyx glanced back at Sonnet as she spoke, giving her a firm nod to show he understood her warnings. He lowered his head, in a way rather like you would have found during Sombra's reign. In a way, this was a lot like that.

 

---

 

 

"Well? What do you see?" Said one, nudging his neighbor with his elbow.

 

"Whole lotta nothing. Just debris and rain. That's it. No Ferals, no Outlanders." The second replied, swatting at the offending limb.

 

"That's good. That means they're gone. Come on, we've got a job to do." The third spoke up, signaling to the others.

 

Rising from beneath their rotten, wooden covers, the trio crawled forwards. They kept low to the ground and moved slowly at first. The second collapsed the old, battered spyglass he carried and slipped its worn sling over her neck as they went. The closer to the ghost town they got, the more confident they grew. All the Ferals really were gone, having dragged their newest pets into the forest. Poor souls. That was a fate every Tribal feared, though they were often fortunate enough to be smashed like dry twigs beneath the Feral's hooves, rather than indoctrinated.

 

The third of the gaunt ponies slowed, looking up to the sky and smiling slightly as his horn began to glow. He gathered te water as it fell from the sky and what had collected on the ground - separating it from the filth with his magic a he went. What he gathered he siphoned into the containers he carried. That was one thing the Ferals were good for. Some produced rain.

 

While the unicorn did this, the second, a Pegasus, darted about from building to building. She'd checked these same structures time and time again, but she hoped, in vain, that some new trinkets had been brought along. Many of the old buildings were collapsed now, a result of the skirmish between the Outlanders and the Ferals. Dejectedly, she walked out to the Unicorn, watching him as he gathered water for a few seconds before she sighed, "I've got nothing, Atlas."

 

The light blue stallion spared her a pitying glance, but ultimately looked back to his task as he spoke, "Don't just stop at the buildings, Aileron. The Outlanders could have dropped something when they were attacked. Help Chalk search."

 

"Yeah!" Their Earth pony companion called out, his sunken eyes veritably beaming as he held aloft a package, "This smells good!"

 

Aileron turned to look at him, staying still for a few seconds before darting quickly over and snatching the package in her teeth. Ignoring Chalk's shouts of protest, she opened it and hovered as she peered down in. She glanced up, "It's leaves. Dried leaves."

 

"Why would someone dry leaves?" Chalk asked, "Can you preserve leaves like meat?"

 

Atlas trotted over, enveloping the package in his magic and taking it from Aileron before she could pour any into her mouth. He shut it and slipped it into a pouch, "We can sample it later. Now keep searching. If one of them dropped this, maybe they dropped weapons, or if we're lucky, maybe even food."

 

His two friends gave him dark glares, but relented and returned to their searching.

Edited March 26, 2014 by 00Pony

[Malinter 3,064]

The wounds were stitched. They mares didn't bother to tell him he should remain as still as possible for the next few days because they knew he wouldn't listen. He rose up onto his hooves once again and smiled alittle at how even after all these years he still turned heads when he stood at his full height. He could hear some young foals boosting how they wanted to grow up as big as he was only to start fighting over who would be the biggest.

 

He walked over to the pile of belongings that had been stripped from the prisoners. Blades, books, armour far too small for most of the adult ferals, a few pots and salves, homebrews of some sort as each one had a different scent even though the base ingredients were common amongst all of them. The books were of particular interest to Mal. He'd practically striped the outland town of all reading material and other than his own research tomes, hadn't had anything new to read in a long time.

 

Mantorok's books stood out. They looked unassuming which was partly what gave them away. The other books were dirty and tattered, This were flawless. too flawless. They weren't dusty, in fact they seemed to stay immaculate even from the dirt on the ground. They were clearly enchanted but the warlocks desire to protect them had given up their disguise. If they were enchanted to be proof against damage then no doubt they'd have other surprises too.

 

With the books saddled up, he began to make his way to his house... well, it was actually more of a hole in the ground with a hut over it, ideally he had far more books and alot more privacy back at his garden but the prisoners were in the village, they'd no doubt make at least one attempt to escape. Once they'd ingested some equibane he wouldn't have to worry, they'd be bound to the clan whether they accepted it or not.

 

In any case, he had some research to do. He hadn't felt like a scholar in quite sometime. He was actually looking forward to it.

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

@@00Pony, A pony approached the searchers. An earth pony zebra cross, Sanura had been given the task of scouting the area around to try and figure out what had happened. Her talent was for spying, and she was very good at what she did. Having looked about the battlefield, she had more or less worked out what had gone on. A group of Outsiders had come and been attacked by a gang of Ferals. She sniffed a dark patch on the ground. Blood. Several different types, which smelled differently. So some of the Outsiders had been injured, and a couple of the Ferals, too, tho Sanura doubted it would have slowed them down. A broken grass bracelet, the grasses dyed different colours and plaited together. This meant that the Feral herd leader had been here, and he had performed his magic to raise a storm. Good. That would mean water for Atlas to gather. Living in the Badlands meant that water was difficult to come by, unless she could use her zebra instincts to paw the ground and dig for it. Doing so was difficult, as like all the Tribals, she was thin and scrawny from lack of food.

 

The tale of how the beastial Ferals had attacked the frontier town and routed them into the Badlands was a story often told to frighten foals. The ponies who'd stayed to fight had been brutally slaughtered. Those who surrendered were taken prisoner, to be dragged back to the Ferals' lair and fed Equibane, til they became Ferals themselves. The others had fled into the dubious sanctuary of the Badlands with nothing but the hides on their backs. These ponies were the ancestors of the Tribe who now scratched a living from the Badlands, and sometimes ventured into the old town to hunt for food and water. Sanura stopped as she bent to the ground and picked up a single lavender feather. There was a leaf stuck to it, meaning that it had fallen from the sky. So, at least one of the Outsiders had escaped. Perhaps more than one. They might be around. She hurried to inform Atlas of this.

[Aquaspark 14]

@,@@Pripyat Pony,

 

If you are wondering how I got here, I have learned of ways to follow water sources via magic. A sort of teleportation method you could say. It takes just as much energy to teleport that way, as it does the normal way."

 

She says with a nod, pulling a dagger out. 

 

"As for why, I guess you could say I wanted to return to some old hunting grounds to go looking for herbs. As for why I teleported that way, I prefer the water over most things in Equestria. Celestia forbid I come across lava. Also, nice to meet you Glory."

Edited March 26, 2014 by Aquaspark

[Aquaspark 14]

@,@@Pripyat Pony, 

 

If you are wondering how I got here, I have learned of ways to follow water sources via magic. A sort of teleportation method you could say. It takes just as much energy to teleport that way, as it does the normal way."

 

She says with a nod, pulling a dagger out. 

 

"As for why, I guess you could say I wanted to return to some old hunting grounds to go looking for herbs. As for why I teleported that way, I prefer the water over most things in Equestria. Celestia forbid I come across lava."

 

//Posting issues... Moderator, mind removing this one?//

Edited March 26, 2014 by Aquaspark

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

@@Aquaspark, @,

 

Glory inclined her head politely. "Nice to meet you too," she replied. She looked worriedly around. "We need to find a place to hole up and be safe," she said. "We can't be sure that the feral ponies won't come back, and Artemis and I have seen them fight. They'd make short work of the three of us, there are dozens of them. Maybe someplace high up? Failing that, we'd have to find someplace in the Badlands, but I doubt that there's much water to be found there. I still have some supplies in my saddlebags, but that won't last long."

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Wind Sonnet.

 

@@00Pony,

 

Stepping purposefully through the clearing, Sonnet approached the prisoners directly - keeping Saronyx close to avoid any incidents of violence by - or against - him. The mares tended to be less brutish than the males: there weren't without their own faults of course, but Symphony liked to believe herself above those problems. At the very least she knew that they would likely treat them fairly - and the pureblood seemed intelligent enough to keep his head down even if the others did not.

 

"I'll find you later - I have some questions that you'll answer." She stated: not threateningly or arrogantly (at least, not more so than her usual silky tone) but simply as one would recite facts. "You might want to calm your companions - they'll get themselves hurt if they continue to act as aggressively as they did earlier."

 

By this stage, Symphony had been proven right - the voice in her mind - her second line of thinking if you will: cages really did seem pointless - Saronyx had been perfectly cooperative so far and the displays of dominance that she was displaying were mostly for... well... exactly that: for display. Even if he wasn't likely to try and incite a riot there were certain formalities that needed to be adhered to.

 

Opening the entrance to an isolated section of the prison, she motioned inside and held out a hoof for his possessions. Perhaps they could answer some questions themselves... she would keep them separate from the rest.

[Aquaspark 14]

@@Pripyat Pony,@,  "If it is water that you seek, and shelter, why not find a nearby cave? The lower we go inside, the higher chance we have of finding a source of water. At least, in my experience that is."

 

She tells Glory with a small nod.

 

"The badlands would be one of the worst places to venture to, due to it being barren and due to it being near the changeling hive."

[00Pony 286]

@@Pripyat Pony, 

 

Atlas tensed and lowered himself to the ground at the sound of approaching hooves. It was a normal sort of reaction that Tribals had at such things. Living in such close proximity to the territorial and hostile Ferals, you had to be ready to dart away at a moments notice. Aileron had taken wing at his signal and Chalk darted under debris from the town. Of the group, Aileron had the best chance of escape, being able to fly. Chalk was stealthiest, and Atlas was the only one who stood even a minor chance in combat - at least to slow them - bearing magic. His advantage here would have been that he was surrounded by water. However, all of this was not needed. As they drew nearer, he was able to tell the hooves were not of the larger Ferals, but the light steps of one of his own. He allowed himself to relax and smile when he saw who they belonged to. Sanura was the designated scout for the Tribals, and with good reason. 

Atlas waved slightly to show that he noticed her, and also to signal to his original companions that it was clear. The Unicorn stepped over to meet the earth/zebra hybrid halfway, speaking as Chalk and Aileron joined him, "What is it, Sanura?"

 

---

 

@,

 

 Despite hanging his head, Saronyx was unable to keep himself from glancing around the clearing, if only moving his eyes. He was a curious pony, by nature, and so finding himself in an entirely new area - a rare thing - even if it was filled with ponies who could likely snap him in half if they got such a notion, his first instinct was to look around. A few of the mares stopped what they were doing to glance his way, say something to their neighbor and then go about their business. Apparently Crystals were a rare sight out this far. Made sense. It was an interesting contrast between here, and where he had come from. There weren't houses, at least not the kind he was used to, and there was the obvious fact that this was a forest clearing, rather than a large city like the Capitols of Canterlot, or the Citadel of the Crystal Empire. The prison cage near the center of the clearing that he was being directed towards was also very out of place. Saron clenched his jaw for a second, but said nothing. His ears swiveled back once again at the sound of Sonnet's voice, stating she had questions to ask of him - and from her tone fully expected him to answer - and that he should deal with his companions. Saronyx only gave a firm nod and a quiet, "I'll see what I can do."

 

He stepped into the indicated section of the cage, allowing himself to sigh. The Crystal turned around to see her hoof held out. He raised an eyebrow, but kept himself from lifting his head. It took a second, but he finally recalled that he still carried his saddlebags. Reaching back, the Visionary undid the straps and slipped the bags off and transferred them to her possession, before seating himself. Saronyx went over a quick mental checklist of things she might find in there. A package of Zebra loose leaf tea he'd received from a friend in the Everfree... A few pieces of charcoal for taking notes, and obviously she'd find his notebooks. Food and water enough to have lasted him a week, maybe two if rationed, would likely be found in there as well. If anything, he would be upset most over the consumables and his notebooks, everything else was replaceable, granted he got home. For a brief second he allowed himself to be amused by the fact that over half of his notes were taken in the old, dead tongue prevalent around the Crystal Empire from his days, rather than the common tongue of the present era. 

 

Whether she could interpret it, or if she would merely focus on the notes that were taken in the common tongue, took a backseat in his mind as the Crystal seated himself in the cage, leaning against the bars despite how uncomfortable it was. From his peripheral, he was able to pick out the black blotch that was his raven sitting on a nearby branch. The bird wouldn't really be able to do anything, but it was nice to know he was there. Saron shifted his gaze to the other captives, watching them in silence. 

 

 

@,@@Grapz224,  

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

@@Aquaspark, "Not this side," Glory replied. "Otherwise, there wouldn't have been a pony town here. Tho once the ferals came into being, this town was doomed. I've seen it..." she trailed off, remembering the vision she'd had. Glory wasn't sure whether or not to mention this to the others.

 

@@00Pony, Sanura reclined her head respectfully as Atlas spoke. Then she replied, "I've found some interesting items nearby. Firstly, this." She flung down the broken grass wing bracelet. "Lightning was here. Then, blood patches, both Feral and Outsiders. Finally, something very interesting. A feather from the wing of a pony that escaped the Ferals by flying straight up into the sky, into the heart of the storm, til he or she was above the clouds. A risk, true, but one that was worth taking. An Outsider, cuz as we all know, the Ferals can't fly. That means that at least one of the group were not captured by the Ferals."

[Aquaspark 14]

@@Pripyat Pony,
"Would you mind explaining to me what exactly the Ferals do that is so bad? I mean, the name Feral itself would normally strike fear into me if I hadn't been through a lot in my life, Glory."

 

She says with a soft chuckle, moving her mane out of her vision.

 

"What exactly do they do?" 

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

@@Aquaspark, "They attack other ponies, without reason," Glory replied. She paused, then decided to tell this new pony all about her talent.

 

"My cutie mark represents prophecy," she explained. "I have visions that come to me, usually when I'm tired or in a heightened state of emotion. They sometimes show the past, sometimes the present and more rarely, the future. I had one after I'd escaped from the Ferals, and it showed me the first research team of ponies who came here like we did, to reasearch Equibane. This team ate the plant, and lost all their civility. They grew big and strong, were able to do magic, even non unicorns and became hostile and territorial. This town where we stand was once a thriving frontier town full of innocent ponies going about their business, til the Ferals overran it. Those who bravely remained behind and fought to try and protect their town were brutally slaughtered. Those who surrendered were taken prisoner and fed Equibane so they became Ferals themselves. The rest fled out into the Badlands. Whether or not they survived or not, my vision didn't tell me, but I do know that none ever reached Equestria to give warning."

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

@@Aquaspark,

 

Ooc: Replying for nioniosbbbb who's unable to post at the mo!

 

Artemis just sat back a bit watching the two other ponies introduce themselves. She watched as those two explained to each other the situation. Once things settled down she decided it was time that she actually took part in this. She waited until the time was right... Lykos noticing her silence didn't say a thing. He sensed that Artemis was formulating a plan in her mind and didn't wish to disturb. He noticed the focus she had by the frown in her head.

Artemis found it intriguing that Glory wasn't an alicorn but rather a winged unicorn... or whatever she was it didn't matter. She was glad... she never got along too well with authority and from what it seemed though being a leader Glory wasn't bossy... She liked that. However their plans weren't the best as far as supplies and water came to be.

"You guys don't have much experience in the wild right? There is a simply method to figure out where water is. Follow the vegetation. The feral ponies must have found their own source of water right? I could sneak in there... or Lykos could. We could get water. So don't worry about that... if you seek safety don't seek high ground. Yes high ground is a good defensive position but defense won't count if we are largely overwhelmed. A cave sounds nice but... if we get cornered in one there will be no escape. I say we seek refuge in the abandoned town. If the ferals have already checked will they think about checking it again? Regardless... i think we should investigate."

As Artemis spoke Lykos was looking towards the direction that the feral ponies fled narrowing his eyes. He was pushing his paw further in the ground and without realizing it he was pressing against it.

"Those ferals... this "Equibane" they consume? It's degrading them... they're losing their intelligence and becoming mindless beasts. Even the animals seem to have fled this place... I am willing to bet it's the Equibane that they consumed that caused this. This won't stop... the forests won't survive this. Packs will dissolve and the natural balance will be disturbed expeditionally... No... this musn't be allowed. I will not allow wildlife to lose it's own intelligence due to this plant. This must get under control!"

In response Artemis only nodded in approval though at the time she didn't have something to say.

[Hive King 1,998]

@@Pripyat Pony,

Mantorok saw her handing over the horn ointment as well as reinforcing the cage. Interesting, if he had been in charge, he wouldn't have done anything that would help prisoners. Still, the runes flashed a bit as she fed magic into them. It was doubtful she knew about runes, more likely it was a side effect from Equibane. Still, he had to make sure

 

"What kind of magic do you use?" Mantorok questioned, trying to sound casual 

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

@, Wish looked a bit startled when Manterok spoke to her, but she quickly composed herself. Telling Lily to keep well back, she walked over to the front of the cage. "I make mirages, mostly," she replied. Wish was keeping back her explosion magic; well, she wasn't about to tell this stranger everything.

[Hive King 1,998]

@@Pripyat Pony,

"Really? Why were you reinforcing the cage then?" Mantorok replied bluntly, detesting it when ponies lied obviously. Despite being a mare, she was still larger than him. Incredible, the effects of their drug must be potent. Still, he'd rather have a keen mind than a weak one and a strong body