Personification Life: EPIC (IC Thread XI) [CLOSED]

[Saldinado]

Ascalon, the Littles

Henry looked a little surprised as well when Amanda answered back in French. "I would think so too. Hopefully the people aren't rude and snobby. I've ran into too many of those when I was in Paris. I thought it was a stereotype too. But, I guess some things are just true." He sighed.


He listened as he talked about where to get clothes and smiled. "Cool! I don't mind stopping here. I really need some clothes. Wearing these for God knows how long isn't really sanitary. Like I'm in a cartoon or something. Speaking of cartoon, why do they make characters wear the same clothes every time? Is it because the creators are lazy or something? I always wondered that." He then stopped to realize that he was getting totally off topic. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking out loud." He said laughing.

As he followed Amanda, he still kept thinking about his question before he saw the store named "Millie's" in front of them. He looked at the mannequins displaying some of the trendiest fashions of this place. And by the looks of things, they weren't very different from the one's back at home. "Neat. This might be my go-to spot for clothes."

I wonder if they have any good underwear?

His train of thought was broken when Amanda mentioned to him about the university having an science tower. When she mentioned Sandy, he began to wonder who that was. He didn't really know if he met him or not, so he decided to ask her.

"And who is Sandy? I don't know if I've met him before. Did I....?" He said scratching his head trying to recall of he did remember seeing the man.

[Mincaldenteans]

THE ARRIVAL

And so it was that the group got out of the way for the newest team to arrive and with nothing more to be said other than expected compliance of their newest Chosen, the Klingon all but prodded the hapless new mage into a bathtub while muttering curses in Klingon for a most underwhelming mission. He gestured with his head for Marcus and the long-eared furball to hop into a tub, short of glaring his orders wordlessly because hey, this Klingon wanted to hack and slash at something, not play taxi. He grunted at the dragon girl by way of farewell and within minutes they were airborne and headed back to the Building.

The trip there was short and equally underwhelming and the civet really has nothing to say about it (or the imagination for something pre-established and frilly right now), only that they landed on to the roof, hastily disembarked and all but pushed the newcomer to the 1st floor where Volker was waiting patiently for them. Thankfully, the elevator was fast, Mezran had a stinking feeling his grumpy attitude wasn't sitting well with the others. A good sparring session and some bloodwine would cure him of that.

"5th Floor's free, Mez," Volker said immediately, reading through the Klingon's stoic glance - if one could call that stoic anyway and then proceeded to eye their newest Resident thereafter. With a nod, he got up from his chair, "We've been expecting you. Welcome to Galli, this will be your new home, you'll need..."

The Klingon could only grumble and whirled away, heading for the fifth floor as the cultist shuffled together some paperwork and dispensed with the obligatory introductions.

"Sign this paperwork here," Volker pushed forward the clipboard and pen toward Clemence, "I'm sure you have plenty of questions and our Residents will help you with that. But first," the old man nudge with his chin for Clemence to sign the document.

And thus all characters, except for Clemence and Volker (well, just Clemence, really) are freed.

[Highfort]

RAIDERS of the LOST BOOK

OPERATION: BIBLIOPHILE
DIMENSION: Gallimaufry then 257P
LOCATION: Plotline All-Stops to Alexandria, Egypt
TEAMS: MU
RotLB

"I pried, but Judge said to drop it. Always mysterious, that bastard," Reigger grunted in reply, returning Sandy's smile with a crooked grin, "Between you and me, I'm betting a favorite call girl. Meatboy says Judge always did like to invite over the same girl. Never did get it out of him, though. Guess Judge pays for privacy. Maybe he likes 'em dark, I dunno."

After introductions, Judge sized up each of his new contractors and rubbed his chin a moment, sweat pouring down his collared shirt as he aborted many attempts to explain. Each was cut off with another interruption by one of his crew, asking about last-minute preparations before departure. Eventually, Marshall gestured for the group to follow him and he sat them down inside an office in the warehouse, the cool air alleviating some of his annoyance as a little AC unit blasted in the corner. Sitting down at his desk, Reigger pulled up a holographic screen and deftly manipulated the files with his fat fingers.

"We don't know much about the Alessio dragons," he confessed, mopping his forehead with a rag as he blew up several photos on the screen, "No one's yet managed to take one down, so their innards and whatnot are a mystery. But we do know behavior: simple tactics and easily-irritated, and that makes our lives a hell of a lot easier."

Pointing out details in the photos, he went on at length, "You'll notice the large bellies. We think they make their fire there. They spit as solid projectile rather than stream. It's... like napalm - but in a ball. Anything it touches burns, horribly. Water won't put it out. Corrodes through metal, too. Nasty shit."

His finger traced over the outline of wings, "Their big bellies make gaining speed hard, but they have great... momentum. Their wings are huge and powerful - 30, sometimes 40 meters across. Hard to slow them once they get up to speed - like dive bombers. Dive like Junkers. They fall out of the sky, spit terrible fire, and then zoom into the dust to turn around for another shot."

A grin crept onto his face, "But... big bellies also make turning hard. They climb high, then dive in straight lines. Predictable patterns, though dangerous. We intercept on the dive, hit them with heavy flak and gun and water. Make them flinch, you see, and dive away instead of toward. Eventually, they get too tired or bored and buzz off."

"We're lucky their tactics are so basic," he explained, "Predictable dive patterns, no real attempts to bait or distract, hunting in packs of three or four. They're not brilliant generals or clever gangs. They're just hungry animals - hungry with a lust for glass and gold and whatever other shiny things we carry. I don't know why. But at least it's simple, easy to understand."

"You, Mr. Bela, if you can fly like you say," he leaned back in his chair, "Can you keep speeds of over 400 kilometers? When the dragons dive, and I do not exaggerate, they dive. 500 kilometers, near-vertical drops. If playing interceptor, you've got to at least do 400. Maybe 350 if they're climbing, but... don't count on them giving openings."

"And even if you can keep up with them," he reached into a drawer and pulled out a little tile, what appeared to be a shimmering scale set inside of it, "They don't break. This scale is the only one I've seen come off, and it was pure luck. We caught one in the mouth when he was firing, sheared a scale off his cheek. Mouth and eyes seem to be weak spots, maybe bellies. But we've never penetrated a belly."

Offering the framed scale to the group, he insisted, "Take it back with you. We leave in the morning, so when you gather your supplies, test it. See if your weapons can do anything. Demens knows ours are jokes."

[Altito Asmoro]

Ascalon, the Littles

Amanda led the group further down the block, to where an elaborate script sign reading "Millie's" hung over the display window of a store where mannequins showed off the latest in college age fashions. Along the way, Amanda glanced over to her companions to finish answering them. "Julia, you needn't worry about magic in Ascalon. Practicing it isn't legal in the city. If you really want to be somebody's muscle, you may have to look elsewhere, since most of those sorts of jobs here involve working for one of the mafias that control Ascalon. However, Sandy tells me you're a helicopter pilot. There's an airport in town, so you might want to look there for work."

Ascalon, the Littles
Millie's

"Sure, I would loved to," said Julia, affirmatively nodded along the way. Though to be fair, it's unlikely for her to actually use a tank top when she is not in the apartment. She's not here to show her...things, as it may be said like that. More with...say, being physically able to move around easier and without obstacles.

Amanda mentioned that magic isn't legal, and that muscle jobs requires her to works with one of the mafias in Ascalon. Not a future she's looking for. She's already been involved in more than just one unsanctioned jobs back in South Africa, and more isn't the answer. Short-term might be useful, but long-term? Hardly. She mentioned that there is airport, open for jobs perhaps? "How does one applies for a job in here, Amanda? You mentioned airport and possible jobs there, but we always need some kind of license right? To be accepted officially and on the paper?" asked Julia curiously, as she looked over clothes in Millie's.

[Primordial Luxa]

RAIDERS of the LOST BOOK

OPERATION: BIBLIOPHILE
DIMENSION: Gallimaufry then 257P
LOCATION: Plotline All-Stops to Alexandria, Egypt
TEAMS: MU
RotLB

“Hmm… I was thinking maybe it would be a fetus or some sort of small creature but this is, just as good.” Nick could tell Primordial plans hadn’t changed he could still shield the package well with a quick bit of force manipulation and keep it from moving too much during the ride. But something had changed, Nick could tell the girl and her weakened state made Primordial’s sadistic impulses charge and flashes of non-district perversions flickered through the Baron’s mind. The Baron quickly reeled them in before they became fully formed thoughts or disturbed Nick too much.

“You seem like a nice friend Nick. If you ever need money, we Luxan’s could use a Spell Familiar around our place.” It was half a joke and half sincerely but mostly something to ease the cat’s worries.

When Sandy introduces him he bowed slightly and offered a handshake to Reigger. “A pleasure to meet you, hope we can keep this safe, fast and profitable.” He said it straightly, knowing that if he added any kind of smile he would just look like some sort of sleazy snake oil salesman. Instead, he kept it simple.

When Nick began to think of Gio he had to dab his own eyes flicking lacrimation away with a mixture of disgust and style. “Yeah...maybe you go with the scout, can you stay in telepathic chatter if you do?”

“Where I come from stasis technology involves removing a person from the standard flow of time. Imagine cutting a picture out of a comic a framing it on a wall. They can’t be affected by anything in our reality and can’t act. It’s a lot like Cryostasis but with actual temporal manipulation. I’m not sure how it work’s here, however.” Primordial explained to Nick in a cold scientific way. Nick understood he was simplifying it but also that he didn’t want to assume things here were the same as at home.

Primordial stayed quiet while Reigger explained the details of both the Dragon’s they would be encountering and the methods they had for dealing with them. He didn’t like to muddle up plans when they were being devised, that so frequently led to analysis paralysis as someone had once told him. The plan seemed good and in a situation like this, it would matter more what kinds of tools they brought and how they used them than any plan them made. He guessed that he or Sandy would become a decoy quickly as it made sense the beast would hone in on the most dangerous target. Still, his confidence remained unshaken and was constructing a mental list of things to grab when they returned.

[Ganonsyoni]

OPERATION: LAST CHANCE
DIMENSION: 4590K
LOCATION: Xo Research Base, Veraka, Xo'Lokako orbit, Vim System, HZSC space
TEAMS: SECRET OMEGA TENTACLE

---

Kale jumped a bit when the alarm went off, shocked by the sudden blaring noise and flashing red lights. Kale wondered what could have caused it before Venla pointed it out. Pirates. The plant girl had a look of concern on her face. She wasn't expecting to encounter pirates. I mean, not space pirates. Sea pirates on the planet maybe, but this?!

Kale's hand reached down for Audette's pistol in its holster, but felt nothing. "Shit," She said in a quieted voice. She left the weapon back at the gatehouse, expecting not to need it. But now, when she probably would need to use it, she didn't have it. She took the wrong set of precautions. She took a deep breath and steadied herself. She looked to Venla and Romulus, two giant hulking masses of muscle (and metal in Romulus's case). They would probably tear these pirates a new one in close quarters combat. And even then, she could use her magic to summon up assistance. Long range, close combat, stunning or incapacitation. Only, if it worked.

"An ambush sounds good. We can do a lot of damage in a short amount of time," Kale said, looking to Romulus specifically, "You should take the charge on it. You are the tank of this team." She took off the necklace she wore that suppressed her magic, wrapping it around the palm of her left hand. "I'll summon something to help assist in the fight," she finished. The girl was still not a killer, but she needed to help defend the group if they were to get through this mission. She had the power to protect them, it was her duty to use it.

[Northwest Slobovia]

RAIDERS of the LOST BOOK

OPERATION: BIBLIOPHILE
DIMENSION: Gallimaufry then 257P
LOCATION: Plotline All-Stops to Alexandria, Egypt
TEAMS: MU
RotLB

"You, Mr. Bela, if you can fly like you say," he leaned back in his chair, "Can you keep speeds of over 400 kilometers? When the dragons dive, and I do not exaggerate, they dive. 500 kilometers, near-vertical drops. If playing interceptor, you've got to at least do 400. Maybe 350 if they're climbing, but... don't count on them giving openings."

Sandy shook his head sadly as Reigger spoke. "No, not half that."

"And even if you can keep up with them," he reached into a drawer and pulled out a little tile, what appeared to be a shimmering scale set inside of it, "They don't break. This scale is the only one I've seen come off, and it was pure luck. We caught one in the mouth when he was firing, sheared a scale off his cheek. Mouth and eyes seem to be weak spots, maybe bellies. But we've never penetrated a belly."

Sandy examined the scale closely and held it to an ear to Listen to it, then offered it to the others. He absent-mindedly rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand while he thought. "Playing interceptor is out... um, at least in its pure form. That leaves a head-on attack, a crossing flight, or a high-altitude, uh... 'head start'. Head-on is probably suicide. Setting up a crossing flight to pass under a dragon requires careful timing and incredible aim, but might work."

"A head start is probably the easiest. Like giving a slow running a head start over a faster one to handicap a race. Except in this case, I'll be above the dragons, too, and diving on them. Even in a dive, I can't keep up with them, but... it provides the longest window to engage them. Where the, um, 'finish line' is depends..." He trailed off for a moment, thinking again. "Depends on how much warning your scouts can provide. The longer the better; early enough, and the dragons will catch up to me ahead of the convoy. Um, it also depends on how high I need to climb to be above the dragons."

[Northwest Slobovia]

Ascalon, the Littles

Henry looked a little surprised as well when Amanda answered back in French. "I would think so too. Hopefully the people aren't rude and snobby. I've ran into too many of those when I was in Paris. I thought it was a stereotype too. But, I guess some things are just true." He sighed.

Amanda smiled warmly at Henry, both because of his surprise and his beliefs. "Some are, just as their are some Ugly Americans. The Havrais steadfastly remain apart from the rest of Ascalon, even more so than the rest of the people living in the Littles. The language barrier helps, as it does for most of the ethnic neighborhoods here, but they also want to maintain their own culture, or cultures. It's not like Francophone culture has been the same throughout all times, timelines, and places."

"It'll help that you speak French. Even knowing just a few words of it helps to break the ice. Have you spent time in France or another part of La Francophonie?"

"And who is Sandy? I don't know if I've met him before. Did I....?" He said scratching his head trying to recall of he did remember seeing the man.

"My husband. He's a historian -- a history professor, actually -- and like other Gatejumper academics, pays a little bit to have access to the university. You haven't met him; he's been in another part of Ascalon all day."

"How does one applies for a job in here, Amanda? You mentioned airport and possible jobs there, but we always need some kind of license right? To be accepted officially and on the paper?" asked Julia curiously, as she looked over clothes in Millie's.

"Hmmm?" She glanced in Julia's direction; she'd missed the first part of what Julia said. "I'm not really sure how flight is regulated here, but yes, you probably need a license. I needed to pass the local bar to practice law here. If we get a chance, we'll swing by the airport and you can ask."

Amanda motioned for Julia and Henry to come close to her, then leaned in to whisper to them. "Keep it to just a couple changes of clothing, please. Sandy bought something large earlier today, and he spent most of our credit. If you check your closets and drawers in your apartment, you should find a few changes of clothing, so this is just to stretch that a bit."

[Giovenith]

Groundtown

The Chancellor nodded approvingly at Yuna choosing to come along with her and SkyWishes; she did not think it wise for little girls to witness such a grim task. She ushered the two quickly up the steps ahead of her before turning to look back at Aegis and Rache.

"Do whatever you need to do," she said in an uncharacteristically dark tone. "There is nothing to lose with him and nothing you do will pass beyond these walls."

With that, she turned around and took her leave after the fillies, shutting the cellar door behind her and washing the two residents in dim lamp light and shadows.


It wasn't hard to describe Groundtown as a place frozen in time. She'd been leaving for some ten years then, and yet she returned every time to find things mostly as she left them. Maybe some crops had spoiled, or a child been born, but all in all things stayed the same. It was something that at the time she simultaneously loved and yet could only tolerate for so long, which was why it was more apt to say she'd built her home in a bag rather than a cottage, never in town long enough to have need for one. Home would be there in perfect preservation to nurture her once she needed it again.

There were few who carried romanticized notions of a lone wolf girl. Such behaviors may be stereotypically expected from a more individual-minded young stallion, but even then the old stories we always heard (yet never really seemed to ever witness play out in real life) assured us that it was but a phase and he would return soon enough with stories to tell but a heart and mind to settle. She'd long since outlast those expectations.

'Oh Cocoa! Won't you truly come home for once? We all need strong, happy mares like you. Come, put aside this fruitless wandering and be a hearth, there is much joy to be found in being the life behind the tribe.'

A hearth was warm and strong and to be owed much respect, yes. But no. She'd been offered and pleaded with since the day the last of her girl friends traded braiding flowers in their manes for fun for putting them in for their wedding days, and though she had smiled and kissed the cheeks of friends for being so lovely as to care, she was always dancing away with the wind again not soon after. They were strong hearths whose warmth she would appreciate when the times came, but until then, her fire was found in the cold red, orange, and pink of a setting and rising sun on the wide, uninhabited fields.

She'd never been much of a story teller. Young'uns who cared less about norms were always expectant of tales of grand adventure from her once their elders had given up on pestering her toward the opposite, and though she certainly saw herself as quite the adventuress, it was often hard to satisfy young active minds with what could really only be appreciated through personal experience. The humility one felt before an open heavens, no tips of houses obstructing the clouds of stars. The little messages from unknown you thought you caught on the undisturbed winds. The sorts of conversations you wound up creating when your only constant companion was a hawk. The unspoken rush upon the occasional fellow wandering stranger you ran into. Those were their favorites, and they often left her to devise their own epic stories as to what unlikely legendary ponies they could have possibly been, and she tipped the wide brim of her hat and smirked as their elders looked on with exasperation. Such a bad influence she was!

Yes, visits were grand. But even with her independence, often they were not merely for pleasure but necessity. Her clothes were built to last but occasionally needed a wash, and the generosity of friends couldn't always be depended on when she was craving something warm. That was where more snarky advisers thought they had her pinned, how could she possibly afford to keep up this lifestyle without work? - Thank goodness for witches.

Pegasi and Earth ponies alike were a little hypocritical when it came to unicorns. Most rightfully feared their power, but it could not be said that they did not yield interesting treasures. Most were easily willing to take anything found in the junk pile, so long as it served a purpose, though only a pinch few were brave enough to go anywhere near it. It was a stupid amount of luck for her that she was the only pony in the whole damned Groundtown that seemed to be part of that pinch, more for her to nab and trade for a night in an inn and a check up for Hazelle. Or so she thought.

It was summer then and she'd thought it nice to take the long route and enjoy the sun. She'd found a nice stick and munched on an apple she'd purchased with her last bits, taking in the bird song and scattering dandelions. The long route was hilly, and it was in either walking over or around a particularly steep one that one would find themselves at the pile; of course she went over. It was a perfect descending view of the scattered mix of garbage and treasure, but one which she did not expect to be marred by a shifting figure. Her chewing slowed to a halt and her eyes peeled to determine the shape - another pony, in the sturdy cloth of her tribe. They were working slowly, delicately picking through the piles with their hooves and teeth and occasionally slipping findings into a saddlebag. Curious, but she'd barely raised an eye as she backed down the hill and instead made the long way around to slip her way into the end of the heap where busted unicorn furniture resided, using it for cover to further spy on the intrepid stranger.

The stranger was young, a few years older than her, but still young. And she was pretty, but not like that demure pretty that some young mares practiced, desperately forcing themselves into that awkward cross between childlike and tempting that stirred so much drama in the young and fat-headed - a very natural pretty, the pretty of health and cleanliness, like nature intended. Her duds were just as practical, sturdy coat and boots, and the green hair beneath her hat cropped like a boy's. Hay, if she really had been born a boy, the traveler could easily see her as being quite the popular catch among the aforementioned dramatic girl youth. The stranger murmured to herself occasionally, and it took the traveler a moment to realize that she spoke whenever she picked up... were those books? My they were the size of small bricks! They had books in Groundtown, mostly for passing down essential herbalist knowledge and family history, but nothing so daunting as that. Into the stranger's saddlebag it went, and the traveler had to smirk to herself in teasing curiosity about what this gal possibly thought she could get out of such dusty weights. She decided to do just that, picking a long blade of hollow grass from a nearby bush and used it to spit-launch an apple seed at the stranger's ears as soon as she took her hat off again.

The stranger gasped more loudly than expected, practically jumping right out of her pelt for such a small assault, but she failed to see the traveler in time before the latter doubled around out of her sight and made her way to the top of another pile, looking down at the stranger.

"What's going on, stranger?" the traveler greeted, purposely trying to startle the other mare.

Success, the stranger jerked in fright again, and more out of instinct than anything else, turned toward the source of the greeting and swung her saddlebag at it. The traveler was the quicker draw, flipping her walking stick in a defensive position to block the initial attack before shifting it to tangle up in the straps and pry the bag from the stranger's grasp, sending the latter stumbling backward onto her bottom. Quickly recovering, the stranger was met with new distress at the sudden theft of her bag, aqua blue eyes darting up at the traveler, who was now smugly lounging atop the treasure/trash pile with tome in one foreleg and propped stick (with bag tangled atop like a flag) in the other.

" 'Pythagorean approaches to the Capricornian theorum?' " she read out loud (or at least tried to, butchering most of the pronunciation and haven't the slightest clue what any of it meant), tapping the page with the tip of her hoof. "I thought 'Abracadabra' and 'Alakazam' were their only magic words."

"It's not magic!" the stranger growled, pushing down old trophies and pans as she struggled to rush up at the traveler. "It's science and a very rare copy, so give it here!"

Despite being smaller, the traveler was easily able to pull the book out of reach from the stranger's attempts to snatch it back, and further frustrated her by casually sliding down the pile out of her grasp with book not leaving her reading vision. "Could it turn me into a newt?"

The traveler's cockiness was quickly and unexpectedly kicked out of her as the stranger's full weight came flying off of the heap one second and piling all down at once onto the book thief's back the next. The wind was sucked right out of the traveler and she was powerless to tease as the stranger reclaimed her book then started up the treasure heap once again to retrieve her saddlebag. She was just done untangling the thing from the stick when her ears swiveled to catch the sound of jolly laughter coming from below.

"Owah, hayneedles!" the traveler groaned with a grin on their face, slowly getting up and cracking their back into place. "I haven't been tackled like that since I took the last fried carrot right outta Timber's grimy mitts two fall holidays ago!" There were a few more loud cracks as the traveler bent herself all back into shape befoe turning to point and smile at her tackler. "Yer good stranger, good one!"

The stranger only blinked, saddlebag held close. "Thanks," she said, more to end the subject than anything, then took a quick rifle through her bag to make sure the other pony hadn't swiped anything and remounted it. If this goon was going to be here today too, she'd rather come back another time.

The traveler plopped her hat back atop her head and turned again to see the stranger walking away. "Hey! Where'ya going girly?"

Oh please don't follow me, the stranger thought.

She followed. "It's a big town, I haven't seen you round before. Wanna go grab a pint at Wishes'?"

"No."

"Diner?"

"No."

The traveler blew an exasperated raspberry. "Can I least have your name?"

To this the stranger gave consideration, wondering whether allowing this pony the possibility of looking her up was wise, but figured it might be the best way to get her to go away for the moment's being. "Smart Cookie."

"Cocoa Puddinghead," the traveler gave her own. "You can call me Cocoa. Do you mind being called Cookie? Eh, I'll do it anyway. You know Cookie, I don't mean to condescend, but those books are worthless. Nopony at Groundtown or in the fields would give you a corn grain for that, you were better off picking out some of the gems and metals. Just a little friendly advice."

Smart Cookie narrowed her eyes slightly. "I'm not trading these," she huffed with a little too much conviction. "I'm keeping them, they're mine now."

Cocoa puckered her lips and blinked in confusion. There were a few seconds of precious silence until she spoke up again. "Pffft, why? None of it even makes any sense."

"Makes sense to me."

"Why, are ya a secret unicorn underneath that hat?" Cocoa teasingly tipped Cookie's brim back to check for a horn, only to be swatted away in annoyance. "Joking! But come on, you don't know how to read any of that stuff."

"Yes I do," Cookie insisted, clearly getting a little offended now.

"Naw, you can't," Cocoa said simply and confident, turning her nose up with a smile. "And I don't like liars! So if you're going to insist on playing pretend, maybe I'll just go then..."

The thud caused by the sack of books hitting the ground was louder and more ominous than Cocoa expected. She could only give a perplexed smile as her eyes rose from it to the stony expression of her new acquaintance, who gave the other pony one last challenging glower before diving into her satchel and pulling out a large tome with an ornate engraving a sun and crescent moon entwined on the cover. She carefully licked the tip of her hoof before rapidly flipping through the pages, and Cocoa's smile relaxed into a patronizing assurance; there was no way this girl could read let alone skim that fast, but she admired the dedication to her act. She'd let her play along.

"Here," Cookie finally stopped on one page, pointing to something very small written within. "See that?"

Cocoa leaned over and examined the lettering, which was too small and complicated-looking for her to even sound out. Her eyes flicked back to Cookie. "Oh yeah, something about cabbage, right? I'm sure."

Smart Cookie groaned. "No, not about cabbage. It says here, today's date..." she pointed to the line again. "... tonight, the moon will be orange."

Cocoa tried not to laugh. "Orange? Like a great big pumpkin in the sky? Why?"

"It's called a lunar eclipse," Cookie lectured, holding a hoof in the air with declaration. "It's a phenomena that happens when the unicorns pass the sun and moon in such as way where they are in syzygy-"

"Syzygy? More magic words!"

"That means, exactly aligned in one row," she informed with audibly loosening patience. "With the sun, the planet in the middle, and the moon at the end, so the moon will be covered in the Earth's shadow. It can only be seen on a full moon, so it's rare."

Cocoa rolled her eyes, still smiling. "Shadows are black, not orange!"

"This one looks orange because of elastic scattering of the light."

"The what?" Cocoa's eyes grew in more amusement.

"Oh, enough of you!" Cookie slammed the book shut. "Clueless, just like the others!" With a huff, she stuffed the book back into her bag and flung back onto her back.

Cocoa held up her hoof apologetically. "Oh come on, don't you think you're taking this a little too seriously?" She was ignored as Smart Cookie marched right past her and back towards the town. She continued to call after her. "Cookie! Come on, I was just playing along! You're way too into this! Orange moons? Really?"

There was no response from the bookish stranger, who kept her backside to the traveler and said nothing as she made her way back to where ever it is she came from. Still honestly not seeing what she did wrong, she sighed and blew a piece of forelock from her eyes and smiled in acceptance. Oh well, some ponies couldn't be helped. Remembering that she had work to do, she ran back to the trash pile, took her pickings, traded what she needed back in town, and was gone again by sunset.

There were no fanciful tales of colored skies or squabbling out in the outskirts. As usual, she'd pulled her little wagon out far until she could no longer see the houses of her home, out into the wide, empty fields of long grass that had brought on so many existential crises in the past. At the moment, her wheels were locked in place by heavy locks, her hat stuffed away, and a fire burning. Night had just fallen, and she was settling down, relaxing herself by assisting Hazelle into lulling for the night. The hawk crooned and blinked for a long moment as her master gently stroked her feathers with one hoof. Such a cold and beautiful creature. Cocoa didn't dare to sigh as she moved her sight from the bird to the sky, drawing out mental lines to form familiar constellations. They were accented by the very bright, very white, light of the full moon.

Almost disappointing, but it couldn't be helped. Cocoa slowly stood, returned the near-slumbering Hazelle to her cage, before stretching her forelegs out behind her head and shutting her eyes. "Tough luck, Cookie. Tough luck."

With another deep breath, Cocoa lazily opened her eyes again to thoughtlessly ponder the wood of her wagon. Good wood, good stock. She felt content, for a moment, but the more she looked the more she noticed something off. Her smile slowly dropped. Had her wood suffered discoloration? The last thing she needed was some rot... her eyes flitted to the grass though, as well as her few things scattered about. Everything seemed darker and grungier. She slowly removed her legs from their stretch, standing tall and narrowing her eyes in confusion, before widening them again in realization and slowly turning her whole body to look up at the sky.

It wasn't like a pumpkin. It was more like blood - the moon.

It stood there, slowly filling up before her eyes and burning in romantic contrast with the dark sky. It reminded her of her sunsets, as if all that had been beautiful about day and night had come together as one, glowing brightly as a single sentinel for the world.


"... and singing at the table, and putting your keys on the table, and putting a hat on the table, and putting new shoes on the table, and killing a cricket, and..."

The group of ponies who had taken time out of their day to gather round and seek advice from Sundae Surprise would have long since been demanding their money back if they had paid anything. Quite a few had gotten up and left already, and those who did remain did so only out of a lack of desire to hurt the filly's feelings, though they all exchanged cringing looks with one another every so often. This girl was not nearly as profound as they had lead themselves to believe, perhaps foolishly, and Sundae was definitely catching onto this as she continued to pour out whatever bits of knowledge she could think of to keep them put and listening.

"And, and, um..." Sundae sucked in her lips and blushed at the growing criticism in her audience's eyes and tried to avert her own gaze to the pretty woven bracelet somepony had given her on the way. That only twisted her tummy even more though, as it reminded her of the obligation she felt. "Oh! And you know what else is bad luck? Breaking-"

"Is there anything that's GOOD luck?" somepony snapped, growing impatient.

"O-Oh..." the young mare blinked but then nodded fervently. "Of course! Putting an open pair of scissors under your pillow while you sleep is tons of good luck!"

"That sounds dangerous," the pony cringed.

"Yeah, I put my head under my pillow while I sleep all the time," another pony added. "You want us to cut up our faces?"

"N-No..." Sundae stuttered.

"Whatever!" Somepony else finally stood up, sweeping themselves off and flicking their tail. "I sat here waiting for you to give advice about the biting pony, not this!"

"This is the best advice possible until we have more information!" Sundae insisted. "All this can ward away evil spirits and more! I promise! Don't..."

Nopony was listening anymore though, what little crowd the girl had left getting up and dispensing to join in the other various conversations and activities that were taking place in the indoor meeting.

"... go."

The little orange pony's lip trembled, and she was almost ready to run home crying until she caught sight of something: Chancellor Puddinghead! Along with SkyWishes and one of the outsiders. The Chancellor would know! Surely! Sundae leapt from her soap box and galloped over to the trio.

"Chancellor, Chancellor!" she called, drawing the leader's attention. She skidded to a stop and smiled while huffing from her speed burst - Sundae trusted Chancellor Puddinghead a lot more than Smart Cookie. "You've come back! What news have you brought about the witches' treachery against Golden Cornucopia?" she asked eagerly, believing that some of her fears would finally be ebbed off with answers.

SkyWishes snorted and scrunched up her face. "It's not-"

The Chancellor put a foreleg between them.

After a pause, Puddinghead turned to Sundae. "Miss Surprise, there is of yet no evidence indicating that this was unicorn magic at work. I am not stating that they did not do it, but I would appreciate if you would not spread such misconceptions. We have experts investigating now for the truth as we speak."

"But..."

"That is all."

And the Chancellor urged the two other young mares along to perform their duty, leaving the despondent Sundae behind. Soon enough though, the trio was seized upon by additional Groundtownies, who all began to hurdle their own questions and interrogations at their mighty leader. She was able to wave off and dodge the first few, but as they continued their trot, it became clear that the gathering was not going to let the Chancellor have her way until they got their answers. Sighing, Puddinghead suddenly put on an absolutely saccharine smile and turned to Yuna and SkyWishes.

"Looks like the super intern chore is up to you two now!" she said in a laugh-like tone. "Go on girls, the storage is just in the very back. Get the boxes, you know what to do! I'll be with you in just an itty-bitty sec, okay?"

SkyWishes exchanged a look with Yuna before nodding and pulling her along past the crowd, which was not interested in either of them. "Crouching goofball, hidden stonewall," the magenta pony told her Pyserai Princess friend with a smile regarding the Chancellor's shift in demeanor. "I guess Puddinghead is a bit of a Smart Cookie herself after all! Come on, let's go get those diplomacy tools!"


Things were bustling as usual that early morning. Today was the day, very important day, and she'd had everything neatly pressed for the occasion. Not that many other ponies would see it that way, but for her, this was a fleeting but huge chance - a chance to change things.

Smart Cookie smiled at herself in the mirror.

The schoolhouse was coming along absolutely beautifully, it's new red paint job shining brightly in the summer sun. A few workers were hammering some things into the roof, which would be distracting, but she could work with it. The place had been in a constant state of neglect for years now, and nopony really knew what happened to the last teacher, but a miracle had come round last town meeting when Chancellor Peanutbutter announced a movement to restore it and for all the smartest ponies in town to contribute in putting together the lessons. That of course meant almost every head in the room turning towards her, which had set her cheeks aflame at the time but now felt like a dream come true.

Ponies of her tribe were not dumb. The average Groundtownie possessed vast knowledge in what they were good at, able to recite an encyclopedia's worth of information about various plants and their uses and the animals that made life around these parts, but to Cookie, this was incomplete - a patchy map in need of repairs. She did not see herself as some all-knowing pillar, certainly not, but there was realistically much she could share. It was not Smart Cookie's expectation to guide, but rather to kick-start, and see what places this lead their lives. Knowledge was to be shared and put to use, so she believed.

Two other ponies had been selected aside from her to aid in the task, two young stallions, one of whom was a kind of engineer and the other a long-time faire winner for all sorts of harvest and livestock. They were seated at the table as she peaked in, looking not quite as enthusiastic as her to be there, and silently acknowledged her presence as she shut the door behind her and walked against the hard wood floors to join them at the table. She smiled at the two in greeting.

"I thought we could focus first on astronomy," she said right away, cutting to the chase.

The faire-winner, a tannish-colored pony, slowly chewed on a piece of straw and just stared at Cookie. The engineer, a bluish one, seemed more concerned at picking at something stuck in his hoof. The young mare's smile slowly fell into an awkward line, and she forced a cough to stifle the silence.

"It's very easy to make sound exciting for children," she insisted. "They already love hearing stories about the stars and the Mare In The Moon, so why not, right?"

"Ein't starry stuff unicorn trip-trap?" the tannish farmer finally spoke, raising an eye at the green-haired mare. He didn't sound impressed.

Smart Cookie raised her own eye in response. "Yes. But so what? That doesn't mean it's not valuable to learn. Nopony likes not knowing something others know, even if they're from other tribes, eh?"

The two other aides looked at each other. The engineer shrugged and smiled slyly at Cookie. "I can dig it. I know plenty about space."

"Fantastic!" Smart Cookie sighed in relief and fished a large scroll from her saddlebag. She enrolled it to display a diagram of the Equestrian universe's solar system on the table, weighing the corners down with a few rocks. She had put it together herself as reference from the books she'd read, and it was quite accurate. It had everything from the sun to Pluto, and all in the right order. "We just start with the basics, like being able to name all the pieces of our system and answer basic facts about them."

"Yeah, like how Mars is the red one, right?" the engineer said, pointing to the place on the map where the planet was drawn.

Cookie nodded. "Right! Or how Earth is the name of the planet we live on..." She pointed. "Or the asteroid belt..." She pointed again. "Or how Venus is the hottest planet."

"Is Venus what the unicorns call the sun?" the bluish engineer asked.

"What?" Smart Cookie looked up at him, confused. "No, Venus is a planet, right here." She pointed to the little yellow and orange smudge then brushed her hoof to the larger, more squiggly circle. "That's the sun."

Here the engineer narrowed his eyes and looked between his fellow aide the chart skeptically. He seemed to be reconsidering Cookie herself. "But how can that puny thing be hotter than the sun?"

"It's not," Cookie said.

"But you just said it was the hottest planet."

"It is."

"Oh, so it's like a riddle?" the faire-winner asked, taking the straw from his mouth.

"No, she's just got it wrong and confused," the engineer said, turning his nose up at the mare. "The Chancellor said you were smart!"

Here Cookie recoiled slightly in confusion and insult. "What is it about this you aren't understanding?"

The blue stallion blew air through his lips and rolled with his eyes. "Everypony here already knows that the sun is the hottest planet, okay Smart Cookie? You don't have to pretend like we're that stupid."

Smart Cookie stared at the two. "What?"

"He's got that right," said the farmer, nodding along. "We shouldn't be teaching obvious things."

There was a long pause as Smart Cookie continued to stare at the two. "The sun is not a planet," the bookish mare said, sitting back and reevaluating the two herself.

It the two stallions' turn to stare at her until the engineer suddenly burst out in his own bafflement. "What? Of course it is! What else would it be?"

"It's a star," Cookie answered.

"No it's not, stars are little! See, you even drew them little, right there," the blue stallion insisted, pointing to the tiny five-point stars scattered through Smart Cookie's solar system model. "The sun is huge, planets are huge, stars are little like sugar grains. You could hold them in your hoof."

"The stars you see as pinpoints in the night sky," Cookie explained. "Only look little because they're far away. The sun is what you would see if you flew out there and actually got close to one. The sun is a star and stars are other suns." She was convinced that this would explain everything and they could move on.

Not so. "Frog stools!" the blue stallion suddenly swore at elevated volume, sitting up slightly in confrontation. "The sun is a planet, it's round! The Earth is round, planet, Mercury is round round, planet, Mars is round, planet, the sun is round - planet!" he stubbornly lectured, taking an overkill approach to the subject matter.

"I see what he means, he knows what he's talking about," the faire-winner nodded.

"Stars are round too," Smart Cookie stated with just as much conviction, sitting up slightly herself without any intimidation. "It's because of the way grav-"

"NO," the engineer interrupted her, point at her chart again. "THAT is a star! Stars are small and pointy, they're made of points just like a fork, see? Five points! Did you even draw this yourself? Why are you making stuff up and lying to us?"

"That is the two-dimensional polygon of a star," Cookie said. "It's a symbol for easy chart-reading, a real star in real life is a round burning ball of gas, not a tiny pointy light. I am not making stuff up."

"Look, part of the rules of science is observation, right?" the stallion suddenly turned calmer but lost none of his condescension, looking back and forth between the other aides as he explained. "If you can't observe it, it's not true, right? Right. Clearly we observe that the stars are small and pointy and the sun is round and big, thus, planet."

"That's right!" the farmer once again sided with him.

"Observation does not always mean literally seeing something in person!" Smart Cookie snapped, growing frustrated. "And besides, you've never even seen the other planets up close either, they look like stars from Earth too, why aren't you applying that same logic to them?"

"Because I'm talking about things that look little but aren't, and you're talking about things that look little but are. Big difference!"

"What?! That's not how it works-"

"Next thing you know," the engineer said to the farmer. "She'll try teaching kids that Pluto is not a planet!" They both meant it as a joke, and turned to smile smugly at Smart Cookie as if they had just stumped her, only to be taken aback by her raising both her eyes pointedly. "Oh you crazy-"

Meanwhile, outside, a familiar face was wandering about town catching up on recent occurrences. Somepony had pointed out the re-touched schoolhouse, and of course Cocoa had to go see it for herself. Walking up to it, it was quite a beauty, and she commended the workers on the roof a job well done by tossing them some apples from her satchel. She took her time walking around slowly the circumstance of the whole building, and was about to inspect the shiny new glass of the windows before she looked through and ducked mischievously. Slowly, she peered in again and smiled a three-cornered smile. Her bloody moonchild!

Said moonchild seemed to be in heated argument with two other ponies. The glass was not sound proof, so sliding down and listening closely (not to mention the lack of hammers banging as the workers munched on their apples), Cocoa could catch what was going on within.

"Alright, let's try this again!" the blue stallion insisted, laying his front hooves out on the chart. "Why is it, that in this chart that you put together, that the sun and the Pluto are right there in the solar system all bigger than the stars? Why would they be there if they weren't planets?"

"Because they're part of the SOLAR system, my gosh, that's what SOLAR means, 'of the sun'!" Cookie snapped.

"That's what I said!"

"Not everything that's in the solar system is a planet!"

"Oh my gosh!" Now the faire-winning farmer was growing frustrated, though not for the right reasons. "You're really going to sit here and tell us that we've got a system fuuuuuuuuuuuull of big round things we call planets, but for some big fat special reason, two of the big round things aren't planets! Wow! Really? You're stupid, he's right, the sun is a planet. Just accept that you lost."

"No, actually more than two," Smart Cookie corrected. "And I did not 'lose,' I actually did the research. They have looked at this with telescopes and done advanced calculations, the sun is a burning ball of gas, not a planet."

"You just said ball!" he retorted. "The Earth is a ball! The sun is a ball!"

"THEY'RE ALL BALLS! Everything is balls!"

"Maybe to you because you're a HOE! OHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"OHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the other stallion joined in the other's laughter, and they high-fived at what they both perceived to be an awesome comeback.

Smart Cookie made a face best not described to an innocent audience.

Outside, Cocoa folded her ears and grimaced. She hopped away from the window as their was more imprecise yelling from within and a few seconds later, a steaming Smart Cookie burst out from the front door. "Fine, make your damn planet lessons, see if I care!" There was more laughter from within that was cut off as the young mare slammed the door and began to storm off with bags on back and rolled up chart clenched tightly between teeth. Cocoa blinked before running after her.

"Hey!" the traveler called after her in a friendly voice. "Hey! Smart Cookie! Remember me?" She ran up beside her. "Cocoa!"

"What?!" Smart Cookie hissed in place of greeting, anger not yet diffused. "What do you want?! To laugh some more?!"

"Smart Cookie, it's me, Cocoa from the pile!"

"I can see that, dipstick!"

Cocoa's feelings were not hurt, rather, she stayed alight in order to support the other pony. "Look, so, I heard what was happening in there, and I just wanted to say that I am totally on your side! The sun is a star, for reals!" She tried to flash a charming smile, but the other mare just brushed it off.

"Oh, is that you 'playing along' like when I told you about the moon?" she asked, very accusatory, pressing her forehead against the other pony's in confrontation.

Cocoa frowned and folded her ears. "What? No!" The traveler cringed slightly, understanding the hurt she may have caused the bookworm and regretting it. "I saw the moon after you told me, remember? I couldn't have not have. I believe you because you told me before it happened! I believe you."

Smart Cookie slowly raised an eye and backed off from Cocoa Puddinghead's presence. "Really now?"

"Really!" Cocoa nodded vehemently. "Hey, even if I didn't, I wouldn't have been that mean to you like those two were. They were jerks, it was uncalled for. I mean, I was kind of a jerk too, but not like that..." She trailed off slightly as she watched Cookie sigh deeply, leaning her head back and blowing air through her lips in clear emotional fatigue. "Wow, you're pretty much used to this now, aren't you?"

"Not surprised by it is probably a more apt descriptor," Cookie said, closing her eyes and massaging one of her eyelids. "Used to it implies it isn't frustrating anymore. Though I'm sure I'll get to that point in time." The creeping pressure around her temples taunted of an incoming headache, and though she tried to rub it away, ultimately she knew it was futile. Cookie was prepared to bid the traveler adieu and head back home for herbal tea when she slowly opened her eyes again and the first thing she was a pinkish hoof extended out to her. She blinked with surprise and followed her eyes up the foreleg to which it was attached until they reached the inviting smile of Cocoa. Entirely unlike the first time they'd met, something about this stranger's offer of company felt comforting, and although she hesitated, Cookie responded by carefully placing her on hoof in the traveler's and slowly smiling back.

Cocoa didn't take her out as far as she herself normally went, but it was just far enough that they could escape the aura of the town. It was the late day hours, almost twilight, by the time they reached the stop, the beginnings of a great long-grassed valley right by the large wooden skeleton of a long-abandoned wagon partially buried in the dirt by time. The wheels were nearly the size of their heights on hind legs, demonstrated so as Cookie stood and leaned against one whilst Cocoa climbed atop the old driver's seat to get a better view of the impending sunset. The wind blew in gently upon them, catching strands of their manes and tails and billowing them out backward while the seemingly endless grass beyond stirred like the waves of the ocean. It was a picture of perfect serenity, the hardships and limitations of the tribe they knew to their backs while eternity and all its answers beckoned before their eyes.

"How did you learn to read the unicorns' books?" the traveler asked.

"It's not hard," Smart Cookie answered, shifting the piece of grass between her lips and smoothing the satin cover of one of her tomes. "Everypony here can read a little. It's just a matter of taking what you know and pushing further from there."

"It seems like it's brought you more trouble than it's worth," Puddinghead remarked, leaning slightly in the dusty wagon seat. "If you forgive me for saying so. Why not just keep what you read to yourself and not care what anypony else thinks or knows?"

Smart Cookie didn't answer right away, seeming to dwell on the distance while the wind tussled her green bangs, her mind clearly deliberating but her eyes conveying nothing. Cocoa knew better than to put a time limit on poetic waxing and stayed patient until she had an answer. "Haven't you ever wanted to see things change, for once?"

Cocoa smirked dully and leaned back, prepared to offer an off-hand negative, but her face slowly fell as she watched the pale clouds migrate above and gave the query more thought. Change? Not necessarily. She'd never been an ambitious girl. To desire change generally meant to concern yourself with the actions and lives of others, of which she was stupendously careless, but to assert the given opposite that she accepted status quo also wasn't entirely true. Actually, wasn't that why she always left, always ran out into this place seemingly outside of reality as she knew it? Because she couldn't stand to watch predictable process run its course for too long. Couldn't stand to stay in a place always frozen in time.

She shrugged. "I wouldn't be scared of rolling the dice if I could."

"I believe we can only go up from here," Smart Cookie said, letting go of the grass between her lips and watching it sail through the air. "There's so much more inside us, if we could only find the desire to find it. But even I'm not sure how to do that..." She pushed herself off the wheel and landed back on all fours only to suddenly gasp in pain and lift a foreleg confusedly.

Cocoa chuckled and jumped down from the seat, then gently took Cookie's pained hoof in her own. "That's 'cause you paid a price for those book-brains, you don't remember much about speaking to the simple tongue." The traveling pony lifted the amateur scholar's hoof to her lips as if greeting a proper lady, causing Smart Cookie to bristle and blush slightly. Cocoa soon lifted her head with a smile and gently spit a large splinter into her other hoof. "You can't teach anypony a new language if you don't speak theirs." She put the splinter into Cookie's hoof who observed it with a newfound humility, folding her ears.

The sky had already faded into a soft glow of orange and violet dotted with one or five pinpricks of white in the darker shades; night would soon be upon them. Crickets had already begun to fill the air as Cocoa scooped up Cookie's bag from the ground and handed it back to her. "How about I help you brush up a little? Mr. and Mrs. Apple just recently rose their first barn together and are having a jamboree in it to celebrate. You don't need a book to teach you how to dance, do you?"

Smart Cookie looked up at her friend with some surprise but then blinked into a new confident smile. "Mm-mm!" She dropped the splinter to the ground, accepted her bag, and briefly bumped hooves with her companion before they set off back to town.

Folksie music drowned out the crickets and bright yellow light spilled out into the dark summer night as they finally reached the barn where the celebration was taking place. Cookie was barely allotted a second after handing off her bags to the coat-keeper before Cocoa grabbed hold of her, dragged her right into the middle of the floor, and forced her to dance. Many ponies were paired off but they were the only two females participating as a duo, though they danced with no less vigor, excitedly stomping, spinning, and clapping along to the upbeat traditional ballad. In time they would plan for change, for the takeover they now believed was so rightfully due, but for now they were beautiful simplefolk like you and I, laughing and rejoicing without care in the primordial magic of a cool summer night.


The blistering winds kissed Sundae's cheeks and nearly ripped her ribbon from her hair as she pushed her way past the heavy barn doors and into the isolated roads. She held her cloak tighter around her small body and tried in vain to wipe the freezing tears stuck on her eyelashes. She couldn't do it, she couldn't spread the message, she couldn't make them listen. She was just a little girl, even the truth wasn't strong enough to aid her.

"You tried to warn me about that though," the young mare squeaked to herself as she looked down at the ground. "They never believed you either, why would they ever listen to me..."

Two hot tears rolled down each of her cheeks and left little dots on the snow below. Her melancholic thoughts were soon interrupted by the sound of creaking wood however, drawing her gaze upward to see two ponies pulling a cart each behind them down the roads. Sundae wiped her face curiously.

"What are you doing?" she asked, the ponies stopping to listen. "Don't you want to pray like everypony else?"

"There's still work to do even now, Miss Surprise," one of the ponies said, shifting the reins' belt on her. "We need to get to storage for the witches' cut. They'll be waiting at the stone gates and we'd rather not keep 'em waiting longer than needed."

"We're still giving them our food?!" Sundae gasped with shock. "After what they've done! They stole from us! M-Magic has been hurting us! How can we..."

"Chancellor's orders, missy," the other pony tipped a hat apologetically. "It keeps the peace. Ya don't have to like it, but it's just the way it is. May all your endeavors be blessed."

And with that they were off again, ignoring Sundae's protests of "That's not right! That's not fair!" as they walked. The sherbet pony began to paw at the ground and stumble in circles whimpering with great distress, this revelation bringing on an entire new wave of frustration and fear to an already disheartening day. She felt as if her small form could barely contain all the frustration she was feeling. This couldn't be! This couldn't be happening!

Sundae paused and began to hyperventilate but urged herself to calm down and better assess the situation. As she did her fears certainly melted, but they were replaced by something much darker: anger. She rarely experienced it, but today it bubbled up from her chest, reddening her cheeks, grinding her teeth, and finally culminating in a shrill, "FINE!!" that echoed about through the empty Groundtown.

That was it! That was the final straw! She wasn't going to be a push-over anymore! She didn't care if it was Smart Cookie, or the Chancellor, or that mean isolationist stallion who threatened her, or whoever! If ponies weren't going to listen to her and save themselves, she would do it herself!

No matter the cost.

I will be your martyr, if that's what it takes, Sundae thought grimly to herself before racing after the food carts, a new sense of strength welling inside her.

[Giovenith]

Young pegasi

It took a good deal of spider-ing their way around the dark, rocky slide - lots of wings poking eyes and too close for comfort encounters - but Willow, Pansy, and Cloud Duster eventually popped out of the tunnel that fed out into the outside and found themselves in near pitch blackness. The only source of light came from Willow's tiny gem, and the dimness threw off eerie shadows against the various rock formations, a display that Pansy took an immediate dislike to.

"It's much too dark!" the female private insisted, keeping one hoof on the tunnel opening. "It's not safe, we should come back later with more light, and Rache." Whatever nightmarish things could be waiting for them in the shadows could answer to their strong adult friend, right?

Willow had to begrudgingly admit that Pansy had a point. This gem of his wasn't doing them much good, and the last thing they needed was to get hopelessly lost in some random underground caverns. Still though, they were short on time. "Let's just try to quickly do what we can in case somepony down here is lost, okay? Then we'll go back up."

"But..."

"Smart Cookie!" Willow called into the blackness, his voice echoing off multiple surfaces and turning the area around them into a one-pony chorus. "Smart Cookie! Anypony else? Is anypony down here? We're not here to hurt you, we're here to help!"

Help, help, help... the echo threw back at them. It was their only answer. Willow sighed and folded his ears with concerned defeat, whilst Pansy was more anxious than ever. "Okay, there's not much more we can do..."

"Pansy, just chill out," Willow tried to reign her in. "I get that it seems bleak, but this is a rescue mission we're on!"

"I was never graded very well at the rescue simulations."

"Pansy!"

As seemed to just be their solidified group dynamic at this point, Cloud Duster was silent and unblinking as he watched Pansy and Willow squabble over this and that until his own senses blurred them from existence and he began to turn in on his own thoughts: This darkness was both an opportunity and a risk. No one would see what they didn't need to see, but they wouldn't know what they needed to know if he lost himself along the way. Maybe it would be better to come back here later once he'd thought of a way to ensure his safety. Though... no. Pansy wanted to bring Rache. He wouldn't be able to do anything with that veteran on his ass, and there was no way he'd allow them all to come back down here again without him once he'd seen the conditions. No, that was it, it all came down to this. It had to be now.

One of Duster's ears twitched, turned down the darkness, and brought the rest of his head with him. "What was that?" he said in a hushed tone.

Willow and Pansy were instantly shut up, pausing to listen around themselves. "What was what?" Willow asked.

"It's really faint... I heard it one or two times," Duster urged, lifting his ear higher and squinting his eyes, as if struggling to hear. "I'm wasn't completely sure, but now I think it might have been a voice. Like right after you called out."

Willow's eyes widened and his stomach lurched. "Well didn't you say something before?!" The artist tightened his grip on the glowing gem. "Come on, we've got to hurry and find them!"

"Right now?"

"Right now! Come on!"

Cloud Duster's eyelids drooped slightly and his lips pursed. Pure hearts were always the easiest. Even those belonging to strong minds.

Pansy, as one might imagine, was having none of that. Her mouth fell open and she shook her head. "Willow, no, stop," she urged, putting a foreleg in front of her friend. "I just said we should go back for extra help! Extra light!"

Willow gently pushed the leg away. "Pansy, all kinds of awful things can happen in rocky places! Limbs crushed, lungs pressed, lost..."

"Which is exactly why we should-"

Once again, Cloud Duster interceded, gently touching them both on their shoulders. "Willow, Pansy is right," he said in a calm, careful voice. "We can't all go rushing in at once..." he turned to the young mare. "But Willow also has a point - in the time it takes us to get extra forces, the pony out there could be hurt, wander off, or die." Pause. "What about if you stay here by the entrance, Pansy? Willow and I can go investigate, and that way, we'll have somepony who we can call out to if we get lost, or something who can go get help for us if we're gone for too long. Would you be okay with that?" It was a very gentle, caring tone, as if he was truly asking for her permission.

"NO!" Pansy unexpectedly protested, stomping her front hoof to wave Duster off. She was growing very frustrated with the two boys. "I told you this is a bad idea! Stop ignoring what I say!"

This effectively silenced the two colts, who stared back at their companion, Willow with a slowly growing sense of guilt on his face but Duster slightly less readable. After what felt like a long while, the latter of the two spoke again. "Fine," Cloud Duster said softly. "You're right, you're right, we should go..." He began to move toward the tunnel. "We'll just have to find Rache and explain to him that Pansy wasn't comfortable staying."

The wording was innocuous but it had a powerful and unexpected effect on Pansy. She went through a number of emotions at a very quick pace, first frustration with the two, then surprise at Cloud Duster's agreement, but then sudden guilt at the prospect he put forth - We'll just have to find Rache and explain to him that Pansy wasn't comfortable staying. Translation: We'll just have to find your strong, brave, kind friend and tell him all about what a big crybaby you are who forsook the mission out of cowardice - AGAIN. It stole the thunder from her conviction to leave and caused her to wince in embarrassment. Poor Willow, off to the side, didn't understand the anxiety and shame brought about by these subtle implications, non-Cyniscan that he was - but Cloud Duster did. And he contained his satisfaction as Pansy put a hoof on his back and said: "Wait, no. Y-You guys are right. If there's somepony out there, we need to respond, we can't just put ourselves first."

"Are you sure?" Cloud Duster asked with a deeply concerned voice, turning around to face her with sad folded ears.

Pansy bit her bottom lip with her teeth. She looked between the darkness behind them and the tunnel in front of them, before gulping and nodding reluctantly.

"Well okay," Duster pretended to sound reluctant himself, turning around and making his way back to Willow's side. "Like I said, you just stay here and relax. There's plenty of light from the outside here, and we won't be gone long, won't we Willow?"

Willow looked between the two Privates, a little unsure what to make of the exchange, but soon gave a firm nod. "Finding the secretary is important to maintaining peace between the tribes."

"Doubtless," Duster said.

And with that, the two young stallions carefully made their way into the darkness guided by the light of the gem, as Pansy looked on with an ever-growing sense of helplessness.


The only sound between Willow and Cloud Duster for some time was the clopping of their hooves against the stone, the tak-tak-tak of scattered pebbles, and the scratchy sheathing of Duster running one of his gauntlet blades along the wall as they walked. It left a long, faint scratch in its wake, the idea being that it could help them find their way back in the event that they got lost. It was meant to be helpful, but the longer Willow listened to it, the more the ends of his fur and feathers stood on end. Being in a dark, crowded space with a pony wielding a giant knife behind him wasn't a desirable situation under any circumstances, but especially not as Rache's warnings about their companion returned to his thoughts.

'He seems to have gone round the twist,' the artist repeated the daemon's words in his head. 'I wouldn't put it past him to harm you if you got in the way of his plans.' Fuck, why did I agree to this?

Admittedly though, Willow was still torn between his personal experiences and Rache's advice. The Private pony was a little weird at times, yes, a little secretive about his family life, yes, but did that make him crazy? He didn't look like it. Willow had lived around the Building for quite a while now and Ponyville before this, so he was pretty damn sure he knew crazy when he saw it, but then Rache was a supernatural creature made out of the consequences of insanity itself - he probably knew a fuck of a lot more about crazy than Willow did. But still, why would Cloud Duster want to hurt any of them? They'd never forced him to do anything. They'd only ever taken from him what he offered. He attached himself to them, not the other way around. If they were getting in his way, he could have dumped them to the side a long time ago, easy. So what?

The painter cleared his throat to kill the awkward silence. "So, Duster..." He shifted his eyes in thought. What was good small talk for allegedly crazy people? "... I guess I just wanted to say thanks for all that you've done, really, we don't deserve it."

"You're quite welcome, Willow."

"I mean really, that xenia thing you were talking about? You totally nailed it."

"How flattering."

Another moment of silence.

"It must be kind of lonely though," Willow continued, shining the light around another corner. "The big house all to yourself? I-I mean I know you're not comfortable talking about your family, but-"

"It's okay Willow," the blue pony said in a surprisingly gentle tone. "You don't have to feel intrusive on that. I suppose I was just always told to keep my family life private. It doesn't really matter now though. I shouldn't have been so mean to you and Pansy about it."

Something about that made Willow relax slightly, just one less thing to worry about. "I can understand that, some families are just like that. You said your mom and you didn't get along a lot?" Maybe if he kept him talking, he would find less time to dwell on possibly stabbing him.

The younger pony paused for two beats, which made Willow a little nervous, since he couldn't read his facial expressions very well from their tightly packed positions and could only rely on tone of voice, of which Duster had a bit of habit of running into a slight airy monotone. He assumed it was a soldier thing. "I don't think she ever got over my father dying in the Crusade, and she sometimes took it out on me."

Ah, that was actually pretty sad. Willow frowned. "Did she yell at you a lot?" he asked, a twinge of genuine sympathy in his voice.

"More than she should have."

"That's rough, stalz."

The conversation was immediately cut short though. Out of nowhere, the entire stone tunnels around them began to rumble and shake, and for a moment Willow was seized by a panic that they were about to be avalanched in. The shaking continued without boulders falling though, and a distinctive BRRRRRMMM sound began to grow louder and louder. Willow pushed his neck to look at Duster, whose wide-eyed expression was a mirror of his own. But before he could either ask what was happening or urge the teen to run, Cloud Duster's body shot backwards into the darkness behind him so quickly that his screams were already distant echos by the time they escaped his lungs. Willow barely finished screaming the pony's name before everything went black for him as well.


The hushed crinkling of grass that had gone too long unwatered was the first thing that registered to a stirring Willow. It tickled right beneath his ear and his cheeks, and with a splitting headache, he slowly opened his eyes with a groan to find a dark green pair staring back at him. This jolted him awake completely, causing him to shoot up with a yelp and scramble backward from the unexpected company.

She was not unfamiliar. He knew her. She was a perky shade of light pink with her hair cut into a neat bob of yellow, orange, and darker pink; her tail was longer, and curiously mismatched her mane in that it made up of blue, green, and purple, making her hair's whole package deal into one big rainbow. However, he had never seen her before in this manner of dress: it was a very stylish lady's suit, black, chic, and nicely pressed, from the coat to the skirt. It was tied together further still by a nice pair of high-backed shoes (the pony alternative to heels) and dark nylons. She smiled as he winced and then widened his eyes.

"Toola Roola?" he breathed, clearly shocked.

Toola Roola was an annoying pony from back in Equestria who unfortunately belonged to the same professional artistic circle as him. She was loud, social, superstitious, and they'd exchanged venom on more than one occasion over, fuck, just about any minor disaster you could think of - all her fault. He'd briefly complained to Sterling about her once. He only saw her very occasionally though, when he went to some convention or gathering for those of his profession, so of all the ponies to pop out of nowhere on this time-traveling mission of his, she was the least expected.

She smiled. "No, not really," apparently not-Toola said. "But we're trying to keep within the theme today."

"Huwah?"

"Look around you, Willow," she gestured high and all-around, leading the stallion's gaze to view upon the wide, dark grey sky they were under. "The skies are grey, the grass is black, there's dust in the wind. You're in a nightmare."

Willow looked from left to right at the abysmally dreary setting he was in. Not-Toola's description was correct, in addition to them being in what appeared to be a park field, with a rusted chain-link fence not too far off and the tip-top of buildings in the story distance. He was more confused than frightened though, and frowned deeply once settling back on Toola. "I've hardly had a nightmare before that formally introduced me to itself."

Toola giggled slightly into her hoof. "I bet not!"

"Where is Cloud Duster?!" Willow suddenly turned demanding, spreading out his forelegs in challenge. "What did you do to him?!"

"He with the manie sans délire?" she raised an eye. "Eh, we'll do what he can but I really don't think you need to worry too much for him. Calm on, let's focus on your nightmares." She turned around and began to casually walk down the hill, expecting the other pony to follow.

"What the Tartarus does that mean?!" Willow yelled, running after her. "Hey! Come back here! I'm not through with you yet!"

She laughed in the distance. "We're not through with you yet!"


Team Unicorn

This wasn't going quite how the Umbrum had planned.

They should have known better than to assume that these trans-dimensional shapeshifters would fall into the same predictability as true unicorns. They never could have guessed that the apprentice would arm cosmic foreigners with their greatest enemy's weapon though, and perhaps becoming enraged at this fact hadn't been the best course of action. Now many of them were stuck in this dead end of a fight that wasn't looking good for them.

Princess Platinum paused from rapidly and breathlessly shooting her light arrows to gawk at Chrys. "I-I'm not sure, I..."

Simpleton spawn. The Umbrum collectively groaned. They almost felt insult on Aregenta's behalf despite loathing her with every fiber of their being; how could such a powerful and sharp-minded sorceress have left only this golden-haired twit as her legacy? Much like Clover's past, they were not ignorant of other occurrences from above, including the princess' own childhood "struggles..."

"I truly can't thank you all enough for taking time out of your very busy I'm sure day for this," King Bullion praised the pegasi flying above him as they punched the clouds away to allow for optimal sunshine upon the splendid garden party below. "Of course, you're all more than welcome to stay if you so wish."

The flying ponies, mostly mares, answered only by slowly turning dead and critical gazes upon the king before continuing to work as if he had not spoken at all.

Of course he hadn't expected them to accept, but it was the polite thing to do nonetheless. This was expected for any Glorianan, especially the king, to rise above personal comfort in order to stay in like with the higher morality befitting of the noble race. Besides, it would have been actually quite interesting on the miracle they had accepted. It had been so long since he'd gotten to experience anything even remotely adventurous... alas.

"It does seem like everything is coming along nicely," Bullion thought out loud to himself before tapping his front hoof twice against the cobbled ground. "Star Swirl! Star Swirl, where have you gone?"

There was a bright winking flash and an unexpected puff of black smoke that greeted the king, sending him into a small coughing fit before it cleared to reveal his Archmage, outrageously robed as ever. He was louder than a sleigh with all the bells he insisted on having sewn to his pointed hat and robe, the standard uniform of all master magicians, which of course were enchanted such that they never became smudged with the soot from his loony experiments unlike Bullion's own poor fine metals.

"Very sorry for that, your majesty," Star Swirl the Bearded waved a foreleg with a smile, not sounding very sorry at all. "My colleagues and I were testing the mirrors again you see. It did not turn out as well as we calculated, but I swear to you, we shall succeed in our endeavors one day!"

Bullion rubbed some smudge from his cheek with an embroidered handkerchief. "I see. How are they coming along then?"

"Oh just great!" the soon-to-be legendary wizard suddenly grew excited, spreading out his forelegs grandly. "The latest calculation came to me a dream, you see, and when I put it to task it came out flawlessly! Aside from the smoke and all of course, but it's two steps back five steps ahead you see, which makes three steps total, which is a huge leap ahead in our understanding of multiversal travel! We think that if we can wrap up the angel quartz experiments by next crescent moon, we'll have plenty of time to test what we have in the chamber-"

"I'm talking about the girls, not the mirrors, Star Swirl," the king corrected with an amused smile.

"Oh," Star Swirl huffed, excitement deflated. He smoothed out his beard slightly. "Clover the Clever was helping the princess into her brunch dress last time I checked. I'm sure they will be-"

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere!" a sing-song voice announced the arrival of Princess Platinum on scene. She had prepared extensively for the short walk outside on the hot summer day, dawning herself in a wide feathered hat and only a light string of diamonds, whilst Clover walked beside her holding a both parasol over the princess and a book in front of herself with her magic. The apprentice magician didn't have quite the enthusiasm that the princess did, the latter of whom looked around with an expectant smile.

"Where is it, Daddy?" she asked eagerly. "Where's my party?"

"Buttercup!" Bullion greeted his daughter, trotting over and giving her a big hug. "I've been overseeing things since Lady Sun first arose over the edge, and it all has been going along perfectly! I trust you have invited all of your friends?"

"Only the best!" Platinum squealed, pushing her hat up slightly with a dimpled smile. "I'm so happy! I've waited my whole life for my sixteenth birthday! Clover has too, haven't you Clover?" The teen royal turned to smile expectantly at her companion.

"Uh huh," Clover turned the page in her book.

"Ohhhhh, don't be jealous silly-girly!" Platinum pinched the apprentice's cheek with her own magic. "In three years you'll be sixteen too! Then I can really teach you how to be a real lady just like me!" Clover pushed away the pinching with clear annoyance, and the princess focused her attentions back on her father. "So when can we see it, Daddy? When can we see the party?"

"It's right here, honey!" the king gestured to the party material all around them. "I even called in the pegasi to clear up the skies, all for your special day!"

The two girls glanced up at the winged horses somewhat nervously, but quickly averted their gazes when one tried to make eye contact with them.

Princess Platinum, however, did not appear terrible comforted as she looked around at the luxurious display that was her party. Days before the king had brought in Groundtownie gardeners to fill the area with potted white rose bushes, which was the overall theme of the celebration, with more roses and rose-themed decorations overflowing the dinner tables, the present area, and overhanging the dance area. Furniture and drapery were color-coded to compliment. She bit her lip in clear anxiousness.

"Daddy..." she said. "It's not blue."

The king, Archmage, and apprentice all blinked.

"What?" the king asked.

"It's not BLUE!" the princess repeated, this time with considerable more volume and distress in her tone. "I told you weeks before that my astrology reading for today said that if I wanted good fortune for the rest of the year I should focus on BLUE!"

"Honey, blue roses weren't available when I talked to the Earth pon-"

"Oh my gosh, Daddy, the mud-dwellers don't know their tails from their scraggly manes!" Platinum yelled, prying her parasol from Clover's telekinetic grip and using it to point out everything that was wrong with the party as well as emphasize her distress. "You should have looked harder into it, they did have blue roses! They did! They're just stupid, oh my gosh, how could you not remember that?!"

"Platinum, calm down-"

"Noooooooo!" the crown heir whined at a high-pitch, suddenly flying into full tantrum mode. "It's ruined! Everything is ruined! I told all of my friends to wear blue, and I commissioned a blue dress, and everything is ruined, ruined!"

The spoiled crying from below attracted the attention of the pegasi above, who stopped and subtly gathered around to witness the display of unbridled selfishness that was playing out below them. Star Swirl's hat jingled as he looked above at them and, being the only one among the four Glorianans who was fluent in their unique language, caught when one mumbled to the other beside them: "This is your lesson now to never rear your children as the wicked witches do." He frowned deeply and turned back to the king.

"I think the princess just needs some time to get used to what she's got, sire," the wizard stated quite pointedly, doing little to mask his disapproval over the heir to the city's behavior. "You and I have a plethora of other things to handle besides an adolescent's party."

King Bullion sighed and nodded. "You are right, Star Swirl. Come, let us see to them. We have spent enough energies here."

And the two stallions trotted off leaving the sputtering princess and her own future-Archmage behind. "But what about my blue party?!" Platinum cried. She shook her head with frustration. "Ooooooo, I can never depend on anypony but myself!"

"You are truly awful at times, you know that, right?" Clover the Clever dared to hiss at her mistress.

"Clover, you don't understand!" Platinum placed her hooves desperately on the younger pony's shoulders. "A girl's sixteenth birthday party is the most important day of her life!"

"Really?!" Clover snapped with disbelief.

"Really!" Platinum responded, missing the apprentice's vicious sarcasm. "If I don't fix this now, I'll never move past it! Quickly now, I order you to use your magic to make my party as it should be!"

"I think I'll just go right ahead and assume that the king's opinion tops yours this time around," Clover said, rolling her eyes.

"Fine! Then I'll do it myself!" Princess Platinum snatched the book that Clover the Clever was reading and began to telekinetically leaf through the pages.

"Hey!" Clover tried to pull it back with her own magic. "You haven't attended a single proper lesson in your life! You don't have the refinement to try something like this!"

"Don't tell me what I can't do!" the princess pulled the book back and spotted something that she thought looked like it would assist in her problem. "Ah ha! Here I go!" Platinum narrowed her eyes and smiled as her horn's aura steadily fired up, generating a frightening display of magical sparks as both a horrified Clover and nervous pegasi looked on, when-

BOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!

Earth pony farmers in their fields miles away stopped where they stood to witness what appeared to be a blue cloud in the shape of a mushroom rising up from the north-eastern mountains that had followed the sound of a distant explosion. Back in Caer Gloriana, the princess and the apprentice had just stopped coughing as the periwinkle smoked around them cleared when they heard a scream from above.

"Eímai kataraménos!" a pegasus mare, now entirely blue from her coat to her hair, flew up to her fellow citizens in a panic at her state. "Eímai kataraménos!!"

The other pegasi had similar reactions as many of them found themselves now completely covered in blue as well (which admittedly wasn't so bad for those of them who had already been naturally blue). Platinum and Clover, meanwhile, were untouched by the blue explosion, the spell apparently only bouncing onto the pegasi, whom they fearfully scrambled away from in fear of violent retaliation. No such thing came luckily, as the pegasus ponies instead settled on fleeing the unicorn city and the hideous unstable sorcery that lay within. Their "curse" would wear off in only two days and leave them their normal hues and unharmed, but it would do little to soften the blow that would arise from all the nasty things that would spread through pegasus society about their experience, further lowering the Glorianans in their collective eyes all because of one spoiled little birthday girl.

Absolutely disgraceful! And yet here she was, being expected to give orders to the likes of the spiritual successor of Argenta and- and- THE OTHER APE! Sure they were trying to kill them, but did they even know what kind of brat they were placing their trust in? Their lives in?

They'd show them what happens when you make such stupid decisions.

"J-Just keep firing at is, Chrysanthemum!" Platinum urged her fellow blonde. "You two Brit! I think we're winning!" Uncertain of almost everything that was happening around them now, the young leader assumed that the safest thing to do was to continue with what appeared to be working so far. Just a few more shots and they could all go home! They could do it!

It was from a particularly powerful shot from Brit that the shadow beings took their opportunity. The light from Ariel the slingshot blew a large hole the inky smoke along the ceiling, but rather than trying to regroup and reform as they had been, the Umbrum mass instead spread out so that some of the shadow slithered it's way down the sides of the cavern walls. Platinum gasped at this and attempted to fire more arrows at it when her back leg suddenly sank down, causing her to drop her bow in shock. She turned to see that the found below her hooves had become as solid black as their foe and her own white-coated back leg had fallen through like quick sand. Check that, quick sand with a mind, as she soon found the rest of her legs pulled down as well until she was down to her knees and sinking further still. She screamed.



MEANWHILE, AWAY FROM ALL DAT BULLSHIT

"I've certainly never heard of it," Haletrynx confirmed as he walked around to the other side of the pool. "But if you two were flung from there, we can try to at least track out the openings or paths with your residual presence."

A long, simple, black stick suddenly grew out from the god's hand which he carefully dipped into the pool and used to slowly stir it. The small audience looked on as the pool steadily shifted from a simple blue glow to the swirling, abstract interpretations of the incomprehensible twists and turns in the great beyond that lay between realms. The flashes of color and light in impossibly shining darkness seemed to synchronize themselves to a silent song until the stick stopped and the pool settled.

"There is one match with you two here," the god stated. "Though it may not necessarily be what you are looking for. Try to focus your own energies on contacting any potential pathway keepers."

"Helloooooo!" Giovenith cupped her hands and stood on her tippy-toes to call over the pool, interpreting the suggestion a little too literally. "It's Mister Klaus and Giovenith! Is anyone from Gallimaufry there? We got blown away and we want to go home pretty please with sprinkles on top! We promise it was just an accident that we left, we didn't mean it!"

[Torsiedelle]

Torii

Torii was miffed. What was she to do now? What with Marcus gone, and the rest having left for some mission (Even Kale!), Torii was left to her own devices once again. Now...what to do!

Marcus said that she could use his place to work, but she wasn't so sure it was a good idea when he wasn't home. Gio was...she pushed that thought away. Yuna was...where was Yuna? And Tsu had run off. Torii felt bad - she had treated the girl like shit.

But then what was there to do? Torii wondered. Marcus had piqued her interest about cybernetics. Just maybe...

That was what she would do! Torii would tinker with her spare parts and cook something up to test. She was a bit rusty anyways, and working on something simple would help her with what she wanted to do later on. She wondered who else would be interested in helping her, though...

..........

She had looked around, though nobody seemed too interested. The front desk guy was busy, Prim was doing something or another, The Raptors were still out - no surprise - and the Nikanors were suspiciously absent. It was a tad frustrating to say the least, but Torii wasn't deterred. She didn't need any help to work on a project, not really.

She lay out her parts and tools before her on her bed, and surveyed them all, keeping notes and drawing up schematics and charts on the thing. She had thought of a way that she could "test" a cybernetic limb without really giving up an arm - she'd make an exoskeleton! Well, more or less one, but this one would be unique! She'd just need to work out the frame and fit, and all the other little small details, and...

The silence from the Dimitrov room turned into a muffled clutter of clanging and cursing as Torii set to work.

[Saldinado]

Ascalon, the Littles
Amanda smiled warmly at Henry, both because of his surprise and his beliefs. "Some are, just as their are some Ugly Americans. The Havrais steadfastly remain apart from the rest of Ascalon, even more so than the rest of the people living in the Littles. The language barrier helps, as it does for most of the ethnic neighborhoods here, but they also want to maintain their own culture, or cultures. It's not like Francophone culture has been the same throughout all times, timelines, and places."

Ascalon, the Littles

"Oh. Well when you put it like that, than I guess that you're right." He said looking down to the ground while awkwardly chuckling. He was all in all a little embarrassed by what he said before.

"It'll help that you speak French. Even knowing just a few words of it helps to break the ice. Have you spent time in France or another part of La Francophonie?"

When he heard her said that, he perked up and smiled a little. "Well, yeah. Like I said before, I spent some time in France a couple of years ago. And I went down to New Orleans where they speak French. But's the way they speak it is different from what I know. I think they said that it was like 'French Creole' or something. I wanna learn it, but it looks hard." He laughed. "And umm.....Where else...Oh! And there's Canada; Quebec more specifically. But it was like only for a day." He soon began thinking if there was more to them. "And other than that, no. But I still want to go to some Francophone places."

"My husband. He's a historian -- a history professor, actually -- and like other Gatejumper academics, pays a little bit to have access to the university. You haven't met him; he's been in another part of Ascalon all day."

When Henry heard her say "husband", he looked a little surprised and shocked like when he learned that she can speak French. "Husband?! Wow. So when will I be able to meet him? And what does he look like if you don't mind me asking?" When he said that, he became a little nervous when she mentioned husband. He pictured a large, hairy guy, but since he was a history professor, he had little Harry Potter glasses, which made him look much less intimidating as well as adorable. The thought of it made Henry laugh almost uncontrollably.

Amanda motioned for Julia and Henry to come close to her, then leaned in to whisper to them. "Keep it to just a couple changes of clothing, please. Sandy bought something large earlier today, and he spent most of our credit. If you check your closets and drawers in your apartment, you should find a few changes of clothing, so this is just to stretch that a bit."

"Credit? Like credit cards credit, or is there more to it than that?" He asked Amanda as they were motioned towards her. "And don't worry. All I need are maybe one or two shirts. And maybe some pajama pants." Herny then fixated his gaze upon the store as he took a couple more steps towards the building, a little eager to go inside of it and see what was in it.

[Fvaarniimar]

OPERATION: LAST CHANCE
DIMENSION: 4590K
LOCATION: Xo Research Base, Veraka, Xo'Lokako orbit, Vim System, HZSC space
TEAMS: SECRET OMEGA TENTACLE

---

Rmwtyliin's teeth clenched.  More things she failed to understand.  More nonsense.  But...it is not that confusing.  Perhaps I might think it through.  Ok.  We are above said sphere-world.  This apparently means that sunrise and sunset cannot happen?  Unsettling but not very important.  What Romulus said IS important if he is correct: this Sun is small, and it is supposed to be red.

Ball of burning gas - no, Venla said stars were those.  Is he confused? He must be.

Romulus was right?  But...  Sun - Suns - are like stars somehow?  They both light the sky...

Shocked, she listened as the group prepared to ambush the pirates, sidling towards a corner. If only we had brought something for Kale!  I left my seeds in my pouch - she gasped.  I cleaned out my coat very quickly, and I have been...  Maybe... Hoping, she reached in.  Only a fingerful of nuts remained in the left pocket, but the right held a decent handful. Some appeared cooked (which Rmwtyliin was unsurprised by, as she enjoyed those.)

Running towards the older girl, Rmwtyliin yelled, "Kale!  Might these help?"  She proffered the nuts.  They did look like they'd spent months in a pocket, but a decent amount were both raw and intact - sixteen to be exact, most of them almonds. Pacing around the room, she continued.

"As for the pirates - can we outrun them?  Their vessel's condition seems poor to me.  They could fake that so none believe them dangerous," until it is too late.  "If we cannot flee, can we hide?  What would it take to make this outpost seem abandoned for so long that it would be worthless to loot?  Is it already too late for any of that?"

At a wall as out of sight of the window as possible without being far from the group, Rmwtyliin paused, muscles tensed - ready not for fight, but rather for flight. "If bloodshed cannot be avoided - I expect you have medicines here?  I feared bringing some would..." Half-consciously drawing in the air, "erasing" with a hand.  Null.  Undoing - specifically, their undoing.  "Foreign things could cause or encourage suspicion."

[Holy Lykos]

OPERATION: LAST CHANCE
DIMENSION: 4590K
LOCATION: Xo Research Base, Veraka, Xo'Lokako orbit, Vim System, HZSC space
TEAMS: SECRET OMEGA TENTACLE

---

"My comrades are likely still here." Venla said simply as she headed off the rest of the group to take the lead. "Facility is roughly shaped like a horseshoe. This area is on the far end from the visitor area and hangar. We need to go to the center, as there are bulkheads that seal off the hangar in the event of an invasion like this. Unless they have some sort of tools to cut through metal they won't make it past that." She told them slowly, tapping a few buttons on the panel next to the door and plodding out after it zipped out of the way.

"Doors are all locked too, luckily I know the passwords. Follow me. If my coworkers are still here they'll be in the command center preparing for a potential assault. We might not have any guns, but we do have various things that could be used as makeshift weapons, and Huvidu-Zaan are natural fighters. I'm guessing these pirates don't know this is an HZ outpost, since they normally raid in human and cendar space. Lets help my people give them a surprise. There's only about seven other beings on this station, but with our numbers it should be enough to give the pirates the fair fight they weren't expecting."

She finished her little explanation with a low growl, the last word turning into that as she plodded down the hall, expecting the rest to follow. The hall was more than wide enough for two of her people, with signs labeling doors in Huvidu-Zaani and Human Common, something most of them likely would be able to read. However, most of the rooms were laboratory space or dedicated rooms, with a few observation rooms noted too. Nothing special, and no armories of any kind. It was a scientific outpost anyway, not something they would need weapons for.

"Rmw, Stay close to me. You're the one of us physically weakest, so I'll make sure to keep you safe."

[Fraire]

OPERATION: LAST CHANCE
DIMENSION: 4590K
LOCATION: Xo Research Base, Veraka, Xo'Lokako orbit, Vim System, HZSC space
TEAMS: SECRET OMEGA TENTACLE

---

Nathan watched and listened. He knew that there were space pirates and that was strange. As someone who was not accustomed to all the weirdness of the apartment, something as mundane as space-pirates was odd to him, maybe even dangerous. Nathan's suspicions were confirmed by the conversation going on between his acquaintances. The space-pirates were probably dangerous.

Nathan thought about what he could do in a dangerous situation. If it was their last resort, Nathan would probably do pretty well in a bare-knuckle brawl to the death. Otherwise, he could try to teleport away, except they were in space and there was nowhere to go. He could be invisible and they wouldn't spot him, but Nathan doubted they would search for less than ten seconds. Other than that, and his basic healing abilities, which wouldn't really work that great in active combat, he was basically useless.

As Nathan was contemplating this, he heard that they had weapons and let out a sigh of relief. "Well okay," he said. "Weapons. Lead the way."

[Highfort]

RAIDERS of the LOST BOOK

OPERATION: BIBLIOPHILE
DIMENSION: Gallimaufry then 257P
LOCATION: Plotline All-Stops to Alexandria, Egypt
TEAMS: MU
RotLB

"How much warning?" Reigger scratched the back of his head as he absentmindedly brought up more files on his computer, hoping to find one that would help him ballpark a time, "The last three runs, we got to know about five minutes ahead, give or take. The path to Alessio is hidden with dunes and volcanic hills and mountains - easy for them to hide."

"As for how high," he brought up a three-dimensional topographical map on the holoscreen, pointing at one of the mountain ranges that flanked the well-worn road, "Dragons can't pass over those mountains. If you can clear them, you'll be safe. 300 meters, if this map is right."

Lingering on the map, Marshall added, "This is the route we took last week. We'll be taking a slightly different one tomorrow - more sensitive cargo and all that."

Tapping his finger on the desk, he traced out a neon-red line on the map slowly. Unlike the existing route, this new one appeared to go off-road for certain points and tended to stay away from the lava lakes and exposed valleys, preferring to hug the mountains and hills instead. Reigger grunted as he finished it off with a flourish, an X marking where Alessio was.

"Long way 'round," he explained, pointing out various features, "Usually pass through Shore's Reach, where all the exposed lava and glass is, because it's a gentler slope. Can't do that - too exposed, too risky with our cargo. Dragons would catch us unaware and too many rival caravans on the same road. Instead, we hug Gelos' Spine - lower than the other mountain range but still high-up. Cooler, at any rate, but also less-exposed. That's why it'll take three days instead of two."

He continued, "Our scouts will start earlier and stop regularly to make sure ground's solid. Just a precaution, of course - well-maintained but not well-traveled."

A pause. Reigger got up from his desk and lumbered over to a file cabinet, pulling the dusty drawer open to reveal thin disks. Pulling one, he inserted it into his computer and waited for it to load up. A series of pictures flashed on the screen - ruins carved into Gelos' Spine, the styles muddled and betraying various foreign origins: Greek, Egyptian, Japanese, and a few alien-looking structures for good measure. All were worn and broken with what seemed to be the passage of time.

"This is what complicates things. My men stay away from them," he gestured at the photos, "However, on this route we will pass a few. So far they've never caused trouble, and I hope they're dead and empty. But you never know if bandits might be hiding - they only come out at night to harass convoys near Shore's. Dragons aren't the only ones who see us as opportunities."

"I know it's asking a lot, especially for your first run," Reigger said, "So I'll sweeten the deal. On top of your base pay, if we're attacked, you're entitled to whatever you can scavenge from the ruins and corpses. My men won't trouble you - I've already promised them a higher cut of base pay."

[Altito Asmoro]

Ascalon, the Littles


Amanda motioned for Julia and Henry to come close to her, then leaned in to whisper to them. "Keep it to just a couple changes of clothing, please. Sandy bought something large earlier today, and he spent most of our credit. If you check your closets and drawers in your apartment, you should find a few changes of clothing, so this is just to stretch that a bit."

Ascalon, the Littles

"Oh, don't worry Amanda," said Julia as she already brought with her few clothes, consisted of...clothes she like, that is. "I spent most on supplies anyway. Few will be saved for reserves, when things arise, right?" as she grinned to her and continued her way to the cashier for payment. She did made her way there, but in the end it was quite apparent that she didn't needed many clothes. She spent days in South Africa without changing of clothes...but regular shower is still one.

[Northwest Slobovia]

RAIDERS of the LOST BOOK

OPERATION: BIBLIOPHILE
DIMENSION: Gallimaufry then 257P
LOCATION: Plotline All-Stops to Alexandria, Egypt
TEAMS: MU
RotLB

"How much warning?" Reigger scratched the back of his head as he absentmindedly brought up more files on his computer, hoping to find one that would help him ballpark a time, "The last three runs, we got to know about five minutes ahead, give or take. The path to Alessio is hidden with dunes and volcanic hills and mountains - easy for them to hide." [...] "Dragons can't pass over those mountains. If you can clear them, you'll be safe. 300 meters, if this map is right."

Relief spread across Sandy's face and through his body, followed by a broad grin. Mentally converting the units into American terms, he needed to climb at merely 200' per minute. Pegasus could manage several times that without halfway trying. "We'll have quite a jump on them."

Lingering on the map, Marshall added, "This is the route we took last week. We'll be taking a slightly different one tomorrow - more sensitive cargo and all that."
[...]
"I know it's asking a lot, especially for your first run," Reigger said, "So I'll sweeten the deal. On top of your base pay, if we're attacked, you're entitled to whatever you can scavenge from the ruins and corpses. My men won't trouble you - I've already promised them a higher cut of base pay."

Sandy studied the maps and pictures closely, leaning in towards Reigger's holographic display when the images of ruins came up. He held up a hand for Reigger to slow down flicking through them, and ran professional eyes over the details.

The alien structures brought no recognition to his face, and little more from the Asian ones, but the ones from the Mediterranean cultures brought many thoughts of their purposes and ages to mind, and concentration to his gaze. Without taking his eyes from them, he asked, "Could we make copies of these images? I have a, uh... camera in my phone. Actually... I'd like to take pictures of all of the things you've showed us, if I could. The dragon ones would go a great way to helping us prepare to deal with them."

Seconds paused. "Oh! And thank you for your generous offer! I... wouldn't want to delay us too much in a dangerous area, but there might be things of obvious value in plain sight. Well, obvious to a historian-sorcerer." Sandy's grin returned momentarily with a wink for company.

[Northwest Slobovia]

Ascalon, the Littles

"It'll help that you speak French. Even knowing just a few words of it helps to break the ice. Have you spent time in France or another part of La Francophonie?"

When he heard her said that, he perked up and smiled a little. "Well, yeah. Like I said before, I spent some time in France a couple of years ago. And I went down to New Orleans where they speak French. But's the way they speak it is different from what I know. I think they said that it was like 'French Creole' or something. I wanna learn it, but it looks hard." He laughed. "And umm.....Where else...Oh! And there's Canada; Quebec more specifically. But it was like only for a day." He soon began thinking if there was more to them. "And other than that, no. But I still want to go to some Francophone places."

Amanda's smile became embarrassed for a second. "I should have been more specific, but you got my meaning anyway. A couple of days in a Francophone area isn't the same as staying there long enough to immerse yourself in the language."

When Henry heard her say "husband", he looked a little surprised and shocked like when he learned that she can speak French. "Husband?! Wow. So when will I be able to meet him? And what does he look like if you don't mind me asking?"
[...]
"Credit? Like credit cards credit, or is there more to it than that?" He asked Amanda as they were motioned towards her. "And don't worry. All I need are maybe one or two shirts. And maybe some pajama pants."

"Let me answer both your questions at once, and throw in a freebie." Amanda unbuttoned her suit jacket and lifted the left lapel so she could slide her phone out of an inner pocket. Momentarily, the butt of a small pistol was visible, holstered under her left arm. She did something with the phone for a few seconds with it turned to her, probably entering a password or the like. She then seemed to start an app and entered a different password, finally turning the phone to Henry and Julia.

"Our wedding picture." As though she really needed to clarify that: it was apparent from her long, white dress and Sandy's tuxedo. She glanced over Henry's and Julia's shoulders; no, none of the few people in the store was anywhere close to them. She swiped forward a number of pictures in the gallery, showing Henry a picture of an odd group of people posing in front of a large, white, winged horse. One of the people was Amanda. She tapped on the image of the face of an elderly -- no, ancient -- black man. "Remy spoke an unholy mix of Cajun French and Lousiana Creole. It took me months to make sense of it, but it was easier to understand than his accent in English. I think that's why he spent so much time with Sandy and me." She tapped the horse. "You'll probably meet him later. He lives at the Building too." She flashed a knowing smile.

"As for money..." She started another app, one with a golden icon bearing a strange symbol. The outlines of a banking app appeared behind a password prompt, but all the fields were blank. "People in Ascalon mostly use electronic money. The app is free, and once you download it, it'll create an electronic account for you. You can add Roos at any bank. Oh! Check your pockets, you may have a few on you, courtesy of Demens." Amanda fished around in another inside pocket and pulled out three coins, one gold and two silver. All bore the same strange symbol. "This is Demens' sacred cash. Can't be counterfeited. It's the literal coin of the realm everywhere, but electronic money is far more convenient than carrying around piles of coins."

She put the coins away, then started another app. It showed her picture, name, and a big QR code, and a bunch of writing in a very small font. "In Ascalon, your phone is your life. The QR code connects to the city's databases; that's what people really want to see. So, this is my city and UGA ID, it gets me into the Professional School Tower, and is my driver's license, law license, gun license, and a couple of other things."

"Oh, don't worry Amanda," said Julia as she already brought with her few clothes, consisted of...clothes she like, that is. "I spent most on supplies anyway. Few will be saved for reserves, when things arise, right?" as she grinned to her and continued her way to the cashier for payment.

Amanda simply nodded as Julia walked away. Hopefully, she saw enough of the apps to understand them.

[OOC: Let's assume we're in Millie's already. I probably should have been more specific in a previous post.]

[Ganonsyoni]

OPERATION: LAST CHANCE
DIMENSION: 4590K
LOCATION: Xo Research Base, Veraka, Xo'Lokako orbit, Vim System, HZSC space
TEAMS: SECRET OMEGA TENTACLE

---

Kale gave Remilia a smile as she handed the plant girl a handful of nuts. She scanned over them with her eyes, feeling out which ones had the potential to sprout. A good chunk of the nuts, specifically the almonds, were good to sprout. "Thank you," She said to the girl as she sorted out the good nuts, "These are good seeds."

She looked to Venla as she spoke of the plan. The large otter-bear being took the lead and Kale followed beside her, listening to the plan. Meet up with Venla's comrades and combine forces to drive the pirates out. Kale nodded along as Venla explained it, agreeing with the plan. Seven more allies the size of Venla would make the fight much easier against the pirates. She looked back to Remilia, beckoning her to follow behind her and Venla.

[Stormwrath]

Swordplay for Dummies

Katya picked up a small branch to demonstrate. "See? Let's make this a target. If I throw it up, it may be hard to hit with an off-balance blade. You'd have to swing hard, and rely on luck and strength, but if balance is just right, and your eye trained well enough...

She tossed the stick high into the air, and readied her blade. The branch went up, up, to the third floor, them began to fall. Katya swung her sword up and parallel to herself. Just as the branch was near to the ground, she swished her hand, not using much of her body at all, and split the branch in two. "Quick and easy! Of course, it was just a silly stick. Still, see if you can do it. I know it seems silly, but you'd be surprised how much people miss."

Swordplay for Dummies

Macy took one of the sticks and prepared to toss it upwards. It was a shorter branch thanks to Katya's dmeonstration, but it will do for her. She threw it and the branch peaked at around the same height, then began to fall to the ground. Her vision suddenly was filled with random numbers centering around a red ring that appeared around the branch. As the branch fell, the ring followed it and grew larger and larger. Once the branch was a few heads above her, Macy swung her sword and guided her blade in the direction of the stick, but it didn't quite land in the middle. Rather, it touched one of its ends, causing it to spin and be batted to the side.

"Heehee," she giggled and scratched her scalp, "I missed. This is like the Fruit Ninja game, though I kind of expected it to be easy in real life. Can I try again?"

[Chedastan]

OPERATION: LAST CHANCE
DIMENSION: 4590K
LOCATION: Xo Research Base, Veraka, Xo'Lokako orbit, Vim System, HZSC space
TEAMS: SECRET OMEGA TENTACLE

---

He didn't know if he should've felt more astonished or baffled when Venla told him that there weren't any actual weapons or defenses on the research station. Granted he wouldn't had expected much from it to begin with, but he would have expected at least something. Had this installation been part of the Imperium, it would've probably had at the very least some security personnel and the defensive capabilities to shoot down low flying light aircraft, at a minimum if it were on a lightly defended frontier.

Romulus then glanced around the team, and realized he should've been more outraged at the fact that it seemed that almost everyone else besides him, were lightly armed or not actually armed at all. Not that it may have been a real necessity for some, but for others, like that absent-minded whatshisface, they really didn't have an excuse to have not been prepared for the worst like he warned them about while they were still in the Dining Room.

The General then figured that he may have only had himself to blame, as letting two inept people on a volatile mission like this one was also not a good idea from the start. It also didn't helped that he had since doubted the effectiveness of his training of the Residents in the months after the Varg Quest, noting that despite his efforts, it didn't seem that they were any closer to becoming a more uniformed force, and instead have just remained a cowboy outfit with some added training.

He knew he should probably write that down somewhere as a top priority when they get back to the building (if there isn't another crisis when they get back). But for now they had the pirates and everything else to deal with. He followed behind Venla along with the rest of the team. "Hopefully your coworkers are as hospitable as you are to us." He then said, hoping they wouldn't have any sort of trouble with Venla's kind.

[Torsiedelle]

Swordplay For Dummies

Katya nodded, her hands clasped together as she held her sword in front of her. "Go ahead. It's good to learn your timing.", She said. "Though I do wish there was a better way to learn, but I too started out with simple exercises like this, among other things."

She watched Macy with interest. "I do think that you have an interesting weapon. Not many people these days even use swords, and when they do it's often blades like mine for fencing and duels. It's rare to see someone wielding a broadsword."

It took Katya back to her training days, when she'd watch other swordsmen battle. Torsiedellie Sword Art was actually varied, compared to the rest of Europe - something about the way of the sword having stayed alive, between the aristocracy and soldiers who used them, and popularized swordplay as a sport. She'd witnessed men on rare occasions with longswords and bastard swords, and even one glimpsed at a burly fellow with a zweihander, which was truly remarkable. Eastern Arts were more popular in the modern age, such as kendo, but in Rostov fencing was still strong. Katya found the graceful style of Torsiedellie swordsmanship more appealing than Kendo, with its strange stances and stuffy armor. Martial Arts had nothing on an outright duel with sharpened blades.

She chuckled. Macy had it easy; she hadn't nearly lost a finger yet.

[Fvaarniimar]

RAIDERS of the LOST BOOK

OPERATION: BIBLIOPHILE
DIMENSION: Gallimaufry then 257P
LOCATION: Plotline All-Stops to Alexandria, Egypt
TEAMS: MU
RotLB
<Cool! And nope, I can't stay in telepathic chatter with others if I go with the scouts.> "No -" The somewhat squirmy cat stilled thoughtfully. <I don't... think so? I... don't know! I've never really tried that.> Well, no time like the present. Dora wasn't terribly busy... In books characters focused on those with whom they wanted to talk telepathically. Squeezing his eyes shut, the cat concentrated. <Hair/fur less dark than mine. Very tall -> Sheepish, amused embarrassment. <Or...I could just open my eyes. And, you know, look at her.>

Nick fixed the ancient woman with an unnervingly wide stare. <Focus on Dora...Dora...Dora....DoraDoraDo-ra, Dora!> "Do -" <Oh shit not the collarhowawkward canI turnthis into - notoolate. Focus. Dora, Dora - Hey, Dora! Oi! If you're getting this say something!> For a moment he wondered if she'd say the word 'something.' As the seconds and greetings to Dora went by, Nick concluded that that hadn't worked; the outcome was expected, if apparently a little annoying.

<Erm, so what does a Spell Familiar - uh-oh. Primordial, something's scaring me. Could be future. Should be careful - shutting up, listening.>

He quivered as the dragons' speed was compared to Sandy's, fretted about the ruins - and found himself reassured by Sandy's enthusiastic confidence. <I guess he - no, we - can handle it! Ooooh, there are mysterious ruins, and mentioned salvage. Exploring? Souvenirs? Maybe we'll have time!> "You and Sandy will check my relics for ancient spooky curses?" This, too, was half a joke, only turning sincere towards the end when it hit Nick that that actually was a real possibility.

---

OPERATION: LAST CHANCE
DIMENSION: 4590K
LOCATION: Xo Research Base, Veraka, Xo'Lokako orbit, Vim System, HZSC space
TEAMS: SECRET OMEGA TENTACLE

---

Rmwtyliin frowned. She had to assume Venla had heard her wish to get medical supplies and help in that way, and had reasons to disregard it. And - even if frustrating - the offer of protection was nice. She stuck to the alien like a little burr, whispering to Duncan. "Thank you. I will, but," I would prefer to be elsewhere for the fighting. "I need a nonlethal weapon for defense. A staff could be simplest..." A cultural hatred of violence meant that Fvaarniimarns only tolerated it in defense against real danger, but most expected that overseas. Notable diplomats and future diplomats received some weapons training, with the understanding that they absolutely never should want to use it. But some things weren't clear-cut. Were plants a weapon - or worse, seeds? Did I arm Kale? Was that wrong? I just want us all safe.

Safe once we hit the center. At home they might slog through sticky mud - or undergrowth - she snickered. "Kale!" Again, she tried to be quiet... Fleeing did little good if you told everyone where you were... "Do you have plants which could slow people significantly with no bloodshed, like bushes or burrs or something with tree resin? If you can gain time, we might reach the center without meeting them!"

[Holy Lykos]

OPERATION: LAST CHANCE
DIMENSION: 4590K
LOCATION: Xo Research Base, Veraka, Xo'Lokako orbit, Vim System, HZSC space
TEAMS: SECRET OMEGA TENTACLE

---

Venla then glanced back at Rwm, only just realizing that she forgot to address the young girl's concerns. "We have plenty of medicine here. The command center is next to the sick bay, might be safest for you to hole up in there until the nasty business is done with. Might get a bit hard to watch if you have a weak stomach." She said softly, padding forward as she lead them through the halls. The alarm died down, the strobe light being all that was left once the sound was gone. They were simply left with the sound of them walking and a shuffling coming from further up. Occasionally a bang of metal on metal from some unknown source as well. "I do think you missunderstood, they're on the far side of the facility from us. we won't see any pirates unless they break through the barricades before we get there.

"They should be Romulus. And we don't need weapons because the system has defensive installations all around, protecting the primitive planet from pirate predation more than anything else. They must have found a gap in the protection. Part of an agreement with a nearby empire was us disarming a few of them and getting rid of weapons on the station. Small price for peaceful relations, as they did similar in a nearby system." She informed him, glancing back at him before looking forward again. "Almost there. Facility is quite a large one for our needs as it is."

She started inputing a few codes into a pad once they arrived at a door, one that looked significantly more heavy duty than the rest, almost like an airlock in of itself. "Will just take a moment.... aaaaand... there we go!" She smiled, the door sliding up and out of the way, while Venla glanced down at Rmw. "The infirmary is on an offshoot of this central command room, behind a similar door. Even if we fail you should be safe there for a good time." The alien felt fairly protective of Rmw, her youth and kindness making her wish to protect her from any harm that could come. But they had to say hi to those already here. Venla paced forward, before letting out a few barking noises in her own language to those inside.

"And I brought some guests! Some should be more than helpful to repelling these pirates!" She finished, glancing over the room. The exterior walls had plenty windows, some with displays up on them like a computer and others clear. Electronics and terminals of some use were around the area as well, set up like a communications center for ease of access. The main notable thing though would be the five members of Venla's own species, and the two humans. One of the scientists, and elder looking Huvidu-Zaan with greying fur and more fungal mass than Venla did, glanced over to her in astonishment.

"Venla? We thought you dead on Xo'Lokako!"