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

[Torsiedelle]

Sheesh, Torii thought she had a habit of going off on people. She'd better get out of dodge before the Drone took another shot.

To answer Drova's question? Torii sighed. "I'm not saying that anything about you is wrong, I was just freaking out. That was the first thing that I'd heard when I got here, and it just was too much. On top of that, yeah, an annulment will makes things like they never happened, but it still makes me way too uncomfortable. Marriage is a really big deal to me."

She cocked her head to the side. "As for the relationship part? I mean, we've done a good bit together, but I...I didn't want to disappoint you. I know I was wrong, but I didn't want to let you down, because I thought you deserved better, and I didn't want to end up having another one of those awkward friendships where we'd still be "friends", but we'd always have some big fuckup of mine hanging over it and ruining it."

"That's what happened with Bran, and Gio, I think. That's how I feel, anyways."

She hoped he'd understand. "I was really confused on what to do the day I left, and then I had a talk with...someone...Myra...and she brought up some good points, and I just kind of went with it. Not that I'm blaming anyone - I had two ways to go, and I went with the one that I thought would cause less trouble, and make you more happy. It was a stupid line of thinking, but that's why I've never had luck with relationship stuff. I just go along with what happens."

[Monfrox]

Wow. This was quite convoluted, but more to the point of the fact that she had a hard time trying to believe that this place was in such a desperate state. Wasn't Equestria supposed to be all happy sunshine and rainbows? Or maybe that's what they were here to accomplish! Yes, absolutely. This did not have to go on like this. She too, also fetched one of Clover's spare robes, hoping to find a sink or pool of water along the way to wash the makeup off with.

"I understand. This whole royalty and snoody vibes I'm getting from the most of them makes me...well...unhappy. Still, whatever we can do to help, we will. Count on us."

She also leaned over and peeked in at the astrolabe. Wait, she knew that from somewhere. After a few minutes of racking her brain, she remembered just barely.

"Hey...you wouldn't happen to know a pegasus by the name "Willow", would you?"

[Swith Witherward]

Hallway

Shaking hands fished a cigarette from a crumpled pack. Myra's dry lips parted to hold it, but she didn't light it. It remained jutting from her lips like an unhappy sideways exclamation point as she trudged up the stairs with the rest of her group.

S'not fair. I'm allowed in there. Well, that wasn't necessarily true. She was only in there on one occasion, and that's because Miss Trilb needed a pet sitter. Plus she really didn't like being in there anyway. The lab smelled funny, and Myra secretly suspected the pantry had ghosts or shit living in it. This fact didn't seem to get in the way of her feeling poorly-done-by. Now they'd need to wait for eternity before hearing any news of Marcus.

Her mind drifted between thoughts until finally settling on eavesdropping on Torii and Drova. The girl cast a sidelong glace at the pair, then lit her cigarette.

"I brought up the point that I thought you couldn't decide who you like because you're looking for the wrong reasons," Myra's words fell from her mouth in smokey puffs. "We want to have that special someone that makes us smile and holds our hands and kisses us. But that's because we love the idea of being in love. And I brought up how you have a boy that really likes you, but you still kind of think of Tsu as your girlfriend, and you also had a crush on someone but didn't want to damage their current relationship."

Another drag produced more smokey words, "I thought it sounded like you were in love with the idea of being in love rather than actually in love with anyone." The girl sighed. "And I said that's not a bad thing, unless you get into a relationship just to have that feeling. But if you felt you really did love the guy, go for it."

The teen shrugged as she flicked an ash onto the floor. "I... I need some space. Gotta wrap my head around everything. I just need to decompress." Another flick. "I'll see you guys later."

Myra broke away from them, more than happy to seek the comfort of her quiet apartment.

[Primordial Luxa]

Aegis
Aegis nodded with a little bit of hesitation as he looked over the situation. His area of expertise was by no means medicine. He had knowledge of battle injuries and could effectively deal with military wounds but that was on Luxans and he wasn’t sure the skill were transferrable the way raw medical knowledge was.

“Umm...Sure.” He stutter thinking it over and trying to recall any knowledge he knew about horse physiology. “A splint sounds like a good idea. I...don’t have as much skill in this sort of thing but if you give me some details I could probably create a splint for you.” He didn’t want to reveal his lack of knowledge about Equestria physiology because that would obviously raise question he didn’t want to answer.

Primordial
Primordial shared Anais concerns at Sandy’s sudden change in demeanor and looked around the room trying to see what had caused the sudden lapse. However he merely saw people moving around and talking to one another, he was not privy to whatever knowledge made Sandy upset. Still he nodded when Anais tried to comfort him showing his shared interest.

[The BranRiech]

"Filly?" Yuna gasped somewhat. Was that some sort of insult in this place?

She stepped away from Sassy, putting on a "Who the hell is this guy?" face when the mysteriously excitable pony entered the room, her head swinging over, muscles tensing as she nearly leapt to the roof. "Oh . . . You." She said with the same tone of voice of someone finding an unwanted pimple on their face. She identified Sundae instantly as the pony who was quite raring to go to put her and Aegis up to burn. Her big, round eyes narrowed somewhat, forming orange slits that bled annoyedness.

"Guess who didn't witness it?" Yuna shot back, shutting her mouth quickly afterwards. Sundae seemed to be the one to call for help with medical problems, and antagonizing her when they weren't already on the best of terms wasn't in Yuna's best interests, lest she draw the ire of the others.

"Agh, and yeah, they're right. I think some of her bones may be broken."

--

"I'm more disappointed now that you said that." Drova cocked his head. "I wouldn't have been disappointed if you said no the other day, yeah? I'm used to that. I wasn't ready for the crap you said in the dining room when we were talking about the annulment."

The Prince stopped, reaching a hand back to satisfy an errant itch on his left wing. It extended to nearly full length, brushing Myra as she walked up, talking to Torii over drags from a cigarette, of which, Drova found the smell rather repulsing. "She's right, you know." He nodded as she passed them by again, walking off to go on with her day, with Marcus' fate hanging over all of them like either an anvil or a soft pillow, should he be dead or alive. "See you later too, Myra." His hand went up in a slight wave, the majority of his rage dissipated into the air.

"And you saying no the other day wouldn't have been a "Fuckup." He muttered. "What you said in the dining room was, and it was all because you were trying to prevent one? I still think you and I are . . . Well, meant to be together, but I'll be damned by the Gods if I said you weren't a fireball. You can either keep someone warm with friendship, or burn them with what you say."

[Giovenith]

Brit and Chrys

Brit's question drew Clover's attention from her scrambling work, causing the young apprentice to stare with wide eyes.

"No," she answered. "I couldn't possibly know a pegasus, differing tribe members aren't allowed to socialize." She lowered her ears and seemed to grow annoyed. "Of course, that's pretty much precisely why all of us are in this winter mess to begin with. I've been trying to encourage the Princess to compromise with the other tribe leaders to find a solution to surviving, but she can be fairly hard-headed..."

Clover levitated a rag over to Brit with which she could clean her face.

"This may sound strange, but I suggest you not talk about knowing a pegasus by name around other ponies here but me. As you may have noticed by now speaking around, relations are tense to say the least," she frowned deeply. "I know you check out because of the chalk, but any of them will accuse you of either being some kind of twisted conspirator, or of having an "unnatural affection" and needing therapy, or both. The mare who caused that fight at the party will definitely use it against you. Which reminds me..."

She levitated over to them their own pieces of chalk.

"For protection in these mad times. Just draw against a surface, and nopony who intends you harm can cross. Now, I need to tell you a story."


Yuna and Aegis

Smart Cookie gave a pointed look to Yuna that screamed, Don't be weird. "Filly" was just another word for "girl." Her expression soon softened into smug approval at Yuna's snark though, but soon decided that avoiding more confrontation was the best possible solution.

For a moment Sundae stood unsettlingly frozen, eye twitching just a bit, before giving in and throwing her satchel over to Yuna.

"You'll find everything you want in there."

"Please and thank you, ma'am," Cookie smiled.

Narrowing her eyes, Sundae slowly backed out of the door.

"I think some snow might help," the Chancellor commented. "Aegis, can you please go get some?"

[Torsiedelle]

"A fireball, huh?", Torii chuckled. He wasn't wrong about that. "I've always been that way. I, uh, I guess I'm just a really whiney person."

God, she was an idiot. "Look, Drova, I'm not the kind of person who you want to be with.", She said. " I mean, you see how I can get all emotional, and, well, that's not going away.", She admitted. "And I always screw up. I can try to be the good girl, or to act maturely, but I just get too angry, or too upset for that. I'm too passive, and...well, you just know how I can be."

[Swith Witherward]

Willow and Rache

Rache took Willow's advice to heart. The pony was right. Rache tended to assume all ponies were sweet and kindly based on charm alone. Candy coloration and chipper voices aside, they had already displayed brutality by carrying out lynchings. He was about to inquire more about the odd pronouns when the door opened and Star Catcher returned with her companions.

Cloud Duster was... different. Weird, weird pony is weird, Rache rumbled to himself, yes you are, you little cute thing - you remind of the creepy shit Klaus invites for to parties. Rache bestowed a polite smile upon the pony, all the while wondering if their new host had somehow known that Artist and Daemon were from outside this time and place. Or perhaps he personally engaged in theoxeny for grins? It wasn't too foreign a concept. He hadn't, however, expected anypony in this land to refer to Greek hospitality.

Star Catcher's offering muted further thoughts on the Cloud Duster matter. Rache was humbled to discover basic armor and a scarf, and thanks Star Catcher for her generosity. He fumbled a bit as he put the armor on, but passed it off as soreness and strain from the battle, and listened in on conversation.

Poor Willow. Miss Grumpy Pants and Eager Pleasure didn't seem like an entertaining combination. Rache used his teeth to tug a small device from one of Hans' pockets before securing the breast plate.

"Almost forgot," he said through clenched teeth as he approached Willow and worked an old pin into the artist's shirt. "Lucky charm double lightening bolts!" The pin held tight to the material and Rache's head bobbed. At least now he'd be able to locate the pony in a pinch. He secured his scarf and left with the rest of the group.

His assigned team wasn't too difficult to spot. "Hello, I'm Grim Rache," he amicably introduced himself.

[The BranRiech]

Yuna stood there, with the bag hanging loosely around where she would approximate her wrist to be, if she still had arms. "Thanks." She gasped, her surprise genuine. She thought Sundae wasn't really going to be the charitable type Yuna had her pegged as, but nonetheless, she had a source of medical supplies. "Alright, so where did she get hit when she was thrown? I'm not familiar with . . . Well, I'm not familiar with a Pony's body-structure, but some techniques should still work, no matter what."

She set the bag down next to Sassy, and leaned in, gently poking her flank, prodding softly at her legs to see if any of them were broken, or out of their sockets. "Again, she'd be dead already if any of her ribs punctured organs, so I think we're fine in that regards. We can't perform surgery in these conditions, so her ribs will have to heal the old fashioned way if they're even broken."

"And yes, Aegis, please. Go grab us some snow, like, a lot of it." She pleaded, whisking her companion away, beckoning with a free hoof.

--

"That's the thing. I want someone like you, Torii."

Drova wavered slightly, stepping over the words like a performer stepping over hot coals. "I'm sick and tired of all the pampered and prissy noble-girls back home, the ones my parents would try to court me with. All they ever did was sit around in stuffy-ass dresses and sip tea." He muttered, still itching idly at one of his wings, a black feather falling to the floor in the hallway, still in view of FUBAR for just a second more. It was the only evidence left behind that the teens had come down that way.

"You're interesting. You've done something with your life." He sighed.

Turning the corner, he looked over towards the teen's clubhouse once they were in the lobby. "We can go there, if you like." He nodded, indeed, already shuffling towards it.

[Cerillium]

Hush, child
The darkness will rise from the deep
And carry you down into sleep
Child, the darkness will rise from the deep
And carry you down into sleep

“Marcus… Marcus?”

The Dust Bunny hovers over me, yellow glass eyes and strangely human teeth filling my vision. It’s hideous. Why the fuck did Naomi makes these things? My eyes are drawn to the key suspended by a chain around its neck. It looks so familiar to me.

Swinging keys. I remember the whole set jostling against my father’s thigh. Keys to all sorts of places. Some grim, some pleasant. But I remember them most because they remind me of the day my father put aside his shit to be there for me.

Snow blankets the Vaffelhelm landscape. I cross the schoolyard, feet hopping through drifts as I chased my father’s massive shadow. I catch up with it at the gate, and fall in step with the old cyborg once we reach the sidewalk. The keys at his hip jostle.

"Well done," my father breaks the silence between us. His hand claps my back affectionately, soft enough to not hurt my small body, and his voice radiates with pride.

I snort in response. “They don’t have the same classes. I’ll fall behind on my studies,” a leg sweeps out to kick a patch of snow. “Their technology is primitive. Their entrance exam, too easy.”

My father chuckles. "Come now, Marcus, where's your sense of adventure? Pretend this is a colony. You will attend daily; I will instruct advanced subjects each night. This would still equate to less hours than you're accustomed to."

"I suppose." I cast my mind about for something positive to say. I don’t want to admit that the thought thrills me. "I like the uniforms."

My father laughs again and walks up the building's front steps to open the door for me, and the keys glint in the winter sunlight. "We'll go downstairs and plan out a course schedule for at home. Consider it part of the adventure."

The Dust Bunny laughs. It’s a creepy sound that chills my bones. “Part of the adventure! He walked you to school every morning. You and Rachelle. Off you’d go, and then he’d disappear. That lab. That lab out of Time. He worked a week solid in that hammerspace, never a moment to sleep, and emerge to walk you home again.”

But not always. Not always! Auntie Charumati walked me, too. We had snowball fights. And I played with Superbia when he was a baby. We’d run and run and laugh and pound the fuck out of each other. I remember…

“You remember the oddest things, Marcus. Why is that?” the creature leers at me.

I don’t know the answer. There are all sorts of jumbled things in my mind, the byproduct of constant time travel and displacement. I wish the Dust Bunny would go away. I have a sinking feeling shit’s about to get real.

The Dust Bunny exposes more of its creepy teeth. “The chair by the fire was so comfy. They thought you were asleep. Adults are stupid like that. They don’t realize we’re there, and that we pay attention.”

What?

"C'mere, Charumati." The couch springs groan as the old cyborg settles onto the couch beside the avatar. I hear the keys clatter and then go mute under his bulk. The adults’ murmurs nearly soothe me back to sleep yet my ears perk up as the discussion turns to that forbidden topic: my father’s past.

"… My greed was my downfall. Not you. You gave me more than my god could give, too. You weren't the one to strip everything away. That was Malice, and that was It. If I recollect right, you fought to save Marcus. You also gave him back to me this month. I don't harbor any resentment or animosity towards you anymore..."

“Tsk. Such lies. Guileless son, your spirit should hate her-”

Yeah, the avatar who turned my father into a traitor –

“- and you will expose her puppeteer behavior. You are the proof of how she betrayed his loyalty. Do you remember that day with Malice?” the Dust Bunny’s ears flick at it lords information over me.

I don’t. Most of my memories suck. The ones from the Building are the only ones I need. I remember my Eldritch mongoose, and the fish that always died because I overfed them. I remember board games, and Rachelle’s garden. I remember Giovenith. I remember the doppelganger, and eating snow when Naomi pushed me into the drift. Naomi saved me that day. Not Charumati. Eva spoke her first words that day, too. She said them to Naomi. “Please... Please wake up... don't leave me…” I know that pain. I understand the fear of abandonment.

“Yes, you do understand. Shame on you,” the Dust Bunny frowns, “forgetting that day! Have you really lied to yourself all these years?”

Fuck you, Dust Bunny. Fuck your damn eyes and teeth. Go the fuck-

“DON’T DO THIS, MAMA NES! DON’T YOU FUCKING DO THIS!”

Stop it! Fuck this pain! I don’t want to remember this. I won’t remember this. I want that part of my life to go away. All of it. ALL OF THE BULLSHIT, do you understand? My mother died. My father caused it. That stupid lizard was the closest thing I had to a parent until she fucked up and Naomi came along. Fucking stupid lizard, blowing her fucking brains out.

She was singing! The tune warbling though the fog struck home. Home! Not this fucked up dimension, or even Bielefeld. Home was the Daemon world: the depressing workshops and factories that comprised my father’s headquarters, where not even the innocent couldn’t escape his cruel hands, and Grace Slick’s “White Rabbit” unremittingly echoed down every last corridor to drown out his victims’ screams. But this wasn't something she was supposed to remember. My father erased all that.

“Just like your own memories were taken. The rest, you buried. You buried me. The lullaby, Guileless Son. You won't understand the cause of your grief but you'll always follow the voices beneath-“

NO! Enough. I'm not going to put up with cruelty. I've had enough for one lifetime. That fucking lizard left me! She fucking abandoned me for no reason!

“Loyalty! What is its measure, Marcus?” the Dust Bunny glares, “You answer me!”

Tears well. There is loyalty. There is betrayal. And there is misplaced trust and manipulation of faith. But the key around the Dust Bunny’s neck glints in the weak light, and I lose focus. I hate it. Why did Naomi have to use keys?

Wrath boils deep within the ugly doll. “Because she discovered the truth. She did it after Charumati died. I’m not the gift, you ass. I’m the keeper! TAKE IT!”

Fear grips me.

“TAKE IT, YOU BASTARD!”

My hand latches onto the device suspended from the Dust Bunny’s neck. I rip it away, and it rips my mind asunder.

[Giovenith]

Rache and Willow

It was good thing Willow still didn't know what the Nazis were, or this pin might have been pretty awkward to take on. He didn't though, assuming instead that it was just amusing coincidence that Rache had a pin with lightning symbols on it and chose it specifically because of their unique circumstances. He thanked the daemon before the two parted ways, off to do their own respective parts in finding their friends and securing the future.

Outside, the team consisted of a mere five ponies total, but it would be enough for the basic task.

"It's an honor, Grim Rache," greeted a mare. "I am Lieutenant Aurora Mist, you've met my associate Star Catcher. We'll show you around the basic territory divides, and you'll be leading the way most of the time, we'll mostly only intervene when it becomes a matter of safety or explaining the unknown. Follow."

So they lead him outside of the city and into the storm, guiding him into the outer limits and pointing out the forests below and the mountains beyond.

"While the deepest hearts of the mountains hold the ghoulings, the closer areas do provide some resources for us," Lieutenant Aurora Mist explained. "The forests directly below fall under our territory, but there's very little keeping the mud-dwellers from crossing into them, we've never been that possessive of the land."


Find friends, don't mess up the future. Find friends, don't mess up the future. Find friends, don't mess up the future.

Willow repeated that mantra to himself over and over as the three of ponies went through the streets on their way to the museum, doing their best to try and duck behind places that kept off the wind as much as possible. He doubted he would be forgetting his little mission anytime soon, but he'd read enough pennydreadfuls to know about all the crazy shit that could go down if he messed up time travel, so he more than a little on edge about the whole thing. The best possible scenario he could hope for was that all the antiques were at the museum and that Rache would totally find everyone on his search, but knowing that was unrealistically idealistic, he did his best to try and brainstorm other plans on the way there.

Pansy, meanwhile, was doing some mental push-ups herself, mainly surrounding her tempered frustration at Willow's... well, existence. She lagged behind in the group, with Cloud Duster taking the far lead and Willow in their protective middle, and she made no secret of her scrutinizing looks, apparently not as concerned as others about being chipper towards him all because Rache defeated the ghouling parents. Why was anypony else? She didn't think it terribly unrealistic to be more than a little inquisitive about where these two had come from, pegasi or not.

"Why don't you and your companion live in Cynisca, Willow?" she finally asked over the wind, frowning.

Think fast, Willow urged himself. He remembered what Rache had told the original soldier, Celestia rest his soul, and tried to expand on it. "Our family is, well basically, we're like, lifetime travelers. For the city." It was more difficult than he thought, mainly because Willow didn't know much more about ancient pegasus society than the average Middle Schooler knew about ancient Greek society: tid-bits, basics, and trivia, but ultimately nothing that would actually help him have a natural understand the day-to-day functions of the ponies themselves.

"What is a, 'lifetime traveler'? I've never heard of that." Pansy crinkled her snout in skepticism.

Being an ultimate skeptic himself, Willow didn't blame her for her questioning, and did his best to put himself in her shoes and think ahead. "It's sort of an outdated aspect of society, but my family still does it because we're all about tradition. Basically we travel abroad for educational purposes on behalf of the city, to know about what's beyond."

"You do a pretty poor job, because I've never been taught anything about abroad in agoge."

Ouch.

"Well that's why I said it was outdated," Willow quickly defended. "Nopony really uses the things we learn anymore, but we do it anyway. Like I told Star Catcher-"

"Lieutenant. Don't be casual."

"Well, yeah, like I told Lieutenant, it's complicated."

Pansy wasn't having none of that shit, and Willow did his best to hide his growing panic, not feeling he was equipped to handle interrogation she was giving him. Something could slip, and then he might ruin time like Rache warned about! He begged her in his own mind to stop for her own sake, but she just kept going.

"I still don't think any of that explains why you got to skip out on the agoge," Pansy said. "You're a colt. They never let colts skip out, and they always get upset if not enough fillies join."

"Who does?"

"The Cabinet."

Oh jeeze... "I was too far away to start, and this is the first time I've been back in the city, so I can't really start now either..."

"I can't believe that-"

"Why isn't that a good enough explanation for you?" Cloud Duster asked from behind Pansy.

Pansy gasped, understandably startled, and backed up quickly next to Willow. She looked ahead where the other Private had been and back to where he was now, confused as to how the young stallion had had the time or opportunity to double back around the other two ponies without either of them noticing. "How did you-"

"Pansy, if there's one thing that's been made clear, it's that Willow Streaks is not an average pony," Cloud Duster said, looking between the two. "And it stands to be expected that non-average ponies would have non-average backgrounds to them. It's not his fault. Just because it seems strange to us doesn't mean it's wrong, there are just some things we're not in any position to be understanding."

That was... actually a very good defense. Not perfect, but it did it's job. The artist rubbed the back of his head at the unexpectedness of it all, but decided the best thing to do was to jump right on Cloud Duster's defense and cling to it for dear life. "Yeah, yeah, he's right. I know it's really weird Pansy, I don't deny that, but... it is what it is."

The female Private looked between the two, feeling cornered but unsatisfied. "But..."

"Whatever he is, it saved your life," Cloud Duster reminded.

That effectively shut Pansy up. Yes, yes social norms would demand that no matter where you were, what did anypony have to interrogate and dissect the explanations of somepony who did you the ultimate favor? Willow felt a little guilty, he didn't want to hold something like that over anypony's head - you were obligated to somepony's life if you had any ability to, even if your future existence didn't depend on them, it was just how things work. But he had no choice but to go along with it anyway, it honestly was for the best.

"Oh, here's the museum!" Cloud Duster suddenly broke the tension, cheerfully pointing up ahead. "Come on, I have a key!"

[Cerillium]

Building

Giovenith took the long and detailed walk in with buggish eyes, obviously impressed by all the scenery but still too worried to give it much awe. Her hands twisted at the hem of her sweater-dress, and she felt meek in the presence of the machine people. She'd been willing to introduce Marcus to her own family (just never had the opportunity), but had largely respected his own desire to keep his time with her and his home life separate. He'd opened up a little here and there, such as when he'd snuck her into the singing ceremony, but had vaguely conveyed that he considered his time with her and the other teens as something of a break from this side of him.

She carefully sat down in the unfamiliar seat and kept quiet, figuring it would be best to let the adults around her lead her through the issue. Their presence made her feel a little hopeful - when it came to Marcus' unique health and upkeeping, they'd know better than anyone how to care for him in trouble, right?

Ocho considered the tiny female seated across from him. So this was a god? A real one, that is, unlike the annoying Chaos avatars. She should have more arms. Feh. He wouldn't hold it against her. Her presence meant that word had spread through the Building's emerging-adult pack and, judging from the wrinkled hem of her sweater-dress, she was probably the most distraught of the lot.

"I'll fetch coffee," it was as good an excuse as he could muster. She was kin through the lad. He was only present because, barring the old cyborg, he was the most knowledgeable regarding the constructs. The thade rose and loped from the pavilion. A massive hand lifted to latch onto the exo's ear. He delivered a playful shake to her head, drawing a snort from the creature. "Eh, Buttons, give them some space. Be a good girl and see if you can spot anything from the Entrance."

The war machine rolled to her feet. He kept an eye on her as she waded through the garden towards the tunnel. Then, with a polite nod to abbot and godling, he departed for the kitchen. Amara flanked him, though her destination was the maintenance hallway.

Adrastus reclaimed his seat. His hands folded in his lap as he, too, paused to regard the godling. Fatigue deepened the lines of his face, and the garden's bioluminescence accented his pallid complexion. Here was a man who should be enjoying his golden centuries in some cozy monastery rather than scrambling to adapt to Demens' insanity and Fate's twists.

"I owe you an apology for not sending someone to fetch you," he sighed. "My guess is that you heard the news from Myra? Nice girl but somewhat of a flutter-head. The good news, Miss Giovenith, is that Marcus is not dead, though by all rights he should be. We haven't figured that one out yet. I'm hoping Brother Usseio can clarify once he returns. He is, however, in critical condition."

He rubbed his tired eyes then wiped his hand down his face to cup his chin. "You can see him once he's finished with decontamination. But, while we wait, I wonder if you could perhaps indulge me. How much do you know about Marcus. About his past, that is. I'm aware that he was part of the Residents when he was a small child. Has he ever mentioned anything about his time away from Bielefeld? His childhood or travels?"

[Giovenith]

Building

Sometimes you didn't realize how heavy you were feeling until it was finally all taken off, as Giovenith just now realized. Not dead. Fate still had some semblance of mercy left, and though it still pained her that he was hurt somewhere, she knew at least that he was not lost. Still she felt small though,

"Not much," she admitted, somewhat regretfully. "I only saw him a few times when he was a little child, maybe twice, and then I only knew him as a teen. I once asked him to tell me about himself, and he said he would later someday, but we never got around to it..."

She felt like a bad girlfriend. Poor Marcus knew about her fears, he'd talked her through them and released her from them with a guarantee of a shared future, but she was largely in the dark about him. To be fair, he never seemed to like being pressed (she recalled his shivering during dinner with the Belas), but for all their good times, it seemed that the important things suffered because of bad time. She blamed herself, thinking she could have done something.

[Primordial Luxa]

Soon to be Equestria
Aegis gave a blank faced looked at Sunday Surprise as he tried to conceal his contempt. He tried instead to focus on the other things, namely the injured ponies and helping Yuna gather the materials for a splint. He was become more accustomed to his body and began testing out his appendages and nervous system by walking around the room and inspecting various different objects and people, trying to appear inquisitive but not suspicious.

Aegis snapped to attention when the Chancellor demand it however and quickly bowed, not sure how much the average pony should show to their elected officials before running outside. He tried not to wander too far but looked for a large clump of fresh untrodden snow which he placed on his back before returning inside and looking for a place to set it down.

[Tiltjuice]

Brit and Chrys

*snip*

Chrys tapped a brief, nervous rhythm on the floor. Eternal darkness and hellish inferno both sounded uncomfortably familiar, and she wondered what, if anything, was really behind this...unusual chill. She'd backed away instinctively, but came forward again to accept the chalk from Clover, hoping the other unicorn hadn't noticed her lapse as she snagged it out of the air.

"Not to worry," she attempted to cover her blunder up with characteristic bravado, "providing safety is our specialty."

---

MB eyed the bickering pair. Following them had been a bit of a trial as they'd stopped, and then started walking again away from the animated buffet and his cannon, and then stopped again, and now Wingnuts had begun to wander off again. His ears flickered, hoping to draw attention to his position on the corner, half around on Drova's side and half facing Torii.

Then again...subtlety? What was that? Definitely nothing for magical rabbits...especially hungry ones! Wallclimbing was strenuous exercise, after all, and he just wanted to eat now.

A series of red and blue pulses like a noiseless flashbang grenade blazed through the area, lighting up half the floor.

You. Wing...ed person. And Communist funnygirl. I go to eat. You two mate and get it over with. Before I come back, and then we all wait for friendly whitehair.

Honestly, he thought as he disappeared and reappeared in the communal dining room, the regular humans were strange. The snake time people at least had their heads on straight about mating. Where had the red-haired one gone? Maybe putting her and Wingnuts next to each other at every possible opportunity was The Thing To Do.

But first, she had to be found...

[Monfrox]

"I mean I didn't plan on it, promise. I know about those kind of...ponies. Love gossip and to judge." She nodded. "So story time? I can dig that."

Brit put her hoof over Chrys for a second, giving her a reassuring smile, before taking a seat. She also took the rag and smeared off the make up, which didn't work as well as she wanted it too.

"How do I look?" She asked her partner-in-crime.

[The Carlisle]

Kale watched at her friend Gio was escorted into the room. She hoped for the best. But she was still frustrated by not being allowed in. The damn drone, preventing them from entering. Its not fair, they were Marcus's friends. Still pissed off from everything, Kale walked off.

She wandered the halls a bit before ending back in the lobby. Out of the corners of her eyes she spotted Torii and Drova. She sighed, that situation still fresh. Though, it didn't seem as volatile as before. Have Torii and Drova talked over it? It was quite fast to get over. She didn't want to intrude, but she needed to talk to Torii. Plus, she didn't have anything better to do. So Kale walked over, waving her hand at the two. "Hello," she said, her voice still showing she was not very calm, "May I join you two?"

[Mincaldenteans]

Dining Room

Sandy hadn't been responsive, it was as though the man was deep in his own thoughts, maybe despair by the looks of it. Something had happened, something only he noticed which begged the question exactly what it was. He was lively only a minute ago, his support had invigorated Anais to urge the baron to take a different approach. The arcane master was receptive, but it didn't settle her misgivings, nor did it live up to Sandy's questions. Now, as the sorcerer sat there in a frazzled state, Anais decided it was time to excuse themselves. Perhaps a change in venue and company would be best, maybe Sandy needed people he knew around him to speak freely. Maybe not at all, but she couldn't let him wallow or succumb to the grief that had struck him.

The ritualist got up, taking Sandy's hand in one and a comforting hand around his shoulder. This was more Alexia's department whose empathy being a monk lend itself to being a bit more on the maternal, softer, side that Anais had never truly mastered. She felt awkward being so close to Sandy, and brazen to assume it was okay. No matter her polite words and cautious approach, emotions were not her strong suit.

Not about you, she chastised herself and glanced toward the baron and pony. "Gentlemen, please forgive our departure, but we conclude the night. We should pick this up again tomorrow if you're available, baron, there is much work to be done. Sterling," she cracked a genuine smile, however small, "it was a pleasure to meet you. I would ask you assist with the baron in his efforts. Both of you are more then welcome to the guild hall at any time: Apartment 8A. Good night gentlemen."

With that she had walked with Sandy back to the elevator. He had not said much, nor had any of his answers proved enlightening to her, only raised more questions to which she stopped prodding at for now. The ritualist couldn't recall what apartment he was in, and so she took him to the guild hall. If anything the silence and peaceful solitude of the library strewn with tomes, scrolls and books would hopefully break him off his state. Or maybe the courtyard, where the fountain's stream and the mix of stone and nature would ease his burden.

"I believe you'd be the second one in the guild hall, Sandy," Anais said sincerely, "I just wish it was under better circumstances."

[New Aksarben]

Dining Room

Sterling waved goodbye to the departing duo, hoping that Sandy would prove to be okay. Sterling had been left worrying, hoping they weren't under attack or something to that effect. He had hoped for a nice, peaceful first day back, and he'd already gotten in the middle of a slightly antagonistic debate! At least he was still in one piece, and breathing. The pony worriedly looked over to the Baron, and smiled as bright as he could.

"For future reference, I'd be happy to help. I'm quite useful at organizing events after all. When tomorrow might you be thinking of, or this week? I don't have anything planned the next few days besides getting reacquainted with people I know when they become available."

On the subject of people he knew, it was strange that willow hadn't been here. if nothing else Gio would have brought the artist so he could be social. Or maybe he'd somehow gone home when he did? Nah, that was too far fetched of a thought, Willow returning to Equestria at the same time he arrived here. EVen a place that made as little sense as the building wouldn't have let such a strange thing happen, would it?

"But anyway, Yeah, what are you thinking for this conclave? Never been part of one before, myself. Have you?"

[Giovenith]

Yuna and Aegis

"Stop!"

It was called before Aegis could go back inside. Sundae, small as she was, had planted herself firmly in the snow to glare at Aegis. She was a bit like a chihuahua - stuffed up with mistrust, anger, and hate, but also clearly aware of her relative puny, frail state and always on edge because of it. Even her glare had a tense hesitation, lips sucked in and cheeks puffed out like a child trying to look "serious" to a grown up they were cross with.

"You may have fooled Smart Cookie, but you don't fool me!" she insisted, emphasizing the point with a little hop. She almost tripped over herself, but stayed right up. "You need to leave! The Mother Earth hates you!" The young mare pointed accusingly. "Nopony here knows their place anymore! There is too much tolerance for... for... no-goods like you!"

Sundae attempted to make a point by throwing a small snowball at Aegis, but threw short and missed him.

Didn't stop her from ranting. "You're to make 'em sin even more! But I won't let you! This is my home! I'm going to protect everypony, just you wait and see! I'm strong!" She attempted to stand tall to prove this fact, effect ruined by her tattered dress and the drooping of her hair ribbon in her face.

Brit and Chrys

"Oh, they're not all completely bad," Clover reassured. "I think when push comes to shove, most of them come through, if only in their own way."

She then motioned for the two dimension travelers to back up and give her space, as her horn began to light up and seem to build up energy. Shooting a beam at the floor, the aura burst out and took form into a magical hologram which rose above the three, and illustrated a full outside view of the city as Clover the Clever began her tale.

"Part of the benefits of Caer Gloriana being set in the mountains is that beneath the city, there are endless natural precious resources for us to mine and use as we wish," she explained. "Mining is one of the very few manual labors we perform here. As such, the tunnel systems below are complex and full of wonders..."

The hologram shifted, zooming in on itself until it went past the rock layers of the outside mountains, lighting up in more diagram-efficient colors to illustrate thousands upon thousands of zig-zagging lines. One corner, towards the deepest level of the underground, was highlighted with a flashing red dot.

"... but also full of danger if ponies are not careful. There," Clover pointed to the red dot with her hoof. "Is where one such poor incident occurred. It is remembered today as, The Tragedy of Somber Caverns. A long time ago, a routine expedition to gather crystals from the area ended in panic when a rock slide trapped the mining unicorns within the caverns. It did not kill any of them, but it did trap them. Attempts were made at rescue, but the rock was too thick to dig or wink through, and despite the most well-meaning ponies' efforts, outsiders could only panic and mourn as they knew that those trapped within would have to starve to death in the darkness. It was a large expedition, and it is estimated that around a hundred unicorns died slowly in the tragedy. It wasn't until 50 years later that the caverns were finally able to be opened, by none other than my mentor and I..."

Again the hologram zoomed in, this time on the red dot, and morphed to display a series of geometric shapes.

"Starswirl the Bearded and I came up with a strategy by which to bypass the now aged rock, and figured that it would be a good public service to finally open it up and allow for a memorial of some kind to take place. We did not expect to find more there."

One of the geometric shapes in the hologram was singled out, it's cavernous background and fellow shapes fading to give it the spotlight. It slowly gained coloration, a shining ebony black, and began to turn slowly on display.

"When we opened up Somber Caverns, we did not find any bodies, but we did find that the abundant crystal collection down there had gone from their normal translucent state into opaque black. At first we thought this could possibly have been a result of some new minerals being introduced, or perhaps a never before seen side effect of darkness on precious stone, until we chipped away and investigated them further."

The crystal hologram suddenly exploded into red flames, washing the ponies and the library around them in dark, blinding, crimson light.

"The crystals contained in Somber Caverns has some of the most twisted, yet powerful, magic we have ever encountered," Clover's tone took on a chill, her ears flattening beneath her hood. "We've theorized that the energy and magic from the trapped ponies' suffering was somehow absorbed by them, and that the magic itself "fermented" over time, as it were, leading to it's extreme state now. We still have no idea what might happen if it were ever harnessed, but we know it can't be good. Starswirl and I sealed up the caverns again with our own artificial gate, the opening spell to which only he knows, and decided that we would keep this a secret from everypony until we could investigate further and properly approach this new phenomena from a safe angle. We were so close to getting started on our research, but my mentor was soon pulled away by the Princess's father, our King Bullion, on routine leave of the country for official matters. He put me in charge of magical affairs while he was away, but during their leave this blizzard suddenly came in, and we fear that it has blocked our king and my mentor from re-entering the country..."

At last the hologram shrunk down and dissipated, returning the room to it's natural lighting.

"The problem is, I believe that somepony else has found out about the caverns, and had developed plans for their power that do not bode well for us." Clover narrowed her eyes.

[Torsiedelle]

Torii nodded, wanting to go in. The safety of their clubhouse was what she needed at the moment. "Sure, let's go, I guess.", She said.

MB's display distracted her enough to make her smile. That was important. She felt a little better when Kale caught up. "Yeah, you can come, I guess.", She said. "We can hang and just...talk. We can talk while Gio takes care of everything."

[The BranRiech]

"It's shitty, yeah." Drova shook his head, shimmying his way into the Teen's clubhouse, where constant memories had been shared between them all, both good and bad. MB's sudden intrusion made his cheeks go red though, and he pulled his hand up to cover his cheeks. "Ah, Gods, get out of here, you rodent." Drova hissed at the Rabbit, who seemed to have an agenda all his own as he shot off to find someone.

Kale seemingly wanted to join them as well, which somewhat caused the Prince to groan internally. What had begun as a chance to find a private place to talk with Torii, seemed to be fast-becoming a little waiting-fest for Gio, as she went to find out the fate of Marcus.

"Look, Torii. If you're not attracted to me, then just tell me, and we can move on and be friends." He suddenly said, once the small trio of younger residents were safely inside. "We're going to get the marriage annulled either way, but where you want to go from here is up to you. I'm a Prince, but I can't force people to love me." He said, the words provoking a slight chuckle even. "In fact, I don't think I'm very charming myself."

He slumped back, draping his wings over the back of a chair, anger mostly expended. There wasn't any way he could be mad at his girlfriend of questionable status, at least not after telling her his piece of mind on the matter.

"Oh . . . And Kale. How're you? Today's kind of crappy, yeah?"

--

"For the God's sakes! Someone shut that yelling up." Yuna turned her head around, in the middle of crafting a pair of splints for Sassy's obviously broken legs. Sundae's shrill, annoying voice was distracting, if "Distracting" was the most polite way to say it. "And get me some snow, please!" She pointed again, to the door that Aegis seemed to be taking his sweet time returning to. She was unaware that of course, Sundae was the one blocking his progress.

She bent back down again, carefully wrapping Sassy's legs in the bindings, keeping them rather stiff, and unmovable in the event that she would try to walk again. "Uh, ribs . . . Right." She muttered to herself. "Okay. I can't do much for her there, but her legs should be fine."

Yuna's hoofed feet raised her legs back up to a standing position. "The snow is to keep the pain down, wrap it in some cloth, and set it on her sides, and around where her legs are fractured. She shouldn't walk for a few weeks, and it will be painful, but she'll survive, okay?"

[Monfrox]

"Arrow..."

Brit tried a shot at answering Clover's theory to see if they were on the same page. She looked at the map as it went through like briefings and other such things she had gotten from both video games and her real life experience.

"Maybe they think that they can harness the magic and use it as a weapon against the other tribes, and take over to end the blizzard while perhaps enslaving the rest of them? That's something I'd expect. But still, no bodies? Not even skeletons? That does not make me happy. Tales from my home tell of a creature, a horrible monster called the Wendigo, that roams the forests and wildlands. It is said that the creature came about from the taboo practice of cannibalism. Whether by accident, or on purpose, those who consume the flesh of their own are twisted and corrupted into savage beasts concerned with only one thing: Feeding. Legends say they can never sate their desires for the flesh of their own and they continue to look for victims. I'm just saying, I hope that we don't find anything like that down there. Is there anything else we need to know?"

[Primordial Luxa]

Aegis
Aegis looked the small horse up and down with a casual glance. She was small for normal pny standards and his human size had translated well into a quite robust stallion body. An image of incredibly depraved ultraviolence flashed through his mind regarding the small mare and how he felt he could easily trample her, but he suppressed the thought. Instead he walked forward with a confidence that signalled he would knock her out of the way if she failed to move.

All the while he explained “You are currently barring me from offering simple medical aid and relief from pain to one of your fellow citizens. If you want to protect your people then perhaps you shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth and stop them for assisting your wounded.” He had to suppress a smile at the pun but felt that a simple statement of fact was the most useful in this situation. If she didn’t move past he shoved her out of the way, not willing to let hurt feelings and niceties get in the way of healthcare.

[New Aksarben]

Indeed, Oumech did sense sorrow and panick from the young woman. He didn't know what the situation was, but he was courtious enough to step out of the way. He wasn't there to cause any trouble, yet.

Why was the other fellow staring? Well, he had a good idea, as he casually moved into the general area. He wouldn't outright say anything, just observe. No use in starting anything in a crowded area.

Maghrl hopped off of his seat, his robes swishing around his form and being forced back and open. The Sith(or close enough to one) would definitely recognize the alien's attire beneath, the light brown tunic of a jedi knight. Though it seemed quite modified, belts with pouches hanging from them draped across the slight form of the purple furred alien, and extra pockets sown into random places. Upon noticing his wardrobe's movement, the squib huffed and simply dropped his robe to collect it later. The fabric fell with a 'fwump', and the squib looked up at the cyborg who had just entered. Soon enough the squib had strode across the room to confront him, relatively sure on the force users alignment(partly from appearance, partly how his presence in the force felt)

"You, Robo-Human. You Sither?" Maghrl opened with, an accusing glare on his face and mouth twisted into a slight scowl. "No cause problem here. Maghrl know Sithkind. Destructive-damaging-corruptivelike." The small jedi wasn't the most intimidating being, given not only his short stature, but slightly cuddly appearance, though he was definitely trying to be right now.