/vx/ - Videogames and Paranormal

>>132033
"I assume so, yes."

>>132033
That would be a parlor I think

Amber smiles eagerly when she hears that. "May I see?"

>>132036
"Sure! It's right through here" she says

Yes

>>132035
"Well... there you go"

>>132037
Silver nods.

"I figured we would get permission from you, first. We are not here to rob you, after all."

>>132037
Amber proceeds to where the "maid" tells her to go.

>>132038
"You may as well take it. What else do you want?"

>>132039
The guide takes her through a hardwood door frame nearer the end of the room that enters into a hallway with a clock on the side, a statue that seems to be a smaller model of the statue to victory in the Canterlot gardens. They pass along a very long rug covered in purple and orange dyes with designs of unicorns and other creatures, towards an open door at the end of the hall. Through open doorways, Amber can see what must be grand living rooms, a hall leading to some other stairway, and the edges of a dining table. At last, at the end of the hallway, they enter through a doorway that opens to what must be a room taking up much, perhaps all, of the smaller rectangle that attaches to the side of the main rectangular structure of the building. There are grand book shelves, small moving ladders, and a table or two beneath the high ceiling of the room

>>132041
Session tomorrow, perhaps?

Amber is glad she wiped her hooves before she entered the house, and as she follows she glances at all these varied rooms.
When they reach the doorway to the library, however, she stands in place with her mouth hanging loosely. After a few seconds she looks back to her guide as if for confirmation this is real.

>>132042
It seems to be, at least. The ceiling seems to the roof level, or near enough to it. Though there are no skylights, there are large paneled windows extending up perhaps 18 feet, and grand bookshelves, with even a second level on each end. Amber can't read the book binds at this distance, but she can see brown leather binds, green cloth binds, tan colors, white, yellow, and red. Some binds are used and bent, some brand new. Some books are small, and some are massive. It's not as big as the public library in the town center, but it is as big as a wing of the same, and there is more decoration on the ceiling and wood paneling.

More windows in the walls than in pic related

>>132041
"Well, there is one thing if you would be willing to obilge me before we part. I would like to hear your story. Why you got into Navy, how you became smuggler...what events made you into you?"

>>132043
What will the wolves do next I wonder?

Ponies are?

>>132051
Ponies indeed are

>>132053
I wonder when I will see best pony again?

>>132090
>>132091
Hmm.... I should get to you little ponies soon, shouldn't I?

>>132092
Maybe

>>132092
I might be free late tomorrow.

>>131989
"Knowledge of the forests, as they may be useful to hide from Changelings."

>>132103
[1d3 = 3]

Makade replies
"How could they provide us, exactly? We need ammunition, mortars, medicine, or best of all peace with the Doubles."

>>132104
"They can provide all but the last one. That last one is up to me and my friends. Wars don't end overnight. It will take some time. I think you will find the supplies worth it in the meanwhile."

>>132105
He pauses for a moment. An ear twitches, and he lowers his head

"It's worth considering... But I am still not sure I trust you, or ponies generally for that matter. I need to get back to patrol."

[1d3 = 3]

>>132106
"I think you will find ponies more trustworthy than changelings, and a better source of supplies for that matter."
Spark follows.

>>132107
Waabashki says,
"I think I need to go back to Miskobag for lessons. I do not think he will be able to teach me much longer."

>>132108
Spark turns around.
"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. Will he want to be alone, or may I come listen in?"

>>132109
"It is with me. For now, probably not. Mediwin rites are secret."

>>132110
"Alright. I wish him well."

>>132111
"Perhaps if you earn his trust - our trust - he may teach you something. The rights of the mediwin are secret even to the Ma'iingan... but he may be willing to teach you something yet"

>>132112
"How did the first ponies here earn their trust?"

>>132113
"For the mediwin? That has never happened. But few wolves become mediwin. Trust for Harmony.... There have been many ponies through this land, and for a long time. Travellers, adventurers, merchants, outdoors ponies... According to legend there was even a great pony sorcerer who used magic to control the lands, and invaded ours with his troops. It was brutal, until he retreated and was sucked into his own creation. All of this before my time. But I do remember an occasion when I was younger. Not that many years ago..."

>>132121
"An occasion?"

Ponies?

>>132130
Poni

>>132130
It will be a while before I can get back to playing, but I hope we can continue.

>>132136
And I hope there will be wolves and ponies.

Good news! I managed to get Hearts of Iron 4 and by extension EaW working by changing the permissions of my folders. It runs better than expected though of course not superbly.

The weather system is borked though. In the afternoon on the 1st of January it's 23ºC in Baltimare. For reference it's basically the weather of Cuba. I know this is not intentional because going one province from Hayseed Swamps to Lesie is a drop of 15 degrees, and it's similar along the "border" of southeast Equestria. I know you're not a climate expert but I hope you have a better headcanon.

Autism incoming:
Equestria is absolutely colossal, not really the equivalent of the U.S.A. but rather all of North America combined. Even if the diarchy is somewhat minarchist other than with army and navy, how is this all coordinated with so many different cultures? At least Russia has most of its population concentrated in the West. I'm guessing that Equestria would have a great deal of autonomy for geographical sections and smaller provinces, but I'm sad this doesn't seem to be explored, and politics is more like classic enlightened despotism.

>>132140
Okay, so this is something I've put a decent bit of autism into.

I did a test of the size of Equestria using the speed of naval vessels (since they maintain a consistent speed) from Village Up North to the Spa Islands, and from the Spa Islands to Trotsas. I got dimensions of equestria that I cannot precisely remember, but I think it was something around nearly exactly 1000 miles wide and ~1700 miles North to South, for a land area of about 1.7 million miles for all of Equestria, Stalliongrad, and the Crystal Empire put together. I did another test using the range of aircraft (assuming that "range" listed is twice the radius of the circle appearing on the map because the planes have to make a return trip on the same fuel), and it came out to about the same numbers. Of course any test using land units gives a much higher estimate for the size of Equestria. Either it's because the land units have a much less consistent speed, or the size of the land area actually is vastly greater than the size of the naval and/or air map. I will admit that tests using land units give pretty much the estimate you give. If the 1.7 million square mile area is acccurate, then there's a population of 80 million ponies living in an area just over half the size of the continental US. The population of the US in 1940 was 120 million, so that would mean a higher population density than the US at that time. Of course if the actual size of Equestria is greater than all of North America, that's a much lower population density.

As for climate, I'm a bit less apologetic about that one. Looking at a map of Equestria, there's a large section that is clearly modeled on the US eastern seaboard, and a section south of that that includes jungles modeled on those of Mexico, and desert-like "badlands." Baltimare is located immediately next to the Hayseed swamps (which seems to be based more or less on the Louisiana swamps), and not very far at all north of dense rain-forest. To be sure, it's slightly further north, and of course ocean circulation will alter the climate significantly in one direction or the other, but I see no reason at all to assume that Baltimare isn't a subtropical coastal city like Houston or Jacksonville. Maybe not Cuba climate levels, but it seems like a location that experiences no more than a week of temperatures below freezing a year, and probably even less than that.

As for cultures, autonomy, and politics, well, I know at least what I am operating with in Occupied Equestria. In this presentation of Equestria, Equestria was formerly a confederation of culturally distinct tribes that through a long and labored process of cultural assimilation because a single, unified, nation-state with one culture, a shared language and values. (Of course, Severyana, the Tenochtitlan Basin, the Crystal Empire, and Sonambula’s homeland never underwent this process completely). Equestria has gone from many distinct tribes that were historical enemies and only reigned in by the alicorns, into a single nation with a common identity that has inertia after the loss of the Alicorn sisters. Look to France, and perhaps Spain, for a historical example of a similar set of disparate cultures that were forged into a single cultural unit over time, mostly by means of a few strong willed political leaders.

I am not sure if this is what is actually going on in the cannon. Certainly when we see the Equestria of a thousand years ago in Hearths Warming Eve, and in the episodes featuring the Pillars of Equestria, it looks more diverse and multi-cultural than the Equestria of the episodes we see based in the present. To be sure, the Equestria of the present is somewhat diverse, in the same way the United States (minus immigrant populations) is diverse – we see Ponyville, Canterlot, Manehattan, and places like the Smoky Mountains in the Hooffields and McColts – but it’s not nearly as diverse as the Japanese, Scottish, Egyptian, Greek, and Louisianan milieu we see with the Pillars, or even the French, German, and Greek inspired cultural differences we see in Hearths Warming Eve. So maybe Equestria has become more culturally homogeneous over the years in cannon. Or maybe we’re just seeing wider and further away parts of Equestria for the first time in those episodes. I don’t know.

Regardless, I’m going with a historical progression from confederation of diverse tribes to a nation-state until the graces of an absolute(?) monarch for a simple thematic reason: the history of Equestria is a gestalt for both Particularist (Nationalist) and Universalist (Globalist) schools of morality to read into what they want to read into. For the Universalists, the principles of Harmony a morality above race, cultural and history that successfully caused diverse groups to come together in harmony as one people. The current situation is no different, in that perspective, than the situation in the first Hearths Warming, and all of the races may be unified under Harmony. Under a different perspective, the principles of Harmony are hardly above culture, they are a part of culture, sometimes forced upon an unwilling populous. Though the three tribes of ponies may have succeeded in uniting as one, they were all from related cultural groups, they were all ponies, the process took the better part of a millennium, and resulted in an extinction of languages and cultures that would be lamented if it took place in the present day. Equestria’s unification isn’t a refutation of the idea of the nation, but an example of how a single nation is made, and the only lesson history provides for the current situation is that Equestria’s ponies and cultural are worth preserving.

>>132140
Yay! More ponies that are playing EaW! Maybe we can all play one big game someday. They attempted to show that there is divide in the kingdom with Stalliongrad and if you trigger the civil war, several states are broken off that are typically rather independent or far enough away from the capital. But as far as the majority of the loyalty is concerned, the monarchs have the mane six to do PR friendship stunts, which stories of are spread across the kingdom to ensure loyalty. Then there are the different celebrations and games that take place in Equestria and the Crystal Empire. Perhaps not perfect answers, but I like to think it isn't completely unreasonable.
>>132141
Damn. I thought I knew this game well...

If you don't want to tell Maakie's story, that's okay. I'd rather play and not hear his story than not play and not hear his story.

>>132047
Maakie answers:

"You want to know my story? Now? After all of this." He seems to grimace. "Heh! Very well. I shall tell you. Whether it can replace the story you've made for me in your mind, that is for you to decide. I was born second son of a cobbler. Not an aristocrat, not landed money... but a cobbler. In the city there were griffins who walks around with ivory canes, top hats and finely tailored suits. They lived in grander homes and ran with better circles, while I was left in an apartment we shared with my uncle, and I wore the half wooden clogs my father made. At least until the alcohol hindered him in my adolescent years. Already, I knew that not every griffin who achieved power or wealth achieved it from luck. Some made their own. Skyfall was always an entrepot harbor, and the fall of the Empire just added a new layer of tariffs. Some griffs made fortunes by running through those.

Back then there was a mandatory military service for the Republic. I suppose there still is, but it was known to be quite easy to get out of. Those attending college, those who paid a fee, took a government job, or who apprenticed in a certain trade, for instance, never had to serve. But I did not have the money for college or for some deferment fee, and I did not care to follow in my father’s wooden clogs. Not that he was in much of a position to take an apprentice then anyways. No, I had a great grandfather who achieved distinction in the Imperial Navy. I wanted to follow him. So I joined the Republican Navy. Now, I did not want to stay holed up in harbor in grand, aging Imperial battleship. I knew where I wanted to be. I requested assignment with a frigate, and I was granted it. I spent years as an ensign chasing the wake of Hauklander corsairs. One night we disguised ourselves as a merchant ship, and a corsair vessel was foolish enough to approach. We boarded, and I fought in that battle. In that fight I distinguished myself, and not long after was made non-commissioned officer. A year passed, and another night we boarded a merchant vessel for inspection. We were set upon by corsairs, and the ship was overrun. I myself was kept at sword point by a Hauklander pirate, but he decided to leave me be. That moment never left me, and the Navy accepted my request to go to the naval school. It was hardly a true “Academy” experience, but after a couple years I was accepted as a navigator and commissioned officer on ships that patrol for pirates in the Feathesian Indies, or for slavers outside Colthage.

Now, I knew why I joined the Navy, and it wasn’t to hunt down pirates, or to become some great captain. No, I made careful note of every practice I saw among the merchant ships, how the corsairs disguised themselves as trawlers to hide from us in broad daylight. I talked to every captain I could in Sicameon, Colthage, and the Indies. More than one captured sailor was spared designation as “pirate,” because I felt they were more use alive than hanged.” He stops to smile at this point.
“I was not promoted, my commission ran out and I was discharged. I got to work immediately with a contact I made in Fereza, and then moved to shipping exotic freight from Equestria to Skyfall. This earned me wealth and let me carry the ivory cane, before being shut down. But it was what I learned from the traders in Colthage that became my greatest success. Creatures will pay greatly to move from one point to another, and where they don’t have money, will gladly sell themselves into indentured servitude. I won’t bother you with the full details, suffice it to say my success attracted the attention of more than one government. I left Skyfall for good and set up in Fereza and Nova Griffonia. But Equestria… Equestria is so desired as an end point for creatures, but it can be a hard environment to work with. Organized crime has so much of a hold over labor in the cities, and unions and city councils do where they do not. It can be hard to keep indentured servants in Equestrian cities… until I found a location nearly built for the purpose, here in Baltimare. And of my trials and troubles since then… well, you know at least the basics of that.”

He looks up at Silver with an almost smug smile. His wings – black and smoky tips ending long, white feathers – are halfway folded.

>>132122
Waabishki does a small nod, and answers

"Yes. When I was an adolescent. The ponies came in south of our lands, in forests we used to hunt, and tore out the ground with machines. They tore down trees, removed the soil, and piled dirt high, so that when it rained the dirt flowed into the lakes and streams and killed the fish. This caused the forest great pain and angered the spirits. So we retaliated, and started to skirmish with the ponies. Some huts and and cabins were burned. My father had to go further north to hunt because there were fewer fish in the lakes here, and was kicked in the face by a moose. This was very bad, as he could no longer hunt or even eat well.

That is when they came. It was two mares only, unarmed. They came into the village to talk. I could not understand them well, but I do remember the yellow one. She walked up to me and looked at me. Then she turned her hoof upside down, and a butterfly landed on it. She moved her hoof to my snout, and the butterfly moved onto my snout. I stared at the butterfly on the end of my nose, and the bluejays joined in chorus. It was incredible to see a pony in tune with nature in that way. My father was impressed by them in a different way. They offered to give him false teeth, made of metal, that would let him continue to eat. He was very grateful, and he told our band that he had learned something new from the ponies. He said that their way of using technology was good, because it allowed creatures to live in a way that is less harsh than what nature alone could provide. It was not against nature, but a new way of living in harmony with it. And to the extent that it is not in harmony with nature, the benefits it provides to our lives is worth it. That is what he said, anyways.

The ponies never stopped tearing down forest or ripping up the soil. But the orange pony helped move the dirt, and built berms so that the rains would not wash it into the river. The fish came back, and my father decided for closer cooperation with the ponies. The ponies sent us more medicine, and he decided to provide a tutor for me to learn ponish. Miskobag took a part time job helping to build houses in the pony town south of here, and my father even brought in a wolf who was raised in a pony school and family to be his replacement as captain of the hunt. That is how things were with the ponies, until the doubles came."

>>132154
Silver nods after being quiet during Maakie's story, only speaking once he's done.

"I suppose I know basics, yes. I can see why you would become smuggler and trafficker. I do wonder, is there anything you have done before you regret? Choices made, paths left untravelled?"

>>132155
"The relationship with changelings will not be as smooth as with ponies I am afraid. I will have my work cut out for me."

>>132157
"So it is. I am not so sure about the path my father took with the ponies. To me it seems the pony way of life brings as many pains as comforts. I do not think the sickness that is consuming Miskobag came from the forest, and he is too young to be as ill as he is. It seems the Iron and metal of the ponies has not improved their lot, as they have fallen to the doubles all the same, why we who live with and in the forest have evaded them. My father has set up as his apparent successor a wolf who is clever, strong willed and a natural leader,"

She comes a little closer and tries to whisper the next part. She speaks through her rows of teeth

"but who has little knowledge of or respect for our people, our customs and culture, and who was selected mostly for exogamy"

She resumes speaking normally, pulling a little further away
"But that is how it is now."

>>132156
"Yes. I should have never tried to moor the Kleine Terreur outside the Prachtig Bos mangroves. I should have shot Klaus Grindel when I had the chance, and should have never trusted that damned accountant. I should have seen to it myself that that the work tables were secure that day in '07, I should have remained in Weter and let that she-hyena take care of things in Baltimare, and I am wondering if the deal I made with Anhänger Altewege was ever worth it. So many things, big and small. Those are only the beginning.

But in another sort of way, I do not regret anything. Those of us not born fortunate have to roll the dice ourselves. You take an action, and you learn the consequences later. Sometimes you don't even know what the consequences mean. I poured my heart into two different grifs, and even now I do not know if that was good or bad. I don't think I could have known how things would end before I acted. Not really anyways. And life only ever ends in death, whatever choices you make."

>>132158
"Hmm... perhaps you can fix both problems however. If your father is treated for his illness, then he could change the appointed successor, or at least the successor can be taught to respect your ways."

>>132158
Silver slowly nods at this.

"Да. This I do know."

>>132159
She sighs
"Good luck getting either of them to change their minds. I wish Miskobag had more time..."

>>132160
He nods slowly, and even seems to develop a small, almost warm smile

>>132161
"Are you sure there isn't a healing herb that can ease the illness?"

>>132161
"I should go now, but that was quite enlightening."

He offers Maakie a hoofshake.

"I wish you best of luck in your future endeavours. Perhaps next time we meet, we shall meet as aquintances rather than as enemies."

Brie stands erect at first, but upon verifying the stature, bends into a deep and maybe a little over the top bow, upon (so far) confirming that this is in fact a/the queen.
He stays low, waiting for her to gesture or call him up. Surely that's how they do things, right?

>>132164
And she speaks to him first, standing a bit further out than the drone behind her.

She speaks to him in non-accented ponish
"You are the 'crazy bat' I have heard about? Who wants help in inflitration? Is that right?"

>>132162
"We have tried... I assure you, we have tried"
She looks down
"And he was the medicinewolf himself."

>>132163
"Perhaps. You are not the first to conquer me nor to spare me. But one more thing... There is a location in the mangrove near the mouth, about 300 meters east of the end of Sicamore street. 10 meters due north of the willow tree, there is a case in the water."

>>132165
"Clever bat," he corrects. "Its simple mistake. I was certain to specify, but it's easily lost in translation. Please spare your subordinates." He dips politely. "But yes. I'm pleased you have heard of me. Mayhaps I not be about to be executed?" He asks, peaning a bit to the right

>>132167
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6OifhQ64EM

From behind Brie, a big black dog walks up. It's one of the two dogs Brie first saw at Roosevelt back in Bales, and has since seen follwing behind the cart, or on the porch in the cabin in the woods, and here at the mine. The big black dog - looks like a Labrador - walks up towards the queen. Then, with a glow of green light, the dog shifts forms, though his appearance changes only so much as it becomes a lean changeling drone, already wearing a brown uniform and a blue cap.

The drone stands off to the side and the queen says to him,
"Lavren? Your report?"

The drone responds in a heavy accent
"The bat has travelled here directly from the border crossing at Bales, stopping in North Eastern Boulderfield where he encountered a bugbear and a group of deserters. He came here and interrogated the leadership. He seems to have in the span of twelve hours successfully routed out not one, but three gendarme troops infected with some kind of local curse or whatever, with no collateral damage. This was a situation the local garrison had hidden for months."

The queen looks back to Brie with a smile
"Alright. We can stay your execution."

>>132168
"Splendid! Then, to the infiltration!" He forgets himself and animatedly springs into a gaunt posture. "Ivw heard alot about you, and I feel that I can be advantageous to your operations, and that by doing so you might have a vested interest in mine." He says with a bit of a flourish, bowing his head.
"You've heard, I assume, of the jungetiere?" He says, tipping up enough to meet her gaze with a bit of,... something on his mind that gives him confidence.

>>132169
"The young ones? No, I have not."

Wesley and Kerr walk up towards Brie, looking in fascination at the large queen

>>132170
His voice grows soft. "Hier jungetiere. Dies ist die Königin, die wir gesucht haben. Bitte präsentieren Sie sich ihr." And he bows lowest and most deferrentially to the lings.

>>132171
Kerr is the first to drop his disguise, running up towards the queen
"Unsere Königin? Ich bin es, 'Kerr.'"

Wesley is only a second behind
"Mutter?"
He drops his own disguise, and runs in a hop towards the queen. She picks them up with a glow of blue magic, and holds them both close to her with a half smile. She speaks to them
"Kleine Kinder? Bist du verloren gegangen?"

She starts to pat them with magic
Kerr:
"Ja. Wir sind jetzt seit Monaten in Ponyland gefangen."

Queen:
"Das klingt schrecklich. Wie ist es passiert?"

Wesley:
"Ponys haben uns aus unserer Kolonie in Tall Tales entführt?"

Queen:
"Haben sie dich verletzt?"

Wesley:
"Ja. Sehr viel. Ich würde lieber nicht sagen wie. Diese Fledermaus hat uns gerettet."
A look of sheer hatred comes across her face. She uses her magic to move both nymphs to her her shoulders, and past eye contact.

Queen:
"Ihr armen armen Dinger. Keine Sorge. Alle deine Schmerzen sollen gerächt werden."

Kerr:
"Nun, lass sie leiden wie wir"

Queen:
"Wie bist du hierher zurückgekommen?"

Wesley:
"Die Fledermaus hat uns mitgenommen"
Her face looks more inquisitive at the moment, and she looks back to Brie, pondering the words

Queen:
"Bist du jetzt okay?"

Wesley:
"Ja. Die Fledermaus half uns zu füttern."
Kerr:
"Es ist jetzt besser, dass wir bei dir sind"

She seems to pet them, and speaks more softly
"Mach dir keine Sorgen, Kleine. Dir geht es jetzt gut"

She looks back to Brie, and says to him,
"I have lost many of my own drones. Far too many. And all of Changelingia has lost too many drones. To have these two back is a splendid suprise

Wesley
"Du bist unsere Mutter, richtig? Lacinia?

The queen speaks to Brie instead
"I thank you for saving them"

>>132172
He looks to them. "It was my pleasure. And it is their displeasure that bids me to journey to speak with you." He turns to her, bowing slightly as he does so "There are many things wrong with pony society. The sort of thing I understand that changelings neither tolerate nor are merciful toward." He glances again to the lings "Predations, of a perverse and purely gratifying and non-substantial nature." He says as though the mention bitters his mouth. "And many of them enjoy positions of power, esteem, and influence."
He spins to face her directly, his forelegs outstretched. "I would see them routed and replaced by changelings,
Operating with otherwise legitimacy against a rogue and underground element. Me."

>>132166
"Truly? Well, I must thank you very much, Maakie. And, again, I apologise for what we did."

>>132173
"They become erstwhile heroes of ponykind in baltimare, while I rule in the shadows, with covert coordination between the two groups."

>>132175
"I play the rogueish deviant - a bit out of character for me to be honest but I can manage - and they play the dutiful protagonists, righting wrongs and all that. I cut my way with their assistance to the bottom of the underground, and they with my hand work their way to the top of baltimare establishment."

>>132176
"A d of course, should I fail in my duties or prove unuseful, my life would be forfeit."

>>132173
>>132176
>>132177
She nods almost sternly, with a still angry expression across her face. The two nymphs take up a position on her back, with Wesley hugging her neck, and Kerr sitting upright. She's much larger than any pony mare, about the size of one of the smaller alicorns. Her thorax is translucent blue and bulging, with the outlines of what appear to be eggs visible inside her. Her wings are blue and close to her side. She wears a plain tiara over her matted blue hair that lacks any sort of intricacy.

"As they should be replaced. The only predation in the Changeling order is that of Changelings over their natural prey. And even that predation is carefully ordered, measured, and calculated to be as merciful to the prey and as sustainable for Changeling kind as conditions will allow. Equestria has allowed far too much rot to build over the years. And it must be cleansed before it spills over onto our shores. But first, you understand that there is an official peace between Pony Equestria and Changeling Equestria, and that any act of violence of that nature would be considered a violation of the treaty, do you not?"

>>132174
"And I will accept your apology"
He gives Silver a claw shake. His shake is very firm.

>>132178
"Indeed, and any transgressions against such a treaty would be easily and readily levied against a NOT-clever bat, should there be any in thg e periphery." He says glancing around exaggeratingly, before meeting her gaze subtly, as if to say "I know the score, and if I fail, I can be a resource one way or another."

>>132178
Silver's is similarly firm, and he appears grateful for the amicable farewell and show of trust from Maakie. He puts his hoof down after the hoof/clawshake, and looks to Mala.

"Are you ready?"

>>132179
She forms a malign grin
"Indeed. It sounds like you understand your role. Let me enlighten you as to mine. Tell me, what do you know about the previous attempts to infiltrate Equestria? Before the War, that is."
She tilts her head, looking over to Brie truly eager in anticipation

>>132180
Mala nods, and answers "Yes." He has a couple guns on his back

>>132181
Silver nods, gives Maakie one last farewell, and heads out to a hopefully still-waiting taxi.

>>132182
Mala hides the guns under his coat as best he can. The two walk out, and towards the taxi

>>132183
Silver gives the driver directions from his map for...whatever place where he can get the reward for the Hoebuck job.

>>132181
"I'm afraid her majesty has me at a disadvantage, for I do not."

>>132185
Delighted, the queen looks over to Brie, not always making eye contact but sometimes looking up, around, or past him

"I shall tell you. Our last effort was Gotterdamerung, just over six years ago now. The plan was to replace all of the princesses and the elements all at once. Install ourselves as rulers of Equetsria without the ponies even knowing. But it failed. And Queen Chrysalis decided after the failure of Gotterdamerung that our armed forces would focus on conventional attacks over deep infiltration.

Tell me? Do you know how Gotterdamerung failed? I don’t need to hear your answer, because I know you don’t know how it failed. No one knows, or appreciates just how close we came to success. No one knows, save for me. I was there. I was the Changeling chosen to take the place of The Queen of the Crystal Empire, Princess “Mi Amore Cadenza.” That’s the exact same role that Queen Chrysalis herself took in Operation Nos Separaverit just four years before. I was ready. Our infiltrator in the Royal Guard supplied us with great information. We neutralized the guards, set up sound suppressing barriers in the rooms, and caught the Princess and her Captain of the Guard consort as they slept. We knocked them out and I placed on a disguise. We had the cart outside waiting. Everything was going perfectly. Do you know why it failed?”

She grits her sharpened teeth in anger

“Because of a single orange unicorn. He showed up that night to take take care of the baby, or something. Oh, we knew he was there. We sent a detachment of guards to his room to take care of him. But he wasn’t there. Do you know why? because he got up to go to the bathroom and wasn’t in his room. He must have not understood that the closest bathroom was only two doors down, because he went the opposite direction. I was passing by with a group of drones and the two capitives, unconscious and on our backs. He popped out of that door and saw us. When he adjusted his glasses, he saw what was going on, and he turned to run away. I sent a powerful bolt to hold him from my own horn, but do you know what happened then? His shoe fell off. He had it poorly nailed in. He fell and the bolt missed. It gave him enough time to yell and shoot out a bolt of his own. Oh, it hit no where near us, it went in the opposite direction in fact. But it hit a window, and caused an explosion. That explosion was noticed by a passing mare – what she was doing wondering about at 3 AM I have no idea – who notified the remaining guard, and who eventually notified the guard in Canterlot and Ponyville, whose respective operations were otherwise successful. That is why Gotterdamerung failed. Because of a series of stupid happenstances that we could never have prepared for, and which were unlikely to happen to begin with.

But is that the message Chrysalis got from it? No. She couldn’t be angry at my failure. After all, she failed to do exactly the same thing herself a few years before. But the whole situation persuaded her to abandon the gift The Great Mother gave us – our one natural way of dealing with enemies – and to pursue a more… “head on” approach, as she put it. No more infiltration – no more infiltration as the primary strategy, anyways. The take over of Equestria would be accomplished by sheer force. There’s “fewer moving parts,” “more simplicity,” and “less that can go wrong.” So her advisers told her. The conquest of Equestria would be accomplished by Iron and blood in ‘Schwarm aus Stahl’.”

She directs her eyes over the mining machinery, and then up to the train that moves past

“So very much iron, and so very much blood. So very, very much blood and iron.”
She looks back to Brie

“But it succeeded, barely, so the strategy is ‘vindicated.’ Never mind how successfully infiltration was used in support of operations, like securing the bridgeheads at Acornage, or reducing the fortifications at the Shire, or even how well it has worked in the occupation at taking out the crime syndicates in Las Pegasus. No. Because infiltration failed twice before, it is assumed to always fail. I do not think so. And that is why I want you. To prove that it can."

>>132186
Brie thinks long and hard about her explanation. "You do me an unnecessary service in relaying this, but it is beneficial. I can intuit from your descriptions a number of possible countermeasures to avoid detection. If you prefer I shall detail them, but if you'll pardon me saying its the sort of thing best illustrated through action. I will still detail, if you prefer spoilers." He says, waving a hoof passively and mostly reservedly.

>>132187
No need to explain to me. Explain to the workers who will be sent along with you on your journey and who will meet you there. Only so many resources can be spared, both because of cost and because of the risk of violating the treaty. You accomplish something, especially if it yields love extraction, and more may be sent your way. I do not take the risk to my children lightly. I value them far more than any pony, and I have far too many children in the Equestrian clay. But neither are my children cowards. They know that every Changeling is a part of the hive, and angling who dies for the sake of the hive dies not truly die, for they live on in their brothers and sisters.”

>>132187
Glancing about slightly, Brie takes the silence as opportunity to pack a small pipe full of tobacco. "Your pardon, your majesty" he says, tipping the pipe as though for permission.

>>132188
Puffing deeply on the pipe, Brie smiles and glances at Kerr and Wesley says. "Oh," and after a short pause turns again to smile, looking directly into her eyes. Her solid round, but also oddly hexagonal eyes. Just the tiniest slit divides an otherwise unbroken sphere. Its kinda hot, he thinks to himself, but this is business. "There is no doubt that your people are warriors. I would not be here otherwise."

"But neither will there be deaths. Not by my will nor by my means."
And as he says this, his eyes widen a bit at emphasis of will and means.

>>132191
He chuckles. "Well, on our side," and he begins giggling a bit excessively.

>>132189
She moves her mouth about slightly, unsure how to respond, but then caries on
“We have a few assets there already, most likely. Love harvesters are not seen as treaty violations under secret provision 2a. They are still vulnerable to being hunted. A punitive expedition to hunt down Changeling slavers will be enough cover on my end for any such operation. But I think you already know how important it is to not be caught.”

>>132191
“Good. And I hope your experience here shows you how we deal with traitors and ineffectual subordinates. I will be sending along one of my political officers, Lavren here. He was there in the hallway that night. He knows what this is for. I trust him, and he knows how to maintain discretion even in capture.”

>>132192
“That, I can abide by. Make sure the the slaver suffers.”

[1d20+4 = 5]
>>132193
Brie smiles and nods at Lavren as though to say "Let's not have to kill each other okay?" But with the nonchalance as though it was a long and appraising glance.
Bluff check, if desired or necessary

>>132195
She pauses for a moment, and blinks
“Yes. Let’s not have to kill each other.”

>>132196
Brie looks askance for a moment, then thinks "Still sexy though,"

>>132197
She looks at him directly, with a bit of a smirk
“I hope you understand my purposes and conditions. Tell me, what else do you need, and need to know?”

Back at my laptop finally

>>132197
pic

>>132195
Huh. That line was not actually spoken. I missed that while mowing

>>132184
"To the celestial gulf insurance building? Alright"
The taxi driver turns around and takes them there

>>132200
Silver looks to Mala as they ride along.

"Doing okay, Mala?"

>>132201
Mala looks up at Silver, his black, fuzzy snout coming fairly close to Silver.
"I think so" he answers

>>132198
"I think we understand one another, as well as the," he paises respectably
>>132200
>pic related
"Benefits of association," he says, leaving things unsaid but heavily implied. "Though,..." he waves a hoof, as though something to be considered on return.

>>132203
"As far as I can tell, I have all I will need. That is, assuming you will permit me to continue the jungetiere's 'training'".

>>132204
"And the vagabonds, they have done me good service,... after a bit of a beating but they seem proper enough."

>>132204
>>132205
>>132203
Her eyes widen as she gives a wider smile, one that shows off her teeth and fangs

"Excellent. Lavren shall go with you. You can stay with the two nymphs here. They will help you identify their perpetrator, and their 'rescue' is the nominal goal of the mission. Those two deserters may go with you as well."

Lavren speak up
"They should be shot."

The queen shakes her head as if to brush the concern off
"Keep a close eye and do not trust them with much, but I only am able or willing to devote so many assets to this cause. If those two are lost, there is not much loss to the empire, and they can be credibly dismissed as rogue elements. Any fanciful stories they come up with can be dismissed as fabrications to earn the good grace of the ponies. The ponies have enough sense to understand this themselves, and will take what they say with caution."

>>132202
He gives his fuzzy friend a side hug, wrapping a foreleg around him.

"That is good to hear."

Unless Mala has more to talk about, Silver will remain silent for the rest of the ride.

>>132207
The fluffy hyena is hugged, and Silver can feel both the long hair on his back, and the fat and muscle underneath. Mala closes his eyes for a moment, pleased. Then he says to Silver

"What did you think of all of that?"

1/2

>>132141
Good points. Still it's amazing how absolutely T H I C C Equus and Equestria are. I didn't go by your measurements but I overlaid North America over the continent. Going by north/south extremes with the top of Pingland corresponding with Ellesmere, North America is absolutely dwarfed. The second picture is as far as I would scale up NA, where the northmost of Equus corresponds with the edge of contiguous Canada and the southernmost point with southern Mexico. The second picture seems more reasonable because Equestria is roughly the size of the U.S. and Mexico combined, which is what Equestria is rather than just the U.S. Interestingly Baltimare DOES fall on the same latitude as Jacksonville.

Although this is an alternate explanation you're likely also right, though that makes the latitude scaling bonkers unless if the planet itself is significantly smaller than Earth. Or maybe everything is more south and closer to the equator; even the "arctic" regions of the far north reach balmy temperatures in summer. Maybe I should stop reading so much into the geography of a little girls' show and realize the mod developers had limited room to work with in map design for Equestria.

Going back to the whole regionalism discussion, I tried to map out (pic #5) what I think the major regions of Equestria would be how do you hide units?, trying to follow terrain and existing province borders as much as possible. I could see Equestria having a multi-layered system of federalism, with local, provincial, and regional governments have different amounts of autonomy under a central government. Also except for "The Heartland" and the north-central region (if that should be its own region at all, but you can militia units explicitly from there) the regions would be relatively "new" additions to Equestria composed of new cities, settlements and colonies. Over a thousand years ponies would have slowly (by human civilization standards, but not by Tolkien's) settled progressively more distant regions. Ignore that Ponyville is less than a hundred years old despite being a stone's throw from the capital. Or it could be that those regions were previously settled (definitely in the case of Tenochtitlan) and were gradually annexed under the flag of Equestria.

Also keep in mind that Stalliongrad is not all of Severyana (which is north of the off-white line). A good part of it (going by Stalliongrad's claims and the names of the provinces) still belongs to Equestria. Or maybe it's the case where these provinces are similar but different like how Belarus and Ukraine are related to Russia.

>>132145
I was worried that I wouldn't be able to play HOI4 (I just wanted to get it to run to look at maps) but my computer can run it at 3 or even 4 speed quite well so long as I turn my AC down all the way. A multiplayer game might actually be possible though my internet might prove to be a bottleneck. Do you recommend getting any of the DLCs? La Resistance looks quite with intelligence agencies and vroom vroom.

Now to be narcissistic, let me tell you a bit about my game as Equestria on recruit difficulty. This is the first time I've played HOI4 so I've had to learn everything, in a mod which is deliberately designed to be harder/unpredictable than the base game. I solved the batpony question with Luna and only had to reload after failing once (yes, I cheated and looked on the wiki but I had the right idea). I focused exclusively on enhancing research and building infrastructure/civilian factories in the eastern part of Equestria but by the time war broke out in early 1011 I still had only my original 17 mil factories. Needless to say I had trouble supplying everything except for the most basic equipment until well after the end of the war.

I absolutely thought I was going to lose to the Changelings. They declared war on me when I was only halfway through "The Twilight Project" (I was trying to get good tanks so I had no armored force to speak of) focus so I got Urgent War Committee late. Also I told my entire army group at once to man the entire fallback line and was wondering why all my divisions were moving around and leaving Las Pegasus open. I hadn't built airbases so once I lost the ones near the Changeling border I couldn't get air superiority. A few things saved me: the enemy didn't press the attack south of Las Pegasus which would have made defense impossible, despite having a few thousand planes they couldn't wrest air superiority from my few hundred Hurricanes and Spitfires (maybe not having airbases in the northwest was a 4D chess move), all the militia I called in somehow managed to hold the line while I built a proper army, and I managed to get Wildcats (Medium 1 TDs) to my Onhooves divisions to counter enemy tanks. Also the Crystal Empire after breaking away from me managed to modernize and fought a far more aggressive war than I could, taking more casualties (nearly a million) than me but eventually conquering the enemy hives. Pic #3 is as far as the Changelings managed to get and that line lasted for over a year, and I took that screenshot when I saw the enemy was about to collapse. By the time Stalliongrad joined the Changelings were already on the defensive. Victory was less dramatic than I thought it would be though, and in the peace deal I puppeted the Changelings but the Polar Bears somehow took all their territory, leaving the Changelings as a government-in-exile which capitulates as soon as you call them into a war. At least Olenia got released and I grabbed some border territory.

2/2

While I was rebuilding, the Griffonian Empire under the Archonate decided to declare war on everyone and was close to taking Skyfall. I sent over Pinkie, two 40-width infantry (not motorized or mechanized, but with artillery, TDs and full support companies) and a heavy tank division (with mechanized and SPGs as well) with the result that they absolutely walloped the Griffon Empire. "Ghost Division" was playing in the background as I smashed enemy armor and kept making encirclements. Eventually the Empire collapse but the Kingdom of Wingbardy, taking most of its territory, assumed the title itself.

In 1016 the Karthinian Pact declared war on New Mareland and I promptly sent the better part of my army as an expeditionary force. Unfortunately that doesn't make the AI use forces more intelligently, as it will launch attacks bound to fail rather than wait for the enemy to attack entrenched positions. As a result it has incurred over three million casualties, roughly split between New Mareland and myself (the new Griffonian Empire has taken only half as many). The line is stable but there's not enough supply for the dozens of divisions, and New Mareland didn't build enough airbases to have the capacity for air superiority. I can't land troops I can control because there's "not enough naval intel" and I can't get green seas though I have sunk quite a few battlecruisers. I haven't expanded my fleet or docks at all because there weren't any fun naval engagements with the Changelings. I think the only way I can turn this around is by getting several new fleets. I have researched nuclear bombs but I don't think air superiority is likely. Still, the game is a lot of fun though I have much to learn. I have 5 research slots and +60% research speed but I'm still behind on some research, likely because I'm going down so many trees. Although production shortfalls aren't so bad anymore I'm still producing arguably wasteful things, like 16km/h light tank divisions, medium 3 TDs and superheavy tanks for superheavy "breakthrough" divisions. Funnily enough, I was spending all my civ factories buying all the steel in the world (I was legitimately struggling to find anyone with steel left to export) without realizing that if I changed my economic policy away from free trade, I had hundreds left in surplus. I wanted to invade Stalliongrad but I don't think that's diplomatically possible. Still, nothing I can’t enjoy while munching on blue Stilton with some Sauvignon Blanc.

I think, other than the mess with the Karthinian pact, this game has been how the Changeling Invasion would "canonically" go down. Rather than have Celestia implement LBJ-esque legislation, Luna tests her leadership abilities and manages to accomplish good ends without coercion or turning into Nightmare Moon. The entire policy of Equestria revolves around peaceful development. Changelings overwhelm the brave but ill-equipped defense and quickly conquer a quarter of Equestria. The Sisters implement martial law but do not implement censorship. Volunteer militia as well as a new professional army manage to hold the line practically within sight of Canterlot until new technology, training and tanks break the stalemate. After the war there were calls for democracy (completely scripted, because I had 80% stability WITH the debuff and 100% war support) and though these were defeated there were changes like a diet of nobles. I couldn't ask for a better first game and I'm looking forward to when the Bread League attacks.

I don't know if it has anything to do with the difficulty setting but there seems to be a lot of artificial stupidity. When I assign an army to defend an army cautiously units will still move to "peninsulas" where they can be easily cut off and I have to maintain careful watch to make sure I don't get encircled. On the flip side when I tell an army to advance to an offensive line they just sit there, even when set to be aggressive. Also hotkeys will take me a while to master.

>>132208
"Hmm...little bit of what I expected, little bit of not. I did not think it would go in this direction when I set out today."

>>132209
>pic 4
Oh, and that's the location Amber Sunset would be from. And yes, I'm available to play today, I just need to catch up with the posts real quick.