In Changelingia (West Equestria), Brie gains the support of a Changeling queen for his endeavors. Spark is doing his best to help an ill Wolf spiritual leader.
In Free Equestria (East Equestria), Iron is trying to intimidate a group of criminal griffin interlopers. Fantasy Play is helping to shut down an Anarchist press. Silver is helping his new household. Amber Sunset is walking through the city, and Dark Star has just finished helping the orphans.
2365 replies and 51 files omitted.
>>137909The hall way goes further, towards a room with an open door, a desk and paperwork, past a closed door marked as a bathroom, past a stairway, and ending in a door with a window that view out into a large concrete-floored room with number poorly illuminated rectangles.
>>137910"Where are we...?"
Silver shines his flashlight through the window to better illuminate the room.
>>137911Inside this room, there are indeed a number of doors, mostly appearing to be regular sized residential and commercial doors. This room is much larger, and has a brick wall with a deep shade of red. Silver can see that that room leads into others.
>>137912"Is there door factory near Church?"
He looks to see if Pear is still near.
>>137913Pear has pulled up behind Silver, looking very uncertain about the whole ordeal.
“I... don’t know.”
>>137914"I have no idea where this is, if I am honest. I doubt this is part of 33 Hoebuck. Did you want to keep exploring here, or go back and try and find another route?"
>>137915She looks uneasy. Her tail, previously held confidently high, is now firmly down.
“I don’t think we should be here.”
>>137916Silver nods.
"Alright, let us be off, then."
He leads the pair back the way they came.
>>137918Silver goes back through the hallway, through the door to the back hallway, and into the old, cramped hall through which they came, and steps over the locked down door and broken hinges back into the stairwell to the subterranean pathway
>>137919Having explored one of the forks in the tunnel they came across, Silver decides to explore the other.
>>137920This end of the tunnel is not very far from where Silver and Pear entered it, or at least, it is not as far as the distance the other way. Going that way, the ponies travel what is probably 200 or more feet down the old brick-lined tunnel. There is a smell of wet stone and at times, something less pleasant, as there is definitely mold growing in the tunnel, and who knows what else. Silver sees a rat scurry across. Pear jumps away, but makes no noise in relation to it. Finally, the tunnel ends in a yellow wall that matches the original construction, with a simple steel door off to the right side
>>137922Silver tries this steel door.
>>137923The door is neither locked nor pressing against the frame of the door. Opening the door, silver sees into a room that is yellow bricked, approximately medium in size, and empty besides a few coat racks. Mid way in the room part of the wall comes inward on the right side and nearly cutting the room in half, and there is what could best be described as a concrete bench along that portion of the wall, the half of the right wall nearest Silver. On the far side is still another door, though this one is partially open
>>137924Silver goes through the partially open door.
>>137925Silver walks out into a somewhat narrow but long hallway. Looking right, there is another door further down and a dead end in yellow brick. But looking to the left, the hallway swiftly opens up into a larger hallway with a pair of steel doors and a newer tile floor.
>>137928Walking out into this area, Silver recognizes were he is. He is under 33 Hoebuck in that portion between the forks and the administrative center, by the boiler room and that back-hallway that leads out to holding cells were Silver and friends found so much a few nights before.
>>137929Silver turns around to Pear.
"Okay, this is actually 33 Hoebuck. I recognize this."
>>137930She looks up and around, trying to take in her surroundings.
“So where should you take me first?” She asks
>>137931"I suppose we should start with where I found their book press. Come on, follow me."
>>137932The little pony quickly comes up to Silver’s side, her upright posture displayed renewed enthusiasm
>>137933Silver smiles, and leads the way back to the book press.
>>137934Perhaps Silver is weary of running into guards or police as he makes his way up. All the same, it's just slightly down the hallway to a flight of stairs, then up to the dorms. Maybe he goes to the second floor to avoid walking by the glass doors on the first floor; in any event, he traverses the second floor of the administrative building to go to that one, horrid backroom where days before he found the printing press. One light at the far end of the second floor hall is on. All other light must be supplied by the flashlight, or if he intends subtlety, to walk in darkness. Pear follows Silver into the room. While the printing press itself is still present, the table is clear, the vat is empty, and there is indeed only one cardboard box in the corner of the room.
>>137935"Hmm. They must have cleared this room since."
He looks in the cardboard box.
>>137936Silver is not disappointed: Inside the box are several very large, leather bound books with no title, description, nor other text. But he knows what it is.
>>137938She walks over and peaks in. Then, she pulls out a book with her hoof and looks at it, then sits down and uses both forelegs to examine it.
"Rather ugly leather" she remarks, then opens it, and her eyes go wide and for a moment she stops breathing, as she stares at the pages before her.
>>137939Silver tilts his head at her.
"Pear? Are you okay?"
>>137940It takes her a moment
"Huh? Yes. It's just... not many ponies have seen such books" She says
>>137941Silver raises an eyebrow, picks up one of the tomes in his magic reluctantly, and looks in it.
>>137942Most of the text is in Herzlander, and what Silver can make out regardless implies secrets about the extra lunar spheres, or perhaps it is dimensions besides the three dimensions of space and the one of time occupied by matter. It is easy for Silver to understand Pear's evident feeling of having come in contact with forbidden knowledge.
>>137943"I can see why you would be so taken by this, even if I do not understand it. Spheres, dimensions...I am not familiar, I must admit."
>>137944"Neither am I..." She says almost vacantly as she looks at the pages, then flips one. Silver may think he hears distant conversation.
Then Pear adds,
"So few of these survive."
>>137945"Then it is good we got you one while we could. I suppose I will take one too, in case I ever manage to wrap my own head around it."
Silver's ears perk up and angle around at the detection of distant conversation.
"I hear voices. It will be little awkward running into them if we can not come up with plausible story for us being here. We can either leave now, or I can bring you to their ritual chamber. It is your choice."
>>137946"Heh" She makes a strained smile. "I'm not sure that's advisable."
"You hear voices? I think I hear something too. But I want to see the ritual chamber. I want to see whatever physical artifacts they left behind."
>>137947Silver nods, decides to put the book he had grabbed back in the cardboard box, and carefully leads Pear up to the ritual chamber.
>>137948Silver goes into the hallway, and for a moment it seems as if the distant conversation continues. But soon enough he is to a stairwell, taking him upstairs to the entrance foyer of the Chapel. Entering into the room with the high ceiling, Silver can see that the floor is cleaned, and most pews - some charred, broken, or even chopped - have been moved to the side, or perhaps even removed. But simple cleaning could not, and did not, remove all of blackened spots from the rear of the room, nor the dark, blackish spots near the center. Silver can see the two stone altars there are on the raised platform, not unlike as they were before.
>>137949"And here is where magic happened, so to speak."
>>137951She walks forward. Slowly. Trying to look at everything, and take it in.
“Do you... want to tell me again, what that magic was?”
>>137952"Primarily necromantic, which was used to bring back multiple dead cultists, but Boek also used mind-control magic to make living but unwilling cultists attack us, and he launched explosive fireballs at our group."
>>137953“Well... You haven’t disappointed me yet.”
She slowly walks up towards the altars, standing above one, holding out a hoof over it, and looking back to Silver
>>137954"Those altars are where sacrifices were bound."
>>137955She stares down at them
“I figured as much. I’ve seen similar things in the South-East, in my studies”
>>137956Silver trots over to where she's standing.
"I must admit, I did not know there was standard for sacrifical altars."
>>137957“Well, there are only so many ways to conduct a sacrifice. You can kill them as they are kneeling, or sitting, or prostrate, but you don’t need an altar for that, and the action isn’t necessarily raised above for observers to see. Hanging hasn’t been popular, nor has crucifixion, for the purpose of sacrifice anyways. Burning is at least kind of popular, including with Maarists. Especially with Maarists... but if you want to sacrifice a subject before a crowd, laying them down on a raised altar is one of the best ways to do it.”
>>137958"Huh...there must be lot of cultures and religions that perform sacrifices."
>>137959“Well... more than none, let’s say. Usually it’s a rare practice even within the religion.”
>>137960Silver looks up through the windows in ritual chamber.
"When Boek invoked Maar's power, it changed moonlight coming through windows. Does Maar have influence over moon, in Griffon beliefs?"
>>137961“Not the moon
per se... what lurks within the moon, or what hides in the craters, or on the far side, or in the dark voids surrounding... maybe. The moon light is a sort of fueling energy, it is thought.”
>>137962"...there is dark side of moon?"
>>137963“There is... a side that we don’t see, as it never faces us.”
>>137964Silver looks a little perplexed at the idea.
"Huh..."
>>137965“So uh...” she looks up
“You see up there. The windows are directly above. You can’t see it right now because the time isn’t right, but this chapel is designed for the moon light to shine down directly at midnight on a full moon. Or the sun at noon, with the sunlight striking a slightly different part of the floor at different times of the year. That is why it was designed like this, when it was a Celestialist chapel.”
>>137966Silver looks up with her.
"Many Orthodox temples in Severyana were designed same way. It is magical to behold."
>>137969“Perhaps a little less pleasant over the circumstances...”
There is a clank further away
>>137971Silver turns his head rapidly towards the direction of the noise.
>>137989The stallion walks with Amber, being perfectly quiet as he goes. He’s fairly large - not exceedingly so, but still fully displaying the larger general size of the male sex - and he has a particularly sharp set of and prominent set of teeth. He stands still when he arrives at the scene, surveying the buildings
“Did you see where he went?” He asks
>>137992“Just where, precisely, did he disappear?”
He says, still eyes locked on the buildings, and with a completely emotionless voice.
>>137994He nods. Then he turns his head towards Amber, and asks “what is the relation of your place of work with the unions?”
>>137995The young mare blinks in surprise.
"Um, I arrived in the city just yesterday. Nopony told me anything about unions." >>137996“And what did his cutie mark look like?” He asks
>>137998"Mhmmm"
He picks up his notepad again, and writes something. Then he looks back up at Amber, and says
"Thank you ma'am," gives a curt nod, and starts to walk off
>>138000He stops, and he turns to her
"You can call me Mr. Smoke." He says, still expressionless
>>138002He moves a part of his lip on the right side of his mouth up. His lips are black and a bit thick.
"Is there any pertinent information related to the event, your employer, or the establishment that I should know about?"
>>138004He nods again.
"He used a pipe?" He asks
>>138006"I see. Thank you, ma'am." He again turns away
>>138007"Uh-huh, you're welcome." Uncertainly, Amber turns and trots away back to the store, turning her head back once before continuing on her way.
>>138008Amber makes the short trip back unmolested, arriving at the store
>>138009Amber looks to see if there's any broken glass left and what her coworkers are doing.
>>138010High Sewn, perhaps unsurprisingly, is on the phone. Guy is moving items located in the display case to further away in the store
She follows the griffon's lead and carefully picks up one of the display case items to move it. What a sad state of affairs where you have worry about things being stolen in broad daylight… she thinks to herself.
>>138012Nothing is stolen quite yet under Amber's watchful gaze, as they vacate the display case. High Sewn walks up to the two:
"Okay. I found a replacement. It will be here shortly. It'll be expensive, but we can have it shortly."
>>138013The short pony frowns at the word "expensive" but nods wordlessly.
>>138014Guy remarks: "probably won't have many or any customers until that happens"
>>138015Amber's stomach growls audibly.
>>138016Poor little pony probably should have eaten something at lunch break. Though time passes, ponies arrive in a cart with what seems to be the pane of glass, and High Sewn goes to greet them and Guy helps to install the glass
>>138018A grey earth stallion with a surprisingly long, charcoal mane turns to Amber and answers
"No, I think I've got it."
>>138019With nothing else to do she watches the team go at it.
>>138020Guy has by now long removed the remains of the old window, leaving an empty spot for the new pane to fit. Thus, he directs the two earth stallions as they place the pane in, and some time is spent securing the window, and sealing it with water proofing.
It is not long before dusk, and at the very end of this process that a certain creature approaches the store, and enters inside. The creature is of a variety that Amber has likely seen since her arrival in the city, but not at so close a distance - for this is a creature whose general shape and outline purports to be that of a pony, but whose wings are long thin, visible bones connected by thin, naked webs of skin, whose pupils are cat-like slits, and whose teeth includes two oddly long and sharp canines. This one has a lilac coat over her thin, almost greyhound-like body, and a dark blue mane that is cut almost too short for a creature whose eye lashes, lack of muscle, small size and curved muzzle allege the female sex. She wears a black shirt that seems to be some kind of uniform. Whatever Amber may say, the creature ignores Amber and walks past her, then past Guy, who himself wants nothing to do with her, and back towards High Sewn. High Sewn says some words to her, but waves her away, saying something like "no... she saw it," and evidently passes the mare on to Amber. Amber is approached by the creature, who says
"Were you witness to an attack on this store earlier?"
>>138022Amber feels the hairs of her coat stand on end beneath her dress as she watches the walking oxymoron enter the store. A deep-seated unease that had left since the chase now comes rushing back and roils within her empty belly. Every facet of this intruder is disconcerting to the country filly and she takes a step back when approached, trembling visibly.
"Y-y-yes, I was," she stammers.
>>138023Her lips, much thinner than that of the previous stallion, are pressed low over her jaw, but they do not stop the tips of her canines - they may as well be fangs - from protruding from her mouth. Her uniform has a collar and buttons, as well as several pockets. Sewn onto it is a rectangle with yellow and black checkers and the outline of a mare on one side, and triangle of red and white stripes, and a pair of horse shoes opposed to each other on the other on the left side of the rectangle. the uniform fits on her loosely, almost like it was made for a stallion to wear. But there is no doubting that, whereas the last stallion came wearing an overly baggy duster and large hat that hid almost all of his body from the tips of his ears to his back, this mare hides nothing, with her overly thin belly, overly fluffy ear tips, and especially her featherless wings of bone and skin plainly visible to all.
She looks Amber directly in the eyes with her own vertical slit pupils and Icy blue eyes, and she speaks with an accent that is probably from further north, yet decidedly still Equestrian:
"Does the owner, yourself, or any of the employees have any connection with any radical ideology, anarchist or otherwise?"
>>138024To Amber everything about this newcomer suggests coldness, not least the chill running down her back. Through the open front of her skirt it's clear her tail hangs low, practically between her legs. However, although the earth pony pulls her head back she doesn't avert her gaze.
"N-no…I certainly don't. M-Miss…Miss Sewn doesn't, I'm pretty sure, and I think Guy doesn't, though I don't know him very well…" >>138025"Guy? Who is Guy?" She asks. She seems not many years older than Amber, still very young, a decade or more below the age of the Stallion, but perhaps similar in age to the police mare from earlier, or even younger.
>>138026"He's…he's the griffon who works the afternoon shift, right over there. That's all I know about him, really." Amber steals a nervous glance at those odd wings.
Even with such a high-pitched voice she reminds me of spiders, urgh. >>138027Dragon or bat like, they are a darker purple than her body, and seem almost covered in velvet.
"A griffin... I should have figured. Does your store contract with the Provisional Government, the Army, or the local government?"
>>138029"Do any ponies from the Provisional Government or the Army come around here? Or the local government, for that matter?"
I do too.. Amber seems noticeably calmer, though still clearly on edge.
"I haven't seen any, but this is my first day here…Miss Sewn did say some ponies from the government shop here sometimes…"
>>138031The mare moves her slightly canine-like head forward
"When the attacker chose this place, do you know if he looked around, chose this spot at random, or went directly for this shop, not stopping at any others?"
>>138033She blinks, then asks
"What direction did he come from?"