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Occupied Equestria
Anonymous
10ca8cc
?
No.145000
145002
Iron got his ass beat and has pissed off a whole criminal syndicate, Amber is doing some shady shit at the police station, Silver is making friends, and Spark is enjoying Whinnysotan hospitality.
1697 replies and 17 files omitted.
Anonymous
1c4c5b1
?
No.145264
145266
>>145261
“Well...” he looks over at the group, and pulls his lips back in an awkward smile.

“Maybe... I’m... not so good with meeting people.”
Shimmering Spark
e2709e8
?
No.145265
145267
>>145263
“Maybe you just need to find out how to use them again.”
Silver "The Floof" Sword
1b73d67
?
No.145266
145267
>>145264
Silver smiles more at him.

"That is what friends are for, right? I can help get you started with talking to them if you want."
Anonymous
1c4c5b1
?
No.145267
145268 145270
>>145265
“Oh... well, things are not like that anymore. That was an older era, closer to the creation, where monsters were bigger and the spirit and earth closer together.”

>>145266
“Um.... sure” he replies
Shimmering Spark
e2709e8
?
No.145268
145269
>>145267
“What drove the spirit apart?”
Anonymous
1c4c5b1
?
No.145269
>>145268
“They are not apart. Not quite. Not really. But it is much easier to forget, as so many of the great creatures are gone now, or hide away in their own corners. The world is older now, as are those who live upon it. So it is easier to forget the connection between spirit and earth. And many do.”
Silver "The Floof" Sword
29bff06
?
No.145270
145272
>>145267
Silver nods at him, and pays the cab driver. He and Clip get out and approach the protest.
Shimmering Spark
705d4c9
?
No.145271
145272
“So, the Thunderbirds would be more connected to the spirit, right?”
Anonymous
1c4c5b1
?
No.145272
145273 145279
>>145270
It’s a few bits. The driver takes it and hastily drives away.

The ponies move in closer to the crowd, which for its part scarcely takes notice of them. To be sure, an eye of two glances at the two approaching ponies, but no one says anything good or ill towards them, nor otherwise reacts, although one pony decidedly moves out of the way.

>>145271
“Yes, certainly. Like a bridge between spirit and the material.”
Shimmering Spark
705d4c9
?
No.145273
145274
>>145272
“What if we were to talk to them? Maybe they could help end this war so we could go back to being closer to the spirit?”
Anonymous
1c4c5b1
?
No.145274
145275
>>145273
“They are spirits of the sky realm. They have been known to cast boots of lightning at troubled makers, yes, but it is their duty to keep the malevolent spirits at bay, and to serve as guardians against spiritual threats.” She pauses for a moment, looking up and out.
“I wonder sometimes if it’s too much for them.”
Shimmering Spark
705d4c9
?
No.145275
145277
>>145274
“Then they should be willing to talk if it means lightening the work load.”
Anonymous
1c4c5b1
?
No.145277
145278
>>145275
“You.... want to try to find one?” She asks, tilting her head
Shimmering Spark
705d4c9
?
No.145278
145280
>>145277
“Why not? If we have a chance to push back the changelings with the help of spirits, then we might as well take that chance. I’m quite certain the spirits won’t want them destroying their sacred places.”
Silver "The Floof" Sword
29bff06
?
No.145279
145280
>>145272
Silver taps the shoulder of one of the protestors.
Anonymous
1c4c5b1
?
No.145280
145281 145282
>>145278
All of those listening seem at least somewhat unsettled at the suggestion, except for Maakiade, who seems more angry.

Ply Press is the first to speak
“Uh, careful what you say about the Changelings.”

“Contracting spirits to fight for you? The wishful thinking of those who are by nature slaves. The freedom of a people is won by its own force of arms, or it is not won at all, lest your liberators come back around to enslave you. To place faith in spirits would be foolish even if such things existed, and they decidedly do not.”

Waabishki bares her teeth at Makade, but when he finishes, she turns to Spark and says,

“Neither the doubles nor the spirits are to be taken lightly. They are, well, they are like bears. You must either leave them alone, or if you must disturb them, treat them with the utmost respect.”

>>145279
Reddish colored stallion, approximately the color of the inside of of a grapefruit. He turns to Silver.

“Huh? What do you need?”
Silver "The Floof" Sword
29bff06
?
No.145281
145287
>>145280
"Excuse me, I saw all of signs here and was curious why you all have gathered here. What are you protesting?"
Shimmering Spark
3b9662a
?
No.145282
145297
>>145280
“Why respect changelings when they don’t respect the spirits? That’s like asking me to respect the forest and the arson equally.”
Anonymous
10ca8cc
?
No.145287
145288
>>145281
The stallion takes a moment to respond, but does answer

“The complacency of the SDP. They just let imperialists exploit the the lower classes here and... everywhere, while nothing changes. Add to that one of their members is a sex offender and who knows who else is... We need something new, more effective.”
Silver "The Floof" Sword
29bff06
?
No.145288
145289
>>145287
"Oh, you are talking about Comte Burgher? Yes, I heard about that, it is terrible."

He looks around at the gathering.

"How in Equus did you all manage to organize protest of this size?"
Anonymous
10ca8cc
?
No.145289
145290
>>145288
"Organize?" A smile grows across the stallion's face, and he raises a hoof towards the other ponies in the crowd with him

"This is not some organization. This is spontaneous. Likeminded ponies who come together all at once to express their grievances, and to show those in power that they will not be silent."
Silver "The Floof" Sword
29bff06
?
No.145290
145291
>>145289
Silver follows his hoof.

"Huh. That is impressive! I would have thought there was newsletter or paper involved."
Anonymous
10ca8cc
?
No.145291
145294
>>145290
He seems to point non distinctly into the crowd

"No, if the paper had organized this, I assure you, it would be much larger than this. It could be the whole city."
Silver "The Floof" Sword
29bff06
?
No.145294
145359
>>145291
Silver's eyebrows raise.

"Paper is that big?"
Anonymous
10ca8cc
?
No.145297
145298
>>145282
"No, that's... that's not what it means to respect something. To respect is not to honor. To respect is to acknowledge something's power and place, and to not act the fool around it. You must respect fire, or else you will surely be burned. You must respect the forest, or else you will get lost and die. You should revere fire and the forest, for both have their place here on this earth, and both give life to what is around them in their own way, even if the two conflict sometimes and have different ends. But you absolutely must respect them, as you will be punished if you do not. When the Changelings came, and intruded into our territory, they did not respect us, and... Maakade? Would you care to explain?"

In a moment, Makade explains,
"They came in their standard formation, approaching from the south. Somewhat spread out, with scouts ahead, and a deeper line that allowed for reinforcement in the event of an ambush. They had forest colored uniforms, though that is of only so much use when moving forward, and of course their magical disguises are less useful in an empty forest. They made three incursions in total, towards our camp and I believe somewhere further east and north. They did not respect us. They believed that we had nothing more than knives and bows and arrows. What they did not appreciate is just how silent a bow can be, or a knife can be, when dropping out of a tree, or a bush. They assumed that the small slices caused by said arrows were minor wounds to be bandaged. I don't think they knew anything of the paralyzing venom of the wasp, or how it could be applied to blades and arrows, or the wooden stakes left in pits and covered with leaves.

As for firearms, I don't believe they thought we'd have any at all. I'm not sure that a single one of the conscripts we were up against had handled a firearm outside of the military, and I'm frankly not sure they even fired them much in combat. Certainly none of them had scopes on their rifles, or had trained much for marksmanship. They were not hunters, who in teams, tracked, hid from, cornered, and killed animals in those forest since they were young. We were hunters.

They assumed that as soon as they found cover, got their bearings, and shot back at us that we'd run away. And you know what? They were right. You see, I do respect the Changelings, for even though I did not fight in frontline combat for very long I did learn much. I know they have machine guns, mortars, artillery, and planes. That they have ways of dealing with such inferior forces. And I, leader of the hunting party, had no intention of staying around long enough for them to bring those advantages into play. What the Changelings did not expect, I assume, is that we'd attack again. And again. And again. Not head on, mind you, but a well placed shot from a distance, or an arrow in the back of a straggler. They could walk the exact same path returning home that they used before, and find traps of wooden stakes.

We evacuated and moved our village. We can afford to do so with our mobile construction. It was only on the second day that they used their greatest advantage. A sentry, seeing a bear roaming around, and seeing it behaving oddly, thought it had distemper or hydrophobia, and shot it. And it turned out to be one of the doubles in disguise. If only that that scout had lived around bears, and knew how they behave near settlements, he would have found our camp and we'd be none the wiser. They could have placed planes on us."

Makade pauses, and Waabishki starts again,
"To disguise one's appearance… That's one of the powers Nanabush had. I assure it, the trickster is very much to be respected. As for the spirits... well, have you seen lightning? Or a tree struck by lightning? If you have, you have an idea of what the Thunderbird may summon at will."
Shimmering Spark
e2709e8
?
No.145298
145299 145305
>>145297
"I think we have different understandings of the word respect then. I acknowledge their skill and weaponry, as they might acknowledge your own, but I do not respect them. To respect something means to give it a higher standing. The changelings are not to be respected in such a way. They will gladly attempt to destroy the spirits, even if such a thing is not possible, and everything you find sacred and holy, even if it was to seal their own destruction. So, for your sakes as well as their own, why would we not stop them? Why would we respect those that don't know respect themselves?"
Anonymous
37032c5
?
No.145299
145300 145305
>>145298
Waabishki, sitting besides the couch, is silent to Spark’s words. It is a silence that is soon filled with Makade’s invective:

“Of course the Changelings are terrible for you. You’re a pony. The world was yours just a few short years ago. In the thousand years since the ponies came here, they have pushed us wolves back to the recesses of the forest, and torn up a part of that for farming and to dig holes. They take us from our homes, they litigate who gets royalties for lumber sales to not pay us for cutting down the forest, and on top of all of that they have the audacity to serve those of us who venture out with draft notices. What, precisely, is new to us about the Changelings that we don’t have with ponies? The strong do what they will and the weak suffer what they must. It’s a grave misfortune to no longer be the strongest, isn’t it?”

Ply Press frowns

Waabishki looks up, and says at a low volume
“I don’t think Miskobag’s affliction is natural....”

Makade sighs, and says,
“I saw the Equestrian front melt like wax. I don’t think we can stop them. Not really, anyways. We can’t hold out forever while we need antibiotics, lamps, salt, and bullets. We should negotiate while we are in a position of relative strength.”
Shimmering Spark
e2709e8
?
No.145300
145303
>>145299
"And your offer? That you will stop guerilla warfare? Do you think that will be a good bargaining chip when they could just burn anywhere they believe you to be, setting you back each time much more than you can them, all the while you run lower and lower on spots to hunt and gather resources. The plan to secure yourselves is to ask them politely to stop?

I don't really care if you see me as only a pawn of the former government that failed. You should see them as the ones that are more powerful than what I was once part of and ones even less likely to offer you any beneficial trade that doesn't involve your slavery. If you didn't have it well under ponies, what chance is there if you didn't help the new order fight them?

To deal with them is to allow them to be stronger when your whole strategy towards them is to keep them from gaining strength around you. If it becomes too costly to stay, then it is too costly to trade with you. So your only other option is to trade with those that are the enemy of your enemy and find the means to make it really uncomfortable to keep staying around here."
Amber Sunset
7ae6348
?
No.145302
145303 145304
Hola!

Anonymous
37032c5
?
No.145303
145304
>>145302
Hello!

>>145300
To this, he has a one-word response:
“How?”
Shimmering Spark
e2709e8
?
No.145304
>>145302
Hi there!
>>145303
"That's something I'm working on."
Anonymous
37032c5
?
No.145305
145306
Okay, Maakade’s response in >>145299 is something he’s brought up before and Spark answered before. It’s not really relevant to the line of conversation and it’s rather offensive when spoken in front of his step-parents. I’m striking >>145299 and replacing it with the following:

>>145298
Waabishki is silent for a moment. She replies:

“I wonder... I wonder if they already have tried. They found something in the woods. And it disfigured them.”
Shimmering Spark
e2709e8
?
No.145306
145307
>>145305
"Maybe. But they won't stop so easily. Eventually their whole might will be turned to trying to destroying something they can't understand. That is something we should avoid allowing to come to pass."
Anonymous
37032c5
?
No.145307
145308
>>145306
“That is why it is best to stay out of their sight. Remain unnoticed. Our interactions with the outside have brought us harm.”
Shimmering Spark
f04fe79
?
No.145308
145309
>>145307
“Well, you can’t just disappear. You are in their territory now. They will eventually expand to your homes and you will either be captured or forced to flee forever. You can achieve a degree of isolation only by choosing to forgo it for now, and end the crisis that threatens your way of life.. How can you stay out of sight when they are at your gates?”
Anonymous
10ca8cc
?
No.145309
145310
>>145308
"And how do we end the crisis, exactly?" She asks
Shimmering Spark
f04fe79
?
No.145310
145311
>>145309
“We have to convince the changelings to abandon their post so close to your forest and move on to someplace easier to manage.”
Anonymous
10ca8cc
?
No.145311
145322
>>145310
"How?"
Silver "The Floof" Sword
29bff06
?
No.145312
145316
You know who's cute?

(You)
Anonymous
10ca8cc
?
No.145316
145372
>>145199
Officer "Swift Soul," the olive green pony, moves a step forward. No horn nor wing is visible from his stance by the door, with his body ever so slightly angled to the left. But as he moves forward, Amber can see that any conclusion that he is an earth pony was too hastily made, as a feathered wing can be seen close to his previously hidden left side that has no extant counterpart on his right.

Stalwart moves closer to the stallion, and now Trakr moves to Stalwart's side, both confronting the new stallion.

The lilac-purple pony does not move forward, instead occupying the doorway, with her webbed-wings partly unfolded, the "wrists" and the scrawny bones angled upwards in a point. She does not enter the conversation, but hangs back in reserve. Her slit, ice-water eyes are the only pair to focus on Amber at any point during the room's invasion, and thankfully the lack of focus - for surely those slit-pupils can focus - implies more idle curiosity than inquisitive purpose. Her attention moves to the other mare in the room, the pink assistant, who moves around and closer to Trakr.

The conversation continues, evidently a debate over the jurisdiction of an investigation. There are many words exchanged, but the pertinent points are these:

For Stalwart,
"We already have several officers assigned to the Comte investigation who have done much work on the case. We possess the evidence gathered at the scene. Furthermore, this is a criminal investigation, and the Baltimare district as a self-governing autonomy, is allowed to make and enforce it's own criminal laws an procedures. To interfere with a criminal investigation is to infringe on that autonomy."

And for Swift Soul,
"This is hardly a criminal investigation alone, as we have reason to believe that Comte was involved in a conspiracy with the local criminal syndicates to import arms to facilitate an armed uprising."

These words trouble Stalwart greatly, as they understood to be 'magic words,' giving the officers power to attach themselves to any investigation. Trakr protests that 'these are the same claims used in Manehattan," to which Swift Soul replies 'what of it? That doesn't make them any less true.' Stalwart's rebuttal centers on demanding to know precisely what these 'reasons to believe' are, to which Swift Soul replies that they keep their sources secret for obvious reasons.

Swift Soul, however, has one more argument:
"This may be a criminal case. But it is a criminal case where the defendant is a member of the government, and one who previously approved the budget of the police and the appointment of the chief. Besides, further investigation may implicate other members of the government as co-defendants." This line is delivered with a smile. "There is a clear conflict of interest, and the investigation must be handled by an outside party."

These words trouble Stalwart perhaps even more than the former. He rebuts that the Police Department is a completely separate institution, with the role of the council in approving the budget and confirming appointments being so tenuous a connection as to create no meaningful conflict. Besides, he's been removed from the council, so there is nothing for him to do in retaliation against the police now. And what of possible other members of the government being implicated? Well, though it's alleged that 'ponies unknown' were involved along with Comte, that is all they are. Unknown. There's not any particular reason to believe the co-defendants were in the government or the SDP coalition, save for the fact that such people were among Comte's closest associates.

The argument drags on, but it's clear that the new officers have an edge, and Stalwart and Trakr are fighting a holding action. The latter two physically move back as the argument drags on, with the two new officers entering further into the room.

>>145312
gasps

is cute
Shimmering Spark
e2709e8
?
No.145317
Things are starting to get interesting. A hero story, conflicting desires, and cute ponies and wolves. I should be able to continue it tomorrow.
Shimmering Spark
e2709e8
?
No.145322
145326
>>145311
"Well, a war isn't won in a day. It will take some time and effort, but I believe the opportunity will reveal itself sooner rather than later. Their operation at their mine already had one major set back. Another one or two might just convince their superiors that they are needed elsewhere."
Anonymous
10ca8cc
?
No.145326
145327
>>145322
She blinks and shakes her head
"An attack? That could provoke them."

Makade butts in:
"We don't have the resources."
Shimmering Spark
e2709e8
?
No.145327
145328
>>145326
"It will only provoke them if they figure out it's us. They already know there are monsters among them, so if they think they are under attack by something beyond their control, they will leave. And as for resources, breaking things tends to not cost too much. You just have to find the right tools."
Anonymous
10ca8cc
?
No.145328
145337
>>145327
“How then do you do it?” She asks
Shimmering Spark
8642661
?
No.145337
145479
>>145328
“Very carefully.”
Silver "The Floof" Sword
302a3a4
?
No.145338
hopes to continue soon
Silver "The Floof" Sword
302a3a4
?
No.145339
Have I already said that (You) are a cute pony? Oh well, it bears saying again.
Shimmering Spark
1f9642c
?
No.145342
145350
I got this weekend free. I hope for lots more character interaction and adventure!
Shimmering Spark
763f702
?
No.145350
145351
>>145342
The wait for the weekend is tough. But it is worth the wait.