Fandom MLP - Age of Exploration (Discord Chat Available)

[Superwholock]

Dreamweaver
Virgil nodded, glancing over at the board as he listened to her explain. It seemed that the board was rather full, although not overflowing, which meant that this place wasn't completely lawless. Jury was still out on whether or not that was a good thing for Virgil.
He took a long draw from his drink before turning back to his companion. "What can you tell me about this town. Poniville, sí?"

 

[Dreamweaver]

Superwholock
"Ponyville is likely the best protected town in Equestria outside of Canterlot. We've got a demigoddess living here, along with two extremely power archmages. Aside from that, the biggest business around here is the Apple Family Farm. You'll never guess what they grow." Rose let out a short chuckle, "Other than that... there isn't really much going on around here. Ponyville is not a cultural hub, nor is it growing at an exponential rate. We do, however, live close to the Everfree Forest. For that reason we have many taskboard postings every week, and constant guard activity."

 

[Superwholock]

Dreamweaver
"A demigoddess?" Virgil asked, a slightly raised eyebrow his only outward sign of disbelief. He inwardly shrugged; not the weirdest thing he's run into in his lifetime. Still, he'd be sure to remain cautious around this demigoddess. He took another sip from his drink, waiting for Rose to hopefully elaborate on this mysterious being.

 

[Dreamweaver]

"... Yes? Twilight Sparkle, the alicorn who lives in the crystal castle nearby. You really are new, aren't you?" Rose said with a little frown on her face, before simply shrugging and sipping at her drink. "You know Empress Celestia and Luna of course, yes? And their daughters Silvanus and Aurora?" She wasn't sure if the stallion would know Silvanus or Aurora. Silvanus she wasn't sure because her religion was still growing, and Aurora's religion was mostly a magic-user thing. Celestia and Luna on the otherhoof were worshipped by millions and she assumed he would have heard of them! "Twilight Sparkle looks like them. A unicorn with wings."

 

[Cyan Hide]

Dreamweaver Dumbledoof


Starlight was breathing on her hooves one at a time in a futile attempt to keep warm as she listened. "I have studied the scroll, yes," Starlight answered. "I'm nervous, though. I've never cast a spell like this before. It's gonna take a lot of concentration. But we won't let you down!"

Starlight imagined a model of the mountain in her head, and on it, placed the glyphs at the correct points.Unfortunately there was no way of conveying this to Trixie, so she pulled her wife aside and made two pictures of the simpler glyphs. "These are the glyphs you could draw. Now, should I keep you informed about the right spaces, or would you be able to measure 4 miles?"

 

[Dreamweaver]

Cyan Hide
Aurora simply smiled and nodded at the two of them as they made their way off the mountain. Aurora and Silvanus stayed up there to talk and spend a bit of sisterly time together. Trixie meanwhile was just happy to get back to a more warm climate at the base of the mountain. She took the paper with the glyphs on it from Starlight and slowly nodded her head.

"I thought we were going to do this together... but yes, of course Trixie can handle it! Trixie can handle anything you throw at her. The distances should be no problem for one as talented as I. Do you not know that the blood of gods runs in Trixie's veins?"

"... Very little of it, but it's there."
...
...
She cleared her throat and looked down at the paper. "Trixie shall handle these glyphs, and you shall handle the others. Remember that they must be seared into the ground. Measurement spells will come in extremely useful here." With that being said, Trixie started going to her spot on the mountain and carving a glyph! Which had to be perfect, because one wrong glyph could make the mountain crumble instead of float. And that would take out Canterlot City below it.

Trixie didn't want to be known as the mare who destroyed Canterlot.

 

[Superwholock]

Dreamweaver
Virgil shrugged nonchalantly as she commented on how new he was to the area. He vaguely knew that Luna and Celestia ruled Equestria, although he was unaware that they were considered goddesses or that they had children.
"You worship your Empress?" The very idea was strange to him and a tad suspicious. Sergio, the pegasus who controlled most of the pirate crews and mentored Virgil was revered across the seas, but he was still just a pony with faults. Only a fool or the insane would worship him as a deity.

 

[Dreamweaver]

Superwholock
"Me, personally? I do not attend any churches. Many creatures do worship the Royal Family, though." Rose said with a look of surprise on her face. It really seemed like he knew absolutely nothing about the world. "Princess Silvanus is often worshipped by those in dangerous areas. While travelling through a haunted forest, some may utter a prayer. While navigating the seas, prayers are made for good weather and fortune. Princess Aurora controls the flow of magic in the world and as such is often worshipped by unicorns and others who have learned magic through incantations and runes."

Rose tapped a hoof on the table and then leaned back and frowned at the stallion. "... Where are you from? You seem very uninformed about many of these things, so I would assume you are from further than Griffonstone or Saddle Arabia. They would have at least a basic knowledge of our equine deities, like we have an understanding of theirs."

 

[Superwholock]

Dreamweaver
Virgil frowned as he listened to her explanation. In a way, he could understand why ponies would worship their rulers, but the way Rose was explaining it made them seem more like Saints. This Princess Silvanus seemed very similar to the Saint Esix that many pirates would pray to during stormy weather or in dangerous waters.
He chuckled before answering her question. "No, I am definitely not from either, although I have visited both several times over the years. I come from the Southwestern Seas, quite a fair distance from Equestria. In fact, this is my first time really seeing anything beyond the shores of Equestria."

 

[Dreamweaver]

Superwholock
"That is quite far from Equestria." Rose said with a little nod of her head, sipping at her drink while thinking on his words. After a moment she spoke up again, "Still, I am surprised that you never prayed to Silvanus for help. I take it you were a seafarer, seeing as how you lived in the Southwestern Seas. Was that the Lunar Sea or the Celestial Sea?" She wasn't quite sure! She wasn't very good at directions and geography in general.

Dumbledoof
Dawn walked among the houses of Ponyville, as she always did once a month. This is the town she always ended up coming back to, and the one she felt most at home in. Every month she would come back and hang around here, look in the shops and buy some things. Thankfully Ponyville was a busier place now and was only around 100 years old, so Dawn did not have to explore the place under an illusion. Ponies usually forgot her face in the months time between visits.

Today Dawn found herself without much to do. Ponyville was dreadfully slow at this hour, with the last of the shops just beginning to close. Dawn had literally teleported from the other side of the planet, but had not accounted for the timezone shift. Pretty much everybody in Ponyville was asleep right now. Awkward. With that being the case, she ended up simply wandering around, hoping to find something to do to pass the time! No catastrophic events were taking place so she was kind of bored.

 

[Dumbledoof]

Dreamweaver
Selena found herself watching Ponyville quite often during the night. The only times she didn't typically hang around was during the day, where she would most often find something else to do, or when Luna had her out on an assignment. There isn't much that required her to personally get involved with, mission or otherwise. Not unless Luna really needs to make sure a specific task is accomplished to the letter. They know exactly who to get for the job at that point.

She felt a disturbance in the air that was Dawn suddenly teleporting to Ponyville from the other side of the world. Her attention shifted away from where she had been perching on top of the town hall, watching those few ponies who were still awake filing around. She looked practically invisible against the dark background of the night sky, even mimicking the stars. Pretty easy when you are literally a piece of the sky. Her specific constellation isn't exactly close to Ponyville, but still visible anyway.

She moved silently along the rooftops to Dawn's position, a little surprised to see them here. "Dawn Sunspot. It has been some time since I have seen you." A quiet, elegant voice spoke from behind her. Selena's body brightened up from black to a dark blue hue, patterns of a galaxy texturing her fur. "What brings you to Ponyville?"

 

[Superwholock]

Dreamweaver
"Lunar Sea," he confirmed. "And where I come from, we don't really have gods or goddesses. We do have saints, however. Your Silvanus sounds similar to our Saint Esix. Many sailors pray to him for safe travels, especially when in dangerous waters or weather."

 

[Dreamweaver]

Dumbledoof
It wasn't very often that a creature managed to get the drop on Dawn. Usually she had a hoof-full of protective wards around her, but right now she had nothing. Even without wards, she could usually sense a common assassin before they got to her. Hell, she could usually sense infamous assassins before they got to her. But not Selena. The constellation creature was quiet, supernaturally so. Far quieter than a cat of her size should be.

Dawn jumped a little when her name was spoken, and immediately turned to face the source of the sound. She relaxed when she saw who it was... just Selena. Nobody important! "By the Weave, Selena, can you not be a little less terrifying? You're going to give this old mare a heart attack." She said with an exasperated sigh. The mare reached up to run a hoof through her dark red mane. "What brings me to Ponyville, you ask? I'm unsure. This pathetic little town always warms my heart, for some reason. It has so little but has such a happy aura that other cities are missing."

Superwholock
"I cannot say that I have ever heard of these... Saints." Rose was obviously a little confused about that word. She had never heard of such beings. "Still, if you were pray to Silvanus, she would grant you safe passage. Probably." Rose sounded a little unsure about that. "I have never prayed, but I've heard not everypony gets answered."

 

[Dumbledoof]

Dreamweaver
Selena snickered under her breath when Dawn jumped at her presence. "My apologies, Dawn. I had approached more loudly than I normally would, but it would seem your age is getting to you." She teased, a bit of tongue-in-cheek. 'Loud' for Selena is still quiet... far too quiet. As Dawn is finding out. It makes sense when you're the monster in the dark for those who bite off more than they can chew.

Coming up closer to them, she shrugged her shoulders a little. "Ponyville has much to be happy about. The one named Twilight Sparkle has certainly given them quite the legacy. The happiness in this town probably helps to combat the foul magic that the Everfree Forest contains." Selena sounded content, happy, but her face was as neutral as ever. As unreadable as a brick wall. "I suppose those who haven't ever had much at all... learn to appreciate everything to its full value. I've gotten into the habit of guarding while they rest. Its worth preserving this little pocket of serenity."

 

[Dreamweaver]

Dumbledoof
"Or... hear me out... the constant guard patrols help combat the Everfree's terrible stench." Dawn replied sarcastically, smirking as she did so. She looked pretty proud of herself for all of five seconds before going back to looking neutral. At the mention of Twilight Sparkle, Dawn's neutral expression twitched for just a moment before going back to normal! "It's a cute pocket, but it won't last. It's a mere 100 year old town. Look how far it has expanded in the past twenty years. I give it fifty more years before the serenity wears off."

Dawn was what ponies call a 'realist'. She knew this town wouldn't last... she had seen a dozen like it pop up and fade away in her lifetime. Some were overrun with monsters, but others like Ponyville simply got too big. When a town reaches a certain population, a lot of its attractively quaint qualities disappear! "Regardless, a new 'Ponyville' will appear soon enough, I'm sure. Farmers are always breaking off from towns and going to new land!"

 

[Dumbledoof]

Dreamweaver
Selena rolled her eyes. "A pleasure as always, buzz killer." She forgot that Dawn was like this. Why spoil the mood like that? A realist is somebody who loves ruining the joy of others. "The guard patrols do help, however, if the Everfree Forest were to suddenly... lash out... there is little they can do to stop it. Even Celestia and Luna were taken by surprise, despite it being Discord's own interference—if accidental. I've yet to figure out whether that is Discord's own powers which caused it to attack or it truly was the Everfree. They were caused by a mere snack of his..."

Shaking her head lightly, she turned her eyes over to Dawn, sitting down next to them. "Ponyville will either thrive or disappear. There will be others like it, but they won't be quite the same. Is that not more reason to enjoy it while it lasts?" Breaking character for a moment, Selena actually smiled. It was tiny but that might as well be a full blown grin for them. "For the time that it is here, why not help by allowing the ponies to rest a little easier at night? These ponies have been through so much. I find it satisfying to quell their suffering, even if just a little."

 

[Dreamweaver]

Dumbledoof
"Don't underestimate the strength of mortals, Selena. I have seen mortals kill gods. If the Everfree really did begin to lash out, heroes would rise up to stomp it back down. Perhaps even heroes from within the guards ranks! Let us not forget that Prince Shining Armor was once a Royal Guard, and now he rules a nation within the Empire itself alongside Princess Cadence." Dawn wasn't overly feeling this conversation and wanted to move on from it!

Seeing as how Ponyville was dead quiet, she figured she might as well go wait at the train station and catch the train to Canterlot. "Are you coming with me, or continuing to watch over these ponies? It's kind of creepy you know." She said while standing up from her spot on the ground. While Selena seemed to want to sit, Dawn did not. Sitting was boring. She wanted to actually do something, not just sit around and watch a town sleep. That was weird!

 

[Dumbledoof]

Dreamweaver
Selena nodded her head. "Mortals will rise up to the challenge, they always do. Would they rise to the challenge before Ponyville is destroyed? We'll see how that goes. But that simply goes in what you said before, Ponyville will eventually be gone. Almost was gone recently." The Griffin War just about saw to that, not to mention the disaster with Discord two times. After that, it was simply of a matter of kidnappings. Chrysalis kidnapping everybody and Nightmare Moon kidnapping Celestia.

She glanced back at the rest of Ponyville, contemplating, but nodded again and stood up. "I will come along. You find it creepy because you look for the worst in everything before seeing what kind of good is in it. I don't watch them sleep, I watch for pests sneaking into the town." Selena snapped back. Calling her creepy for protecting the ponies when they're at their most vulnerable... its difficult to figure why Aurora has kept them around for so long sometimes.

Her form shifted into that of something much more normal. Dark fur with a lighter underbelly, reaching up to even underneath her chin. Her eyes became an emerald green hue. "The night has been very quiet so far. I am doubtful Canterlot will be much more exciting than Ponyville."

 

[Dreamweaver]

Dumbledoof
"Looking for the worst in everything has kept me alive these past eight-hundred years. We are not all immortal constellations, Selena. Some of us had to work for our power and have to watch that no up-and-comers seize it." A bit harsh, but true. Dawn was only immortal because Aurora made her immortal, but that could disappear any day. Plus, it was only immortality in the age sense; she could still be ran through and killed.

That kept life exciting though. Knowing she might die is what made Dawn continue to study magic, even though she had learned almost everything there is to know by this point. At the mention of Canterlot being quiet, Dawn laughed a little bit and shook her head. "Canterlot is never quiet, Selena. Never. They have raves and such. Have you never been to a rave?"

Soon enough the pair were on a train heading to Canterlot! Dawn could have just teleported them there, but honestly teleportation got boring sometimes. The trip is half the adventure in life, constantly skipping between places made that adventure very boring.

 

[Dumbledoof]

Dreamweaver
Dawn did have a point there. If Selena is killed, she'll simply return to the stars... and they can't exactly kill a constellation up in the sky. Not only is each individual star too far away for them to ever actually shoot at, she isn't aware of any spell existing aside from Wish even able to affect them. It is somewhat of a gray area if Harmony will actually allow a Wish such as that. Not a whole lot of possibilities to permanently remove her from the table unless Luna gets involved.

"It is a shallow existence to look for the worst in everything but not see the benefits as well, isn't it?" Selena commented lightly, arching an eyebrow at them. "I understand. We each have learned to be overly cautious to stay alive. I am protected more than others, but even still... I don't want to die. It gets lonely up there."

Dawn isn't the only one who could have gotten there faster. Just move through the shadows to another shadow in Canterlot. But she followed along, disregarding the looks she got from other ponies. "I have been to a rave, thank you very much!" She answered haughtily. Whether she was lying, it didn't even show on her expression. Her voice lowered after that. "... No. The only party I've been to is the Gala and that is rather boring. I assumed all the others were the same way."

 

[Superwholock]

Dreamweaver
Virgil nodded. "Deities always seemed fickle things to me, although to each their own I guess. For some, prayer is a comfort regardless of their prayers being answered. I known sailors to pray to Saint Esix only to be lost at sea, and yet their companions continue to pray for safe passage."
He went to take another sip of his drink, frowning when he found it empty. He waved a hoof at the bartender in the hopes of catching his attention for a refill.

 

[Cyan Hide]

Dreamweaver


Starlight admittedly hadn't thought of doing it together. They could get this done much faster if they used teamwork to split their resources, and Starlight wholeheartedly trusted Trixie. When the chips were down, Trixie was by far the more hardworking and dependable of the two!

Starlight headed to her spot, and spend at least twenty minutes using several spells in order to ensure that she had exactly the right spot, before she spent about twenty seconds carving the rune by magic. Starlight had a very good memory for shapes and she had no doubt that this glyph was perfect to the micrometer. She did the same to the next one. If Trixie had handled her end, she would be finished soon too. Starlight teleported back to the starting point.

 

[Dreamweaver]

Superwholock
"Well, the Equestrian deities seem to be kinder than others I've heard stories about. Luna is... a little disturbing... and Silvanus can be judgmental, but otherwise the others seem okay. Celestia is, of course, the face of Equestria; far more so than any other pony or deity." Rose said with a little nod of her head. The bartender noticed his call and came over with another drink for him. Rose paid for that one too, but then got up from the table. "Well, my marefriend will likely be wanting me home."

Cyan Hide
Trixie had a lot more trouble with this. It's not that the glyph itself was hard; that was actually quite easy. Trixie was quite an artist, when she wasn't making up magic tricks or doing shows she was probably sketching ideas for new tricks or shows. So the glyph was no problem, but the distance requirements were. Trixie was all charisma no intelligence had no real feel for this sort of thing. She never needed runes before. She never needed incantations. If she wanted something to happen, she just focused on it and pulled from her internal power.

In the end, that's what she ended up doing. She focused on the shape of the rune and a distance inside of her head, and then burned exactly what she saw into the ground. After having done that to all of her runes, she returned to Starlight looking quite anxious. "Uuhhhhmmm... Trixie would like you to look over her work. Not that Trixie's work is not perfect." She said with a little arched eyebrow.

 

[Superwholock]

Dreamweaver
Virgil thanked the bartender before turning back to Rose. "Understandable. Gracias for the drinks and the information, although I have one last question if you wouldn't mind." He offered a small smile before continuing, "I'm in need of a place to stay, and while I'm sure I could find it on my own, I would appreciate it if you could tell me where the nearest inn is and save me the time and trouble."

 

[Cyan Hide]

Dreamweaver


"I'm sure your work is perfect, but just in case, as it pays to be careful, I will look over your work just for your piece of mind." Starlight assured Trixie, booping her on the nose and giving her cheek a peck before teleporting away. After roughly five minutes she returned. "One of them was perfect. One of them was three and a bit millimetres off so I moved a small section of the mountain to the right place. We should be okay now. I'm still nervous, though. Maybe if you checked my runes?"