Dragon's Feud

"Yes," Atlas smiles, looking at the group. It's certainly an interesting company to travel with - many stories will be told of this adventure, and many bits will be made. "To adventure, Team Flipflop!"

nightlight wrote:"Violet! You're here!" she calls, giving a cheerful wave. "Yeah, isn't that thing awesome? And it's going to be helping us!"

Violet returns the wave, "Yea, I kinda want to see it in action."

jaguargamma wrote:"Oh. In that case, I'm ready whenever everypony else is. I'll tell the story once we're underway."

Espresso wrote:"Yes," Atlas smiles, looking at the group. It's certainly an interesting company to travel with - many stories will be told of this adventure, and many bits will be made. "To adventure, Team Flipflop!"

"I'm ready, and didn't you already use that name?"

"A nap? Luna's bosom, I'd like that." Cherry almost cracked a smile as she climbed into the wagon. "Won't help, of course, and I fully expect to be rudely awakened soon, but that's my life." She climbed atop the bed, not even bothering to take her gear off. "By the way, you won't have a hard time waking me up. I'm a light sleeper."

A glow of light blue envelops the pointy parts of Cherry's loadout as Chassis pulls them off.

"No offense," she says, "but sharp bits and bedding don't mix, and that's my only set."

Chassis sets the things she removed within Cherry's reach, then leans out the door.

"Moss! Roll out!"

nightlight wrote:Pumpkin Spice stares at Lucky Shot for a few seconds in the same way she might if he had five legs and a suction cup growing out of his forehead. "You don't get out a lot, do you?" she asks, the faintest smile creeping into her expression.

'How do you know that?' Lucky asked quizzically. Even if he did pick up at the subtle meaning behind the phrasing, he didn't show it. 'Yeah, I mean, I do my groceries and stuff but on the whole I do spend most of my time at home with...' He nearly blurted out comic books or something similar geeky before remembering that, going by the looks of most of his newfound friends, he might start out with something a little bit more lowkey. 'Books?'

Lucky saw how Cherry climbed into the wagon, seemingly unhindered by the amount of... things she had strapped to her person.
At the very least it will be interesting to see what all that amounts to. He thought to himself. At that point, Lucky heard their newest addition to the time making the call to get moving. Falling in line with the others as wagon, robot and party began their journey, he walked next to Pumpkin Spice.
'So... Metropolis of Paragons?' He asked with a slight grin.
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Fair reminder for future reference: Lucky Shot has Grandeur so if he's within sight, you can add a +1 to your rolls.

"Just a hunch," Pumpkin Spice answers before giggling. "Groceries, huh? You're kind of a nerd, aren't you?" she says with a wink, giving him a friendly punch in the shoulder with a forehoof.

"I'm actually a really big book fan myself," she says enthusiastically. "And yeah, I know, the first season of Paragons was the worst ever when they were trying all that stupid stuff with the jello and every other commercial was for Yak, but as soon as that guy with the beard came in, it got really cool! I kind of always wanted to be one of the stunt ponies in that show. Can you imagine how awesome that'd be?"

She stops moving her hooves, tipping over sideways before using her wings to propel herself just enough to float lazily into the the wagon. She dangles her forehooves over the edge as she looks at Lucky.

"So, what's your favorite book?" she asks as she digs through her saddle bag to produce a large pink, cat-shaped mug and proceeds to pour coffee into it from one of the many thermoses she's carrying.

Cherry made no complaint as Chassis took away the more obtrusive of Cherry's equipment, though she did her best to try and note where they were being placed. With that done, she closed her eyes and curled up, resting the wait of her back-mounted gear on the bed. As she began to drift off, she heard something about "Metropolis of Paragons" and mumbled idly, "Metropolis of Paragons? Pfft... Now, Mutants and Secret Societies, that's where it's at..."

Suddenly, there comes a thump from the roof from the wagon, accompanied by an angry SQUAWK and high pitched shouting. "COME ON YOU MANGY MUTTS, HAVE AT THEE!"

A large eagle takes off from the roof, her vibrant yellow feathers slightly ruffled from the collision, and she begins circling the party. "Wait a minute - you ponies, not dogs!"

Bringing herself closer to the group, the ponies (and minotaur) can see that there is actually a bottle hanging off a cord tied around the eagle's neck, and in the bottle, is a small pink breezie. "You moving out of pony town - you going after dogs, yes? I Peony, want kick dog in behind. I help you fight dog. I come with!"

The eagle squawks, and the breezie groans. "Peony no need ask for approval, Helly, ponies clearly OK with Peony."

The eagle squawks again, more forcefully, and the breezie sighs. "Fine, I ask... Ponies OK with Peony and Helmaroc help?"

Chassis stares up at the breezie-in-a-jar from the open door of her carriage. Then her horn flashes, and she levitates up over the carriage, then sets down on top of it.

"Another bird nest," she grumbles. "I'm gonna have a talk with Butterfly when we get back. Sisters' sake..."

nightlight wrote:"Just a hunch," Pumpkin Spice answers before giggling. "Groceries, huh? You're kind of a nerd, aren't you?" she says with a wink, giving him a friendly punch in the shoulder with a forehoof.

'Oh well, you know...' Lucky scratched the back of his head a bit sheepishly. 'Kinda...' He had learned long ago to take nerd at face value and to wear it as a badge of honour.
Never forget what you are. Wear it like armour and it can never be used to hurt you.

nightlight wrote:"So, what's your favorite book?" she asks as she digs through her saddle bag to produce a large pink, cat-shaped mug and proceeds to pour coffee into it from one of the many thermoses she's carrying.

'I used to be a big Daring Do fan.' Lucky proceeded. 'Still am actually. Even got a limited edition hard cover signed by the author herself back home.' He said with the tiniest trace of pride swelling up in his voice. 'But I basically read everything that catches my eye. Why, the other day I found this old copy of Equestria's Finest wherein Batcolt and Supercolt-'

Lucky's trail of thought got broken up by the loud squawking and ruffling of feathers overhead. A large eagle took flight from off the wagon and began circling the group.
'The Eagles!' Lucky shouted. 'The Eagles are coming!'
He then noticed the bottle dangling from the bird's neck. 'And they brought... reinforcements?' He watched with great interest as the creature inside the bottle, a breezie going by the name of Peony, rattled off her introduction speech.
'Aren't you just the most adorable thing ever?' Lucky said in a tone one would use when speaking to a cute kitten. He looked at the others. 'Can we keep her?'

Helmaroc's eyes widen, and she quickly lands and covers the jar - but the damage is done.

"I WILL NOT BE DEMEANED"

"I AM PEONY BLOODSKULL DEATHCRUSH THE THIRD"

"I AM MIGHTY AND TERRIBLE, AND YOU WILL LEARN TO FEAR me–"

Helmaroc narrows her eyes and gives the jar a shake, which sends the breezie tumbling, silencing her stream of angry shouting. She gives Lucky Shot an apologetic look, before squawking at the jar, ~Manners, young lady.~

"But-"

~MANNERS.~

"...fine. Peony still not adorable, though." The little breezie glares at Lucky Shot.

~Apologize.~

"...I sorry I defended honour against disrespectful pony."

Helmaroc shakes her head and lifts off again, giving Peony some time to cool down.

Lucky Shot watched as the little breezie in front of him began moving up and about and shaking all around. It looked like she was... throwing a tantrum? But whatever she was doing, the effect was severely diminished by her petite stature, pink colouring and angrily waving a fist inside the bottle just wasn't all that imposing. Not to mention that the bottle itself kind of muffled whatever she was saying.
'You're going to be the best team mascot ever!' Lucky Shot almost cooed at the fairy-like being.

Meanwhile, a small clump of twigs and leaves sails off the back of the carriage, while Mossburg continues to plod along, seemingly oblivious to the goings-on around him as he pulls the carriage behind him.

Then Chassis lay with her forelegs over the top, next to Pumpkin.

"Songbird nest," she says. "Thankfully, no eggs this time. Flutter-butt gets scary when she's ticked."

She gives Peony a passing glance, then turns her attention back to Violet.

"We're underway, so here's my story, as promised. I was on the special-effects crew for Metropolis of Paragons as one of the ponies working with their large robotics rigs, as well as providing the illusion spells for superpowers, superweapons, and so on. Everypony on the show staff took on hero or villain names to get in the show's spirit. I was 'Commander Chassis' for my engineering work.

When Nyan Si... when the show got canceled, I held onto my hero name as a memento. I just drop the 'commander' when I introduce myself."

Helmaroc rolls her eyes as she slowly glides along the group. ~I'm trying to defend you, here... No, Peony! You're in time out right now~

"He insulted honour! I must defend Peony's good name!"

~Oh, calm down, Peony. He means no harm. Remember what I told you, ponies can be silly sometimes~

~They can be~ Atlas says. ~Helmaroc, right? My name is Atlas. May I take a closer look at your charge?~

Carrying over a convention from another game Shazam and I are in, dialog in ~ ~ is in animal speak.

~Do you mind?~

"As long as minotaur is not rude like pony."

~Good enough for me~

Swooping over to perch on Atlas's shoulder, Helmaroc shifts the bottle so Peony is eye-level with the minotaur. "...well?" Peony snaps, irritably.

"Everypony keeps mentioning Fluttershy," Pumpkin Spice says to Chassis as she produces several more mugs, which she places in a line on the wagon. "I've never talked to her, but she's got to be seriously badflank, the way everyone keeps talking about her.

She passes one cup towards Chassis. And then something falls from directly above them.

"Sweet applesauce!" Pumpkin Spice nearly falls off the wagon entirely. She scrambles about to save the coffee, barely succeeding as all the cups rattle on the wagon's top.

With a soft gasp, the pegasus moves over to the newcomer and the eagle, looking at the breezie wide-eyed. It's the closest she's ever seen a breezie. She cranes her head forward until there's one massive eyeball looking right at the small creature in the bottle.

"Oh... my... goodness..." she whispers, eyes sparkling.

From an inch away, a lot more details are clear. Namely, the breezie waving her hooves around, head back and shoulders spread, as proud, menacing, and comical as a puppy with its hackles raised. A really, really, really small puppy. In a jar. With wings. And kind of more pony-shaped.

She's looks about to come to bucks with everypony around her. Ohmygoshohmygosh that's so adorable!

"Well, miss... uh... Peony Bloodscall Deathcrush the Third," she begins in the most serious voice she can muster. She pauses to glance over at Lucky Shot as she bites her lower lip. "She's so cute!" she whispers, unable to help herself.  She clears her throat and looks back to Peony.

"We really appreciate all the help we could get, but... wouldn't you rather... I don't know... help out back at Ponyville?" she suggests to the breezie, a bit of the concern creeping into her voice. "I think they needed a lot of help with inventory back on the farm," she suggests.

Attn Party:

Rolls:

Current Effects on Pumpkin Spice:

When Pumpkin flutters down to meet Peony, her pink coffee cup stays suspended in the air by Chassis's magic. The pegasus seems too distracted with the breezie to notice.

As she watches the scene unfold, Chassis crosses her forelegs and takes a casual sip.

Rolls:

"Peony not go to school, can't count more than 16!" Peony says, lifting her head up proudly. "But I learn to kick butt and survive in forest! Is what Peony does! Helmaroc help too, she shoot lightning from wings and scratch with claws!"

"Sixteen, huh? Pumpkin Spice covers her mouth with a hoof to stop the giggle before beginning to make her way back to the top of the wagon. She looks back.

"You don't mean Everfree Forest, do you?" she asks, looking very surprised. "But that place is really dangerous! And creepy! There's mean animals and plants! And the weather! Even I don't go further than the edges of it!"

Atlas nods approvingly. "She chooses a path of danger and adventure - I like your spirit, breezie. You've got spunk."

~Not so bad when you get used to it.~ Helmaroc caws idly, flapping along.

Peony nods in agreement. "Predators come, then Hellie fly, or I hide. Or I tell to go away. Most predators listen to Peony. And Hellie and I have nest, no need to fear weather. Rain come, hide under trees. Storm come, hide in cave. No biggie. Dark forest homely when you used to it."

When Pumpkin lands next to Chassis, her pilfered beverage glides smoothly back to her. Chassis, meanwhile is visibly twitching, despite her effort to keep looking casual.

"Wow. You're... a lot more than you seem," Pumpkin Spice says to Peony before landing next to Chassis. "Or you're just crazy," she mutters uncertainly, barely audibly.

As she lands she retrieves her mug, none the wiser, and takes a long sip before sighing contently. Turning to say something to Chassis, she freezes. "Whoa... you look a little jumpy." She looks more closely at the cup she'd actually offered Chassis earlier, making sure she didn't accidentally pour the wrong kind of coffee into the cup. She then very seriously puts a hoof on the mare's shoulder.

"Look, usually I wouldn't even say this to my worst enemy but... I'm switching you to decaf if just a sip's doing that to you." She takes Chassis cup away, downs it in a couple of gulps, then pours her a new cup, this time out of a different, much smaller thermos. She adds a pinch of nutmeg, cinnamon, and a bit of salt before hoofing it to the mare.

"I grew up in a coffee shop and I've never seen anypony react that strongly to some cafe latte." she says in surprise.