I don't know what he was talking about, the Silver Shield was perfectly fine.
Sipping my pretty decent mead, I looked across the bar. A couple of groups of dayponies were at other tables, mostly playing cards. A bunch of bats at other tables. A mare was playing a stringed instrument in the corner.
It was mid morning, but my earlier nap helped a lot with keeping me awake. Besides, I had a lot of thinking to do.
The tourism thing could work.
Say it turned into a cooperative endeavor between us and the Crystal Empire. Cadance hooves the bill for the train, those bits earned from it goes to her people. While that would cut into our profits, it would also mean we didn't need to buy a bucking luxury train which would mean not having to loan to buy a bucking luxury train.
I'm sure we can hammer out a good arrangement there, maybe I'll ask Sparks when she gets back. Out of all of us, she's on the best terms with Cadance.
But what would they do when they got here? Safari I guess, look at the exotic wildlife and try not to get eaten?
Hmmm.
Maybe I should send an invitation to Pinkie Pie, involve her in the project. She is the hospitality expert after all. Maybe Rarity too, she should have some insight into what ponies that think themselves fancy want. Not that I would word it like that to her.
Also, Fluttershy, she's just good with creatures in general.
But before any of that, as soon as I get back I need to discuss matters with Tight Bit, see his projections. Whatever we do, it will likely involve at the very least constructing a hotel and a better way to get ponies from the train station to the village than a barge. None of which will be exactly cheap.
Flying carriages maybe?
I'm sure many ponies would enjo-
My thoughts were interrupted by a bottle flying across the room and braining me across the ear, sending me out of my seat and onto the floor as the bar erupted into a brawl. Ponies yelling, furniture flipping.
I blinked, shaking my head quickly as I pushed myself up to sit.
Bucking ow!
I felt my ear with my hoof. No blood. A glance at my cutiemark revealed that my transformation was intact as we-
I barely had time for form that thought before a pegasus stumbled into me, driving us both onto the floor again. He rolled to his hooves, untangling himself before punching a bat straight in the snout.
Okay... time to get the buck out of here before the onduty guards show and break it up.
Getting to my hooves, I headed for the exit, trying to avoi-duck!
I ducked to the side, barely avoiding the hoof of a large earth pony and I struck back before he could recover, my hoof catching him across the jaw and he went down, crushing a table on the way.
Yep, now I get why I was advised to stay away from this place. At least I didn’t use anything more than bat strength in that.
Mostly.
A bat bumped into me, glanced in my direction before she flashed me a grin, "Nice hoof!"
"Than-duck!"
We ducked, a chair flying past above us to smash against the wall.
"ALRIGHT!" the barkeep announced, smashing a club down on the bar, the large pegasus looking pissed, "Everypony get the buck out of my-"
A flying chair caught her in the chest and she fell behind the bar.
If anything, that made things worse. The locals, bats or day ponies did not like that one bit and the yelling intensified.
But that was as far as things got as the door smashed open and guards ponies stormed inside, shields held before them, clubs in their mouths.
"Alright!" Lieutenant Moon Spear yelled as she walked inside, "Everybody calm the buck down right now or we'll start cracking heads!"
She was actually not a bat. She was a unicorn, wearing the Nocturnis guard armor, her coat a pure white and with bright yellow mane.
The bat before me scowled but she took half a step back from the closest pegasus.
Nopony seemed really interested in going up against armed and armoured guards. Ponies were just kinda milling about, nursing their injuries.
"You alright there, Shield?" Moon Spear asked the barkeep.
"I'm fine," the large pegasus grumbled, brushing a hoof down her chest and then picking her club back up, putting it on the bar with a heavy thunk.
"See who started this mess?"
Shield snorted and motioned with her hoof, "I don't know, didn't see this time."
Moon Spear scowled at the bar in general, "Alright, this is how it's going to go! One at a time, you will each go to the bar. No talking! You will pay your tab and twenty bits extra for the damages! Then you will be taken outside and asked for a statement!"
Nopony said anything.
She pointed at somepony seemingly at random, "You. Start."
The unicorn didn't look happy, one hoof at a cut above his eye he limped over to the bar. He paid and then a guard herded him outside.
There was a minute wait before she pointed at the next pony, a bat this time, "You."
Twenty minutes later, she pointed at me.
I walked over to the bar and counted out thirty bits on the bar, "Sorry about this," I said.
Shield just snorted and motioned towards the exit with her muzzle. I nodded and headed over to the waiting guard and she guided me outside and to the side before pulling a notebook from her armor, putting a pen in her muzzle, "Name," she asked.
"Night Wind."
"What happened?"
I shrugged my wings, "Don't know. Was sitting by the far wall enjoying my mead. Next thing I know I was on the floor and ponies were fighting. I made for the exit, but didn't get there before somepony took a swing at my head. He missed and I punched back. That's just before your group arrived."
"See how it started?"
I shook my head, "No, sorry. First thing I knew was yelling and then a bottle bounced off my head."
"See who took a swing at you?"
"Uhm," I said, "...Don't know him. Earth pony, dark coat I think."
She nodded, "Feel alright? Any injuries? Do you need to see a medic?"
"No, I'm fine," I said and rubbed the side of my head, "Think I just got glanced."
She nodded again before putting her pen and notepad away, "Haven't seen you around, new arrival?"
I nodded, "A few days ago," I admitted, "staying at the loft."
The bat smiled at me, "Welcome to Nocturnis. A tip, stay out of the Silver Shield. Place can get a bit rowdy."
"So I noticed," I admitted, "So what now?"
"It's late, go home and get some sleep. If we have more questions, we'll find you."
"Yes, ma'am."
Wonder if that's his first bar fight, and if it'll ever happen again!
11861421
Page won't get involved in bar fights, he will only win them!
Sweet Luna... Imagine if someone knocked Page out and the disguise dropped. Whole of Nocturnis would be frothing at the mouth and looking for heads to roll.
11861455
Since the desguise is on an enchanted object he wears, (ear bit) unless some pony bites/cuts it off he should always be disguised. But ya, if it did happen like you say, it's war.
Who ever throw the object at the barkeep deserves a flank mark of a double hoove imprint.
11861421
Ever see a Alicorn use telekinesis to hold ponies in the air?
Alicorns don't do barfights, they end them.
11861444
Winning is objective, especially if his ponies lose.
Ending a fight or stalling it enough to stop would be a victory.
11861455
Actually I think everyone would be to afraid what their prince suddenly did in the bar, especially if it was with hi scowling.
11861482
Only if on purpose, than I think a trained warmage like him would pull a non lethal Tirek move or something.
Bats... they are a adventure all on their own.
But since I only found a cat themed one... here you go:
Changing the pace of something can change everything.
The difference between safe and unsafe for example.
Like drinking one beer over the span of a night or a barrel...
I wonder if Diamond Dogs and other non pony races want to join Nocturnis yet.
There is mutch for them to do and earn a living and probably become Nobels for helping the foundation of the Village to City along:
Diamond Dogs:
Mining of precious metals and helping stone collection for foundation and wall building, noone wants a predator to tunnel below the earth to get to the juicy ponies etc.
Griffons that are not secretly all Changelings:
Perfect for Guards and building Griffon-Pony relationships. Further would they make for good trading partners. Further as pest control.
Abesinian:
Because... Em... They are cute? Variation in snuggeling!
Also pest control.
Zebra:
Alchemy and Spiritual guidance would be of great help. The plants for Alchemy use and the occasional funeral needs to be explored.
Where go dead ponies etc get layed to rest?!
Sphinx:
They are long lived and would make for great co-rulers. Perhaps they could build a Thesteal-Sphinx Pyramid at some point?
...MEANWHILE UNDER THE BAR COUNTER...
Eris: YOU were supposed to help me big watch! I can't big watch the weird pony if he has to go away!
Angel: *gibberish*
Eris: What you mean "but I start the fights here every day"?! It could have waited. My mission more important!
Angel: *more gibberish*
Eris: Well now BOTH of our schedules are ruined!
Barkeep: HEY! What are you doing here?!
Eris: RUN!
..ERIS AND ANGEL SQUEEZED THRU THE NEAREST MOUSE HOLE LIKE A CARTOON..
Barkeep: Wait--what?! How...HOW?!
Meanwhile Spike and Talon have their own fight in the sparring room, their filly friend outnumbered but holding her ground viligant and with impressive endurance as her draconian stallions pound her defenses.
Tanking hit after hit, despite her vice grip of defensive posture, they slipped through her defenses and leave a mark or three.
When all three leave the sparring room with guards ponies in awe of their martial art focus training did the dragons know one thing for certain.
The description of the guard training observed would find a repeat... in the bedroom~♡
But this time the dragons would be the clearly defeat ones at the end of it...
`````````
```/人◕‿‿◕人\👍
```````|¡¡¡¡¡¡¡|
``````````•♤•
````````//---\\
Meanwhile Zeezzkekeezzkzk is still to be conquered... ... ... soon...
11861498
That makes a frightening amount of sense
Clever rabbit, training the civilians population, one bar fight at a time...
Prince Blueblood comes around, Blank Page already has a deadpan face on and tells his visitor:
"If you tell me to shut up and take your money, I am going to yeet your flank out this throne room. Without telekinesis!"
Prince Blueblood who is only a duke:
"Don't burn feathers... Collect them and build Pony sized pillows out if them. I pay your city in development 200.000 bits per foal sized Alicorn feather statue!
Celestia
Luna
Cadance
Twilight twins
Flurry Heart
These pillows would be glorious ♡
Centuries later we have a museum full of Alicorn feather puppets made by me, the remember world prince Blueblood! ♡"
Blank Page:
"1.200.000 bits?!"
Duke of Canterlot and prince on a honorary way Blueblood:
"
My legacy will be secured!A creative and historical art piece for ages to come!"
Blank Page:
"...sooo..."
Blank Page and Prince Blueblood look eatch other deep into one another's eyes...
Wanne be Prince Blueblood:
cdn-img.fimfiction.net/user/g0z1-1674835116-528025-192
*Blueblood got yeeted out the Throne room yet another time*
Blank Page agreed to the proposal.
Win- win.
11861498
*Sgt Murphy rolls his eyes and then raises an eyebrow and laughs, before replying.*
Why Chaos of course, with a bit of expert timing by Me!
Well it's not a robot bar fight but it was still interesting.
11861545
Nice
11861557
Nice
Visit Nocturnis: The Night is made for getting wild!
The trip begins when you board our luxury train, the aptly named Midnight Express. This train boards in the Crystal Empire and will take visitors on a slow tour of major Equestrian sites as it carries them in regal style to the final destination: Nocturnis.
Day stops along the way will include:
Canterlot: The royal palace, museums and haute cuisine are all to be found here in this magical overnight stop
Manehattan: The economic heart of a nation! Fast paced and modern, the musicals are not to be missed.
Appleoosa: The last stop before the wilds, this town is known for its western flair, including rodeos, hoe-downs*1 and fast draw exhibitions.
The final destination, of course, is the dark heart of the jungle, Nocturnis.
Attractions include:
Safari tours: Local wildlife abounds and on these tours you will be able to see fauna found nowhere else in Equestria! The T-Rex, the Megarex, and of course who could miss the unforgettable Gigareaaaagh named by the late explorer and zoologist Ham Burger.2
The Night Market: Come browse through exotic local handicrafts and bring home your own treasure from the jungle's depths! A complementary cloud fruit or lizard-onna-stick*3 is included with the tour of the market.
The Shield Tavern: Run by Equestrian expat Shield this tavern is a hub of excitement and Nocturnis culture. Bar brawls are scheduled every night for 8PM and 11PM. ($$)*4
Those adventurous stallions among you will be pleased to note that Nocturnis has a 6:1 ratio of mares to stallions, so bring protection and be ready for love to strike! The Night is for Lovers after all....*5
1: Management would like to note that a hoe-down is a dance and does not involve farm implements of any kind.
2: Management is not responsible for death, dismemberment, or grievous bodily harm caused or inflicted by the wildlife. Optional Death and/or dismemberment coverage is available to handle costs to return in the medical/morgue carriage.
3: The green bits are almost certainly probably local spices and/or seasoning. Management is not responsible for any medical bills resulting from consumption of local foods.
4: Management is not responsible for any death, dismemberment, grievous bodily harm or fines incurred while participating in these events.
5: Love and/or intimacy is not guaranteed. This is on you bro.
11861444
11861455
11861484
*after the barfight, three patrons meet at their hotel room*
Dreamy Skies: "I certainly didn't expect the entire bar to get involved when you threw that bottle at him."
Sunny Skies: "Me either. Naturally, I held back my full strength, but at the very least, I expected the bottle to shatter."
Love Shipper: "Oh, that's because that bar is the one I've been supplying. They special order those things from us to withstand their nightly bar fights."
Dreamy Skies: "Those were diamond beer bottles!? No wonder it didn't break!"
Sunny Skies: "Now, you've got me curious. Would his head crack first, or would the bottle. Next time, I'm throwing with my full strength!"
Love Shipper: "Twenty bit on his head!"
Dreamy Skies: "Only twenty, Dear Niece? Well, I wager a thousand bits on your bottles breaking!"
Love Shipper: "Well, he IS an alicorn. I don't want to loose too many bits if I'm wrong."
Tales From Before - Flower Rain
===
Night Wind looked forlornly at his mug of the local brew. Turns out Sky Melons made for a wickedly strong drink that had to be watered down and mixed with something to hide the pungent odor... but there were few better ways to get drunk on a budget.
Wind felt a desire to get drunk now, even though he knew he really shouldn't.
Sweet Slice sitting next to him was one big reason, and the other was Flower Rain sitting across the table with her coltfriend. If anyone could unmask him, it would be Flower, who was one of the few ponies without horns and wings that had seen him at the terrible singing stages of being merry.
The biggest reason, however, was because his question to Leaf Shade a few nights ago had made the rounds, and it turned out that a lot of his Bats... he didn't want to call it therapeutic, but so many of them wanted to share their stories of Before. For several, he could tell it might have been the first time they had openly acknowledged the oppressive atmosphere they had grown up in. For others, it was almost a badge of pride.
He was relieved that nopony else's Before was as bad as Tight Bit's... though maybe the ponies who lived through worse didn't want to share with him. He knew he didn't like talking about the way his gut churned in the armory as Sunset helped him prepare their nasty surprise for the centaur.
"So I've been hearing that the new bat's going around asking about everypony's Before," Flower Rain said. "Any reason why?"
"I started off wondering why so many... Thestrals" (he had learned to pause on the - to a newly decursed bat - unfamiliar word) "wanted to come so far to the edge of Equestria. I know I wanted a place to feel... like I belonged, but surely that can't be all of it for everypony?"
He'd also learned to volunteer a little tidbit, a nugget of himself. His Bats were always so suspicious, never trusting somepony new until they felt they had his measure.
Flower Rain looked at him shrewdly. This time his nervousness was unfeigned.
"You remind me of somepony," Flower started. He felt his heart start to beat just a little faster. "You remind me a little of the Prince. He's always wanting to dig to bottom of everything, wanting to 'learn the story' as he's sometimes called it."
Night Wind felt a little deflection was called for.
"What's the Prince like?"
Nopony said Night Wind was very good at deflecting.
"The Prince... he's the reason we have a home." Flower stated firmly. "He dreams big, for all of us. You know that I work in the Palace?"
"Y-yeah"
"Sometimes I see him looking over the village, a sad wistful look on his face, and I know that he's worrying for us, trying so hard to find ways to make our lives even better." Flower smiled. "Silly pony, as if giving us a home to be proud of, a place to be who we are, wasn't already miles better than any of us ever hoped for."
This was starting to get uncomfortable for Night Wind.
"You must have known the Prince pretty well then, to have you working at the Palace."
That startled Flower out of her reverie. She shook her head, her long mane fluttering slightly in a way that absolutely distracted her coltfriend out of also looking somewhat uncomfortable.
"Oh, no, not at all!" she exclaimed. "I had barely even heard about Prince Page at all before I saw the news about him founding a city in the southern jungles. I mean, I knew he existed, it's not every day a new Alicorn pops up!"
Her coltfriend made a noise halfway to a chuckle.
"Hush, you! Just because five have shown up in our lifetimes, and Princess Luna probably shouldn't count-"
He outright smiled this time.
"Fine! Anyways, no, I'd never so much as seen the Prince before coming to Nocturnis. I was working at a small bookshop in Manehatten."
"Really? I passed through there once, years ago. So many ponies... what was it like, living there?" Night Wing interjected.
"Ooo, ooh, I know this one!" Sweet Slice piped up, "Always noisy, too many hoofs going every which way, and trying to fly there is a nightmare!"
"You actually need a specialty license from the City Office proving you can handle the crowded airways," Flower smoothly slotted herself back in, "but I never got one; I'm just too small, and I was scared that if I ever got hurt and wound up in the hospital..."
Sweet Slice did a full body cringe at that. "Yeah... my sister was always so protective of me growing up, because she was terrified that we'd get found out..."
"Yeah..." Flower looked rather sad. "That's been a pretty common story here. You both are pretty new, but you're Home now. It's okay - you can go to the doctor when you're sick here. In fact, Wind, you probably need a checkup here before too long to make sure you're completely healthy."
Night Wind smiled nervously, "I'll get right on that, some time... So you'd never really gone to, say, even a clinic in Manehatten?"
"Not really," she answered. "I mean, I got my checkups and immunizations - hiding's one thing, but catching Laughing Squares is even worse!"
"But other than that... I remember one particularly cold winter, oh, just a few years Before. The weatherponies all said that we were due for one, but I caught a truly awful cold. I could barely get out of bed, and even worse, I lost control of my disguise!"
Sweet Slice gasped, "Oh no! What did you do?"
"I had to call in a bunch of favors at the book shop to take the time off, and I nearly lost my job there." Flower's ears wilted. "I think I still owed them some time lost when I got on the train, looking for somewhere... somewhere I didn't feel so lost."
Her coltfriend placed a hoof on her shoulder. She leaned into it.
"I came to Nocturnis while we were all still living in tents, and the guard had constant rotating shifts to warn us of predators. The first night after they took away my curse, I was terrified. I huddled up in the corner of the entrance of one of the communal tents, trying to hide in a flap while I looked at the eyes in the dark..."
"But... but it wasn't the same kind of scared I was Before. It was... it was more honest, somehow. Before, I was horrified that if my few friends knew what I was, they'd kick me out and, I don't know, call the Guard and I'd lose my job and wind up in the Palace dungeons!"
Night Wind leaned forward a little.
"Oh, I know that's not what would have happened, but I was just so scared...."
Now her colt pulled her into a full hug.
"But hiding there in the darkness, looking at the hints of things that would eat me... I realized I didn't have to be so afraid. Sure, I didn't want to be eaten, but... but the threat was solid, it was real... and it was something I could beat!"
Flower Rain's eyes firmed up, and she pulled herself back into her seat.
"I knew that I was Home now. And Home was scary, it was dangerous... but it wouldn't hide what it was to me, and so I wouldn't hide what I was to it!"
"I've been running with the barge crew almost since we started," her coltfriend finally added in. "She's right, jungle's dangerous. Plenty of things out there that are happy to make a meal of a pony. But they don't pretend they aren't; they don't say we're all a harmonious whole while hiding daggers in their manes. I came down here, even though I'm not a Bat, because I wanted someplace new to put down roots, someplace where nopony knew the other, so nopony had anything to betray each other over."
"You know the Prince kept pestering me to find some handsome colt to spend time with, kept saying I worked too hard?" Flower fluttered her eyes at the pony. "He kept trying to give me mornings off all the time, though I think at least part of that was because he was trying to hide from the paperwork."
"And I'm grateful to the Prince. For a lot." He answered. "This place... we built it with sweat and with the blood of some of the bravest ponies I've ever known. Never had a real home before, not like here."
Flower Rain smiled, then turned to Night Wind. "This is why so many of us call it Before. I'd never have found a life worth living Before I came to Nocturnis. I'll serve my Prince until my dying day in my gratitude for him giving all of us our Lives back."
11861733
I'm honestly tearing up right now. This warms my heart more ways than one.
When I started writing short silly vignettes in the comment section of Hiver's stories, I didn't think much of it. Just a fun thing for readers to come across between whatever logistics arguments people were having at the time.
(SO many logistics arguments! )
I never imagined this would evolve into a bunch of us creating entire SAGAS within Hiver's comment sections for several years now.
It feels like a secret club out in the open for anyone to discover.
I'm glad to be part of all this! Thank you for reading mine and everyone else's ramblings!
11861901
It's damn fun coming up with stuff, especially since certain point didn't get addressed to be filled in my the comment section.
Like the Alicorn statue to be a distraction for a ton of coin to be stored for greater value down the line.
Or stories like this chapter or the one with the batpony that got abandoned by his father
11860077
Considering even humans can't guarantee that it 100% safe. They can do their best to make it safe but it doesn't mean something can't go wrong and people can get hurt or worse. Life unfortunately is sometimes not fair.
What is the view of the Thestrals on Nightmare Moon rebellion?
Do they have their own legends and stories about it?
camo.fimfiction.net/NLCm5uqyF5w-yUyUmc28_crZlcjQNEYOE8_GEVVNL6E?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2F736x%2F68%2F73%2Fa3%2F6873a30c83d41a4dc3c304396becc7d6.jpg
The possibility are huge...
Hope to see some ideas blooming soon...
camo.fimfiction.net/wzgF1pl2OtznlED2Hg22Eqlp34segOQbS-TV5iNmX1E?url=https%3A%2F%2Fderpicdn.net%2Fimg%2F2015%2F2%2F4%2F821097%2Fthumb.gif
Lets hope we get some professional on the tour security without any unexpected miscalculations.
What is our dubious Queen Chrysalis up to?
Zeezzkekeezzkzk has still not payed his side of the bargain