Age of Colossi (knightofthesun)(semi-closed, PM to join)

[Ashton]

After several minutes they entered into a massive dining room, it was likely the largest that Morgan had ever seen, having room for every single servant on the ship, the tables appeared to be dark oak with gold inlays, with high-backed chairs for everyone to sit at... everyone that is, except for Dash... Dash had what looked like a solid gold throne, inlaid with precious gemstones, eating and drinking from a goblet and plate also of gold with gemstone inlays. 

 

This dash might have been polite and soft-spoken, and adverse to violence... but one thing she was not was humble... she made it overly clear who was in charge...

 

The food had already been prepared and was set aside with a screen over the table showing who's food it was. The food was cooked and seasoned expertly, Dash likely had one of the finest chefs on terra making the food, and it showed. There was also an assortment of drinks, mostly high-end wine and beer, along with softer non-alcoholic drinks... along with Morgans single glass of ale. Clearly the crew were not much for ales. 

 

What might catch Morgan's attention though was, oddly enough, Zebes and quite a few of the maids did not eat, but instead stood near the doors.

[KnightoftheSun]

Morgan seemed confused about this. The maids and zebes seemed to work very hard so why didn’t they get a chance to enjoy their meal. He would sit down at his seat and would look to dash,drinking a bit of his ale “So a quick question: is anyone in the higher up positions at least not completely insane or tyrannical...or has the leadership all been under the intoxication of bloody power?” He seemed to ask this in an effort to see if there was a possibility for high ranking endorsement...it would be a boon to have someone up high support this quest but it was a tall order on its own. He seemed to look to zebas as if to look confused why he isn’t helping himself as well...

[Ashton]

Dash sighed "The most sane is either queen luna or the ice queen... Luna's trying to clean up her mess and the Ice queen is trying to subtly sabotage Celestia and give respite to those who are... in-between... wanting to leave the latyech lands but not quite ready to go and live an Amish lifestyle" she paused to tear a cunk off a turkey leg and gulp it down "there's also Chairpony Applejack... She's trying to keep things as civil as she can, avoiding laytech in favor of steam, but not discriminating against anycreature who has it or wants it"

 

She paused to drink "Of course the flip-side is Luna has an island full of ponies who can never leave and is fighting renegades who liked it better under nightmare moon, the ice queen has two heads which are constantly arguing with each other, and Chairpony AJ is trying to convert the redline to a new form of government and the citizens are none to happy... plus desert raiders" she shuddered, clearly some bad memories there

[KnightoftheSun]

Morgan would chuckle a bit at her devouring the turkey  leg so quickly before saying “Well...at least I can work towards a destination in one or the other place fer me investigation...now about the ai an other shite...will Ah just be sent out into the world so we won’t be connected or will we be in contact more than a bloody family?” He seemed to ask if they were gonna be working together like this often in this venture,though he seemed to still be raring to go find this here sister of hers

[Ashton]

Dash shrugged "Thats up to you" she said "If you want to stay in touch and be a part of the family, I'm not going to say no" she laughed "look around you, I dont think I'm capable of saying 'no' to that!" she smiled "But right now we're kinda flying around in circles, so I suggest you decide where you want me to drop you off"

 

Zebes stepped forward "your AI is ready as soon as you finish your dinner, master morgan" he explained. then stepped back into his place near the door.

[KnightoftheSun]

“Righty then...as soon as Ah git me armor an me ai...how about ye drop me off at that island Luna is bloody at...perhaps she may know something...but who bloody knows with princesses,Aye?” He would raise his ale glass and would shout “to our duties,our valor, and to our oathes....long may the sun be at our backs and good fortune ahead of us!” He would toast,wanting to make a toast with rainbow

[Ashton]

Dash nodded, glancing over at Zebes who nodded back - clearly she relied on him to handle most everything that happened on her ship --- but then dash was known for her speed, not her brains...

 

The pegasis giggled and raised her cup "here! here!" she toasted, sloshing a bit of her drink out messily. Fortunately she was far enough away that morgan didn't have to worry about it hitting him or his food, but it only further instilled that image of her as some crazy god of plenty... or debauchery... that the whole throne and giant golden goblet conjured up.

 

After the meal, the maids again resumed their positions, taking up and cleaning the dishes, while Morgan found himself with Zebas again

 

"While you were eating, they finished work on your AI" he explained "since you were busy I took the liberty of holding onto it for you" he reached into his pocket and revealed a plastic case with a computer-chip inside "all you have to do is open the back panel of your phone and you will find the expansion port where you can install the chip"

[KnightoftheSun]

Morgan would nod,looking to zebas as he would take out the phone...placing the chip in the expansion port as he braced to see what he got. He seemed to talk now while speaking to zebas,staying out of sight of dash."Is me armor an weaponry ready as well?" He would seem to ask in a sort of concerned manner...it was as if he had recognized the fact that this debauchery on the ship had to be maintained somehow by somone who knew everything inside and out...he did understand a bit of why though:she was a flashy pony who had just been through one of the worst types of rulers that the land could ever have:a tyrant. As he would then ask "Ye doin alright,laddy?" He may seem like a hardass sometimes who seemed oblivious at times...but he wasn't oblivious to this. He sort of cared for zebas,as the butler sort of introduced him to the world as well as being a likeable figure. 

[Ashton]

"The basics are prepared, it will take time to develop the special shielding you wanted, probably a week or so" explained the buttler "Also I do apologize but we cannot drop you off directly on luna's island, we will have to leave you on the shore and have her send one of her servants out to get you with a protection amulet... that island holds many dark magics" he explained. upon being asked if he was alright, he raised a brow "oh? so you noticed. yes, I am keeping an eye out for that infernal spider so he doesnt get the drop on us again. My pride was already wounded earlier when I was unable to save you myself"

 

As soon as morgan put the chip in he would turn around to find a goat behind him. it would make a bleating sound and begin changing colors as a honey-soaked female voice spoke "Welcome to the AI setup wizard! Please give a name to your new AI research aid!" the voice was almost sickeningly sweet...

[KnightoftheSun]

Morgan nods as he understood the power that dark magic had...even a soul like his could be corrupted by the enticing of the dark,especially given he was not from here. He would be a bit miffed that his armor would take a bit to prep but he would understand...it would probably take about a week at most to get to Luna's land. There was no question he needed to make sure his armor was combat ready for his techniques to use. Morgan chuckles a bit when he hears the honeyed voice,seeming to calm a bit as he would take a look at the goat "Matilda...yer name'll be Matilda,lassy" he would say to the ai,seeming to choose the name from less a pun and more a name that he associated with goats. 

[Ashton]

The sweet voice spoke again "Acknoledged. Programming chip. Chip programmed. Please choose a color for your new AI research assistant!"

 

Zebas sighed "I always hated these setup wizards, I dont know where they found that voice for them..."

[KnightoftheSun]

Morgan would look through the colors,speaking to zebas now as he would say "Ah don't know...it sounds fine to me. Besides,a sweet voice can be a good exchange fer some of the more grub and tumble types ye sometimes come across in the profession" he gives a chuckle before deciding to go with a sort of low yellow color,like looking at orange juice or molten gold. It looked like it would fit with his own sort of 'unique traits' as he would select the color for the host,giving it that dark yellowish look. "Righty then,little wizard....wots bloody next on the next fer this wee setup?" He would say as he would sit down,looking at the ai while keeping a close eye on it. From the way zebas described it,these research types were quite the cheeky bastards when it came down to it...so he steeled himself for what was next.

[Ashton]

"Acknowledged. Programming Chip. Chip Programmed. Enjoy your new AI and have a fantastic day!" the voice then cut out

 

The goat walked around a little, looking around, then at the two ponies "Oh great, so I'm suck with a brawns-for-brains or a stuffy suit?" she asked but before either could reply "I'm kidding. I know I belong to brawn here, I see why you chose me, hun, you got the killing stuff covered but needed to make up for the lack of brains, eh?" she grinned. 

 

Arrogant didn't even begin to describe this AI. It was more intelligent than any other creature and it knew it well.

 

Zebas just muttered the word 'insufferable...' clearly Bearnard was a 'companion' not a 'research' AI

[KnightoftheSun]

Morgan would give a wee chuckle as he heard the goat basically insulted him "Aye,ah got this whole fightin thing down....an yer probably right to some extent,Matilda" he gives a chuckle as he would then ask zebas "How long will it take fer us te reach the border of the island? I might fit meself a wee bit o trainin in with these new weapons that ahve purchased,courtesy of dash" He would place the phone in a pouchlike pocket so he would keep his hooves free. He would look to the goat and BLEP a bit,seeming to adore the sassy little goat. Reminded him of his sister back home, Helga Thunderhoof...a sassy pony who could put quite a few noise to shame with her strength...though she was surprisingly intelligent and managed the land back home. "An ah think the better way to refer to me head is ale fer brains" this was gonna be a long quest indeed.

[Ashton]

"oh well you better stop that drinkin,' boy,  or your gonna need more than just an AI" quipped Matilda

 

Zebas tok a deep breath to calm himself, trying to remain focused and ignore hte goat as much as possible "we'll be arriving in about an hour, master"

 

"Master? You ain't one of them slave traders are ya? I'll delete myself right here 'cuz I dont stand for none of that!" commented Matilda

 

Zebas clearly was wishing the goat had a physical face he could punch right now.

[KnightoftheSun]

"Nah ah ain't no slaves trader,lassy...now let's see how the equipment is comin so we can see if we can git some spare armor that way we can still be protected while we go out 'killin things' as the tiny goat put it" He would look to zebas as he says "It would be bloody alright if ah can take a look at the gear have got now,eh?"  He would be prepped to adapt to this new land in terms of weaponry...and he wasn't gonna do it with plate mail armor on him. He was gonna need to put the heavy stuff on. "So Matilda,how about ye come along or are ye more in the mood fer bein a silly goat"

[Ashton]

Matilda sighed "well I am forced to serve you... seems there is some slave tradin' goin' on" she snarked as she vanished

 

Zebas ran a hoof over his hair "yes, now that that's out of the way... the mistress has already cleared you to get anything you want from the armory. We also have a variety of training robots avalible, ranging from 'beginner' to 'lethal'" he explained as he began leading morgan through the ship again towards the armory

[KnightoftheSun]

“Righty then,it’ll be some good trainin...would Ye be able to let me know when me specialized armor is ready?” He would step with a trot,seeming to get a bit excited about this most recent adventure. He most definitely seemed to enjoy the odd bit of danger. “Ah’d appreciate if Ah could actually train with ye,laddy....no robots gonna take the place of a true sparring match. Besides,Ah could use a little practice meself with me strength”

[Ashton]

For the first time since they met, Zebas cracked a grin "While I appreciate the request, I must respectfully decline, I would have to be responcible for you ending up in the hospital... or morgue... this soon into your job" 

[KnightoftheSun]

Morgan chuckles a bit,patting zebas on the back “It’s alright little lad...although sooner or later,we will have to have that wee fight..Ahm dyin fer a proper spar that doesn’t involve me smitin evil or the like” he chuckles,heading with the butler to go train and get used to his new equipment

[Ashton]

And so the pony went off to train, time seemed to fly past, and all too soon he heard the voice over the loudspeaker telling him that they were arriving at their destination, though they awkwardly used the phrase "insertion point" to try and make it sound less casual and more battle-like... probably failing miserably...

 

Zebas approached him "Master Morgan, it is time. I will escort you to the bay doors, this is your backpack, courtesy of us, just in case things go wrong and you dont make it to the island. This is your parachute, it will allow you to land safely. Please do not mix up the two" he explained, handing morgan two painfully similar bags.

 

 

[KnightoftheSun]

“One bloody moment” Morgan would take out what appeared to be a small bit of tape he had acquired and would place I on the parachute, seeming to take precautions as he said “Honestly I cannae really trust meself when it comes to this sort of thing” he says with a nervous chuckle...hopefully goat lady wouldn’t hear him. He would now be equipped with a spare heavy armor he had acquired from the armory to serve as his armor before his own was being built in,as well as carrying the gear he had ordered for the trip. He would still have the large sword on his back...only it looked out of place in his otherwise futuristic weaponry “So lads an lasses....how do Ah bloody look?”

 

[Ashton]

"I prefer a lighter look myself, but we cant all be demons" he said with a smirk and a hint of flame circling him as he shoved Morgan out before he could ask any further questions.

 

The earth pony would find himself falling towards a swamp, it was not at all inviting, seeing as if he failed to open his parachute he'd be lucky if he died on impact with flat ground, many gnarled old tree branches and spiked plants reached skyward, all eager to impale him.

 

Looking out over the water though he would see an island shrouded in darkness, in an eternal twilight, its black castle reaching into the clouds and beyond, he couldn't make anything else out from this distance, except the sea around it seemed thick and black, almost like it was the coagulating blood of some vile monster... Dash had said nightmare moon left some nasty surprises behind, there was no doubt that sea was one of them...

 

But for now he main mission was to land safely, hopefully there would be somepony there to take him to the island... if not, well he had a backpack full of food... as long as he remembered which bag was the backpack and which was the parachute... if he got them mixed up, then food would be the least of his worries...

[KnightoftheSun]

Morgan seemed confused by the flame but wouldn’t get the chance as he was tested out of the blimp,letting out a roar as he would fall....he thennproceeds to look at his backpacks,looking to the one with tape on it,and proceeds to pull the cord “Luck o the green,don’t fail me now!” As he would pull the chute,ready to float down. He seemed to get his teeth when he saw the height,it reminding him of stranger times

[Ashton]

Once he landed though, things would go much worse...

 

As he made his way to the coast he would see a pony in a black jumpsuit and futuristic helmet, pointing a blaster at him "So, Rainbow finally turned on us? Good thing the Queen sent out somone with the guts to be prepared and make a stand" she paused "and dont get any funny ideas, my suit is rigged with high-powered explosives, if I die -or give the command- it will detonate with enough power to take us both out. So, why dont we end this without any bloodshed. Just turn around and walk away. We dont need or want any trouble" what might suprise him was the voice, once again it seemed to belong to a pony he knew, namely Rarity, but the accent was gone, the pony before him was a pegasus -and a painfully thin one too, even with the armored jumpsuit on it was clear she was far far far too thin-, and, well, rarity probably wouldn't be pointing a weapon at him and threatening to kill them both.