kastrot The Kastrot Affair (Open to Magic Guild Members)

[Bellosh]

 

“...‘Family Discount Package for Equestria Land: The Magicalist Place on Earth’, don’t qualify... ‘The Ultimate Deal: A Romantic Roaman Wedding’, don’t qualify... ‘Crystal Empire Honeymoons: HALF-OFF!!!’..... Geeez. By Star Swirl’s beard, it’s like nopony offers you discounted vacations anymore unless you’ve got a spouse or kids.....”

Stretching her legs after a long airship flight to Kastrot, naturally the first thing Moony did was telekinetically grab a whole bunch of vacation pamphlets to read as she disembarked off the flying vessel. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like travel companies felt like attracting young unmarried adults with little to no household obligations was much of a priority these days. Which was a shame, because Moony and most of her Magic Guild cohorts fell into that “young unmarried adult” category.

Thankfully, Kastrot’s ruling unicorns were footing the bill for the Magic Guild’s current outing. Officially, Moony & Pals were part of a delegation led by Duchess Silver Belle, who was to represent Equestria in discussions to establish an interlibrary loan arrangement between Canerlot's School of Magic and Kastrot's legendary College of the Arcane. A chance to visit the grounds of the most mysterious magical academy known to ponykind? What self-respecting spellcaster could reject that opportunity???

Disembarking the zeppelin, a vertigo-suffering pony would be advised to look over the side of the docking ramp, for the airship was moored to one of Kastrot’s highest stone towers. Moony however wasn’t scared of heights; having left her heavy luggage under the care of her dutiful partner Pocket Change, the unicorn mare put away the offending pamphlets from earlier as she switched gears towards the latest task at hoof; “Okay then, they said a unicorn would be waiting for us in this tower with a placard with our Guild sigil on it, and that their name is Heart Stopper. Huh; kinda sounds like the name of some evil, ugly ole’ assassin, dontcha’ think?”
 

[PyroBlaze]

“It’s all about the money. Even with the discounts, they’ll probably get more money out of one of those trips if it’s two ponies instead of one. They want to incentivize that.” Magnus said, cracking his neck a bit as he emerged after Moony and stretched as well. With that out of the way, he looked around the area with mixed feelings that didn’t reach his face. Home sweet home...

 

Part of the only reason he wanted on this trip was to see what it was like back here nowadays. Maybe some recon for his eventual revenge against the family. Maybe just a chance to further his abilities. Either way would be helpful, really. 

 

“All in all sounds more like a good-looking assassin. Stopping hearts with beauty is certainly a saying.” He commented idly, looking around the area some more, partially to find this Heart Stopper. 

[tacobob]

 

 

“Generally they do all the coupons and specials during the slow seasons..”, Pocket Change had no issues lifting their luggage with one of his favorite spells. Telekinesis. Easy to learn, hard to master, and it was the ‘go-to’ to spell for any unicorn. “Families with kids and couples that were just married tend to spend more on these trips.” He caught sight of a few other pamphlets that his very favorite mare did not see. “They opened up that new ‘world’ in Whinny World..”, his enthusiasm quickly vanished as he read further, “Oh, one new ride. Thirty new stores.’, he groaned.  There was another for the Gallopocus Islands. This one proclaimed in great big letters that they had an nude beach. “I don’t get it.”, the stallion was well aware that ponies were au naturel by default.

 

This was probably the first time Pocket got to spend a decent amount of time with his beloved in what seemed like ages. They were usually so busy. He had his assorted quests, missions and jobs to do. Adventure called. And here he was. And not that far from the most perfect of mares to ever walk into his life. And this was the best kind of trip. One he didn't have to pay for. And they would get to visit a rather impressive school of magic. Normally during one of these sorts of trips, the young unicorn would be able to pick up a new spell. Generally in trade for one of the more obscure ones that he knew.  He was surprised that some unicorns were unaware of the 'mend' cantrip. Handy spell! Fix your cloak! Fix your hat! Even your socks! Don't leave your tower without it!

 

Oh-Oh. Was Moon setting him up? This almost felt like a scene for a movie. She never mentioned if this unicorn was a mare or stallion. Had a name that could mean a few things. This could be a ghastly unicorn stallion who practiced dark magic. That was one would think, but he had a feeling this was going to be a gorgeous mare whose beauty stopped hearts! Well, not literally.  But her beauty would have no affect on the white pony. He was already with a beauty with no match. Or maybe he was a chef that made those really big hay-burgers with all the fixings. They were usually called 'Heart Stoppers' and were covered in unhealthy add-ons.

 

One of the newer recruits, Magnus Durum was also with them. This would be the first time he actually got to meet the stallion.

[Blueblood]

 

 

Despite its Equestrian origins, the Magic Guild was technically open to all unicorns, regardless of where they called home.  Chipper Demise was one such remote member, hailing from the Southern Wilds of the Northern Continent of Wildscar (say that three times fast!)  Such a remote upbringing had allowed his old master free reign to impart some rather... darker expertise than one typically got in Celestia's School for Talented Unicorns. 

Fortunately, none of that seemed to have any apparent adverse effects on the young stallion's soul; as he remained as bright and happy as his first name, even as he played around in the domain indicated by the latter.  He'd even discovered how to turn necromancy into healing magic, winning him a place in one of the prominent caribou tribes.  That all being said, Dark Wizards were never quite trusted in the Northlands, so it had been decided that it would be good for him to make a few new friends in Equestria... and maybe learn some less umbral magic while he was at it.

 

Not that Chipper was concerned with such things, right now.  In many aspects of character, he'd never grown up, and he was treating this cultural exchange trip more or less as a Spring Break vacation with his new friends!  He was up bright and early, free of airsickness as they got off the vessel onto the towers.  "Whoa, we must be near the coast, I can feel it in the air.  Quite the as-SALT on the senses!  Nya-ahahahaha!"  One could only hope their hostess had a tolerance for puns...

[Pretzelparty]

 

Once she stepped off the Airship and had gotten her land legs, Belle was looking very excited. She hadn't been to Kastrot in years... The magus that her family traced their lineage to actually had offshoots in this land. Some stories said that she was born here. Seeing is she could find out any further information about her ancient ancestor was going to have to wait until the business she had here was all good and done with. 

 

Agreeing to Join the magic guild turned out to be a good decision, it finally gave her something to do beyond just stay in her manor and study all this time. It was a shame that Presteza couldn't come along for this trip. Something about getting prepared for a trip. Well, going with some of the most promising students of the school of magic would surely be able to make up for the lack of family time... surely. Then just like that Moondancer read from some pamphlets that reminded her just how busy her husband was in the guard. It would have been so nice to take him along for this. No-no. Focus Belle. This was an important meeting and she needed to put on her best face!
 

 

 

Hoping to distract herself from any of the unpleasantness skulking about in her head she turned her attention to the res to the guild. She  had known Pocket Change and Moony for quite a while. The new additions: Chipper demise and Magnus... she'd yet to hear their stories.  If she'd read her reports and listened to the briefings right, Magnus actually had roots here as well. He'd prove to be a reliable guide surely and rom what she'd heard he was skilled mage in his own right, "I doubt any of us will need to worry. I doubt any assassins would be willing to come for any of us. Thieves or pickpockets maybe, but I don't think any of the nobles here are so bold as to try and interfere with the affair of a royal and academically approved and backed Magic guild."

 

 

There were many things about Chipper she was curious about, She'd heard he was a necromancer. That was a form of magic she'd not heard practiced in ages. Despite the macabre nature of it, Belle couldn't help but find herself interested. Just as she was about to try and ask a question, Chipper got out a pun that stopped her in her tracks with genuine laughter. It started with a stifled snort but soon she needed to calm herself down a little... 

"Haha... Um. You definitely live up to your name, Mister Chipper. I was going to ask how you feeling... on the way here I was sure your coat was actually green rather than blue."

Edited October 19, 2019 by Pretzelparty

[SteelEagle]

Heart Stopper stood at the landing of the airship harbor, dressed in a purple feathered coat which trailed behind her. Her servants- today, a rather eager and adorable pair of former guardsponies who she trotted out every once in a while when she wanted to prove how malleable the concept of significant others was even amongst the so-called devoutly married- held the trailing end off the ground, while another held aloft her banner. It was only good and proper that this 'magic guild' be greeted by their gracious host, after all, and that they do not suffer the indignity of falling into disrepute by colluding with the general filth that pervaded the streets outside her home.

 

After all, they deserved only the best and Heart Island was the best of the best, just ask the mare who made it run like a well-oiled machine. From the landing the guild could see that the marble and stone construction of the buildings that made up the island had a certain romantic aesthetic to it that could be found lacking in other places. There was a constant waft of oils and candles in the breeze, a hustle and bustle and a delirious assortment of sounds. The city streets were wonderfully well-kept, and through such great use of labor too! Just get a few ponies in debt to devote their free time to cleaning up the streets as a way of paying off debt. That or ship then off to the mines, either way benefited it Kastrot. And more importantly, it benefited her family. The streets were clear for business, the heavy bustle down narrow avenues of commerce. It lacked the width of Equestrian cities. But that was really on account of the size of population and space they had.

 

Heart Stopper was an exceptionally busy mare. Running her little games between the competing noble families, arranging and destroying marriages as it suited her chess game, sweeping away affairs as readily as she concocted them as her fancy flew. The Heart family lacked the financial, military, or mineral weight behind their claims like other families did yet they held a very special set of keys that kept the rest of the noble families chained up. The Heart family did not misuse their position granted to them by bedroom diplomacy and held their cards close to the chest. All this meant was that when the time came for them to make a move they had won before the other families knew there was a game to be played. Not a bad way to play the game, even if Heart Stopper racked up her own prizes in other ways.

 

Stallions and mares, the sensual and the shy, the stray bit of mane curled just so and the flirtatious half-second look shared between potential lovers. These were just some of the tools of her trade, though they were beyond legion and only ever grew in their immensity. Indeed, as the Magistrate of Love and the pony who controlled every single relationship on the island (you weren't even allowed to go on a date without her permission), she had seen every type of relationship. And she had pried, too. She devoured every last bit of information up. When it came to matters of the heart, ponies revealed their true selves. An assassin can be defended against, an accusation debated, a strike averted. 

 

But the heart? The heart was everypony's weak spot, and so she exploited it for power, for profit, for pleasure. Oh, how she exploited it for the pleasure. There were the carnal delights she arranged for herself of course, in every shape and color possible, in every way and theme imaginable, but more than that she enjoyed the sheer thrill of power. Watching rivals pledge themselves to her service and watching how easily she could change the lifestyle of a stallion who had thought to wrong her? Of course there were more immediate delights but what really allowed for her to sleep better at night was the knowledge that she was just that much better than the rabid hordes that deigned to think themselves worthy of her presence.

Alas, she wasn't perfect. Not yet anyway. Of course her body was a chiseled work of art, every graceful move, muscle fiber, piece of cloth, batting of her eyelashes, and scent of perfume was designed to shatter the wills of those who beheld her. She had a sharp mind and a wicked intellect and a strong grasp of governance and the means of power. But she lacked knowledge of one specific area, an important one, and one that she was rapidly running into a wall regarding during her continued pursuit of power.

 

Magic. She was not the best when it came to magic and wasn't even in mastery of her familial magical tree, let alone others. It was a glaring weak spot and one she had plotted around, but could barely go without pursuing any longer. Of course while she would ike to learn how to personally become more powerful, the real goal was simply to increase her magical acumen and clout within the city. And so she had offered the Equestrian Magical Guild the opportunity to visit Kastrot on her family's vast dime. They were to discuss a loan agreement amongst other things, though in the end her goal was simply to increase her own profile and see if any of the guild members were worthy of her extra special attention.

 

In time the airship that held the guild in its clutches arrived, the sigil of the guild held aloft alongside them by another servant. She had read the dossier and as certain ponies stepped off the airship she put on her a Cheshire smile and approached, giving a bow as she drew close. "The Magic Guild of Equestria, I presume? Welcome to Kastrot- more pointedly, welcome to Heart Island. A most sincere pleasure!" She said with little manufactured excitement. Indeed, if there were one thing that she could trust in the depths of her deception it was that she was always happy to meet those who had talent and quality. After all, she always liked adding new weapons to her arsenal, no matter what form it took.

[Bellosh]

 

.....Well well well well well!!! Was this Heart Stopper? She certainly looked like quite the... ummm, whatchamacallit..... a heart stopper. It was a rare event for Moony to get blown away by the smashing looks of a beautiful mare, but it HAS happened once or twice before in her life. Maybe thrice, if one counted the Kastroti noblemare sent to receive the Magic Guild!

“Pssst, hey Pocket,” Moony discreetly whispered to her trusty coltfriend with the uttermost candidness; “I think I’ve got a lady crush on this gal!”

The thing about Beauty however was that in certain respects, it was much more intimidating than a shadowy ole’ dark lord of Evil could ever hope to be. At least with the latter, you knew deep down in your heart that you had to fight him with all your courage because everything you held dear depended on it. But a ludicrously gorgeous mare like Heart Stopper? How was anypony supposed to summon the will to resist her comeliness?

Nonetheless, it was up to Moony to make the first move for the rest of her fellow guildies. “Um-ummmmm.....HI THERE,” the unicorn nervously greeted with the suaveness of a dog excitedly yapping after a bath in muddy dirt; “My name is uhhhhh, Moony, a-a-and we’re honored you could receive us today, eh heh heh.”

With any luck, Moony would find a way to recover her wits. Back in her lil’ filly days, she had been constantly starstruck by Princess Celestia like every other pony in existence, but Moony managed over the course of several years to accomplish what few could do: be able to engage in a normal conversation with Tia like she was simply just another mare in Canterlot. And it wasn’t like dealing with Miss Stopper would be more of a challenge... would it?

[PyroBlaze]

Magnus was mostly focused on their surroundings, though he did still listen in to what the others were saying. He was a little wary of familiar faces popping up, though it seemed somewhat unlikely. For one thing, he had been gone for quite some time and had changed since then, and his home was a different island entirely. Still, the less news that got back to his old family about his movements, the easier it would be to get his revenge. 
 

Eventually, his gaze landed on the mare they were supposed to meet, and he frowned as he looked her over. A carefully crafted look, two doting ponies that appeared to be former guards... This was a mare who relied more on her looks and words than any real show of force, working more with the carrot than the stick. That was no reason to drop his guard though, that kind of pony could be just as dangerous, though perhaps not as directly. 
 

Moondancer seemed immediately smitten, if her introductions were anything to go by. Magnus sighed quietly to himself, though he supposed he couldn’t expect that much from someone like her. 
 

“Yes, it is an honor to make your acquaintance, Heart Stopper. I don’t wish to be rude, but it was quite a flight over here, and I think we would appreciate the chance to put down our luggage. Perhaps we could see where we are to stay during this trip?” Magnus said, trying to give the others the chance to compose themselves. Not that he really cared about any of them, but they would only complicate things if more of them started acting like Moony did. 

[tacobob]

 

Pocket Change’s ears perked up. Somepony was cackling! Didn’t the guild have a strict code against cackling? Especially as hags and hedge-mages enjoyed a good cackle or two, and nopony wants any of those miscreants gamboling about a good, stately guild-house! He would need to look into this! The unicorn caught sight of a pony that was the exact opposite of hedge-mage, the dignified and astute Silver Belle. She probably would have made an idea leader for the guild. He could see her dressed in a proper wizard's robe and hat adorned with all matter of great magic. Few would dare stare into her icy blue eyes and give her any trouble. But like the majority of the guild, its members were usually very busy and had real jobs to attend to. Being all together was just so rare nowadays. Now if Starswirl would only respond to his letters!

 

Heart Island? The unicorn now wished he had taken a good look at the place when he was on the air-ship. Wouldn't it be cool if the who place was shaped like a big heart? Not an actual heart, cause those were gross, but the usual Hearts and Hooves ideograph heart. He would have to check when they leave. But for now, there was their host, and she was quite the looker. But even she was no match for his beloved Moony. Only the Princesses could compare, and they were still a distant second and third. These sometimes would switch places, depending on his mood. Princess Luna's adorable, kid-sister charm never grew old, and black always looks good. Wonder if she kept her Nightmare Moon costume?

 

Being the far superior speaker, Moony would speak for the guild. She had the gift of the gab. She could talk, not squawk. She had technique to speak sleek that nopony could critique! Compared to her, the stallion was absotively blunderous with his words. And she was whispering. Oh-Oh! Had she been drinking those tiny little bottles of rum they had been hoofing out on the air-ship? How many of those would you need to drink to become drunk?

 

And Sweet Celestia! She was drunk! And this was Heart Stopper. Yep. There was one of those wacky set-ups! He knew it! Moony was sure she was an 'evil, ugly ole’ assassin'. Which would have not been a good type of pony to meet as most generally don't enjoy being stabbed. Not fun. But here she was, possibly drunk. But even a tipsy pony could maintain her dignity, so Pocket moved close to her, so she wouldn't stumble. There was a detoxify cantrip he knew of, but never learned. With luck, maybe some of the more experienced members would know it. He would speak, but it looks like their new recruit was already talking. Kind of rude. But she might prefer somepony who was straight to the point.

 

"It is a great pleasure to meet you, Lady Heart-Stopper." the unicorn could manage a proper, Canterlot greeting. "And I look forward to seeing more of your Heart Island." Wait. Wasn't this a movie? Ponies arrive on an island. Meet a dignified stallion all in white. Live out their fantasies or die trying.  If so, where was her Prench mini-pony?

[Blueblood]

 

It wasn't often, actually, that others would laugh at Chipper's puns.  The best he usually got was a bemused smile, or a puff of acknowledging air through a caribou's snoot.  Eyerolls and groans were not unknown to the punster, though hardly found to be discouraging.  "Why thanks, Missus Belle!  It's important to keep laughing you know; if you don't keep your own spirits up, the other ghosties get you!"  And behind that happy grin, no doubt, lay some horrifying experience from his rough upbringing in the Southern Wilds.  At least Pinkie Pie was right about giggling being a tool of exorcism...

 

Fortunately, it was at this point that Heart Stopper came out to greet her guests, inadvertently saving the young necromancer a traumatic trip down memory lane.  While Chipper in many respects had to grow up fast, in other respects, he was still very much a colt. While he could see that Heart Stopper was a very pretty mare, the peculiar charms that a pretty mare could use to wile her way upon a stallion didn’t affect him quite so much.

“It’s sure nice to be here, though I haven’t seen any hearts on this island yet.  Can’t really blame ya, though; it’s real hard to get ‘em when others are still using theirs, Nyahaha!”  The necromancer’s sense of humor could be an… acquired taste.

Edited November 23, 2019 by PrinceBlueblood