neighpon [STAR]To Investigate an Island(STAR Agents/invite)

[PyroBlaze]

Well, all this talk of the moonrise was making him actually excited to see it. He smiled, nodding to Toboe’s question before talk turned towards where the base camp should be. There were good points brought up about his cave idea, and the consensus seemed to settle on making camp in a clearing. 
 

“Well, that works too. Just follow us, we’ll show you the clearing.” He said, turning around and starting to walk towards the clearing they had found earlier. It seemed like it would be a good place to see the night sky from, though maybe higher ground would be better for the moonrise itself. 
 

——————————

 

Feather smiled slightly at Myth as she said she was fine, about to nod and remove her wing when the whispering started. Her ear twitched at the sound, but as it ended she just smiled at Myth again and gave her a squeeze with her wing. After that, she let go and focused on Icy and the others. It seemed they were going to set up in a clearing, which was fine by her. Having more options for maneuvering was a good thing for her especially, since up was an option. She decided to stick with Myth and Nira as the group made their way to the location of the base camp, keeping an eye out for any threats from behind or the sides. 

[Skycoaster]

As they reached the clearing, Luna would smirk looking up to the clear skies. This would be a perfect spot for the moon to make its appearance this evening. "Had we been in Equestria, I would have had to commend your weather pegasi for keeping the sky so clear, though I'm afraid I'm not as well learned as I should be on other nations policies. Being gone 1,000 years had left me little time to catch up with all that had changed in Equestria." she'd chuckle. Looking back, she'd call upon Niradaña. "Just how dose one in your area control weather?"

 

Midnight had been in tow with Luna's and his supplies for making camp. She assumed that the others had their bedrolls and tents with them or stored nearby on the airship. With a nod, the loyal bat pony would begin assembling Camp...or at least Luna's corner. She'd smile as that reminded her of a street in Canterlot...come to think of it, it was nearby one of Ice Storm's early Ice Cream shops. Luna's tent was fairly modest for a pony of her former position. It was a midnight blue cabin tent with a few stars on it. Nothing like her sisters...that could double as a summer home. Once finished, Midnight would put his tent near hers. Being a bat pony, his was a standard issue Lunar Guard tent. It was made of a material that could block out the sun rays.

 

"Ice Storm," she'd call out. "I am going to scout that nearby hill as a possible site to raise the moon from. I'm sure as you remember proper elevation is essential for a spectacular moon rise. I assume everypony can set up their own sites?" She'd have to think for a moment. For a department as well funded as S.T.A.R., perhaps Ice had ponies on the airship to set up the camp. She guessed she'd find out when she returned. She'd motion with her head for Midnight to follow. He'd nod before extending his bat like wings and follow the alicorn to a nearby hill that had a clear view of the eastern beach of the island.

[Alivda]

Raven smiled as she stepped into the clearing. Some basic perimeter defense, and they would be well defended. After everyone set up tents, she'd set up a small trip alarm, just in case. She took off her laden saddlebags, and dumped out several camping supplies, all miniaturized by a very nice spell, which she quickly set about dispelling. A tent kit, a camp stove and pots and pans were quickly revealed, along with two bed rolls, and a few other accoutrements that an officer or two were semi-expected to have. She rubbed her shoulders a little, glad to have the weight of all that equipment off her back for now, as the spell just reduced an objects size, not its mass, but that made her pack harder to steal then a pack with an extra-dimensional space inside of it. She set about constructing her's and Icy's tent, and then helping set up a fire pit when she was done.

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

Toboe was content to lead Nensho lead the way to the clearing. In the hopes of making this trip go smoothly, she offered to carry a few things for the group that they were willing to trust her with. Doing so didn't just help the mission, it gave her a chance to show off her impressive strength as she hauled various supplies over to the clearing alongside the visiting ponies. She wasn't one to complain about hauling heavy loads, but she was rather curious about all the things they brought along with them. If they were hunting a sorceress was all this really necessary? 

In partciular, she was curious about the decorations of some the tents. She was glad Luna made sure to keep the tent small but having markings of moons and stars on it felt maybe a little unwise... but Toboe wasn't foalish enough to walk up and criticize royalty. Once everyone was settled in and set up, the ethereal creature strolled up alongside nensho with a smile, "This has got to be an auspicious occasion... Never got to see the mare who moves the moon work before. Are you nervous?"

 

[IceStorm]

~~~IceStorm~~~

 

 

Normally, Ice Storm would have had ponies that would have been on her payroll to set up such a camp that Luna was mentioning. Right now, however, they were on a covert operation and a mass of creatures moving in unison would be easy for any scouts of Hou to spot and report back that somepony was here. The numbers that they had were large enough for that to be a problem already, and she still couldn't be certain that these Okami weren't scouts of hers. Myth seemed to trust them though, so that was enough for her at the moment. If they were an agent of the enemy, having them close to them where Ice could keep an eye on them would be better than letting them scout ahead and possibly reveal sensitive information. Luna told her that she was going to find a good spot to raise the moon from. Ice wanted to speak up, but she still had a job to do, just the fact that it would be at a higher point of elevation could end up being a beacon to them. With Myth's illusions though, making it look like there was nothing around that shouldn't be an issue though. None of it would really. 

 

Ice Storm nodded to Luna before looking back to Myth. "Right then, Myth, I'll need you to start on the process of making the illusions for covering up the area. Anything that will lessen the strain both on you and the influx of magic in the area the better. Less of a chance that something can go wrong. Nira, Find out what provisions you need, and make a secondary and tertiary list for each. We don't know what's here and we'll have limited supplies. Feather, make sure nothing happens to those two," she said turning to Raven whom was already setting up her tent. No doubt she was getting other things set up for them as well. She blushed a bit at that realization before shaking her head and looking back to everyone in her stoic manner. 

 

She looked back to the two Okami. "That in mind, once we finish getting everything set up, I would also like to know more about how everything works here in Neighpon. The more that we know how the magic works here, the better we can preserve it, and more importantly, the easier it will be to tell the difference between the natural magic of the land, and magic that's been tainted by the sorceress," she said with a smile before her attention would turn to where Luna was as she prepared to raise the moon.

 

 

 

~~~Niradana~~~

 

 

Nira would nod at the instructions that Ice Storm had given. It was a logical course of action to make sure that they had what the healer needed in order to heal. "Most of the healing that I do is magical healing, but it does have limitations. I can't heal bone or nerve damage, or anything that I can't see very well. As far as herbs and the like go, as long as we have the basics, willow, ginger, honey, garlic, mint, and yarrow, I can make any natural remedy. If we can find some from this magically infused forest, then they might have some more potent effects, allowing me to naturally treat more potent injuries. What we have at the camp though will serve well enough though," she saidsmiling back at Myth and Feather, nodding to her previous statement of talking about things later. Something that she could help set up now. "That said, I think the three of us will be quite fine sharing at tent ourselves if it will help keep our hoofprint in the forest to a minimum," Nira added. She couldn't help but feel a bit excited herself at the prospect of watching one of the Equestrian Royalty raise the moon. Something like that was never seen over here before, so this would be a first for everypony present that was born on this side of the world. 

[KaityKat]

Myth nodded and saluted to Icy "Aye aye Commander" she said proceeding to bounce away to take a look at their surroundings and decide how she might use her illusions to enhance the existing cover She walked around the clearing looking up at the canopy when she suddenly stopped walking, and her horn glowed as a tree next to her seemed to grow wider, the shadow underneath remaining the same. as it began to cover a wider area. she did the same with a couple more trees as she made her way around the clearing. Then she walked straight through the middle of camp and suddenly stopped. She sat down and started rummaging through her mane, pulling out a large seed. She dug a little hole with hoof and tossed the seed it, covering the hole with the dirt. She looked at Icy and smiled as a new tree started growing fast from underneath her, taking her up into the sky with it. She sat at on top on the shadowless tree, looking around before just walking forward, her illusory self simply disappearing when it reached the edge of the tree making it appear as tho she'd popped back down to the ground like some kind of glitching video game character. The illusory tree was much larger than the real trees in the area, but with the enlarged trees around it, it didn't look too terribly out of place.

 

Despite the increased coverage, from inside the clearing, the area was no darker than it had been before and the trees appeared slightly transparent. upon viewing from the outside, however, it would appear like a mostly normal patch of forest.

 

====

 

Somewhere in the forests of the island, a certain Kitsune had been slumbering for the past thousand or so years. She wasn't quite sure exactly how long it had been this time, but it was definitely longer than the centuries-long naps she normally took. She yawned something had woken her. Normally, she'd just go back to sleep, but something made her want to check it out. It turned out, the magical disturbance she'd felt had been a couple Okami visiting her island. as they made their way around, they were obviously very young, with how they failed to notice her and their lack of stealth. She thought about going back to sleep, when something stopped her. What was this? Ponies? On her island? and.... something else..... something about one of them felt..... somehow familiar. She turned herself invisible, and walked on the air toward them. The goings on of the others were not important to her, but this blue and green one.... she stepped down to the ground and,  remaining invisible, took her arctic fox form just in case.

She couldn't understand the language these ponies and okami were speaking, but she recognized the accent of the okami. they were definitely Neighponese, and the Longma as well. She didn't know where the ponies were from, tho. She watched as the blue and green one started casting illusions on the trees. she smiled as she acknowledged the unicorn's skill. It was then she could've sworn she saw her wink at her. Kaito looked around making sure she was still invisible. Had she seen her? Wait a minute, she thought as she silently moved around to get a better look. She's..... no.... she's blind.....

There was no longer any doubt. Kaito knew who this was. At least... she knew what she'd felt that was familiar. This unicorn.... she had to be one of her descendants. There was no other explanation.

She started to follow the unicorn, watching her closely, but remaining invisible. She wanted to talk to her. But something held her back.

 

//

Kaito is going to continue sneaking. She can't understand Ponish, and she's paying much closer attention to myth than anyone else. If there's any reason you think your character might notice her, let me know on the Discord chat, and I'll tell you what kinds of things they might notice and what she might be doing in that moment. I'll only add her to my posts if she does something new.

//

[Skycoaster]

With a few flaps of their wings, Luna and her loyal guard would begin preparations to begin the night. She had to admit that she was a bit out of practice of late since Twilight had repaired the amulet, though after a thousand years on the moon, how hard would less then a year be? She'd have to watch the sun for the proper timing however. With Twilight at her home, they were working half a world away. "Alright Midnight, once the sky turns from red to purple, we shall begin. If my intuition is correct, we have about a quarter hour to go."

 

The bat pony would nod as he kept a lookout. Without warning a distinct sound would draw both of their attention. The distinct sound of a teleportation spell. Luna turned her head, expecting Ice Storm or perhaps one of the other unicorns with news from the camp only to gasp before scowling with her horn aglow, ready to blast the intruder. "YOU!" she exclaimed. "I SHOULD HAVE LET MY SISTER TURN THEE TO STONE ALL THOSE YEARS AGO. I AM PREPARED TO RECTIFY THAT OVERSIGHT!"

 

Before she could finish, Midnight had charged the unknown intruder. He had been around Luna long enough to know when something troubled the retired princess, and by her stance and the tone of her voice, it was clear that Luna was clearly upset with the newcomer. He would stop mere feet from the intruder as he heard Luna recall him. "Midnight stop," she ordered. "Go get Ice Storm and the others. I can hold off Shuren for now." With a nod, he'd quickly fly down the hill toward the camp, hoping that their target wouldn't stop him.

[Ciraxis]

The 'mare' in question, that was walking towards the former Princess didn't seemed nonplussed by alicorns display and usage of Royal Canterlot Voice.

 

"Hello Luna. It's been too long. I see you're abusing your lungs and vocal cords the same as ever..." Shuren said in deadpan voice, apparently nor impressed nor surprised by Luna's threat.

 

What did surprise her, was presence of a certain guard, who was charging her. Midnight? How? WHEN?! Only centuries of practicing her pocket face prevented her from showing her worry. Instead she tilted her head and raised her eyebrow in silent 'Really?' towards both of them. Luna should know better - sending anypony apart from herself into physical confrontation was like asking Hou to tie them into pretzels.

But to sorceress relief, Luna seemed to recall that tidbit, and called off the cute guard at last second. Not that it would change anything. Hou's gaze followed areion for a moment, before she refocused her gaze at ex-Princess

 

"You know, you seem very eager to prove to others how cuckoo..." Shuren wasn't allowed to finish, because Luna decided to make good on her threat.

A petrification ray surged from Luna's horn through the air...!

Which hit 'Hou' into the chest, passed harmlessly through her, and turned the plant behind the mare into stone.

Shuren's image 'shimmered' for few moments, before solidifying enough for Luna to see frown on unicorn's face.

"Rude." she said, before briefly turning around to see what alicorn did. "Look what you did to that poor shrub! Is this your answer to everything?" Hou said as if she was scolding a naughty schoolfilly.

 

"I thought Celestia related to you enough to expect that much?" Hou - who apparently wasn't even here - asked "She either didn't, or you weren't listening enough. Which would explain why you are still a Princess of Second-Bananas in everything but taste for guards...." Shuren trailed off before 'realization' hit her  and she leaned towards alicorn with the most trollish grin.

"Ohhhh rrrrright! You not even Princess anymore, you retired! Spending your days in rocking chair and complaining about deficiency of Vitamin B-12....or a backbone." white mare's voice turned more contemptuous at last part.

"Oh I bet when Tia said 'We quitting!', you folded faster then Chestnut Jill at World Championship." dark sorceress said, referencing a memorable poker tournament.

"Still feel like you own Celestia for that little 'Nightmare Night' stunt I bet. So you smile and nod at everything Big Sis says. Alicorn of the Night? Bah! Alicorn of Door-mats more like!" sorceress mocked Luna relentlessly.

 

"Oh and by the way..." Hou switched topic "I hope you enjoying talking to the air, proving you lost few marbles. Only you and your sister should see this projection of me. Well....should. One of few countermeasures I put if either of you put your hoof here. I guess spending time as a guard rubbed You on him. Hmm I have to keep this in mind..."

[Skycoaster]

The alicorn’s eyes glared at Hou…or at least the illusion of her. She had pressed the retired princess’s buttons and it could show as her frown had turned into a scowl. Her breathing deepened as she tried to calm herself. “Remember your temper Luna,” she mumbled to herself, not wanting to show her vulnerability as the others would soon be arriving to her location. 
 

“Tis a pity that you are not here in body, I was just about to prepare a lovely moon rise,” as she did her best to hide her anger and frustration. 
 

Luna could not help but notice Shuren’s fascination with Midnight, and it made her more uncomfortable. In all her years, the alicorn knew that one did not just get Hou’s attention easily and it made her stomach sink. Looking to her guard flying towards the camp and then back to Hou’s projection, she’d give the ancient unicorn a glare that itself could turn ponies to stone. 

[KaityKat]

Kaito sat watching her descendant as she had fun with her illusions, smiling happily at her, when suddenly something else got her attention. she stood up and looked in the direction of the hill Luna had gone to, a concerned look on her face. 

 

Myth saw the Yokai stand and her magic shifted as she seemed to change her attitude. Something was definitely wrong. "What is it?" She asked aloud, her face relaying the same concern. she the Yokai pointed a pose up at the hill. and Myth looked. She definitely felt something coming from there, and she could see a dark cloud forming on top of the hill. 

 

She looked at Icy the concern wrote obvious. She was about to say something when a flash of magic on the hill that only she could see caught her attention and looked back at the hill "Luna!" she called. the dark cloud had grown bigger and the flash had been Luna's magic. She didn't recognize the spell, but it was definitely an offensive spell. She toothed back to Icy again and spoke to her "Something's wrong with Luna! I think she's under attack!"

 

// forgot to include somewhere that Kaito is still invisible//

[Pretzelparty]

Some part of the yokai wanted the sky to move faster. It wasn't everyday that she got to see the moon be moved after all. In the time she was waiting beside Nensho something changed. A shudder seemed to run down the wolf's spine and every inch of her fur bristled. Something was in the air... a heavy, ancient odour that she was the first to notice between the two wolves. in a flash, Toboe was up and running up hill towards the princess' position. When she within earshot she heard a spell go off, and it smelled like a potent one too. When she first picked it up she almost gagged from the sulfuric stench.

"Kaen! Something's here!" 

'Shiranui' came in just to see the plant turn to stone and a furious looking princess. Besides that was nothing else she could see. Her nose was telling her that some foul magic was lingering here... and it was coming from where luna's gaze rested. 

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

Ice Storm started to make herself a bit more comfortable and started to take off the armor for the evening. Surely once the illusions were in place she wouldn't need to worry about being in full garb. She smiled and started helping Raven set up the tents, starting with the one that would hold herself, Myth, and Raven. Among the rest of the crew they were the only ones that knew of her little issue that she had, and she would prefer it kept that way. She would hum one of the tunes that she heard repeatedly in LP. It would have been a phrase from Beethooven's Fifth. She's heard it plenty of times with her casino, and mire importantly, her penthouse being right next to where Wind Dancer performed every Sunday. It was quite a spectical to watch. Every opening was the same, with Flight of the Pegasus. She understood why it had to be like that though. Her routine always started with the Volcano that the Mareage had. IT was kind of their gimmick. Well Icy had a gimmick now too, or would have as soon as it was completed. She couldn't wait to see the progress on the new golf course she was building. She wasn't very good at the game herself, or at least she didn't think. She'd never tried to play, but she'd seen the game played and it looked fun, and the land around her casino became available so she bought it and started the process for it.

 

She stomped her hoof on the last stake and then looked up to Raven with a smile as the tent remained stable. "Well, now that we got that set up, how about we..." Ice started before she felt something off in the air. She couldn't place what it was, but this wasn't part of the illusion magic. She wasn't the only one that sensed it either. the okami picked up on it as well, stating that something was here, looking in the direction of Luna. She could feel the hair standing on the back of her neck. She levitated her armor back over to her and teleported it onto her before she let the Opalus Spheres detach from the amulet, the four icy gems orbiting around her. When she heard Myth say that Luna was under attack, she didn't doubt her for a second and in a brought flash, the commander was gone and standing a a few meters behind the princess. The spheres were orbiting at a distance and a rate that made them difficult to see, and there was a radius of ice along the ground as she walked that matched the radius of her spheres. Anypony looking at her from a distance would see Ice as a white unicorn right now with a faint glow as compared to her usual icy blue self.

 

When she got there, she couldn't see anything, but she could see Luna scowling and looking into the air.  There was also a strong scent of something in the air, but she couldn't place what it was. She looked around for a few more moments before realizing that Luna had probably already taken care of the threat. She moved up to the former princess. "Are you alright?" she asked, still searching in case there was something that she didn't see at first. "Status report. What did you see, and what direction did it come from? What kind of defenses do we need to prepare?" Ice asked while she waited for the others to get there. They weren't but a short distance from the base camp so it shouldn't be too long. In hindsight it probably would have been better to teleport a few others with her, but that would have been pushing her limits a bit more that she would have liked, especially if she was going to need to fight immediately afterwards. As it was for now, she was prepared for just about anything.

 

~~~Niradaña~~~

 

 

Nira had been taking inventory and looking over everything that the others had brought in for her. This gave her a base idea of what she could do with what supplies that they had. Thankfully, unless they were some pretty serious wounds, she had plenty to make sure they were sanitized and her magic would take care of the rest. She could probably at least make sure that a couple large wounds were stable if needed before taking them back to the ship for full medical attention. "Yes, I think everything that we have here will work just fine," she said to herself looking up as she heard a bit of a commotion in the camp. She saw that suddenly everypony was on edge, and given where they were, and the situation that they were in, this put Nira on edge as well.

 

It was about then that she heard the lightest blue unicorn say that The Princess, or rather, Luna, as she was retired now... was under attack. How could this be? Surely no pony or creature would be so brazen to attack an alicorn of all ponies. Even if Luna was retired she had more power in her right front hoof than most ponies had in their entire existence. Or at least so she thought. She saw a bright flash where the commander had been and saw a pile of snow left in her wake. She had to rub her eyes for a second from the flash. That definitely wasn't a stealthy version of teleport that was for sure. Teleport also didn't usually leave anything behind. Something she made a note to ask the commander about when their friends weren't in danger. Nira took off immedately towards the hill. "Anata wa baka! Bakkuappu ya hīrā nashide sakini hashitte imasu... Anata wa jibun jishin o korosu tsumoridesu!" Nira said, defaulting native language...

 

(Translation, You fool! running ahead without backup or a healer... You're going to get yourself killed!")

[PyroBlaze]

Nensho nodded to Toboe’s words, smiling over at his fellow wolf as he watched the ponies set up their camp. He was excited to see Luna in action, letting her go find a good spot to do her magic from. That illusionist was also pretty impressive, and it looked like she was having fun with what she was making. It was important to enjoy what you did, so that was nice to see. Unfortunately, that peace wasn’t to last as a presence appeared nearby. Toboe sniffed it out first, of course, but he was hot on her heels as she ran up the hill towards Luna. Being this close, he walked around the area, trying to pick up exactly where the magic Toboe had found was coming from. The residue of whatever Luna did and the active output of the icy unicorn was making it difficult though. 
 

————————

 

Feather saluted to Icy’s directions, turning to watch over Myth and Nira while they worked. It was pretty fun watching Myth enjoy herself with her magic, though before she could compliment the fine work, the wolves ran off and Myth said something was happening around Luna. Snapping into action, she launched herself into the air, using the large illusory tree as cover to try and get a look at the scene. She saw Luna, and various members of the team that got there already, but no obvious threat. Feather tilted her head slightly, getting her weapons ready just in case and flying back towards Myth. 
 

“I’m not sure what is happening over there, but I don’t see any threats around Luna right now. Plus, she’s got the boss and those wolves with her now. They’ve got it covered, I think, so I’ll just keep protecting you.” She said, explaining the situation to Myth as she landed next to the unicorn. 

[Ciraxis]

"Ohhhh you better do more total recall, then just remembering your anger management lessons...."  Hou said trotting around Luna.

"After all, you speak about rising the silver globe, but you don't really sound over the moon about it. As if...." sorceress paused the grinned as realization hit her "You not 'done' yet, are you? Don't deny it, your words are proof enough." sorceress mused. "You not worn out and tired like Tia is, aren't you? For all you nodding about agreeing to 'retire' , you still want to be involved. After all, that 'lost' millennium was more of a nap for you then anything, was it? Like taking a train ride.....you KNOW wagon is not moving by it's own power, but can't do a thing to change it." white mare made a comparison.

"...Where was I? Oh right ! As we both aware, you not 'done'. But that's not all...." Hou paused for dramatic effect before leaning towards the former Princess. "Want to hear a secret? Neither is She." Shuren said, before pausing for a moment to savour Luna's reaction. When she spoke again, she did so while waving her hoof in dismissive way.

"Oh don't get me wrong, she might speak she is, even behave like she is.....But while she is very good to give others carefully measured truths or half-truths, but when it comes to being dishonest with herself, she's a virtuoso!"  sorceress explained before grinning again.

"But perhaps this is where I should leave this topic at. It's rude to talk about somepony without the pony in question being present, isn't it? Hmm....?" unicorn's babbling was stopped by few consecutive arrivals. Hou's gaze rested at two yokai's first.

 

 

"Oh? Are those part of your entourage too, or should I ask who let the dogs out? Or who 'cried havoc'? " white mare 'asked', bemused by the sight.

"I am surprised your presence is not overwhelming for those two yaoguai' ." she said as she walked towards two wolves. "After all, their smell is keen enough that they can sense me, and 'Me' here is just a very resilient and accurate echo....." Shuren said, as she waved her immaterial hoof through Nesho's and Toboe's muzzles - and concomitantly, their nasal chambers

 

Leaving the two yokai to paw their muzzles from sudden surge of strong smells, her attention turned to blue unicorn mare that descended unto the scene like some Winter God.

Hou only tiled her head in curiosity, intrigued by Ice unleashing some of the frost and furious, boreal-like winds at her disposal.

"My my. Elemental magic doesn't match, but spell-casting seems similar. Protege of yours, Lulu? Not bad of an entrance at all on her part. I give it A-..." white mare continued with her quippage towards the only pony who could hear her. Hou heard that Luna was associating with some unicorn mare after hours. What she saw now only made her belive what she suspected earlier. Luna had a student!

"Are those Opalus Spheres? Now, isn't that blast from the past! And welded directly to he soul?! Talk about dedication." Hou said somewhat approvingly. This mare was certainly interesting. She will have to take a close eye on her in the future.

"Can't say I fan of that armor however. She looks like she's wearing a tacky, blue and silver kettle. And she's glowing like walking Heartswarming Eve ornament" sorceress added "Also, what with that frown? So young, so serious." she commented before listening in to what Ice Storm had to say to the former Princess. Other unicorn's words and tone prompted a risen eyebrow from white mare's astral form.

 

"She's speaking to you like that? Where's reverence to your elders? Respect for one's teacher?" Hou for the first time seemed genuinely surprised. Her astonishment didn't however lasted long, before she turned even that into more mocking material.

"And I thought Celesta was bad at choosing pupils. Had to go all the way to No.3 for one good enough to make Tia dump her job on her. And yet, your first is already treating you like a grunt. Bravo Luna! You finally surpassed Celestia at something!" sorceresses words were accompanied by some sarcastic hoof-clapping.

[Skycoaster]

One by one, Luna watched as those in her party arrived on the hill that Hou and herself where occupying. She had to hold her emotions, though the ancient unicorn continued to push her buttons. In a way she was right. Her sister did have thicker skin then her, what with the 1,000 years more experience she had. Loosing her temper in front of her loyal friends was one thing, however with the wolves and Ice's agents...She'd begin to take deep breaths as she watched the apparition harass everycreature present. Luna was getting angrier with each word Hou muttered. Her pupils would narrow and her teeth clench. Her anger would grow so much that she would physically begin to shake as she stomped a hoof causing the ground to shake near her. She had to calm down. Last time she was anywhere near this angry....it was a time that she had thought she had gotten over.

 

Looking to her side, she would frown. "Tis but an astral projection of our enemy. One tailored to myself any Celestia. She always was good at pressing my buttons." Looking back to Hou she'd take a few more deep breaths. "Why dose thou not go bother Celestia for a while? I am sure if what thou says is true, she would love the company..." The alicorn's voice was a mix of anger and sarcasm. "When we do fine thou, I hope that you have made thy peace. I am not as forgiving as thy sister is. Ice Storm as well as everypony here shall hunt you to the ends of Equestia and beyond."

 

Luna would make a point to not look at Myth, for she was one pony that Hou did not need to know about. Their secrete weapon as it where.

[KaityKat]

Myth stood, still at the campsite, trying to make manes or tails of what was going on up on the hill. Everypony else had made such quick work of getting out there, that she honestly felt pretty useless. She frowned. At the very least, she wanted to get a better look at this new magic she was seeing. It sort of reminded her of Sombra, tho not quite as deeply terrifying and thickly overwhelming as him. She wondered if this was— she gasped "Feather!" she called up to her marefriend at the top of the tree illusion "Can you get me closer to the hill so I can see the magic better?" she formed to the third Yokai who she just realized nopony else still knew about "Do you want to join me?" she asked, to which the Yokai simply cocked its head. Myth frowned and turned back to Feather, and allowed her to pick her up. As they approached the hill, she tapped Feather "Here's good." she squinted at the powerful magic Icy was using, trying not to hurt her vision while she examined the foreign sorceress' magic. Something about this magic made her feel sick to her stomach. It was a curious new magic, which always got Myth excited, but this only made her feel horrified and sick. She looked at Feather with a worried and sickened look "Take me back down. It's..... they're safe, it's just.... I need to talk to Icy." She looked to their side and saw the Yokai who'd been following her, still using her invisibility spell, walking on the air near her. Her magic displays her own concern for Myth's well being. She tried to smile to show her she was okay.

 

=================

 

Kaito watched as the gears turned in her child's head. She was obviously troubled by something about the magic on the hill. She'd said something in the language these ponies were speaking that Kaito didn't recognize, which seemed to beckon the pegasus closer, the unicorn then said something in her direction which caught her off guard. She had no idea what she had said to her. All she could offer in return was a cock of her head.

When the pegasus lifted the unicorn, Kaito stood up and stayed to airwalk along side them at a slight distance, watching the unicorn's face as she seemed to get more and more uncomfortable. She wondered if the magic she was seeing was giving her a hard time. She wanted to talk to her, but she didn't know how. Language seemed to have changed a lot in the few thousand years she'd been away from the pony land across the sea. She decided right then that she needed to show herself to her child's friends. But she wasn't quite sure when was an appropriate time. For the moment, she remained invisible and just followed the two back to the ground.

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

 

 

 

Ice Storm listened as Luna explained the situation. The magic surrounding her remained focused, and strong, ready for anything that could be coming. She heard Luna say that it was apparently an astral projection of the pony that they were chasing. She said it was tailored specifically for herself and Celestia, but that still harbored a problem. "Well, that's going to complicate things. Do you know if this astral projection was intelligent or was it like a preprogammed projection. If it was the latter, then she knows we're here. With that being the case, we will have to proceed with the knowledge that nothing is safe going forward," she said hearing Luna yell at this projections. She would look in the direction that Luna was when she made mention of them hunting her and that they would find her. She would nod herself.

 

"I don't know if you can hear me or not. What she says is true though, and I have resources well beyond that of an average pony. It's not a matter of if I find you, only a matter of when. And When I do, I will have done more than enough research to know how to take you down. So it would be in your best interests to prove to me that you aren't as evil as the reports have told me you are. I will find out the truth, and I will find you. In fact, I already have. I'll let you figure out what that means," she said, turning her back to the direction it was. "I will remain here to watch your flank, but we should get back to the encampment soon," she finished, spotting Nira coming up the path and giving her a motion to stop. 

 

 

 

~~~Nira~~~

 

 

 

It didn't take long for Nira to make her way though the lands of the forest to get to where the former princess and her new commander was located. It still felt a bit weird to think of this pony as such now, but she knew one thing at this point. Her place in the cabinet was all but forfeit and she was perfectly okay with that. Still, there was a particular bullheadedness that she seemed to have in common with all of the leaders in they Neighpon Armies. She had this since that she was invincible and would charge head first into things that she didn't understand. However, as she started to approach that scene on the hill, she took her statement back a bit.

 

This was the first time that she got even a glimpse of the true power of the commander, and if her life force was anything to go off of, this was only a fraction of the power that she had. Between the two of them on the hill, Nira was pretty sure that the two of them together would be invincible if they ever needed to fight. One thing was for certain... she did not want to be on the opposing side of those two. She shuddered to think of what would happen to Neighpon had Shirio actually had angered them. Especially since this ice pony said that she had a ship that would revolutionize naval combat. If it was anything like her... Nira believed it. She heard the two ponies shouting but couldn't make out what it was, and she stopped as soon as she saw the commander give her the order to. She wasn't sure what it was, but the situation seemed to be diffused for the moment. Nira didn't want to create more issues or possible create a target for herself so she stayed back and waited.

[Ciraxis]

"No no NO! You were doing fine Luna! Before that 'veiled murder threat' line I mean!" illusionary Hou protested before storming towards ex-Princess, stopping just before this.

 

"This! Anger, pride and resentment! This is what did you in the last time, allowing Nightmare Forces to worm their way into your heart is it?" Hou asked.

"And instead of rising above those flaws....you passed them along." sorceresses projection waved at Ice, who chose that moment to present declaration of her intent - which caused white mare to pause with her rant and focus on armored mare instead.

"Oh child...." Shuren shook her head with expression of curiosity and amusement on her face. "Such a shame you can neither you can hear of see me. Many had tried and failed to do what you wish to do. What makes you think that I can't outlast you just like any of them, I wonder?" Shuren said to nopony in particular, before turning her attention back to Luna.

"You better tell you student I THRIVE on 'above-average' Luna." Hou said with a very creepy smile. "And I say 'student' because regardless what you two believe, it's clear that she's still have much to reach from you....and you have much to learn from teaching her. Maybe after a bit of such coaching either of you will be worthy enough of my time to slap around in person." Shuren said, waving her hoof in dismissive way before starting to walk away from the hill....

 

"Oh I almost forgot..." Hou stopped halfway through before glancing over her shoulder. "About me bothering Celestia? I believe I will....in about...fifteen minutes or so?" sorceress added before exerting herself a little, projecting not just herself but part of her intimidate surroundings. Which Luna recognized as living room....

 

HER living room in Sliver Shores!

"See Luna, just few hours ago, Tia received letter from her little 'sister'. One that told her that she was back from her trip early, and that she booked two tickets for the newly opened Aquaworld near Roam...you know, their biggest one yet. Shame the current monarch can't rendezvous with them there but well....diplomatic visit to Saddle Arabia and all..." sorceress continued speaking squinting her eyes and flashing a cruel grin.

"Imagine Celestia's surprise when - after hurrying back from her own trip - she will find that letter was a clever counterfeit, written not by her dear Lulu...but all too prepared ME." white mare said with expression that could be described only as 'devilish'.

 

 

"Of course I wouldn't be saying any of this to you....if you could do ANYTHING about it!"

 

And with those words the very island shook, while pillar of violet and silver light and flame raised into the sky from the island centre. Black swirly lines extended from it, quickly closing the whole island and part of surrounding sea in magical dome.

 

"Welcome to one of my many homes away from home. I call this one Diyu. We have it all here! Flora and fauna corrupted by dark magic, elementals bound way, WAY too long, traps and last but not least experiments that were either failed, unfinished, or too successful to be practical. Also complete lack of communication with outside world aside from yours truly. Overall a trip with very high risk of existential failure!" sorceress paused for a moment before continuing "As in, literally. Not '200 bits per hour for a shrink' kind." Hou clarified before tilting her head "Actually did your studies of modern language got far enough for you to know what a shrink is Lulu?" Shuren asked, but quickly hoof-waving that away.

"Well, never-mind, I give your little band of misfits....three days? Yes, three days! For either breaking out or ending mauled/poisoned/cursed to death. Now, don't disappoint me! I be keeping in touch. After all....." sorceress grinned "...There's STILL so much catching up to do for us to do, Luna!"

 

And with that, sorceresses projection vanished. At least for the time being.

[Pretzelparty]

Toboe had perked up a moment as she noticed a change in the air, as if the ominous scent was drawing nearer to her and Nensho. Her hackles raised, and a snarl threatened to overtake her visage as it grew nearer. Then, she felt an intense jolt as her sense of smell was assailed. Hou's hoof passed through mer muzzle and all at once the yokai was hit by a horrific melange of macabre scents that brought tears to her eyes. Primarily, they were alchemical it seemed. A mix of multiple chemicals such as mercury filled her nostrils, but beneath the horrid odours she could trace the barest scent of citrus and some type of flower that, in her olfactory agony, she couldn't place. 

An undignified yelp of pain escaped Toboe's maw, despite her attempts to keep her composure. She retreated backward several steps and brought both paws to her nose as if trying to shield it from some airborne toxin. The only silver lining she could find was the hope that maybe Nensho wouldn't have it as bad, she did have the better nose between them by a moderate margin. This intense shock to her senses were more than enough to distract the wolf from the (from her perspective) one sided conversation the princess was having with some unseen apparition. After what had just happened, Toboe couldn't deny that something or somepony was here and whatever it was held a sickening presence. 

After a series of hacking coughs and rubbing of her eyes, Toboe growled and got back up to look first to Nensho and offer to help her old friend up as well. "Well... I guess at least we've got a scent to track." Not that she was looking forward to the idea now, "Are you alright?"