>>13170361 (OP)
The next morning, you sit up, once again banging your head into the tent ceiling. Cursing to yourself, you punch it, only to hurt your hand on the sturdy frame.

"Fuck!"

You then take your anger out on the ground, but find the rock there no more forgiving. You need to get out of this tent before you explode.

Almost tearing the zipper off it's track, you burst outside, snorting. The sun has already broken the horizon and ponies are packing up, a few pausing to look at you before getting back to it. You shake your head and cross your arms. Life continues, no matter how crap yesterday was, you guess.

>>13170410
Rather unfortunately.
Not feeling very proactive, we'll let Rose tell us when it's time if she feels like it.
If she were to ask I'd tell her not today.

>>13170410
Time to meet up with the Princesses and discuss our next steps.
Depending on if they have just to or already three world shards I'd expect them to go for the scale.

I kinda have the feeling that they will try to use the world hammer to turn Ironside into an Alicorn - I mean, their initial plan to have Celestia and Luna step down from their positions without a fight didn't work so they will need a replacement that can take care of the sun and moon.

We should also make sure that Rose knows whats up, maybe shes still holding back some information that could help us.

>>13170491
You walk toward the princesses tent, but on the way there, bump into Rose. Her face betrays nothing, as it often does, but you have a sneaking suspicion what she wants to say.

>>13170465
"Sorry, Rose, not feeling it today."

She raises an eyebrow. "Not feeling what? Like training? Get used to it. It's most important to push through in times like this. Flaking off will only compound your problems."

"Whatever. Just... agh." You slap a hand to your forehead, letting out a long, heavy breath. "Look, do you know anything more about Steady or where the enemy might be hiding out? Or any other information you've been holding back?"

Her mouth contorts into a grimace. "Holding back? I thought my position was clear. I've told you everything and I am certainly not holding anything further back. It would do me no good to delay your or your princesses any." She scraps the ground with a forehood, kicking up a small cloud of dust. "You're in no shape for training right this moment. Go talk to your princesses and shape up. I'm not sure how much more of you I can stand."

Throwing dust on your pants, she struts away. You really don't need to be dealing with her right now.

Inside the princesses' tent, you find Luna adorning her royal jewelry. She acknowledges you with a glance.

"How are you?"

we should give that armor back to Silver

speaking of which, we still don't know why he had it in the first place

>>13170836
"Awful."

>>13170836
"I've had better days."
We should ask her if they have taken any further steps yet to locate Ironside or Steady. Or if there's any way - a spell for example - to find out where the third world shard is or at least if the enemy already has it in their possession or not.

>>13170942
On that note, we should really devote some more brainpower to trying to figure out what the hell that clue from Twilight is.

>>13170836
Not well, I've managed to lose the only bargaining chip you had for Twilight and one piece of what could potentially bring me home.

>>13170883
>>13170942
>>13171041
"Awful. I've had better days."

She nods, turning back to her jewelry. "I understand. It is not easy to accept Steady fooled us all. But we cannot let such things stop us. Our potency may be weakened, yes, but we have still far from lost."

"Yeah, I know, I know. I've been telling myself that for a while." You walk over to the nearest chair and collapse into it. "But I thought Steady was such a great soldier! How could he be working for them? And how am I supposed to get back home or at least stop whatever the fuck is happening to the Balance without the worldshards?"

Luna coughs.

"Oh, yeah. Language. Sorry."

Placing the last hoofboot on, she walks over to you, putting a hoof on your knee. "Losing Steady affects all of us. You are not alone in your worries or melancholy. But have confidence in your own abilities and the cause you fight for. Have confidence in me. In my sister."

You stare at her, crossing your arms. It's easy to say things like that, but to really follow them? Believe in them? Words only offer so much.

"Speaking of, do either of you have a spell for finding the worldshards? It would be nice to know if they have two or all three of them. Would also show us exactly where they are."

[cont]

>>13171203
Luna shakes her head. "Locating the worldshards is not so simple. They do not obey the typical rules of magic. And I assure you, if finding them were so simple as casting a spell, I would have done so long ago. All we can do for now is move forward and hope we find the enemy sooner rather than later." She removes her hoof and straightens her neck. "In fact, I'm more confident now that our enemy lies at the Scales, and we will arrive there mid-day tomorrow."

>>13170942
You don't think perhaps the princesses would have done that if they were able to?

>>13171221
"And when we get there? How are we going to get Twilight back? We lost our only bargaining chip."

>>13171221
"When will we strike the tents?"

>>13171268
>>13171308
"And when we get there? How are we going to get Twilight back? We lost our only bargaining chip."

"I never intended on bargaining for her back, anyways. They attempted to kill my sister; I would not trust and negotiation in that fashion. I want to capture Ironsides, take Twilight back by force and break the backbone of this resistance!" She shift in place, snorting. "Sorry. I am letting my emotion get the better of me."

"When will we strike the tents?"

"Everyone has already begun to pack. We shall set out in a little more than an hour and trek until sundown. That will allow us to camp close enough to our destination that the remainer of the journey is not much, but far enough away that the enemy will not scout us out early."

"If they're there, they'll know we're coming. Steady will--"

"Yes," she says, eyes narrowing. "Yes, he would have. And soon enough, he will pay for it." She turns to you and touches your shoulder. "I must speak with the soldiers, tell them what happened with Steady. I would advise you prepare to leave and take care of anything you need to before we set out."

With that, she leaves the tent, a wake of intensity following her.

>>13171496
Have a look at your compass for a moment, put it away after nothing interesting happens.
There's not a whole lot for us to pack.

>>13171496
We should give Silver back his piece of armor I guess - and also confess that we snooped through his stuff and try to explain why we did it.

If he ever finds out about it from another source, he'll probably never forgive us.

>>13171496
>>13171572
what he said

>>13171572
>>13171586
Returning to your tent, you grab the piece of armor you took from Silver, frowning at it. Looks like today isn't going to get any easier. Fortunately, finding Silver isn't too difficult, given your height. You see him helping other ponies pack up their supplies. Taking a deep breath, you walk over to him, doing your best to keep your face level.

"Hey, Silver."

He turns around, wiping sweat from his brow. "Yeah?" You don't even get a chance to explain yourself, as his eyes land on the armor you're holding. He squints. "Is that... mine? Huh. I thought I'd lost it. Couldn't find it when I packed up." He blushes, grabbing it out of your hands. "Heh. Sorry. Little victory souvenier."

"Yeah, about finding it... I kinda stole it."

His eyes lock onto your face, blinking. "What?"

"Look, it was my job to find whoever the traitor was in the camp, and I had to investigate all the suspects. I... came across that and it was kinda suspicious, given the circumstances." Your head sinks. "Sorry."

"Oh." He looks down to the piece, silent for several seconds before stashing it under his armor. "I get it. You were doing your job, right?" His head turns up, offering a weak smile. "Yeah. You didn't have a choice. Had to make sure. I... was I really so suspicious?"

[cont]

>>13171889
You grit your teeth, scratching the back of your neck and pulling at your hair. "I didn't want to suspect anyone. I didn't want to think anyone would betray us. No, you weren't really that suspicious, but I had to be sure."

"Okay. Yeah. Makes sense. Look, I gotta go back to packing, but, uh, thanks. For being honest. Really."

"Uh-huh."

>>13171539
He turns around and you walk off, face red and eyes on the ground. You absentmindedly pull out your compass, wondering if it's still acting up or pointing somewhere like that one night.

To your surprise, it is. Specifically, it's wandering between two distinct directions. You look in one, but don't see anything or anyone. When you face the other direction, however, you see Luna talking with a group of soldiers.

>>13171908
Let's walk the other direction from Luna it's pointing at for a bit for just a little ways outside the camp before turning around.

>>13171908
Let's explore it for a bit, but try to stay within sight of the camp. If we don't notice anything, maybe head back and seek council.

>>13171908
Well, I guess that at least tells us that it wasn't just Celestia luring us onto the clearance when it reacts to Luna, too.
Lets go in the other direction for a while and see if it leads us to Celestia.
If it does, we should show it to her - I don't think we ever had her take a closer look at it. Maybe it reacts to Alicorns and can us help to find Twilight.

Also we might wanna pick up Rose if she's not busy with packing and has forgiven us our earlier 'accusations'. Don't really wanna get shagged by some enemy soldiers as soon as we leave the camp.

>>13171946
>>13172018
>>13172069
Keeping the compass in front of you, you follow it out of camp, into the barren Badlands. You walk in the same direction for a short while, making sure to keep the camp within eyesight. Eventually, the compass starts spinning, giving you no more direction. You inspect the area, but still cannot see whatever it is it's pointing you towards.

Then you look up.

High above you, soaring from cloud to cloud, is a while blur trailing a streak of several colors; teal, pink and blue are the most dominant. You don't need to make out the shape to know that's Celestia. She moves without a sound, smoothly between each cloud, leaving a half-rainbow in her wake for a second before it fades away.

You wonder if she's bored, or maybe blowing off steam like you did before. Probably hurts less than punching hard objects, at least.

>>13172201
Just have a seat and watch then.

>>13172227
We could also go back a bit and see if the compass starts pointing at one of the Alicorns again. Maybe it just goes haywire when we are too close to them.

Though I don't have anything against watching Celestia dashing through the clouds, either. Maybe she will spot us and come down for a talk.

>>13172201
Wave.

>>13172227
>>13172274
>>13172362
Your only company out here is the wind, rocks and dust. No background chatter or rustling of tents, no Rose to knock you on your ass, no Luna giving you the stick-eye. Allowing yourself a smile, you sit down, leaning back on your hands and watch Celestia.

As boring and barren as this place is, it has its upsides.

Your eyes follow the multi-colored streak. It darts back and forth, sometimes disappearing behind clouds, somtimes not, and other times plowing through them, making them disappear in a puff of white. The trail curves and curls, loops and twists, ebbs and flows. Your breathing slows, face relaxing as you dip into the moment, the peace, the silence.

The streak disappears behind a cloud with a pop and you see it no longer. Sitting up, you put a hand on your chin. Where did...?

A long, wet and squishy thing smothers your right ear. You yelp, leaping to your feet and turn around while covering your now-wet ear. Celestia stands there, grinning, her tongue sticking out at you.

"Did you just...?"

She nods, keeping her tongue out, flicking it at you playfully as her grin widens.

>>13172525
Yeah, okay.

>>13172525
"What an improper behavior for a Princess. What would your sister say if she saw that?"

Try to catch her tongue with two fingers while it's still outside of her mouth

>>13172525
"I'm gonna lick back next time."

>>13172636
I can't really tell what you want without tone. Is this a "Yeah, okay" as in, "I'm not really in the mood to be cheered up"? or as in, "Yeah, okay, two can play at this game"?

>>13172700
>Celestia smiles, encouraging him
>Anon licks back lightly
>tries to move in to lock lips
>Celestia just licks his tongue again with her big tongue, smacking it into his face
pony kissing is different

>>13172702
Two can play clearly, I should have specified to add a grin.

>>13172636
>>13172684
>>13172700
"Yeah, okay. You know, that's improper behavior for a Princess. What would your sister say if she saw it?"

"Luna would probably be too perplexed to say something. Or she would try to say, 'Stop licking our subjects!' with a straight face and fail in the most cute fashion." Her tongue hangs back out of her mouth, taunting you.

You take a step forward, eyeing her tongue. "You do that again, I'm gonna lick back."

"I dare you to try."

Slowly, you lean in, staring Celestia down. Those glimmering majenta eyes of hers catch you off-guard with their intensity. You're not used to seeing them so clearly and so close. You tense your arm, waiting for her to flinch.

She blinks and your arm instantly darts out, heading for that stupid tongue. She's too quick, though, dodging your grasp and instead licking your hand as it retreats.

You shake your hand, drying the spit off, and when you look back, you can't help but grin with her.

"I gotta be honest, I didn't expect you to be so springy."

"Such is life as a princess. I must... bounce back from the worst events, not just for my subjects, but for myself."

>>13173053
As much as I love goofing around with Celestia, we should show her the compass and tell her how it seems to point us towards Alicorns. Maybe she can find out how it works.
We could also stand really close to her while showing it *cough*

>>13173053
There's no way we'll actually be able to catch her.

>>13173163
>>13173164
You resign yourself to your inability. Celestia's too agile for you, not to mention she can cheat with magic if she wants.

"Alright, you win." You lower your glare. "For now."

Celestia rears up and claps her forehooves. "Ah-ha! Victory."

"Yeah, yeah."

Reaching into your pocket, you pull out the 'broken' compass. Celestia spots it and looks between it and you a curious smirk on her face. "What is that for?"

"It's how I found you. Twice. I figured I should show it to you." You hold it out and she picks it up with magic, holding it closer.

You use the opportunity to move in next to her and lay a hand on the back of her neck. Her mane makes your hand tingle, like it's tickling you.

"I don't know why," you say, "but both times I found you out away from the camp, this compass pointed me right to you. It also seems to point out Luna as well. I'm not sure if it's sensitive to alicorns or maybe something else you two have in common, but it's definitely not functioning like a normal compass."

"Hmmm." While squinting at the compass, her wing swoops around you for a surprise winghug. You certainly don't protest. "Very odd. I would say it's magic-attuned, though why or how such a thing happened, I'm afraid I'm lost on. Where did you get this?"

"It came with me from home. Maybe the journey here did it?"

[cont]

>>13173438
"Seems likely." She floats the compass back into your hands and releases you from the hug. "We should be heading back to camp now. My sister is probably worried already, and you'll want to be preparing to move out."

Nodding, you pocket the compass and start back, Celestia at your side.

Today doesn't seem so bad after all.


~


Ending it here, guys. Next session is Saturday, usual time of noon CST!

>>13173438
>>13173465
Maybe the compass is the missing worldshard.

>>13173493
Perhaps it can locate magic rum

>>13173465
Thanks for the session, SA

Damn, she stopped that hug way too quickly

>>13173465
Wow, that seemed kind of short.

So I know this doesn't really affect the "canon" you adopted for this story, but how do you like the implications of the comic in Luna (and probably Celestia by extension, really) having no qualms against being in romances themselves?

>>13173547
Yeah, Wednesday sessions are half as long as Saturday, usually.

It's kind of how I always pictured them, though I think they would put a few more barriers between themselves and a relationship. I think Luna kissing Big Mac isn't as romantic as we might think. To her, it's just a sign of affection, not really a relationship thing.

Celestia is more teasing and playful about it at times, more subtle at others.

>>13173689
Oh, I didn't read it as "she was going for a romantic relationship and telling Big Mac she wants him right then," but I do feel like she'd be the type to unconsciously wrap herself closer and closer to a stage where she really "likes" likes someone before she realizes it herself.

I just like the feeling that they are freer to love and be loved.

>>13173538
So I am not the only one who thought of this.

>>13173878
I can't wait till we find princes Jack Sparrow!