Hinterlands Part 1

"It is time for tongue flicking."

"Investigate ofc"

"let's continue then if it's just like I dunno, the wind that's making the noise"

"picturing in my head this lamia fella tongue flicking then muzzle scrunching up smelling the fertilizer is fucking cute"

"Woo I'm a scary forest monster come to gobble you up rawr"

"So uhh, whats your name?"

"Something broke in your brain"

"Don't freak out"

"I can hear your thoughts"

"Don't tell anyone"

"Don't know what else to say for now. An apology for distracting I guess?

Why are you in such a hurry anyways"

"Why do you have a pony name"

"Nobody ever brought any attention to how different you are? Said anything about the screaming-in-your-face obvious differences?"

"wow quite a rude one eh"

"but also seriously how do you end up with your family? Looks like you got lotsa siblings too."

"You can consider yourself a pony if you want, but ponies don't have venom. There is a non-zero chance you are a case of aggressive mimicry.

It's not super important however."

"You need to think something for us to know about it, it doesn't work retroactively. Didn't know your name until you thought it."

"she either has a sad backstory that result in this behaviour or just a plain asshole"

"By the way is this your first apprentice/partner or you already have some experience with what is mentioned?"

"and lastly. Boop her on the snoot"

"Don't know what Aggressive Mimicry is?

Vesperquines are an example of it."

"Take disciplining Torch seriously."

"Yes, she won't like it, and she won't like you, but that discipline is what will keep her alive if she ever needs to face a serious threat. Panic will get her killed in a fight, fuckups will get her killed in a fight, failing to work as a part of the team would get her killed. Your goal as her commanding officer is to be respected, not liked, remember that."

"If it's possible, there's an argument for having her shadow some more experienced guards on a dangerous mission, and scare the shit out of her with a taste of the real deal. She'll either get with the program quick after that, or she'll quit early, both of which would be better for her."

 

"There are multiple kinds of Vesperquines.

 

A boop is a gentle touch to the tip of the nose."

 

"So it's more of a town milita then a military unit, got it."

 

 

"Tell us about the Weald"

"Usually when animals are acting up it's cause something weird is happening in there"

"Do you ever want to lick the pony foam?"

"You probably shouldn't hold it against her. She very well might be bitchy as a coping mechanism, that's not the sort of pain that goes away easily."

"Maybe offer to do some extra physical training with her, or some general sparring, or hell, maybe just eat lunch with her. It's entirely possible she just needs a friend in her life who isn't her adoptive father figure."

"As for the exhaustion, suck it up, better to burn your lungs out on a track than in the face of some beast that wants to kill and eat you."

"Maybe she doesn’t like you because you have loving parents and family but you’re adopted, and she had a real family that she destroyed"

"She probably thinks it’s unfair, her new “dad” just smacked her in face. Does she actually want to be here at all?"

"Get her water, now"

"Its probably best to assume she just had a stroke"

 

"An blablahblah blah occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted or reduced, preventing brain blahblah from getting blahblahblah and nutrients. Heat stroke is caused when the brain gets too hot."

"And you just chocked her out."

"Nice, I'd start slow clapping, but what's done is done.

But that's partially on me, I assumed someone would know about a thing like that. In an ideal situation, someone would have used their hoof or claw to see if her eyes were still blahblahblah, and would have asked her to attempt a smile, or attempt to move a few limbs around. If her eyes weren't blahblahblah, one side of her face was limp, or one or some of her limbs felt numb, then those would be sure signs of a blah. In any case, it would likely be an easy fix, just get her some water, get her in a shaded, cool spot, and have her just breath and restore oxygen supply to her brain."

"Also, dude, in general, be careful with those choke holds. Those things are dangerous enough on their own, seconds of pressure difference can determine whether you knock someone out, or just straight up kill them."

"Holy fuck shit don’t do that"

"Chokehold's unconsciousness only lasts a couple seconds before it wears off."

"I am certain she overheated herself.

Mainly because when their sweat does foam, it doesn't evaporate as well.

I think she pushed herself too hard and overheated herself, doesn't help she is dehydrated."

"I am fairly certain she was dehydrated before she started exercising."

"She sprinted 30 MILES!??? I would expect basically anything would die"

"Okay... lemme dumb that down a little, and use less big words:

 

1) She needs water and rest, and a doctor checking her over would be a good idea.

2) Choke holds are a crap shoot that either don't knock people out long enough to be worth the effort, or you keep the hold on too long, and kill the person, and there's a thin line in between. You do you, but I really think you'd be better off avoiding that one if possible.

3) It might be a good idea to invest in some shackles to carry around, alongside a coil of rope to sash around your torso. This is less to do with the current situation, and more of a kit sort of thing: being able to restrain suspects while dealing with a situation is always useful, and rope is just useful in general."

 

"This griffon is the caring soul who helps the town with their sickness and injuries? What a pleasant guy to go to"

"Hopefully it's nothing serious and she can be up again soon."

"By the way a random question, how dewadly is that venom of yours?"

"Seconded, how deadly is the ow juice from your bite bites?

Also, what's the story on the doctor?"

"It seems Ironbeak isn't learned in how ponies work either. His grumpiness isn't directed at you, don't take it personally."

No no I get it. Torchstar got hurt on his watch. If he's anything like my father when me or one of my siblings got hurt on the farm his reaction if anything is measured.

"Now I'm wondering why she didn't think to mention it, did it show up mid exercise or was she trying to impress her dad?"

"Your venom is odd, reminds me of some spiders where it's technically digestive juices and a venom mixed together."

"As for the Doc: from the sounds of it, he just takes his job really seriously, and he's seen enough people fuck up over the years that he's straight up run out of patience for the rest of his life; and considering that fuck up in the medical field lead directly to additional suffering, or death, you can probably imagine why he's run out of patience."

"Either way, his attitude is a good thing in his field: it indicates experience and a drive to do his job, and do it well. It's far, far better than the alternative: an apathetic, dead inside husk who's just sorta given up on giving a shit, and stops thinking of his patients as people. Doctor Gerhard seems to still give a shit about his patients as people at his level of expertise, and that's worth respecting."

"When you're off duty, it might be worth asking about his history with Ironbeak, maybe over some coffee or something. If he asks why you're interested, just say you're curious. He might be hesitant, and even abrasive, but he sounds like a lonely guy, and he might appreciate having someone to talk to."

"since we're on the topic of your physical abilities, can you hypnotize people? What's it like, how do you do it. Do you just dominate their minds?"

"Also, do you have a filly friend or even a chick"

"So terminally a bottom in bed, got it."

 

"Why can’t you control your venom leaking?"

"I second this. Typically if your venom glands are overactive its usually a sign that you're sick"

"Coffee is a type of drink, but any sort of drink members of your community would enjoy sipping on while chatting casually will work. The drinks just provide an excuse to sit around and talk for a while.

I'm just saying, it sounds like Gerhard and Torch both could use another honest to goodness friend in their lives."

"How old is Torch again?"

 

"The responsible thing would be to drop off the armor today before you go home. That stuff keeps you alive.

Also, say hello to mother and give her a hug. I'm sure she worries about her little colt."

"Be honest, and open about everything with family, especially good, supportive, loving family like you have.

Also, ask if she has a problem with Torchstar, because it feels like she does."

 

 

Oh, wow, okay, you told her about the voice in your head, wasn't quite what I had in mind, but I suppose that's the right idea in spirit all the same.

 

Press for answers, but be respectful, obviously. It sounds like she has some sort of personal beef with Torchstar. My hunch is that she's mad about the death of Cinder, but it's not good to make assumptions with this sort of thing.

 

 

"Your poor mother, maybe give her another hug and remind her of how much you love her. It seems like she's going through a lot today, and a decent half of that is on us. It might also be worth it to help around the house if you can, i think she would really appreciate it."

the massive table, hoofmade of chestnut, dominates the room and is set for fifteen.

"Then, after dinner, absolutely have a talk with your mom about what your dad said, that sounds serious."

"Damn, those fangs are cool..."

"You're lucky though... having a family like that, and a mom... Hold onto that, don't ever take it for granted.

 

You don't ever appreciate the good times until they're gone. You may think you're happy, but... you don't really believe it, not unless you've been on rock bottom, you'll be too focused on the petty bullshit, or the next job, or whatever. It's often only when we look back... in comparison with what comes after, that we realize that... that's what happiness felt like...

So take it from someone who grew up on rock bottom: enjoy what you have, and appreciate this moment while it's here, because when it all falls apart, you're gonna wish you did, and when you build your life back up afterwards, even if happier than you were, it won't be the same. Appreciate the people in your life more than anything, because life is a fickle thing, it's precious, and it's so easy to lose..."

"Also, bust out the booze and get a little drunk with dad, or get drunk with your siblings and go have some fun. You gotta live a little, dude. "

 

We've got a nice family, that's for sure

 

If there's time, you might want to see about taking a day to run Mud Skipper through some drills to learn the fundamentals of proper fighting and self defense.

 

"We've got a nice family, that's for sure

 

If there's time, you might want to see about taking a day to run Mud Skipper through some drills to learn the fundamentals of proper fighting and self defense."

">(Grissy)

I'm a Griffin, actually. Think of a young hen with an extra large frame, so probably half a head taller than your captain, a buff scarred body, and the demeanor of a... fuck, what would you understand? A savage, bandit barbarian, yeah... that works. I'm Grissy, the other dude is Ven, he's lame."

"As for Mudskipper? Eh, Ven's probably got the right idea; I'd just shove a weapon into his hooves, haul him along on a patrol, get into a fight, and tell him to survive. But... that method of 'training' has a high mortality rate, so... probably a bad idea."

"Hey, you don't get along with Torchstar, right? And your brother would probably need training from someone who won't hold his hoof, right? Why not teach your brother the fundamentals, then see about having Torch drill him until he knows them! Torch is used to getting the receiving end of discipline, but, fuck it is the greatest feeling in the world when you get over that hump, and you get to turn around and giving out discipline. He'll learn quick that way, and Torch would probably feel a lot better about things too."