[Now that she was back and...not recovered from finding out what she did from Tails, but doing  a little better, Nephenee remembers finally that she'd been meaning to talk to a few ponies regarding a certain something she obtained back in November... so two ponies might be a bit surprised to see her show up in a private message to them.]

Miss Pinkie Pie, Sir Allen? It's Nephenee, Ah've got somethin' ya might be interested in...

[The Sentinel pulls up a small cloth bundle, and opening so they can see, reveals numerous small pieces of alabaster.]

Ah..found this outside the town last month, an' remembered that y'all've been workin' with it...when would y'all like to take a look at it?

[Why hello there little community. Have a very confused Changeling wearing a very well cut suit jacket with a colourful lapel embroidery looking back at you.  You'll have to forgive him, he hasn't figured out he can shape-shift yet. But he does have a very pleasant smile!]

Well this is certainly a much brighter place then where I was last. Much lovelier too, honestly. Anyways, I should probably start with introducing myself. I'm Gaignun Kukai, and I'm glad to meet all of you.  Could I possibly bother you all for some in formation about this place?

Preferably starting with a good place to get a snack?  [That smile turns a little bit embarrassed. Stupid URTV fast metabolism.  Please be gentle, he doesn't realize that this is the exact wrong question for a changeling to ask.]

*It's just after moonrise, and Allen is sitting at the edge of a lake. He looks a little on edge, and his eyes are fixed on the full moon. You might think the scroll rolled open by accident until he starts talking to it.*

You know...I've been here for months and it still feels strange to see the full moon and not have to worry. I keep checking the lunar calendar and having to remind myself that the week leading up to it won't be full of people going crazy, or things trying to kill me or something trying to drag my worst memories into public view, and that there won't be a giant Arcana Shadow showing up at the peak of the full moon for us to fight.

*He now turns to look at the scroll and rubs the back of his head with one hoof.*

Is there anything you guys had to deal with so reguarly that you almost forgot it wasn't normal, that's completely unheard of here? Either back in your home worlds or in any others you might have visited.

Hey Equestria...I got a question for you, mostly this is for the other outlanders like myself, but...anyone is free to weigh in here. I'd like the input.

How many of you use friendship, or similar bonds, as a source of strength for yourselves back home?

Some pretense to that...where I come from there are creatures called Digimon. I myself am half-digimon. Long story to that, but I won't bore you with the details right now. A digimon is a creature born of digital data, they are however highly receptive to emotions and can grow stronger as they grow closer to others, becoming stronger and stronger as those bonds mature and grow.

Emotions from those that we make friend with rub off on us, we can become stronger, or weaker because of it, or we can become too strong that we can't control ourselves.

[He rubs at his cheek with a hoof and sighs deeply.]

Not only digimon have exhibited this trait, though. There is another being called a Net Navi where I'm from, another digital life-form, this one artificially created by humans. There's an entire battle tournament surrounding them even. A Navi and their NetOp, when they have a strong enough bond, can create powerful combinations with battle chips. They can even fuse together, share the core of their beings with another, the NetNavi’s can even form friendships of their own that unlock hidden potentials...

[ He holds a hoof over his chest reflexively, almost like he was reassuring himself about something...]

The core of my question is how many of you have something similar back home? An undertone to that is how many of us have forgotten about that? That we've taken it for granted or just forgotten our own basics? This place works on its own rules. Just like those of NetNavis, or Digimon...working together, believing in one another...we’ve heard it a lot lately, and seen that here, it’s its own force to be reckoned with. Friendship. We’re all in this together, and if we're going to-

[He stops short and scoffs softly to himself.]

Sorry. Getting off track...Anyways...just something I’ve been thinking about lately. If anyone would rather speak with me in person or private, you’re always welcome to call on me at the commune or approach me while I’m on duty in the Night Market.

( Private to Vergil and Dante )

*Allen's sitting in his impeccibly clean room in the Commune (seriously, you'd think he had OCD it's that neat) with a cup of coffee in one hoof and a strange object sitting on his desk.*

I actually have two things to talk about today, but I'm going to go ahead and start off with the less serious one. I know I can't be the only one here who brought in technology that doesn't run off of magic, so I thought I'd share my solution for keeping it running without access to electrical sockets.

*Here he picks up the object from his desk with telekinisis and shows it to the scroll.*

This is a magic to electricity converter. It takes the magic that powers the local appliences and turns it into electrical current that can be used by human technology. It even has adjustable output and the plug changes shape to fit what you're trying to charge, so you can use it for different kinds of machines. I don't think it's quite suited for mass production yet, but I doubt it really needs to be. I'm not sure I can afford to just give them away, but I'm willing to sell them at-cost if anyone needs one.

*He puts the charger down and takes a long drink of his coffee. When he sets that down as well, his expression is more serious.*

And...now for the more uncomfortable topic. I got a good look at the statue ponies with an ability of mine during that battle, and I confirmed that each one of them has a soul in it. Their natures, or their Arcana, as my Persona translates it, were either obscured or suppressed, but that doesn't really matter. What matters is that they're people being forced to do Calice's bidding, maybe even fight their friends, and I want to find a way to free them. Even if it's just transferring their souls to a different body that Calice can't control, that's still better than being used as weapons against the people you love, right?

But I can't get any information from the fragments left over from that fight. As far as I can tell, the statue ponies are just gypsum alabaster that's been animated by a trapped soul, and it's ordinary rock again once the soul leaves. So anyone who encounters a statue pony and has any experience with magic, try to see if you can make sense of what's binding the souls to them.

And there was someone who was planning on creating a statue in the hopes that one of Calice's victims might be able to slip free to possess it and talk to us, right? I think I need to talk to you on that. If it works and we're lucky, it might give us what we need to help the people she's absorbed.

[Oh hey, look, it's the bowl cut. But, wait she-]

GUYS, I NEED A DOCTOR RIGHT AWAY! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!

[She's so upset that she won't even wait for the narration, apparently...]

I know it's been...a rough month for everyone here. I figured we could all use some stress relief, so...I got a game from my world set up in the local arcade. It's a puzzle game called HaKox. The point is to guide the characters through a maze by moving blocks and get a certain minimum number to the goal without crushing them or letting them fall off the path. Though I've set up a certain special skin that might make people want to lose instead.

Oh, ah...Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence? I hope you don't mind that I used your images too. I wanted characters that everyone here would recognize.

(If anyone decides to check out the new game, they'll find something that plays a little like this. As you might guess, the 'certain special skin' is the Pale Pony as she appeared at the Games, and she sounds wonderfully insulted when hit with a block.)

Alright, I'm back in Ponyville and Otsuki Chacha will be open for business again. And again, everyone is welcome to come down to discuss about current events. Tea will be on the house for those who want some.

I do have a favor to ask. Is there anyone who's good with building? I would like to do a special expansion on this tea house. Anyone who's interested, please come on down so we can go over details.

Everyone come to the commune! We're having a slumber party tonight! It's totally okay if we have a group slumber party there, right guys?

Oh, and...Twilight, you guys are still out in Stalliongrad, huh? [That's disappointing. Unicorn Twilight probably needs the slumber party a lot, judging from that message of hers.] Um, is there maybe anyone who could go out to Stalliongrad and get them? You could totally go back in the morning and keep researching stuff!

I just think it'd be nice for us all to get together!

*Allen is posting from a coffee shop, from the looks of things, with a...wow that's a large cup of coffee he's holding in one hoof.*

You know...I'm starting to wonder if I should worry that my reaction to last week's bout of crazy was just annoyance that I didn't have any limbs. I remember a time when I would have been baffled at how little sense it all made.

*He shakes his head and takes a drink of his coffee.*

Anyway, what's this the Canterlot librarian said about a dangerous basement? This is the first I've heard of anything like that, and I've gone on a few trips there already looking into native technology.

Uh...by the way. Are you guys serious about not really using electricity here?

*Well, evidently Allen has gotten the hang of his unicorn magic, since he's standing with a high tech crossbow floating next to him in a green aura. He also looks to be in a bad mood, with his ears flat and his tail flicking in agitation.*

This might be a stupid question in a pace as low-tech as this, but is there anything like a shooting range around here? Or at the very least, somewhere I can practice with lasers without doing any accidental damage. After around a year without my Ethers, I've been getting pretty rusty. If this place gets as lively as I've heard, I should probably make sure I can defend myself in a worst case scenario, right?

*And it's a good way to vent steam over Father's Day coming up, but the timing must be a coincidence...right?*

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you know I'm gonna be out of town this weekend! It's Faaaather's Day!

[Horns blow and confetti flies as she spins to show what looks like the inside of a small farmhouse, sparsely and soberly decorated save for the balloons now festooned everywhere. They, and Pinkie, seem to be the only actual color in the place. There's also one old gray mare, one younger purplish-gray mare, and a brown stallion there, looking exactly as grim and sober as if they'd stepped out of Equestrian Gothic. Pinkie throws a foreleg around the stallion's neck.]

This is my family! I mean, not my my family, but same thing! This is my Daddy, and Ma, and my big sister Maud!

[The younger gray mare says in a monotone:] Hello.

They were all just so excited to hear about you guys, I HAD to let you meet them! My younger sisters Inkie and Blinkie are coming in later tonight, maybe I'll call you all back then!

[Sometime after the ponies wake up, scrolls and quills suddenly start raining from the sky. Don't worry, its not the ponypocalypse, its just a squadron of flying white ponies dropping them from above.

Once everyone receives one, the scrolls suddenly glow and come to life, its surface revealing the visage of a large white alicorn with rainbow hair and a golden crown, sitting on a large, velvet-upholstered throne. She has a calm, reassuring, regal smile on her face as she speaks, though those who know her better can see the light of worry and concern in her eyes.]

Good afternoon, newponies! I am Princess Celestia.

I've heard of your arrival in Ponyville and of some of the more interesting stories that have come from it. We're...not certain how this phenomenon has occurred, but we here at the royal castle will put our efforts into solving this mystery, and I hope you will help us out as we wish to help you out!

Rest assured, no harm will come to you. Nor, as some of you have worried, are we holding you against your will. On the contrary, you're free to move about Equestria as you please, be it through Ponyville, Los Pegasus or anywhere in between. I only request that you use the scrolls we have provided you to check in from time to time, so that we know where you might be when we figure out the solution to this current situation.

If you have any questions, you are free to ask them of me. If I am not available - and, I will admit, there are times when I can be quite busy - there are many other ponies willing to help you, including the other princesses of Equestria. We are all in this together, after all.

[And then she smiles a little more. Its a much more relaxed smile. The concern is still there, of course.]

But, in the meantime, I'd also like to get to know all of you! I always like to meet new people, after all. I hear we even have a dragon?