Ripples (supplementary, Renegade option)
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Mr Zoat
Dedicated ragequitter
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23rd July 2013
20:23 GMT -7
Sunburst, as it turns out, is a yellow-pelted stallion with a white stripe down his nose, an orange mane, tail and… What do you even call that? Chin strip? Long thin weird beard thing. He's wearing glasses and -unusually- a blue cape speckled with turquoise stars.
He keeps looking at me nervously, but… That's to be expected. I am pretty intimidating.
Starlight on the other hand is besides herself with joy. She's actually prancing ahead of us as we head towards her laboratory.
I smile at the small stallion. "I don't think I've ever seen Starlight this excited before."
"Ah… Yeah. Me neither."
"I thought the two of you went back a long way."
"Oh, we do, but we haven't spoken since I.. went to Princess Celestia's school. I.. wrote a few times…" His eyes flick to me for an instant before averting themselves. "I kinda just thought she'd moved away or something."
"As.. I understand it, you going to the School while she had to stay behind caused her to develop a lifelong hatred of the whole special talent system which she's been constantly working to unmake ever since."
"Oh! Um. Whaw."
"She didn't mention that?"
"No. No, we were just.. catching up. She said she was doing revolutionary work and.. wanted me involved, so…" He risks looking at me again for a moment. "The… Whole.. special talent system?"
"Yes. So, ah… Try to keep her focused on finding a way to share talents, rather than expunge them. She's a very clever pony, but sometimes she can get a bit… Off-kilter."
He glances at me again. "Ah, yeah. 'Off-kilter'."
"Sunburst, have I done something to intimidate you? I assure you, despite my size, I'm actually…" He stops, blinking at me in incomprehension. "Ah. Something on my face?"
"On.. your back."
"My b-?" I twist my head around. On my back, Twilight snores quietly. "Oh, my back! I'd honestly forgot that she was there."
"Is she okay?"
"She's sleeping off a panic attack, panic exhaustion and ketamine injection. She'll be fine."
"She's a.. princess. What could make her panic?"
"I… Pointed out that she technically never graduated, and she went on a bit of a tear about getting her diploma sorted out."
"Isn't that completely redundant when she's a national heroine who's also an alicorn?"
"Yeees, but she's rather highly strung and gets… Upset, when things aren't as she thinks they should to be."
"I…" He looks towards Starlight's workshop, where the mare has disappeared. "Think I know what you mean."
"Okay, look. If you don't think you'll be comfortable working here, you can just say that. I'm not trying to twist your… Uh… Tail?"
"If you're looking for a phrase meaning 'use threats or force to gain compliance' then 'bite your ears' is the way it's usually phrased. And it's really more… I wasn't expecting to see Starlight ever again. It was just a bit of a shock when she turned up out of the blue like that."
"Was she not being entirely honest about how you two used to work together?"
"No, no! We did. She.. struggled with the theory and I.. could barely hold the matrix together. I-. Uh. Look, Starlight-. I think she got the impression that because I went to the Royal School that I had it made." He shakes his head. "Getting a cutie mark didn't suddenly mean that practical ability matched my theoretical understanding. I-. I spent years wishing that Starlight had come with me, hoping that she'd get her mark and turn up a little later. And when she didn't, I-. I focused on the part of my studies that I could handle… There's not a lot of call for a thaumaturgist who can't even teach because he can't demonstrate the spells."
"It sounds like your wish has been answered. A little late, yes, but you shouldn't look a gift horse… In the mouth."
"Huh?"
Right. Earth-horses are a mindbender for another day. "You should not examine a gift too closely. You got it for free, it's a pure benefit to you and it's insulting to the person who gave it to you if you're fussy about it."
He blinks. "Ah, the closest equivalent Equestrian phrase… If I'm parsing what you said right, it has the opposite meaning. I mean, even if someone gave you a bridge for free you should still check it before trying to use it to cross a ravine."
"Not all trite phrases really stand up to rational analysis. The point is, it sounds like you're getting an opportunity that you really want. If I'm making you uncomfortable, don't worry, I'm hardly ever around."
"I just don't feel like a guy like me who basically dropped out after the Princess took a chance on me-."
"Whah?" Twilight twitches on my back. "Not drop out? N' magic kindergarten. 'm good. 'm study hard."
Sunburst stares up at the recumbent being he is culturally conditioned to see as a living goddess.
He keeps staring as she starts drooling again.
I half-turn so that she's partially obscured. "Have you had a chance to read up on Sunset Shimmers new thaumaturgical notation?"
"I ordered a copy of her primer the moment I heard it existed. That won't be a problem." His eyes widen slightly. "Is she here? I'm a huge fan."
"She drops in every so often, but she's not based here."
He exhales in relief. "Ooh. Okay. That should give me time to make some headway so I've actually got something to talk about before I meet her. I-."
Poof!
Starlight appears next to Sunburst in a puff of turquoise, grinning in a way which very nearly looks natural. "Come on! I want to show you the lab!"
"Ah-. Sure. Prince Grayven, thank you-" Starlight starts walking again, this time wrapping her thaumokinesis around Sunburst's hunches. "-for taking a chance on me. I won't disappoint you."
I nod, smiling fondly. "I'm sure that you won't."
Right. Mother Box, hush tube back to Twilight's home, and we can drop her off in her bed.
Ping.
I step through the portal into her entrance hall. Good. With any luck-.
"Um. Mister Grayven?" Fluttershy approaches cautiously, Spike in tow. "Can I speak to you for a moment? If that's not too much trouble."
"Certainly. How can I help?"
"Well… I'm a little worried about Discord. I haven't seen him for a while, and I don't know what's happened to him." She sags slightly. "Unless he's just decided that he doesn't want to talk to me any more. And you were the last person who saw him. Um. It was-."
"Yes, no, I remember. Ah…" I should really have said something, but I thought that he'd have resolved his issue by now. "I gave him an idea and he was fighting himself over what to do about it. I sort of assumed that he'd have finished by now."
She looks at me… Like she's trying to be stern. "I don't think we should leave Discord on his own like that. I need your help to find him." She droops slightly again. "If that's not too much trouble, I mean."
"No, no problem. Any idea where he might have gone?"
20:23 GMT -7
Sunburst, as it turns out, is a yellow-pelted stallion with a white stripe down his nose, an orange mane, tail and… What do you even call that? Chin strip? Long thin weird beard thing. He's wearing glasses and -unusually- a blue cape speckled with turquoise stars.
He keeps looking at me nervously, but… That's to be expected. I am pretty intimidating.
Starlight on the other hand is besides herself with joy. She's actually prancing ahead of us as we head towards her laboratory.
I smile at the small stallion. "I don't think I've ever seen Starlight this excited before."
"Ah… Yeah. Me neither."
"I thought the two of you went back a long way."
"Oh, we do, but we haven't spoken since I.. went to Princess Celestia's school. I.. wrote a few times…" His eyes flick to me for an instant before averting themselves. "I kinda just thought she'd moved away or something."
"As.. I understand it, you going to the School while she had to stay behind caused her to develop a lifelong hatred of the whole special talent system which she's been constantly working to unmake ever since."
"Oh! Um. Whaw."
"She didn't mention that?"
"No. No, we were just.. catching up. She said she was doing revolutionary work and.. wanted me involved, so…" He risks looking at me again for a moment. "The… Whole.. special talent system?"
"Yes. So, ah… Try to keep her focused on finding a way to share talents, rather than expunge them. She's a very clever pony, but sometimes she can get a bit… Off-kilter."
He glances at me again. "Ah, yeah. 'Off-kilter'."
"Sunburst, have I done something to intimidate you? I assure you, despite my size, I'm actually…" He stops, blinking at me in incomprehension. "Ah. Something on my face?"
"On.. your back."
"My b-?" I twist my head around. On my back, Twilight snores quietly. "Oh, my back! I'd honestly forgot that she was there."
"Is she okay?"
"She's sleeping off a panic attack, panic exhaustion and ketamine injection. She'll be fine."
"She's a.. princess. What could make her panic?"
"I… Pointed out that she technically never graduated, and she went on a bit of a tear about getting her diploma sorted out."
"Isn't that completely redundant when she's a national heroine who's also an alicorn?"
"Yeees, but she's rather highly strung and gets… Upset, when things aren't as she thinks they should to be."
"I…" He looks towards Starlight's workshop, where the mare has disappeared. "Think I know what you mean."
"Okay, look. If you don't think you'll be comfortable working here, you can just say that. I'm not trying to twist your… Uh… Tail?"
"If you're looking for a phrase meaning 'use threats or force to gain compliance' then 'bite your ears' is the way it's usually phrased. And it's really more… I wasn't expecting to see Starlight ever again. It was just a bit of a shock when she turned up out of the blue like that."
"Was she not being entirely honest about how you two used to work together?"
"No, no! We did. She.. struggled with the theory and I.. could barely hold the matrix together. I-. Uh. Look, Starlight-. I think she got the impression that because I went to the Royal School that I had it made." He shakes his head. "Getting a cutie mark didn't suddenly mean that practical ability matched my theoretical understanding. I-. I spent years wishing that Starlight had come with me, hoping that she'd get her mark and turn up a little later. And when she didn't, I-. I focused on the part of my studies that I could handle… There's not a lot of call for a thaumaturgist who can't even teach because he can't demonstrate the spells."
"It sounds like your wish has been answered. A little late, yes, but you shouldn't look a gift horse… In the mouth."
"Huh?"
Right. Earth-horses are a mindbender for another day. "You should not examine a gift too closely. You got it for free, it's a pure benefit to you and it's insulting to the person who gave it to you if you're fussy about it."
He blinks. "Ah, the closest equivalent Equestrian phrase… If I'm parsing what you said right, it has the opposite meaning. I mean, even if someone gave you a bridge for free you should still check it before trying to use it to cross a ravine."
"Not all trite phrases really stand up to rational analysis. The point is, it sounds like you're getting an opportunity that you really want. If I'm making you uncomfortable, don't worry, I'm hardly ever around."
"I just don't feel like a guy like me who basically dropped out after the Princess took a chance on me-."
"Whah?" Twilight twitches on my back. "Not drop out? N' magic kindergarten. 'm good. 'm study hard."
Sunburst stares up at the recumbent being he is culturally conditioned to see as a living goddess.
He keeps staring as she starts drooling again.
I half-turn so that she's partially obscured. "Have you had a chance to read up on Sunset Shimmers new thaumaturgical notation?"
"I ordered a copy of her primer the moment I heard it existed. That won't be a problem." His eyes widen slightly. "Is she here? I'm a huge fan."
"She drops in every so often, but she's not based here."
He exhales in relief. "Ooh. Okay. That should give me time to make some headway so I've actually got something to talk about before I meet her. I-."
Poof!
Starlight appears next to Sunburst in a puff of turquoise, grinning in a way which very nearly looks natural. "Come on! I want to show you the lab!"
"Ah-. Sure. Prince Grayven, thank you-" Starlight starts walking again, this time wrapping her thaumokinesis around Sunburst's hunches. "-for taking a chance on me. I won't disappoint you."
I nod, smiling fondly. "I'm sure that you won't."
Right. Mother Box, hush tube back to Twilight's home, and we can drop her off in her bed.
Ping.
I step through the portal into her entrance hall. Good. With any luck-.
"Um. Mister Grayven?" Fluttershy approaches cautiously, Spike in tow. "Can I speak to you for a moment? If that's not too much trouble."
"Certainly. How can I help?"
"Well… I'm a little worried about Discord. I haven't seen him for a while, and I don't know what's happened to him." She sags slightly. "Unless he's just decided that he doesn't want to talk to me any more. And you were the last person who saw him. Um. It was-."
"Yes, no, I remember. Ah…" I should really have said something, but I thought that he'd have resolved his issue by now. "I gave him an idea and he was fighting himself over what to do about it. I sort of assumed that he'd have finished by now."
She looks at me… Like she's trying to be stern. "I don't think we should leave Discord on his own like that. I need your help to find him." She droops slightly again. "If that's not too much trouble, I mean."
"No, no problem. Any idea where he might have gone?"
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I mean, for all we know, he's been running around pretending to be an entire 'continuum' of god-like beings somewhere... Amusingly, there were DC 
