Chojin Patriarch
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Well, I guess my usual post'll have to wait till then. See you in the morning, my time.Maybe? I couldn't find it when I did a search.
Ah, damn it.
Give me a few hours.
I'll still throw my original version up here:
So, it'll work out well. And you were concerned? Seriously, Earth fashion has been doing this sort of thing for years. Perhaps, just maybe, Grayven might know what he's talking about, hmm?11th September 2012
21:57 GMT
Waving the cheerful-looking Sassy Saddles goodbye, Rarity walks out of her Canterlot fancy shop, sees me waiting and manages not to sigh.
"So?"
"She knows somepony she thinks will be suitable. Naturally, I will need to check the quality of their work to make certain that they're up to my standard, but we both think that this will work."
Forward planning back in the day? I can't imagine the designers of Canterlot wouldn't have wanted to ensure they wouldn't have to remodel the streets at some point...I nod and fall in alongside her as she trots down the street. Canterlot streets are curious. Despite not having motor vehicles they are clearly divided into pavements and roads, and far wider than the relatively few carts now in evidence now require. Maybe things get very busy during the early hours of the morning?
Your indifference fills me with... Meh."Glad to hear it. So… We good?"
"We are average. I have no greater fondness for you than I do somepony I have never met."
Heh, she was hoping he'd have forgotten about that, wasn't she?I nod. "I'll take it. How are things with the Diamond Dogs?"
Rarity lets out a quiet throat-clearing noise.
And the Dogs get fresh tools and good food regularly. Win-win all round."We have… An arrangement. They're willing to trade tools and fresh food for a portion of their gem stones, and I take the time to guide them to the best quality deposits when I visit."
"You see? Now you can get what you need for your work without theft or child labour!"
Yes, but he's old enough that he's starting to think with his little head more often..."…serve to keep us divided, unable…"
Of course, I… Rather imagine that Spike would prefer it the other way around.
Like 'Don't make judgements based on first impressions'? I seem to recall you weren't particularly impressed with Grayven back then...She cough-throat clears, then raises her right forehoof to her mouth for a moment before lowering it back to the pavement.
"Yes. Well. I'm sure that we've both learned something valuable from the experience."
Yes, folks, it is possible. ...And what the devil is that background chatter? It sounds... Heretical."I think I'll quit while I'm all square."
"…free from the tyranny of…"
"So you have learned something."
And I rather expect she's not a fan of the thundering comings and goings of a Boom Tube."Ah… Could be. You want me to open a boom tube back to Ponyville?"
"I think that I will take a little time to peruse the boutiques of Canterlot. Competitor research, as it were."
Aw, not wanting a bit of prestige being seen walking about with a handsome Alicorn? Then again, Luna might get a little jealous."Fine with me. You going to make your own way back, or do you need me to hang around?"
"I'm.. perfectly…" Rarity looks past me at some sort of pony street preacher who is being widely ignored by the few passers-by, and gives her a slight frown before returning her attention to me. "Perfectly able to locate the station without you."
Though the longer, the better in 'long time, no see' in her opinion, I bet."No fur off my nose. Just thought you might appreciate the faster journey. Guess I'll see you later, then."
"I suppose that it's possible." She looks me over, then turns and trots towards… Another clothing shop.
Just make sure she isn't frothing at the mouth. That could be bad.Meh.
I'm getting a few stares, but it looks like the pony reaction to crazy street preachers is the same as the human reaction: head down and walk past them. As a result, no one is stopping to look at the giant alicorn. Including the crazy street preacher, who's so far into her spiel that I'm not even sure if she's aware of her surroundings.
Ah, Random Encounters. Sounds like Grayven just rolled the d100 and got 99.Ah, okay. No much going on back on Earth that needs my attention, Vega's settling down nicely, I've returned my relations with the Bearerherd to neutral and Luna's been flicking her tail in what I think is meant to be a suggestive way at me lately. No need to go home just yet.
"…experience true equality!"
You know what? I'm going to see what that's all about.
Yes, my dear, scaring away possible recruits is possibly not the best idea.I amble in the direction of the mare now taking a moment to breathe, and slowly becoming aware of exactly how much attention the locals are paying her. Her muzzle sets in a discordant protosnarl as she stares after a nearby couple, who spot her expression and hurry away a little faster.
"Hey."
...Wait, I recognise that philosophical bent...She turns her face towards me, snarl vanishing as she fixes her expression into 'politely persuasive' for a moment before realising what I am and blinking in confusion. But the sales script has already been activated.
"Hello, sir! Have you come to hear how all ponies can be truly equal?"
...I know most people would be pretty happy with that. And I doubt there are any homeless ponies around Canterlot."I was wondering what this was about. Pretty sure all citizens have equality under the law."
"'The law, in its majestic equality, forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal their bread'. But is that really all we can hope for?"
Yep, that's Starlight Glimmer. Either someone forgot they've already met, or the Renegade's memory is still a bit swiss cheesy after his little close encounter with his counterpart.Probably-crazy pony has a pale lilac pelt and a purple mane, with a cutie mark of an equals sign. Explains that, then.
"Probably. Different ponies have different abilities and desires, so there are always going to be differences."
...No wonder people were looking at her as if she's a little cracked...
Yeas, the old 'Jack of all trades, master of none' dilemma. Sometimes, you need someone very good at what they do (even if what they do isn't pretty, huh, Logan?)"What if all ponies had the same abilities?"
"I don't think that's possible. I mean, if someone spends time working on developing their skills at something then they're going to get better at it. And it's just inefficient to constantly switch jobs."
Or at least make use of it in their day job, eh, Rarity?"But that presupposes that anypony can get as good at another job as another pony. And as long as we have cutie marks, that will never be true."
I raise my eyebrows. "Oh?"
"Yes." Her grin is more than a little manic. "Think about it. A pony with a cutie mark in… I don't know, snowboarding, will have a greater understanding of snowboarding than anypony else, no matter how experienced they are! Eventually they'll get to the point where they can't have a meaningful conversation with anypony who doesn't have that mark about it. And many ponies make their special talent the centre of their lives."
...And here's where it gets double-heretical."Ok-."
She nods enthusiastically. "And that's why we have to abolish them."
Please, don't encourage the crazy lady, Grayven..."Abolish them?"
"Yes."
"You know, I've had this theory that they're actually parasites, drawn to the pony body when they discover their special talents."
...A Wand, yes... I can jsut see Grayven asking to see it, only to discover 'oops, fake!'"R-really?" She blinks, then shifts back into salespony mode. "I mean, great! And not at all crazy!"
"Right." I nod. "Glad you see it that way. What is your proposed fix?"
"I was able to find a wand that lets me remove cutie marks and place them in crystal prisons, where they can't separate us from our fellow ponies any longer!"
ah, a concept Ponies wouldn't quite have an equivalent for... Not in the way Grayven's using it, anyway.I nod. "Neat. And then you could network them."
Another blink. "Network them?"
Uh, oh. I can already see the ideas forming..."Sure. Like… Each knot is a special talent, and each strand of rope is a connection from one pony to another. You could give everyone access to everyone else's special talents. That way, anyone can step into anyone else's role without any loss of efficiency."
She tilts her head a little to the left, frowning. "I.. don't…"
...To be fair, she could probably manage it. Though I wouldn't want to see the mistakes made along the way."Once you've extracted the special talent, you could create an entire library of special talents. Let ponies swap talents in and out, or… Allow them to connect to the entire group of marks. Let them draw on it, or… Maybe even draw on all of them at once so that every pony has every talent."
"That…" Her eyes widen. "That's brilliant!"
Well, Season Five is going to be off to an extra-tough start for the Mane Six, it seems, if she can pull it off."Well, you know, alicorns are the most equal of ponies, being equally earth pony, pegasus pony and unicorn pony. Why don't I introduce you to-?"
There's a teal flash, and she's gone.
...I'm guessing Grayven had not seen Season Five before he got inserted ...
Ah, the joy of random encounters. Sometimes you can head off trouble before it starts... Other times, you inadvertantly set the next encounter to hard mode. Still, at least Grayven isn't getting hostility from the Mane Six now, just in case he needs another dose of Harmony if or when Grayven-16 raises his mulleted head.
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