Roleplaying is Friendship - The My Little Pony Series (PRIVATE RP of 2011) Pages PREV 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 NEXT | |
"I'll be dining with them this morning, sir." The server at the door shrugged at the comment and went back to his own devices. Quill turned his attention once more to the two ponies sitting in the booth in the back. Tumult had, contrary to her usual uninviting and bitter tone, invited Mallow to join them. Speaking of Mallow, the kid was still trembling like a cowpony in an igloo; and Quill mentally bucked himself for thinking Mallow's pathetic state was kinda cute. At this point, the two were sitting at the table a yard or two away from him. Rather, Tumult was siting at the table, and Mallow had somehow ended up on the floor below. Despite this, Tumult had simply continued to speak with him as though he was sitting in the chair across from her. A quick consultation of the table told him that she was well into a caffeinated high. Poor kid caught Tumult in a state of mental instability. Just as predicted, Mallow struck out with Tumult something awful and was making a beeline to the door. "Hold up a tick, Mallow." Quill held his hoof in the way of the frantic pegasus. A book was withdrawn from his saddlebag and placed at Mallow's forelegs. It was a white, hard-cover tome with the title "Savoir-faire" embroidered using scarlet thread. "That book will tell you everything you need to know about social interaction. If you wanna skip around, Chapter seven is where it starts talking about speaking with female colleagues and targets of affection." He moved the hoof out of Mallow's way and let him pass. Whether Mallow payed Quill's gift any mind was completely up to him, but he'd at least be able to say he tried to help him. Leaving the pegasus to his choice, he once again turned his attention to Tumult, who had somehow driven the kid away by being nice. "Well look at you! Did Lotus and Aloe give you one of their deluxe treatments, or are you trying to put that dressmaker unicorn in her place?" Quill pulled up a seat across from her. He considered this drastic change in attitude to be just another one of life's little surprises, and just tried to enjoy it. The waiter brought Quill his usual black coffee, which he sipped cheerfully. | |
The Previous Night
After musing a bit on the idea of a get-together after the Wrap-Up, Rarity turns back to Pinkie Pie "I apologize Pinkie Pie, must have lost myself in my own thoughts! How rude. Anyways, as I asked earlier, could I bother you to quickly whip up something for Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom? I'll help you, or....oh! Oh I know what I could give to you in return!!" If Pinkie Pie was going to protest, Rarity wouldn't have it. She took this Element of Generosity thing seriously, apparently. Her horn glows a light blue as it lifts up a similarly colored ball. The ball was made of rubber, and had her cutie mark on either side of it. "My parents gave this to me about a week after I got my Cutie Mark. I remember having so much fun on this...but since I'm so busy these days, it collects dust. Maybe you should have it!" As she says this, Rarity's magic lets go of the ball, having it slowly bounce over to Pinkie Pie. | |
*Pinkie Pie tilted her head looking at the ball, then held it between her hooves shifting side to side to observe it carefully.* "Awe Rarity, that's so sweet of you! But, I am a big pony now, I am no- OOOAAAHHHHHH!!! I know! Gummy can use it!! Come here Gummy!" *Gummy, sliding off the back of Pinkie Pie's puffy hair and bouncing off her tail, it walked oddly toward the ball, only to bite it between it's long toothless snout and start crushing it only to let the ball expand again. Pinkie giggled and jumped up and down.* "No need to spoil me Rarity! I'll do it because~ you're my best friend! Duh!" *Pinkie hopped to the kitchen spite that Rarity was going to say something and like magic- she knew exactly where everything was. She got the pot, the curved spoons, the stroller, and ingredients to make her all time favorite- cupcakes! But, she wasn't going to make ordinary cupcakes. No, she wanted to add her own special ingredient which was milk chocolate.* "MMm-Hmmm! Smells yummy, but it's got to have more of this- and this, Oh Oh and this! .. No wait, honey doesn't go with flower Pinkie Pie! I am sure silly tonight! Hahhehha!!" *Her laughs and talking could be heard from the other room, concerning the little fillies since you know... Pinkie is always random to surprise them for the better or worse.* *That's when they heard her start singing.* *She jumped out of the kitchen doing a split, throwing her arms out and shouting loudly with her eyes closed, which in fact even made Gummy squeak from being startled. Pinkie had some dough stains on her chest, some of her cheek and on her... chef hat? The fillies didn't even know how Pinkie got these things, but Pinkie giggled to herself after that.* | |
As Pinkie's random pet appeared from nowhere to presumably 'nom' on Rarity's favorite ball, she almost squeaked in fear that he would pop it before remembering that 'Gummy' was named for he had no teeth. She breathes a sigh of relief as Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo show up in the Carousel Boutique, shouting at once 'CUTIE MARK CRUSADER HOUSECLEANERS! YAY!". Rarity turned to this and reared up, "Girls! Girls! Just in time! No housecleaning needed......I...I cleaned it just earlier!" "Uuuuh sis, I don't remember you cleaning the house, it still look--""Oh Sweetie Belle! You say the silliest things some times! Pinkie Pie is in the kitchen making some wonderful...err Cupcakes!!" said Rarity as she smiled. "All you have to do is take a cup of flour, As Pinkie Pie returned to the main room, Rarity's face resolved back to a normal smile. "Now girls, don't eat too quickly." Of course, it isn't long before the three crusaders see Pinkie's cupcakes and shout in unison "THANK YOU MISS PINKIE PIE!" with those tiny smiles on their faces. Rarity too looks to Pinkie, trying not to cringe at the CMC's loudness, "Yes, thank you Pinkie Pie. I hope you and....aaah, Gummy, enjoy that gift. We are after all, best friends." | |
"THANK YOU MISS PINKIE PIE!" *Feeling happy that her cupcakes did not go to waste nor a disappointment, she felt the need to add.* "Oh girls, calling me Miss isn't how I go. It's just Pinkie!" *However, Rarity also thanked Pinkie Pie with her tone of appreciation, or least tried.* "Yes, thank you Pinkie Pie. I hope you and....aaah, Gummy, enjoy that gift. We are after all, best friends." *Very delighted that Rarity was ok with Gummy having her precious little ball, Pinkie hugged Rarity close spite having some dough on her still and shouted.* "We sure will! Thanks to you Rarity! Now Gummy can feel like he's riding a Bull- NO wait! Maybe.. a giraffe!! Hehhee, Gummy's going to be a cowcadile!! Like a cow boy alligator!!" *She jumped up, started kicking her legs in the air and stood on two legs, circling her front legs like she was a wild horse.* *But, she relaxed and walked to Gummy who was not in the mood to do anything. His eyes were shut and stomach slowly moving in and outward. Pinkie made an 'Awe' face and cuddled Gummy who didn't even awaken from that, with that she stuffed Gummy into her hair which he vanished, Pinkie Pie looking up at her hair.* "Woo Gummy.. you sure tired yourself out! Oh- I mean you sure whipped yourself tired. Hhehehe!!- Yhikes!" *Seeming to be looking up to long, she didn't realize that her body was drifting forward, her chest falling right onto the ball popping it loudly and her eyes just staring openly.* "Oh, maybe I am eating to many sweets, made my belly plop head first!" | |
When the ball popped, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo continued to happily nom on cupcakes. Sweetie Belle however, looked straight to Rarity, who was frozen. All of Rarity's thoughts had stopped as soon as she saw that ball explode, and it looked like she could cry. Sweetie Belle, thinking fast, loudly asked "Hey Pinkie! Wanna help us find our Cutie Marks at your house?! We can try all sorts of fun things!", knowing that Rarity may actually cry, or worse. "Aww man Sweetie, I dunno. Your ideas are always about singing and dancing. I think we should stay here and tr--""C'mon Scootaloo! It'll be fun! Cutie Mark Crusader Alligator caretakers, Yay!". And with that, the Cutie Mark Crusaders wandered off towards Pinkie's house, even if the brightly colored mare doesn't follow. As soon as the fillies leave though, Rarity takes a few breaths. Instantly, her horn glows to retrieve what remains of the ball's skin, as well as a sewing needle. She desperately tries to patch it back together, but has no way to fill it with air again. Even her patchwork isn't strong enough for solid rubber. It's at this point that she fights back actual tears. "I'm sorry Pinkie Pie.....I...I should get back to work...lots of stuff to do...and I think the girls wanted to play...I'll see you tomorrow." Rarity shakily spoke, placing the ball's remains on a nearby desk and just staring at it. She stares like it'll magically fix itself, or she'll wake up from a dream, or something. Just staring. | |
Arc wrapped his hooves around Sapphire in a comforting hug, petting her back with his wings. When he felt she had calmed down enough, he let her go slowly and smiled at her, "Now. I'm going to clean up this glass, so can you grab the soot bucket for me?" Arc was talking about the bucket they used for cleaning the fireplace. Currently, it was outside next to the wood pile. Arc gave her another little smile and grabbed the broom and dustpan with his wings, quickly gathering up the various pieces of shattered glass that littered the floor. When Sapphire came back he had already cleaned up the glass and two new glasses of juice were waiting. At the same time, he walked out of the bedroom, knocking his hooves against the ground as he adjusted them to his hooves correctly. | |
Fluttershy indeed woke up with the swearing, and so did the bunny. He grinned. She did not. Instead she couldn't help but gasp and all she could say was. "Oh my..." Fluttershy headed down, seeing the bed sheets and the pillows a mess, and Lionheart throwing a fit. "Somepony woke up grumpy today.", giggled Fluttershy, as she trotted down the stairs. | |
When Sapphire came back he had already cleaned up the glass and two new glasses of juice were waiting. At the same time, he walked out of the bedroom, knocking his hooves against the ground as he adjusted them to his hooves correctly.[/quote] Sniffling, but with a smile, Sapphire gently tried her hoof on the ground, winced at the pain, and instead hopped on three hooves to fetch the soot bucket, grabbing the handy with her mouth and carrying it over. As she put it down, she sat at the table to at least eat her oats and juice. As her father finished up sweeping the floor, Sapphire had finished eating her breakfast, and whispered, "I shouldn't keep Mr. Ember waiting." | |
Mallow waked hastily to the exit, he had left the money on the table, plus a tad extra, hopefully he could get away with no further embarrassment, he hated himself, even more so than usual. Oh no, it seemed Golden Quill wanted something. Mallow winced, would he hit him? Maybe verbally attack him if he was lucky... What was this? A book, on social interactions nonetheless. Chapter 7, hmmm. While Mallow was 99% sure he was trying to help, who carries this type of book Around?...Did he want to patronise Mallow? Make fun of him in front of Tumult? Whatever the reason he was appreciative. But before he could say thanks, Golden had already departed to the table, he had bigger things on his mind. Tumult was obviously all of them. He struck up a conversation with no trouble at all, what did Mallow expect, he was a handsome jernolist. It was all clear now, Mallow had no chanse. From the start it was over, bell! It never even began. He had just been a stupid kid and always will be. He could see her smiling at him, he had obviously got Mallow out of her mind as quick as possible, not that she need help to do that. Well good luck Golden, not that you he needed it...He looked back at the book Hey! Thanks, but no thanks, plus I already own it, there's not a book i haven't tried. Trust me! He gently kicked the book on a napkin over to Golden's feet I don't think I'm going to be taking to anypony anytime soon, and don't worry I wont annoy you any more... He spoke calmy and composed, he was to angry with himself to be nervous, buck! Why did he have to be bucking pathetic at everything! The rays of sunlight cremated any self worth, trial by fire, looks like he failed. He made his way to the post office, head hung low in shame. Was he over reacting? Most likely, but again most likely for the best. | |
*Even though Pinkie Pie could be a bit clueless about things going on around her, nor consider when people may feel angry toward her- she was able to figure out Rarity's expression. Suddenly Pinkie Pie's chest felt tight inside and guilt rushed over her body like an illness lingering.* "Hey Pinkie! Wanna help us find our Cutie Marks at your house?! We can try all sorts of fun things!" *Before Pinkie could dismiss the offer, the little fillies got into the conversation first.* "I'm sorry Pinkie Pie.....I...I should get back to work...lots of stuff to do...and I think the girls wanted to play...I'll see you tomorrow." *When Rarity looked at her broken ball, just staring, Pinkie Pie just couldn't leave her and thought of a well formulated plan.* "I may not be all magicy like Twilight, but I know a thing or two about miracles!! Alrighty then, hhheerrrreee we GO!!" *Pinkie inhaled a very deep breath, her cheeks larger now, but she then kept making a bigger attempt to breath and suddenly blew it all into the ball. It wasn't becoming very circular, nor expanding much into Pinkie munched on the open spot and breathed hard through her mouth too. That made the ball get bigger, sweat forming around the pink pony's head. Pinkie wouldn't give up, she really wanted to make up to Rarity. Her face started becoming blue, and eyes closed with twitching tail. That's when all the air backfired and went through Pinkie Pie, making her fly backwards bouncing against the wall and down onto the floor with a slam. Shaking her head, Pinkie blinked and saw the ball was perfectly round again, yet slowly losing air. She shot her hoof at one of Rarity's pics and strapped it onto the ball in a flash. Now, it looked the same beforehand except had a pin sticking out. She handed it to Rarity with a wide smile.* "Heheheheh, let's do it again!! Oh- wait.. No we wouldn't want to do that. But, here yah go Rarity!! Good as new, see?! It's nice, round, has a pic in it so it matches your shop, and well- it's perfect! Ha! I did it again, always solving every issue around. So that way, every little pretty head doesn't have to stress over it, like you Rarity! No need to thank me now, it's all for YYYOOOOUUUU!!" *She smiled once more, having it out for Rarity. | |
Rarity was so ready to just tell Pinkie Pie to leave and call Sweetie Belle home to mourn the loss of her ball. Not that the ball itself was useful to her, but it was a momento from her parents which.....had another story behind it. Pinkie was off doing Pinkie things while Rarity focused herself, forcing herself not to show any sort of grief which would raise questions. Ordinarily, the unicorn would just frown in irritation when something of hers breaks, but this ball in particular seem to be a direct connection to her happiness, so crying about it would force unneeded questions. Plus, she was a grown mare, no need to cry about a toy she got as a child...from her father.... Then, suddenly, the ball flashed in her peripheral vision. She would have dismissed it as her wishful thinking were Pinkie's hooves not holding a needle inside it. Eventually, Rarity turned around to see the ball almost completely brought back into shape. Because it's form was mostly intact, she grabs some matching cloth to lightly weave a small mat to go over the pin hole, completely invisible to everypony but Rarity, and probably Pinkie Pie. Pin removed, and ball inflated, the blue orb matching the color of Rarity's now running makeup, the white unicorn smiles, "Pinkie Pie, of the six of us, I speak the least on my opinions towards your antics, unlike Rainbow Dash or Applejack. Now, now I'm glad that you met Twilight. Had it not been for you, Nightmare Moon would still be around. Had it not been for you, those horrible little bugs would have ruined my business. Now....now I owe you the last thing my parents ever gave to me before they passed away..." As Rarity speaks, the ball slowly floats up into a circular display, probably the box that it originally came in, proudly showing the now fixed product. Without any hesitation or second thought, Rarity gives a hug to Pinkie Pie. "It's so hard to focus these days without the simple laughs of life, thank Celestia that you're around to throw parties every so often just to keep our spirits up.". She releases the hug and wipes her face, "We need to have more parties. I hear that after the Wrap Up, you have something planned. If you ever...EVER need help, ask me. I owe you that much at least. If you'd like, I can tell you the story on that ball, or we can wait until the party." | |
Arc glanced up at her over the soot bucket as he was about to take it back outside and instead raised his head. "Would you like me to put a splint on your leg first?" Arc asked her, having noticed her wince in pain earlier. Moving the soot bucket to the side for now, Arc moved to his seat at the table and started to eat, shooting a quick glance towards Sly's bed where the orange ball of fur was still sleeping. | |
*As expected, Pinkie felt very happy that she was able to get Rarity's ball back to normal. Then again, it was her plan all along.. in fact, she didn't even expect it to work out so well. Breaking the ball was an accident, but her plan to bring the ball back into shape went all so well that it didn't take much effort. The hug was making Pinkie Pie feel very warm, so hugging Rarity made her night a sensation. Which did spark curiosity- because Rarity seemed so happy over a ball making Pinkie consider to ask.* "Rarity, are you flirting with me?" *Silence for a second, but Pinkie Pie busted out giggling to herself.* "Hahaha, kidding! Wwooo- you should of S.E.E.N your face! It was all like-" *Pinkie did a shocked expression with mouth hanging, but then reverted to laughing. Then the real question came in mind.* "Actually Rarity, I got no time to spend anywhere! Or is it.. anywhere to spend time... .anyways- it was so so nice of you to be that grateful to me Rarity, but really!! It's what best friends do!! If it wasn't for you sacrificing your tail for the purple snake thingy, we wouldn't of been able to cross that lakey! If it hadn't been for your AMAZING decorations, my parties would be all so dull- unless of course I decorate even harder but it's really boring so you're the best at it Rarity!! But OH! Almost forgot, why does that ball mean so much to you?" *With that said, Pinkie sat on her rump and started to lick her hoof, trying to get a tad bit of the dough off, even if it got slightly dirty from walking on the bare floor.* | |
Normally, Rarity would be peeved that she just touched Pinkie's dough filled hooves, got it stuck in her coat, and tracked it /everywhere/, but she didn't comment on it. As she retrieves the ball once more, the CMC come back in to inform everypony that Sugar Cube Corner was closed, but pause, and end up sitting next to Pinkie Pie as Rarity begins to speak. She examines the ball first for a bit before smiling. "Well, back in the day, before I got my Cutie Mark...I was usually pretty bored. Always taking dance lessons, and being educated on how to be a proper mare. Past that, I generally just helped mother with whatever I could. So every so often, I'd ask father if I could perhaps go outside, to which mother would remind me that..." Rarity clears her throat and puts up a much more refined accent, as though mocking the rich ponies, "Those ponies are poor. Don't worry dahling, your father and I will get you something you deserve." the mare chuckled. "Of course, if they saw me now, they'd have a heart attack....aaanyway, the local school was putting on some kind of performance about food. I was asked to design costumes for it. My original lineups were horrid, even though the other ponies didn't seem to mind. It was that night that my horn exploded in a bright light and literally dragged me halfway across Equestria to find a big rock. I yelled at that rock, thinking that it would be my ultimate destiny until...until a huge rainbow split it in half. Lo and behold, there were enough gems in that rock to last a lifetime. At that very moment, my Cutie Mark appeared." Rarity turns to show her flank, "Everypony always thought my cutie mark would have something to do with fashion or clothing. Even I thought that would be the case. But alas, gemhunting was my specialty. So I added these gems to my work as a fashionista, and became face. My parents were so...happy. They said they would get me something that I certainly deserved. And thus was this ball. Mother didn't approve of it, but father thought I would like it. At first, I was confused, I didn't know what to do with it! It was just...a ball with my mark on it. Soon enough, when I was left home alone, I would experiment with different games. Like...ooh, rolling down mountains, balancing, stretching. I did everything with that ball, and I took it everywhere I could..." Sweetie Belle cocks her brow, "Wait wait, sis. You mean to tell us that you rolled down mountains with nothing but a ball? Didn't that mess up your coat, your mane, or hurt?" Rarity smiles as she sits down, lightly resting her hooves on top of it. "Oh yes, Mother and Madam LeFluer were anything but pleased. But Father assured Mother that as long as I was happy, they should be happy. Plus, I got bathed every four hours or so, not like a little bit of fun couldn't get in too. Of course, then the family ran into some financial issues....aaand...." Rarity pauses and frowns before lifting the ball and bouncing it a bit with her hooves. Giving a sigh, she restarts, "Well anyway, when my parents went away, I had this ball. There were a few friends of my parents that took me in to this very Boutique, where I first met Sweetie Belle." Another pause as Rarity gives a wink to Sweetie, [color=slate]"And well, that's how the story goes. This ball, though simple, tattered, and pretty much useless, is the last thing I got from Mother and Father. So I hold onto it." | |
Nodding quietly, Sapphire sticks out her leg to allow Arc to bandage it properly. Then, with a smile, a tear wiped from her eye and one last cuddle, Sapphire walks gingerly out of her front door and out toward the book store. Now, where is Mr. Mallow? | |
Mallow had put the incident behind him and was making his was towards the post office, it was pretty much in the centre of town, so he could look around for the book shop from here. The Post Office came into sight from round the corner, the old building looked completely out of place in this town of bright and colourful shapes, just like that strange house on the edge of town, he had heard some little ones shouting about it as they ran. The old wooden sign was decrepit and hanging loosely by the old rusty hinges, the oak splintered as the wind blew down the street. It creaked eerily. The streets were starting to get a bit busier, but It was still pretty much empty compared to mid day, and non-existent compared to Clousdale, he stopped and looked around for anything to do with books Argh, where is it? If Im lucky... And he was! He saw the little Blue Filly slowly walking down the street, although there appeared to be something wrong with her leg?...It appeared to be in some form of medical appendage, Mallow decided to call out, with there not being many ponies about. "Heeeeey! Sapphire! Over Heeeere! He smiled, only slightly, but it was the first time he had done in a while! | |
Hoofsteps! Muttering a silent curse to Celestia for not answering his prayers, Lionheart began to nervously pace from one end of the bed to the other, wandering how in Equestria he'd get out of this mess. That rabbit had sent him on a one-way trip firmly up s*** creek, and the bewildered Pegasus hadn't the claws to claw his way out of it! Damn you once again hooves! Failure loomed. How would a pony as sweet and as gentle as Fluttershy react to such an insane outburst? What if she got really angry? There'd be no way that she'd believe Angel would have done this to him... that deceptively cute bundle of white fluff and pure, unadulterated evil! Fluttershy would probably ask him to leave, no longer wish to be friends! Lionheart saw all of the previous nights efforts come crumbling down before him, and hang his head in dejected shame. "...Tomato-sauce..." Lionheart listlessly muttered as Fluttershy walked into the room, gesturing with a fore-hoof towards the ceiling, absurdly frightened of how the gentle Pegasus would react to the outburst, to the extent that he couldn't ever murmur an apology.
Tumult watched silently as Mallow left the Café rather abruptly, a bemused smile on her face. Whilst on an initial examination, one could easily come to the conclusion that the mail pony was little more than a childish, socally-inept wreck; on great inspection she could now note that there was much more to him than met the eye. To have seen through Tumult's guise so quickly after so few meetings... interesting. For the most part, ponies were merely specimens to be dissected and analysed... and there was indeed a great deal to extract from this particular specimen. "Wow, that one has one heck of a psychological profile on him! A topic of future interest, perhaps? Plus, he's adorable - did you see the way he kept staring at me? I was "this" close to giving him a quick kiss just to see how he'd react, science was literally screaming at me to do give it a go!" Tumult quipped, in part to herself and in part to Golden Quill, who sat across from her, Tumult now freely giggling to herself. "Not that I mean to belittle him or anything; quite a perceptive pony as a matter of fact, just a little socially-awkward which can be easily misconstrued as foalishness- funny how he thought I was faking this... although I guess he's only half right!" Swivelling around in her seat to face Golden Quill, Tumult looked at him warmly. "Don't sound so shocked, Goldilocks, can't a mildly alcoholic sociopath treat herself from time to time?" she teased playfully, finishing off the remnants of her final coffee. "But yeah, who'd of thought I could look so nice? Those spa sisters can work miracles with their hooves! You're going to have to step up your game if you want those flowing locks of yours to hold a candle to mine! How are you doing anyway? I had one hell of an all-nighter, had a lot of stuff to scribble down on paper, analyse, process, re-analyse, spell-check and all that mumbo-jumbo, partly why I went and got myself all spruced up! Boy, trust me, you would not have wanted to meet non-caffeinated, non-pampered, sleep-deprived Tumult... come to think of it I wasn't even a little drunk! Wow, I must have been grouchy!" Tumult stopped herself from talking anymore at this point, laughing mareishly once she realised that she had started babbling on and on once more! | |
Looking up, Sapphire smiled as she saw the new pony, and walked slowly toward him, gingerly using her damaged leg, which was clearly slowing her down. "Hello Mr. Ember, sir." She delivers a tone of measured obedient respect. She is, however, smiling despite her wounded leg. "I'm sorry I'm a little bit slow today. Are we going book shopping? I don't have a lot of money to spend, but I do know there's a new book on flying machines that's come out recently, and there might even be an author signing!" She pauses, then whispers conspiratorially, "I've heard rumours." She moves to tap the side of her nose with her hoof, but that puts weight on her injured leg, and she lets out an audible yelp and quickly puts her hoof down again. Trying to put that aside, she walks toward the book shop. "How was your night, Mr. Ember?" | |
Inside Mallow's Brain He Worked Furiously To Figure Everything Out! Sounds Like A Plan, Mallow Faded Back Into Reality To The Sound Of Sapphires Voice | |
Mallow smiled back, he did seem happier as soon as he saw her Well, good morning to you Sapphire, I'd tip my hat but I appear to be lacking...Erm...A hat...hehe... Oh wow, he could mess up when talking to just about anyone now! My night...Erm...Ok I guess...I don't ever get much sleep, I always have nightmares. Mallow was shocked by the yelp, he leaped backwards, before looking down at her ingured leg. And I see, what in the world happened? Are you ok? Anyway Do you want to sit on my back? I'm used to carrying quite heavy packages so I'm sure your as light as a feather! And yes book shopping it was, although we have a large portion of the day to pass, you can spend as much or as little as you would like with me! Doing whatever you please, but book shopping sounds like a wonderful way to start! Also I want to get you a present today! I won't take no for an answer too! Now what was it? Flying machines did you say? Mallow smiled and dropped his hind legs a little so if she so pleased she could jump on. Sounds delightful! Flying is truly wonderful, maybe you could build one and come visit me? And please Mallow will do fine, there's no need for formaities, I'm only a post pony, but you are ever so polite indeed and I thank you for that | |
Arc pushed himself up from his seat and carried the dishes to the sink, humming to himself a little. He shot a quick glance toward Sly and smiled at her, as she had finally woken up and was look at him upside down with a little smile. After he finished washing them, he trotted over to her and crouched down, nuzzling her head softly,"Feeling better?" He asked her, getting a little yip in response. With a light laugh Arc rose and went towards the door, "Can you keep an eye on the house for awhile Sly?" He called back to her and once again, she yipped. "See you later then." Arc smiled as the door closed behind him and he trotted toward the town center. He couldn't recall why, but something was telling him that there was something important he needed to be doing today and tomorrow. | |
With this more perky Tumult came a change in her speech pattern. As opposed to her normal style of speaking clearly and smoothly, giving whomever she was speaking to a chance to reply, she'd more or less turned into Pinkie Pie. She spoke quickly and without pace while changing the subject at least three times before he could get a word in. This is what people in interviews call "information overload," and it made the interviewer's job much more infuriating. At first he thought this was Tumult's way of sticking it to Quill's inquisitive ways, but dismissed this as too drastic a change and far too elaborate for Tumult to bother herself with for nothing more than a clever punk. No, there was something else there. Tumult said it herself: Mallow was only half-right in thinking that she was faking the "New Tumult." Perhaps she was just experimenting with the social aspect of life, and was using this persona as a way to meet new ponies. Assuming he was right, then there wouldn't be any harm in him simply playing along with her little charade for the moment. Hopefully one big sip of coffee would give him the energy to follow her act. "Yeah, Mallow's pretty damn adorable, and he's got quite the reason to act the way he does. I'm just worried about the poor kid's inferiority complex. I've never seen such a bright, talented pony so insecure... I think I'll have to have a word with him in the near future. But listen to me, I sound like I'm his father or something. He glanced down at the copy of Savoir-Faire as he placed it back into his saddlebags. Guess that was one of many books that betrayed Mallow with their advice. "Yeah, there's a reason why I bought the office right next to that spa. I've been there myself a few times, and the results are unlike anything I've ever seen. They've made me shine before. I'm talkin' literally shine, I looked like the porcelain pony! I guess those magic hooves can make anypony's day more enjoyable." Quill gave out a laugh of his own. There he was giggling like a foal while praising the spa ponies for their prowess in makeovers. He wondered if his flamboyant actions had been picked up on, though he knew Tumult was more than capable of putting two and two together. "I think I'll pay them a visit later..."[/color} He trailed off, not wanting to keep that subject. No, there was something much more riveting for them to talk about. "So, 'Science' was telling you to kiss Mallow, eh?" He teased. [color="goldenrod"]"Anything else 'Science' would like you to do with him? Any chance that hopeless romantic might not be so hopeless after all?" He lowered his eyes and flashed his trademark grin. He honestly thought Mallow and her were already a thing when he first saw them in there, and the pairing just made so much sense from his perspective. | |
"Does science compel to me to do anything further with Mallow? Do I detect a hint of jealousy in your eyes, Quilly?" Tumult teased, playfully punching Quill on the side with a hoof, "Perhaps, perhaps not - I'm not at liberty to discuss such personal matters!" Once the laughing subsided and her brain began to override the caffeinated high, her features grew slightly darker and rather more serious; all of a sudden dedicating a large amount of thought to this question. In strange contrast to this, however, her voice remained angelically sweet and high as well as fast. "The thing about me, Quilly, is that I'm ultimately self-serving in my actions - ponies are more of a means to an end for me, with that end being my entertainment - my pleasure. Whereas most would see Mallow as a frightened, nervous pony who holds great potential... I see him as a specimen awaiting dissection, with myself at the scalpel, ready to extract everything of interest and discard whatever is left. Woah, that sounded a little on the "mad-scientist" scale of analogies... so how 'bout this? For me, everypony around us is a puzzle piece, and I'm one of those weird puzzling fanatics, but once you've completed the puzzle you've pretty much got all the entertainment out of it you can , right? So discarding them afterwards is the logical option..." "When such a mentality as mine meets with that of a romantic, an apparently submissive one at that, I should fear that once I've had my fun and games he'd be left a heart-broken, confused wretch..." A grim smile pried on Tumult's otherwise joyful features, "But despite how horrific that may sound, and indeed I can understand how it could be perceived as such, I'll still do it without a moment's hesitation, as to me it makes perfect logical sense... on the assumption that possibly ruining Mallow's life would not impact my own in any great way. Romance with a romantic is ironically a great improbability for me... but simple carnal passion is certainly not. Ergo, what you so jokingly imply may indeed come about, as it has in the past. Hopefully Mallow will be aware of this; it'd be somewhat of a shame to lose so interesting a...specimen to the rigours of heart break without fulfilling a complete analysis." For a moment Tumult was silent, lost in thought. She had no reservations about sharing such information with Golden Quill; as she assumed that with his greater understanding of her than other ponies that this would not come as an overly great surprise. All the same, Tumult quickly continued the conversation in an up-beat tone, as if everything she'd just said was completely irrelevant. [font color="Dark Orange"]"But enough of all that romance mumbo-jumbo, how 'bout we turn the questions onto you? So what was that "pressing matter" that you had to attend last night? I kinda assume what with you going so late and arrive so early you haven't even started it yet?" | |
There weren't words to describe the emotional roller coaster Quill was riding on right now. Pity, disdain, hatred, sympathy, concern, and confusion pulsed through his mind as his thoughts became dizzy and disoriented. Not only was Tumult playing the world like a fiddle, but she was willing to brag about it to his face! Every muscle in his body was tense, urging his mind to lift those legs, spread those wings, and make a beeline to anywhere but there and yet he remained seated, listening to Tumult reveal just how little she cared for anypony else but herself. How much longer would it take before he was cast aside like a mere plaything? As much as he hated to admit it, the most painful thing about this was that this was something he subconsciously expected, but decided to give the benefit of the doubt on the grounds that she was capable of compassion. All of a sudden, he was a naive school pony being abused by his best friend, blindly loyal despite the blatant disrespect. Before he could make a reaction to this, the subject had turned to an inquiry directed at him. She was 100% correct in assuming that he had yet to start with his "Pressing Matter," but to disclose personal information after what she'd just said gave him pause. Then again, a "Pressing matter" could mean anything. "I shouldn't tell you this, considering personal affairs are something you strictly prohibit me from knowing, but I guess I don't really have any reason to hide something so trivial. There are a few pressing matters on my mind actually. The specific one you're referring to was, embarrassingly enough, sleep. Like you, I pull frequent all-nighters. My caffeine jolt was dying, and I didn't want to collapse during our conversation. I tried to deal with my other 'Pressing matter' and make preparations for my coverage of Winter Wrap-up early, but I collapsed at my desk. Once I get out of here, I'll be tending to 'pressing matters' which 'I'm not at liberty' to talk about" He didn't want to use the lame cop-out of being tired as an excuse to desert the meal prematurely, but that was the onus of honesty. "But you were both right and wrong. The pressing matter on my mind at the time was sleep, which I accomplished with ease, but I'm also yet to begin the other item on my agenda." He wasn't going to press her on her use of ponies as mere tools of entertainment. As far as he was concerned on the matter, ignorance was bliss, a philosophy which is reserved for the most mortifying stories in the mind of a journalist. | |
Being a self-pronounced master of disguise, Tumult managed to maintain her facade of exuberant joy even as she carefully monitored Golden Quill's plethora of interesting reactions to her sudden, blunt revelation... even when a peculiar feeling of emptiness began to spread through her stomach. Quill's feelings were embodied in his response to her rather trivial question; namely due to the fact that there was an obvious lapse in time in which he presumably thought about HOW to respond to her, as opposed to simply responding to her (and not really answering the question) without reservation. In her normal state Tumult would have continued along Quill's line of conversation, following this change in topic as a method of damage control, but currently thoughts were being translated into sound before being fully processed by her brain. "Must be difficult, being a journalist whilst maintaining principles and morals... hay, must be pretty difficult just being an inquisitive type of pony whilst retaining such things... sometimes pursuing the truth can leave you more confused and angry than when you were without it... guess that's why they say ignorance is bliss, right?" Tumult focused her deceivingly gentle amber eyes on his. "Don't try to hide it, Goldilocks, you're as tense as a tightly strung length of wire over there; guess you really did hold a bizarre amount of hope in me over the years, huh? Oh well, at least now you partly understand why I wanted to avoid your rather obvious attempts at incorporating me into a "friendship"... and why I don't usually drink caffeine... ponies who try to get close to me on a non-professional level end up getting hurt... and the caffeine makes me obscenely truthful," As her mind began to catch up with her rapid tongue, Tumult deliberated whether or not her speech implied a degree of regret, which itself was a suggestion of compassion. Well, on the assumption that any positive feelings that Golden Quill had towards her were now obliterated, Tumult supposed that it was more on the basis of respect than friendship that she had distanced herself from him, and other ponies. Or perhaps, she theorised, it was an inherently self-centred action to lower the chances of a potentially useful source of information and, at times, entertainment being jeopardised. Annoyingly, Tumult found that a conclusion could not be reached. "Objectively speaking, perhaps its best for you that you found out now rather than later, as at least now you'll be prevented from any further manipulation or betrayal by a truly self-centred equine such as myself. You may wish to fill Mr Ember in on our little discussion, he holds you in very high esteem, ironically due to your apparent closeness to me..." Tumult lowered her gaze, letting her hat once more slide in place to cover her eyes, her voice abruptly abandoning any jovial traces. "I don't take pride in who or what I am, I just accept it, and make do with it... wearing masks is far more efficient than a complete change, and it is unfortunate that I let mine so obviously slip. Brilliance comes at a cost, in my case however it is mostly taken on by those I do not hesitate to exploit..." A rather flawed statement coming from an alcoholic social recluse. "Now...if you do not have any questions, feel free to release said tense muscles and continue with your elusive "pressing matter"." | |
Quill didn't even want to look at Tumult anymore. As far as he was concerned, she was Nightmare moon on the city hall balcony during the Summer Sun Celebration. Evil, treacherous, conniving, the adjectives were flowing through his mind like the tears that wanted to cascade down his face. The pain could be likened to what Quill imagined the subjects of interviews felt when they spoke about their best friend turned public enemy number one. He was a married man discovering his wife next door in his neighbor's bed, or a little filly listening to her parents argue about who would get custody and why. No longer did he admire her. Hell, in the heat of the moment, he couldn't even bring himself to pity her. All he could feel was hate, a rare emotion for most ponies to suffer from. "You know, Tumult, it's painful to hear how little you value anyone but yourself, and it's unnerving to know how trivial your motives for such treachery are, but neither of these hold a candle to the realization that you continue to do the same horrible deeds expecting your dreaded boredom to disappear. As I sit here in this cafe, I find myself being hit with a mortivying revelation: The girl I've been chatting with for the past two days is literally insane!" He could feel his voice rising in volume as the resilient tears rolled down his face. "So yeah, I guess valuing other ponies' emotions when they don't affect you could be seen as illogical. I guess having to trust others to be honest and compassionate is far-fetched and nerve-wracking. I guess I should start shoving the world away for the sake of preventing future betrayal. After all, look what a winner such a lifestyle's made you!" He stopped himself from going any further, taking a deep breath. There was a long, awkward moment in which the restaurant staff stared at the pegasus in discomfort. Now that his tirade was complete, he began to settle down. His muscles relaxed and his voice grew back to its normal volume. "But ya wanna know something funny? Despite the fact that my actions are sporadic and don't make logical sense, I never get bored. Hey waiter, could I get a check please?" He decided this was where his conversation would end on his part. At that point in time, he would be perfectly content with never seeing Tumult again, unless he had to write an obituary. "One last thing: know that playing with one's emotions is dangerous business, especially one as unstable as love. Each pony you betray is an individual who will go the rest of their lives thinking how you did them wrong, and they'll be ready and willing | |
"Oh, no! I couldn't accept that, Mr. Ember sir." Sapphire shakes her head. "I'll be fine. My leg is just ... I managed to spill orange juice." Blinking, she looks away. Yes. Brilliant answer. "Maybe we could buy you a hat!" And with that, she slowly walks into the bookshop, the little bell ringing to signal her entrance. Instantly, Sapphire was in serious book hunting mode. "Let's see. Fancy Flying wi... no, that's for pegasi. Like dad. OK, let's see... Machines of Flight! Have it. Mechanical Birds by Felicity Win... no, not really what I'm after. Flying with Wub? That's a kid's book! There must be a good book on flying machines here." Sapphire drags her leg a bit, but otherwise moves around the shelves expertly. It's clear this is a place she knows well | |
A clear rift was forming in Tumult's usually logical, decisive mind. On one side, Tumult's found this blatant display of emotion from Quill highly amusing; it clearly showed how crippling maintaining such irrational emotions could truly be to a pony that she might otherwise respect. This side remained cold and robotic, dismissing both her admitting of the truth as nothing more than a caffeine-induced slip-up and everything Quill was saying as emotive garbage, focusing instead on the loss of him as a useful tool to achieve her means than the loss of a friend; concluding that she should simply watch him leave and see if he'd eventually come crawling back once he had simmered down after a period of time. On the polar opposite to this side of the tumultuous landscape that was her mind; thoughts were far less cut and drawn, unusually erratic... and almost all influenced by emotion. An unorthodox cocktail of intense feeling inhabited this area, typified by sorrow, regret... and oddly, betrayal. Sorrow and regret are rather easily explained, but betrayal? Tumult felt betrayed as, this side of thought claimed, the only reason why she had so abruptly spewed forth the unadulterated truth of her condition, her mentality...was due to the trust she put within Golden Quill's kind and helpful manner, which he had constantly reinforced through his offers of friendship, despite Tumult's obvious flaws. This side of thought interpreted her truth as both a cry for help and a compassionate warning, which Quill had misconstrued as mere gloating about her ability to play the puppeteer of the world and its inhabitants. Completely forgivable though, due to both the gravity of information she had passed on and the blunt way in which she had expressed it. This remarkably unsheltered side of Tumult's mind was completely unexpected to her; but after considering that Golden Quill had perhaps been her only, if brief, equine contact outside of her usually secluded life... perhaps perfectly plausible. The look of utter revulsion he had given her as he called her insane, the pure unbridled anger where his usually humoured used to be and the tears haunted this area of her mind, and made Tumult crave a kind, principle led mindset such as his. Obediently, this part of her acknowledged everything Quill was saying as he showed her to be a monstrous, self-serving almost vampiric creature. But this was Tumult, so naturally she at first chose to focus on the comfort and familiarity of the cold, scientific outlook - her reasons for lowering her mask and exposing her truth features were ultimately irrelevant, the results were what mattered... and they certainly showed that it was a mistake that she would not make again. The conclusion: regardless of whether it was right or wrong, her life was dictated by the ultimately selfish pursuit of entertainment, of interest, and feigning a personality is the most efficient way of achieving this. Quill was nothing more than a trial session from which she had learnt several lessons. As Quill got up to leave, Tumult found herself sub-consciously levitating a thick tome from her saddle bags onto the tables; which she saw to be the sum of the previous night's work... a hundred page handwritten answer (more dismissal) to Quill's questions from the previous night. It went in great detail to explain how happiness can easily come from sources other than friendship and then going into ways in which "brilliance" can be maintained by putting the cost on others. Such memories, however, were not what drew Tumult's attention. Her eyes were first drawn to the satirical title, "How To Lose Friends And Alienate People: A Beginner's Guide To Autophillia"... she had titled this moments before sunrise after a full re-read, too exhausted to place logic over emotion, practically condemning all she had written. Accompanying this, scrawled in a barely legible format in a corner were the words "Is this me?". This suddenly leant a great deal more credibility to her far more emotive response... manipulation and faking it only got you so far, deep inside Tumult did want a friendship that wasn't mired in deceit and lies... whether this was sentiment or not was irrelevant, she wanted to change...even if it was by just a little. Expanding past her own self-loving horizons could in fact be considered a great experiment...and Golden Quill was the easiest route to that, more than that... Tumult actually was rather fond of him. In this bizarre fit of emotion, Tumult even managed to ignore the fact that he'd insult the hat. "Quill...!" she said, perking up and tipping her bowler hat out from her eyes, a hint of desperation in her tone, "Please..." The next words almost didn't come, admitting them were so strange, "...I need help... I can't change myself on my own..." No explanation came from her save a pleading look though, as she was rather too confused by bpth her current response and the overload of thoughts running through her head to string further words together. | |
Mallow followed Sapphire into the book shop, it was wonderful! The place was quite cosy and warm. It had that distinct book shop smell to it! A strange, musty, yet strangely alluring smell. It reminded Mallow of his parents library back home in Cloudsdale, sweet memories of sitting by the fire in the warm comfy chair. Hehe sitting in it for so long his rump sinks into the soft fabric leaving his legs up in the air, while he falls asleep. So many nights spent absorbed into the many stories he read. Luckily his tail didn't set anything on fire no matter how happy he was, as he was only little. But now, he rarely got happy enough for his tail to rise above room temperature. Mallow came back into reality as he heard Sapphire mumbling about some book or other, he looked down...She was gone! Where was she! Mallow looked round himself, she was nowhere to be seen. Erm...Sapphire, Erm don't vanish now...You might know your way around here...But I don't and I cant loose you! Before he knew it he was deep within the shelves of books, he relaxed a little. Oh Im sure she will be OK...She is very intelligent, nothing bad is sure to come, besides Im sure she will be in here for a while...Now...What book could I buy? Mallow scanned the book shelves, before glancing up at the genre...Romance...Needless to say he shuffled out of that section in a hurry. He found his way to the fiction section. Upon checking the books they had in stock, nothing good was there that he didn't already have, and there was nothing else he found at all engaging upon reading the back...What would he like to read. He looked through a gap in the books and shelves, Sugar Cube Corner...That was it! Baking! he hadn't cooked for a good month or two, a recipe book! He found his way to what you could call a cooking section, the shelves littered with a variety of colourful "How To's" and "Step By Steps", his attention was caught, "101 Cocktails...Oh Yes! This would be entertaining, he might finally use that drinks section of the entertainment room in his house, why his parents ever requested that build he didn't know! Did they expect him to bring anyone home? Maybe that's what they hoped...Maybe, maybe one day soon... He saw Sapphire poking round one of the shelves...She couldn't see what he had picked up, what would she think!..Erm...Ah...That's it! Erm...Sapphire, you wouldn't happen to know any good cooking books? He said hiding the book behind his back, he would sneak that one under another book when he paid...Hopefully it would go unnoticed by her... His mind wandered...He longed to see what was going on in the cafe after he had left...Ah that didn't matter now, he smiled at Sapphire, this was nice. Just to be able to spend some time with someone with similar interests, and that he wasn't completely terrified of her1 | |
Fluttershy blinked, and looked up. She saw the letters on the ceiling and didn't understand at first. She giggled. "Oh, um... if you wanted to get out so bad, you didn't have to use my tomato sauce!", she said, smiling. She didn't grasp what that could mean. Or who could have done that. Angel pops out of her mane, and lays down on it. He smirks to the pegasus pony, and waves him an ironically friendly hello. He won't dare touch his mother, and he knows it. | |
Quill didn't want to turn and face Tumult. Knowing the way she thought and acted, this was undoubtedly just another ruse to allow her to continue to use and abuse him. If she even thought for a second she could win his trust back so easily, she must have been out of her mind. "Fool me once..." He started. The fatal mistake of facing Tumult as he said this stopped him dead in his tracks. There wasn't any doubt in his mind that she had an ulterior motive for acting this way, but the look of sincerity in her eyes was impossible to replicate. He could feel the temptation to snap a photo, but resisted. Well what now? He couldn't just leave her like this. He knew full well that if he turned his back on her now, Tumult would probably never be any different. She would see that compassion was just something conjured up in times of convenience, and would probably hate Quill for what he did. Even though this was Tumult, hatred didn't rub Quill the right way. "Fool me twice, shame on me." He completed the line, but did so in a kind, warm voice. "*sigh,* I couldn't live with myself if I missed my chance to help ya make that change. Guess that's just the burden of morality." He smiled down at her. If she had broken his heart 1000 times over, he knew he'd still try to help her if she asked him to. Maybe he was stubborn, perhaps naive, but at the end of the day, he felt like a better pony for it. Morality came at a cost, but it yielded priceless rewards. | |
"Hey Twilight," Rainbow Dash calls, sticking her head in the window. "Whatcha doin'?" I sigh and look up from my book. "I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do during the Winter Wrap Up tomorrow," I reply. "Boring," Rainbow Dash replies. "Yes, very," I reply, hoping she'll go away. | |
It hadn't occurred to Quill that he'd ever be put into a situation where he needed to teach someone how to act and behave. The entire concept just seemed so basic and second-nature to him that there wasn't anywhere he could begin. There were no books on the matter, nor was there any technique to it. Simply telling Tumult to "Do what's right" would give her too much wiggle room to derail these pursuits, and telling her to act like him would turn her into a second Golden Quill. Luckily, Tumult had some semblance of understanding of right and wrong, so perhaps she just needed something to establish a few boundaries. She was a clever pony, if she truly wanted to change, common sense would fill in the blanks "okay Tumult, here's the deal: Principles vary greatly from pony to pony, so there's no way for me to go about teaching ya such things. The only thing I can do for ya right now is point you in the right direction so ya can establish your own ethical code. It's simple in theory, all ya have to do is think of a few things that are considered fair or just. Just a few simple rules that apply to a wide spectrum of situations." He pulled out his notepad and a quill. This step was simple, as the ideals he had in mind were across the board considered to be righteous. He scribbled them down as neatly as penmanship being written from one's mouth can be. "#1: I will tell the truth and nothing but the truth. "Just tie that to your foreleg or put it where you'll be able to consult it. Feel free to revise a guideline if it becomes too onerous to handle and feel free to add more on if you feel it would help you act right. After a while, you'll understand what actions yield the responses that let you know you're doing something right." Quill paused for a moment to think. There must be something he could do to give her a sort of purpose, an assignment if you will. "One last thing: I'd like ya to pay particular attention to number two. I'm sure there's a handful of ponies in Ponyville that would appreciate an apology from you. Something along the lines of 'I don't want or need anything from ya, and I don't expect ya to forgive me for what I did, but I just want ya to know that I'm sorry.' usually does the trick. I think you'll be surprised how well some of your former equine counterparts will take such a gesture." He flashed a hopeful smile. If Tumult didn't want to do the assignment, she wouldn't and he wouldn't enforce it. The only way this sort of change could come about was if she did the bulk of the work on her own. | |
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As Arc rushes out, Sapphire hobbles over to him and immediately wraps her front legs around him, crying profusely. She calms down a little as he holds her closer and moves her away from the broken glass, and whimpers, "I'm sorry I broke the glass. I'm so sorry." She does accept, however, being put back down so that her father can fetch a first aid kit, and holds her arm out diligently as he swabs the arm. She refuses to look however, and winces audibly with every dab.
As he finishes tying up the bandage, Sapphire shakes her head at his question. "It's not too tight. Daddy, I'm so sorry. I really am." She raises her hooves again for another hug.
OOC Notes