The Rise of the Windigo King

Aoi shrugs and says, "I imagine I would be doing that whether it was requested I prove myself or not. That sounds like a good place to start Professor." She then pokes GREGG with a claw and says, "You should go and tell your maker we shall be leaving and that the two of them shall accompany us."

Torch turns and frowns, saying, "Hold on, we don't have time for this! We need to get to the Maw and get that artifact, there will be time for research later!"

"While it is true that time is a limited resource I am the likely the only one to receive a proper rest and actually took time to break their fast. Therefor I propose that you, Doctor Ray, and Mister Lobber take some time to recuperate while we go research. Alternatively you could head to the ship at the marina and aid in any needed preparations. If so then tell the old griffon that I sent you and that you are to be his crew. He shall be expecting a payment so remember to bring some bits." Ragnarok says slowly slipping into lecture mode.

Torch thinks for a moment, then says, "Well, we probably should find out what the Maw is before we go storming in and find out it's a portal to Tartarus. I'm in."

RavenscroftRaven wrote:The conversation around dulled as Land Lobber focused on his task. The minotaur looks at the little pony sadly. He wasn't the most comforting of beings, but he could at least answer the rhetorical question.

"Curses be what ye make of them." He points the trident out across the ocean, vast endless space. "A curse o' fiscal misfortune be bad, but ye can have friends to short-sell yer own decisions to still make a mint. If ye draw storms to wherever ye be, droughted villages'd be paying fer yer vacation there, and resorts paying fer ye to stay away. I once heard o' a paladin whose plate-and-mail drew arrows to it, he wore it every day to ensure nopony else would ever be hit by a stray shot."

Land Lobber barks a quiet and sombre laugh, if such a thing was possible. "But this is not what you be looking fer. Introspection be good, but ya got ta ask yerself, what do ye be looking for? Base animal urges? Change? Or be it validation ye seek? Vindication?"

"I..." the Doctor ran a hoof through his spiky mane, thinking seriously about the question, "I..." he paused, "I'm... not looking for base animal urges... not really... Greed... Lust..." the Doctor blushed and looked down at his hooves, "Well... er... the Lantern was... uh... cute... to... to say the least... but, uh..." he laughed self-consciously and shook his head, suddenly feeling a little hot under the collar, "I... I didn't like her just for her pretty face and... um... nice figure...

"-Don't get me wrong... I was... er... attracted to her... for... for those reasons - but those weren't the only reasons! ...And, well... Yeah... Sooooooo - I'm not looking for revenge either... Well, okay..." the Doctor shrugged, "So maybe I do want some revenge... revenge on all the ponies who mocked me... ridiculed me... back at school... back at the university... Called me useless... Said I'd never amount to anything... All because I was never good at magic, never one of the herd, all because of this!" The Doctor tapped a hoof to his broken horn, "Because of this horn, they never appreciated my work for what it really was - GENIUS, THAT'S WHAT IT WAS!"

Dr. D paused a moment, grinned awkwardly, and cleared his throat, "Um... yes... I mean... jeez... I guess in that case, I do kind of want revenge... revenge... and some amount of validation too... Or, confirmation really... confirmation that my work truly has... well... meaning. I want to be acknowledged for what I... what I already know to be true. What I really want is for my genius to be recognized... and... and Halynn recognized it from the start." The Doctor sighed, his eyes watering again as he thought about Her, "She... she really did appreciate my work..."

The Doctor sniffed, wiping the tears from his eyes, trying not to just start balling again, "And... and... I do want change... I want change more than anything... This society... it's corrupt... full of racism... discrimination... mindless conformism... foals stuck in the past..."

At this point, the Doctor became more animated with each word, his eyes taking on a inner gleam, his voice rising, "Those foals, relying on their petty magics, too... too blind, too stubborn to see... to see the brilliance, the brilliance of somepony. like. ME!"

Death Ray grinned, raising his hooves, "I want to change all that! I want to open their eyes! I want to introduce them to the wonders technology and science has to offer! I want to make them see!" Then the Doctor frowned as he slowly added, "Like I wanted to make her see..."

Shaking his head, the Doctor took a deep breath, "You probably don't want to hear this..." his shoulders slumped, "I've rambled on far too long already... But... but where I come from - and this may be hard to believe - but where I come from, I'm a laughing stock... A failure... I can never seem to do anything right... I'm always alone... don't have many friends either... Besides GREGG... GREGG, and my other robots...

"Sometimes I feel like nopony understands me... Nopony... But..." Death Ray closed his eyes and smiled sadly, clutching the necklace in his hooves, "But when I was with Halynn... it felt like I could do anything, ya know? Like I was Dark Flank... or Apocapony... Some great, big unstoppable force of destruction... Yesterday was the first time I'd actually ever won a fight against... well... anything... and I know that it wasn't just her... everypony helped out against the Windigo King... but... but she made me feel like I could do so much more... I finally felt like I'd found the one... Sure, I realize Halynn would've never gone for the whole world domination thing - not at first anyway - but I thought she'd come around eventually...

The Doctor looked back out onto the horizon and sighed again, "Now I don't even know if I'll ever see her again... What do I do without her?"

Land Lobber smiled at the Doctor's growing animation. There was some character to him, yes, and he could use it to find his own path, if he could be properly prompted. The smile falls as Death Ray's speech ends in his morose commentary. He had a path, he had a road to his future, but instead he winds up walking in circles. That wasn't good. But it did tell the minotaur one thing: The origin of the problems was Belonging. Ponies were branded with their life's work, and his wasn't agreeable with his people, so he would be denied social status and mates.

"I be a miner by trade, a pirate by choice, and a minotaur by nature. Ye be a scientist by trade, a paradigm-changer by choice, and a pony by nature. We be more solitary than ye ponies, but me jobs be plenty to know when to be relyin' on more than yer own equipment. Sometimes, ye even rely on yer enemies." The minotaur nods to himself. "She don't be dead yet, least we can tell. I be hoping my paycheck still be wanting to help."

He skips a stone into the water. Well, tries. It does skip once, but re-angles and just plunges into the surf on the second hop.

"Ye be a revolutionary. Motivated not by bits but by needin' to improve the world. I ken that. And ye want someone ta help, someone ye can respect and respects ye back. Have ye ever taken a hostage in yer schemes?" He asks, but doesn't wait for a response.

"They know deep down that they be the safest person on the boat. Archers won't be firing on them, mages will cast around them, and their holder be needing a healthy hale hostage. But they get afraid. They be in the limelight, they need to make a decision to help, to hinder, or to remain on the sidelines. And that be a big decision to make. Some hostages be liking the captor, and help them out. And it tears them up after, because ponies do nae like change, even if the change be to their true nature. Even if the status quo be bad, they don't be wanting it to change. Yer honey be making, and be made, several decisions that would be changing her status quo. That ain't good all at once. Makes the paths blurred and hard to tread. It be a long walk when it be so blurry and hard ta see."

He pats the doctor on the back. "The best ye can do is be true to yer own path, let it shine. She be interested in ye at least a bit, I saw it and heard it meself, but she be making hard life choices now. She tried the hero, she tried the villain, an' she tried the bystander. And now she be needing to know which be her path. Best ye can do is show that yer path is the best for yerself, an fer others that may be like you, and she might see. But changin' the world be a mighty heavy road, an' movin those flagstones takes more work than most ponies can do. Takes strength, it does, to keep at it."

Land Lobber shrugs. He really didn't have much to say, but he took a while in saying it. "I may be a mercenary monster, but I like helpin' when it don't be hurting the wallet. Ye've got an ear should ye need one, I don't be mindin'."

"Haylnn's status quo..." Dr. Death Ray muttered to himself, rubbing his chin, deep in thought, carefully considering Lobber's words. He nodded slowly, "It makes sense... Explains why she might have reacted the way she did... Something... Something still bothers me though..."

The Doctor picked up a stone of his own, looked it over, then tried his hoof at skipping it himself - though the stone didn't even skip once before sinking below the surf... Taking a deep breath, Death Ray shook his head, "I... I couldn't tell her... I couldn't tell her about how the Windigo King took control of her mind."

Picking up another stone, the Doctor frowned, "I was so..." Gritting his teeth and hurling it at the water with all his might, the Doctor shouted, "-SO STUPID!"

The Doctor closed his eyes and took another deep breath, "I... I should've talked to her about it while I still had the chance Lobber. I mean, I could see how it was bothering her... Buck - I guess everypony could seee... How it was hurting her... to know that she'd hurt... us... That's the sort of thing that always hits the good ones hardest... But... But I never blamed her. She just needed to realize that everypony has a dark side - everypony - and that... that's okay."

Death Ray opened his eyes and laughed abruptly, "Superheroes...Pfffft," shaking his head, he grinned, "-They always have such a hard time recognizing it... They put on that outward display of un-corruptible resolve, call themselves the mane or mare of steel, and think they can carry the whole world on their shoulders - but inside, they're just like everypony else... Nopony's perfect... 'You need to embrace every aspect of who. you. are... Embrace... embrace the good as well as the bad...' - That's what I wanted to tell her, how she needed to realize that we all have a dark side, and the only way to keep that dark side in check is to recognize it, come to terms with it, and master it! -" The Doctor paused, his grin fading, "...Not hide from it."

Looking down at the sands, Dr. D watched as the water lapped at his hooves... "Be true to my own path... Let it shine..." He nodded again slowly, picking up another stone and rubbing it against his red labcoat until it glistened, "I... I think you're right Lobber..." The Doctor raised the stone to eye level, "Halynn... Halynn's still out there..." He reared back, ready to hurl the stone at the waves, "And... I'll show her my path - In the end, that's all I can do."

Then the Doctor paused.

"And as for strength...?"

He looked at the stone...

Then looked at the water...

-Then drew a blaster, stuffed the stone down the barrel, grinned, and fired.

The stone hit the water - skipped once, twice, three times - and kept on going, skipping across the ocean just as far as the eye could see.

As the Doctor blew the smoke from the barrel and slipped the blaster back into his red labcoat, he laughed, "Never was much for physical exertion. Luckily though - I've got inventions for that."

Dr. Death Ray turned and nodded to Lobber, "Uh... Thanks."

Then GREGG's voice entered into Dr. D's thoughts,

Dr. Death Ray sir?

What's up GREGG?

Ms. Aoihime and Ms. Ragna are preparing to go to the local college to do research sir.

WTB? Ao-who?

The princess, Dr. Death Ray sir. She asked that I inform you.

Uh... Oh... O-kaaaay...

The Doctor scratched his head, returning his attention to Land Lobber and giving him a quizzical look, "Who in Discord's name is Ow... How... Pow... Aoi... hime?"

Spoiler:

The minotaur smiled at the new resolution.

Land Lobber simply shrugs at the naming question. "Soundin' Neighponese. Ow-Oh-Ee-He-May. Full o' themselves, every one that uses those names, least in my experience. Princess Blue Princess, if'n me memory o' robbing their ships serves the language right. Might be green, maybe a seafoam colour, wasn't exactly in a spot ta ask 'em exactly."

He shrugs. "Still probably a better leader than Aqua Regia. She was a caustic one, she was. Spewed rhetoric like acid. Wonder if this new sheep can be fleeced."

He stands, and offers a hand to the doctor to get him up as well, to return to the grouping and earning his paycheck.

Spoiler:

As Dr. Death Ray trotted back to the others (with Land Lobber in tow, I assume?), he looked around at all the monks, the airship, the banners - and aaaaaaaaaall the other fanfare.

Woah Nelly... If... If I didn't know any better, I'd... I'd think we were under attack by Windigo henchponies again... Soooo IDK GREGG... Where's this princess you were talking abou-

"-SWEET DASTARDLY DEEDS! I'M BLIND!"

The sun had broken out over the storm clouds for just a moment, but in that moment Dr. D had been glancing over the rest of the party - and then the sun's rays had caught something - or was that some-pony? - in it's light, refracting blue-red rays in every direction like some kind of buckin' doomsday disco ball. The Doctor was blind and bedazzled for a moment, making a few stumbling steps across the sand before quickly slipping his black goggles down over his eyes, regaining his balance as he found himself amidst the rest of the party.

He paused for a moment, glancing all around nervously - then relaxed and grinned. "Hoo... Well that... That was close... Thought I might never see again!"

"Soooooooo..." Death Ray turned to the only face that he didn't recognize - realizing as he did so that she must've been the one that caused the solar flare that could be seen from space, "I... I... uh... assume that you would be... the... Princess?"

Hovering up alongside his maker, GREGG's red eye flashed with agreement, "Yes sir, Dr. Death Ray sir! That would be her sir."

Dr. Death Ray paused a moment to scrutinize this newcomer.

OMD - Get... get a load of this kid GREGG. She's gaudy enough to star in her own... her own saturday morning cartoon show... She's... She's no supe, that's for sure... Doesn't have the right bearing for it... Too young too, I'd say... But... who's she think she is then, Lady Neigh Neigh or something?

It's Ms. Kongouseki Aoihime sir.

Sounds... sounds like something straight out of an Anineigh Convention...

Says the Doctor with the mecha...

Hay, leave the Dark Horse out of this GREGG!

Turning his attention back to the... er... dragon... pony... crystal... thing (What in the name of Discord was that thing anyway? - Nothing had come up yet in GREGG's database search...) the Doctor grinned, cleared his throat, and bowed. "Greetings Ms... er..." He glanced up, "Kangaroo Aloha Meme, was it? It is a... um... pleasure, tooo... ah... make. your. acquaintance."

Aoi smirked in amusement at the comment about being blinded, nodded yes to being the princess, and replied with only a slight annoyed twitch of the eye, "Kongouseki Aoihime (she draws out the syllables so it's easier to understand), though for ease of our ears you may call me simply Aoihime." Responding to his greeting she said, "Yes, I'm sure it is."

After nopony laughed, she said, "That was a joke." ((Can be retconned if someone would actually laugh at that.))

Healing Torch lets out a nervous chuckle , then says, "I hate to rush everypony and assorted, but we need to go. Every second we waste is a second closer the cultists get."

Land Lobber comes up slowly behind, keeping back a few seconds to let the Doctor's theatrics wear out. "So that be one fire put out, or lit, dependin' on yer preference. I be guessin' by the way everypony's hustlin' up that we be bringin' the suishō along ta sacrifice to the vampony?"

He gives a single barked laugh. "Jus' kiddin. The vampony be killin' us all when she gets better, I be knowin' it"

The minotaur holds up both hands defensively to Verana. "Kiddin' kiddin'. Yer a great folk, I be certain. Kill me last, eh?"

His gaze moves to Torch at his urging to action. "But seriously, I be fine with the goin' bit, but what be bein' the plan and all the rukus, then?"

Aoi narrows her eyes, unsure if the minotaur was intending the sleight or not.

"Well, while the ship is being prepared, I suppose we'll go to the Academy Ragnarok spoke of and see if they have any records of the Maw, and the cultists, and the like. Doc, you alright with that?"

Ramsus wrote:Aoi smirked in amusement at the comment about being blinded, nodded yes to being the princess, and replied with only a slight annoyed twitch of the eye, "Kongouseki Aoihime (she draws out the syllables so it's easier to understand), though for ease of our ears you may call me simply Aoihime."

"Can I... uh... can I call you Neigh Neigh?" The Doctor grinned, trying to stop from cracking up.

Then in response to Torch, Death Ray paused, scratching his head, "Uh... Well... ya see... um..."

What's wrong Dr. Death Ray sir?

WTB?! Are you serious GREGG? I... I remember what happened at the museum... Our green friend here... he... he nearly left that one Changeling - the one I'm going to meet, in fact; fancy the irony there - to die! I... I don't know what his issue is with Changelings... but... but I'm not sure if he should really know that... uh... that I'm meeting one...

Returning his attention to Torch, Dr. D added, "I kind of - do - have this... this meeting, sort of... um... scheduled for later this afternoon? ...It's... uh... with... er... a.... pony... I met at the museum the other day..." *cough* "thathappenstobeaChangeling -" *cough* "but..." -Then the Doctor grinned, trying to pretend he hadn't said anything... "but I'm sure I could help with the Maw research until then..."

Aoi didn't respond to the doctor but, instead turned to GREGG and said, "Gregg, inform your creator that you have surpassed him. You have both manners and survival instincts that apparently are not present in your maker. Also that you are cute and I am taking you with me." at which point she grabs GREGG out of midair and starts idly toying with him as she waits for Ragnarok to lead the way.

"AHHHHHHHH!" GREGG squealed a high-pitched warble, his red eye flashing with alarm, "Please... um... Please do not touch that Ms. Aoihime! I am a sensitive piece of highly sophisticated hardware and internal files assure me that this is not proper protocol for a prince- AH! That tickles!"

As he said this, Aoi's 'toying' caused slots in GREGG's gold-metal casing to start sliding open at random, popping out speakers, grabber claws, tools, lasers, sirens, a disco ball...

Dr. Death Ray sir... I believe I require assistance?

"Hey!" Death Ray turned on Aoi, "Let go of my wingpony Neigh Neigh!"

Aoi moves away from the doctor without looking at him and says to GREGG, "Hmmm, so after we dispose of the body of your old master, maybe we should give you a new golden finish? Maybe a new name? What do you think Gregg?"

"Hay!" Death Ray shouted, trying to gallop around and snatch up his partner from the clutches of this... this... thing.

Meanwhile, GREGG's eye flashed at Aoi's words, "Ms. Aoihime - 'dispose' Dr. Death Ray? Forgive me mam, but I highly advise against such a course of action. I am psychically linked to my creator, and I fear that if Dr. Death Ray is 'disposed,' the feedback screech from our cerebral interface up-link would cause my systems to overload, malfunction, and inevitably crash. The resulting meltdown of my internal power core, combined with the unstable nature of my temperament, would create an explosion that would not only be heard around the world, but would also be large enough to wipe out half of Equestria with the force of 1 million Death Ray Decahertz of power. So again, I highly advise against such action Ms. Aoihime -"

Good bluff GREGG!

"-Though a name change might be nice. What did you have in mind mam?"

"HAY!" - What's wrong with 'GREGG'?!

Land Lobber grabs some more of the food, well more than his fair share (but since there was extra anyways, justified), and snacks, having eaten all the Prench toast and some of the croissants, watching the scene unfold.

Aoi opens her mouth to state that 1 million Death Ray Decahertz is probably the equivalent of a firecracker but, thinks better of it and instead replies, "In that case, you may wish to convince your creator to address me properly before something unfortunate befalls him. And I was thinking maybe.... Wheatley?"

"Wheatley?" GREGG's eye flashes, processing that information for a moment, before adding, "Forgive me Ms. Aoihime, but I am not a fan of that name."

Tell her you've got a uranium core!

Dr. Death Ray sir, why don't you just address her by her given name sir?

Because... because I... it... well, it's fun to mess with prissy little princessi? And FYI - that name is... it's buckin' hard to say!

Sir? Please?

Alright! Alright!

"Hay..." Death Ray galloped around to face the princess again, "... uh... Oweehominem? Aweehoho? Aweedonia? Owee...?"

Aoihime sir...

"Ah-oh-ee..." the Doctor started, cocking his head to one side, deep in concentration... "Ah-oh-ee... Ah-oh-ee... Ah-oh-ee-" then he stopped and frowned, "Ah, forget it... How... er... how about I just call you... Princess?"

Aoi smirks at the doctor's trouble with her relatively simple name and shrugs at GREGG's reply. She responds to his suggestions with a nod and, "I suppose that will have to do." Then she notices that Lobber has been grabbing food and walks over and takes a cruller and a jelly filled donut.

"Hay!" Dr. Death Ray shouts as he sees the dragon-thing taking his breakfast, "Who said you could have any of that! And... And give me back my robot already you... you... you villain!"

The Doctor pauses for a moment, "And... um... FYI... leave the villainy to... to me... yeah... That's... that's my job... Geez..."

Ragnarok watches Doctor Ray and Princess Aoi while massaging her temples attempting to relieve what she knows it going to be a headache. "If the two of you are done with being immature shall we set off? And Princess before you respond with the fact that you are a child I shall remind you that you are a noble from a culture that places great emphasis on politeness."