Re: Luna's Command: The Wibbly-Wobbly Saga

AProcrastinatingWriter Sat Mar 30, 2013 6:34 pm

Xel Unknown wrote:Lunar ended up walking into the room with the others a well... The Hippogriff didn't realize he did so until it was a little too late. So Lunar starts trying his best to be helpful and look the pony over as best he could, and see what he saw to hopefully not come across as anything other then friendly...

Perception check:

The pony on the bed is sitting oddly, seeming to lean slightly to the right. You don't know what that means, but the rest of him, slouched shoulders, deep frown, tired eyes, indicates a colt that has given up for the immediate moment. You can't guess as to the permanency of his mood, but for the moment he isn't quite ready to believe in a way out of whatever's trapping him. Yeah. That's it. He looks like a trapped animal, but not a fresh one. One that's been trapped for several days, starving, thirsty. They always curl up like that when they think the predator's finally here, too.

Curunir wrote:Luthier goes into the room. "Er, hello, we would like to talk to you, we think what you have to say might be important." Not sure what to do or say in this situation, he turns to Wandering Eye, hoping he would know how to talk to a pony in a state like this.

Dusk Raven wrote:Wandering Eye felt a little nervous at Luthier's glance (that tended to happen when ponies - or things - looked at him). He had visited an asylum and Tome Peeker was a psychologist, but that didn't mean Wandering Eye was prepared to persuade somepony to talk who didn't really want to talk. "It's all right. If you want, we won't talk, we'll just listen..." He looked over at Shimmer, hoping he was going about it right. "Just want to hear what you have to say."

The colt - Rock Salt, does look up from his curled position. He seems to be considering.

Spoiler:

Curunir Sat Mar 30, 2013 7:02 pm

Persuasion:

"I think you might be interested to know that we too have some knowledge of the Crystal Empire, while most everypony else seems to have forgotten or never known." Luthier figured it would be safe to say, since the crystal pony had probably already realized that in any conversations he had conducted so far.

Dusk Raven Sat Mar 30, 2013 8:13 pm

[Perception roll: 12. 12 + 7 (skill bonus) + 1 (grandeur) = 20.

Have nothing really to say at the moment so I'm getting a post up]

**Paper Shadow** Sat Mar 30, 2013 8:18 pm

Dusk Raven wrote:[Perception roll: 12. 12 + 7 (skill bonus) + 1 (grandeur) = 20.

Have nothing really to say at the moment so I'm getting a post up]

(I'm not there, remember? You don't get the Grandeur bonus, sorry...)

AProcrastinatingWriter Sat Mar 30, 2013 8:48 pm

Rock Salt considers for a few more seconds, then shifts slightly and opens his mouth.

He closes it.

He opens it again. "They hurt me. A lot. I'm small. I'm really small. They're big. Bigger than that. Bigger than me." He takes a shuddering breath. "So big. So big. So big."

He keeps chanting that, like it was the key to a ritual to keep whatever these things were away.

Xel Unknown Sat Mar 30, 2013 9:45 pm

"We're here to help... Wouldn't dare let anyone harm somepony like you..." Lunar states.

Persuasion check:

AProcrastinatingWriter Sun Mar 31, 2013 5:59 pm

Spoiler:

The colt looks up sharpish at these latest words. "You can't," he says. It is not a plea. It is a stated fact.

Still, despite this, the colt settles down on his hindquarters and begins talking, hesitantly at first but always increasing in rhythm, keeping up the speed. "Up above. It's big. Bigger than you or me. Bigger than them even. Shiny." He gulps, quick, and continues, quicker, quicker. "Stars every....sticky ropes. Crystals gone. Just stars. And things. Them. So many. Hurt me. Hurt me. Took me away from the-the-the Crystal Empire." He is shivering now, blankets bunching around him as he draws them close. "Hurt me with ropes and made me see it go away and they hurt me and-and-and all alone." He sobs a little. "All alone."

Dusk Raven Sun Mar 31, 2013 11:41 pm

[Ah, don't worry about it. Actually, Rock Salt comes across more as someone totally scared out of their wits. It's like he came out of one of H.P. Lovecraft's stories... and your version of insanity is better than his.

Besides, I'm going about with totally unresearched psychiatry. Razz

Which is probably why I haven't posted...]

Wandering Eye stared at the crystal pony for a long while, trying to think of how to handle this. Hmm... what would Tome Peeker do? If I could I'd send him a letter or ask him to stop by or something...

He moved over to a couch (there's a couch or a chair or something, right? Besides what Rock Salt is on?) and sat down. After Rock Salt's ramblings, he could only think of one thing he should say for certain.

"You're not alone."

He wasn't sure what to say, not wanting to set him off or something. Wandering Eye hadn't seen somepony this unhinged... truly, he must have witnessed something terrible.

"We need to know as much as possible... the fate of the Crystal Empire may depend on it."

**Paper Shadow** Mon Apr 01, 2013 12:17 am

AProcrastinatingWriter wrote:"From what few messages the envoy has returned, the Crystal Empire has seemed clean by all accounts, almost to the point of gleaming in the sunlight." She pauses a moment, then answers the question more straightforwardly. "So very shiny, one would suppose. Are you going somewhere with this?"

"Maybe, but I don't think so. I thought that maybe if it wasn't shining as it usually does, something was wrong with it."

(In retrospect, it was a very stupid question to ask...)

Scorch looks around the room, but doesn't really pay attention to anything in particular. While he definitely wasn't an idiot, he was no master strategist. He couldn't really think of another question for Luna. He sighed. "I think that's all I can think of, Princess. Do you want me to fetch Wandering Eye for you?"

AProcrastinatingWriter Mon Apr 01, 2013 11:44 pm

---This post has been deleted---

AProcrastinatingWriter Tue Apr 02, 2013 3:14 pm

Spoiler:

Paper Shadow wrote:
Scorch looks around the room, but doesn't really pay attention to anything in particular. While he definitely wasn't an idiot, he was no master strategist. He couldn't really think of another question for Luna. He sighed. "I think that's all I can think of, Princess. Do you want me to fetch Wandering Eye for you?"

The princess huffs a little impatiently. "We shall do it ourselves," she says regally, turning and proceeding to move her royal hindquarters out the door. She pauses before it shuts. "Neigh," she reconsiders quietly. "He is likely busy conversing with that...Rock Salt, yes? Yes. That's right. Then we shall join him instead where he is." She turns to the dragon she had just finished conversing with. "Follow us if you wish it so."

Spoiler:

Meanwhile, outside the door, several ponies stood, a tad uncomfortable in the silence. But then, the majority of them were trained as Royal Guards - always stoic and silent, not letting conversation or the desire to move hinder their focused lookout for any force or danger.

Plug usually ignored his training. "So how you think they're doing in there?" he asked the hallway at large, bending forward slightly as he looked at the door. "Could be messy. I hear that happens sometimes. Talkin' to one of these ponies, all friendly-like, and BAM! They suddenly turn on you and send things flying." He shakes his head slightly to the right, acknowledging an unheard point. "On the other hoof, it's the sane ones that seem to do it more often than the crazies."

"Do you by chance remember earlier what I said earlier About doing and dying?" Grizzle asked, almost off-hoof. Almost. Just a tinge of anger to his voice. Plug nodded. "Yes? Then be quiet."

Plug sighed, leaning against the wall again. He actually was silent for a moment. Then he turned almost slyly to Iggy. "So...what's your story then, blind colt?"

"Urgh..." Grizzle groaned. The two guards at the door did as well, surprisingly enough. Or maybe not.

Dusk Raven wrote:Wandering Eye stared at the crystal pony for a long while, trying to think of how to handle this. Hmm... what would Tome Peeker do? If I could I'd send him a letter or ask him to stop by or something...

He moved over to a couch (there's a couch or a chair or something, right? Besides what Rock Salt is on?) and sat down. After Rock Salt's ramblings, he could only think of one thing he should say for certain.

"You're not alone."

He wasn't sure what to say, not wanting to set him off or something. Wandering Eye hadn't seen somepony this unhinged... truly, he must have witnessed something terrible.

"We need to know as much as possible... the fate of the Crystal Empire may depend on it."

The pony looks up at you again. "Crystal Empire," he mutters. "Is-it's-it's where I grew up at. Mom was nice. Nice. Helped me at school." He's away now, rocking back and forth. "School and library and house and. It's gone. All went away. Never there, everypoyn says so. Crystals. Shine like stars. So many stars." A gasp, a revelation. "Not real...everypoyny says so. Just more stars. All me, my thoughts." All me. He bites his lip. "All alone."

Spoiler:

deonte9109 Tue Apr 02, 2013 4:48 pm

Iggy laughs outloud.
"My story? Like what because i'm a blind pegasus because I'm different I should have a story or maybe you want to be one another pony that wants to take pity on me."
Iggy slightly raised his voice with anger.
"Or maybe you think that my story will be some funny tale you can tell to all of your miserable friends around the table at the bar, "The time you met the freak blind pegasus" or maybe just maybe you think I'm here just to cure you of your boredom."
Iggy felt his own anger anger getting more out of hand than usual. After a brief second, he calmed himself down to his usual level.
".....None of your business." He finished taking a few steps away.

Curunir Tue Apr 02, 2013 5:35 pm

"Well, Rock Salt, we also remember the Crystal Empire, and believe it is or was real. They say it's even reappeared, although apparently it's floating now? We could maybe take you there if you're up to it, we're supposed to go and see what's going on after dealing with a few more things here in Canterlot."

Luthier tried to think of some way to convince the pony that he wasn't the only one who remembered the empire. He suddenly lit up with an idea. Levitating a trumpet out of his suitcase (he really didn't know why he kept carrying it everywhere, but he had no idea where they'd be staying, and it kept coming in useful), he made some quick modifications to it. It certainly wouldn't be a soothing experience, but if he did it right there could be no questioning that the sound he was about to make could only have come from the crystal empire. He took a deep breath and blew into the instrument, making that indescribable sound that only a flugelhorn makes.

"(*Flugelhorn noise*!)"

Persuasion:

AProcrastinatingWriter Tue Apr 02, 2013 6:40 pm

deonte9109 wrote:Iggy laughs outloud.
"My story? Like what because i'm a blind pegasus because I'm different I should have a story or maybe you want to be one another pony that wants to take pity on me."
Iggy slightly raised his voice with anger.
"Or maybe you think that my story will be some funny tale you can tell to all of your miserable friends around the table at the bar, "The time you met the freak blind pegasus" or maybe just maybe you think I'm here just to cure you of your boredom."
Iggy felt his own anger anger getting more out of hand than usual. After a brief second, he calmed himself down to his usual level.
".....None of your business." He finished taking a few steps away.

There is a long silence after this. The two guards in front of the door look vaguely uncomfortable. Grizzle just looks shocked. Plug hasn't reacted in the slgihtest, sly smirk staying firmly on his face.

After a bit more silence, Grizzle sighs, looks over to Plug, then back to Iggy. "I am very sorry for my compatriot's behavior. He does not quite understand-"

"You know when I was a foal," Plug breaks in, expression still unchanged. "I spent a lot of time on trains, cause my dad, All Aboard, was a conductor. Like you might have guessed, huh?" He chuckled. "And my mom was, uh...not around. At all. Dad wasn't exactly a trusting colt, you know, but he loved me. Took me in, homeschooled me, but like I said I spent a lot of time on trains. Slept on them. Didn't sleep in them, mostly, you know? All the clacking and whistles and stuff." The sly smile was gone now. He looked contemplative. "So I, uh, had to learn how to make friends quick, or I'd get lonely. But I couldn't make any friends that were too good or else it'd hurt when I said goodbye. Explains a lot, am I right? But sometimes that approach meant I put my hoof in my mouth in a big way. Like right now. Which is kind of the point of this whole...thing." He takes a slightly deeper breath. "I'm sorry. That was rude of me to ask."

Another short silence reigned. "You never told me that story," Grizzle says, almost playfully. The two guards at the door can't resist a chuckle.

"Well, you're not as pretty as Iggy is," Plug responds.

Curunir wrote:"Well, Rock Salt, we also remember the Crystal Empire, and believe it is or was real. They say it's even reappeared, although apparently it's floating now? We could maybe take you there if you're up to it, we're supposed to go and see what's going on after dealing with a few more things here in Canterlot."
Persuasion:

"Nuh-uh, no, no, lying, you're lying..." Rock Salt mumbles, shaking his head back and forth. "Just trying to make me feel better..."

Curunir wrote:Luthier tried to think of some way to convince the pony that he wasn't the only one who remembered the empire. He suddenly lit up with an idea. Levitating a trumpet out of his suitcase (he really didn't know why he kept carrying it everywhere, but he had no idea where they'd be staying, and it kept coming in useful), he made some quick modifications to it. It certainly wouldn't be a soothing experience, but if he did it right there could be no questioning that the sound he was about to make could only have come from the crystal empire. He took a deep breath and blew into the instrument, making that indescribable sound that only a flugelhorn makes.

"(*Flugelhorn noise*!)"

Persuasion:

Rock Salt is blown backwards, sprawling into a heap in the bed behind him. From the sound of things, he hit something when he fell, too. But heedless of probable injury, Rock Salt sprang back up, blinked once...and then smiled. "The-the-the flugelhorn!" he grins, leaping off the bed. "Crystal Flugelhorn! But wait..."

The no-longer-unhappy colt seems to be deep in thought for several moments. "But I made the Crystal Empire up...you couldn't know about it unless..." he gasped, and an even greater grin grew on his face. "Can you read my mind?!"

Dusk Raven Tue Apr 02, 2013 7:22 pm

Wandering Eye had to admit, the flugelhorn was a pretty good idea. He wouldn't have thought of that... but then again, he wasn't as familiar with the Crystal Empire as Luthier evidently was.

Step one of restoring Rock Salt to sanity had been accomplished, now for step two - convincing him that he was sane.

"Hmm No, you didn't make it up, it's real. We know lots of things about the Crystal Empire, like the crystal heart which is... like a focus for the love of the city." He was trying hard to remember facts about the Crystal Empire - at least he had knowledge on his side.

Spoiler:

AProcrastinatingWriter Tue Apr 02, 2013 7:49 pm

Rock Salt gasped and jumped up and down a little. "Yeah, yeah! The Crystal Heart! And the Crystal Fair, and Princess Cadence." He stopped jumping. "Wait. You believe me? You think it's real?"

Spoiler:

Xel Unknown Tue Apr 02, 2013 8:27 pm

"We're trying to find out all we can about what's happened to the Cyrstal Empire... Something or somepony, messed with it. Yet somehow missed you, and us..." Lunar said, feeling the Colt at the right to know.

Persuasion check:

**Paper Shadow** Tue Apr 02, 2013 8:52 pm

AProcrastinatingWriter wrote:The princess huffs a little impatiently. "We shall do it ourselves," she says regally, turning and proceeding to move her royal hindquarters out the door. She pauses before it shuts. "Neigh," she reconsiders quietly. "He is likely busy conversing with that...Rock Salt, yes? Yes. That's right. Then we shall join him instead where he is." She turns to the dragon she had just finished conversing with. "Follow us if you wish it so."

Spoiler:

Scorch follows the Princess. He is pretty aware of his surroundings...

(Perception Check: 17 + 8 (Skill Bonus) = 25)

AProcrastinatingWriter Tue Apr 02, 2013 10:59 pm

Spoiler:

The colt looks left and right with a fervor he had not had before. "I...I dunno," he says, voice approaching something like a mumble once more. He turns to Luthier. "Maybe...maybe you could read my mind again to see something?"

Curunir Wed Apr 03, 2013 4:58 pm

Luthier sighed.

"I'm not reading your mind- If I could browse your memories so thoroughly, why would we even be here bothering to ask you questions?"

Luthier tried to think of more things to convince the pony that they knew about the crystal empire- but as Wandering Eye didn't seem to be coming up with anything he wasn't so sure he could either.

"I'm sorry, none of us have had extensive dealings with the Crystal Empire, we've just heard things about it and made the occasional visit. Which is why we need to talk to you, since you actually lived there. To see if you know anything at all that could be a clue to what's going on- anything strange you noticed, how you got here. And even if you can't remember anything or don't want to talk about it, you could really help if you come with us to this Crystal Empire to help us recognize if anything's wrong."

Spoiler:

AProcrastinatingWriter Wed Apr 03, 2013 5:33 pm

"Come with?" the colt says hesitantly. His eyes gaze at the floor for a small gaping hole in time, then abruptly widen. "I understand now," he breathes out, slowly looking up.

An accusing hoof points directly at those talking to him as he sweeps his arm repeatedly over his line of vision. "You're with them! Or you are them! And you're trying to get me to come back to the starry place in my head so you can hurt me some more!" His breathing has become labored and heavy and his eyes are darting about the room, anxious for any sort of reality to hold onto and finding nothing of satisfaction.

Xel Unknown Wed Apr 03, 2013 5:48 pm

(OOC: Remember Lunar's element if Kindness.)

Lunar's reaction to this is to console the colt. "Oh, nonono... We're the good guys... We're here to help... We'll even fight those other people trying to put your to that "starry place" and hurt you. We'll keep you safe. I swear to The Goddess of the Moon herself that we will..."

Persuasion check:

Curunir Wed Apr 03, 2013 5:58 pm

Luthier jumps back as Rock Salt sweeps his front leg pointing at him and his copmanions. He had felt they had been getting so close to getting to talk normally with the crystal pony. He was alarmed at this development- Rock Salt wasn't just at odds with reality for having been taken from his home and told it didn't exist, he seemed convinced that someone or something was after him. Shaken, Luthier tried at least once more to reason with the mad pony.

"Wh-who are 'them'? Please hear me out." he said, seeing that Rock Salt didn't seemed inclined to listen to him. "If you're right, and we are or are with 'them', you lose nothing by answering my question- we already know who we are and who we're working for and what we're doing. So no harm to you. But if we're being honest, then still no harm done and we might even be able to help. Why do 'they' want to hurt you? What is this 'starry place'?"

Persuasion:

AProcrastinatingWriter Wed Apr 03, 2013 6:14 pm

Xel Unknown wrote:(OOC: Remember Lunar's element if Kindness.)

Lunar's reaction to this is to console the colt. "Oh, nonono... We're the good guys... We're here to help... We'll even fight those other people trying to put your to that "starry place" and hurt you. We'll keep you safe. I swear to The Goddess of the Moon herself that we will..."

Persuasion check:

Spoiler:

The colt's eyes go blurry for a second and he breathes out shakily.

Twice.

Three times.

"Sorry," he finally says, voice getting smaller again. "Thank you. But you can't. Thanks for trying. No. I'm sorry."

Curunir wrote:
"Wh-who are 'them'? Please hear me out." he said, seeing that Rock Salt didn't seemed inclined to listen to him. "If you're right, and we are or are with 'them', you lose nothing by answering my question- we already know who we are and who we're working for and what we're doing. So no harm to you. But if we're being honest, then still no harm done and we might even be able to help. Why do 'they' want to hurt you? What is this 'starry place'?"

Persuasion:

"I dunno why but they did," Rock Salt says almost immediately, turning back towards his bed. "They did, they did, and then they left me in Manehattan all alone. Pulled me up and apart and away and it hurt so badly." The colt looks behind him for a few moments, then gulps as if preparing to reveal a great secret. His face scrunches up as he turns once more to his questioners, imparting his memories. "The starry place is a very bad place. You don't wanna go there."

Dusk Raven Wed Apr 03, 2013 6:45 pm

AProcrastinatingWriter wrote:The colt looks behind him for a few moments, then gulps as if preparing to reveal a great secret.

[A secret, you say? Too bad Wandering Eye's cutie mark bonus is to Perception...]

Wandering Eye stared as Rock Salt's condition deteriorated once more. And to think, they'd been doing so well...

I wish I could figure out what happened to him... the only beings I've encountered who could do this to a pony are the Watchers, but... why?

Why do the Watchers do anything? He answered himself.

Yeah, stupid question. But... a starry place? That could be a number of things...

"Why is it a bad place? What's there?"

Spoiler:

[Hmm... perhaps it's time to take advantage of Magic Makes It All Complete... there's a few talents that could be useful.]

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