[MLP:FiM] Bridles Shores Library/Downtown thread.

[Deme]

"...You OK?"

He did not know how to comfort feelings about dead mothers, or how to think about their presence or absence in grand metaphysical senses; while he was smart, and well-put-together for his age, he'd largely been a loner, and only troubled in the small, lonely ways that makes any person into a small mess, without the power to have real drama in it.

[Mystic Muse]

"...You OK?"

He did not know how to comfort feelings about dead mothers, or how to think about their presence or absence in grand metaphysical senses; while he was smart, and well-put-together for his age, he'd largely been a loner, and only troubled in the small, lonely ways that makes any person into a small mess, without the power to have real drama in it.

"...Honestly?" She says, looking Pyrite over for a moment. Pyrite was probably the one she trusted most out of the foal patrol, or Searchlight Society, or whatever it is we decided to call it. Even if he wasn't her friend, what did she really have to lose? "No. No I am not. There are about at least half a dozen reasons why, and that number doesn't appear to be going down any time soon. If anything, that number seems to be growing." she says. Even though she has, she looks like she hasn't slept in days. Her eyes also look...off. "...I need a break. A very long break." she says, and her drink appears to just scoot itself over to her, with no indication she had any part in it. Especially since she pushes it away mere seconds later.

[Deme]

"Then take a break. You're not the sort of pony who would ever let anyone else take care of you," this was not speculation. This was one of those things Pyrite understood about her character instinctively, like that she wouldn't put up with his horseapples. "So you've got to take care of yourself. If your heart's telling you to break, then break. Someone else will handle the library, and magic isn't going anywhere."

[Mystic Muse]

"*Sigh* You're right. I'll get somebody else to handle the library for a while." She hase one of her random helper ponies take over the desk. "I'll be in my room if you want to follow me up there." she says, and begins walking upstairs to her room.

[Deme]

He looked about for a moment, shrugged, and followed her.

[Mystic Muse]

Well, this is an entirely different room than what it was for Heartflight, even though it should be the exact same place...

Despite being a library room, and presumably being a reading room given the setup of the furniture, there isn't a single book. The walls are loaded with various pictures, scientific (Or whatever you call the magical equivalent) scribblings and theories, a cauldron in the middle of the room with some weird rainbow colored bubbling muck, a suit of armor that looks like Nightmare Moon's, a rather comfy looking couch, and a distinct and disappointing lack of windows.

The odd thing about the cauldron is, despite looking like it's boiling, there's nothing to heat it, and if Pyrite gets anywhere close to it, it radiates an odd chill.

The couch is situated behind the cauldron and facing the opposite directione, instead pointed at the nearby fireplace with a coffee table in front of it. There are a few clean glasses, plates, and pieces of Silverware. This looks to be where Smoothie prefers to eat.

There's a calendar with an upcoming date circled, which Pyrite may know to be Smoothie's birthday. There's a comment about the date that says "Stay in bed, it's for your own good."

The walls eventually curve into a dome with a nice looking chandelier at the top.

There's an odd little grouping of portraits on the walls with the three princesses, Queen Chrysalis, and Discord, along with a fourth mystery alicorn. The style of them varies significantly.

The mystery alicorn has the most flattering portrait, looking slightly intimidating, but more in a leader-esque manner than a threatening one.

The portrait of Luna is somewhat in line with that, looking simply like a leader, but not looking particularly intimidating.

Cadence is painted in a fairly neutral way, nothing particularly good or bad one way or another.

Then it starts getting...shall we say, questionable? Celestia is painted in such a way that she looks like a horrible, uncaring Tyrant.

Chrysalis is painted in such a way that she looks like some sort of fairy tale monster, and is likely quite exaggerated, since it seems a little TOO scary to be real.

Lastly is Discord, and he looks like the worst of the bunch. Regardless of who made these paintings, it's pretty clear what Smoothie thinks of each person in each painting. She seems to hate each of the last three, and approve of, or at least not dislike the first three.

Other than these portraits are some odd symbols on the walls. The writings on the magical notes are all fairly technical, and one of the few things Pyrite might understand on them is "Entropy Demons" though, what that means is itself rather unclear, other than what one might be able to guess from the name.

On a nearby desk with a mirror, a few cosmetics, and other general beauty supplies are pictures of her family and friends...it looks like a picture was recently tossed in a nearby wastebasket. Additionally, on the desk are some papers that look like bills. There's also what looks to be...mane and tail dye? That's a little odd. Smoothie doesn't seem like the mane and tail dye type.

You know, Smoothie did say this was her bedroom...if that's the case, where in Equestria is her, you know, bed? That seems like kind of an important detail to be missing. Granted, she could be sleeping on the couch, but it doesn't look like a fantastic couch for sleeping on.

Last but not least are some fantasy gaming related stuff, such as trading cards, RPG books, and some miniatures.

"Well, here's my room. Take a look around if you want, I don't have anything in here worth hiding." She says.

[Orzel]

lol wrong tab.

[Benson]

More like this one

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...236816&page=35

[Deme]

Well, this is an entirely different room than what it was for Heartflight, even though it should be the exact same place...

Despite being a library room, and presumably being a reading room given the setup of the furniture, there isn't a single book. The walls are loaded with various pictures, scientific (Or whatever you call the magical equivalent) scribblings and theories, a cauldron in the middle of the room with some weird rainbow colored bubbling muck, a suit of armor that looks like Nightmare Moon's, a rather comfy looking couch, and a distinct and disappointing lack of windows.

The odd thing about the cauldron is, despite looking like it's boiling, there's nothing to heat it, and if Pyrite gets anywhere close to it, it radiates an odd chill.

The couch is situated behind the cauldron and facing the opposite directione, instead pointed at the nearby fireplace with a coffee table in front of it. There are a few clean glasses, plates, and pieces of Silverware. This looks to be where Smoothie prefers to eat.

There's a calendar with an upcoming date circled, which Pyrite may know to be Smoothie's birthday. There's a comment about the date that says "Stay in bed, it's for your own good."

The walls eventually curve into a dome with a nice looking chandelier at the top.

There's an odd little grouping of portraits on the walls with the three princesses, Queen Chrysalis, and Discord, along with a fourth mystery alicorn. The style of them varies significantly.

The mystery alicorn has the most flattering portrait, looking slightly intimidating, but more in a leader-esque manner than a threatening one.

The portrait of Luna is somewhat in line with that, looking simply like a leader, but not looking particularly intimidating.

Cadence is painted in a fairly neutral way, nothing particularly good or bad one way or another.

Then it starts getting...shall we say, questionable? Celestia is painted in such a way that she looks like a horrible, uncaring Tyrant.

Chrysalis is painted in such a way that she looks like some sort of fairy tale monster, and is likely quite exaggerated, since it seems a little TOO scary to be real.

Lastly is Discord, and he looks like the worst of the bunch. Regardless of who made these paintings, it's pretty clear what Smoothie thinks of each person in each painting. She seems to hate each of the last three, and approve of, or at least not dislike the first three.

Other than these portraits are some odd symbols on the walls. The writings on the magical notes are all fairly technical, and one of the few things Pyrite might understand on them is "Entropy Demons" though, what that means is itself rather unclear, other than what one might be able to guess from the name.

On a nearby desk with a mirror, a few cosmetics, and other general beauty supplies are pictures of her family and friends...it looks like a picture was recently tossed in a nearby wastebasket. Additionally, on the desk are some papers that look like bills. There's also what looks to be...mane and tail dye? That's a little odd. Smoothie doesn't seem like the mane and tail dye type.

You know, Smoothie did say this was her bedroom...if that's the case, where in Equestria is her, you know, bed? That seems like kind of an important detail to be missing. Granted, she could be sleeping on the couch, but it doesn't look like a fantastic couch for sleeping on.

Last but not least are some fantasy gaming related stuff, such as trading cards, RPG books, and some miniatures.

"Well, here's my room. Take a look around if you want, I don't have anything in here worth hiding." She says.

Pyrite smirked at that. Smoothie was basically someone who hid everything...More or less. Everything that counted, anyway.

Though...He did have to wonder, looking at the portraits...
"Why have paintings of people you don't like?"

Pyrite didn't even have pictures of people he *did* like, except, like, family album stuff.

[Mystic Muse]

Pyrite smirked at that. Smoothie was basically someone who hid everything...More or less. Everything that counted, anyway.

Though...He did have to wonder, looking at the portraits...
"Why have paintings of people you don't like?"

Pyrite didn't even have pictures of people he *did* like, except, like, family album stuff.

"They're good paintings I think. It's not like they're the people I dislike the most. I mean, Celestia is only the person I dislike 5th, Chrysalis 4th, and Discord 3rd. Besides, they remind me of the kind of thing I need to strive to never become. The top one, since I'm sure you aren't aware, is a mythical being who's basically my role model for a variety of reasons. I could never actually be like her, but one might as well do the best they can, right? Luna and Cadence are there just because they're ponies I don't dislike, and again, they're nice paintings." Smoothie explains. "And I doubt you would anyway, but don't feel remotely bad for not knowing about the top one. Maybe a half a dozen ponies do, if that." Smoothie says, looking up at the portrait.

[Deme]

She is so weird sometimes.

He was not sure he entirely understood why have portraits of ponies you don't care about, either... But it was her decoration, she supposed.
Still...Someone who was Smoothie's role model...That was a rare sort of person.

"...Mind telling me about her?"

[Mystic Muse]

She is so weird sometimes.

Yeeeeep.

"...Mind telling me about her?"

"If you're that interested, sure. She's incapable of lying and wouldn't even if she could. She's said to know the one type of magic I can't seem to get a grasp on no matter how hard I try. She's also a legitimately kind being, and is said to have never committed a selfish act, only using her power for the good of others. She's raised several children, all of which went on to do great things.

Then there are other much less consistent myths surrounding her. There's the one where she created everything on Equestria, there's the one where she's Celestia and Luna's mom, there's one where she's basically a construct, and there's one where she's simply a consciousness, and doesn't actually have a body of her own.

I tend to ignore those ones, even if they're technically possible. I know the last two are possible, but they seem unlikely. Though, there is an interesting myth regarding the version of her that's supposedly a construct. It says she had gone completely insane, and convinced somebody to kill her with an artifact called the Godslayer before she decided to, among other things, get rid of magic entirely, make parasprites and changelings go extinct, and kill some people who she felt deserved it. Again though, those stories aren't as consistent as the parts I've mentioned before, and she's a myth.

The version that's actually consistent is the one I consider a role model, not the others. It's basically like the way some people ignore certain aspects of fiction they don't like, especially if it's inconsistent...and I apologize for talking your ear off, you probably didn't care to hear about all of that." Well, at least it's not as bad as some of Twilight's rambles.

[Deme]

"Nah, it's interesting... You think a person who never acted selfishly, not even once, could exist?"

Pyrite was pretty sure that was too idealistic, even for foals. Still...It was a dream, right? He sold dreams, from time to time; it gave him a strange take on them.

[Mystic Muse]

"Nah, it's interesting... You think a person who never acted selfishly, not even once, could exist?"

Pyrite was pretty sure that was too idealistic, even for foals. Still...It was a dream, right? He sold dreams, from time to time; it gave him a strange take on them.

"Well, I did say she was a myth...but you know, it only takes you three days in Bridle Shores to believe anything is possible." Smoothie says in a slightly annoyed manner. "As far as I know, every myth is true. I've seen more than enough end up being real already." She says, and has a thoughtful look on her face. "I don't believe she exists, but I have seen more than enough monsters and myths turned fact to believe that somebody who has never acted selfishly is completely impossible. Maybe that's overly idealistic but...I'd rather be overly optimistic than the alternative given what can happen." She says simply. She had no intention of becoming the next Nightmare Moon, or some similar villain. If she was going to be remembered for something, she wanted it to be something good along with the bad.

[Deme]

"I never asked if she existed; just if you though it was possible for someone to never do a selfish thing."

Pyrite said. He didn't put much stock in idealism, but generally thought it was a good thing for other people to have. Maybe because he could not be the next Nightmare Moon, even if he tried his hardest. He could only move the world in little ways.

"Still, it's nice to have a hero, right?"

[Mystic Muse]

"I never asked if she existed; just if you though it was possible for someone to never do a selfish thing."

Pyrite said. He didn't put much stock in idealism, but generally thought it was a good thing for other people to have. Maybe because he could not be the next Nightmare Moon, even if he tried his hardest. He could only move the world in little ways.

"Still, it's nice to have a hero, right?"

"Yeah, it is. I do believe it's possible to never do a selfish thing, but incredibly unlikely, and I'm not sure if anypony alive has managed it. I know I sure haven't. Still, it's nice to have a goal to aspire to, even if it is impossible. It might be a kind of sappy outlook, but I like to think striving for the impossible doesn't mean toiling in vain." She says to Pyrite. This is probably the most personal she's been with any of her friends in a long while, even if it was over something most people wouldn't consider to be of much consequence. "On an unrelated note, my birthday party is in two days. You're naturally invited." She tells him. She's probably mentioned it before, but other ponies have a tendency to forget things like that.

[Deme]

"I'm not sure. I think living, simply by itself, might be selfish...
But...
I don't think selfish means bad automatically. No one could get by if all they ever thought about was other people."

Pyrite wasn't sure about this. Sure, it was a good idea to behave unselfishly when you could...But actually being good might require a certain amount of selfishness. Because it required things like moderation and keeping yourself alive unless it was really important, and so on.


...Wait, what was that last bit?

"...You're having a party? ...Did demons put you up to it, or something?
Anyway, thanks! I'll be sure to think of something for you."

[Mystic Muse]

...Wait, what was that last bit?

"...You're having a party? ...Did demons put you up to it, or something?
Anyway, thanks! I'll be sure to think of something for you."

"I have to throw a big party, or these stupid voices from these weird eldritch abomination thingies will never leave my head. Besides, it can't be any worse than the last one I had." She says simply and slightly bitterly.

[Deme]

"Wasn't the last one technically also a party? How many parties are they making you have?"

[Mystic Muse]

"Wasn't the last one technically also a party? How many parties are they making you have?"

"Just one, but I have to throw one they consider big, and socialize with everybody. And I mean the last birthday part of mine which...let's just say it was bad enough for me to never want a birthday party again and be completely justified in wanting that." She tells Pyrite.

[Deme]

...I don't even want to know. But darn, otherworldly spirits sure play hardball."

This was Pyrite's assessment of the whole situation.

"Anything I can do to make this a better one?"

[Mystic Muse]

...I don't even want to know. But darn, otherworldly spirits sure play hardball."

This was Pyrite's assessment of the whole situation.

"Anything I can do to make this a better one?"

Smoothie shrugs. "Show up?" she suggests. That's really all she wants. She must have hD dome pretty lousy birthday parties if "show up" is her criteria for making this one better.

[Deme]

"Well, that goes without saying, right? I meant besides that. Like, set-up I could help with, or whatever."

He waved a hoof.

[Mystic Muse]

"Well, that goes without saying, right? I meant besides that. Like, set-up I could help with, or whatever."

He waved a hoof.

"Know anybody who's good at baking?" Smoothie asks, and Pyrite hears a *Ding* shortly after. Her horn glows for a moment, and she has piping hot cookies on a plate, along with a glass of milk. "Cookies are done. Give them a moment to cool down, but then you can have them." She said to Pyrite.

[Deme]

"Oh, thanks!"

His first instinct was to just grab a cookie and eat it. He held back...But impatiently. He sort of pranced back and forth, staring at the cookies. As he tried to maintain his cool, he added,

"Well, there's that bakery. I could try to cut a deal with them."

[Mystic Muse]

"Oh, thanks!"

His first instinct was to just grab a cookie and eat it. He held back...But impatiently. He sort of pranced back and forth, staring at the cookies. As he tried to maintain his cool, he added,

"Well, there's that bakery. I could try to cut a deal with them."

"Snickers? From what Soft told me, we're actually cousins. It'll probably be pretty easy to get a discount. I should invite him too..." she says, talking to herself mostly in that last sentence.

[Deme]

"How big a party will be big enough, you think?"

He asks, finally giving up the fight and scarfing a cookie happily. And burning his tongue. He winced and finished the cookie in a big gulp. He fanned his tongue.

[Mystic Muse]

"How big a party will be big enough, you think?"

He asks, finally giving up the fight and scarfing a cookie happily. And burning his tongue. He winced and finished the cookie in a big gulp. He fanned his tongue.

"Six or more will be enough. Beyond that, I have no particular preference, other than keeping it to people I know well enough that I know I'll enjoy their company." Smoothie says. "Or at least suspect I'll enjoy their company." she clarifies, given that she'll probably be inviting a few people she doesn't quite know.

[Deme]

"Sounds like a plan! What're you doing for decorations?"

He has no idea if he's just being nosy, or considering being helpful.

[Mystic Muse]

"Sounds like a plan! What're you doing for decorations?"

He has no idea if he's just being nosy, or considering being helpful.

"Umm...honestly, I hadn't thought about decorations. I figured maybe a few balloons, a cake, some drinks, and presents?" This sounds like the idea of a pony who had only ever HEARD of a party, not one who actually went there. Or just one who enjoyed modest parties. Never mind, the latter is more reasonable.