Let the Light Shine

[letteropener]

[Ever just had one of those days where nothing makes sense any more?]

[Princess Celestia is having one of those days. Lost and patently confused, the pony princess wanders the streets of Freesia as completely befuddled as can be. Everything needs a second look, be it the buildings, the streets, the sidewalks, or the sun.]

[The sun. Not the sun she knows. Not one she is familiar with. And not even one she can reach with magic -- because every time she tries, her horn glows with light, but nothing comes of it at all.]

[And if you're wondering if the pony is just some random animal, well -- she has a little earbud clipped to one ear, the sort you'd expect to see on a normal person with a communicator. So there's that.]

...Where am I?

Comments

[letteropener]

That would explain a very great deal. [She sweeps her gaze around them, re-examining their surroundings in light of this new information. The long, drifting mane only emphasizes this gesture.] That is a shame, but I cannot blame them. This must be very alarming.

[unriddling]

It isn't our fault we're here. And we're supposed to help. Logically, they should be trying to win our favor, not isolate us. [He sounds a bit miffed, but that's aimed more at their perceived idiocy than anything else.]

[letteropener]

They have no guarantee that we will do as we are 'supposed' to. I would prefer to see welcomeness and openness rule the day, but I can think of times in my own history when I would have been just as suspicious, with cause.

[Ever gracious and understanding, is our princess.]

[unriddling]

[Riddler certainly wouldn't, if he was in their shoes. That doesn't mean he won't be hypocritical and somewhat annoyed about it.]

Acting like we're spreading the plague only increases feelings of ill-will.

Not that they're particularly necessary for daily living. Food is provided for free and without them. [Somehow. He's still trying to work that out.] And other supplies aren't impossible to procure if you try hard enough.

[letteropener]

You are correct. I can understand their actions, but I do not agree with them.

[Something he says, though, catches her attention in a way he wouldn't expect -- because she can't help but notice, as they talk, that he has a carnivore's teeth.]

I hope the food is suitable for ponykind...

[unriddling]

[OF COURSE HE'S RIGHT.]

[His slight satisfied smirk at being agreed with vanishes at that.]

I wouldn't be shocked to learn our host didn't plan for that. I've seen there are, at the very least, apples. If your kind's diet is anything like the ones back where I'm from.

[letteropener]

Those will certainly do, although I will admit to a profound and deep irritation if I'm unable to get a cake every once in a while.

[She can at least make a joke out of her situation -- no, she can make light of her situation, because her statement was absolute truth.]

[unriddling]

...Cake. [Sure, why wouldn't the ponies have cake?] I've seen bakeries around. If an apartment...small>[He narrows his eyes at her wings and general size],,,or wherever you find to stay doesn't provide, perhaps you can cut a deal with some of the natives to make you one. Or--

[Riddler glances down at her hooves.] If you had hands, I would suggest simply walking in and taking ingredients suitable for your diet. [He suspects she wouldn't anyway, but he can't keep himself from mentioning the most practical solution that springs to mind.]

[...Why is he trying to help her, anyway?]

[letteropener]

And you have raised another good point, that of housing. [Celestia would love to sigh, but dignity prevents her. Still, her smile has a bit of a watery edge about it, as the troubles continue to pile on.]

[unriddling]

...There's farmland over the river, which likely have places with more room than the apartments in this area. [Barns, basically. He feels like saying it outright would be more of an insult than is necessary.]

[He has an odd urge to help her hunt down an apartment that could take her, anyway. He may put his nose into others' business, but not like this.]

[letteropener]

Farmland? [Celestia laughs, her head tipped back.] I would almost welcome the change from the palace, I think, just for the experience! But I do not think I will be short on new experiences at all, here.

[unriddling]

[Hmm.] No doubt. There's nothing like a palace here, Princess, except perhaps the Spire.

[letteropener]

I hardly need a palace. If nothing else, I will simply find a cloud somewhere. [Little does she know...]

The Spire?

[unriddling]

[For a moment, he assumes that's some sort of euphemism, like 'a hole in the wall'. Then he thinks of everything else she's spoken of so far and wonders.] Don't tell me your clouds aren't water vapor.

The tallest and most important-looking building in Freesia, you'll know it when you see it. None of the citizens of this place go there, though some of we outsiders have. [Not him, yet.] I don't know if you'd be allowed to stay even if you wished to, but if you want to try...

[Riddler shrugs grandly. Up to her, in the end.]

[letteropener]

It sounds worthy of investigation, if not habitation. Thank you for telling me about it.

[Graciousness and gratitude never run thin. She inclines her head to him with both.]

There is so very much to adjust to, here...

[unriddling]

[He gives a very slight bow back. It could be perceived as mocking. It might be. Even he isn't certain.]

For you more than most, yes, though we've all had to work on it. Perhaps your stay will be short, if our abductor is found and persuaded</> to show us the way back before too long. [His voice is very neutral.]

[letteropener]

I would hope that we could arrive at some arrangement, yes.

[Celestia is just as neutral. Obviously, she would prefer diplomacy and discussion... but if necessary, she will fight to return back to her proper place and her subjects.]

[unriddling]

[Riddler gives an easy shrug. He doubts it'll go without a fight, and that it will be quite dangerous, but he doesn't particularly care. He just wants to find the man in the sunglasses and teach him not to mess with such a well-known villain.]

The best of luck on finding him, Princess. He hides well, if he's even around here.

[letteropener]

If it were easy, you would have done it already. But more heads may provide more answers to the problem.

[As serious as she is about addressing this whole problem, Celestia is also too patient and wise to get angry or aggressive about it pointlessly.]

[unriddling]

Of course I would have.

[A slightly less easy shrug.] I may give advice from this [he aims a thumb at his eyeglass] if you need it. It's a technology for long-distance communication, if you didn't have it back where you're from.

[letteropener]

No. We have nothing of the sort, not like this. [Her eyes go up and over to try to look at the device where it hangs by her ear, pure reflex since she cannot see it.] We communicated by mail, or sometimes by scrolls transmitted though dragonfire.

[unriddling]

It--[He reflexively takes a step forward, pauses for a split second as he registers and struggles with a few thoughts (she could probably put him in a lot of pain with a kick or a wingbeat; he doesn't really need to be touchy, he's in control enough and doesn't need to demean her) and then continues, just so they're properly face to face.] --it can be controlled with thought. It covers your ear and can show a screen for something like mail. Text and speech and video. [His voice is a bit like what one would hear at a lecture hall presentation. He gestures towards his head and demonstrates text with his own.]

how does dragonfire transmit anything?

[letteropener]

Oh, that is remarkable -- [She starts as the screen abruptly deploys in response to her mental energy, though not so much as to put him in any danger at all.]

[His question is there, and she reads it with a bit of difficulty for this new method of study before she focuses her eyes back on him.]

My student, Twilight Sparkle, had a baby dragon for an assistant, so we worked out a system of magic scrolls that he could send to me with his flame, and I could send back through it.

[unriddling]

...These seem more reliable than that sounds. [He looks a tad skeptical for a moment, but...really. He rolls with it, at least for now. Everything is strange now, he knows he'll figure it all out eventually when he feels like it.]

Student? Were you grooming an heir to take your place?

[letteropener]

Not to take my place... well, perhaps someday, but that is a complicated question. At the core, though, she had immense ability, a gift for magic that needed to be nurtured and cherished, so that she could unlock her own true potential.