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

[unriddling]

[There's a pause as Riddler glances at the sky and obvious sun, though his eyes are hidden behind his ever-present mask.] ...Right. [She doesn't look blind.]

We have. About half a dozen originally-- [wait] All humanoid. There's one grey creature that claims to be some kind of royal. Any kingdom under his rule is likely sighing in relief at his absence.

[He shifts to take a few steps forward, to the edge of the four steps that lead to the sidewalk. He doesn't yet walk down to her level--he prefers the height advantage.]

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[Celestia frowns, an abstract and thoughtful expression. Truth be told, she's paid little difference to their dissimilar heights -- the privilege of being the taller one.]

There are no other ponies here, then? That is very strange...

[unriddling]

[Certainly strange to see on a non-humanoid.]

You have the honor of being the first. [He studies her again--it's not completely admitting ignorance if he states facts, right? Right.] And any pony I've heard of didn't have wings or horns or...your level of color.

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Oh? You have heard of ponykind before?

[Interesting, that one of their people should have heard of the other but not the reverse. The truth of the matter, of course, never occurs to her. Why would it?]

[unriddling]

They're common in the countryside, on farms. [Riddler hasn't really seen one up close. He's a city boy, through and through.]

[He isn't sure if he wants to address the talking part yet. Riddler may be a villain, but he tends to have a reason before he's cruel to another, even if the reason is small. This pony-creature hasn't given any.]

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Earth ponies? [That is immediately where her thought goes, of course. Earth ponies, after all, are most common on farms.]

[unriddling]

I suppose. There aren't any other non-earth ponies where I'm from. [That's an odd word in his voice.]

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No pegasi or unicorns? [How strange, and very confusing.] Does your kind, then, take charge of the weather and the seasons?

[unriddling]

No. They're fictional.

[What.] ...Very rarely. [Looking at you, Mr. Freeze.] Atmospheric conditions and the planet's rotation cause those. [Riddler frowns and wonders. Does this...pony even know what a planet is?]

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Really.

[Celestia regards him with a blank look of confusion for a moment. Then she smiles, as a measure of the humor of the situation strike her.]

I think at this point we can both be forgiven for finding the world the other comes from to be very strange indeed. So all the natural cycles of your planet are independent of intervention by intelligent species?

dash those hopes eddie

[unriddling]

[Riddler inclines his head slightly. The thought that he should be adjusting to this situation faster prickles at the back of his mind. He decides to stick to the subject.]

There are some devices that can cause the probability of rain to rise, or to create storms like it was winter in the middle of summer, but those are temporary and usually work to cover less than the city even at the most extreme. They're not exactly common.

...What do ponies do? [He hopes the answer isn't magic.]

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Unicorns control the seasons with their magic, while pegasi control the weather with their wings.

[Which is probably also technically magic.]

Earth ponies tend to the land and the animals, in turn. Of course, the divisions are not universally so sharp, but I am only speaking generally.

[unriddling]

[That is not a very satisfying answer. Though a part of him is grateful that a world of magic pony creatures doesn't have more advanced science than his does.]

Humans have only wits and hands for everything even with the natural cycles. We have machines. [Stop proclaiming species superiority, Riddler, you don't know anything yet.]

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Oh, none of you have the ability to perform spells? [She phrases her question very specifically, because obviously they have magic. The deep magics like friendship and love can be tapped by anypony, after all.]

[unriddling]

[He would scoff hard if he could hear her thoughts. They're not worth much to a man who was stabbed in the back by his only friend (and person he dared love), it certainly isn't near magical.]

No. [Not that he knows of anyway.] We don't really need those kinds of things, even if we did. Well. I don't. [Even though he loves his tech magic, he isn't calling it that.]

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Interesting! I apologize if these questions are overly personal, but I have not had a chance to meet a new and unique species in centuries. I'm very eager to hear more.

[Smiling brilliantly, Celestia doesn't even realize that the whole 'centuries' thing might be surprising.]

[unriddling]

[Riddler only shows it by a slight widening of his eyes--and really, the centuries is only as surprising as her sticking to politeness.]

[He's a bit suspicious, but he can't isn't going to keep his mouth shut in the face of curiosity.]

Talking about species isn't particularly personal. [He shifts to lean against the stairs' railing.] Ponies certainly don't live centuries where I'm from. Nor do humans.

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[It could be very personal if she starts inquiring what's beneath his clothing. Purely because she wonders if his kind have cutie marks, of course.]

Ah, well -- my sister and I are exceptions in that regards too. I expect that under normal circumstances, ponykind and humankind live probably about the same length of time.

[Just an estimation from an 'amateur' natural scientist.]

[unriddling]

[It'd be uncomfortable, but he'd roll with it. His costume doesn't leave much to a human's imagination already--prying about particulars to himself would be a lot more of an issue than about human bodies.]

Why is that?

The average is around eighty years, though a bit more than a century is possible.

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[Celestia doesn't realize clothes aren't optional for humans. Yet.]

We are princesses and rulers of Equestria. There are other princesses, but we are the first and oldest of them.

[unriddling]

Your crown tipped me off. [Sort of. Riddler doesn't know about pony culture, but he did assume she was of some importance. ...He doesn't seem particularly impressed by her title, beyond a small spark of surprise in the back of his mind that she hasn't been more obnoxious. ...Yet.]

So becoming royalty grants immortality?

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My sister and I are special cases in that regards as well. Perhaps it is simply the power of being the first true princess.

[If Celestia knows details, she isn't telling them. Certainly not for any personal reason.]

Thank you for not assuming the crown was standard headgear for a pony.

[unriddling]

[Riddler makes a small noise of acknowledgement to cover his flash of confusion.]

[...She's probably just playing nice just in case he's useful later.]

You realize never introduced yourself, Princess? [Despite himself, there's still not much of a bite in his tone.]

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Oh? Oh! I do apologize!

[Celestia bows her head and spreads her wings. She is so used to everypony knowing her that she forgets introductions must be necessary in this case!]

My name is Princess Celestia.

[unriddling]

[Riddler manages to keep still at the wings this time, at least. He just...nods back. He wants to do something, make some kind of comment as a powerplay, like he would with any human(oid), but he can't quite think of anything to throw at a pony-creature to show that he can be a threat not to challenge without risks.]

[...Probably not a bad thing, seeing as she's so huge and up-close. Maybe later. If he has to.]

You can call me the Riddler. [He internally laments the fact he doesn't have a cane on-hand to show off his baton skills.]