//------------------------------// // Day 17: Botching a Diplomacy Roll // Story: Phase Shift // by redtau //------------------------------// Notes on a new world: Day 17 Bureaucracy is an inevitability in any world it seems. Let me start again. It is generally accepted, according to the primer, that things which are "other" can be unsettling to any group and the more other something is, the more disturbed the group becomes. The primer acknowledges that jumpers are, by their nature, otherworldly and very "other" to the local inhabitants of a world. The best way to reduce stress and strain is to help the locals classify you in some way. So while I might be a horrible, deformed monstrosity from beyond the stars, if the locals know that I am a specific kind of horrible monstrosity from beyond the stars they should panic a lot less. I thought this would be a fairly simple task. This world is lousy with monsters, ancient temples, evil sorcerers, and things like that, and each one has expanded the classification process to the point of absurdity. As for why I am now attempting to classify humanity within the monster/magic/threat rating system, let me simply say that one should not interrupt anyone doing magic even if you think it is very silly. I watched the animals float around in intricate patterns, each surrounded by a soft purple glow. Next to me Butterscotch fretted and worried, Barb looked on with awe, and Nocturne watched with stiff posture and thick sunglasses. I couldn't tell if she was thrilled or bored. With a long sigh Dusk set the creatures down and bowed. Barb applauded, bringing a smile to the librarian's place. "Oh, thank goodness it's over." Butterscotch rushed over to his animal friends. "They were so scared." A couple of the critters seemed to be raising skeptical eyebrows at their yellow caretaker. "What did you think of the demonstration?" Dusk asked. "I think it was great." Barb called, giving two thumbs up. "I liked it." I said, noting how many creatures had been moving in different directions. "Meh." Imp chimed in. "Meh?!" Dusk was shocked. "That was high level magic." "But it doesn't look like high level magic." Imp waved a hand. "I bet butterscotch could train those animals to run almost that exact same pattern on the ground in like a week." "We haven't got a week," Dusk huffed, "The Saddle Arabian ambassadors will be here in three days." "It's the animals themselves that are the problem." Imp replied, then had to dodge up out of the way of a thrown carrot. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY ANIMALS!?" "Nothing!" I stepped between Butterscotch and Imp, who was now cowering in the trees, "Nothing is wrong with the animals, but because they are intelligent creatures much of the motion we saw might be falsely attributed to them." "Like they were trained to fly in formation?" Barb asked, "They're not wonderbolts." "It's an illusion you'll have to work past. Spinning knives, plates, or even fireballs through the same routine would be just as difficult, and you'd get a better reaction." Dusk frowned, "Maybe, but Butterscotch went to all the trouble of voleteering-" "I don't mind if my animal friends AREN'T used for a terrifying and dangerous magical demonstration." Butterscotch cut in quickly, already gathering up said creatures and slowly backing away. Dusk groaned. "Fine, I'll go work on making fireballs I can fling around then I " I glared at Dusk as he suddenly started speaking gibberish. "Boss, quick pow-wow." Imp landed on my shoulder and whispered in my ear. "I told you to warn me before you did that." I sniped. "What's your main goal here?" "Simple, find Sara and get home." "Right, well scanning long range is beyond my capacity at the moment. But I had a thought, why not make Sarah come to us?" "Great plan, how?" "She might be in hiding, but she'd be on the lookout for other ARCO personnel or any rescue party." Imp waved a hand, "If we get you noticed and in the papers far and wide, then she might see and come to us." "I'm working as an assistant librarian, I can't afford to buy popularity on my salary and the only place I can find fame is in the card catalog." "You are working for a national hero, and you are going to be in close proximity to foreign ambassadors in just a few days." Imp grinned evilly at me. "That's a photo op if I ever heard one." "I'm not invited to the meeting." I pointed out. Imp gestured and returned the translation spell before pointing at Dusk Shine. "Yet. You're not invited yet." "I'm not so sure about this Justin." Dusk said. "Come on, it's perfect. You are a national hero, and a mock battle will be far more impressive than juggling animals." "You do look menacing with the cape and shades." Barb offered. Nocturne nodded slightly, squinting in the evening sun. "Sunglasses at night look ridiculous," Dusk protested, "And you'd have to drop the translation spell for any demonstration. I'm currently practicing with balls of water." "Well throw one out and lets see how it looks." I said, summoning a single spirit ball. Dusk huffed a tired sigh and pulled up a glowing sphere of water about the size of a softball and lobbed it up in the air. My spirit ball shot after it and on impact there was a great sploosh of water and a fairly impressive spray. "OK, that was pretty cool." Barb turned to Dusk, "What about other elements? Earth, fire? OW!" She fell forward, clutching the back of her head. "Justin!" "Oops, sorry," I cringed back from he wounded drake. "My spirit balls deal two hits before dissipating. They kind of target whatever takes my focus." "Then I am going to spend the next two days working on my elemental 'juggling' and you are going to focus on target practice." Dusk turned away. "I don't want you accidentally smacking the ambassadors in the face if they ask you a question." I nodded my consent and turned to the bat pony. "Nocturne?" she jumped at hearing her name, "Care to help me out?" For two days it was fill out forms, restock books, and practice with Nocturne. The little bat winged courier was deceptively fast, able to toss seven of the little rubber balls in the air before I had more than two of the little spheres out. Imp and Barb were kept busy retrieving the balls and testing my concentration. Twice I batted Imp across the room, though I'm pretty sure he flew between a ball and one of my magic spheres the second time. It was exhausting and I was quite happy when Imp told me there would be no more practicing on the last day before the demonstration. "You've drained your magic reserves down so far that if you don't take it easy, you won't have enough to do anything at all tonight." "What do you think Dusk, can we make it look good?" The unicorn kicked one of the little balls and nodded. "I've mastered getting the spheres up and moving, and it's clear you'll be able to counter any I throw at you, but I'm concerned. The dirt and fire spheres will just pop spectacularly, but I don't think you'll be able to avoid getting wet from the water spheres." "Damn, and we can't shunt the corrosive effect of water on me without my other companion." "You said you could disable the translation, that would negate the effect of the water." "Yeah boss, towel yourself off at the the end and I'll kick the translation back on." Imp hovered up on a bookshelf, halfheartedly looking for the location of a tome he held. "You plan to actually hit me with any of the spheres? I can't block more than four in sequence." "I'll time it well, you'll see." I paced back and forth, noting with some satisfaction the way my cape seemed to furl about me with each step and turn. Elusive had really gone all out and I certainly looked the part of a regal villain. Dusk was out doing the initial introduction now and at any moment- "I'm sure you know, my friends and I are capable of more than just simple feats of speed and strength. Tonight I present for you a mock duel with one of our newest friends, Justin of ." "You're up boss." Imp pulled the curtain aside. "Give them a good show, I got a towel waiting for you when you're done." I stepped on stage and waved at the cheers and gasps. On the far side Dusk had over a dozen spheres of earth, water and fire swirling around him like electrons. I summoned up a pair of my own spheres and set them spinning about me before assuming a combative stance and nodding at Dusk. The first sphere, one of dirt, shot straight towards me and I impacted it with a sphere before it had crossed half the stage. The great blast of dirt burst out, catching the spotlights and looking magnificent. With a flourish Dusk sent two more at me, an earth and fire. The dirtball and fire were caught by my second sphere in a sequential hit. Flame shot out in a ring and the dust shimmered in the swell of light. I threw the last of my first balls power at Dusk, popping one of the water spheres over his head. While he shook off the water and the crowd laughed I pulled up two more spheres. After that, the back and forth became too quick to follow easily. Dusk planted his hooves and threw the elemental spheres at me in great swooping arcs and straight dives. I even had to leap out of the way as a dirtball sailed past everything and slammed into the stage where I just was. The finale involved one of each element detonating overhead, with the water one dousing me in a light rain. As one we turned to the crowd and the two ambassadors and bowed, and I enjoyed the cheers and applause. Imp brought me the towel and I dried off as I stepped off stage and walked towards my goal. Dusk was already speaking with the two large horse creatures, smiling and waving his hooves around. Satisfactorily dry I tossed the towel to Imp and nodded. Which meant I only got to hear the last of the discussion. "That was amazing!" the ambassador said. "here, do it again!" and I turned to catch a large glass of water being thrown in my face. Dusk had heard of the damage the water had done. He would never in his life doubt the words of Barry or Prince Artemis. But there was something infinitely worse in seeing it than in just hearing about it secondhand. The left side of Justin's face steamed, bubbled, and melted away to skeletal bone. Justin let out an agonized scream, clutching at the wound and cringing away. Then something seemed to shift in him and he leapt onto the ambassador's table. Both delegates let out screams and fell back as Justin fell on their food like a beast. "It's alright, it's a side effect of his healing!" the little imp was calling as it flew after the Saddle Arabians and tried to calm them down. Having a strange creature chase you while shouting was not having the desired effect. Other ponies were starting to panic, and guards stepped forward to apprehend the source of the disturbance. Dusk focused and lifted Justin from the table in his magic, spinning him around. "Justin! Calm down, I know your... in... pain...." Dusk felt his mouth go dry as he looked at the creature that hung in his magic before him. Justin's eyes were solid black with glowing red pupils and his teeth. He had seen those teeth. He had carefully and closely inspected those teeth. They weren't all sharp points like that, and there was no way there were more than one row. This was a predator, plain and simple, and with an effort it reached out and smacked the tip of his horn. In a start Dusk's magic collapse and he stepped back. Justin loomed over him for just an instant before he was gone, running off into the night. Nocturne picked up the last signed paper and stuffed it into the outgoing envelope. Seventeen basic diplomatic forms had been completed and with luck she could crash in Canterlot for a few days waiting for replies before she had to come back here. Her stomach grumbled, and she eyed the baked salmon and asparagus the little dragoness had left out for her. Barb had said cooking for thestrals was like cooking for Justin, even if she had to hide it from Dusk Shine. Just thinking about the powerful purple unicorn sent a shiver up Nocturnes spine. "Just stay calm, everything will be alright. Just a few days reprieve to clear my head and I'll be back and ready to deal with all of this." She turned away and paced out of the room to where her bags lay packed, sticking the envelope in among them. She jumped as the door slammed open and ran back to the workroom to find Justin devouring her dinner. She wasn't going to eat it anyway, but the bloodstained hands and disheveled look, not to mention the sharp teeth, caused the dark pony to fall back a step. She bumped into the counter and a mug fell off, bouncing off the ground with a dull ringing. Justin spun to stare at her, deep red eyes in a see of black burning into her soul. "Now... Justin... I know you're in a bit of pain right now." She could nearly feel it, the way half his face was so shiny and new, the way he carried himself. "I'm sure you've eaten enough so if you just Lay Down and Go To Sleep." Justin was standing over her by the time she'd finished speaking, her eyes staring hard into his as she forced her will over his hunger. There was another staggered step and Justin toppled over on top of her. I clutched my head and kept my eyes closed, sucking down the strong bitter coffee and praying the painkiller spell Imp had cast would kick in soon. Last night had been a fiasco, what little I could remember of it anyway. As a favor to Prince Solaris the whole event was being kept as quiet as possible, providing I donate a substantial amount of money to Saddle Arabia to cover the stress of their diplomats. "We have to get this problem fixed." I groaned. "I'm charging your other companion as fast as I can boss." Imp alighted next to me. "Just be glad you didn't hurt anyone or even really break anything." A sheaf of papers landed next to me and I glanced up to see Nocturne. Our eyes met for a moment before she turned away with a furious blush. I'm apparently collapsed on top of her after running back to the library and had been found cuddling the poor pony while muttering in my sleep. Dusk was jumpy around me, and hadn't let me be alone with him or Barb since. He had also given me additional homework. I picked up the top paper and groaned at it. "You are seriously making me fill out a Monster/Beast/Villain registration form on myself?" "Oh no, I tried for that, but Prince Solaris doesn't want any unfortunate repeat of last night with any other visitors from ARCO." Dusk magically dumped a stack of papers three times as high as the first next to me. "You'll have to fill out a registry entry for humanity in general." "I don't know half of these number ranges. Thaumaturgic load? Elemental affinity rating? Challenge rating, wait why is there a challenge rating?" "Oh, the Shoreline Mages printing company has an ongoing contract with the monster registry in Canterlot!" Barb said excitedly. "New creatures can be put into new adventures for Ogres and Oubliettes." "Great, I get to be the baddie in a dungeon for teenage ponies to slay." I put my head back down. "Can't I go back to filling out diplomatic forms?" "Not until these are finished." Dusk replied sharply. "Prince's orders."