//------------------------------//
// 11: Intermezzo 
// Story: Rez: Eqstr[Tera] 
// by NiGHTcapD 
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Today is for meeting others.
After all the crap that I went through yesterday, I needed a rest. I got a good night's sleep in the least, and now I feel up to getting to know those who I helped out. I mean, their main power is based largely around friendship, so I might as well try to be friendly, right? Anyways, Twilight is probably in the middle of something important, because she's not letting me through at the moment. Probably a good time to return Celestia's calls.
"Hi. Sorry about forcing you onto voicemail, but I really wasn't feeling up to answering questions at the time...I was kind of smashed in spirit. Anyways, this message will consist of me answering the questions you asked me, but never got a reply to. This is that reply.
"About the enlightenment thing, I have a feeling you'd need to ask Eden itself how that works. But what it does is pretty much what it says on the tin, enlightening me to the world as a whole. Call it a 'super mode' of sorts, but I have more focus and more attention to go around. Kind of a zen state, although it only lasts as long as I'm truly connected to the source.
"Stain glass? No, thank you. I still feel guilty about the whole event, and I think you know why. I don't need to be immortalized for fixing my own bugs, even if they risk crashing the whole server. Not even for the accompaniment thing, not unless I either do something to really deserve it or I end up not being the only one. (Lumi only knows...if the elements can deputize me, they can do it to another out there.)
"As for why Discord couldn't affect me, I suppose that's because I operate via avatar. He's always been stuck in a different world than me, even when he was in my computer; though if he had escaped into the network, I fear he could have found a way out. But he didn't, and here we are. Although, he might have had better luck if he'd tried to reverse-engineer enlightenment-but if he doesn't want to put in the effort, we have nothing to fear on that front.
"Yes, I would like further magic practice. But it can wait. I've got my own magic to weave, and I've had enough practice with that on the forums. In any case, see you around." Not long after I finished recording the message, a familiar flash of white light overtook the screen, before subsiding and leaving my avatar floating in an orchard. "Taking me to meet...someone, are we?"
"You hit the nail on the head. Speaking of which, here she comes now. Hi, Applejack."
"Hello, Twi'. Hi Rez."
High-res. That doesn't get old, but it's old enough I know not to display my amusement. "Hello, uh, Applejack. We've met before, twice I think, but we never really formally introduced ourselves...which isn't really necessary anymore...so I guess now we just talk."
And talk we did. For an hour, Twilight had gone to help Pinkie Pie with something, so for an hour I shot the breeze with Applejack. She talked about her job, I talked about mine. We compared honesty and logic, and it took me longer than I had hoped for her to wrap her head around "false" not being a bad thing in programming. I tell her the classic tale of George Washington and the cherry tree, and reveal the irony behind it not being true. This elicits laughter when Applejack realizes the elaborate joke.
I then spring a question I'd been waiting to ask for a while. "Remember when you and your friends came in on Twilight, when she was contacting me?"
"Yep."
"I got my first taste of magic then, but I wasn't the only one it was acting on. If it's not too touchy or personal, then please tell me: why did you join in singing Eleanor Rigby?"
"..."
"If you don't want to answer, it's okay, but I'd really like to know."
"...uh..."
I silently berate myself in advance for even the possibility of being inconsiderate, but I say it anyways: "It...has to do with the deeper meaning, doesn't it? You saw it?"
"...yeah." I didn't need to go any farther, as I didn't want to be insensitive. She seemed somewhat thankful that I figured it out for myself, rather than her having to tell me.
We got back to talking, and after I brought up Apples to Apples we didn't get off that topic until Twilight came back, ready to formally introduce me to Fluttershy. I thanked Applejack for her time and left with Twilight.

I notice a cottage in the not-exactly-distant distance. "That's her place?"
"Yeah, that's Fluttershy's home." Twilight points at a thick biome of trees. "And right over there is the Everfree Forest."
"Looks like the kind of place I shouldn't go without good reason."
"You'd be right, trust me."
"Need-to-know basis. I can deal with that."
Fluttershy herself is outside. When she sees us coming, she slowly walks towards us, but it's obvious she has reservations. Recalling past chatroom experiences, I make a mental note not to be too pushy, give too little space to breathe, or otherwise do anything that would make her feel uncomfortable.
"Oh, uh...hello Twilight. Hello Rez."
"Uh, hi." I pause for a bit, and when I'm sure no one else is going to say anything, I continue. "I know we've already seen each other around, but those were kinda under less-than-ideal conditions. I was...hoping to take an opportunity to actually meet you. If, of course, this is okay with you?"
"Um...okay."
Twilight opted to stick around for the conversation this time, just in case I made sort of misstep I suppose. It wasn't necessary; I managed to hit it off rather well with the shy pegasus. Of course, she did end up saying things really quiet sometimes, but I knew when to show my acute sense of hearing and when not to respond.
The topics ended up being my job (hack for good), Fluttershy's job (animal caretaker and part-time EoH), social structures in nature (Wikipedia was a useful tool here), forum etiquette (How do you know if someone's really being apologetic, and what do you do about it?), wars (very brief, but wondering how people could do such things), religion (and the good things that can result from it), and music (reality can be a lovely place, but without this, it's hell to try to live there).
"Speaking of music, I thought you said techno was your lifeblood," Twilight interjected at one point. "But so far, I've only heard it a few times, you or otherwise. Care to elaborate?"
"Well, when hacking, yes. It takes my train of thought, gives it a backbeat, gives it focus. Writing code without it is easy, but infiltrating secure subsystems? Unthinkable. That said, I grew up on the classics: 20th to 23th centuries, with a special place in my heart for 1980s to 2010s. Techno fits better with electronics, but seeing as you don't have very many of those here, I use what else I know, and it seems to work out fine."
After a few hours of socialization, I determine it as time to leave. I'd definitely made a good start on making new friends in this alternative world, but I can't forget about those in my own. I promise Twilight I'll be back tomorrow, give her the forum address when she asks for it, and say "see you later" to Fluttershy.
I log out.