Another Sappy HiE Fic

by exsnaggerwes

Cider

“I'm back, and I brought cider!”

I'm taken aback, “that was fast. How did you know what to get?”

“You know, it's kind of funny. I was actually going to ask for a few mugs of 'shine but the bartender insisted that I wanted cider. I think there might be something wrong with everything else. Is this usually what it's like, Rainbow?”

Rainbow snickered and shot a knowing glance in my direction. “You know it!”

“-And you like it here?”

“Heck yeah, this place is second only to Sweet Apple Acres when it comes to their drink!” Rainbow proudly announced while taking a mug from Umbra, who had somehow managed to carry three pints of strong smelling beverage under his forelegs without spilling a drop.

“By the way, I think the bartender knows you. She said something about a more than generous tip you gave last time. I have no idea what she was going on about, but I think she has a thing for you.”

Rainbow craned her neck to see behind Umbra and me, and gave a stealthy wink. Curious, I turned around, needing to hook a foreleg around the back of the booth behind Umbra to see. Behind the bar was something I hadn't expected to see walking on clouds. The bartender wasn't a griffon, pegasus, bat, or even cloud-walking unicorn, but a seemingly adolescent winged dragon... who was waving a claw and winking back. I quickly sat back down to avoid being caught rubbernecking, but feared I was too late. Wanting to change the subject, I opened up with the usual casual conversation starter.

“So, do either of you play video games?” Realizing far too late the ridiculousness of the question, I facehoofed at my faux-pas.

---

“Please don't tell me that this is going to be a regular occurrence. I don't think Twilight would appreciate being the princess of immigration as well as friendship, magic, and whatever other vague concepts we can come up with. She'll begin to suspect something is 'up' as the young ponies are saying now.”

The solar diarch patiently sipped on her tea as her sister spoke.

“Unless you wish to house them here?”

Celestia didn't respond.

“Surely, you do not wish for us to throw them in the dungeon... do you?”

“...”

“Sister?”

“Yes, Luna?”

“Please give me some sort of acknowledgment. This is the second time this has happened, and there are more this time. They're not even ponies, which only complicates things more. If the griffon embassy hears wind of this, it may not be easy to keep the portal a secret. This could tear a whole in the already thin fabric of diplomacy. I have seen the changes you have made in my absence, and while I can agree with most of them, I still feel a revolt in the midst. Can you not understand that this could turn into a crisis?”

Celestia finished her cup of tea and forked the remains of the peach cobbler she was having for desert into her mouth. She deliberately took her time with the actions ensuring that her sister would have to wait just that much longer. Impatience was growing evident on her face, and she could tell that Celestia was only testing her temper. Luna attempted to remain firm, but only succeeded to scrunch her muzzle in doing so. Finishing her dessert, Celestia finally answered the younger sister's pleas.

“The reason the portal was kept a secret in the first place was to prevent creatures of chaos and disharmony from reaching worlds that were not under our control. If we are so worried about the political matters here, how can we impose ourselves on the beings of their world? If they have found a means to travel hear of their own volition, they should be free to do so, as we have chosen to observe them in the past. Even you remember how fond our previous mentor was of this land without magic, don't you?” Luna nodded. “Besides, we can let the griffons deal with their own affairs before taking on that of these new immigrants. I am sure that eventually they will find out, but until then, why not enjoy this opportunity to observe these creatures here? There are things to be gained from both sides if you'll step back to see.”

“What about your student, Twilight Sparkle?”

“I have told you before, Luna. She is not my student any more, but our peer. If we treat her as any less, then she will ultimately fail to realize her potential. As for her duties and title, there's a saying the Earth ponies have. 'We shall cross that bridge when we come to it.'”

“Fine, but know that this is not over. Prolonging the inevitable does not prevent it from happening. Also, I do believe that it is your duty to deal with them this time around. I have night court to attend to, and apparently there is already unrest about Ponyville's more recent 'natural' disasters.”

---

“I've heard of Metroid before! I've never played it, but Scootaloo's one friend swears that it's one of the greatest of all time!” Rainbow Dash bounced excitedly in her seat. I couldn't tell if it was the cider or if she actually thought any bit of what I said was interesting. Maybe it was both, or maybe she needed to use the restroom. I briefly wondered how the restrooms worked in cloudsdale, but shook the thought away.

Umbra seemed more legitimately intrigued. “So your world has so many similarities with ours, that even the names of things are similar?” By some miracle, my conversation starter wasn't quite as useless as I had suspected. Video games were a thing in Equestria, and even though Dash and Umbra had never played any before, they prided themselves in being able to name games that sounded similar to the ones I had listed. Unsurprisingly, they were almost all horse and dragon puns, save a few with more unique names like Metroid. Some even had names that weren't even creative puns, but just cheap ripoffs of others, like Pony Fantasy. Even board games had similar naming schemes, each with a more laughable title than the next, like Monopony and Dungeons & Manticores. The list went on, but the more we talked, the more it became obvious that their electronic industry hadn't advanced to nearly the level that Earth's had, and some titles were simply unheard of. It was also obvious that modern things like video games hadn't been around for very long, as most ponies saw them only as a waste of time, and very few ponies even cared about them. Rainbow Dash, despite never playing them, seemed to know a lot about them, but only through her younger friends. Umbra hadn't even known they existed before I brought them up. “How do they even work in your world if you don't use magic for any of it?”

I thought for a moment, carefully putting together a response. “I suppose in a way, we have our own magic. It's really hard to explain how electronics work, and I'm no expert on them by any means, but from what I've seen so far, your magic and our grasp of technology are very similar in that regard.”

“I see. So in your world, does everyone play these magical games?”

“Some do, some don't. Most people just have so much free time on their hands that they don't know what to do with it, and through games they can live out adventurous lives where they can be anything they want. It's also a way to be closer to people who live further away.”

“That sounds great, but why can't they just be who they want to be anyway?”

“Things aren't always that simple there. Since there's no magic, things are quite a bit more difficult. For one, people don't magically know what they're good at just by doing it one time. It's usually a soul-searching process that can even take entire lifetimes. Most people don't know what they want to be until it's too late, and then they're stuck doing something they hate. Others never find out what they want to be or even if they want to be.”

“If they want to be?”

Rainbow sat across the table watching our conversation unfold and take a slightly darker turn, but didn't seem to follow completely. Umbra was still waiting for a response, but I wasn't sure if I wanted him or Rainbow to hear it. Luckily, Rainbow had reached the bottom of her first glass of cider and got up for some more, leaving me with just Umbra within earshot. The rest of the bar was quiet, and the late hour ensured that very few people were out and about socializing. A few tables and booths across the room were occupied by small groups and couples who glanced over every now and then to gawk at the sight of a bat-winged pony and his blank-flank companion. Just to be safe, knowing how well pony hearing could be, I leaned over and whispered to Umbra.

“Mental disorders are so common among humans that they often go undetected for long periods of time. I'm sure there's a similar situation here where a pony is unable to fulfill their destiny, is there?”

Umbra whispered back, “I've only heard of a few cases of that, but only in passing. Those cases are very rare, but they happen. It's never a good thing.”

“It happens quite a bit to humans, and with nothing but time to think about that, they often go insane and cause harm to themselves.”

“That's horrible.”

“Yeah,” I snorted, “If only you knew just how much of a burden a blank flank could be to a human. Those fancy butt-tattoos you have are a blessing. What does yours mean, if you don't mind me asking?”

“My cutie-mark? I don't mind you asking at all. Ponies love being asked about their talents!” He gestured to the burning rocks on his rump, “This is actually a symbol for Ragnarok, the end of time. They're meteorites burning up in atmosphere.” His eyes met with mine as he noticed my cold stare. “Don't be startled, I'm not evil or anything. Ragnarok is just my name, and the symbol isn't meant to be interpreted directly. It actually represents my passion quite well. You see, I am a night guard, but I'm also an astronomer. I've studied Luna's night sky long before her return, and I excitedly awaited her return. Not so that Nightmre Moon would reign again, but so that Luna could be brought back and I could finally see her sky once more.” At that point in the conversation, Rainbow returned with three more pints of hard cider, holding them the same way Umbra did when he brought them the first time.

“More cider, colts?”

“Actually, I had something else in mind, if you're alright with that.”

Rainbow glared back at Umbra.

“Oh, don't worry, these drinks won't go to waste.”

Comments

[harts fire]

interesting chapter, a good chapter witch is building story plot.

[Phenrys]

I like it, especially the Ragnarok reference. (Well, and Metroid, of course)

[Twilight_the_spy]

I like this story.. It deserves some more likes than it currently has..

[exsnaggerwes]

5730697 Thank you very much!
but I'm more than satisfied with the attention this one has
It's not one of my favorites, and yet I'm getting surprisingly positive feedback.
Thank you again.

[Flash_Magnus]

“Don't be startled, I'm not evil or anything. Ragnarok is just my name, and the symbol isn't meant to be interpreted directly. It actually represents my passion quite well. You see, I am a night guard, but I'm also an astronomer. I've studied Luna's night sky long before her return, and I excitedly awaited her return. Not so that Nightmare Moon would reign again, but so that Luna could be brought back and I could finally see her sky once more.”

I just loved him even more now I've been a fan of astronomy for about 16 years now and I love bat ponies so much