Putting the "Logy" in Psychology
What happened in that auditorium was too much for me to take. In this world, the power of music can apparently turn ponies into low-level reality warpers. I'm sorry, but I don't see how any of that is supposed to help me, or even to prove Drama's point that encouragement goes a long way.
But when I said that to her, all she said was: "Give it time." Yes, because I have so much of that now. Did she forget that I have no intention of lingering here? Neo Arcadia's my home. Equestria's just a hotel, and I've been on vacation long enough.
...
...Or was that 'motel'? I don't know what the difference is. It doesn't matter: tourism's a long-dead industry, there are no other population centers on Earth for people to travel to, and neither type of facility exists back home. Anypony scanning my memories knows what I was trying to say, anyway.
Semantics notwithstanding, Drama was able to understand that I needed to be alone for a bit and dismissed me after my latest declaration of her species' collective dementia. I decided to get some metaphorical air and went out for a walk, taking my purse with me (and making sure that a spare key that Drama had gifted to me was contained within). I exited the building through one of the windows this time, in light of my latest incident with that staircase.
On my way out, I passed two ponies who were excitedly talking to each other about being caught in the fringes of what they thought was one of Drama's rehearsals. When they saw me, I had to correct their notion that I was part of it and tell them that Drama was trying (unsuccessfully) to explain something to me. They were disappointed, but they went on gossiping about their experience as they trotted off.
Burning Salamandra: putting the "hears-e" in "rehearsal".
After a quick stop at a store to replenish my personal food supply (which has significantly more in stock this go around, hooray for newspapers), I decided to follow along with what the Royal Police suggested to me and took a trip to City Hall. The whole procedure for attaining citizenship took about half an hour, and I was informed that my papers and personal ID will be mailed to the Pyre within the next few days.
I would have expected the bureaucracy to take an era and a half to stop spinning their wheels and get their acts together, but between the R.P. mailing the paperwork to them, general magic usage, and them taking my presence seriously, it took a much shorter time than I guessed. The only way they could have gone any quicker would be if that Princess of theirs showed up in person to light a fire under them, and I was thankful for their efficiency.
Speaking of fire: while I was there, somepony asked me if I was too warm with my coat on. This wasn't an unreasonable question, taking both the summertime heat and my preference for cooler climates into account. I just told him that the temperatures didn't bother me as much as expected, and we left it at that. The truth of the matter is that my hardware runs pretty hot at peak performance, but my coolant does a fine job of keeping me... well, 'cool'. As long as I'm not subjected to something like open fire, which the type of coolant I use has trouble dealing with, then I can handle general warmth just fine.
With that said, I'd like to go on record as saying that my fights with Zero would probably be more even if he didn't have that accursed Flame Chip. Whose bright idea was it to put that Guard Orotic in charge of that factory, anyway?
With my personal complaints out of the way, I'm currently walking around more or less at random. I don't have any end goals in mind right now; I'm just bringing myself down all the way from Drama Heart's performance, taking in the sights and acquainting myself more and more with the city layout. Oh, I imagine it would be great if a way home just spontaneously materialized in front of me in the next thirty minutes, but that's about as likely as Dr. Weil voluntarily kissing a puppy.
Too, it would put a serious crimp in my plan to arm wrestle a minotaur for bragging rights. You may add that to the list of things I never thought I'd say in my life.
The atmosphere is a bit more relaxed. Ponies by and large are giving me a wide berth, but at least none of them are panicking and running away this time. Sky's on the cloudy side, so it looks like we might get some rain... scratch that, we are going to get some rain. I can see some of the clouds being moved around by pegasi, and if I focus enough... ... ... Yes, that one with the white mane's wearing some sort of flight uniform, as opposed to having a multi-colored coat. Still too far out for additional details.
It's not any of my business and I don't care if I'm caught in the rain, so I keep going and maintain my normal pace. Looking around, everything seems to be what's expected of a big city, and---
---hello, this is new. 'Manehattan Aquarium'? Can't say I've seen one of these in my life. I mean, I know they existed before, but... yeah, the scope of the destruction caused by the Elf Wars can't really be understated. I'm aware of a few private aquariums back home that housed sea life, but the 'rare' specimens they boasted used to be much more common.
But a public aquarium, now? And one that spans two floors, even? I'd say this is worth investigating.
...Or it would, if it weren't for the delay presented by a clerk who is surprised enough by my presence that he doesn't react when I request a ticket. "Excuse me, mister?"
"Aaaaaaa---"
Okay, this has been going on for almost thirty seconds. Shouldn't he need to breathe by now? "Hey."
"Aaaaaaa---"
I go through the motions of clearing my throat before trying again. "Hey."
"Aaaaaaa---"
I sigh before addressing the other ponies in the lobby. "Would someone smack the clerk for me, please? I think he's stuck."
Those present seem reluctant to do so, though whether they don't want to hit him or are uncomfortable in my presence is unclear. I frown, ideas for snapping him out of it racing forwards and backwards through my processor before being discarded.
The aquarium's front door opens, permitting an olive-colored earth pony foal. "...Permit me," she says in a dull tone, her voice close enough to a whisper that I can barely hear her. She gestures with her hooves at the counter. "...A lift?"
Either talking's too much effort for this one, or she's outright done with the world's oddities. I think I actually heard the ellipses in her request. I shrug and pick up the pony, balancing her on one hand and bringing her up to the counter. "Here you go."
The foal doesn't waste time thanking me or relishing the experience of being picked up by an affable alien robot, instead reaching for the clerk. In a maneuver that makes everypony flinch, myself included, she grabs a hair on his mustache and yanks it off---
OKAY, THEN. That is very much a new sound. So that's what happens when you fuse a shriek with a neigh. I did not honestly wonder that. "Ghehhh! Little pony, what was that for?!" the clerk protests as he regains his breath, no longer stuck. "Where's your parents?"
"...That's what I'm wondering," the foal states, her voice not rising above that near-whisper. She blows a lock of black hair away from her eyes, the only outward sign of her annoyance. "...So I would appreciate it if you stopped making that noise and did your job. You're not making our wait any easier." She jumps out of my hand to the ground and exits the lobby as if what had just transpired hadn't.
"I'm not the only one who thinks that behavior is very unchildlike, am I?" I ask the lobby at large. I nod when all of them, the now-not-quite-so-stunned clerk among them, mutter in agreement. "I thought so."
"Ergh... sorry about that," the clerk says, wincing as he taps his upper lip before hiding his residual pain with a smile. "I just wasn't expecting to meet you."
"I'll forgive you if you let me purchase a ticket for the day. How much do you charge?"
"Individual tickets are 30 bits for adults and 10 for foals or the nearest species-equivalent," the clerk explains. "If you're part of a group of three or more, you get fifty percent off from each. Of course, if you intend to purchase refreshments, it'll cost you extra. Finally, season passes are 120 bits per costumer."
"I'll just take an adult ticket for now," I decide as I count off 30 bits from my purse and hand them over. "If I like what I see, I can always upgrade..."
I can't think of too many ways to relax that would be just as good for me as what I'm doing now. I've said before that being here in this city was like being sent back to the past, and this is one of those times where it is actually a good thing. There are a handful of species I recognize as being still around to some extent or another, but virtually all of the rest are either extinct or getting pretty close.
And that's without getting into the specimens that I'm positive are native to this world. Rainbow trout aren't literally rainbow colored, to my knowledge.
Right now, I'm seated on a bench in front of a large tank of salt water fish that I'm told are native to the sea around Manehattan. Would that my frame was fully repaired right now, and that they permitted guests to swim in the tank. If they did, I'd be right there in the water with them. But sadly, that's a huge no-no.
That's another thing I want to add to my agenda: upon reaching full functionality, I intend to take a deep sea dive. Watching life go by on the outside of a tank is one thing, but it's not the same as being up close and personal with the ocean's denizens. I feel sorry for those people who live on land: they're limited to short sojourns through the water without the aid of special equipment. If I didn't have to replenish my Energen now and then, I'd be spending practically all of my time underwater. There's just so much to enjoy down there. Take it from me.
I watch a winter flounder swim up to the glass and drift there for a bit before going on its way, and I smile as it does. Peace. There's nothing like it, I muse to myself as I close my eyes.
"M-MANNEQUIN!"
And for that, I am grateful.
I open one eye, taking in my surroundings. Sure enough, Gray Ghost and her daughter are in the room with me. This time, they're not alone: a stallion and three more foals, one of whom is the emotionless one from earlier, are eyeing me interestedly. "Ebony, we talked about this!" Gray softly chastises her oldest child as the latter cowers behind her mother. "Close your eyes and pretend you're talking to another pony!"
While the young mare struggles to get her act together, I make a split second appraisal of the whole family. The stallion is looking between me and Ebony, probably considering something related to her phobia. The quiet foal is staring at me with an equally quiet intensity, eyes half-closed. The larger (and obstensibly older) of her brothers beams up at me, happy as a clam and shivering with excitement. The wide-eyed youngest of the group---
"HUGS!"
---has a death grip on my ankle. Ponies are really big on physical contact, aren't they? "Don't do that, please," I tell him firmly, working his hooves loose. His response is to whicker softly and tighten his grip, not wanting to let go yet.
The stallion steps forward to help out. At a glance, I take in his life preserver Cutie Mark and generally good-looking appearance (at least compared to other stallions I've seen up until now; how does one judge beauty in an alien race?). "Come on, little guy. Let her go," he says, coaxing him away from my leg. "Let's not bother her right now."
"Your species' social norms take some getting used to," I comment wryly, though I still favor the foal with a smile to let him know I wasn't upset at him.
"I wasn't expecting to meet you here today, Fairy," Gray Ghost tells me by way of a greeting. "Are you trying to get back to your element?"
"Things got a little weird at the Pyre this morning," I answer. "I went for a walk to clear my head, came across this place, and here I am."
Gray tilts her head a fraction. "By 'weird', you mean..."
"Salamandra blinded me with music and hit me with her harmony," I tell her bluntly. "It was poetry in motion, and I didn't like it."
It doesn't take long for Gray to work out what I said. Quirky as she is, she's pretty smart. "Experienced a 'heartsong' for the first time, huh? I'm sorry that you had to get a crash course in those from Sally, of all ponies. She's a little bit over the top."
I'd label that a candidate for 'biggest understatement of the year'.
"...What's a 'heartsong'?" the quiet child inquires.
"You remember two months ago when your mother went on a tangent about how wonderful her family was when she thought nopony was watching?" her father explains.
"W-Wait a sec," Ebony cuts in, pointedly looking someplace other than me. "That was a heartsong? I could've sworn that I was just dreaming all of that."
"I used to be confused about the concept myself, Ebony," the stallion assures her. "Trust me."
"Dreams and music aside, Fairy, I'd like for you to offically meet my family," Gray says to me, her pride clear in her voice and face. "My dear husband, Ocean Guard..."
A polite nod and smile from the stallion in question. "Hello."
"My first child, Ebony Evening..."
"D-Don't look at me right now!" the mare demands nervously, staring at the fish tank... then recoiling when she realizes that she can still see my reflection in the glass.
A gesture towards Little Mister Excitement. "The second oldest is Pure Energy. We named him for a Bulletin Community song."
"Hi hi hi! Tell me what's on your mind!" the bouncy colt greets me, his words just as much of a blur as he is. My mind is able to slow him down frame-by-frame, allowing me to see his spiral-esque Cutie Mark.
Gray then turns towards the emotionless filly. "Next up is Fiver, short for Five-of-a-Kind."
"...We've met," Fiver says after a moment's pause, eyes still locked on mine. That voice of hers is starting to get unnerving.
I return her stare for a few seconds before looking back at Gray. "Isn't that a bit of a jump from hyperactivity to hyper-stoicism?"
Gray delivers a dejected sigh. "Bothersome as that is, I'm more concerned with her Cutie Mark. What playing cards shaped like fangs have to do with calmness, I don't have a clue."
"...Give it time," Fiver responds without looking away. Her blinks are just as slow as everything else about her. "I'll work out my destiny eventually."
Her mother smiles confidently at her, then gestures at her youngest. "And last but certainly not least, Zig-Zag. But we typically just call him 'Zeke'."
A fitting name, I suppose. I lean forward and smile down at the huggy colt. "Nice to meet you, little one," I greet him politely. "Please, just call me 'Fairy'."
Zeke doesn't answer at first, instead gazing at me with those large orange eyes of his. I'm assuming that now that he's not trying to hug me impulsively, he is trying its best to see me for what I am. Finally he gives me the type of smile that only someone as carefree as a child can give. "Hi, Fairy robot lady," he chirps. "You're very pretty!"
Must... resist... urge... to squeal!
Gray snorts, amused. "I know that look. That's the face of somepony enthralled by sheer innocent cuteness. Zeke has that effect on others, Fairy. You're going to have to give in sooner or later."
"It's half that and half your species being very huggable by my creators' standards." Stop blushing, Leviathan! That's an order! "I'm afraid that if I start, I'm not going to stop."
"I don't know whether to be annoyed or thankful for her self-restraint," Ocean Guard muttered to his wife.
"Thankful," Ebony and Fiver respond immediately.
"Annoyed!" Energy and Zeke counter, though they are smiling as they say it. At the very least, they don't seem upset.
Gray shrugged. "I don't mind being hugged. I give you leave." She looks up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Huh. What would it be like to be hugged by an alien species?"
"I'm not going to hug anypony," I tell them. "I have standards to maintain. Anyway, now that I've met the entire gang, what sort of happenstance brings you to the aquarium?"
Ocean Guard takes the reins of the discussion from Gray. "The four of us had been out of town visiting my sister when you arrived in the neighborhood. We'd made prior arrangements to spend the day here as a family and make up for lost time before I went back to work."
"Ah. Family outing." I clasp my hands in my lap and look back up at the aquarium. "Well, don't let me keep you. It will probably be a while before I leave this room." I smile. "I'm just enjoying this too much."
"Alright, then. You have a good day. Everypony?" He gestures to a door leading to the next room. "They have a shark exhibit around here somewhere. You all want to check it out?"
With a cheer (including a deadpan "...Yay" thrown in the mix), most of the family leaves the room. Surprisingly, Fiver is the first to reach the door; from her behavior, I wouldn't have pegged her to be enthused about much of anything. Maybe she's just into sharks?
Even more surprisingly, Ebony is lingering in the room even after her mother leaves. She's shivering enough to make her chattering teeth audible from where I'm sitting, but she's lingering. "Miss Evening? Your family's going on with---"
"I KNOW!" she blurts out, cutting me off. Another pony in the room jumps in surprise and turns to glare at her, but she's too anxious to notice. "J-just... don't rush me, okay?! I h-have to do this!"
...Huh. Well, alright then.
I turn my attention back to the fish tank, silently reading off the plaques beneath it that described its residents. Just give her time, I tell myself. I imagine that if she wants to talk to me about something, it's best not to rush it. Not with that fear of me she has.
Dear Celestia Dear Celestia Dear Celestia Dear Celestia---!
Ebony couldn't stop repeating the words in her mind. She had let herself stay behind in a room with one of her worst fears... willingly.
And that was the kicker right there. After her mother had read off the details about Leviathan from the newspaper, Ebony was able to start telling herself that the robot wasn't out to get her just because its clothes and perfectly constructed face made it look like a mannequin. From there, she'd started thinking: "Maybe I should at least try to say 'thank you' for returning my things? Or at least apologize to it for Mom being so strange?" She broached the topic with Gray that night, and despite her mother's belief that she was trying to jump too far too soon, she agreed to let Ebony try it the next time they crossed paths with the Reploid.
But like with so many things in life, it was easier said than done. Her lifelong fear of the lifeless looking alive predictably reared its ugly head the moment she saw Leviathan, and only the presence of her family and the protection they offered prevented her from fleeing. When that presence shifted to elsewhere in the aquarium, Ebony found herself doubting her ability to hold fast. She wanted nothing more than to flee the room screaming.
Whimpering, she slowly turned so that Leviathan was at the edge of her vision and risked opening one eye. If she was being watched, she needed to know.
The robot wasn't looking at her; rather, her gaze was fixed squarely on the fish tank... and she was smiling. Despite herself, Ebony couldn't help checking on what it was that had her so transfixed, and was a bit disappointed to see that it was just some salmon. A common sight in the area, and nothing too unusual. There's nothing thrilling a-about this room. W-why is she...
"The Atlantic salmon."
Ebony flinched and turned away, but the robot didn't get up to go after her. Instead, she continued speaking in a voice that could be construed as... melancholy? "This was once one of the most common fish to be found back home. Centuries ago, it was widespread enough to be seen as a staple of some countries' diets. Despite damage to its habitat in certain areas, it was believed that any danger of it dying out was minimal to none."
As the robot continued speaking, Ebony got the impression that she was talking to her... and that somepony had started playing music in the background. "The Elf Wars did more damage to my homeworld than most people realize. Multiple threatened and endangered species went extinct, and those that were once common became in jeopardy of being wiped out. The Atlantic salmon... or just the North Celestial salmon, as it's known around here... nearly became one of the casualties. While carrying out one last assignment prior to my combat conversion, I witnessed a school of this fish living as nature intended. Most of my numbers are years out of date, so I only have that sighting to prove that the species hasn't gone extinct yet. Could be more, could be less... I don't know."
For a moment, Ebony still didn't understand why Leviathan was smiling... but then it clicked together. With some effort, she forced some words past her teeth. "Y-you... you l-love this place, don't y-you?"
"If by 'this place' you mean the aquarium," Leviathan stated, "yes. Seeing all these species not only surviving but thriving? Had this been back home, I would have seen this as the culmination of what I worked for. I would have seen this as proof that my efforts weren't for nothing. And I probably would have decided to live the rest of my life just floating on top of the ocean, going wherever the currents carried me: my own personal paradise. Unfortunately, barring some miracle or five, that isn't going to happen." She closed her eyes and sighed, then continued watching the fish contentedly. "So for now, I'll have to be satisfied with this glimpse of how things once were."
Perhaps it was the music somehow influencing her, but for just a moment Ebony saw Leviathan as someone with much deeper thoughts than what lay on the surface. It... s-she has too m-much personality, the young mare realized. T-too much to be seen as l-lifeless. She looked up to try and meet her in the eyes, but turned away when the sight still proved more than she could take.
"Don't feel that you have to confront me," Leviathan chided her gently. "If you're afraid of me, you can always catch up to your parents and try again another time. I won't think less of you for it."
"N-no," Ebony said in refusal. “I-if I can't g-get my mind to see y-you as somepony h-harmless, then I-I'm never going to get over this f-fear!” She shivered and brought herself down low, all but hugging the floor. “Blast it, I-I can't do t-this myself. My h-heart's telling me y-you're harmless, and m-my brain's h-hitting it with a tennis r-racket! P-please tell me there's some way you can meet m-me halfway on t-this!”
“...Well, I have one idea,” Leviathan admitted, her face having the look of somepony who had tried to drink curdled milk. “But it's going to involve me making a liar of myself not ten minutes after the fact.”
“W-what are you---”
Ebony was interrupted as Leviathan scooted off the bench to sit on her knees on the floor. The m-mare's heart skipped a beat as the robot set her helmet aside, a full head of blue-and-white locks falling free. S-she... she has an a-actual mane?! T-there... there's n-no way that can be r-real! Mom didn't read me a-anything about this f-from the paper!
But she was even more surprised when Leviathan beckoned her forward. Ebony's ears lowered. “Y-you're kidding me. T-that's your idea of meeting me h-halfway? I thought you s-said y-you weren't going t-to hug anypony!”
“To be honest, I'm running low on good ideas,” Leviathan answered. “Miss Evening, we have at least three eyewitnesses in here that will really let me have it if I try anything funny.” She gestured at said eyewitnesses, two tourists and an aquarium employee who were attracted by the goings-on. “Can you think of a better way for me to prove to you, once and for all, that I'm not going to hurt you? Here's an idea: try pretending that I'm a spider you're getting ready to squash.”
If Ebony hadn't been shivering so much, she might have laughed at that one. Some part of her agreed that the idea had some merit. “I... I will t-try,” she forced out, eyes shutting. H-hunting a-a s-spider, h-hunting a s-spider, h-hunting a spider, hunting a spider, wandering, trapdoor, wolf, black widow, tarantula---! Forcing her muscles to cooperate, she leaped forward with one hoof raised to strike. “GOTCHA NOW, SPIDER!”
A pair of hands reached out, one of them deflecting Ebony's attack and the other reaching behind her withers. The impact brought on by a jumping adolescent pony made Leviathan grunt, but not much more than that, and she was able to join hands behind Ebony's back and hold her close. As if driven by the music, an image of a fully-intact Leviathan sitting atop a glacier flashed past her vision.
As expected, her brain began having a freak-out when it realized that she was being touched by a mannequin. Her eyes shot open to their maximum and dilated to their tiniest, her heart rate sped up to near-dangerous levels, and her neurons began rioting in the streets...
…
...But they all stalled when they registered one tiny, seemingly insignificant detail. “...W...w-wha... that's impossible! How the...”
A blink. “What are you talking about?”
Ebony closed her eyes, reaching up and tentatively resting a hoof on Leviathan's chin to see if she wasn't imagining things. Withdrawing it after only a second, she struggled to get her words out in a way that made sense. Trying to pretend she wasn't being hugged helped, though only a little. "It's... w-well, ...you're not cold."
"What do you mean?"
"You're m-made of metal. You're a giant walking d-doll! How c-could you not be c-cold?"
An 'ohhhh' left Leviathan's lips as she understood the source of the mare's confusion. "Ebony, I might prefer the cold, but I do need at least some heat to function at my best. Ideally, my internal temperature should be somewhere in the vicinity of 70°F. Lower than what I imagine ponies' temperatures to be, but not so low that it subjects my hardware to thermal expansion each time I rouse myself from hibernation. It's like I told somepony at City Hall earlier: my hardware runs pretty hot, so there's a balance required. Of course, it's easier to maintain if my frame's fully intact..."
"Is that w-why you bought that c-coat? T-to keep y-yourself warm?"
Leviathan's expression soured again as she let Ebony go. "Actually, I just bought that because enough ponies 'suggested' that I cover up,” she explained as the pony backed away to a safe distance. “I got the impression that my damage was creeping ponies out. Except for your mother and Drama Heart, of course."
Ebony stared down at her hooves, ashamed. "I-I'm sorry..."
"I wasn't referring to you specifically. Don't concern yourself with it."
"N-no, i-it's not that, i-it's..." She squeezed her eyes shut again, her heart still a bit jittery. Just pretend s-she's a pony. Come on, just pretend, i-it shouldn't be that difficult... "I... it's about Mom. You k-know, how she acts..."
"I don't have a bad impression of her, if that's what you're thinking," Leviathan stated, her voice encouraging. "She seems smart and capable, and very family-oriented. Also quirky, but then again almost every pony I've met is. Her tendency to sneak up on me is bothersome, but in the long run I can't really hold that against her. You have nothing to apologize for." A beat, then: "If anything, I'm the one who should be apologizing to you."
This time, Ebony's eyes stayed open. "Wha...? Why? Y-you... you haven't done anything wrong."
Leviathan's eyes, now that the unicorn was meeting them straight on, were gentle and non-judging. "If I had some way of controlling where I ended up and who I would meet on my arrival, I'd like to think that I wouldn't have ended up causing you trouble solely by my existence. I'm no stranger to phobias, Miss Evening. I know how bothersome they can be." Her eyelids slowly fell closed. "For what little it's worth, I'm sorry for the stress my being here caused you."
She's... actually apologizing to me for being what she is...! "D-don't..." Ebony found herself fractionally relaxing. Her brain, which had been protesting all the while against what she had been doing for the past few minutes, found itself without a proper rebuttal. For those few moments, her shivering ceased. "We both know that you're more than just walking metal, so don't say stupid things like that. I'll keep trying to overcome my fear of you, and you just keep trying to get home. Agreed?"
A soft "kya-hahahaha" tickled her hearing as Leviathan put her helmet back where it belonged. "Agreed. Is that everything you wanted to say?"
Ebony's moment of bravery came to an end, and she looked away. "Y-yeah. I... g-guess I'll catch up with Mom and t-the others. They're probably w-wondering what's taking me so long. Um... bye-bye!" She turned and hustled off, annoyed at not being able to say anything more profound before leaving, but unwilling to stay any longer before her brain went on strike again.
...
Part-way through the next exhibit, Ebony stopped for a moment to look back at Leviathan, who had returned to the bench and resumed staring at the fish. This time, she failed to suppress her shivers entirely. "A l-little at a time, Eebon. Little at a t-time," she told herself, trotting off at a less hurried pace as the music she'd been hearing faded out. "Progress is progress."
All the while she tried to convince a traitorous part of her heart that being hugged by Leviathan hadn't been strangely comforting in its own way.
...
...
...
"Well," one of the on-lookers comments, "that was drama if I ever saw it."
My eye's twitching again at the mention of that word. "Don't remind me."
The music links for this chapter include: a remastered rendition of Pokemon Black and White's Castelia City, and the remastered version of 'Cool Water', Leviathan's stage music from the second MMZ game. The non-music link goes to the Mega Man Knowledge Base's article on the first game's Guard Orotic boss.
Well, it's safe to say that I never graduated with a major in psychology. I'm fully willing to admit that it's way outside my field of knowledge, so the interactions between Ebony and Leviathan could've been handled better. So no, I'm not very happy with this chapter.
(For anyone curious, my degree is in General Studies. I wanted to get an Associate's in Computer Networking, but I was never able to get enough loan money, so I had to settle for what I had before seeking employment.)
If the chapter's ending seemed a little rushed, that's because it was. I wanted to have it done yesterday before I left work, but that didn't happen; so, I took the chapter home to work on it there in the hopes that I could get it done before calling it a night. That didn't happen either, so I had to take it back to work this morning. I just wanted it done, and considering what the word count is telling me, it's clear that this stretched on much longer than I would've liked.
I worked up a close approximation of Gray Ghost using the Pony Creator. Before anyone cracks wise about me using it, there's a few things I want to point out: #1, my drawing ability has barely improved at all since my high school days (seriously, browse the depths of my DeviantArt account sometime), and #2, my OCs and Leviathan deserve better than to be subjected to anything I can offer; otherwise, I would have tried to create some cover art for the story myself. So on that note:
Estimated Chapter Deadline: January 25, 2022
EDITED 5/14/2022: Changed the name of a fish. It's the "North Celestial salmon" now.
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Nice... I REALLY can't stand that kind of story...
Know nothing about Leviathan and Megaman but will give this a shot.
loved the update!
So, you know, I remebered a thing about megaman, and I wanted to check.
Turns out Dr. Light and Dr. Wily were beyond geniuses.
Dr. Light managed to create a robot with an actual developping consciousness that was still advanced compared to technology from thirty to a hundred years later.
And Wily managed to not only copy that, but make a universal computer virus that could mutate to infect any reploid it came across given enough time.
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A bit frightening, isn't it?
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frightening?
I'm in f*cking awe.
Both in awe of Light's genius, and in awe of Wily's grudge.
and the best part? After Zero's death, Light's dream was realised.
Humans and Reploids, working and living together as equals.
In. FUCKING. AWE.
Huh Fairy caused a soft heartsong and Ebony carried it. Glad they are at least connecting and Ebony is well on the road to overcoming her fear of Fairy.
Honestly, there's nothing wrong with using the pony creator. I am of the mind that it can be a useful tool to help with references when you have an idea for a character and need to give it form that your own hand is refusing to acknowledge.
The issue comes when using the creator to make a character without thinking of what makes them first. A background without a character can be molded to fit whatever it needs to, a character without a background is bland. So long as you know what motivates your character, what virtues and flaws they have, then using a creator like this is perfectly fine.
Heck, take my PFP for instance, it's an intermediate reference of a space marine chapter that I thought of because I like the Dark Angels from 40k. The pic I have used the Bolter and Chainsword marine painter and I spent a bunch of time thinking about what I wanted the chapter to be known for before I ever had a proper color scheme. (Of which I had decided to theme off of Spyro the Dragon, because he was my favorite character when I was a child.) The final color scheme for my chapter is different but I just haven't updated my profile pic in a while because I'm a tad lazy like that.
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I have no real fondness for W40K (beyond the Space Hulk PC game as a kid), and I still think it looks neat. 🙂 I'd say you did what you set out to do, for sure.
Heartsong? We Happy Feet now?
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Never saw that movie before, so I have no idea what that's specifically referring to. ()^_^
She tried!
Fiver is a loan shark, isn't she? 🙃
That actually got me laughing. Good one. XD
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Happy Feet is a jam of a film. I highly recommend it.
In the start of the movie, it's explained that penguins all have a song they sing from the heart that defines their character and helps them find a mate. The plot of the movie revolves around a particular penguin that, instead of singing, discovers tap dancing.
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I'll have to remember that. Maybe I'll check it out sometime, I dunno... I don't watch too many movies anymore.
Little Maud?
If so, the way she caused him pain is wisely self-limiting. A slap could have broken his jaw or injured his neck.
Okay, so not Maud Pie. MAYBE Marble, but her mane is two-toned.
For a celebrity of her rarity and if they trust she was literally
bornbuilt for ocean conservation, I could see them giving her the right to do so for free, if not hiring her. Both COULD be reasonable publicity moves, depending on how public opinion ends up.Right... coastal city. An obvious solution. She could still.end up.working for them in theory?
A pithy summary.
"Watership Down" reference maybe? Doesn't seem likely since I don't recall the prophet of that book being particularly subdued in his emotions, but that makes is more likely than it being something related to a "five-bit coin". If, for some reason Equestrian card decks have five suits (the five more concrete elemental virtues?).then it could be a reference to a pretty good poker hand (hoof), and she has the poker face to be good at it. It is probably something I am missing though.
More probability of poker player, but... Are the cards she plays with cut in the shape of fangs? Might tend to wear fast, even with the special shuffling techniques that would.be needed. Oh wait,.that is what her MARK looks like... predatory card player, sounds like somepony fleecing suckers by pretending it is just a friendly game, and maybe losing a few scattered hands (hooves) early.
Little "card shark"* likes her namesake. And maybe not so much of a scam artist in the mix?
*Right... those sorts of fangs, not wolf-like as I initially assumed.
Split-second hug as her goal?
Heartsong regarding ocean life and/or ecological.preservation? I can see her being passionate enough about it to sing one on that subject... Might even be a resume item for that job offer I mentioned.
It wasn't much of a heartsong, but maybe it was enough or will pick up again later and we have an employee.who would/has see(n) it confirmed.
Oh, so the music is STILL going? I guess this is an instrumental heartsong then, or.at.least.one with a long lead-in, and apparently not just about marine life?
If she can speed read* about local species and be a guide during hours (she has interacted.successfully with foals, and has the passion for the subject) and perhaps earn the privilege of some afterhours tank-time... Heh, her alternate form could qualify her as a "once-in-a-life-time, limited-time-only" EXHIBIT never mind her ability to actually help out with maintenance and care.
*A reasonable skill for an android once she becomes literate.
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Either no one caught this, or they did and just weren't inclined to comment on it, but I put that whole statement there as a reference to Thomas Dolby's song "She Blinded Me With Science".
Heh, more or less. The whole thing's a pun on "card shark".
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Guess I never listen to.enough f that song to have heard those lyrics?
(check my later edits if you haven't. I tend to edit as I read to avoid losing too much if I accidentally close.the tab or leave it dormant for a month or something... This applies to all my posts.)