Quinch

@@Blitz Boom Well, I've been procrastinatey as hell the past few days with no real excuse. I need to head to work soon but I'll whip up a post when I get back. As for my plans, well, I was hoping for a quick chase through the streets of Ponyville, but while he's not where he wanted to be yet, it's... close enough.

I'm allergic to spider tea.

@@Blitz Boom Quinch didn't bother looking back, radar telling him what he needed to know, for now, at least. Vivid Loss didn't seem to pursue him, which either meant he caught it really by surprise, or it didn't think it needed to pursue him, at least not on foot. He filed that fact away, keeping his eyes forward - mostly. The advantage of, well, let's not mince words, indecisiveness was that he did end up much closer to the settlement, and flat terrain and scattered tree cover let him cover the distance with relative ease. In fact, the sight he could glance through the trees was... definitely new. Quadruped, he thought, taking in what detail he could. No clothes, variety of colors. Wings, horns... not both? Ornamental? Vestigial? Wings too small to fly. Symbolic markings on rump. Caste society? Really low tech. Thatched roofs? Really? Can't recognize the language. Shops? No open weapons in sight, likely peaceful. Hopefully peaceful. Find out soon. A soft ping told him what he was expecting, as the purple smoke gathered in front of him and the familiar figure reappeared a short distance ahead, soon accompanied by a trio of ghostly hands. Teleportation, confirmed. Shadow magic too. Using horn as focus? Racial trait? File it away. "I repeat: I try to steer away - " He didn't try to stop. Or slow down. Grounded. He jumped. That might be a slight misstatement - it might be more accurate to say that he jumped, and then kept going up, the ridiculous pink boots flaring up with blue flames as he sailed over Vivid Loss' head and accompanying claws, grabbing an overhead branch in passing and leaping into the canopy.

@@Blitz Boom, barging through her? You're so cute. Also, have fun at your friend's place!

@@Blitz Boom WE'RE DOING THIS! -runs away cackling- [also this might be useful. Except Hide, tankers aren't made for stealth]

@Blitz Boom Quinch shrugged at what might have been meant by praise, or flattery. In normal circumstances, it might have made a difference. "Pity not the land that lacks a hero," he said. "Pity the land that needs one. Someone someone," he added after a brief pause as he futilely tried to remember whatever high-school reading assignment writer came up with it. He could see what was presumably the castle, strange crystal spires and angles that put him ill at ease, and that meant he was probably running out of time to decide. For all its geniality, he only had its word that the reason they were avoiding the town was to keep him from spooking the locals that saw him. But it also conveniently prevented him from actually seeing anything that wasn't presented to him. "Is there more things that you wonder about Quinch, before we go to meet the newest of the Alicorns?" He didn't really know what kind of a threat Vivid Loss could be - teleportation was apparently something it was able to pull off, but if it was used as an envoy for a demon, he'd be surprised if it wasn't capable - or at the very least had been - of other unpleasantries. But ultimately, anything that happened would depend on intent, either Vivid's or his own. At the very least, he could take the initiative. "I guess you could say that," he said lifting his arm up, fingers twirling around the wingtip as he swung the helmet back onto his head in an unbroken, practiced motion. "Seeya." And took off running.

@@Blitz Boom Quinch considered the timeframes. By its account, Vivid Loss was apparently immortal, or at the very least ageless, which was plausible, given the nature of some magical creatures. A settlement that lasted more than a century tended to grow into a city, one that endured a millennium would have normally have become a sprawling metropolis, and there was no skyline that he could see. It mentioned metalworking too, earlier, and by the sound of it, it was being literal. So, either the speed of seasons was vastly sped up, or the local rate of technological growth was almost stagnant. Which might be either good or bad - if there was a ban on technology, he might not exactly be welcome. On the other hand, he could hardly deny that the primary driver of development on Earth just so happened to be large-scale wars. "It's Quinch," he said. It wasn't his given name, he had a middle and last one too, but he barely used it anymore. If you could choose a name for yourself and use it for all practical intents and purposes, there was no reason not to make it your identity. "As for my home.... hmm, not really. My family, or what I cared about, has been dead for a while, and I haven't really spared the time for... social activities. I suppose there would have been the whole 'protecting your loved ones' principle if I had any relationships, but that's more or less hypothetical." He paused to think. "Responsibility, I suppose. For what it's worth, there are people there, strangers ranging from mostly to complete, but that doesn't make them any less entitled to a more or less safe life. And the degenerates and narcissists I mentioned earlier.... I'll admit I feel I'm better than them, and it gives me a measure of pride to know that. As long as it's earned."

@@Blitz Boom Quinch nodded slightly, and let the demon lead the way with a smile. Underneath, though, he was anything but reassured. The question was a test, but of course - he wanted to know if, talk aside, he would or would not be allowed to move freely and without supervision, and the answer was.... vague, yet there was a hint of a veiled threat. So what was he - a curiosity? A prisoner? A prize? It would certainly explain why the creature was so quick to meet him - or stop him. Was it an outcast or exile, hoping to buy its forgiveness with something rare? Or maybe it was just easier to walk the trespasser to the guards until it was too late to run? After all, by the sound of it, the creature didn't actually know the princess, yet spoke with confidence about introducing him to her. Either royalty didn't have much to do in these parts, didn't take security very seriously, or expected company. On the other hand, if the creature were sincere, subduing it would probably have... diplomatic repercussions. It was definitely a strange situation, he hadn't needed to worry about leaving a good impression on someone for, well, years now. But demon or no, he was definitely not willing to put his wellbeing into the hands of someone who, by their own admission, had been corrupted. Which presented a conundrum - cooperate and risk his safety, fight and risk antagonizing the locals or flight, definitely antagonizing his chaperone. On the other hand, they were taking the long way around, which was both fortunate and frustrating - frustrating, since it kept the town out of his sight, but it also allowed him more time to decide what to do. "Really?" he probed casually. "How about yourself? By the sound of it, this town is new to you too, so where did you come from?"

@@Lexamena, back atcha! Even if only technically! @@Reprise, same here. I am less nurturing than the desert.

And hello from a fellow older - definitely not mature - brony. I'm also in mid-thirties here, and sticking to the principle that, while you're only a child once, you can stay childish forever.

@@Blitz Boom, "Well, what I'm looking for is a way back, but assuming I can't just hop on over, I suspect I'll need to sustain myself somehow. That said, if I can get an audience with the authorities around here, it might help the process along. And since magic is apparently a thing here, it might help with getting a hold of a library of some sort to see what options I have." The prospect didn't thrill him - each time he dabbled in magic, it blew up in his face, on occasion literally. No matter the scrolls and diagrams, magic played by its own rules and as much as he tried, he couldn't convincingly fake respect for whatever ancient deity or nonsense undefinable mystical force he was trying to work with. He eventually {which is to say fairly quickly} gave up on the prospect entirely. "So, where do we go from here?" he asked. "Can I keep going on my own, or do I need an escort?"

@@Blitz Boom Quinch raised an eyebrow. It mentioned the shades, but not the boots. I guess that's official, I'm no longer on Earth anymore. "Well, bear in mind, it's more of a title rather than a description, and a self-appointed one at that. Take, if you will, a city-sized magnet for... individuals with powers that exceed those of most people, throw rewards at them for the slightest effort with no punishment or reprimand for failure or even outright negligence, and you can probably imagine the kind of harmony that will spring forth. This - " he rapped a finger on his shoulder, "Is the byproduct of deciding not to bystand innocently, as it were." He didn't try to hide the bitterness in his voice. Paragon, home though it was, was a cesspool in his opinion. Superpowered villains on one side, glorified vigilantes on the other and the populace all too eager to pin their lives - or worse - on the hope that someone will save them each and every time... the parts of the existence he'd been forced into he didn't loathe were few and far between. "Hell if I know," he said, shrugging his gigantic shoulders. "I've been here less than five minutes, talked to one native," he looked at Vivid over his shades, "and heard of a handful of things I'd avoid unless I had to. Hell, farming wouldn't be below me, I've done worse for a living. And assuming plant and animal life around here wouldn't kill me, I could probably survive on my own for a while if I had to."

@, is there anything going on at the Castle of Two Sisters at the moment? I figure it might be a good chance to try and introduce another character.

@@Blitz Boom "Well, that's a little presumptuous, don't you think?" He listened carefully to what the creature had to say, and it wasn't exactly difficult to notice a pattern. Guard this, fight that, maybe capture this other thing. He might've been insulted, but truth be told, given the circumstances and appearance, it was a fair cop. Wrong, but fair. He lifted his arm and pulled on one of the wings on his helmet, twisting it with a hiss. There was no actual reason for it - the internal and external pressures were equalized, but it always did it nevertheless. It was probably buried somewhere in the design document - make it cheap to make, slowly crush occupant, must make hissing noise when you take off the helmet. He tried to remove that feature once - the result didn't help his tinnitus any. The helmet came off easily, revealing a head almost comically dwarfed by the suit he was wearing. He breathed the air in, smelling of pine, flowers and a faint hint of burning wood. He turned his head back to Vivid Loss. "Would it surprise you to hear that the kind of work I was referring to didn't necessarily involve combat?", he said in a friendly tone, and probably the most cheerful he'd had in months. "Or that I consider an active pursuit of conflict the trait of idiots and sociopaths?"

Sorry for the short post, I haven't had a lot of time the past couple of days.

"The best... and the worst, tend to die," he replied bitterly. "I just got good enough to survive." He took a few steps forward, past the creature and in the direction of the smoke. He lifted his hand, pointing in a halfhearted gesture. "You're wearing clothes, so... I'm guessing there's some sort of..." He paused. "That Equestria is a technological society? Or at least enough to have permanent settlements? Short version, I guess, what kind of work is there around here for an outsider?"

@@Blitz Boom Quinch straightened himself up, extended his arm, and let the rock drop to the ground. Colored graphs sprang to life in front of his eyes - velocity, air pressure, acceleration, spin.... gravitational constant. "Oh," he said. "God." "Heh, you don't know how far away from home you are, do you?" Inside his skull, the universe suddenly noticed it was missing its center, checked its pockets, frantically checked under the couch cushions and, in a desperate bid not to be late for work, panickedly tried to rearrange himself. A Kansas joke peeked its nose out from the hallway, only to have the phonebook hurled at it by his sense of dignity. The creature's lecture was white noise in the back of his head, news channel overheard over the sounds of a burning house. "Dammit." Not on Earth. Not on an Earth. How exactly did he get here? This wasn't Portal Corp's doing, that was for certain, slipshod as they were, even they could only open portals to alternate Earths. But how did the Oranbegans pull it off? Why? Oh, hell, how am I going to survive here, the suit isn't a - oh, thank god, the atmosphere's breathable. Maybe an edible ecosystem isn't too much to hope for. Maybe. "Either you did a rather poor spell yourself, or someone wanted to get you very far away from them. Perhaps they even tried to erase your existence? An impossible task really, as energy must go somewhere, but it can eject you through the layers and make you lost in another place such as this. A place where the city of heroes never were, and never will be." God dammit, god dammit, god dammit. "I'm well aware of the nature of the multiverse, thank you so much" he snapped. It wasn't warranted, probably, he realized, but right here, right now, he didn't care. If this entire experience wasn't an elaborate illusion - an equally unlikely proposition since, all of their magical prowess aside, the Circle of Thorns was somehow unable to craft an illusion that included actual, physical pain - then he was marooned. No exit area, no.... sufficiently advanced technology to backtrack back to Earth - the right Earth anyway - no base of operations, no support, no... well, anything. He glanced at the contents of his belt, bits of salvage, a gem or two, weird.... magical.... whatsits. He swore, out loud this time. "Whatever it was, it wasn't friendly," he said, in an actual response. "Ejection sounds like it, God knows trying to actually kill a cape is worse than trying to get rid of roaches. I should have figured. Of all the traps I waded into, sooner or later one had to stick."

City of Heroes, easy. {sobs}

What the hell is this thing on about? he thought. Barring.... well, translation errors, he figured most supernatural entities would have heard of the so-called City of Heroes by now. It wasn't talking any sense. "No," he said. "Not world. City. Paragon City, specifically, Rhode Island, United States of America. I know it sounds a little ethnocentric, but I'd have assumed someone like, well, you, would know the City of Heroes, misnamed as it - " He trailed off as a thought wormed its way to the front of his consciousness. He was aware of it from the start, but it was... well, implausible. The power alone to do this would be enormous, and if the Circle of Thorns really engineered this... this... He stared at the creature in front of him, flaming eyes, forked tail, his mind reeling with possibilities. "Excuse me...." he said, slowly crouching, hand reaching down to the ground. "...a moment." His hand closing around a rock.

Normally, when there is a new and, for lack of a better word, hyped game, I tend to avoid it for at least or year or so, on the logic that if it is really that good, it will still be mentioned then. And I was skeptical of Undertale on account of it being designed by one of Homestuck's music artists, and that particular fandom is {was?} a fairly loud bit of the internet. On the other hand, what I repeatedly heard of it was that if one is to enjoy it to its fullest, they need to go into it blind, and by this point, avoiding spoilers was getting pretty much impossible. So I downloaded it and gave it a try. It was.... nice, and that helped draw me in. It didn't really suck me in, though, because lacking any background, I didn't really have much of a reason to keep going forward beyond "let's see what happens next". But I got strung along until the tail end and, well, that's where things got interesting. I did manage to go through the entire game without killing anyone, and I have to say, the end battle just blew me away. The fact that Toby Fox is a musician certainly helped things too - the fight with Asriel actually managed to get me to tear up. And yeah, it's a great game, but I have to admit, I can easily see how the turn the game takes at the end could make someone hate it as easily as love it.

Finally, some exposition, he thought to himself. The fact that it's not gloating helps. But it doesn't make sense. Still, it's getting agitated. Might as well tell it. He stopped pacing and looked the creature in the eye - despite his face being obscured by the reflective red visor, it was a.... mostly.... universal gesture. "I'm not looking for trouble," he said, slowly. He emphasized "looking" as he did so. He certainly wasn't looking for it, that much was true - not without support, tactical information and, most important of all, an actual goal - but if trouble had other plans, he wasn't unprepared. But if he was going to intrude, he needed to know where he was. GPS was out, but that piece of trash was usually the first thing to go. So. Diplomacy. Keep talking and look for rocks. Demonic appearance, safe to assume magic abilities. Possibly alien, but still likely demonic. Talks about an "Equestria". Either the name of their territory, or their name for Earth. Conflicting. Troublemakers pretty much describes the caped rats right there, though Rogue Isles are also suspect. But that would mean they existed for a while, which means I should have heard of it by now. Unless they memory wipe interlopers. I hate memory wipes. Keep going in circles. Or I could be halfway across the globe and they have issues of their own. Just what I need. He sighed inwardly. If he was going to be questioned, he might as well respond in kind. And following up on some of the conjectures - right or wrong - might as well point him in the right direction. "So who is this princess?" he asked, trying to hide the tension in his voice. "I wasn't aware of any demonic enclaves around Paragon."

Bit of a rushed post before work, but let's see how a little back and forth goes. :comeatus: