private A Cultural Exchange 1x1 with Randimaxis

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad gave a slight yawn, amused by the situation before him. "Well... I'm tired, like really tired. I kind of feel sore, though not in any particular area. My magical abilities are reduced, though I expected as much." He yawned again before continuing. "This diamond? It's certainly intelligent and possesses healing properties, but that is unique to this one alone." He peered around the room in search of a clock. "I suppose it must not have been very long since we left the caves if you are so impressed with my recovery, though I expect it will take longer for knee to recover unassisted." Illiad almost yawned again before looking over at his diamond with a look of surprise, before looking towards the Zebra. He shrugged a bit before laying his head back down on his legs. "Selena wanted me to let you know that she finds you interesting by the way, that's the diamond's name." He turned to look over at Dax. "It's good to see you again, next time? Don't move things around in the caves." 

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

She smiled.  "I'm glad to see you're awake; you looked fairly out of it, but I didn't actually find any medical maladies that'll require surgery or anything... just a decent rest, maybe a day in bed?  That, and an old herbal remedy from my younger days, should put you right as rain."

 

She shuffled over to a small cabinet and fished out a pouch of some thickly blueberry-smelling stuff.  "It's a tea; you brew and drink it twice a day until it runs out.  Hope you like tea..."  Dax winced with an embarassed grin on his muzzle as she put the pouch into his hooves.  There was a decent amount of what appeared to be very light brown ground-up tea leaves, mixed with bits of twig and dried blueberry; it smelled pleasant - Illiad might not have been a fan of tea, but perhaps this would make good potpourri? 

 

Dax looked down at the floor.  "I... didn't know, but I still shouldn't have.  I had NO idea what could have happened... but I gather it was BAD.  I-..."  He glanced at Ziggy, then nodded to her and returned his focus to the unicorn.  "Yeah, no more messing around in off-limits areas - regardless of what I find.  I'm sorry I caused all this mess... but at least it's dealt with permanently now, right?"

 

Off to the side and writing a report, Ziggy was grinning to herself and occasionally mouthing the word 'Selena' in amusement.

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

 

The smell and sight of the tea sent an involuntary shudder through Illiad's body, the soreness concentrated briefly on certain parts of his back. "I appreciate the offer Miss..." Illiad cocked his head in a bit of confusion, "I don't believe you told me your name, but Selena says it is Zinger correct? Anyway, I am not too fond of tea after a particularly traumatic experience a few years back. I am sure it tastes as wonderful as it smells and Knee will no doubt appreciate it. I have a more direct way of restoring energy, so long as I can stay awake I can take advantage of the excess emotion you two are giving off, something I sense Knee is doing automatically. Your enthusiasm will no doubt speed both of our recoveries along." He set the tea bag aside, hoping he caused no offence to the doctor. He turned back towards Dax. "It is dealt with as permanently as it possibly can from what I saw, but I think it best that none go there again, despite what else lays there." Illiad yawned again. "No doubt I will need to sleep again, but if you two can get enthused about something I may not need more than a good night's rest. You might even get Knee to recover faster too."

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

"OH!  Yeeeeeaaaah... sorry; my mind gets away from me sometimes.  My name is Doc Zinger, but most ponies here at the quarry just call me Ziggy - in fact, most ponies kind of call me Ziggy, regardless of whether I'm at the quarry or not.  Hmph."

 

She shrugged, then seemed to start spacing out again before she caught herself and smiled broadly at Illiad.

 

"The tea is mostly a suggestion; it won't hurt you NOT to take it, so it's okay - and you may have a point about Slapper using it instead.  I just... Selena the diamond is amazing in the scope and concept of what this could mean for Equestria as a whole - except I get the feeling that this is a phenomenon that I'm going to be asked to keep a secret.  I have to keep it a secret, don't I?"

 

She gave a mournful glance over her shoulder at the scrolls still drying on the table, and sighed.

 

Dax, in the meantime, had gotten a thinker's muzzle.  "Enthusiastic... well, I could always tell Ziggy about Troy - y'know, I'll be going there to visit soon?"  

 

Ziggy listened intently as the young Blackwater began regaling her with all he'd learned about Illiad's homeland, proving further that he was a diligent and well-educated pony; the more he spoke, the more that it seemed both of them got excited for Dax's upcoming trip.  The eagerness and excitement was coming off of them both at a decent clip - the Doc was apparently just as excitable as the Earth Pony was!

 

At this rate, a recharge wouldn't take much time at all...

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad's horn glowed slightly as he began to drain the excess enthusiasm, it would mean that their enthusiasm would be a bit less contagious, but the three of them were already individually enthused about the subject material. Illiad's yawns grew further apart and his words seemed less tired as time passed.

 

"Before you guys get too carried away, Yes, I'm afraid Princess Luna wants to keep Selena a secret for now. However, I'm sure she would love to read your observations on Selena's behavior."

 

That said Illiad returned to listening to Dax describing Troy, he was looking for an opportunity where he could join in the discussion, maybe answer a question or clarify a point. But he was content to wait for the opportunity. 

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Dax went on for quite some time, allowing room for Illiad to add facts and Ziggy to make curiosity comments.  The three remained together chatting for a good bit, while Knee continued snoring in his corner cot.  Eventually, of course, it got late - especially evidenced when the quarry work whistle blew it's long, shrill note that signified the end of the workday.

 

Ziggy jumped when it blew, but Dax only grinned and stretched; he had long ago taken off the purple outfit, and it was folded neatly on a nearby table.  Illiad noticed that, unlike the other workers, Ziggy seemed to have a sturdy friendship with him; what was the difference?

 

Regardless, Dax looked over at the Trojan and grinned.  "So, feel up to going out to the tent... or should we wait on that one?"

 

"Either way, I have to lock up the shed here; Mr. Easle, if you want to stay in here overnight, then we can do that - but I'd have to lock both of us in.  It's against quarry policy to leave a patient here all alone.  It's okay if you want to stay, because I usually sleep here anyway!"

 

Dax turned to her.  "I think he'll be okay.  C'mon, Illiad - let's head back to the manor; Mother is probably having a fit wondering where her clotheshorse has gotten to."  He gathered the outfit from the table and waited for Illiad's response.

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

 

"We should wait on the tent, we still have five more days. I think I can make it back to the manor now, but I don't think I'll wake up early tomorrow." Illiad got himself up and off of the cot he was on with only a little difficulty, though it was clear by the wobble of his legs that walking would not be so easy at first. "I suppose I'll get the hang of walking again in no time." He took a few wobbly steps around the room, his pace quickly becoming more regular. "Yes I think that'll do." He turned to face Ziggy as he placed his diamond back in his robes. "Thank you for taking care of me, don't forget about Knee, he certainly needs your help now more than I do." He turned back towards Dax as he began to make his way to the door. "Well? Let's get going." 

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Ziggy waved as she saw them out, then closed the door and locked it, with herself and Knee Slapper safely ensconced within.  Dax walked back with Illiad, sticking by his side in case the weakness hit again.  The Trojan could feel the little ripples of concern coming from the young stallion.

 

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't get back very quickly - Mother insisted I try on some outfits, so I didn't have much choice.  I'm guessing it wasn't a pretty sight, was it?  Again, I'm really sorry, and now that I know things aren't safe there, I'll stay away from it.  I'm sure Father will probably blast that particular cavern closed in a few days, anyway."

 

Dax walked with Illiad to his room and sighed.  "I'll try to get to my chores early, but I'll take my time so you can sleep in.  I'm... I'm glad you're okay.  I dunno what happened... but I'm still glad you're okay."  He hugged the unicorn before heading off towards his own bedroom.

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad stood in the doorway to his room, contemplating the day he had had and more recently Dax's actions. He was quite honestly touched by Dax's show of compassion, a true feeling of genuine concern, something that was far too absent in the world. A slight smile came to his face as he entered his room and closed the door, I suppose he is a true friend, and I am glad for it. I only hope he considers me a friend as well.

 

Illiad moved to the tub cover he had used as a bed the previous night, he didn't form the fan as he did the night before as he needed Selena in one piece. Once he was comfortable he quickly fell asleep.

 

He found himself in the plain white room that often manifested when Selena entered his dreams. He called forth a comfortable couch to rest in as he waited for Selena to fully emerge. She did so in similar form to the one she had taken in the mines, a mare of smallish proportions (Like Cocoa Pommel) "You shouldn't strain yourself so hard for me, we both know a full body wasn't really necessary." "I know, but there was the quantity available and the power to sustain it for a bit, I proved it was possible. Now if we can find a good power source we can finally give you a permanent body of your own." "I appreciate the gesture, I did enjoy the feeling of experiencing the world more directly. It looks like you are influencing me more than Mother supposed, the rate is slowing but if it continues much longer I will be as much you as I am her." "Well, you were only half of her to begin with, the other half needed to be filled in by something. When we get back to Troy, I think you should introduce yourself to Dax more directly. I want to see what sort of reaction he would have to you." A slight smile came to her face. "If only you had slept at the hospital, I could have had a better conversation with Ziggy." "If only..." With that the room dissolved as Selena exited the dream, Illiad returned to a much needed sleep to recover from the ordeal of the caves.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

[DAY 3]

 

 Illiad wasn't alone.

 

As he began to rouse from his sleep, he distinctly caught the emotional vibrations of both curiosity and a little bit of awe.  Of course, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to visualize Dax feeling this way towards the unicorn, and besides - it would mean that Dax had finished his chores and was waiting for Illiad to get up so they could-...

 

But it wasn't Dax; it was Oglevy, sitting on the edge of the expensive four-post bed and staring at Illiad.  When the colt saw the Trojan rousing, he sat up a little straighter and softly cleared his throat.

 

"Uhm... Mr. Easle?  Are you awake, sir?"

 

Well, THIS was new...

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad really didn't know what to do, he hadn't expected nor accounted for the fact that others could enter his room while he slept. He'd need to take precautions against this in the future. Call him paranoid but this had happened before, and the results were not pleasant.

 

He didn't feel any ill intent from Oglevy so he supposed he would be fine, for the moment. He lifted himself up to sit on his makeshift bed, he was still tired from yesterday's ordeal but he felt much better after the night's rest. A quick test of his magic on his diamond resulted in a moderate glow, he wasn't back to full strength but he had enough to go about daily stuff so long as he didn't push himself too hard. That managed he finally turned to address Oglevy.

 

"Yes I'm awake." He sighed, "What do you want? Another chance to reenact my greatest fear? You do seem to enjoy having things poured on me." Illiad wasn't particularly happy to see Oglevy, but he would at least be civil about it, he hadn't seen Oglevy since breakfast the prior day.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Oglevy fidgeted a bit, a little smidge of shame eking out of him as his eyes tried wandering around on the floor instead of looking at the unicorn.

 

"N-no, I'm not here to enact some master plan or anything - if I'd have wanted to do anything like that, I'd have done it by now."

 

The discomfort he was feeling was awkward to Oglevy; Illiad could tell that this was not at all easy for him to do... yet he took in a big breath and blew it out before he spoke again.

 

"I saw what you and Knee Slapper and Princess Luna were doing yesterday... in the deep mines... and I thought..."  He swallowed, trying to choose words carefully.  "... I thought what you did was really awesome, Mr. Illiad.  I've never seen anything like that before - I don't know if anypony has.  But I wanted you to know that I... I didn't know you were able to do stuff like that, or I..."

 

Illiad could feel the colt's difficulty at trying to say what he apparently was wanting to say, and there was a streak of frustration writ large over his entire emotional aura.  Regardless, however, he was still making an effort to communicate, and that was at least a start.

 

"I know I was mean yesterday - and I'm... I'm s-sorry.  I promise I won't tell anypony about what I saw, even though it was REALLY cool, and-..."  He looked up at the unicorn with wide eyes that spoke volumes about the mental library behind them.  "... and it's really, really cool that you know Princess Luna, too.  I just..."

 

 

Shrugging as his sentence petered off, Oglevy looked like he was somewhere between guilty, chastised and confusion over the other two feelings.  Apparently, apologizing earnestly was something the little Blackwater didn't do much of.  His eyes went back to the floor, and his small wings tried to cover his shoulders in embarrassment. 

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad didn't think the situation could get any more odd, he was honestly conflicted about the whole situation and unsure how to proceed. He could either forgive the colt or not. Though all the colt offered was his word in apology, it felt sincere.

 

"I forgive you."

 

The truth was he wasn't really angry at Oglevy's actions, he understood what could have motivated him. Illiad laid back down on the tub cover he was sitting on. "You should tell your father about what you saw, it's really up to him whether you can tell anyone else about it."

 

His forgiveness did not mean they were friends. He forgave, but only the future would tell if he could forget. 

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Oglevy flinched a bit when the unicorn forgave him, then a pout clamped down on his face as he was told to tell Luther about the incident. 

 

"Father will just tell me not to say anything... he thinks I'm too delicate for anything like that; Mother, doubly so.  I guess you too."

 

With that, Oglevy took flight and zoomed out of the door, slamming it open and almost toppling the butler pony carrying a covered tray right outside.  He vanished down the hallway in an instant.  The butler (perhaps it was Call?) gawked after the colt for a moment, then poked his head inside and looked at Illiad with concern.

 

"Sir Easle, has there been another incident?  Shall I alert the Master or the Madam of the Young Master's trespass?  Are you hurt?  Are there soiled articles of clothing to clean?"

 

Apparently, they were used to Oglevy's shenanigans.

 

The butler entered the room and brought the covered tray with him.  He set it down onto a small table and removed the cover.  Instantly, the scent of rich dark chocolate reached his nostrils.  On the plate beneath the cover, still steaming, was a selection of different-grained toasts, a stack of aromatic hay bacon, two golden brown biscuits and a small bowl of what appeared to be apple butter... FRESH apple butter, at that.  There was also a small carafe of apple juice to go with it, and it was all topped off with a generous slice of chocolate cream pie - the source of the earlier aroma.

 

The butler looked at him.  "Is this to your liking, Sir Easle?"

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad gave a slight, yet tired smile as he approached his breakfast, They do like apples here don't they? I suppose it's easier to acquire for them. "No to your first four queries and yes to the last. Oglevy was actually here to apologize, and this breakfast looks wonderful." Illiad realized as he started at the food that he was behind on a few meals at this point. By his count he had had only breakfast for the past two days, he hoped that this would not make a third. Without waiting for any sort of signal from the present butler he began to butter and eat the many kinds of toast, moving from highest to lowest grain count, before using the rest of the butter and crumbling the hay bacon on the biscuits. he saved the cake for last but it too did not last long before the force of his hunger.

 

As Illiad reflected on his meal it crossed his mind that he had eaten at a rather uncouth pace and was lucky to not be in a formal setting. He couldn't remember how it tasted and likely wouldn't notice if it tasted awful, so long as it was full of much needed calories. With a bit of a sheepish expression he returned his focus to the present butler. "Thank you for bringing my meal to me, if I had remembered to taste it I'm sure it would have tasted even better then it smelled." He noticed that he still had the apple juice and was tempted to guzzle it down right then but he held off and settled for drinking it at a much more moderate pace as he allowed his inhaled meal to settle. "Do you know how long Daxter will remain busy with his chores?"

Edited January 1, 2016 by Illiad Easle

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

The butler's jaw dropped open as Illiad told him about Oglevy.  "Apologize?  Really?  Apologize?  But the Young Master NEVER... really?"  he seemed absolutely shell-shocked over the idea that the Blackwater colt would even be capable of considering the possibility of perhaps maybe being apologetic.

 

Seeing his lapse in butler-ish attitude, he cleared his throat and stood straight once more.  "Er, well... very good, sir.  I am pleased you liked the breakfast - Beck made certain you had a good spread of what the Blackwaters partook of this morning."  He then watched, silent as a wall, as Illiad inhaled his food.  There was no disgust at this; in fact, there was a slight line of pride coming from Call.

 

He began stacking the empty dishes into the plate's cover as the food upon them was devoured, leaving the table clean and clear.  When he was thanked for the meal, he simply said, "One is glad to be of service, Sir Easle."

 

Call grinned a bit as Illiad asked after Dax.  "Master Daxter has been sequestered by the Madam for one of her jaunts into Canterlot - she apparently believes he does not currently own enough formal clothing, hence he shall be away for a while.  However, he has informed me that Master Luther has approved of your presence here, and as such you are free to roam the manor or the quarry, so long as you refrain from disrupting the workers.  If you wish, I would be happy to inform you when he returns."

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

 

"Thank you Call, I would appreciate it if you alerted me to Daxter's return." I suppose this gives me more time to rest and recover. I should go back to Ziggy so she can check that my recovery is going smoothly, and to see if I can assist in Knee's.

 

Paying no heed to whether the butler still remained in the room, Illiad contemplated returning to sleep, but decided he ought to check back on Knee, perhaps he would check what Mr. Blackwater had decided about the darkness in the depths.

 

He wrapped himself a bit looser than yesterday, not that any not used to the toga would notice, and he proceeded to try and find his way back to the medical center.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Again, the sheer size of the quarry was a bit daunting, but Illiad seemed to get a minimum of notice as he made his way there.  On the grounds proper, there were a number of workers all hustling and bustling around, doing the things that workers here do.

 

The medical shed wasn't hard to find, due to the large red cross on the side of it.  Walking up to it, Illiad neither heard nor felt the emotional vibrations of Ziggy inside... nor Knee, for that matter.  There was a wooden panel next to the door with a large red button on it.  The sign above it said: [PRESS FOR THE DOCTOR].

 

Well, Illiad could either press the button or try to find Ziggy unassisted... or, of course, there were others he could speak to.  Maybe one of those lovely mares he'd seen would be available?  At any rate, the decision was his.

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

(This is certainly CYOA-ish, I like it.)

 

Illiad considered his options, dismissing 'kill' as a viable option fairly early. Given that he had felt Ziggy before, and would notice if the area were being emotionally shielded, he was pretty certain that neither of them were inside. But the button couldn't hurt to press, just in case it was a bit more sophisticated than a doorbell.

 

He pressed the button.

 

As he waited for a response he looked about the quarry and considered his other options, he'd probably visit Silver or Tops next.

I wish there were more cute mares back home, these ones don't seem to keen on moving away and I have no intention of moving back into Her kingdom. He sighed as he reflected on the life events that led him to this point, the key ones all resulting from him being Empathic. In a way he would have ended up in Troy regardless of many of his possible actions...

 

He shook those thoughts from his head, now was not the time to worry about what could have been, he had been destined to be bearer of the balance of Good and Evil, and he would do his best to make Luna proud. 

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

At first, it didn't seem like anything had happened.  There was no sound, or signal, or anything... then, coming in from a distance, came a sound:

 

"... gonna be there in just a sec hold on here I come!!!!!" 

 

She cam flying over the line of sheds.  It wasn't the fact that a candy-cane colored half-zebra pegasus was flying around that got Illiad's attention as much as the fact that she was flying in a zig-zag pattern, as if she were a slow lightning bolt.  It was curious to watch, yet she certainly had some skill at flight.  She landed without incident, folded her wings up carefully, as if putting them away in a knapsack or something, then turned and beamed at the unicorn.  She was quite happy to see him up and about.

 

"I'm quite happy to see you up and about," she said, "and I'll have you know that Slapper woke up this morning right as rain... well, okay - he had a liiiiiittle headache, but I gave him that tea from yesterday; he'll be just fine by tomorrow.  And how are you, Mr. Easle?  You feeling your oats this morning - well, afternoon?  And how's your diamond friend, uhm... uh... I'm sorry, I can't recall... her name..."  She put on a sheepish grin.  "But she was really nice!"

 

She was a sweet mare, but a little scatterbrained, it seemed.

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

 

All things considered Illiad felt decent today.

 

"I do feel much better now than I did yesterday, and I'm glad to hear that Knee has similarly recovered. Selena is doing fine as she always is, there isn't much that can affect her the way she is now. She finds you interesting yet odd. She would like to talk to you sometime if you'd be interested?"

 

Illiad hoped she was, not only to use up some more time, but also so Selena would have someone other than him to talk to for a bit. 

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

"Oh,that would be wonderful!  Wait-... will she be able to talk back to me?  What am I saying?  You wouldn't have said such if she couldn't!  What was I thinking?  Of course I'd like that!  I probably have a few questions myself, after all!"

 

Doc Zinger seemed like quite a kind and caring sort - she fussed over checking out Illiad as if he were her own brother, it seemed like.  She certainly had the mood to go with it - all sorts of bright, happy emotions ebbed and flowed from her, and she remained pleasant and sweet the entire time.  

 

It was almost surreal, how much there was going on here at the Blackwater Quarry; Illiad may have wondered why he hadn't ever heard of the place before.  If the past few days were any indicator, this place was almost as lively as Ponyville itself!

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

 

After the check that everything was healing well was done Illiad gave his farewells to Ziggy before moving on through the quarry. He noted how busy it was but was not surprised that he had never heard of it before, he did after all live in another country that didn't really trade with Equestria.

 

He decided he would visit Taps first, he needed to send another letter to Luna so he could learn about the aftermath of the caves. In addition, Taps would probably know where Silver was. His decision made he started to make his way over to the pony express station, taking care to stay out of the way of any workers in the process.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

The pony express station wasn't too far from the Doc's Office, so it took no more than a minute or two before he was coming up the hill towards the house-turned-postal office.  The building was in fairly good shape, especially for being located on the grounds of a quarry; one would think it would be dirty and a bit run-down.  

 

The reason for this must have been Taps herself, as she was hovering near a second story window, wiping it clean with a blue towel.  She took notice of Illiad, and waved as he trotted up.  Tossing the towel over her shoulders, she flapped her way down to the ground in front of him.

 

Smiling, she gave him a smart salute as she stood there.  Her mismatched eyes looked him over for a moment before she gained eye contact - then she lifted an eyebrow in question.

[Illiad Easle 3,164]

@@Randimaxis,

 

"Oh, hello there Taps. I just need to send another letter to Luna, don't worry, this one isn't important enough to be rushed."

He looked around a bit. To be honest, without someone to guide him around he felt lost. He felt already that he was intruding on Taps time and wondered if he would be able to muster the courage to go anywhere else without being invited. He couldn't bear to make himself a burden on anyone.

"Also, do you by chance know where I could find Silver?"