Mirthbane story

[16:33:40] <Halide> *Noon.  An ugly sort of time to be awake, as far as Mirthbane was concerned.  It was bright, snowblindingly so.  It was warm-ish, but it was still the middle of winter in the everfree forest.  Still, a quick 'heating' spell and a thick coat, and he was able to convince himself to be checking for anomylous plant-life around the everfree.  With his summer finding of the rather fickle and temporary 'zap apple',
[16:33:40] <Halide> he'd become aware that magical plant life in the everfree was, in short, confusing and without any particular pattern whatsoever, and this forced him to be vigilant every month of the year.  A saddlebag sat on his back, worn and patched with lenin, tweed and boiled wool, one which held racks in which he planned on keeping findings, as well as a few select potions he might need if he ran into danger.  For now,
[16:33:40] <Halide> though, the coal-coated pony was simply tracking his way through the woods, tailed by a rather large wooden monstrosity of his own animation.  Treesworth, as he called the wooden flora-animatius, was a pine, warped and twisted and bent and entirely mobile, but dumb as, well, a stump.  Still, it made for something to hide behind in particularly messy momens.  With his hooves quietly crunching through the snow,
[16:33:40] <Halide> and the mighty wooden limbs thumping noisily against snow, dirt and frost, the pair made their way through the forest, noticable enough, but perhaps not in a way that might have convinced the local wildlife that they were to be messed with.*
[16:40:04] <Blaze-Bright> For about five minutes, she had followed the old stallion through the woods. Her levitation spell had held out for a considerable amount of time, and so she silently floated over rock and branch. The crimson filly held her breath still as she observed Rue's mentor with a
[16:45:30] <Blaze-Bright> certain fascination. The old pony had assisted Rue in saving her life, and though her debt was paid, she held a certain intrest in him. Such a wonderfully droll fellow, with rapier wit to put even the most seemingly composed pony in their place. Blaze imagined Rue must've had quite the time under his tutelage, for he certainly had to have set her off <c>
[16:46:32] <Blaze-Bright> to make her snap back more than once.
[17:02:24] <Halide> *The casting of magic... he felt that, but he decided to let it slide for now.  Whoever was casting would make their appearance known in due time.  For now... was that a berry?  Was that a -ripening- berry in the middle of winter?  It hadn't been there two days ago... and so, shears, snip, a sample of the fruit taken, into the satchel it went.  Out came a notebook, the location was marked, and he studied the plant
[17:02:24] <Halide> for a bit longer.  Were... interesting, the berries themselves seemed to be very much like ice.  Peculiar.  Probably magical.  Probably with their own ridiculous and arbitrary set of rules for certain results.  This... would take some asking around, no doubt, though it might prove useful at some point.  After all, he was setting to work on making Zap Apple batteries, though he'd no real success yet...*
[17:16:19] <Blaze-Bright> "Good evening!" announced Blaze, Royal Canterlot dialect more than likely to wake up every woodland creature within a two mile radius of where her mouth was positioned next to Mirthbane's ear. "What brings Ser Mirthbane to the Everfree Forest at this late hour?"
[17:19:26] <Halide> Mirthbane didn't even flinch, he just kept studying the plant.  Treesworth, on the other hand, started stamping its massive feet, and making a grab for Blaze.  "No, no, Treesworth, leave the red one alone for now.   As for your inquiry..."  He turned the berry over, then squeezed it gently with magic.  Didn't even budge, though it did show signs of cracking.
[17:19:26] <Halide> "It is the middle of the afternoon, and I live here.  If it will sate your curiosity, this is my trade - the study of herbology, alchemy, and magical effects.  The question that then arises is what brings -you- to the middle of the everfree forest in the middle of the day, and moreover why you have been following me for the last ten minutes."
[17:27:20] <Blaze-Bright> Her surprise tactic had backfired, and she fell out of the air to land in a graceful heap on the ground headfirst. She didn't consider that he had the drop on her and not the other way around. Blaze was not used to being less adept at ganing ground on the situation at hand to more than a few ponies she knew, and Mirthbane was rapidly reminding her that he <c>
[17:30:37] <Blaze-Bright> was one of them. "If it shall satitate thine curiousity, this is our personal hobby presently - the study of Rue's family and friends and what they like to do, so that I may better get an understanding of them as well." she parroted, her dialect ruining any chance at whatever attempt at wit she was making.
[17:43:22] <Halide> "Very graceful."  He commented, leaving the plant alone now that he had his sample.  "Still, a reasonable hobby, if your plan is still to court Rue, though I will not assist you in any way on that front."  The satchel, buckled shut, and Mirthbane took another look around him.  The trees, largely mundane, and so he felt that perhaps moving on might be necessary.  "Seeing as I have very little to do for conversation,
[17:43:22] <Halide> feel free to ask whatever questions you might have.  Or be on your way, if such is your desire."
[17:49:25] <Blaze-Bright> "What brings you to the assum-" she paused. He was too good for that. Much too good /not/ to call her bluff. "We desire the company of another for the time being, and Ser Mirthbane makes for a most gracious host. However, we inquire as to the hint of distaste over us courting thou student. We are but a mere writer and hold know harm for her whatsoever."
[17:52:38] <Halide> "I am entirely aware you mean well, but the fact remains she is in a relationship with another stallion, one who has impregnated her no less, and thus is just a -tad- off-limits in most cases.  You will either demean yourself by playing second-fiddle to the stallion, or alienate the child to be from the father should you replace the father with yourself as Rue's significant other."  And, on he went, slowly walking through the
[17:52:38] <Halide> woods with both eyes to the ground, his uneasy tree-monster lumbering some distance behind them.  "The distaste comes not from the fact that it is you, who I have no trouble with save for the fact you are careless with deadly substances, nor from your age, nor from the fact that it is a double-mare pair, but rather that it is, well, part of a situation as I have just described, and I thus warn against it."
[18:04:14] <Blaze-Bright> Blaze felt an urge to let her head and ears drop. But she would go on, like the lovesick fool she was. And that's when something struck her. <c>
[18:05:20] <Blaze-Bright> "Ser Mirthbane, have you ever felt the pleasures of what it's like to have your disillusionment of the world shattered by something as splendid as love?" she quickly amended, "I speak from experience."
[18:10:00] <Halide> "...No, not really.  I have fallen in love, but that did not shatter my view of things, simply because of the mare I fell in love with."  The benefit of winter, at least to him, was that the vast majority of animals in the everfree were hiding.  But, the question did bring back memories.  Of school.  Of the little young rabble that were so convinced that Luna was a victim of Celestia's unquenchable desire to
[18:10:00] <Halide> rule all of equestria, of arguements with his fellow students, of... well, a great many things.  But, mostly, -her-, and that made him sigh quietly.  "You... can see how that turned out."
[18:15:13] <Blaze-Bright> "You remain an upstanding citizen." said Blaze solemnly, pacing her trot alongside the stallion. "As we are sure you have always been. Perhaps you could tell us the story of the of object of your affections. Aside of Rue that is."
[18:27:05] <Halide> "Rue is... approximately two-thirds my age, there's no affectionate interest there."  He stated, cooly and matter-of-factly.  It was something he told himself often enough, and thus it was a well-practised statement.  Whether it was true or not, well, anypony's guess.  "But, if you are curious... Her name was Sonata, though she insisted I call her Moonlight.  The very first thing I noticed was her voice, for that was
[18:27:05] <Halide> what I heard while... that is another story.  Nonetheless, we met outside,at night, long after so many other ponies had gone to bed.  It was... a different time, politically, then.  Not much, of course, since when does anything really change while Celestia holds all power over everypony, without any real hope of somepony else having a word in edgewise.  Anyhow..."
[18:34:37] <Blaze-Bright> Blaze nodded eagerly, attentive as a foal watching a sunrise. "We believe the same regarding the current rulership. But under her rule, we thrive under what is essentially a utopian society. We apologize for interrupting and will share our politcal notes at a later time. Go on."
[18:49:52] <Halide> "Is it a utopia, is there better, what is Celestia gaining, what could we have... we simply don't know, really.  But, yes, a discussion for another time.  But, we were a... group of rebelious children, really.  A fair number of us, colts and fillies alike, felt Celestia simply wasn't the most viable political ruler as of yet, for a number of reasons that made sense at the time.  Some of us genuinely thought
[18:49:52] <Halide> that perhaps non-alicorn rule might be a better way to live, others simply wanted to anger their parents by rebelling, and others still just wanted to fit in.  It was there that I actually picked up the name you know me by, and there I met her, and a few other friends.  She was... She was something, I will tell you that.  Her eyes, as deep blue as the evening sky.  Her mane, dear luna her mane was a sparkling thing
[18:49:52] <Halide> of beauty, nearly as spectacular as Luna's herself.  Her coat, silken and pure... she was beautiful in every way, and to those of us who loved night over day, she was like a living monument to the beauty of the night sky.  But, beyond that, she was clever, and she was talented, and she was dear to me.  She admired me for my academic and mental prowess... I admired her for everything.  I could not be convinced
[18:49:52] <Halide> that she was wrong, I would not listen to the folly that others held that there was more beautiful in all of Canterlot.  I brought her a boquet of full-moon lillies one night, and that made her for some reason decide upon me above the other colts in the Lunar Brigade."
[18:55:32] <Blaze-Bright> At this, Blaze's jaw dropped, hanging loosely for a second. Obivously there was more to the tale, but just knowing that Moonlight had accepted Mirthbane so readily and without restraint made her think over how hard it was to find out Rue's feelings beyond friendship for her. It put a sad smile on her face. The smile for Mirthbane, the sadness for herself. <c>
[18:56:15] <Blaze-Bright> "She does not sound like somepony thou can put into words Ser Mirthane."
[19:07:53] <@Halide> "No, I couldn't.  And of course there is far more to the tale than that, but the specifics of poetry, devotion, strutting and planning isn't all that important.  I would say she was more than I could ever deserve, but... heh, she insisted that she was not.  So, I will say that she was more I could have ever asked for.  And, for two years... for two beautiful, beautiful years, we had eachother.
[19:07:53] <@Halide> As our group shrank, well, we grew.  She, into the finest mare I have ever seen in my life, and I, into... well, not quite what you see before you today, but not much different.  If you care, I was Cloudmane then, on account of, well..."  He flicked his mane back, the snow-coloured hair flicking briefly.  "But... as much both our parents and our teachers insisted we were being foalish with our views,
[19:07:53] <@Halide> we thought the same of them, and... that drove us apart rather sharply.  I... I heard her name call for me in the midst of the night, and the next day, her seat was empty, her locker empty, and not a word did I hear from her ever since.  I... I feared the worst.  I was releived to find out her parents had pried her from the 'corruption' our school offered, the year of her graduation no less!  I mean, okay,
[19:07:53] <@Halide> I was very, very releived to find out she hadn't died in some sort of horrific end, but on the other hand... I have never seen her since.  She's... somewhere in Equestria, and... here am I."
[19:16:48] <Blaze-Bright> Blaze felt a strange surge of irritation that she shook off instantly. Mirthbane's love story sounded more like...a love story than her and Rue's tale. It was an enviable thing to be able to lay claim to one, and have their company for all of the time that two years would provide. It was a bittersweetness to Mirthbane for sure that he was able to see his <c>
[19:20:07] <Blaze-Bright> feelings reciprocated in his love, and yet to have had it all taken away instantly for years on end. But Blaze would, surely almost /gleefully/ kill for that kind of time with Rue. To hold her. To tell her how much she loved her and to hear it told to her in kind. Her vison blurred slightly as she winked a mild bit of wetness from her eyes and looked up <c>
[19:21:07] <Blaze-Bright> Mirthbane. "What has kept thee from searching for her, Ser Mirthbane?" she asked, her voice suddenly a mite shaky.
[19:28:10] <@Halide> "I have.  I have pilfered the attendance list of every school in every major city of Equestria.  I have put bullitens on every center of population.  I have tried the majority of clairvoyance spells the universities will allow a scholar.  At my best, I have seen her face through magic, and she is alive, beautiful, and capable of being asleep.  I know little beyond that.  ...That was four years ago."  His voice, too,
[19:28:10] <@Halide> was a little shaky, and much quieter than the usual biting, confident cynicism he usually put out.  "I would give... anything to have her back again.  I hope she remembers me, but, it would not surprise me to know she has since moved on.  One does not often keep their high-school romances."
[19:34:25] <Blaze-Bright> 'Frienship... Such a weak power when compared to love.' mused the filly as she moved closer to Mirthbane. His step seemed...slower. His voice emoted melancholy beyond a reasonable doubt. Regardless of the fact that he /had/ one to love, she was a fleeting glimpse of a good life. And even better companionship. Stolen from him in some foolish war of ideals <c>
[19:42:45] <Blaze-Bright> and such. The statement 'Tis better to have loved and lost' died on her lips, hard. What nonsense. Why were they denied? Love...a most treacherous affliction. It's warmth good enough to stay for a night, it's icy indifference cold enough to stay away for a lifetime. <c>
[19:45:44] <Blaze-Bright> She moved her neck under his, effectively bringing the pair to a halt. The tears in her eyes were more noticeable than they were a few seconds ago, but continued to blink them away as she nuzzled the stallion. "We...I...I'm sorry that happened, Mirthbane."
[19:54:11] <@Halide> "So am I... So am I.  Thank you.  But... I had two years.  I would not trade those for anything, nor everything on the planet... save for the chance to have her again."  He wasn't going to say 'this is why I am miserable', or 'this is why I don't think you'll get Rue', but the truth was that sentiment - the first one, at least - was there.  He wasn't about to start crying, as he'd done that enough times before in his life,
[19:54:11] <@Halide> but he was -definitely- choked up, and his pace had slowed quite a bit before it had been stopped.  "Thank you for your sympathies.  I hope that your own lovelife is more permanent."
[20:01:17] <Blaze-Bright> The tears were streaming now, but a certain, dramatic irony seemed to flavor whatever sentence she was about to speak before control gradually slipped from her grasp. She began to chuckle and sob at the same time, and it had accelrated rapidly into a full blown fit of laughing and crying simultaneously. Her words came out garbled and unintelligible. <c>
[20:03:38] <Blaze-Bright> The cacophony of misery disgusted her, at least on her end. Here was a stallion that had purpose to pursue the one he had loved. He knew something would be there for him. Blaze had something in Rue as well, but it was friendship, not love. Even when Rue had told her, it had been so long and so much had happened up to that point that Blaze had to ponder <c>
[20:06:42] <Blaze-Bright> whether or not she was even telling the truth, spaced out by the moment, or just threatened by her anger. Either way, it all made her feel so inadequate, for being so ungrateful. She had attempted to split her up with her coltfirend, she had...enticed her brother as a means of getting over and CELESTIA F*** HER LIFE it sounded like a rather amusing and <c>
[20:07:02] <Blaze-Bright> intriguing play.
[20:15:27] <@Halide> The garbled, incoherent babble actually cheered mirthbane up just a little.  The cynical nugget of his brain said 'oooh, let us comment on her applaudiable articulation', but the rest of his brain said 'no shut up you don't have any friends because you're a bloody hermit, don't be an ass and chase potential friends away with sharpened tongue.'  So, he simply nodded, and kept his mouth shut.
[20:19:47] <Blaze-Bright> After a minute or so of the breakdown, Blaze finally stood to her hooves, a small smile firmly in place. "We apologize for our conduct. We have merely experienced yet another epiphany at the hooves of fate, whom as a writer, I have to say is incredibly hackish for something that controls my destiny."
[20:25:57] <@Halide> "You're allowed to be emotional, in both happiness and melancholy.  In rage, and in serenity.  In fascination, and in disgust, whatever the case may be.  That is simply being alive and sane."  Still, calling 'fate' a hack amused him, and so he tried to swallow away the lump in his thoat.  "But, the empathy is... appreciated, though I'm sure there's some self-reflection there too.  Shall we continue?"
[20:30:32] <Blaze-Bright> Blaze smiled even wider, "But of course Ser Mirthbane. There are better things to be shared amongst..." She knew not of the word she would use, but ventured on with one she hoped would not offend. "...well...given our relatively short time together, I believe you would find 'friends' too strong a term."
[20:31:29] <Blaze-Bright> "Happier things." she continued, "Like what kind of student you had before dearest Rue."
[20:43:12] <@Halide> *Mirthbane simply shrugged*  "I'm not actually adverse to having friends, you know.  Just... ill-suited to make them, seeing as this is my locale.  Still uh... this is a -tad- embarassing, but I have never, ever considered myself a teacher before meeting Rue, but her interest in magic and sheer potential made me decide to take her on as a pupil.  That, and she wandered rather close to my abode at midnight in fall,
[20:43:12] <@Halide> which is really one of the worst times to be in the Everfree forest."
[20:53:41] <Blaze-Bright> "Such an educated stallion never considered educating? Tis' a shame. Your plentiful experiences would be a boon to whatever city you would teach in." said Blaze, tossing her mane to her side, voice still calm, though retaining it's old dialect. "Midnight in fall is a peculiar time for the forest to be any /more/ unsafe than it already is after the sun goes <c
[20:55:47] <Blaze-Bright> down." She paused, "But before thou will answer, that, we would like to announce that thou is now our friend."
[20:59:30] <@Halide> "Well, if you are going to extend such an olive branch, I will gladly receive.  Friends it is, then, Blaze."   A brief, albiet rather rare smile.  "Still, no, I don't have the expertise in magic usually required of a proper teacher of magic.  The casting skills, yes, but I don't think I'd do well with large groups.  That all aside, I'm better at alchemy, and if there's anything I've learned above all else
[20:59:30] <@Halide> in this chaotic assortment of fauna and flora it is that Equestria is capable of producing ridiculous quantities of completely arbitrary specimens at any point and for no reason at all whatsoever.  I do, however, take joy in finding some of the more peculiar specimens, studying them, and then bringing my findings in to add to the publishings of more accomplished professors."
[21:06:44] <Blaze-Bright> Stifling a yawn successfully, the lateness of the night caught up to her. Blaze began to feel drowsy from all the crying, and prior to tracking Mirthbane, she had been up since the previous night, launching fireworks in the clearing where she and Survey had their little romp. All the same, it didn't stop the grin on her face before she kneeled upon <c>
[21:10:05] <Blaze-Bright> one knee. "We are honored by thee, and the presence of such knowledge. And we are aware that thou has a burning question ever since we were taken to the hospital. The mercury was a mistake. We meant to grab the nitrogen, for a frozen firework solution that's been in development for quite sometime, and in our haste, we did not identify the right vial."
[21:10:33] <Blaze-Bright> She snorted at the memory, "Fate is qute the hack, dear Mirthbane."
[21:19:43] <@Halide> 'How the bloody hell do you mistake a nitrogen solute for mercury?  Were you distracted by a particularly attractive butt at the time, or did you just not notice that the vial you grabbed was up to eight times heavier than it should be?'  Classic mirthbane, chiding as ever.  Or, at least, he would've said such if it wasn't for the apparent ceasefire they had going on at the moment.  But, he didn't say a word
[21:19:43] <@Halide> of that.  "Er... this is a touch unorthodox.  Keep in mind I am a hermit who lives in a cave in the middle of a monster-infested forest, I'm not entirely accustomed to being given this sort of... admiration."
[21:30:41] <Blaze-Bright> "Thou has a choice in not being a hermit. And since thou has chosen to be one for this long, surely, not being one wouldn't hurt to try. Therefore, tomorrow, you will adjourn to Rue's house in the morning, where we will be waiting. Once thou has arrived, we shall enjoy the day, all three of us... Or two of us if Rue is busy." <c>
[21:33:15] <Blaze-Bright> Blaze felt the onset of passing out, and internally cursed her young age, "But in the mean time, we are about to hit the ground, so if you could-"
[21:33:15] <Blaze-Bright> THUD
[21:33:43] <Blaze-Bright> And Blaze had hit the forest floor, sound asleep with a cute little snore to go with it.
[21:36:15] <@Halide> "Wat".  Congratulations, Blaze has managed to get Mirthbane to, temporarily, derp.  ...He was A) nocturnal.  B)  Actually pretty happy with being a hermit.  C)  A bit startled by the fact that Blaze had collapsed entirely in such a short period of time, and D) unsure as to why the filly thought that a stallion well into adulthood spending the day with two rambunctious fillies would be a good idea, in terms of
[21:36:15] <@Halide> levels of social acceptancy.  ...But, there was no arguing with the unconscious, and so Mirthbane rubbed a bit of snow on Blaze's forehead and behind her ears, with magic.  "There are timber wolves, you know.  They will eat you.  This is a bad place to sleep.  Get up."
[21:39:52] <Blaze-Bright> "Eeep!" Blaze yelped at the uncomfortable sensation and teleported away at the same time, slamming far away from the forest and hard onto the clinic doormat. The impact was hard enough to dislodge snow from the balcony above and directly onto her head., covering her in the white suff.
[21:43:28] <@Halide> "Oh, damn, where'd she get to..."  Oh, goody, she'd... vanished entirely, and suddenly there was no sound apart from him.  A quick look around, then a quick 'trace' spell on her teleport.... and then a repeat of that 'trace' spell, with a little more focus.  "...Luna's feathers, what a jump."  Blaze-Bright, certainly, was a -potent- unicorn.  That was a heck of a distance to cover!  Not... entirely unheard of, but
[21:43:28] <@Halide> certainly pretty rare!  He wasn't previously aware that Blaze had such extensive magical reserves... now that he thought of it, she'd held a levitation, on herself, for several minutes before breaking it ungracefully.  "So much for that, then.  Come along, treesworth.  More to do before the sun rises."