11. [Video/Action]

[brodakota]

[On the screen is a relatively new face. North has decided to check out Ponyville and this is the result. A purple unicorn with a green mane. He looks a little bewildered at the change, less because he's a unicorn and more because his AI is suddenly a baby dragon and that's really weird. Maybe a cause for concern. But he has bigger worries at the moment.]

Anyone want to explain what the trick to walking on all fours is? I don't think I've got the hang of it yet.

[OOC: This post has a variety of options. There's the video option, and several action options: You can mean North and Theta together and teach him to walk (A), Meet North on his own after he's mostly figured it out and had a chance to practice (B), or meet Theta on his own as North decided to rest a bit and ended up falling asleep and Theta wanted to play. (C). Just let me know in the subject line.]

Comments

[unrecovered]

[Melody and Fang both calm down pretty quickly once the branch is removed. After a moment, Wash rolls to his stomach, relatively upright, and presses a hoof to his head.]

I think you just figured out pony combat.

[Yeah, he's gonna be sore all over after that one.]

[brodakota]

Believe me, that wasn't intentional, but I'll keep it in mind. I haven't met them yet, but I'm sure there's nightmares here.

[He'll definitely be practicing though. But speaking of combat...]

I've actually been meaning to talk to you. Just what was that fight with...the big nightmare?

[He's reluctant to say Maine...and isn't sure about Meta either.]

[unrecovered]

I haven't run into them either. Probably a good thing.

[Behind him, Melody meows indignantly. Hey! She'd protect him from the Nightmares. He should know that by now.]

[Wash's expression sours slightly at North's next question. He wanted to talk about that here? Now?]

A fight with a big Nightmare. They tend to happen a lot around here.

[brodakota]

[Now's a good a time as any, unless Wash wants to move somewhere more private. Still, North's giving him a look. He can bring the branch back if he has to.]

You know what I'm talking about.

[unrecovered]

[And Wash is ignoring that look and getting back to his feet. Hooves. Whatever. Wash is only going to have this conversation as a captive audience, which means that tree branch might well have to make a reappearance.]

And I don't want to talk about it.

[brodakota]

[North sighs. He hadn't really wanted to do this but Mr. Treebranch wants to say hello again. It could be worse. He could be sitting on you, Wash. Don't think it didn't cross his mind.]

I thought you said you weren't going to keep me out of the loop anymore.

[unrecovered]

[NOBODY LIKES YOU, MR. TREEBRANCH. NOBODY.]

[And that's one Washington pony flat on the ground again and utterly furious, because this was very obviously not an accident.]

So, what, you drop a fucking tree on me?!

[brodakota]

Would you prefer I knocked you over and sat on you?

[His expression softens a bit.]

Look Wash, is it too much to ask for an explanation? It obviously had Theta, and that kinda freaked him out a little.

Oh shit he broke out the angry eyes

[unrecovered]

At least I can kick your ass.

[It's a threat he can't exactly follow up on, and he fumes a bit. Much as he hates to admit it, North has a point.]

...how much did York tell you?

At least now he has more than one facial expression

[brodakota]

I know about what happened to Maine, with Sigma and everything. Just kind of hard to see...that in action.

[He sighs, looking at the ground.]

He comes after me, doesn't he?

Point. I figure Wash is only ever ticked off, so I'm set.

[unrecovered]

No shit.

[Yeah, he's still not feeling too charitable right now.]

The Nightmare had Theta and a shield. It's pretty obvious.

He'll remember smiling at some point. Maybe.

[brodakota]

The reality's a bit tough to face.

I mean, he had a lot more AIs than anyone should have.

But then I have to make another icon. I'm a lazy butt. :(

[unrecovered]

[There's a whole host of snide and ugly comments he could make here, but he just snorts and bites them back. He may be unhappy, but he doesn't need to make things worse than they are.]

AIs, equipment - that's what it was after.

...for what it's worth, there wasn't a lot of Maine left by that point.

[brodakota]

I kind of got that. Theta was terrified, and he's not usually scared of Maine.

[Sigma was scarier than Maine as far as Theta was concerned. Maine was just big.]

What if that version of Maine shows up here?

[unrecovered]

[Theta has good reason to be terrified of the Meta, but Wash isn't going to bring that up.]

We kill it. The Meta couldn't do half of what that Nightmare did, and it won't come back from a shotgun to the face, or from whatever Luna will do to it when she finds out.

[brodakota]

[North looks down at the ground again.]

So there's no way to bring Maine back.

[unrecovered]

Not with Sigma calling the shots.

[brodakota]

And I'm guessing getting rid of Sigma's not much of an option.

[At least, not likely if Maine ever showed up with him.]

[unrecovered]

Not unless you think you can get close enough to pull him, and even then, that might make it worse.

[Because forcefully pulling someone's AI is a really good way to fuck them up, though North may not know that yet.]

[brodakota]

[North manages a nod. He'd say that in a fight between the two of them, he's pretty sure he'd lose, but given recent discoveries, that kind of humour is a bit blacker than he's used to.]

Guess I got lucky with Theta being pretty harmless.

[unrecovered]

From what I can tell, most of the AI partnerships the Counselor planned worked out fine. It's the mismatched ones that went off the rails.

[Maine, Carolina, and him. Great track record.]

Now if we're done talking, get this damn branch off me.

[brodakota]

[North nods. He really did get lucky. He looks like he's about to say something, then decides against it. His horn glows and the treebranch is moved.]

[unrecovered]

[Wash gets to his hooves, shaking himself off, dislodging leaves and bark and mapping his bruises, because there will be bruises from this one.]

[Once he's steady again, he turns to look at North. No words of thanks - not when North hit him with the branch in the first place.]

Whatever you were going to say, say it.

[brodakota]

It's nothing. Sorry I hit you with the treebranch and then pinned you under it.

It's just...that fight scared me, Wash.

[unrecovered]

[If there's one thing Wash has learned, it's that it's never nothing - not where Freelancers are involved.]

[Still, he wasn't expecting that admission, and it shakes something loose in him. He's never actually heard anyone in the Project admit to being scared; this in and of itself is pretty frightening all on its own. His voice is quiet when he replies - no anger, no snark.]

You're not the only one.