TheInvisiblePony

As Fantasy approached the bushes which acted as a gate to the sanctuary of nature, she turned back to see Darkness presumably saying his goodbyes to the place. Fairly reasonable, she mused. She probably would have done the same, had she had a place that meant this much to her. Not wanting to cut anything short (that would be terribly impolite) she waited where she was and allowed him to carry one. A goodbye to a clearing shouldn't take too long, and then they'd be on their way. As she stood there, she decided to focus on a sense of direction. She knew Darkness was basically a walking map, but she didn't want to entirely rely on his talent. Or, maybe it was just a natural instinct of an adventurer. Regardless, she started mentally mapping out what she knew of the area, and between her memory and the sun, it wasn't long before she had a general idea as to where they were headed, trees blocking her view or not.

Good day mate, and welcome, welcome, welcome to Canterlot! I have a feeling your going to fit right in. In fact, take a complimentary music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNapDkz1urc

Well... a decision. Fantasy weighed her options. The ten minute estimation sounded fairly accurate, especially since she knew her way around, given that she had kinda been raised there. There wasn't many back alleys to her recollection, but she had always gotten around fine. Well, that settled that. Satisfied with her solution she decided it would probably be a good idea to share it. Well, more necessary than good. It wasn't like she couldn't share it at this point, but that was fairly obvious. [colour=#800080]"My vote's for Canterlot. It is a bit busy, I'll admit, but unless things have drastically changed you and I both have a decent idea of how to get around. Of course, now that I think about it, I'd have to think about any sort of food..."[/colour] Fantasy tried to think of any place in particular (outside of food stalls... she had never truly cared for those) but she really only ever bothered to remember where the bookstores were. Funny, but not terribly unexpected. After a second or two of collecting thoughts, she remembered a small deli. Not much, but it might do. [colour=#800080]"Actually, I believe I recall just the place. Now, not to rush things, but with a plan in hoof, we really shouldn't tally".[/colour] She smiled the smile that was often on those who had a decent plan, and did a brief trot around the clearing, mainly to don her cape and hat. She then turned and focused her smile on Darkness. [colour=#800080]"A brief detour is all this visit should prove to be. We'll be out and on our to Ponyville before you know it!"[/colour]

You know, I was expecting someone to pick the Joker for more or less the same reason. He really is great, isn't he? I think, by far, my favorite flip-flop contrast between the two is the backstory. Or rather, the lack-thereof on one part. I've always found it funny how amazingly in depth we go into Batman's psych, and get literally hours worth of backstory distributed throughout the various movies and comics. On the other hand, how much do they really go into the Joker's history? Aside from his lies, you don't get a terribly big one. I mean there is the Red Hood and the chemical plant, but we still barely know anything. Yeah, great villain. Easily one of the best.

So, I figure I'd come to the board with a rather specific inquiry for all y'all who're interested. Personally, I believe that antagonists can cause some of the most dramatic tension in literature/film/insert other medium. Sure, you can get struggle without them, but nothing really comes close to a confrontation between rivals in my humble opinion. Now, it should go without saying that some villains are just more villainous than others, and some ruffians are just more ruffious than others. The same could be said for their styles. My question is, who is your favorite antagonist villain of all time? Who do you just love to hate, and hate to love? For myself, I'd say my favorite antagonist is Oz, from the play Wicked. I don't know why, but something about the man who just gets swept off his feet and gets carried away for caring for the world intrigues me. He's not evil, persay, just a man trying to do what he thinks is right when he's out of his depth. Oh, and for contrast's sake, no characters from MLP, please. There are already plenty of threads for that in particular.

Fantasy tossed the idea in her head a little bit. Of course, she didn't really have any better ideas, so she nodded. While she did that, she tried to recall what Ponyville was like. If memory served her, it was a quiet little village. She had actually been there a few times herself, mainly to sell her wares. She had varying levels of success, but other than business experience and a general idea, she didn't know much about the place. Well, outside of what she's read of the history, anyways. [colour=#800080]"Ponyville... sure! Sounds delightful, really."[/colour] She spoke happily, and stood up to stretch her legs. She was always one for a little adventure, although going all the way to Ponyville would be immensely time consuming. Actually, that did present itself as a problem, mainly because, well, a lack of food. She wasn't currently hungry, but that didn't guarantee anything in the future. Fantasy figured now was as good a time as any to voice her concerns. [colour=#800080]"Although, I don't suppose you'd have any methods to secure some supplies? We could always stop by Canterlot as a sort of pitstop, or, you know, scrounge about the forest for fruits and such. I'd imagine your a bit more resourceful than myself around these parts."[/colour]

Fantasy blinked, unsure what to make of the sentiment, but, at least he was happy. The peck on her cheek caught her off guard, but it wasn't bad at all. She grinned and nodded to agree with him, before turning her thoughts to the question. Well, she certainly didn't have anything planned after the whole dungeon thing, sooo... she figured she ask him. [colour=#800080]"Well, I don't know. I don't suppose you have anything planned?"[/colour] She looked at him in earnest, but kept thinking.

Maybe it was because she was still a little tired, but at this point Fantasy was hardly fazed by Darkness' comment. However, her ears did perk up at the cuddling bit. Mainly, because that was definitely a first. Well, another first. Unsure of just what to say, and not wanting to stumble over her words, Fantasy fixed her gaze on the pegasus as she gathered her thoughts. Well, he had said multiple things, best answer in order. Hay, she reasoned that she could even buy enough time to try and not say anything particularly awkward. [colour=#800080]"Please, don't feel bad about waking me. I'm a bit of a light sleeper" [/colour]She gave a small smile, hoping to calm him down even a little bit, before moving on with the conversation. [colour=#800080]"As for the cuddling, well, if its any consolation, I don't mind. I mean to say, I was asleep so I guess I didn't even know about it..." [/colour]She facehooved after trailing off. Yup, that was more or less exactly what she wanted to avoid: an awkward turn of events. Trying to salvage the situation, she quickly removed her hand from her face and hastily added [colour=#800080]"I mean, I imagine it would be nice... but well. Yeah. I'm certainly not upset about it."[/colour] And... with that she figured she should stop talking.

Hugo was, first and foremost, intrigued by this job he had been offered. It was vague, other than its specification for griffons, but that just made Hugo ever the more curious. After all, how often does such an opportunity present itself? He figured the only reason he had been hired to begin with was his strength, considerable as it was. Word gets around when you make a living off of it, but regardless the griffon was happy to be included in such a select job. ...Okay, so maybe not exactly 'happy' persay... the job looked sketchy at best, which did ruffle his feathers, but there was little he could do about it. He had accepted the job and he was honor bound to see it through. So, when he was made aware of the meeting place at the Canterlot train station, he made for his destination as quickly as possible, given that upon being hired he was a good distance away from Canterlot. Upon arrival (and a brief delight that he had arrived on time), it was not exactly difficult to see where this crew of griffons was, as a good five of them were gathered together. Or, maybe there were only five, he had no way of telling. Regardless of more joining, Hugo was unsure of how he would deal with such a large group. Most of his jobs required more solo work - be they academic in private or physical in public. Working with a group might be difficult, seeing as how Hugo was well aware not everyone was keen to his personal system of honor. Upon walking towards the group, he caught one of the griffons mock about seeing a griffon and a treasure. So... any doubts were wiped away off the bat with that one. Figuring he should make his presence known, Hugo spoke up. [colour=#ffd700]"Good day. I presume this is the group of griffons hired for a 'mystery job', so to speak. If so, I should introduce myself. I am Hugo." [/colour] He spoke maintaining a rigid pose, hoping to remain as silent as possible. Job or not, he had a reputation to maintain. Although, as he sized up the group, he realized he had not seen this many griffons since his travels with his family. It was a change of pace, although he knew too little about anygriffon before he could decide if that was for the better. On the bright side, his introduction was out of the way. Now, to wait for responses and newcomers.

I guess your right. Really, I just need to go back and rewatch the episode. Still, I'd like to know the details of this spell, like how exactly it affected the ponies. I just want to know how they thought they earned the fake cutie mark once the swap had happened.

Well. I can honestly say I didn't like this episode. Oh, not because of the whole new alicorn on the block thing, I'm completely fine with that. Heck, if anything I can say I was never really surprised when I caught wind of the news. Really, it seemed a bit inevitable in retrospect, and all I have left to say on the matter is that I will still always think of Twi as a unicorn, mainly out of habit at this point. No, what bugged me was the pacing, and a few other issues. But for now, lets start with the pacing. With all the music quite literally every two minutes at some points, this episode seemed a bit... forced, really. As in, I could have been fooled into thinking it was a twenty minute music video rather than an episode. Oh, and the plot was so glossed over it left me in the dust in a few places, which really is a shame, because the whole swapped destiny idea really intrigued me. But the cause was glanced over, the cure was glanced over, the morale implications were glanced over, and the doubt of royally (pun-intended) screwing up again were glanced over. This is the one episode that I think really, and I mean really, needed to be a two-parter. The other thing I didn't like was how they handled the cutie-swaps. That in particular was a plot element that needed to be fleshed out. It should have gotten legitimate scenes, and not just a song. It should have been explored, but as it was I don't think this was nearly the biggest event Twi's been through. She's beaten a literal embodiment of chaos, and finishing a spell is what got her crowned? I question that, but mainly because Celestia's scene was barely looked at. From what I understood, Celestia was celebrating how far she had come, and that she was going to be a princess. I guess I can understand that the spell was specifically a culmination of all she had learned about friendship, but it just wasn't emphisised enough. Oh, and why was Starswirl working on a spell to turn himself into a god princess alicorn in the first place? It wasn't all bad though. I mean, the songs were good, even though they took the place of, you know, development. I did like Shining Armor's quote about liquid pride, which I may have to start using, and the overall message they were intending to get through was respectable enough. Just, too much to handle in the span of 20 minutes.

Still sound asleep as the sun rose, Fantasy was more or less unresponsive to the light. Over the years, she decided she never liked waking up because of sunlight, because that's just one victory the night had over the day. Waking up in the light never seemed to be better than falling asleep in relaxation. So, in a small victory against the day that some might consider silly and a little petty, Fantasy managed to figure out how to be a light sleeper to anything but light. She figured if anything should wake her up, it wouldn't be the sun. So that's why she woke up to Darkness scooting back rather than the rise of the sun. Of course, still sleep deprived, she didn't really do much at first. Just kind of blinked, and registered that Darkness was a few hoof-steps away. Well, she was sleep deprived until that thought hit her. The promise of social activity, for better or for worse, always woke her up. Fantasy sat upright, figuring it would be rude to remain lying down, and stifled a yawn with her hoof. Blinking her eyes open for good measure, she spoke "Good morning." Mentally, she was already working out a few different things he might say, and a few different ways she could respond. While she waited for a reply, she also glanced down at her coat and noticed the side she had been lying on was ever so slightly decorated with what she could only assume was crushed moss. Well, she couldn't have that, so she took her hoof and started trying to remove it from her coat. Awake or not, it was early enough to divert most of her attention.

First, let me preface with an apology to anypony I may have inconvenienced in my take of leave. Especially, you know, since it was unannounced. Without going in to too much detail (mainly because I'm not a fan of excuses) a family member needed to borrow my laptop, which is my main outlet to the internet. I would have provided notice, but it was unannounced. Also, I'd be lying if I didn't mention a slight waning of muse I've been having, seeing as how I've been spotty regardless of the most recent stretch. I've just been slightly out of it, and a bit unmotivated. Well, until I saw the season finale, that is. Cured that one right up. Missed it on the premier date, just watched it today, but I'll post my opinions on that in the forum. So, that's about it. Now, I do believe I have to reestablish my charm and wit amongst the forums.

Fantasy Tropes had no idea what she was doing in Manehatten. Well, technically she knew exactly why she was there: she had been trying to visit one of the museums in the city, mainly to try and see what pieces of history she couldn't see herself. What she didn't know, is just how crowded it would be. Because it was really crowded. She had already panicked twice in the large mobs in the streets, and she made great attempts to take what appeared to be back roads. Still, even the back roads had plenty of ponies, and Fantasy was beginning to feel a little claustrophobic, so she ducked into a hotel, rented a room for the night, and thought it would be less crowded in the early morning. It was, but only slightly and even that was due to the fog blocking out most of the crowd, so Fantasy felt back at square one, but mainly she wanted to find a spot where she wasn't in a panicked state, and the hotel was not a viable option (she already turned in the room key, and was running low on bits as is). Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a coffee shop through the fog, and it looked empty enough, so the earth pony hurried towards the door. Walking in, she wondered if she was socially obligated to order a cup of coffee in order to stay, and made a mental estimation of how much it would cost her. As she stood by the door, she looked around and saw the pony she assumed to be the owner, a sort of tannish unicorn. She blinked, unsure of what to say, so she decided to opt against saying anything until she was addressed.

((OOC I can forgive your delay if you can forgive mine )) Enos happily took the bread, and followed the pop star over to the wooden table. [colour=#696969]'Strange'[/colour] he thought [colour=#696969]'I wasn't even aware they were tables over here. Guess I should be a bit less absent-minded today. Or rather, I should try.'[/colour] Looking over to Sapphire, he looked just in time to catch the face she made. Out of context, the face took Enos by surprise, and he just barely managed to suppress a chuckle. He wondered what could have given reason to such a face, before he noticed a little dust on her food. Enos looked down at his own hooves, and decided it would probably be best to wipe his own hooves before starting to eat his bread. Luckily, there was just enough pause for him to start eating. He kept forgetting how hungry he was, but with food in hoof it was neigh-impossible to. Miss Shores spoke up again while he just bit off his end of bread. She starting singing while he was trying to hurry the first bite. With half-chewed bread in his mouth, Enos didn't dare say anything at first, least he break one of the most important social etiquette rules Canterlot had -- that is to say, never speak whilst chewing your food. So, he did a lot of thinking instead. [colour=#696969]'Is she... starting the music lesson now? Why would she... huh. Maybe she's just constantly on the fast lane. Okay, I think I can give this a shot.' [/colour]Enos, not bothering to look around at the one or two ponies that had cast askance glances, thoughtfully swallowed his bite, and cleared his throat. He was aware of the musical Do-Re-Mi, but hitting those notes without magic might prove tricky. He recognized the note, and tried to match it himself. [colour=#696969]"Do-o-o-"[/colour] He paused mid note. That note was a bit high. [colour=#696969]"Do-o-o-o-"[/colour] Too low, that time. He coughed a bit, in an attempt to ready his vocal cords. [colour=#696969]"Do-o-o-oh!"[/colour] He let the note bounce around in his head for a second before deciding that it was close enough. [colour=#696969]"Will that suffice?"[/colour]

Oh my goodness, how could I forget about my personal favorite accomplishment? I once beat the Portal 2 co-op. By myself. Now that was incredibly tricky. Has anyone ever tried playing a game with 2 different controllers? I heartily reccomend it. Its just difficult enough to be entertaining. Oh, not to mention you don't have to deal with the annoyances that come with co-op, such as your friends trying to murder you with portals. Honestly, this was an accomplishment born out of necessity more than anything else.

I'm partial to Friendship is Magic: The Next Generation Cause, you know, Star Trek.