Shyriath

I second Dropbox. Especially since it means I don't have to transfer files around on thumb drive anymore when switching devices...

...That intro, I will have you know, was freaking epic.

I'm a writer who hates to write. I fill my time creating vast, endless worlds, bound by laws of vast complexity which I will most likely never constrain to a story. I love writing up my interpretations of pony mythos, being a huge fan of mythology, fantasy, and science-fiction. I'm currently working on an absolutely terrible My Little Pony fan-fiction, dealing with my mythos. It's actually not half bad but I'm still gonna tell ya it's terrible so that no pony has high expectations of it. So it's terrible. Trust me.

Nah, I think I'll eagerly await it instead. I'm a sucker for mythology.

Welcome! If the style of your posts just here is any indication of what to expect, any RPs you do here should be a good read.

*Attempts an intricate bow, although he mostly manages to flip himself on his back*

an idea for a town/city

*Quietly schemes a devious scheme to get Coltimore recognized*

(Because Equestria needs more Mareyland. Heehee.)

When did I start RPing... hmmm.

Well, way back in the dawn of time... this would be mid-90s or so, I guess... there were the InsideTheWeb message boards, which allowed you to create a simple, free board with minimal skill and join it with even less. I always had (and still do) love dragons, and I came across an ITW board where people were RPing as dragons. I joined in there and kept going up until ITW went under and the community got scattered; then I joined up with several former acquaintances from there on EZBoard and we more-or-less continued on from where we'd left off. It kept going up until four or five years ago.

I never really got the hang of D&D or other stat-based RPing systems. I get impatient with numbers and dice rolls and things; I feel like they usurp the narrative. The kind of RPing I prefer has always been the sort where you're writing a story... with other people instead of by oneself, but a story nonetheless.

I miss it, but I'll likely refrain from joining up here for at least a while; partly that's because I don't think I'd be able to devote the time, but partly because the experience is likely to be jarring. When I was RPing before it was always with the same group of close friends; we were always talking anyway, and we all had a handle on how the others thought, so things went very fast and very smoothly. It's been ten years or so since I've been in the position of doing that level of collaboration with people I don't know very well.

Tough call, especially since if I drink soda these days I usually restrict myself to diet sodas (I'm not supposed to be having that much sugar). Coke Cherry Zero, Diet Dr. Pepper, or Diet Canada Dry ginger ale are my more usual suspects. If I can get them, Pennsylvania Dutch diet birch beer or (rarely) Stewart's diet root beer.

For rare non-diet treats, Wegmans sells a good blood-orange-flavored soda. And then there's Almond Smash, which as far as I know can't be found very far outside the Baltimore area, and even here you have to catch it at the right stores during the right times. It's hard to get consistently.

Liking it so far!

Thank you!

I hope Celestia can get her feelings out in the open... doesn't do anypony any good to keep that kind of stuff locked away in one's own private vault.

Very true. But it's easy to pick somepony and try to tell everything to them; it's much harder to find somepony who'll actually understand. After all, Celestia has lived a very different sort of life.

(Before I begin:

This is going to be a bit of a new thing for me. Although I've written stories before, up until very recently I didn't show them to anybody but close friends. And this is my first try at writing fanfiction, because at some point in the distant past, when I was young and impressionable and depressed by the quality of what I'd been reading, I swore that I would never, ever, write fanfic of any sort ever, lest I contribute to the problem.

But after I became a brony, and when I started reading some of the stories that wound up on Equestria Daily and realized that they were often very good, it got me to rethink things. So I've started working on a story of my own; if it goes the way it looks like it'll go, it'll end up being quite long, and it will probably travel into grimdark territory later on, so I don't know if I'll be posting all of it here. But I have the prologue pretty well solidified, so I thought I would throw it out there for comments. If I post any further material, it'll be in subsequent posts in this thread.

The story is going to be based around Celestia and Luna. I've always had a fascination with mythology, and let's face it: in the world of MLP the sisters are walking myths. A lot could be done with that. So, moving on to the story...)

Whence Comes the Moon, Whence Comes the Sun

by Shyriath Farstrider, Harbinger of Cheese

"Vouch to me second, Vafþrúðnir:

If your wisdom serves you well:

Whence comes the moon, whence comes the sun,

That move alike over men?" –Vafþrúðnismál 22, the Poetic Edda

Prologue: Reflections

All across the broad valley that was the heartland of Equestria, the light of another day began to wane. Far off in the west, the sun sank toward the distant spires of Dragon Mountain and its sibling peaks; the shadows grew long, and the light began to redden and dim. In Ponyville and Cloudsdale and the other towns of the valley, the business of the day began to wind down, and ponies of all kinds trickled slowly out of the shops and restaurants to retire to their homes.

Some few of those who were outdoors paused and looked to the east. Some were visitors from outside the valley, from Fillydelphia or Manehattan or more distant parts of Equestria, who had heard about the sight and were curious to see for themselves; others were locals, who had seen it every day but somehow never tired of watching. Their gaze focused on a mountain in the distance, where there rose stately buildings and high towers, white walls and golden spires. It was already a beautiful sight, but the watchers knew that at a certain time of the day, when the sun was at just the right angle…

And, as happened every day, the watchers stared in awe, or gasped in delight, or simply smiled, as majestic Canterlot blazed in orange and gold, shining down on them like a second sun. For several minutes the entire valley was drenched in liquid gold, until at last the reflected light faded away. Among the scattered watchers, there was a moment of stillness… and then, remembering they had places to go, they peeled their gaze away and moved on.

====================

High above the valley, Canterlot too prepared for the day's end.

Here, though, unlike the towns below, the activity did not diminish; it merely changed its rhythm. Canterlot was the seat of the royal court, capital of a kingdom that extended for hundreds of miles, and the business of government never ceased. Messengers, functionaries, and ambassadors thronged the halls of the castle and the streets of the city alike, day or night, and the lives of the other inhabitants had adopted the same indifference to mere time.

While the bustle of the city continued, one particular pony, high above, had done her best to separate herself from it, even if only briefly.

She had settled herself into her accustomed place, on a west-facing balcony near the peak of the castle's highest tower. She watched the sun continue its slow descent toward the mountains on the other side of the valley, in the manner of someone ensuring that some familiar and reliable machine was running properly: not with particular concentration, but nonetheless watching, just in case.

Although no one actually within Canterlot itself had the vantage point to see the city shine, they could see its reflected light in the valley below. The pony watched the land between the mountains fill with a soft, golden light; it reflected back onto her horn and wings, and her rainbow mane seemed almost to glow in tandem. After a few minutes, the glow faded, and giving a faint sigh of satisfaction, she stood and withdrew into her chambers.

Celestia had watched the sun go down nearly every day for as long as she could remember. She didn't really need to, she knew; unlike sunrise, sunset happened without her intervention. For that matter, she did not have to see the sun to know where it was or if something was wrong with it; she simply knew. But she had started watching it long ago, back in the beginning, and ever since it had been a daily ritual. It fulfilled her sense of responsibility in her duties, and it was, in a way, comforting. She had even done the same with the moon, when she'd had to take responsibility for that as well. Luna, on the other hand-

"That's silly, Tia. It sets on its own. Why should I watch it?"

The princess smiled wistfully. She recalled the look her sister had given her when she'd suggested she keep a closer eye on the moon. Teal eyes sparkling with amusement, laughing at stodgy old Tia...

She sighed, and put away the memory. She knew if she dwelled on it too long, she'd start thinking about less pleasant times, and she'd done enough dwelling to last her for eternity. She preferred to think of Luna as she'd once been, not as Nightmare Moon. A dark mare, a shadowy mane, a cruel, unpitying laugh- No. She looked in her mirror and glared at herself. "None of that, old girl. You've got things to do."

Celestia exited her chambers, and the guards posted outside her doors fell in behind her as an escort as she made her way toward the castle library. After watching the waning of the day, Celestia normally spent her time resting before raising the moon, but for the past several weeks she'd had another matter to attend to at about the same time. It was a small change in her routine; not unpleasant, by any means, but a bit distracting.

Waiting for her inside the doors to the library was Scrivener, the Royal Archivist and head librarian. Celestia had always found him rather stuffy, even when he was younger, but the elderly unicorn was exemplary in the performance of his duties. He was also unfailingly courteous and helpful toward those around him, a trait all too rare amongst the haughty class-consciousness of the royal court, and that was worth a certain amount of stuffiness. He bowed, somewhat shakily, to the princess as she entered. "Majesty."

"Scrivener." Celestia smiled at him. "I did tell you you don't have to bow. Your legs aren't as young as they used to be, after all."

The blue unicorn hauled himself upright and sniffed. "Your Majesty, as I recall, you didn't tell me I couldn't bow. Am I right?"

"That's true, yes."

"Then I will continue to do so." An uncharacteristically mischievous look crossed his face. "At any rate, Majesty... under the circumstances, commenting on the age of my legs seems slightly incongruous. Although I would not dream of speculating on a mare's age-"

The archivist's statement was cut short by a brief peal of laughter. Celestia covered her mouth with her hoof, grinning. "Ahem. You surprise me, Scrivener. No offense, but you don't often show a sense of humor - though I must say it was the politely worded rebuke I've ever received."

"Yes, Majesty," he replied blandly. "At any rate, I expect you've come to check on your student?"

"Were you able to get her attention this time?" The princess began walking alongside Scrivener between the endless rows of shelves.

"I'm pleased to say that when I called her to lunch, she put aside her studies without complaint; but she doesn't yet seem to find sleep quite so important." The archivist glanced at Celestia. "I of all ponies can't object to a love of reading, but I have to say she takes it to extremes that I find a bit frightening. Most fillies her age, after a day at school, would be... out playing. Or something."

"That's true," she replied. "She is a faithful student, but she really should be out making friends- ah."

The vast library had many reading areas, and this was one. Here, the neat rows of shelves had been been bent around a square area with a wide table, piled high with books. From this angle, the only sign that there was someone behind the literary mountains was the occasional sound of a turning page. With a smile, Celestia walked around the table to the other side; here, a thick tome was propped up on a pile of other books, where it was being subjected to the rapt attention of a young, lavender-colored unicorn, perched on a high stool.

Smiling, Celestia quietly walked up behind her, and then loudly cleared her throat.

"Hm?" The filly replied, not looking up from the book.

Celestia, still smiling, moved closer, leaned over the filly, and stretched her neck out and down. The studious little unicorn sudden found herself staring straight into a large, upside-down face. "Aaaah! Oh... hello, Princess..."

"Hello, Twilight. Don't you think it's a little late to be studying?"

"But I've only been reading for, um..." Twilight Sparkle glanced over at a nearby clock, and blinked at it. "Oh."

"Yes, little one. It's near sunset again." The princess stepped back as the filly stretched and rubbed her eyes. "I don't mind visiting after tutoring, Twilight, but why is it you don't respond when Scrivener tries to get you to bed?"

Twilight glanced over at the old unicorn, and then leaned toward Celestia and whispered, "Well, his voice is kinda boring."

Celestia made an impressive attempt at keeping her face straight. "Ahem. Nonetheless, I'd appreciate it if you could listen to what he says. There's always more time to study tomorrow." She glanced at the book Twilight had been reading. "That looks like... a dictionary?"

"I was looking for books about the beginning of the world," the filly explained. "The public library just has stories and legends, and when you said I could study in here I started looking for something better. But I keep finding books written in Old Equestrian, and I can't read them. So I found a dictionary to help me."

Twilight jumped down from the stool and followed Celestia toward the library's exit; Scrivener followed both at a polite distance. The princess asked, "And have you found anything?"

"There are quotes from some other book, but I don't know where to find it. There's a library code starting with RHC."

"The Royal Household Collection," said Scrivener behind them. "You would not have seen it on the library maps, Miss Twilight, because that section of the library contains material that is the personal property of the royal house of Equestria. I can enter because of my duties as Royal Archivist, but otherwise only Her Majesty may peruse the material freely."

"I hardly ever go in," Celestia said. "Most of what used to be in there was relinquished to the Library ages ago." She frowned. "What would a history book be doing in there? Do you remember the number, Twilight?"

"RHC, er, zero-zero-five-two?"

"Scrivener, could you fetch that? I'm curious about it myself."

The librarian bowed stiffly and walked off between the shelves. The princess and her student went to the library doors to wait for him. Twilight asked, hopefully, "If he finds it, can I take it with me to read?"

"I don't think that would be a good idea, little one." Celestia smiled down at her. "Most of the books in that collection are very old and fragile. And besides, if it's in Old Equestrian you'd need the dictionary with you just to make sense of it. It can wait until tomorrow, but at least I can look at it myself and see if it's what you're looking for."

"How will you know, princess? If we can't read it..." Twilight trailed off, and then said, "Oh. I guess... you were around to learn it?"

"Oh, yes. Everyone spoke it, once. And they read it and wrote it, if they knew how to read and write."

"How long ago was that?"

The princess laughed. "Long enough that I don't bother to count. ...Ah, Scrivener. You found it?"

The old unicorn trotted up, a mildly offended look on his face. A book floated along behind him. "Your Majesty, if I cannot find a book in this library, I haven't been doing my job. This one is quite distinct, anyway."

Celestia's horn glowed faintly as she took the book. It floated in front of her face, and the covers opened. From below, Twilight could see that it was indeed an unusual book; the covers and spine were metal, hinged together. There was a curious, gilded design on the front, etched into the cover itself, like two stylized ponies following each other in a circle, a sun and moon between them. The spine had several short lines of writing, but it was even less recognizable than the Old Equestrian had been.

There was a long silence. Finally, unable to contain her impatience, the filly asked, "Princess, is it a history book?"

After another silence, Celestia moved the book away from her face, and shut it quietly. Just for a moment after her face became visible again, a strange and unhappy expression remained in place, before being quickly replaced by a weak smile. "No. No, Twilight, it's just... more stories."

Twilight simply nodded, looking worried. She suddenly felt that she wasn't all that curious about what was in the book. She had never seen an expression like that before in her short life, and she didn't know exactly what it meant, but it wasn’t one she was keen on seeing again.

The princess straightened. "I'm sure Scrivener can find something more helpful for you tomorrow. But I must go raise the moon... and you really should get some sleep. And I’m sure little Spike is missing you, spending so much time in here."

Twilight nodded again. Now the princess' faint smile looked as it always did, and the filly found herself wondering if it had left at all. Casting the occasional glance over her shoulder, she left for her room, with one of the royal guards escorting her.

The princess fixed her gaze on the floor for a few moments, sighed, and then turned to Scrivener. "Would you mind helping Twilight find some history books tomorrow? I don't think we have anything better than what she's found already, but give what help you can."

"Of course, Your Majesty," replied Scrivener. He watched her face closely. "Shall I put that book back for you?"

She glanced at it again, closed her eyes, and shook her head. "No," she said quietly, "I think I'll take it with me for now. Good night, Scrivener."

"Good night, Majesty."

The old unicorn watched her go. He was seventy-two, and despite his fondness for the peace and quiet of his library he had seen quite a lot in his life. Twilight Sparkle might have been too young to recognize the brief look that had been on the princess' face, but it was one that he had had occasion to see. It had spoken of old memories, deep pain, and deep regrets.

And how deep might they go, he thought sadly, for one who has watched centuries go by?

====================

The moon began its journey into the sky above Canterlot. Celestia looked wistfully at the dark shape on its surface, like the silhouette of a unicorn's head, and then turned away, closing the balcony doors behind her.

She laid herself on her bed, staring at nothing, and then turned to look at the nightstand nearby. There was always a heavy stack of books on it, because, like her student, Celestia was an avid reader; she had placed the metal-bound book on top of the stack. It looked exactly as she remembered, gleaming like new in the dim lights of her chambers. She hesitated; it was already late, and she wanted to sleep, but...

Celestia pulled the book onto the bed and opened it. The first page was covered an intricate design, a tracery of black ink, in the center of which was a stylized sun, the mirror of her own cutie mark. And on the next page, several lines of writing, in a language so old that almost no one, except for her, remembered it had ever existed. Her eyes followed the lines of complex, looping symbols.

She read:

ACCOUNTS OF BEGINNINGS,

Written here that they not be forgotten.

And below:

As seen by and told to

CELESTIA, THE DAYKINDLER.

She sighed, shook her head, and closed the book again. She had responsibilities. She needed sleep, because tomorrow was a busy day. Surely, it would be a waste of time to go dredging up memories...

But, thought Celestia, as she lay down her head, maybe tomorrow I'll look through it. Just for a while.

And there she slept, the book still in her hooves, as the night moved on.

*Raises hoof*

(Though if I could just get off my lazy behind and make a pony av...)

From most people, I think. My closest friend is already a brony (he introduced me to MLP:FiM), and I've mentioned to my sister that I like the show, and I'm not too closed about it online, but I don't think I'd be inclined to talk about it to most people I know in person. I don't mind being seen as weird (I already am, and I'm pretty happy with that description), but I would mind being seen as creepy, and I have the feeling that would happen.

That's about all I can think of to talk about right now. I'd throw art at you all but I'm lacking in any since I cleared out my old deviantart account and lost files and photoshop to a fried motherboard (and I was too lazy too ever make backups. ).

Technology is wonderful, innit?

Welcome, by the way.

That's true, I suppose. I guess that, for my part, the point isn't so much that the powers don't exist, but that my interpretation of how it's appropriate to use them is fairly narrow. Possibly the president could use that influence to enormous effect, but it shouldn't be the business of a single person to fix things or run things, especially not if people come to rely on and expect that person to do the fixing/running.

Even if things go well, and the person proves capable and intelligent and responsive, and they handle all their responsibilities, and they don't abuse their power and so on, they're not going to last in the job forever. The next person to come along might not be quite so suitable, and then the expectations for the position are suddenly too high. That happened with a forum community I used to inhabit once: we had someone who was basically our leader and admin, and he did his job well and everyone liked him and he kept the peace, but because of that we never bothered to try to get him to share his duties with anyone else. And when he felt he couldn't do the job anymore, and we had to pick someone else... well, things went downhill from there pretty quickly.

Ooh. I like this idea...

Now if only I knew anything about coffee shops.

More or less what Starfox64x said. A major problem with politics in the US, I think, is that people in general have come to expect the president to have a plan and solve their problems, no matter how infeasible it is for them to do so. Therefore candidates act like that's what they can do, either to appeal to the masses or because they believe their own hype.

I tend to be of the view that not only can't the president take charge to the degree people expect, but they shouldn't be trying in the first place. The president's job should be to carry out big plans, not come up with them. The people who should be doing the legwork of deciding how to pull the country out of its problems are in Congress, and they seem to be successfully avoiding that duty.

Sent!

Thank you very much!

I might be able to help out. I've done some writing before, and depending on what kind of thing you're trying to describe, I might have some perspectives there (I tend to think visually, so I can go overboard on the painting-pictures-with-words approach to settings). I can PM you my contact info, if you like.

It might help me out as well, to be honest. I'm writing a fanfic myself, and reviewing a different story might help me get in the right frame of mind for some self-editing.

*Scribbles a note, nudges it out where everyone can read it*

I am the Element of Bashful Silence.

(Also CHEESE)

Thank you!

I was asked to remove the images, but if/when I achieve something pony-related I'll put that in the album instead.

Ah. Then I'll go ahead and remove the stuff I've posted now, to get it out of the way.

Lunar Glow, by The-LoneKnight.

Thank you!

Here we go, first steps outside of the lobby...

So, I set up an album in the Gallery... it doesn't have much in it yet. Non-pony, mostly old stuff. Aside from the coat of arms, it derives from online roleplaying I did back in the day.

Any newly-made images I put in are likely to originate from vector graphic programs, because when it comes to drawing on paper my hands were never steady to begin with and are only getting less so... and, besides, it means I don't have wield an eraser. Technology has its compensations, right? :smile:

Now, let me see if I can figure out... ah.

You know, I've never before been on a messageboard that can let you do that...

I saw "Lyra to the Stars" too. A friend and I both thought it was very touching.

Actually, on the subject of art: what sort of requirements are there, if any, for getting an album in the gallery? I don't really do much in the way of art anymore, at least not that I want to inflict on anyone else, but... I dunno, I might want to try my hand again sometime. Especially since I haven't done anything pony-related yet.