Out of my Element[Lyipheoryia]

[Jabberwock]

Why am I doing this. This is an ill fated idea.

The stallion that sat at the farthest point of the rolling and rumbling train had eyes haunted by a nervous apprehension as his thoughts thrummed like the hum of the rails beneath him. He never got letters, no how-dos from relatives, no birthday wishes, not even junk from solicitors. But the mail-mare had spotted him on a rare excursion into town and flagged him down with a letter grasped in her hoof for him. An invitation. He hadn't even been aware that his name still carried any meaning among the field of science, convinced himself that he was nothing but an echo of something great, but the letter was plain as day, he was invited to a convention that only happened once every four years. He told himself that he wasn't going to attend, that he was not welcomed at such a gathering as he was now. Yet here he sat on a humming train heading straight for the most populated city in Equestria. Manehattan. Scared was an understatement, he would be mingling with an enormous group of ponies, a crowd much bigger than any he'd been around in a while, and the thought terrified him.

But it also exhilarated him. Such a large group of brilliant minds gathered in one central place, surely one of them would hold the answer he sought so desperately. The final piece to a puzzle that had cost him so much, he knew the risk of speaking to others of his ideas, his experiments and his work would no doubt find him at the receiving end of the death sentence, something not lightly used in Equestrian society. He gave a sick chuckle at the thought, pondering just how much it would hurt, or would they make it quick? Surely not, he didn't deserve a swift end. And he wouldn't ask for one. But for now, as the scenery flashed by, he began to ponder over the convention, trying desperately to remember the proper way to conduct oneself at such a meeting, he'd been to plenty before the incident, but found himself unable to remember what proper social skills were. How unfortunate.

***

Doctor Lovejoy had set himself up in a hotel not far from the location of the convention, an expensive venture, but it made it easier on the stallion who was not in the best of shape. A much shorter walk was very agreeable. He'd gone to the hotel immediately after disembarking from the train, thankful for the late arrival that saved him having to cope with so many ponies milling around him. But now he had to attend the event, and he had to leave the relative safety of his hotel room for the throbbing mass of Manehatten outside. He deeply missed the comforts of home right about now.

He'd done his best to look presentable, though in his state it was hard to, he'd donned a shabby but acceptable vest and undershirt combination, and tied his horribly kept mane into a horribly done ponytail, cursing himself for not having the hindsight to bring grooming supplies, he did his best with what he had. He caught sight of himself in a passing mirror as he made his way to the Hotel's exit, hoping he could pass as the respectable scientist and doctor that he once was, instead of the murderer he had become, he deflated a little as he looked himself over, he didn't.

The journey to the center was uneventful, if not completely nerve wracking, so many ponies rushing all around left the stallion utterly disoriented, and he was pleased when he finally pushed through the doors of the convention center, "At last..." He breathed a shaky sigh as his panic subsided slightly, but his head was still fuzzy from the overload of information, and he found himself not paying attention to the ponies around him as much as he should have been, distracted by the sights and sounds as he trotted into the main room.

[Lyipheoryia]

Starry Requiem was not interested.  At all.  She was totally not interested in the gathering.  That was exactly why she was standing in front of the main room of the gathering.  Totally.  Not.  She was really not excited to enter the room and discuss with fellow members of the Lunar Society.  Eyup.  Not excited at all.

 

Lady Starry Requiem, Head of the Royal House of Requiem, was smart.  Okay-that was an understatement.  She was one of the youngest recipients of the Lunar Society's Awards, overcoming the boundaries of her blindness to become an Astrophysicist in Infrared Astronomy at the Royal Canterlot Observatory.  She adored the sciences, poured herself into every single book with descriptions on her passion.  

 

Starry was also a party animal.  She liked to deny that, but she loved parties and hanging out with fellow celebrities.  She was a rich, money-throwing piece of gossip for every other Royal-and she was a social Elite.  She loved her role in society, but sometimes she really did despise the tole it took on her academic career.  Ponies would underestimate her and think of her as a stupid mare-only fit to spoil herself over generation's of money.  They had no idea just how hard she worked for her brilliance and brains.  

This gathering might as well have been the biggest party of Canterlot.  It might as well have been a full on conversation with her mother.  It might as well be a meeting with Equestria's greatest professors.  It was a meeting with Equestria's greatest professors.  This was a chance for her to prove her worth to Equestria-that she was more than a face of crazed out party animals.  This was a chance for her to disown any gossip information about her stupidity.  She was smart.  She had a life outside the night scenes of Canterlot.  She was smart!
 

And she was totally not excited for this gathering.  She was totally not squealing on the inside and giddily inertly hopping from hoof to hoof.  Totally not.

[Jabberwock]

Overwhelmed would be putting it mildly.

The ragged stallion's head was spinning from all the ponies surrounding him, talking loud. So loud. Or maybe it just felt loud because there were so many. He wanted to zero in on the conversations, to hear what these brilliant ponies had to say, even contribute, but his heard was pounding so hard in his chest that it felt hard to swallow. Act like a normal pony, you fool! He had to look crazy standing in the middle of the room, wild staring eyes looking like a criminal caught in the act. And you will be caught in the act if you don't act normal! He berated himself internally for his behavior, he needed to calm down, and he began to take deep breaths as he tried to collect himself. He could do this. He used to do this all the time.

Once he felt stable enough to move from the spot he was rooted to, he began to make his way to the far table that seemed lined with various beverages, his throat was parched from the stress, a cold drink sounded so nice. He still felt incredibly disoriented as he made his way through the crowd, but conversations were much clearer now, and he found himself enjoying hearing the thoughts of the mares and stallions milling around. He levitated a glass of cool punch to take a drink, resigning himself to pony watching for the time being, his thoughts turned darker as he pondered.

These were the most powerful unicorns in Equestria, and the most powerful minds, What would happen if he used a unicorn with immense magical ability, or a Pegasus with a powerful ability to fly? Would anyone notice if one of the attendees went missing? Would they trace it back to him? He felt panic rise as he tried to banish those thoughts, suddenly moving to leave the main room, he had to get out. Now. He was distracted by his rushing thoughts and didn't see the blue and yellow mare until the two collided.

[Lyipheoryia]

The air was so brilliant inside the room, Starry would have to give her best appearance.  She took a deep breath, smoothed back her braided multi-colour mane, and patted her dress.  Inside were the top unicorns of Equestria.  They had come up with the most infamous spells, hung around the most famous of magicians, she was just so....so...nervous!

It was a but of a foreign feeling to her...nervousness.  She rarely felt nerve-wracked, and always calm within herself.  She had never-ever-ever felt so...uncomfortable.  She took another deep breath, hoping to calm her giddy nerves.  She looked inside the room, tilted her chin up, and walked in.  

...Or not.

The next thing she knew, something was hitting her at an impact speed.  She jolted backwards, dizziness filling her mind as she spun in some direction.  Another impact.  Huh.  I'm on the ground. 

 

What happened?