Post by Bardigan on Oct 1, 2012 23:24:42 GMT -5
The beginning of a little quest.
It's the twilight hours just before darkness falls. The horizon is a silhouette of shadows, and most of the light is quickly leaking out of the sky. Bardigan has chosen now to visit the library, himself mostly a shadow as he travels streets less crowded every minute. It's the perfect time to arrive at the library's doorstep given all he's here to do. But he's not *just* here to peruse GK Chesterhoof's poetry books, as much as he'd like to, and takes a moment to make sure he's presentable, straightening the feather in his hat and making sure all the garlic in his breath from lunch is gone. And then he nudges the door open and steps inside, glancing about. "Hello?"
Twilight_Sparkle is wearing her black-framed glasses, drinking cider, and perusing some very old papers, some of which are hovering around her. She doesn't immediately notice Bardigan's entry into the room; what she's reading is, evidently, pretty engrossing.
Bardigan uses his wing to ease the door shut, craning his neck to get a better look at the librarian in her natural habitat. He can relate to poring over papers, if for different reasons, and the sight brings a smile to his face. He reaches into his saddlebags, rummaging for a moment before pulling out a small notebook and balancing it on one hoof. He flicks his mane to make sure it's all in place, and clears his throat, still smiling lightly. "Far be it from me to distract the student of Celestia from her studies, but... I hope I've gained enough favor to do just that?"
Twilight_Sparkle perks her ears. She smiles as she sees her friend, and carefully folds the levitating papers into a neat stack, setting them down on the table. She moves multiple objects in her near vicinity around as if it were nothing; the world around Twilight Sparkle is, more and more, a web of complex magical systems, some more obvious than others. She rises to her hooves. "Bardigan! Hi. Listen, please, you can drop by any time you want to. I'm always happy to see you."
Bardigan makes sure to keep his eyes focused on Twilight; trying to keep track of everything caught un her magical net is an exercise his eyes aren't ready for. "The feeling is mutual, Miss Sparkle. After our talk I knew you were a pony it would never be a waste of time to visit." He waggles his hoof, showing her the notebook. "I, ah... didn't want to seem too presumptuous. But you helped me that night, Miss Sparkle, even if I didn't properly show it. I wanted to let you know how grateful I was." He takes to the air and flutters over to her, dropping down on his haunches and presenting the book with both hooves and a bowed head like some sacred offering. "This book is styled after a character in an old, old story. They were called the Sage, and they kept a record of all knowledge in the world. It's enchanted, Miss Sparkle, so that when you fill it with writing and reach the end, it allows you to use it all over again, storing the knowledge from before. It's not infinite... more a convenience than an artifact," he says with a wry smile, "but... given the wisdom I know you have, I thought the symbolism more than apt."
Twilight_Sparkle peers at the book, curiously, then wonderingly...she takes hold of it telekinetically, and flips through the pages, wide-eyed like a little filly at Christmas. A big, big smile slowly spreads across her face. "That's a truly wonderful and thoughtful thing to bring me! And I know I'm going to get a ton of use out of it, too!" She very carefully sets the book on her desk, beside the stack of documents she was studying when you came in and just in front of a vase full of quills. She steps in beside Bardigan, and bumps his flank with hers, affectionately. "Thanks. I wish I had something that special for you."
"Oh, let's not turn this into a contest, Miss Sparkle," Bardigan says with a chuckle, taking the flankbump in stride, returning it with a gentle brush of his wing on her side. "You already gave me something special. I only hoped to return the favor in kind." His gaze sticks with her a moment before it drifts off to her bookshelves. "Unfortunately, I did not come here just to lavish favor on you. Your library may have something I'm looking for. Something I need to help another pony... stars, Miss Sparkle. And firestones. Both have become of interest to me, recently."
Twilight_Sparkle tilts her head. "Well, if it's information you're looking for, I am the pony for that job." She trots over to a particular bookshelf. "History of stars and firestones? Chemistry? I'm sure it's all here."
"Fallen stars," Bardigan says with a note of mystery, following her and looking up at the vast storehouse of knowledge. "And how to revive them. Does that count as chemistry? I honestly don't know."
Twilight_Sparkle pauses a moment. "No. That's deeper magic, isn't it?" She looks Bardigan in the eyes. "It might be helpful at this point if you told me more about the situation."
Bardigan's stare is open, honest, even a little hapless. He's lost here. "Diamond Dancer," he says quietly. "The little invincible filly... she's very dear to me. Like a little sister, really. I've... taken her into my home. She is trying to gain a position in Princess Luna's retinue, and was given a fallen star and the task to revive it. I've been doing my best to look into possible answers. But I'm just a storyteller; all I can give is my heart and my words. I don't have the faintest idea where to begin."
Twilight_Sparkle nods, softly. "She is a special filly," she says, softly. "I can suggest books that will help. But I can also...offer my own assistance? If that's not too presumptuous?"
Bardigan's expression melts into a relieved smile. "Nothing would please me more, Miss Sparkle," he sighs, speaking in just as soft a voice as she. It just feels right. "Once again you swoop in to offer some hope. I'll... try not to make a point of running in here like a distressed damsel too much, of course."
Twilight_Sparkle grins. She shrugs. "The Princesses give me harder problems to solve than this one." She winks. "It's no trouble at all."
"No trouble! Reviving a dead star, no trouble?" Bardigan wonders, shaking his head. "Clearly, you *are* Starswirl's descendant if such problems aren't even worth more than a furrowed brow." He sighs, wondering at how long he's been staring, and thinking how fetching her glasses look... He quickly turns away to the rest of the library. "Ahh, so... I've heard tell there are firestones still to be found in Equestria. Anything that points right to one? They say they're connected in some way to stars." Whoever 'they' are is a total mystery to him.
Twilight_Sparkle nods. "They do say that, don't they? They say a lot of things. A lot more of them than you'd think are even true." She whisks a book off the shelf, opening it. "Ah, here we go." She reads. "Thought to be pieces of ancient stars, by some unicorns. The stardust of antiquity." Scribbling in the margin, she adds "...also, baby dragons eat 'em like candy."
Bardigan's eyes widen. "Really? I'd ask if you had any on hoof, but perhaps your assistant has devoured them..." He attempts to peek over her shoulder. "Any idea where they can be found?"
Twilight_Sparkle nods. "Caught a lucky break on that, during one of our dustups with the Diamond Dogs! There's a pretty rich vein of the things, down in those caves." She frowns a moment. "Promise me you won't go there alone! If you do need to go there and collect some, please do bring Spike and myself along. It'll be much safer."
Bardigan tips his hat, offering his best roguish smile. "Miss Sparkle, I may write quite a lot about feats of daring do, but that doesn't mean I can't handle myself. I was *there* for one of those dustups, if you'll recall! But I'm no fool either. I remember those caves all too well... I'd be honored to have you along, once we can assemble an expedition."
It's the twilight hours just before darkness falls. The horizon is a silhouette of shadows, and most of the light is quickly leaking out of the sky. Bardigan has chosen now to visit the library, himself mostly a shadow as he travels streets less crowded every minute. It's the perfect time to arrive at the library's doorstep given all he's here to do. But he's not *just* here to peruse GK Chesterhoof's poetry books, as much as he'd like to, and takes a moment to make sure he's presentable, straightening the feather in his hat and making sure all the garlic in his breath from lunch is gone. And then he nudges the door open and steps inside, glancing about. "Hello?"
Twilight_Sparkle is wearing her black-framed glasses, drinking cider, and perusing some very old papers, some of which are hovering around her. She doesn't immediately notice Bardigan's entry into the room; what she's reading is, evidently, pretty engrossing.
Bardigan uses his wing to ease the door shut, craning his neck to get a better look at the librarian in her natural habitat. He can relate to poring over papers, if for different reasons, and the sight brings a smile to his face. He reaches into his saddlebags, rummaging for a moment before pulling out a small notebook and balancing it on one hoof. He flicks his mane to make sure it's all in place, and clears his throat, still smiling lightly. "Far be it from me to distract the student of Celestia from her studies, but... I hope I've gained enough favor to do just that?"
Twilight_Sparkle perks her ears. She smiles as she sees her friend, and carefully folds the levitating papers into a neat stack, setting them down on the table. She moves multiple objects in her near vicinity around as if it were nothing; the world around Twilight Sparkle is, more and more, a web of complex magical systems, some more obvious than others. She rises to her hooves. "Bardigan! Hi. Listen, please, you can drop by any time you want to. I'm always happy to see you."
Bardigan makes sure to keep his eyes focused on Twilight; trying to keep track of everything caught un her magical net is an exercise his eyes aren't ready for. "The feeling is mutual, Miss Sparkle. After our talk I knew you were a pony it would never be a waste of time to visit." He waggles his hoof, showing her the notebook. "I, ah... didn't want to seem too presumptuous. But you helped me that night, Miss Sparkle, even if I didn't properly show it. I wanted to let you know how grateful I was." He takes to the air and flutters over to her, dropping down on his haunches and presenting the book with both hooves and a bowed head like some sacred offering. "This book is styled after a character in an old, old story. They were called the Sage, and they kept a record of all knowledge in the world. It's enchanted, Miss Sparkle, so that when you fill it with writing and reach the end, it allows you to use it all over again, storing the knowledge from before. It's not infinite... more a convenience than an artifact," he says with a wry smile, "but... given the wisdom I know you have, I thought the symbolism more than apt."
Twilight_Sparkle peers at the book, curiously, then wonderingly...she takes hold of it telekinetically, and flips through the pages, wide-eyed like a little filly at Christmas. A big, big smile slowly spreads across her face. "That's a truly wonderful and thoughtful thing to bring me! And I know I'm going to get a ton of use out of it, too!" She very carefully sets the book on her desk, beside the stack of documents she was studying when you came in and just in front of a vase full of quills. She steps in beside Bardigan, and bumps his flank with hers, affectionately. "Thanks. I wish I had something that special for you."
"Oh, let's not turn this into a contest, Miss Sparkle," Bardigan says with a chuckle, taking the flankbump in stride, returning it with a gentle brush of his wing on her side. "You already gave me something special. I only hoped to return the favor in kind." His gaze sticks with her a moment before it drifts off to her bookshelves. "Unfortunately, I did not come here just to lavish favor on you. Your library may have something I'm looking for. Something I need to help another pony... stars, Miss Sparkle. And firestones. Both have become of interest to me, recently."
Twilight_Sparkle tilts her head. "Well, if it's information you're looking for, I am the pony for that job." She trots over to a particular bookshelf. "History of stars and firestones? Chemistry? I'm sure it's all here."
"Fallen stars," Bardigan says with a note of mystery, following her and looking up at the vast storehouse of knowledge. "And how to revive them. Does that count as chemistry? I honestly don't know."
Twilight_Sparkle pauses a moment. "No. That's deeper magic, isn't it?" She looks Bardigan in the eyes. "It might be helpful at this point if you told me more about the situation."
Bardigan's stare is open, honest, even a little hapless. He's lost here. "Diamond Dancer," he says quietly. "The little invincible filly... she's very dear to me. Like a little sister, really. I've... taken her into my home. She is trying to gain a position in Princess Luna's retinue, and was given a fallen star and the task to revive it. I've been doing my best to look into possible answers. But I'm just a storyteller; all I can give is my heart and my words. I don't have the faintest idea where to begin."
Twilight_Sparkle nods, softly. "She is a special filly," she says, softly. "I can suggest books that will help. But I can also...offer my own assistance? If that's not too presumptuous?"
Bardigan's expression melts into a relieved smile. "Nothing would please me more, Miss Sparkle," he sighs, speaking in just as soft a voice as she. It just feels right. "Once again you swoop in to offer some hope. I'll... try not to make a point of running in here like a distressed damsel too much, of course."
Twilight_Sparkle grins. She shrugs. "The Princesses give me harder problems to solve than this one." She winks. "It's no trouble at all."
"No trouble! Reviving a dead star, no trouble?" Bardigan wonders, shaking his head. "Clearly, you *are* Starswirl's descendant if such problems aren't even worth more than a furrowed brow." He sighs, wondering at how long he's been staring, and thinking how fetching her glasses look... He quickly turns away to the rest of the library. "Ahh, so... I've heard tell there are firestones still to be found in Equestria. Anything that points right to one? They say they're connected in some way to stars." Whoever 'they' are is a total mystery to him.
Twilight_Sparkle nods. "They do say that, don't they? They say a lot of things. A lot more of them than you'd think are even true." She whisks a book off the shelf, opening it. "Ah, here we go." She reads. "Thought to be pieces of ancient stars, by some unicorns. The stardust of antiquity." Scribbling in the margin, she adds "...also, baby dragons eat 'em like candy."
Bardigan's eyes widen. "Really? I'd ask if you had any on hoof, but perhaps your assistant has devoured them..." He attempts to peek over her shoulder. "Any idea where they can be found?"
Twilight_Sparkle nods. "Caught a lucky break on that, during one of our dustups with the Diamond Dogs! There's a pretty rich vein of the things, down in those caves." She frowns a moment. "Promise me you won't go there alone! If you do need to go there and collect some, please do bring Spike and myself along. It'll be much safer."
Bardigan tips his hat, offering his best roguish smile. "Miss Sparkle, I may write quite a lot about feats of daring do, but that doesn't mean I can't handle myself. I was *there* for one of those dustups, if you'll recall! But I'm no fool either. I remember those caves all too well... I'd be honored to have you along, once we can assemble an expedition."