600/Night Mares and Ice Cream

Night Mares and Ice Cream
Date of Scene:	16 September 2014
Location:	Njorun Station - Central Plaza
Synopsis:	After the battle with Ifrit, Marrik finds advice from and makes friends with Luna.
Cast of Characters:	337, 541

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Marrik (541) has posed:
Njorun is, well, huge. It isn't 'big as an island' huge, or 'big as a state' huge. Just the section Marrik was in probably could be compared to Australia give or take a few hundred square miles. Much like interstellar distances things on that scale were hard if not outright impossible for the human mind to comprehend. Not that Marrik cared. After the fight with the primal Ifrit and it's brainwashed followers Marrik had taken a long soak, then tried sleeping.

Except when just to have a chance at keeping Ifrit gone he basically had to murder an entire village. Never mind their minds were gone already and by his own admission, not to mention Maya's, and others, what he had done was a kindness. He couldn't sleep. So to Njorun he fled, to some random parkland dressed in dust colored clothes as his mismatched eyes peered at a bowl of ice cream intently, as if somewhere in the chopped nuts, Carmel, and vanilla chocolate swirl he could find some way to make the screaming stop.

He was seated on a tree stump a little off one of the paths just looking, possibly waiting. Hopefully not too long since melted ice cream isn't nearly as fun.

Luna (337) has posed:
     Luna doesn't sleep at night anyway, and after raising the moon there really isn't a lot to do on Equestria. So, Luna decided to go out and do some exploring. She has only been to Njorun in isolated incidents, so she is now flying about the plaza. But, she recognizes a troubled soul when she sees it, and so circles her way downward toward Marrik, then lands gracefully before giving her mane a toss. "Are you attempting to stare your dessert into submission?" she asks, smirking lightly in an attempt at playfulness to lighten Marrik's mood.

Marrik (541) has posed:
"Long day," Marrik said absently, "Couldn't sleep." He looked up from his ice cream and just stared. This was no tiny pony. Somehow he managed to set his food down without spilling it. This. This was more like the legends. The hooves were not cloven and the tail not right but as he looked at Luna he saw someone far older than him with far more power and experience, all shaped like a thing of legend.

He blinked. Then blinked again, but never turned away. "H-hello there." Soft voice now, uncertain. Was this somehow one of the bigger cousins to the light hearted ponies he's already passingly familiar with? Even setting aside the whole 'never seen an alicorn' moment, his body language was all wrong. It wasn't fear that kept him still, but exhaustion.

Luna (337) has posed:
     Luna smiles as you stare at her. She runs a forehoof through her flowing mane. "Hello." she says in a slight proud tone. But, that fades when she sees how tired you look. "Are you alright?" she asks, her voice and expression full of concern now. And the energy she gives off...it is just like the night. Calm, cool, yet energizing and brisk. She is definitely a pony of the type which he already knows, but something beyond their usual types.

     And her magical power is enormous. It radiates from her like moonlight from the night sky. "If you are feeling sick, you should see a healer." she says, then smirks again. "Luckily for you, there happens to be one right in front of you." she says, lifting a forehoof and pressing it against her chest proudly.

Marrik (541) has posed:
The moment of awe and wonder passed slowly for Marrik. If this was a dream it was a lot /nicer/ than his post having to do icky things dreams. "I'll be fine," This was a pretty blatant and obvious lie even as he patted a patch of ground next to him. "Just one of those things where my body is the least of my problems." He didn't plan on talking, mostly because he didn't want to trouble the mare, but there was something there. Not an active spell or some magic, just the feeling it was OK. Relax.

"The bright side I guess is we won? Demon thing pretending to be a God banished, at least for the time being. That's good. Right?" What was the not so good news?

Luna (337) has posed:
     Luna seems confused by Marrik. His words aren't matching what she feels at all. She moves toward him, then sits down beside him. First on her haunches before she lowers her body down. "It is usually a good thing to banish a demon, yes." she says, tilting her head. "But, you do not seem to believe it was a good thing." she says as she extends a wing and wraps it around Marrik gently, letting him bathe in the coolness and calmness of night. "What happened that makes you feel it was not a good thing?"

Marrik (541) has posed:
Definitely not the most dignified position, but a hug is a hug is a hug and Marrik needed one. "To make it so we could banish it and not end up having it dropped on our heads ten minutes later we had to go after its servants." Standard cult and demon slaying procedure really so far. "Cults I've felt with. Crazy, fanatics that believe turning everything into a smoking husk is a good thing." Hell, for a little while, he used to /BE/ one of those nuts.

He picked up his ice cream spoon, ate what was on it, and would point with it for emphasis. "Thing is these. It was a whole village that had been not just brainwashed. Brainwashing leaves the person there knowing something's off. It broke then remade them so they were fund I mentally its creatures and an extension of its will." By tone and expression it was going to get worse. Marrik reached over to hug Luna's neck. "So far so good. Except. Village. Everyone down to infants were." His voice caught, "People there had tried for thousands of life times to undo the tampering these things do to people, and they all have failed. I can argue and justify all I like that I did them a kindness, but I can still hear them."

Luna (337) has posed:
     Luna's ears lie back as she listens. It is a sad tale. One that she has only heard legends of. "If there was no way to rebuild their minds, then...what other choice did you have? This demon was not going to stop, was it? While still tragic, it is better that a few die now to save thousands from dying later." she says. When Marrik leans to hug around Luna's neck, she nuzzles at him.

     "It is good to feel the pain of loss even for those you did not know, but you cannot dwell on such things. Such thoughts lead to your own destruction." she says, her wing squeezing Marrik lightly. Then, she gets an idea, and a light smirk crosses her face. "We need to get you smiling." she says as her horn starts to glow. Marrik's ice cream bowl floats up, then globs of ice cream starts separating themselves from the main body before forming into playful shapes like moons and stars and ponies.

     And, one of those ponies 'gallops' toward Marrik's mouth. A tasty vanilla pony with chocolate mane and tail.

Marrik (541) has posed:
"I know. Usually takes a few days for the shakes to st-" Marrik trailed off when he saw the ice cream ponies. That was something interesting, and more than a little amusing. He reached out to the little ice cream delights, parking his spoon so maybe one would step onto it. "In happier news I had been able to bring peace to more than a few restless sorts that had been stuck watching." That brought a genuine smile to his face as much as the precision illusion and sculpting. "I will return in time to see if that let any of them move on with a little peace of mind." Necromancy and zombie animation was icky and gross, but giving a man the ability to finish a thing with his own two hands was rewarding enough to make a lot of the baggage worth it.

He let go of Luna's neck and offered a well worn and calloused hand. "I am Marrik Broom. Shop owner, Spirit intermediary, and puncher in the nose of things that really should leave people alone." Some of his usual cheerfulness was returning. The tired weary feel was still there, but just being able to smile made him feel less like he was staring into the abyss.

Luna (337) has posed:
     What is an ice cream pony to do when a spoon is held toward it? Why hop onto it of course! The ice cream pony lands on the spoon, then rears up and paws at the air with its forelegs before going still. Luna smiles happily when Marrik's disposition improves. "Helping the dead to pass on to their peaceful afterlives...it is a noble pursuit." she says, her smile turning to a more soft, appreciative smile.

     When Marrik holds out his hand and introduces himself, Luna raises a forehoof to place in his hand. "I am Luna." she says, seeming a bit self-conscious that she has no titles to include in the introduction. So, she makes one up! "Mistress of the night and protector of dreams." Sure, that sounds good.

Marrik (541) has posed:
"Huh." Marrik let Luna's leg go after a quick shake. "Dreams and the Night." He didn't know Equestria's cosmology otherwise he might sound more awed, or possibly afraid because of the whole 'mistress of the night' thing. Instead he merely sounded interested. "So basically you work moonrise to moon set." Given the moon could and often was up during the day that had to be annoying. "I imagine eclipses are a bit of a headache. Kind of like getting called in for ten minutes even though for you its like middle of when you're normally asleep." Then again did eclipses count as part of the night? He looked thoughtful for a moment before eating the ice cream pony. Definitely good stuff here.

Luna (337) has posed:
     Luna seems a bit annoyed when her job is spelled out so simplistically. Moonrise to moon set. But, the next comment earns a headshake. "The sun and moon are never in the sky at the same time in Equestria, unless it is for a special occassion. My sister and I ensure it." she says. So, no eclipses or moon up during the day. "In addition to raising and lowering the moon, it is also my responsibility to ensure the dreams of Equestrians are pure and not nightmarish. It is quite a chore after everthing that has happened to our world, but it is getting better. The ponies feel safe within the walls of Everfree, and the surrounding lands feel safer knowing my sister and I watch over them."

     With the ice cream pony eaten, a star lands on Marrik's spoon, seeming to twinkle like a star in the sky.

Marrik (541) has posed:
"A big responsibility," Marrik agreed as Luna spilled out her duties. When he saw the ice cream star twinkle in his spoon he chuckled softly. "I suppose the upside is an entire night sky to work with." What? He knew what stars were, but equestrian was not home so worked by different rules? If the sun and moon get lifted and lowered then why not paint the sky? "The largest canvas of all. I can sketch middling well, but to have all that. The on down side of the multi verse, not a chance to see your sky as it was back home before things got weird." That of course had its own problems. That and he could see another problem. "You get a lot of folk stay up to keep you company before the whole multiverse thing happened?"

Luna (337) has posed:
     Luna nods in agreement when Marrik compares the sky to a canvas. "I like to change things around a bit each night, to see if anyone notices." she says, then sighs. "No. And there are not many more who stay up now that the multiverse is known to us. Nighttime in my world is...not friendly. Our wilderness still encroaches on our lands, and many wild beasts roam about looking for meals. Although it is not really a duty, I try to keep unfriendly and dangerous creatures away from the ponies as much as possible during the night." she says.

     With Marrik feeling better, Luna stands and stretches her wings. "Speaking of which, I should return home and make sure my nightly duties are carried out." she says, then smiles. "It was nice to meet you, Marrik. Feel free to visit our Equestria. We are used to non-ponies." she says, then with a flap of her wings she takes flight.