Scene #795: A guy going to see a horse about the weather.

Owner	Pose
Marrik	The Multiverse is huge. As in big enough whole worlds can exist and never get visited. There's all kinds of variation out there, and not everything follows the two arms, two legs, etc blueprint humans have. Marrik actually was interested in how a society functioned when nobody had functional hands and maybe a third were able to magic around the problem. He'd left his bike near the warp gate and walked to town since he figured being human was bad enough, why add loud noisy motorcycle to the mix. Just a rail thin guy with mismatched eyes and a red mop of hair walking alone at night. Never mind the runes on his staff. Totally harmless.
Luna	As the stranger walks along the road, which is only dimly lit by lanterns hanging on poles, he would hear all manner of howls and shrieks and hoots from creatures of the night. Luckily, the capitol of free Equestria is nearby. The tall, alabaster stone walls. rise like a spectre in the night, with the torches atop the parapets making the town into a beacon that draws weary travellers in. As no one knew he was coming, the stranger is not greeted until he reaches the gates of the city, where two armored ponies holding spears in the crook of one of their forelegs cross said spears in front of him. "Halt. State your business."
Marrik	Marrik looked to the guards and nodded slowly. He was dressed in browns trimmed here and there with oranges and yellows, very in keeping with the Harvester persona he had hoped to use in Brockton even if his face was uncovered here. "I had been invited by Luna to see your city." He did not talk as if the name should mean anything and in fact seemed differential to the two armored ponies. "If it would be better to wait til morning I will understand. These do seem to be hard times here, at least if the nature noises are anything to go by."
Luna	"Lady Luna did not mention anyone coming to visit. But, so long as your intentions are peaceful, you are welcome within the walls of Everfree." The two guards lower their spears, then one signals with a wave of a torch, and the gate opens slowly, just enough to let Marrik inside. "Be respectful and polite, and you will have no trouble here." one of the guards adds before the gate closes behind Marrik. Apparently, Luna didn't realize Marrik meant he'd visit right now. Or, her message hadn't reached the guards yet. The town is pretty quiet at night. There are only a few ponies out and about, and that is only because they have jobs to be performed at night, such as making sure the streetlights stay burning strong, or patroling the streets for troublemakers. There are inns and a tavern near the gate, and judging by the lights from within, they are the few places that stay open into the night.
Marrik	Marrik nodded to the guards and seemed quite content to just amble. The fact lights were on was interesting, but he was more curious with how a pony populated town seemed to function. Really it was the little things with him since most of what he saw looked normal enough, just re-scaled. That and the architecture. He's been at worse. Might as well go rent a room since he wanted to take in a little local culture. Of course this meant going inside one of the buildings, and while the interiors were high enough, doors seemed to not consider non-ponies. Ah well. He picked an inn to squeeze into. "Hello?" He kept his voice soft after squeezing inside. "I'd like to rent a room for the night?"
Luna	Several ponies seem surprised to see a bipedal person in their inn, but none stare too long. The innkeeper, a tall stallion who looks like he's seen a few years of hard work turns when Marrik speaks up. The tall, thickly built brown pony chuckles. "Well, we don't get too many humans humans around here. Y'er welcome t' stay fer 10 o' those fancy Union credits." he says, a long piece of wheat held between his lips. A look around would show...the building, the furniture, even the flatware is very similar to humans, except there is no silverware to be seen, and no chairs to speak of, just piles of hay serving as cushions for those sitting at the tables or at the bar. If Marrik has been to the 'present day' Equestria, these ponies look much more worn and all together more tough than those ponies. When eating, the ponies simply lean down to take a bite of their food, and when taking a drink they grip the cup in their teeth or hold it between both hooves. And the architecture is what one might expect from an old medieval in. It is all wooden, with a set of stairs leading to the second floor.
Marrik	Marrik nodded thoughtfully as he paid. "Appreciated." Deep breath as he looked about. Granted Newport was a bit more upscale than this, but it felt very... homey to him. "I mostly just wanted to leave a few things here sir." With that he took his coat off and folded it over his staff before setting both on the counter. This was a civil town, and so he wouldn't likely need his coat load of things. "Any recommended spots open at this hour?" He wasn't sure what was what here, or if anything really happened after dark because of how unruly thing s were outside the gates.
Luna	The innkeeper shrugs lightly at the question as he scoops up the items and tosses them in a nearby chest. "Well, there this place, of course. The Sunnyside Stable. Across the way is our competition, the Starlight Inn, and of course there's th' local waterin' hole, the Wet Mare. There aren't many businesses open after dark. Keepin' places lit all night takes a lot of candles or oil, so th' inns and th' tavern are just about the only places open. Of course, Luna's tent is always open at night. After her tussle with that Confederate a few nights ago, she's had to do her nightly patrol on foot. Takes her a lot longer."
Marrik	Marrik mmed thoughtfully and nodded at the stallion in charge. "I expect so." He tried to think of something to talk about to the stallion and frowned before stretching. "I had hoped to run into her actually. She helped me with a few things a bit back. Figure worth visiting. Plus it is nice to see a place like this managing to thrive. Good to know folk are hard to keep down no matter where in the multiverse they come." When he left he left a small pouch on the counter. It wasn't much, just a few dozen fresh apples, probably wouldn't last that long if passed around but food was easy to come by if you wander the right ways. Share with those that don't. That was probably a rule for adventuring, but if it was Marrik couldn't think of the number. Oh well. Nice night for a walk, soft breeze, clear clean smelling air. It made him happy to be up and about even if the scale of things was odd.
Luna	"Hmm. Payin' with apples, huh? That works." the innkeeper says, pulling one out and chomping it. The innkeeper doesn't warn Marrik against going out at night, so it is probably pretty safe within the walls. The streets are again empty except for a few guards wandering the streets. They regard Marrik with alert but not threatening gazes. And, the scale of the buildings isn't far from human. After all, there are some pretty tall ponies. He might have to duck in doorways every now and then, but overall there isn't much to adjust to. Then, as Marrik is walking along, three little ponies run out of a nearby alley. All three are young girls, and all are wearing cute little accessories. One wears a barret, another a large bow on her tail, and the third wears a set of silver cuffs around her ankles above her hooves. "Psst! Hey, mister! Wanna see something cool?" the one in the barret asks, and the other two snicker conspiritorily.
Marrik	Marrik quirked his head at the three. He had no way to judge pony age, but they looked young enough parents should really be nearby. The fact the three were off apparently unattended made him apprehensive, but how often did he wander off when he was a kid? So he shrugged and followed along, but kept an ear out. After all just because they didn't intend anything bad didn't mean other folk wouldn't see it as the big bad human corrupting the local youth. "Sure," he sounded like he was going to humor the trio, "Let's see what you three've got." He offerrd a hand, "I'm Marrik."
Luna	The three ponies giggle happily as Marrik accepts, then lead him back down the alley. "This way!" they all say in unison. The trio takes off at a brisk trot that Marrik can easily keep up with. They lead him to the middle of the alley, where it is darker than at the roads, then they stop. "Okay..you have to stay quiet, but...we wanted to know...if you would like to join the Lady Luna Lunatics!" The three ponies pull capes out of a nearby box and wrap themselves in the capes, which are colored like Luna and have wings painted on the sides with her black sky and white moon cutie mark at the edges of the cape. Then, the head of the little troop, the pony in the barret, holds one out to Marrik. "We haven't seen many people out at night except guards, so we figured you must be a fan of Luna and the night." she says, indeed sounding comparable to a 7 or 8 year old human child. It is at this point that Marrik might notice that the leader is also a unicorn, while the one in the bow is a pegasus and the one with the silver cuffs is an Earth pony.
Marrik	Marrik blinked at the trio and sat down so they'd be more or less able to look him in the eye. On the one hand this was incredibly silly. On the other he wasn't about to break three children's little hearts just to keep a little silly thing like self image. So he grinned at the trio before reaching over to touse the earth pony's mane. "I actually had come to see miss Luna. It's a nice night and she is a very smart mare." His voice was soft as he spoke, "At the very least she helped me out of a bit of a spot, so figured might as well visit.." With that he took the tiny cape and held it up for inspection and looked like he was eyeing it carefully. "Other than the fact it seems a bit small I rather like it." With grave and somber motions, or at least with as much seriousness as he could muster, Marrik folded the cape. "Which of you made this?"
Luna	The little Earth pony, who seems a bit more shy than the other two, giggles as her mane is toused, then blinks in surprise when Marrik asks about the capes. "Ah...we...all made them." she says, which causes the pegasis to snicker. "You made them. We just got the materials." The unicorn nods. "Yeah, give yourself some credit." The earth pony looks embarrassed and scuffs at the ground with a hoof. "I...I made them." she finally admits. All three look happy when Marrik says he did in fact come to see Luna. "Really?" they all say in unison, then smile. "That's good. Lady Luna seems like she is lonely sometimes. That weird changing bug pony is her only friend. Calumnia, I think." the leader says. The pegasus nods. "And Celestia of course, but that doesn't count as much. They're sisters, after all." The earth pony's ears splay. "We haven't been able to meet her yet...or we might be her friends." she says before she blinks. "...you aren't going to wear your cape?" The unicorn scoffs. "You have to wear it. At least while you're with us. You are an official Luna Lunatic now!"
Marrik	Save vs adorableness: FAILURE! Marrik sighed as he tied the too small cape around his neck and had to look positively ridiculous. Oh well, dignity was a small price for making kids happy. "I'd like to be her friend since she does seem quite nice." He tried reassuring before adding. "I don't sew for a living, but I've had to mend enough of my own things to know the basics. Considering how young you are this is very nicely made." He gave the capelette a small tug to demonstrate. "So you three just hang out at night?" He looked the three over, not aware really of the divisions of ponykind and just figured it was friends being silly and goofy because hey, kids! It made him happy to see that.
Luna	All three ponies brighten up considerably when Marrik puts on the cape. Sure, it looks a lot like he's wearing a napkin on his back, but the kids are happy! "Yep!" all three say when asked about them hanging out. "We aren't supposed to be out at night, so it's a super secret society thing." the unicorn says, then the pegasus sighs. "I wish we could see Luna fight off some creatures of the night. That's what she's supposedly doing out there, keeping them away from our walls. Sometimes, one makes it close, but the guards are pretty good at keeping them away, too. I want to be a guard when I grow up!" The unicorn snickers. "Guards are noble and brave and all, but I'm going to be part of Lady Luna's entourage when I grow up. Every lady needs a good hoofmaiden to braid her mane and comb her tail and stuff." The Earth pony looks down shyly. "I...would just like to make Lady Luna's dresses...for when there are elegant affairs like balls and weddings." The three ponies look at each other, then smile before holding out their hooves and clopping them together like humans might bump fists. "What do you do, Mr...uh...hey, what's your name, anyway?" the pegasus says, and the other two blink in realization before looking toward him.
Marrik	Marrik looked at the three thoughtfully. "I am Marrik Broom." He managed a slight bow, and nevermind the napkin-cape sticking at an odd angle. He's literally punched wannabe-gods who had a sorta legitimate claim to the title in the face. He could do this. "I do a little of this and that mostly; though I do run a small shop that sells to folk that need things before they head out." Yea that was gonna bore them to tears quick. "Then again I tend to have to leave to go punch things in the snout because they're trying to hurt people, or aren't where they're supposed to be." Scary as it can be he had to admit he liked it a little. "Do you three go to school?" He asked sweetly. He wanted them to get rest, but he couldn't just tell them that because that's uncool.
Luna	All three pairs of eyes go wide as Marrik talks. "You fight bad things like Luna does?" the leader asks, the other two listening in anticipation for the affirmative answer they are expecting. When asked about school, the unicorn waves a hoof dismissively and the pegasus 'pffts'. The earth pony is the only one who looks like she might even care about school. "Don't worry about that." the pegasus says. "We do alright in school. If we didn't, we might not be able to do those jobs for Lady Luna when we grow up." The unicorn nods. "We go to bed with plenty of time to sleep." The earth pony adds in quietly, "...most of the time." To which both of the other Lunatics glare at her a moment before sighing softly. "Yeah, most of the time. Sometimes, though...we investigate mysteries that have popped up in the town. Like, when apples are stolen, or somepony goes missing. Yesterday, we found a lost kitty!" the unicorn says, that last part full of pride. "It was stuck in a tree, but Cloudskater here flew right up there and got it down." The pegasus, presumably Cloudskater, looks proud at that.
Marrik	Marrik gave an approving smile, "Good! you're not trying to do anything foolish like trying to go after things that could eat you in one gulp. That's smart." He didn't seem too upset at the 'most of the time' on sleep. "It's good you know it's important. After all gotta work up from somewhere. I didn't go from hayseed working a plow to punching things in the face." A soft pat at the Pegasus's side. "You three keep together. It'll help you cover eachother's backs later on." Then he made an exadurated 'aha' face complete with sudden hand motion. "Idea. If I'm not too busy maybe I could stop by once a week. Catch up, talk. I could even be the monster you three have to fight if you like."
Luna	The three nod at each of Marrik's comments. Except the last one, which causes them to all get eyes wide with excitement. "And I'll be Luna!" they all three say in unison, which of course leads to glares directed at each other. "I'm the leader! That makes me Luna!" "No, that makes you Celestia! I'm second in command, so I'm Luna!" "...I made the capes, so I'm Luna." "No way!" "You gotta have wings to be Luna" "Nuh-uh! A horn!" "...strong hooves." And so, Marrik finds himself basically forgotten as the trio argues amongst themselves about who has more merit as a Luna stand-in. Which causes the actual Luna, who is peeking down the alley, to giggle softly. There is a whisper in Marrik's ear that he should come to Luna, but the three fillies don't seem to hear or see the lady of the night. She must be using some magic to keep them from seeing her.
Marrik	Marrik shrugged helplessly at Luna, having forgotten all about the cape before making a high pitched and very loud but short whistle. Funny, it was the same one he used on the farm to get the plow horse to come to the barn. "Girls. Easy now. Why does it have to be just one of you? Why not take turns having lead? It'll do all of you good to share a little wouldn't it?" He stretched and turned about in place before forgetting the pocket he was reaching for was on his coat back at the inn. This made him frown, but it couldn't be helped really.
Luna	The loud whistle makes the girls stop arguing, but it also draws the attention of the guards. "Marrik!" all three say at the same time. "You're supposed to be quiet!" With guards closing in, the girls look toward the nearest one, then dart past Marrik. "See you later!" "Luna Lunatics Forever!" "...it was nice meeting you." And with that, the three fillies disperse to their houses. Would they actually get in trouble if caught? Who knows. Luna didn't seem to mind, at least. When it is just Marrik and Luna, Luna approaches him, the amusement obvious in her face. "Have you made some new friends, Marrik?" she asks, failing every now and then at holding in a giggle. "That cape suits you."
Marrik	"The cape?" Marrik looked confused before gently undoing the the tiny cape and folded it over one arm. He didn't seem bothered overly by Luna seeing him wearing it so much as having scared the trio off. "They really do seem to be good kids, so what can stopping by hurt?" He looked the alicorn over thoughtfully and shook his head slow. "Word is you got a bit banged up. Feeling alright?"
Luna	Luna nods at the questions, though her amused smirk remains. A pair of guards arrive, but a quick wave of a hoof from Luna gets them on their way again. "Yes. I faced someone named Juri Han in battle for Zone 92. I...was defeated." She looks down as she says that, her cheeks coloring in embarrassment and her smirk turning to a frown. "She very nearly tore my wings apart. I was lucky they were not broken or badly disjointed. And my horn too was slightly damaged. Luckily, horns grow back, so there is no lasting damage." Luna smiles after that. "Forgive me for not greeting you at the gate. It did not occur to me that you were coming straight here after our conversation. I had only just raised the moon and was doing my patrol of the surrounding area. When I returned, the guards said a human had come looking for me."
Marrik	Marrik shrugged helplessly at Luna's assessment of things. "You had work, figured I could use the time to nose about since even if I am a bit of an easy to spot fellow it's still nice to see things." Slowly he reached over to pat Luna's neck and sighed, "I'm glad you at least made it out and are healing. Figure so long as you can get out the Union can fix the rest, they seem to be good at that." Another glance around, particularly where the three fillies were. "Those three mentioned a changeling? What is that?"
Luna	Luna doesn't seem to mind the petting, though the question about changelings makes her blink in confusion. "A changeling...?" she asks, then thinks a moment. "Oh! They must mean Calumnia. I hesitate to call her such things, since she is a pony. She has just been...changed...through the power of chaos. I have been unable to find a way to change her back into a pony. She and I have a..." Luna hesitates. "...special relationship. In order to keep her and the people of the town safe, I offered myself as her weekly snack." Luna explains quickly. "She feeds upon emotions. Particularly love. So, I have been allowing her to feed on me in order to keep her appetite in check and to protect the ponies she would otherwise have to feed on against their will. It is an arrangement that allows her to live as normally as she can. It was difficult at first. The ponies of Everfree did not want her here, but they accepted her presense upon my insistence. They have started to truly accept her, but there is a long way to go before they will be comfortable with her." Luna looks toward the gate, then back at Marrik. "In return, she is forbidden from assuming a shape other than her 'natural' shape while inside the walls of Everfree. It is my hope that she can have a normal life here, in the city dedicated to Equestria's freedom from Discord's malevolent influence." She looks toward the gate again, then huffs. "I must go. I can feel creatures moving toward the city. Nothing serious, but they would be dangerous to a typical pony. I am sorry. Hopefully we can talk more later." With that, her form fades into a midnight blue mist which moves quickly toward and over the gate.
Marrik	"You are very kind for seeing past her differences and try giving her a way to live with folk peacefully." It amused Marrik she took a similar stance he did on these things. Then when Luna spoke of leaving he merely nodded. "I will be in town for a few days. Take care." After she faded he held the tiny cape up and looked it over. Not bad at all really. Maybe he could see if Rarity would give lessons? Ah well. Food for thought.