Powers Always Come With a Price

10 December 2013

23:36 GyroTech strolls into a tavern in the poorer side of canterlot, near the outer walls. He takes a seat at the bar, dressed in a hood that was pulled tight over his head. "I'll have a dark beer, whatever you've got on tap", he tells the bartender, and then begins to drink deep of the bitter liquid. ***

23:38 Dusk_Sunrich grins as he was already at the bar, but the stallion was too covered up by a cloak and a wide-brimmed hat for anypony to recognise him. His eyes were covered by blue-tinted glasses as he seems busy with a drink of his own. "Fine choice, buck." ***

23:41 GyroTech sighs, taking another swig. "I'll do I suppose." He then drains it and sets it down on the table. He gently pushes the mug away from him towards the bartender. "I'll have another..." he says, sadness in his voice. ***

23:44 Dusk_Sunrich pours the downtrodden unicorn before tuening back to the cloaked pony. "Yeah, the same, and keep 'em coming!" He then starts to happily chug, before finally turning to Gyro. "Why the long face?"

23:44 < Dusk_Sunrich> (Yes)

23:47 GyroTech lays his head down on the bar. "I've just had a hard week is all, and I don't anticipate it getting any better till I head home in another." He's wrapped up well enough that even ponies who know him wouldn't recognise him so that he wouldn't have to deal with his moping getting back to his family. ***

23:50 Dusk_Sunrich nods in understanding as he slides a drink over to Gyro. "Looks like you need it more than I do, buck." He then turns and finds another mug in front of him, downing it quickly before letting out a burp. "Luna, that's good!" ***

23:54 GyroTech begins to protest the gesture. "I..." before aquiecing. "Uhhh...Thanks." he says, slightly reluctantly. He finishes off his own glass and starts on the one given to him. His blue face begins to turn a little purple as the alcohol begins to get to him. ***

23:57 Dusk_Sunrich grins as he sees the unicorn starting to feel it. "Ah, come on! You're barely into your third one!" He chortles as he takes his drink and sits next to Gyro. "Ya know...it never hurts to talk about your problems. I mean...I've had my fair share over the course of my life." ***

00:00 GyroTech frowns at his suggestion. "I...I shouldn't." He goes silent for a couple seconds, nursing at his drink before breaking it. "I...I'm in town visiting my parents and...and they want me to pretend to be something that I'm not..." ***

00:02 Dusk_Sunrich sighs as he sets his beer down, gesturing to the barkeep to stop the drinks before speaking. "I see. And...do they not approve of what you do? Or are you keeping it a secret from them?" ***

00:07 GyroTech responds solemly, finishing his drink and then once again nudging the drink towards the bar. "Well...they know and disaprove, but all thier friends don't know. They hide it cause they're ashamed and they make me hide it to their company to stave off embarrasment." He slumps into his seat, staring down at the ground. ***

00:11 Dusk_Sunrich nods again as he places a hoof on Gyro's shoulder, a smile flashing from beneath his hat. "Then why don't you tell your parents where to stick it, and move on with your life? Seriously, they sound like the type of parents I'd ditch, given the chance." The smile then fades as he turns towards the bar, resting on it. "Actually, that's what I did when I was barely a colt, didn;t even have my cutie mark. They...never even wanted me to begin with, and they thought it would be better if they just sent me away." ***

00:18 GyroTech begins to tear up a little. "I...I can't they'll disown me...and then I'll lose part of the income that enables me to do what I love to do...I don't make much money usually." He admits, moping in his spot. He doesn't even notice as he lets slip a hint of detail that singles him out as not a commoner. "Bartender, how bout a couple shots of something harder...like gin." ***

00:22 Dusk_Sunrich nods as he turns to the barkeep. "Gin and Tonic, heavy on the gin." The poy nods and brings them the drinks, the cloaked stallion holding it up to the unicorn. "Then I'd say you have to find another way to make some bits. Might have to work a bit harder, but nothing worthwhile is usually easy." He then starts to smile again. "Besides, if you're not happy, why even bother with trying to keep your parents happy? It's only going to bite you in the plot later on in life." ***

00:28 GyroTech rolls his eyes. "Because nothing worthwhile is easy. Being miserable for a month or so out of the year is worth enjoying myself for the remainder of it, doing what makes me happy." He shoots both shots, his tongue getting to the point where its fairly loosened up. "I enjoy inventing...even if its not considered high society." He gestures wildly with his hooves for emphasis. ***

00:32 Dusk_Sunrich chuckles as he lets the unicorn drink, the pony seeming to enjoy himself. "Yeah, but why do that to yourself if you're only delaying the inevitable." He then furtively looks around before turning back to Gyro leaning forward and whispering. "If your friends family is that high-class, you know that they're gonna be nosy about everything. And once that money dries up..." He slams his hoof on a table for emphasis. "BAM! Up shit's creek wthout a paddle!" ***

00:38 GyroTech is quick to correct the pony, not whispering as Dusk_Sunrich had. "No, its not my friends family that's providing the money, my family is like that. As long as I play along...they said that the coffers would keep flowing. Its not going to dry up." he insists. He's drawing a little bit of attention to himself but doesn't notice. ***

00:40 Dusk_Sunrich grins as he shakes his head. "Nah, I've seen how them hoity-toity types act. They only do that to shut you up, and play by their rules. Once they find that it's not worth it anymore...well, you know the rest, I think." ***

00:45 GyroTech slams his hooves down on the table. "No they wouldn't. I'm their only son. If they disown me, the line dies with me so it will take extreme circumstances." He waves about wildy and, when he finishes talking, his hood flies back, revealing the unicorns full look. He reaches back to pull it down but its too late, most of the crowd got a good glimpse, though they probably don't know who he is, since Gyro is not in the public eye. ***

00:51 Dusk_Sunrich perks up as he sees Gyro, immediately recognizing him for who he was. But...he decides not to say anything, for the sake of not embarrassing him. "Well, then it sounds like ou have nothing ta worry about! Just have to wait until they croak, and hope they don't have another colt between now and then." He then leans forward and smirks. "Of course, that could take a long time..." ***

01:00 GyroTech glares at Dusk_Sunrich. "A month out of the year isn't that big of a deal. I'll manage...You can't aske to be happy all the time...I don't want them to die, even if it makes me miserable in Canterlot in the mean time...Thats why I'm usually not here." He starts to mope again. ***

01:04 Dusk_Sunrich grins as he slaps Gyro on the back. "Good to hear that somepony has SOME sense of decency, buck! You know how many other nobles in your spot would KILL their own parents in your position?" He sighs and shakes his head. "You'd be surprised as to how brutal that game can be, and I'd watch your back, if I were you." ***

01:11 GyroTech reflexifly defends his class, "Its only the weird situations that ever seem to make the news. Most of us are completely normal and reasonable ponies. Gyro turns away from Dusk_Sunrich to show his displeasure. ***

01:13 Dusk_Sunrich rolls his eyes as he taps a hoof on the counter, indicating to the barpony to get more drinks coming. "Yeah? And what about all the situations that DON'T make it to the news? Seriously, it's amazing how status can make ponies lose touch with reality. Makes then think they're above the law." He seems to say this out of first-hoof experience. ***

01:19 GyroTech turns back to Dusk_Sunrich and opens his mouth to say something in response before closing it again, knowing that this pony was right. Certain laws seemed not to apply to them. He settles for "Some things just arn't worth the courts time is all..." ***

01:25 Dusk_Sunrich smirks as he takes his drink and raises it to Gyro. "You mean that some things are so well hidden, that even the courts can't touch them. But..." He downs his drink, slamming it on the bar. "It doesn't mean that they are safe from the law. Tell me...how many ponies have you heard about suddenly 'went away' or 'took a trip?"' He doesn't even wait for a response before he continues. "But you ARE right about one thing; those cases aren't even worth the courts' time...not when what they did was so despicable that it doesn't even warrant a chance for redemption." ***

13:24 GyroTech frowned as he thought back on it. He did know of a hooffull of nobles who disapeared on business trips and the like, though that wasn't what had sprung to mind when he was thinking about nobles who thought they were above the law. Gyro cocks an eye at him. "What are you getting at? Everypony deserves their day in court for anything they've been accused of." He says, quite sternly. ***

13:27 Dusk_Sunrich snickers as he grabs another drink set before him, this time sipping at it. "And what if they hid it so well, that the courts would have been able to do nothing? I'm sure you know of ponies who have done things and would have easily gotten away with it; money and connections tend to trump the law, especially one that assumes that most ponies are incapable of such acts." ***

13:31 GyroTech snorts in disbeleif. "No crime is perfect, and that is also why the princesses sit in as the tribunal in cases of high crimes by the upper nobility. They are beyond the realm of undue influence." The worst unpunished crimes that spring to Gyro's mind are all white collar crimes, tax evasion, smuggling, and the like and even those he's been raised not to see as too serious. "Even then, some of the stuff I'm reasonably sure happened is nothing worse than some smuggling operations. Nothing particularly heinous." ***

13:31 < Dusk_Sunrich> (Okay)

13:38 Dusk_Sunrich seems to glare at Gyro from under his hat, as though he was insulted by his ignorance. "Really? You think that's all that happens? What about the dealings of dangerous artifacts, or the slave trade? What about the ponies that are forced to fight in underground arenas for the pleasure of nobles? Or the mistreatment of magical creatures?" Menace seems to be in his voice as he continues. "You have no Goddess-Damned idea what really goes on in the world, do you? But..." He sighs, seeming to deflate a bit. "That's what happens when the Princesses want to keep that quiet, for their own reasons." ***

13:44 GyroTech stares dagger at the pony. In a voice that says disagree with me at your own peril, he states quite loudly, "Crimelords ARE NOT nobles. They may have as much money as one, and even as much power, but they HAVE NOT had their family been granted favor by the princesses. They're just common peasent rabble who have killed enough ponies to rise to power." Gyro looks around and notices that he's made quite a scene and huffs in irritation, taking out a coin purse and slamming a hooffull of bits on the bar before turning to stomp out. ***

13:47 < Dusk_Sunrich> (Be back in a bit)

14:42 < Dusk_Sunrich> (Back)

14:49 Dusk_Sunrich doesn't say anything at first as Gyro leaves, paying the barkeep quietly before waiting a moment. He smirks as he sniffs the air, already familiar with his recent scent as he trots out the bar, glad that he had the hat to shield his eyes from that pesky sun. As he watches the clothed unicorn in the distance, he couldn't help but laugh as he thinks to himself. "Hehe...dream on, buck. If that's all it takes to be a noble, then I'd be considered one, too." He then makes a disgusted face at the thought. "Damned stuck up pigs..." ***

14:55 GyroTech trots down the street a bit, swaying as he moves. His body was tense with frustration. A couple blocks away he ducks into an alley way, reamerging a couple streets down dressed in a fancier garb. He grumbles to himself as he walks, not quite sure where he was headed, to frustrated to hang out in another peasent bar, and yet still having enough distates for the noble lifestyle to hang out amonst his own. Still he's walking in the direction towards the upper side of Canterlot. ***

15:08 Dusk_Sunrich smiles to himself as he tails Gyro, deciding that he can have some fun before heading back to the castle in the morning. After all, it was more about procedure and knowing when to change form rather than actual training. He also wants to see where this distraught pony was headed, a bit curious as to what sort of noble family he's a a part of. ***

15:21 GyroTech continues to move quickly through the city, instinctually heading back towards his family tower. He barges into the house of Silverhoof, a family thats been loyal to the crown since before the the banishment of Luna. A member of the house has sat on the Celestial counsil for generations. Their silver tongues have served not only the country well, but themselves as well. Their history has minor instances of fraud and abuse of political power, but over all, they're one of the straighter houses. He quickly makes his way up to his room near the top of the tower and slips into bed, trying to calm himself down. ***

15:30 Dusk_Sunrich lets out a sigh of relief as he notices the noble crest at the front doors of the estate, glad that at least Gyro was in a decent family. Still, he doesn't let down his guard as he tries to find a way up. No doubt that there would be at least a few guards inside, and he didn't want anypony to find out who he was, yet. With a sigh, he presses his hoof up against the stone wall and lets it phase partially through, climbing up it as though he were a spider. Eventually, he manages to climb up to a window, peeking in quickly to see if it was Gyro. ***

15:39 GyroTech layed curled on an elaborate bed, quivering a little in frustration. His room had all the typical signs of a noble, the elaborate decorating and fancy furniture, and yet, some of the quirkyness of the unicorn showed through. Tucked away in the corner was a bench covered in a hooffull of tools. It seemed even his parenets were at least a little supportive of his habbits in private. He decides that it would be best to do something to get his mind off of things so he trots over to his workbench and begins to work on a silver tricket (The one lupine picked out.) carefully engraving designs into it. ***

15:43 Dusk_Sunrich lets out a sigh as he decides to try and make some amends to him; he still felt strongly about the other noble families, but...he actually feels a bit envious of Gyro, having a family that at least cares about him. With a determined look, he slips silently through the wall, walking up quietly behind the busy unicorn and watching him work. At the moment, he just wants to see what he's up to. ***

15:49 GyroTech concentrated hard as a thin tool traced its way across the surface of the horn ring, in addition to the green glow of his magic, the tip of this tool seemed to glow white hot. When it touched the silver surface of the moon, it seemed to melt and whisk away wherever it touched. Slowly but surley gyro worked, engraving his family crest in the surface of it. The process was fairly slow going, and it seemed it would take the unicorn quite a bit of time to finish this piece. ***

15:50 GyroTech seemed to go into a trance, his frustration melting away into calmness as steadily worked. ***

15:56 Dusk_Sunrich grins as he watches Gyro work, deciding not to interrupt him as he sees the silvery trinket being engraved. He nods in approval as he eventually turns his attention to another part of the room, his eyes settling on the bed. He stretches before walking on over to the bed, pulling out what seems to be a Playcolt magazine before lying on his back and reading it. His tail swishes happily as he occasionally glances at Gyro, eventually taking off his hat and glasses to reveal his face. ***

16:02 GyroTech works for what seems like an hour, first engraving the tool and then in the last 10 minutes or so polising the worked surface smooth. The new intricate details complimented the original fine craftsponyship of the ring. He rotates it around, examining it before turning to bring it over to the window. As he turns, he notices somepony on his bed and drops it in stunned silence, the ring clattering to the floor. "What are you doing in my room?" He says, fatigued from his work. The pony on his bed looked familiar but he couldn't place him in his troubled state of mind. Gyro began to back towards the door, not taking his eyes off of the pony before him. ***

16:02 < Dusk_Sunrich> (You canedit)

16:12 Dusk_Sunrich grins as he gets up from the bed, setting the saucy magezine aside before taking a few steps forward. "Aw, don't be like that! Is this any way of treating your...well, friend, I hope?" He gives Gyro that goofy grin, chuckling as he liefts up his cloak and reveals the gadgets that the unicorn made for him. "But yeah, it was a good talk we had back at the Mucky Duck. Never had you pegged for a pony that likes those kinds of places, though..." ***

16:28 GyroTech relaxes as he finally recognises the stallion before him. "What are...What brings you to Canterlot Dusk_Sunrich? And...how did you get in here?" Gyro then frowns as as Dusk_Sunrich brings up that incident and looks to the ground. "Its a good way to get away from all of this..." he gestures at his entire room. "I don't like this life. I just wanna head back to Seaddle..." He sulks again, trying to keep his mind off of the specifics of that conversation. ***

16:33 Dusk_Sunrich laughs as he passes his hoof right through Gyros' head for fun. "First off, I'm here to become a part of the Lunar Republic, so that I can get the mares." He snickers at that little joke. "Second, you forget that you're talking to one of the most slippery ponies alive. And finally..." He becomes more serious as he places a hoof over Gyro's shoulder. "I figured you needed somepony to talk to while you're here; pretty obvious that you hate it, here." ***

16:42 GyroTech snickers a little and retorts "You must be jealous that I don't even have to join the Lunar Rupublic to get the mares, though 1 or two more bat ponies hanging onto me is always welcome." He relaxes a little as Dusk_Sunrichs hoof lands on his shoulder. "Its not even that I hate it here. I just hate the acting and that so many of the ponies that seem nice would turn on me in a heartbeat if I told them what I do..." ***

16:47 Dusk_Sunrich grins as he listens to Gyro. "Seriously, you've got...I dunno how many mares going for your flank back home! But..." He takes a moment to think, before his ear twitches a bit. "You've been hanging with Lupine, haven't you? Hehe, tell me you're treating her to the town, buck!" Finally, he pauses as Gyro reveals his contempt for his lifestyle. "Well, that's partly why I don't much care for nobility. Loyalty is only as good as how good they look next to you, and those are the more decent ones." ***

16:56 GyroTech giggles. "Yep, so many jealous ponies, Gyro the heartbreaker. I'm just glad Naisol can handle herself." He looks even more smug at the mention of the batmare. I've only spent all yesterday hanging with her, and maybe being offered a position as a Lunar Republic emmisary as a courtesy to keep my standing, regardless of what I do with my free time. But, I suppose I can fit in a little bit better here after that, even if it is stiffer than I like." He still seems a little unsure about the position, hoofing at the ground a little. ***

17:05 Dusk_Sunrich rolls his eyes at the unicorn, already having went to the Wingate estate to keep tabs on her family and get updates from the head of the family. "You know that they have another reason as to why they're offering you a job. I mean, they have plenty of willing ponies to pull it off!" He lowers his vioce to a whisper. "I'm almost certain they want you to keep an eye on Lupine, while she's in Seaddle; you know what she can do, and she's already been threatened back up north." He then goes on to explain the game changing effects of a pony that can turn and entrall others, and nopony being the wiser. He then talks about how Lupine already had her life in danger more than once by fearful nobles who thought the worst of her. "...so in short, she can't go back, unless it's in a casket, or with a whole outfit of guards." ***

17:19 GyroTech 's excitement drops just a little bit at this new inforamtion. "What? But she's such a nice pony, and the cure doesn't seem to be that hard to obtain and its pretty easy to see a pony sprout wings and all. Why are they so worried?" His face becomes even more solem as Dusk_Sunrich continues the story, he looks like he's on the brink of sulking once again. "The nobles up there seem even more dreadful than the Canterlot ones...I dont' know if I can..." ***

17:24 Dusk_Sunrich shakes his head. "Normally, they're great ponies to be with; in fact, most of them don't want her to get hurt, but just leave for all their safety. ANd think about it; if she does it to another bat pony, all it does is make them her...well, thrall. It's...complicated, Gyro, but the attempts were all done by ponies who were scared that she might eventually turn on them all and become a tyrant." He lets out a frustrated sigh. "Those ponies are in the minority, but it's still enough to make the Wingates on edge." ***

17:35 GyroTech huffs and takes a seat on his bed pouting a little. "Thats not fair to her at all..." He looks even more unsure about wether he ought to take this position afterall. "How could they offer this to me without telling me of the circumstances...Won't I be in danger as well? Will they see me as her agent?" He shakes his head. "Will me being there even keep her safe? Maybe some other pony will be more suited to this position..." ***

17:45 Dusk_Sunrich shakes his head at Gyro. "The danger passed when she left the estate; nopony has even bothered to go after her, once she was away from the other children of Luna. But like I said, they probably want you to keep tabs on her; you know, see how she is, make sure she's happy, and maybe even let the family know what she's bee doing and making sure she's behaving." He chuckles to Gyro. "And I've been to their place a couple of times already, and it's actually quite nice! Lots of nice ponies, even if they look like they're going to make you into a part of their next batch of wine~" ***

17:55 < Dusk_Sunrich> (Huh...)

17:58 GyroTech relaxes some more, "If you're sure...maybe I ought to do it. I suppose they can't really trust a bat pony in this position can they...I wonder if Lupine has guessed at their intentions...I'll need to ask her if she minds." Gyro seems to be a little bit more confident in taking this position. "I'm sure Naisol wont' mind, I'll just steal one of those teleport rings," he mumbles under his breath. "After talking with Lupine...I think I'll give them my answer tomorrow." Gyro decares. ***

18:04 Dusk_Sunrich grins as he slaps Gyro on the back, nodding in approval. "Oh, you'll be much safer as a unicorn, and a noble at that. They're much too honorable to even think of hurting another pony just to get at another family. Besides..." He snickers a bit. "You know how awesome it is to have a few maids fawning over guests in there?" ***

18:10 GyroTech puts on a serious face. "Cmon Dusk_Sunrich, I'm a taken stallion," before it turn into a teasing one, "If you had a few, I'll have an entire harem of broken hearts." He prods Dusk_Sunrich in the ribs in a teasing manner. After a few seconds of silence he asks, "Do you think Lupine will mind?" ***

18:13 Dusk_Sunrich rolls his eyes as he gives Gyro a playful punch. "Nah, I don't think she will. But..." He looks about furtively. "You know she gets all lonely, at times? I mean...it's painful to watch when she gets all mopey..." He then shakes his head, before smirking at the unicorn. "But yeah, so long as you let them down easy, everything will be okay!" ***

18:22 GyroTech stares down at the ground, his posture slinking. "I had to let her down yesterday...I mean, she knew in her mind that I was taken, but not in her heart. She was so sad, and I couldn't do anything..." Gyro cries a little himself. "I love Naisol, but I hate hurting ponies like that...at least the ponies I care about." ***

21:02 Dusk_Sunrich sighs as he gives Gyro a pat on the shoulder. "Hey, it could've been worse. I mean, you're not dead, or some bat thingy with no choice but to obey her." He laughs unconvincingly. "Besides...she'll just have to find somepony that's not taken...or scared stiff of her fangs." ***

21:13 GyroTech continues to stare at the ground. "She wouldn't do that, she's to nice of a pony. She'd never use her thralling without asking outside of punishment. Still, I hope she can find somepony. I don't want to have lied to her, telling her that there was somepony out there for her." He sniffles a little, but tears no longer shed at least. ***

21:20 Dusk_Sunrich sighs as he takes another moment to ponder. "Hmm...you ever think of showing her to the other nobles around here? I mean...sure, they can be pigs, but they at least know better than to freak out when they see a bat pony." ***

21:31 GyroTech thinks back over the couple of times the canterlot nobility were brought up in conversation and lies on his back in helplessnes. "No...No that won't work at all. With as much disdain as she has for them, you wouln't know her to be royalty at all. She seemed more like the type who would lead a revolt and detitle them all..." He lets out a loud groan. "Celestia, why must I break the heart of a friend...? I'm a terrible mate..." He begins to sulk again. ***

21:34 Dusk_Sunrich snickers as he slaps Gyro on the back. "That's because she's been told how shitty they are! I mean, you GOT to know somepony decent in the lot of them, buck!" He ponders for a moment before perking his ears up. "Hey, maybe you can talk to one of your friends!" ***

21:43 GyroTech gazes back at Dusk_Sunrich sadly. "I've fallen out with with all my school mates. Spending a couple years in Seaddle whilst only showing up a couple weeks a year in Canterlot kind of does that. One of the better ponies I used to know, Windsor, she turned her snout up at pretty quickly. Also, most of my old friends outside of sports were mares...and I'm not sure Lupine is into that...nor the mares in question." ***

21:46 Dusk_Sunrich facehooves to himself as he thinks even hard. "All right, then...so we can't find any nobles around here that you're close to." He was tempted to quip something about loyalty, but he holds his tongue on that for now. "What about celebrations, or events? You folks seem to throw big parties for everything!" ***

21:54 GyroTech brightens up just a little bit. "Well, there's my mothers birthday party in a couple days. Thats the whole reason I'm here instead of back home. She was coming to it by my side so that I could show her a good time, but I definatly was going to introduce her to the ponies around there." Despite his usual distaste for noble life, he really seamed to be looking forward to the party; the excitement was plaster pretty well accross his face. Suddenly he bolts up and begins searching around on the ground. "Where is it? I hope it didn't get damaged." he says, looking frantically. ***

22:00 Dusk_Sunrich grins as he sees how excited Gyro is, listening to him talking about the party. "What, and you're not gonna send me an invitation?" He puts up a hurt expression, joking around with is friend. "You wound me brother!" His expression doesn't last long before blinkin a couple of times, not sure what he was talking about. "All right...calm down, bud...' He taps Gyro on the shoulder. "Wat are you loking for?" ***

22:06 GyroTech ignores Dusk_Sunrich and causes a bright ligth to spring from his horn, Looking around, he sees a small reflective object in the carpet and grabs, inspecting it with care. "Oh, thank goodness. I had forgotten about it, but it looks alright. Its my birthday present to my mother." Clutched in his hooves as the very same silver piece that he had been working dillegently on earlier. The adornments that Gyro had added couldn't be differentiated from the original craftsmanship, his skilled hooves getting every detail perfectly. Intricate patterns traced its surface, but the most prominent etching was the family crest. ***

22:09 Dusk_Sunrich lets out a low whistle as he examines the shiny little piece, admiring the craftsmanship. "Luna's sweet plot...that ring looks good enough for a Princess!" He then sticks his tongue out at Gyro. "Still never got an answer from you, though." ***

22:12 GyroTech lets out an exasperated sigh. "I didn't think this was your type of party. But ya, I suppose you can come, as long as you can behave yourself...and get past the door guard. A friend of Gyro won't cut it I'm afraid. Lupine, I can get in as a date, but that only works with one pony." ***

22:16 Dusk_Sunrich rolls his eyes at Gyro before cuffing him in the shoulder. "First off, I was just teasing you; I know better than to come in and wreck your party, not when I'll probably be bored to death by nobles. Second, I can get past just about anything, if I really want to. And third..." He smirks. "I think that they'd be more than accomadating if I pull the right strings..." ***

22:29 GyroTech groans. "See? I knew you weren't interested anyways. You'd probably just show up to get drunk off the booze and then hop down some pony's throat to pass out. And seriously the right strings? You have to have the right manner in addition to getting in." The unicorn shoots Dusk_Sunrich a doubting look. ***

22:31 Dusk_Sunrich starts to get seriously offended as he glares daggers at Gyro, taking a couple of steps forward. "Hey! I may be a commoner, but I'm not retarded! I'm not gonna embarrass you in front of your family just because I'm bored!" He doesn't let up his little tirade as he was soon snout to snout to Gyro. "Think about it; how many times have you actually seen me shit-faced?" ***

22:40 GyroTech winces as Dusk_Sunrich confronts him. "I didn't mean actually drunk. I dont' think I've ever seen you like that, even if you somehow manage to put it away. I really just meant that you'd probably sample all the fancy stuff at the bar though. I do stand by the assertion that you'd jump down someponies throat though, albiet discreetly," he counters. Under his breath he mutters, "I should of chosen my words more carefully." ***

22:45 Dusk_Sunrich smirks as he gives Gyro's snout a lick. "Maybe, but you'd be surprised as to how many nobles are like that, too. Or..." He snickers. "Maybe I'll just be a part of security; you never know!" He then takes a few steps back and laughs. "But in all seriousness, I'm probably not going to be able to show, even if I really wanted to. I have to learn how to properly harness the whole transformation magic bit. They already popped more runes into my ribs." He then pulls back his cloak and reveals a few fresh scars on his chest. "At least they were nice enough to numb the pain properly, this time around." ***

22:54 GyroTech gives him another exasperated sigh, "Well, maybe, but there are apppropriate venues for such a thing and my mother birthday party isn't really one of them." Gyro give Dusk_Sunrich a woried look at the mention of being imbued with more magic. "And who paid the price this time for this spirit magic? You I presume? What did you give up? If this keeps happening you're going to become more spirit crteature than pony and thats not a good thing." Gyros snout presses against Dusk_Sunrich's as the tables turn and he becomes the lecturer. ***

22:59 Dusk_Sunrich rolls his eyes at Gyro as he shakes his head. "Actually...I did some resaerch on how that magical ritual worked." He turns a bit red as he shies away. "Um...also...I did some more digging into my past. Turns out...I, ah...I was so messed up in the head, that I was kinda delusional back in my early circus days." He then goes on to explain how he asked a few ponies to look into the whole Moon Witch ordeal, for a hefty sum. Apparently, the Moon Witch never existed, and that his parents were still alive, though the had actually tried to sell him off to the circus. "You see...I had...somepony look into my mind, and...turns out I made up half of that shit up to pretend that my parents loved me." ***

23:04 < Dusk_Sunrich> (No, it felt too childish)

23:04 < Dusk_Sunrich> (He's still messed up, but in a more believable way.)

23:10 GyroTech raises an eybrow and cocks an ear. "Oh, then why do you have the abilities you do? It just reaks of illegal blood magic...and I should know, that stuff happens alot in these circles. Above the law and all that." He makes a face of distaste. ***

23:15 Dusk_Sunrich sighs as he pokes at the runes. "The magic...well, that's all Lunar based, buck. I got hit pretty early on when I was a colt. You see..." He leans forward and lowrs his voice. "The first time around, they decided to use some magical rocks to set the runes into my bone carvings. Hurt like nine flavors of hell, though, even with the anethetics. So...no, it isn't blood magic!" He then licks his lips. "Though I do feel alive when I take one of those bastards down; so full of magical goodness~" ***

00:58 Dusk_Sunrich doesn't budge as he stares back at Gyro. "It's none of your business who paid the damned price, buck. Besides, it was either that or get eaten alive and digest." He seems to have an odd look in his eyes as he keeps speaking. "Yes, I paid a price, myself, but that was through sweat and blood. The spirits already recognize me as a conduit, and all I did was build upon it! Is it wrong to sacrifice a few bad ponies for the greater good?" ***

01:03 GyroTech doesn't back off. "Its very much my business who paid the price because protecting my friends from their own reckless stupidity is my business. I will not let you give up your soul to become some ruthless killing machine for the crown. This magic has consequences. There is a reason its banned. It will corrupt you until there's nothing left of the pony called Dusk_Sunrich, just a vengeful conduit of the spirits." Gyro lets out a sigh of disapointent. "What has been done cannot be reversed, I know those blood oaths are binding, but You must not seek any further down this path!" ***

01:08 Dusk_Sunrich lets out a low growl and narrows his eyes at Gyro. "And what's going to happen when there's nopony to help Equestria? I am NOT doing this for the crown; I'm doing this to make everthing right in this world, to stop those who think they're above any laws and any sense of decency. Don't you get it??" He raises his voice. "I'm doing this for everypony!!!" ***

01:13 GyroTech stares straight into Dusk_Sunrichs eyes. "Then who will save us from you when you are no longer a pony, but a monster controlled by a rage driven by false self righteousness?" Gyro does not look particualrly upset, but more extremely sad and disapointed, worried about his friend. He leaves the conversation at that and breaks away before Dusk_Sunrich can say another word. ***

01:18 Dusk_Sunrich raises a hoof to say something, but all he can do is open and close his mouth a few times, as though trying to process all this. He lets out a snort as he turns away from Gyro, biting his lip and trying not to let his anger get the best of him. "I'm not going to be a monster, Gyro. I'm not the one paying the price, and..." He doesn't seem convinced. "...and even Luna herself is making sure that I can control this. This is partly why I'm going through the training." ***

01:23 GyroTech is on the verge of tears but just barely manages to hold them in. "The benifactor ALWAYS pays a price, even if its suplemented by the help of another." His voice becomes more distraught as he speaks. "Perhaps you ought to go and attend to your trainings. Maybe I'll see you later this week. Think on what I've said. I know a fair deal about blood magic, I've seen it often enough an have whitnessed the desruction of a pony first hand." Gyro turns away from Dusk_Sunrich, waiting on him to leave the room. ***

01:26 < Dusk_Sunrich> (Fair enough)

01:32 Dusk_Sunrich snorts one more time before turning to leave, grabbing his hat and glasses before leaping through the wall in a huff. The nerve of that pig, lecturing him about magic he didn't understand! Luna promised to make sure that nothing bad will happen, and who was he to mistrust her? The stallion doesn't seem to care much about the fast approaching ground, reaching out hs forehoove into the wall to slow himself down before landing. "Damn...I'm not that dumb, Gyro. You'll see...you'll all be proud of what I'm doing..." He feels his eyes getting all misty as he takes off his glasses, wiping them off. He plods along the streets as his sadness was interrupted by his growling belly. He stiffens up, feeling a bit more hungry than usual. "Luna...not now..." ***

01:36 GyroTech breaks down into tears on his bed, quite fearful of the path Dusk_Sunrich had choses. He only hoped that Dusk_Sunrich would see reason before it was too late. He sobs worried tears into his pillow until he cries himself to sleep, his head sinking into the damp pillow. As he falls asleep the last thing he can remember thinking was, "Maybe Lupine can help me talk some sense into him." ***