That Mask Was For the Birds [Open]

[elementofloyalty]

[Easy to tell which Rainbow Dash this is, since only one of them wears a black overly-zippered coat on a regular basis. She taps the scroll curiously.]

Hey, I've been meaning to ask this, but... was somepony wearing a chocobo mask at the Gala? I'm sure I saw one!

Comments

[keaton_mask]

...Fine, I shall be the one to ask.

[He clears his throat.]

What is a "chocobo?"

[elementofloyalty]

It's a huge bird. [Rainbow springs off the ground to hold a hoof about nine or ten feet high.] Kinda smelly but pretty friendly. Humans rode on the tame ones!

[keaton_mask]

I see. That sounds... [Terrifying.] ...interesting.

Well, even if it is..."smelly", bird masks aren't that uncommon. It must have been a very impressive one if you were able to recognize the exact species of bird.

[elementofloyalty]

They're real distinctive. They've got this beak, and this feathery crest -- it's like you couldn't mistake a toucan, or a phoenix, from just a mask!

Visual

[terraburning]

"You...recognized my mask?"

[elementofloyalty]

So it WAS a chocobo!? All right! Way to go!

[terraburning]

Oh hey she recognizes chocobos!

...oh no she recognizes chocobos.

"I...which continent are you from?"

Please to be the Northern Continent, Terra was only ever deployed there for Narshe.

[elementofloyalty]

Balamb was sort of its own continent, I guess? Or maybe it's an island, but anyway, they always talked about regions more than anything.

[terraburning]

"I...haven't heard of Balamb."

She is clearly very puzzled.

"Is it...part of the Geshtalian Empire?"

[elementofloyalty]

...unless you meant 'Galbadian', I'm thinking you're not from the same world I visited. Unless the words 'SeeD', 'Guardian Force', or 'time compression' mean anything to you.

[terraburning]

"Flowers...grow from seeds?"

...doesn't sound like it.

[elementofloyalty]

Yeah. Gotta be different. But we had chocobos! We even had one living in Garden for a while. I had to go track it down when it escaped and ended up on the Island Closest to Hell.

[terraburning]

Blink blink.

"How could a chocobo...end up on an island?"

[elementofloyalty]

It stowed away on the airship.

[See? There's a sensible and logical explanation for this.]

[terraburning]

Terra nods. That does make sense.

"I wonder why...both our worlds have chocobos when...this one doesn't..."

[elementofloyalty]

Well, some worlds have humans and some don't. Some worlds have cows and donkeys and some don't. Some worlds have monsters and some don't.

[terraburning]

Huh.

"Did your world have...moogles?"

[elementofloyalty]

Never saw any when I was in Garden.

Penrose had 'em, though! They were really helpful every time we went on a mission to a different world!

[terraburning]

"Penrose?"

Man. This is getting kind of surreal, now.

[elementofloyalty]

I've been a LOT of places.

[terraburning]

Terra is starting to realize that.

"...ah."

She's realized something else!

"My name is...Terra Branford."

...oh.

[elementofloyalty]

I'm Rainbow Dash!

A Rainbow Dash. The one that's been places. The other me hasn't.

[terraburning]

A wide-eyed stare.

"There's...two of you?"

[elementofloyalty]

There WAS three, but one of us went poof again. It happens. Mostly to us natural ponies. There's lots of different ones of us out there. [Rainbow shrugs, having learned and accepted this years ago.]

[terraburning]

Terra looks concerned.

"Oh...is there...anything I can do...to help?"

[elementofloyalty]

[Rainbow shakes her head.] S'just how it goes when you're in the wrong world, y'know? You get used to it.

[terraburning]

"That seems...very sad."

[elementofloyalty]

...I'm glad to have met everypony I did. Even if they had to go away, I'll always remember.

[terraburning]

...oh. Oh, Terra likes that sentiment.

"You...you are a very kind person, aren't you?"

[elementofloyalty]

[Rainbow snorts, then giggles into a hoof.] Naw, that's Fluttershy. Me, I'm Loyalty. That means my friends are my friends no matter what, even if we're apart and even if I'll never see 'em again.

[terraburning]

"Loyalty..."

Terra considers for a long moment before issuing a hesitant smile.

"That sounds...like something you can be proud of."

[elementofloyalty]

Heh, you bet it is. But everybody's got it as long as you've got friends. It's not really special, it's just right.

[terraburning]

Terra nods slowly, her mind faraway.

"Loyalty is...love, felt for others, despite...all odds."

[elementofloyalty]

Uh, I dunno about love, that might be selling it a bit, but it also means you never abandon 'em. In person or in your heart or anything.

[terraburning]

Terra shakes her head.

"No, that was...something I read, back when...I first got here."

[elementofloyalty]

Really? Huh. Guess it's a bit oversold but I suppose it makes sense....

[terraburning]

"I didn't...know what love...was, when I read it, so...it got stuck in my head."

[elementofloyalty]

I musta missed those. You'd've been better off to talking about Princess Cadance about love...

[terraburning]

"Princess...Cadance?"

Please explain, her gaze seems to imply.

[elementofloyalty]

Love's her special talent. There was an offworld version of her, but I guess she's gone now.

The other one's in the Crystal Empire, so she's not too easy to get to...

[terraburning]

The Crystal Empire, huh...

"Thank you...very much."

Terra seems to be considering something.

[elementofloyalty]

Hey, if you want to go see her, I bet I can get you hooked up. Just lemme know!

[terraburning]

"I'd...have to ask...my boyfriend, first."

[elementofloyalty]

Hey, s'up to you! You do whatever works for you! I'm not going anywhere!

[terraburning]

Nod nod.

"I...will ask him, then. It...might be nice?"

[elementofloyalty]

Just lemme know. [Rainbow whacks the scroll with a hoof, indicatively.]

[canreallyfly]

H-Huh? What's a... chocobo?

[elementofloyalty]

It's a really big bird. [Taking to the air, Rainbow holds her hoof a good ten feet off the ground.] They're from one of the worlds I went to.