My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Idea Megathread
- Thread starter Andrew Joshua Talon
- Start date
"Spike! I can't believe you!" Twilight sounded very disappointed, "I'm very disappointed in you, young drake!" See? "Just stop this foolishness and give the princesses their castle back."
"No." Spike said, not looking up from the blue-prints and accounts ledgers in front of him.
"Spiiiike," Okay, she was starting to sound really cheesed off.
"Look, Celestia lost it fair and square, and this way, she can't lose it again if she gets overly competitive later on. Besides, do you know how long it's been since she actually checked out some parts of this place? Almost a thousand years," The dragon said, sounding exasperated, "I found parts of the lower levels about to cave in from disuse and disrepair," His back to Twilight, it was easy to hide his smirk, "And loosing those ancient texts like that would have a real shame."
"...Texts?"
Checkmate.
"Yeah, there were some ancient studies and a small, private library or two from some old nobles or researchers and such, and some of those books and hoof-written, one of a kind research notes dating back as far as the construction of Canterlot."
"Wha-One of a kind?" Spike could hear dripping...He really hoped she was only drooling...
"Uh, yeah, if it's alright, I had them taken to your old room in the archives, would you mind taking a look and organizing them for me-" Spike barely finished before a flash of light signaled the young princesses departure.
"No." Spike said, not looking up from the blue-prints and accounts ledgers in front of him.
"Spiiiike," Okay, she was starting to sound really cheesed off.
"Look, Celestia lost it fair and square, and this way, she can't lose it again if she gets overly competitive later on. Besides, do you know how long it's been since she actually checked out some parts of this place? Almost a thousand years," The dragon said, sounding exasperated, "I found parts of the lower levels about to cave in from disuse and disrepair," His back to Twilight, it was easy to hide his smirk, "And loosing those ancient texts like that would have a real shame."
"...Texts?"
Checkmate.
"Yeah, there were some ancient studies and a small, private library or two from some old nobles or researchers and such, and some of those books and hoof-written, one of a kind research notes dating back as far as the construction of Canterlot."
"Wha-One of a kind?" Spike could hear dripping...He really hoped she was only drooling...
"Uh, yeah, if it's alright, I had them taken to your old room in the archives, would you mind taking a look and organizing them for me-" Spike barely finished before a flash of light signaled the young princesses departure.
I don't intend for Spike to seriously do anything of abuse with his "skills" nor do I intend on Celestia, Twilight and (maybe) Luna to "bet" anything. I rather it just showcase how Celestia and Twilight are so obsessed with getting things done the way they want them done (In this case, refusing to believe that they lost).
If I really had a handle on it right now, Spike would just get overly annoyed - because he doesn't like chess. I don't intend on giving him other plot-breaking skills like hyper-competent accountancy unless it was used for laughs, but that'd have nothing to do with the story. The story would end in a lesson for both the ancient and new Princesses on not being such a sore loser or obsessed winner. I wouldn't add any "superpowers" on to shift it into any serious territory.
If I really had a handle on it right now, Spike would just get overly annoyed - because he doesn't like chess. I don't intend on giving him other plot-breaking skills like hyper-competent accountancy unless it was used for laughs, but that'd have nothing to do with the story. The story would end in a lesson for both the ancient and new Princesses on not being such a sore loser or obsessed winner. I wouldn't add any "superpowers" on to shift it into any serious territory.
Power Ponies idea...
The Mane-iac isn't as crazy as folks think she is...Kinda...
She didn't just want to take over Maretropolis for the heck of it, she did it for a singular reason, to abolish the species-ist marriage laws that keep her from her beloved Humdrum! Her hench-ponies are in it just because they're all serious romantics at heart.
The Mane-iac isn't as crazy as folks think she is...Kinda...
She didn't just want to take over Maretropolis for the heck of it, she did it for a singular reason, to abolish the species-ist marriage laws that keep her from her beloved Humdrum! Her hench-ponies are in it just because they're all serious romantics at heart.
An unfortunate fact of life is that Celestia pays peanuts.
To make ends meet, Twilight and Spike are forced to look for oddjobs, and then Spike hits on an idea and pulls strings to place ads in any paper of note, advertising Twilight's skills as a troubleshooter, magician, heroine and whatnot. The result is that Twilight ends up becoming a sort of freelance adventurer, hired all over Equestria for things like exorcising a haunted house to helping the Minotaur nation get to the bottom of why so many boats are disappearing off the coastline. Spike remains her plucky assistant, agent and accountant.
Throughout it all, Celestia remains cheerfully oblivious, until one fine day Prince Blueblood hires Twilight to look into this changeling threat he's been hearing about...
======================
"TWILIGHT SPARKLE!" Celestia roared out. The guards, Bearers and her own nephew flinched back at the scorching heat of her anger, but the unicorn herself, who'd just run in after vanishing the instant she entered Canterlot, was too busy wrestling Princess Cadance to the ground.
"Spike, the tranquilizers! HURRY!"
Gulping, the little dragon hurled the syringe towards his caretaker/sister-figure/business partner. Grabbing the Alicorn of Love in a headlock, the lavender mare seized the syringe in her telekinetic grip and jabbed it in. The pink alicorn shrieked, before her struggles began to die down as the chemical did its work, and soon the Queen of the Changelings was peacefully asleep on the floor of the room.
Twilight brushed the sweat off her fringe. "Well, that's the last one. Now, about my payment..." She looked meaningfully at Blueblood.
The Prince nodded and levitated the sealed envelope with his personal seal stamped on it over to Spike. "A cheque for fifty thousand bits, plus expenses. Are you sure that's the last of them?"
The Bearer of Magic nodded. "We cleaned them out pretty thoroughly. Make an appointment with Spike if you want me to do a second run through the place." She turned around, and jolted back at the look on her mentor's face. "Princess Celestia, I didn't know you were there! I'm really sorry, but I'm kinda busy, so we'll have to catch up later."
Celestia's jaw opened and closed soundlessly, as her student, still faithful but no longer as reverential, levitated Spike over. "What's next on the schedule?"
"Let's see..." Spike flipped open a notebook and began reciting; "You have an appointment in two hours with the Minotaur Council about some boats disappearing out the coast; then the Storm King of Griffonia wants to see you in the evening about getting rid of something haunting his youngest daughter; Grogar's offering two hundred thousand bits for the safe return of his Bell - that's tomorrow, by the way; and Zecora's hiring you for some ingredient hunting near Tartarus."
"If we hurry, we can make it to the Tauros States in an hour!" gasped Twilight as she ran out of the room, leaving her speechless friends and mentor. Blueblood shrugged and turned to leave. "If there's nothing else..." he trailed off as his guards opened the door for him, only for it to be shut tight again by a golden glow.
"Nephew, what was all that about paying Twilight?" Celestia demanded, too frazzled to be polite.
In response, Blueblood simply rolled his eyes and levitated a small newspaper clipping over. "Don't you read the papers, Auntie?"
The Sun Princess just stared at the advert, mouthing the words incredulously. "Twilight Sparkle...Professional Troubleshooter...Monster Hunter...Ancient Evils...Adventurer...appointments with Spike the Dragon...fee doubled if usage of Element of Magic is required?!"
To make ends meet, Twilight and Spike are forced to look for oddjobs, and then Spike hits on an idea and pulls strings to place ads in any paper of note, advertising Twilight's skills as a troubleshooter, magician, heroine and whatnot. The result is that Twilight ends up becoming a sort of freelance adventurer, hired all over Equestria for things like exorcising a haunted house to helping the Minotaur nation get to the bottom of why so many boats are disappearing off the coastline. Spike remains her plucky assistant, agent and accountant.
Throughout it all, Celestia remains cheerfully oblivious, until one fine day Prince Blueblood hires Twilight to look into this changeling threat he's been hearing about...
======================
"TWILIGHT SPARKLE!" Celestia roared out. The guards, Bearers and her own nephew flinched back at the scorching heat of her anger, but the unicorn herself, who'd just run in after vanishing the instant she entered Canterlot, was too busy wrestling Princess Cadance to the ground.
"Spike, the tranquilizers! HURRY!"
Gulping, the little dragon hurled the syringe towards his caretaker/sister-figure/business partner. Grabbing the Alicorn of Love in a headlock, the lavender mare seized the syringe in her telekinetic grip and jabbed it in. The pink alicorn shrieked, before her struggles began to die down as the chemical did its work, and soon the Queen of the Changelings was peacefully asleep on the floor of the room.
Twilight brushed the sweat off her fringe. "Well, that's the last one. Now, about my payment..." She looked meaningfully at Blueblood.
The Prince nodded and levitated the sealed envelope with his personal seal stamped on it over to Spike. "A cheque for fifty thousand bits, plus expenses. Are you sure that's the last of them?"
The Bearer of Magic nodded. "We cleaned them out pretty thoroughly. Make an appointment with Spike if you want me to do a second run through the place." She turned around, and jolted back at the look on her mentor's face. "Princess Celestia, I didn't know you were there! I'm really sorry, but I'm kinda busy, so we'll have to catch up later."
Celestia's jaw opened and closed soundlessly, as her student, still faithful but no longer as reverential, levitated Spike over. "What's next on the schedule?"
"Let's see..." Spike flipped open a notebook and began reciting; "You have an appointment in two hours with the Minotaur Council about some boats disappearing out the coast; then the Storm King of Griffonia wants to see you in the evening about getting rid of something haunting his youngest daughter; Grogar's offering two hundred thousand bits for the safe return of his Bell - that's tomorrow, by the way; and Zecora's hiring you for some ingredient hunting near Tartarus."
"If we hurry, we can make it to the Tauros States in an hour!" gasped Twilight as she ran out of the room, leaving her speechless friends and mentor. Blueblood shrugged and turned to leave. "If there's nothing else..." he trailed off as his guards opened the door for him, only for it to be shut tight again by a golden glow.
"Nephew, what was all that about paying Twilight?" Celestia demanded, too frazzled to be polite.
In response, Blueblood simply rolled his eyes and levitated a small newspaper clipping over. "Don't you read the papers, Auntie?"
The Sun Princess just stared at the advert, mouthing the words incredulously. "Twilight Sparkle...Professional Troubleshooter...Monster Hunter...Ancient Evils...Adventurer...appointments with Spike the Dragon...fee doubled if usage of Element of Magic is required?!"
You know, I had a similar idea, though it would involve more world building and a larger cast of OCs.
The idea is E.M.A.S.S. or "Equestrian Magical Allocation Stabilization and Security" (Alternately E.M.S. or "Equestrian Magical Services"). They are equivalently the FBI and the CIA rolled into one: meant to be task force that didn't bother with normal jurisdictions and dealt with problems before they ended up endangering the citizens of Equestria. They were to investigate things beyond what a normal police force could be expected to do, research various abandoned or failed magic items for viability, create anew with their accrued research, and contain or destroy the worst of the worst.
The problem is that Equestria's had a long period of peace and the agency has been getting its budget slashed viciously by the various courtiers, who'd rather see the EMASS budget used for personal projects or simply in their own pockets, forcing EMASS to whittle itself down until they barely have double digits for employees and are expected to do the same amount of work that they barely accomplished with more than a hundred agents.
However, following the comically disastrous Changeling attack, which left the supposed unpenetrable city of Canterlot almost defenseless; and the departure of two major power figures, EMASS' director manages to secure a resurgence budget and backing for a major recruitment drive on the condition that the renewed group doesn't abuse this power by accepting a new commander. Princess Luna interrupts the nobles and declares that she will take on this role to ensure that no abuse of power occurs.
But, of course, as a good leader, Luna feels she needs to be in the field, seeing what her new agents do regularly to get a grasp on what is needed, aside from more employees.
I'm currently trying to decide if I should make her first mission an easy victory followed by a horrifyingly terrible experience, have it be a comedy of errors, or make the first mission just all around difficult to give her an idea of how bad EMASS had it.
The idea is E.M.A.S.S. or "Equestrian Magical Allocation Stabilization and Security" (Alternately E.M.S. or "Equestrian Magical Services"). They are equivalently the FBI and the CIA rolled into one: meant to be task force that didn't bother with normal jurisdictions and dealt with problems before they ended up endangering the citizens of Equestria. They were to investigate things beyond what a normal police force could be expected to do, research various abandoned or failed magic items for viability, create anew with their accrued research, and contain or destroy the worst of the worst.
The problem is that Equestria's had a long period of peace and the agency has been getting its budget slashed viciously by the various courtiers, who'd rather see the EMASS budget used for personal projects or simply in their own pockets, forcing EMASS to whittle itself down until they barely have double digits for employees and are expected to do the same amount of work that they barely accomplished with more than a hundred agents.
However, following the comically disastrous Changeling attack, which left the supposed unpenetrable city of Canterlot almost defenseless; and the departure of two major power figures, EMASS' director manages to secure a resurgence budget and backing for a major recruitment drive on the condition that the renewed group doesn't abuse this power by accepting a new commander. Princess Luna interrupts the nobles and declares that she will take on this role to ensure that no abuse of power occurs.
But, of course, as a good leader, Luna feels she needs to be in the field, seeing what her new agents do regularly to get a grasp on what is needed, aside from more employees.
I'm currently trying to decide if I should make her first mission an easy victory followed by a horrifyingly terrible experience, have it be a comedy of errors, or make the first mission just all around difficult to give her an idea of how bad EMASS had it.
