>You return to your run, keeping your eyes down on the path as you jog, so as to avoid further snake encounters.
>However, with you keeping your head down, you’re surprised when a shout interrupts your thoughts.
>”Hello there, Little Hothead. What’s a little pony like you doing all the way out here?”
>You spin on the spot, noticing a rather large buffalo standing a good distance away from you.
>He’s a light shade of brown and wears two feathers tucked inside a white and blue headband marked with a diamond.
“Uh, stuff,” you say, doing your best to look innocent.
>”Well, if you don’t tell me, I’ll simply have to guess.”
>He pauses for a moment, looking over you from top to bottom.
>”You came from Maretropolis, didn’t you?”
“What makes you think-?”
>”Many things are plainly seen if you just take the time to look. For example, your hair’s on fire. Either you’re the most oblivious mare who’s ever lived and you really need to bury your head in the sand right now, or you’re a super on a journey of self-discovery. Am I getting warm?”
“You’re in the ballpark, at least.”
>”Good enough for me. So tell me, what is it that you hope to find out here that you couldn’t find back at home?”

>>25745951
Time.

>>25745951
Control

>>25745951
Calm, Time and loneliness
Fire isn't really a thing I has to use since birth

And... you live around here?
I'm Easy ride, how do I call you?

>>25746028
Wew, hold off on the name sport. We're wanted, remember?

>>25746189
If the mane on fire asn't given us yet, the name shouldn't either

>>25746228
That's not logical at all. He only has to hear a name to remember it. There was not mention of flaming hair on the news.

>>25746252
Whatever, it's not important anyway, but he doesn't strike me as the guy who'd watch Maretro News every day

>>25745998
>>25746004
>>25746028
>>25746228
>>25746252
“Time, control, calm, and loneliness. Being able to use fire’s not really something I’ve had for a long time.”
>”You’ll find plenty of time and loneliness out here. Almost nothing but, in fact.”
>He gestures to the desert, sweeping one of his stubby hooves across the wasteland.
>”But calm and control, that’s up to you to find for yourself, Little Hothead.”
“Right. So, you live around here?”
>”Yes. I have a hut across the dunes, but I don’t really need it. The desert can be quite hospitable if you know where to look.”
“So, what do I call you anyway?”
>”Yansa is my name, what are you called?”
>You paw at the ground, debating whether or not to tell him your name.
>Sure, he probably doesn’t watch the news every day, but it would still be a risk with you wanted and all.
“Uh…”
>The bison chuckles, a smile spreading across his face.
>”I see you’ve forgotten. No matter, Little Hothead suits you well anyway.”
>The buffalo turns, getting ready to walk away.
“Wait, where are you going?”
>”Wherever my hooves take me. You’re free to come along. Loneliness would be in short supply, but who knows where you might find what you’re searching for?”

>>25746368
Well I was on my morning route anyway.

>>25746368
Go with him for now. Does he have a familly? How long has he been in the desert?

>>25746368
Do you know where I could find water out here?

>>25746368
Follow the strange character you met in the desert. This has never went badly ever

>>25746386
>>25746405
>>25746406
>>25746472
>No reason not to follow the odd character in the desert, you reason.
>You jog up to the buffalo and fall into a trot, keeping match with his walk.
“Well, I was on my morning route anyway.”
>”Morning route?”
“100 pushups, 100 sit-ups, and 10 km running every single day.”
>”Impressive, though I imagine your progress has been a little less than what you wanted, and I bet it bores you to death.”
“It could be better.”
>”Well, Little Hothead, that’s because you’re pushing yourself too hard.”
>You cock your head to the side and blink in confusion.
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
>”Seven days a week of pushing yourself may sound like the key to success, but you’ll start hurting yourself if you keep it up. Your body needs to take breaks too.”
“Speaking of breaks, I could use some water, do you know where I might find any?”
>”Right here? No, but I’m sure we’ll come across some water eventually.”
>You roll your eyes and continue walking.
“So, do you have a family?”
>”No, it’s just been me for a long time now.”
“What happened?”
>”Oh, nothing at all. I just left, and I’ve never looked back.”
“How long ago?”
>”Years, though I haven’t bothered keeping track.”
>The two of you come to large green bush, still and Yansa comes to a stop.
>”Ah, here’s your water,” he says, digging a small hole in the ground next to the bush.
“I’m pretty sure that’s not how it-“
>You trail off as the buffalo rubs his hoof along the outside of the hole, and the yellow soil turns brown.
>Water begins to fill the indentation until clear liquid replaces all the dirt that had been lost.
>”Well go ahead, drink up.”

>>25746771
Neat

>>25746771
Uh, hows that work?

>>25746771
...is our hair still lit?

>>25746803
>>25746809
>>25746877
>You briefly glance up to your hair and hooves and see the flames still lapping at your coat.
>Yep, they’re still lit. In fact, you haven’t really had any reason to turn off your flames since you got out here.
>And when you do try, keeping your flames contained feels off to you
>If you were to describe it, containing the flames kind of feels like you’re holding your hoof over a garden hose, and the pressure’s constantly pushing against your hoof.
>It’s not painful and doesn’t take a gargantuan effort on your part, but it certainly feels better to have them lit.
>Snapping yourself out of your train of thought, you cock your head at the buffalo in front of you.
“How’s that work?”
>”Given your appearance, I thought you would have known that unicorns aren’t the only ones who can do magic.”
“So you make your own water?”
>”Not quite. I just bring it up from the soil. Green plants like this need lots of water to live, and there was plenty to share.”
“Huh, neat.”
>You bend down and lap up the water.
>The cool liquid runs down your throat, feeling good and refreshing you.
>”All creatures in Equestria have their own form of magic. Science will tell you that magic comes from a place in the brain, but I’m telling you, that’s wrong. Anywhere you look, you’ll find magic. Go ahead, pick anything around here.”

>>25747112
I choose that scorpion

>>25747112
The bush.

>>25747149
>>25747178
“I choose… That scorpion,” you say, referring to nothing in particular.
>The buffalo closes his eyes, humming.
>”Ah, well spotted.”
>Yansa opens his eyes and trots over to a rock about thirty meters away.
>He sticks his hoof under the rock and walks back, a small light brown insect held in his hoof.
>”You have very good intuition, Little Hothead. Perhaps you know more than you let on.”
>Truth be told, you didn’t see a scorpion.
>But still, a scorpion sits on his hoof, idly meeting the buffalo’s gaze.
>”Just look at him. Don’t look with your eyes, but with the magic inside of you.”
>Shrugging, you shut your eyes and attempt to go back into your meditation state.
>It takes you a while, but eventually, you feel relaxed and clear of all thoughts.
>You reach out with your mind and notice two bright glowing objects, both glowing.
>The larger object seems to be in the shape of Yansa, and glows a dark shade of orange.
>The smaller glows dimly, but glows all the same, most of its glow focused around its tail.
>Though it’s hard to tell, it seems as though the glow seems to be flowing, fields of energy flowing from one body to the next.
>You open your eyes the buffalo walk over to you, holding the scorpion in his hoof.
>”Here, you may hold him, try and touch him with your magic.”
“I think I’d rather switch to the bush.”
>”You’ll be fine, just let the energy flow between you and him. Share your magic like you just saw me do."

>>25747490
O-okay

>>25747490
Approach your hoof very slwoly ad try yo make contact just like you dd with the fire, but without trying to absorb it, just let it flow

>>25747490
Y-yeah, what could go wrong? Just gotta move slow, share that inner energy with it.

>>25747490
>hold this thing
>while your hooves are still on fire
Wait

>>25747828
It doesn't actually burn things like this.

>>25747844
I just want to be sure man. I don't want it to be a learning experience but "oh look it burned up"

>>25747518
>>25747557
>>25747661
>>25747828
>>25747844
That is correct. Despite being on fire, your hooves don’t burn anything unless you want them to.

“Yeah, what could go wrong, right?”
>”Many things, but I’m certain you’ll be fine.”
“Hoo, okay.”
>Taking a few breaths to calm down, you reach your hoof out towards the scorpion.
>The bison turns his hoof to the side, and the scorpion skitters onto the frog of your hoof.
>You flinch as the scorpion crawls onto your hoof, staring you in the eye with its venomous tail curled up behind it.
>Your heartbeat quickens considerably, and you find yourself unable to look away from the slowly uncurling tail.
>”Stay calm, there’s nothing to be afraid of. This creature wishes no more harm on you than you wish on it.”
>Easy for you to say, you crazy damn bison.
>”Breathe, little pony.”
>Doing your best to follow his advice, you slow your breathing and shut your eyes.
>Eventually, your heart begins to slow, and your breathing falls under your control.
>”Good, now let the magic flow in time with your breaths.”
>You find your magic, much like you had done with many of your meditation sessions.
>Then, you let it flow into the scorpion, almost like each of you is a heart, pumping its own form of blood into the other.
>The magic is the precious lifeblood, flowing between the two of you, in and out.
>The scorpion now contains a little bit of you, your green flames mixing with the light brown of the scorpion, and likewise, you have a little of the creature’s magic inside of you.
>You open your eyes to see the scorpion still staring at you, tail still curled up and passive.

>>25747969
So, can the scorpion shoot fire while we're like this? Because that would be neat.

>>25747969
H-hey I did it. Whatever it is I did.

>>25747969
So, scorpions powers now?

>>25748018
>>25748035
>>25748068
“Hey, I did it, whatever it was you wanted me to do.”
>”Well done, Little Hothead.”
“Speaking of, what did I do?”
>”You just did what every farming earth pony dreams of doing. Become one with nature.”
“Cheesy.”
>”Yet accurate.”
“So can this scorpion shoot fire now? Because that would be totally awesome.”
>”I would assume so, if it could figure out how to use the magic you just gave it.”
“So what about me? Am I gonna sprout a stinger from my flank, have my hooves turn into pincers or something?”
>”Nope, what you have is a little bit of the scorpion’s energy inside you. It’s a bit like eating, minus digestion.”
“I just ate a scorpion?”
>”If you want to put it that way, then the scorpion just ate a little bit of you too.”
“Gross.”
>”Call it a trade, then. Magic for magic.”
“Seems like the scorpion came off a bit better.”
>”True, but perhaps it’s not always about you coming off best. Sometimes it’s nice to give a little rather than take.”
>You slowly bring your hoof to the ground and watch as the small insect skitters away.
>Just barely, you catch a small green flame light on the tip of its tail.
>It retreats under a rock and out of your view.
>The bison turns away from the skittering scorpion and smiles at you.
>”Now come, why don’t we talk some more?”

>>25748329
okay
About what?

I'm going to call it here for the night. Thank you all so much for playing and I'll see you all again tomorrow.

Got any questions for me? Leave them here and I'll answer them.

>>25748329
It makes me happy to think that we just let loose a fire scorpion. What an amazing little creature

>>25748329
Alright sure. What do you normally do out here? You ever made sandcastles with that talent of yours?

sleep tight, sleepyscorp

>>25748355
when do we run?

bup

>>25752569

>>25753497

>>25754243

>>25751466
You usually start your morning workout at around 10:00 in the morning. You usually finish around 11 to 11:30. Running 6 miles and doing a couple hundred pushups and situps doesn't talk long.

>>25748344
>>25748358
>>25748493
>Looking out at that rock, you give a passing farewell to the fire scorpion.
>Truly a fantastic creature.
>You briefly imagine the scorpion meeting up with his scorpion friends and shooting fire to show off.
>The thought fills you with happiness for the little creature.
>You rejoin with the buffalo, and the two of you begin walking across the desert.
“So, you ever make a sand castle with that magic?”
>”Once a good while ago, but there’s no need to disturb the earth right now.”
“Sure, so what do you do out here anyway?”
>”I search.”
“For what?”
>”Like I said, when you take to time to look, you’ll find what you’re looking for.”
>He stretches his hoof out to the wide expanse.
>”Out here, you don’t get distracted. There’s nothing to find outside of you, so you have to look inside to find what you’re looking for.”
>”And that’s the secret. You don’t find what you’re searching for by looking to others.”
“But isn’t that what you’re doing for me right now?”
>”No, I can’t give you your answers any more than you can give me mine. I can just give you a little push in the right direction.”
>He walks over to a petrified tree and snaps a limb off.
>”For example, you said you wanted control, yes? Make a flame, don’t let it out of your control no matter what happens.”

>>25757164
okaaaay...

>>25757164
Sure. Sounds simple enough.

>>25757211
It always does.

>>25757196
>>25757211
>>25757237
“Guess it sounds easy enough.”
>You take a seat and conjure up a flame, like you have done so many times before.
>It hovers a few feet off the ground, dancing in the air a few feet away from you.
>”Close your eyes and just focus on the flame. Don’t let anything outside of you distract you from your fire.”
“Okay then?”
>You shut your eyes and find the green light bouncing lightly in your grasp.
>As the light bobs up and down, you maintain your control easily.
>Just as you feel you gain a level of focus, a pointed object jabs into your side.
>The poke surprises you, and you have to reposition your forehoof to steady yourself.
>Your focus slightly broken, you find the flame again, and work at maintaining it.
>Just feed it a little bit of magic to keep it up, no problem-
>The stick jabs into you again, poking into your squishy belly just underneath your ribs.
>You grit your teeth and continue to focus, the flame now shaking in your grasp as you attempt to control it.
>It’s okay, just ignore it, right?
>You attempt to block it away, expecting another poke to come at any moment, and preparing for it.
>But no jab comes.
>Good, maybe now you can finally-
>The stick pokes you once again, this time right on your flank.
>As you attempt to focus, a series of steady pokes meets your cutie mark, the soft flesh contracting as the stick makes contact.
>Your eye begins to twitch, and you screw them shut more tightly to try and block out the barrage of annoyance.
>The flame now feels unstable to you, and threatens to explode outward.

>>25757486
Tricky dicky
I can't think of much other than just really focus on the flame.

>>25757486
Well, we don't want to set everything nearby on fire, better sharpen our focus.

>>25757486
Bite tongue and concentrate on the pain. Channel that frustration into holding it steady. Imagine squeezing it tightly, like a stress-ball.

>>25757574
No
We need to be calm

>>25757636
Impossible. You don't bottle, you use constructively.

>>25757486
Extend your focus to the stick, include it in the meditation!

>>25757486
I swear to god if he pokes the horse pusi, we will fucking cook him

>>25757512
>>25757560
>>25757574
>>25757636
>>25757682
>>25757694
>>25757731
>You try your best to continue focusing on the flame.
>Wouldn’t want to set everything nearby on fire.
>Besides, the poking’s not as annoying when it’s a constant stream like this.
>Almost as if on cue, the poking stops.
>You breathe and bring the flames back down.
>The flame’s still shaky, but it’s fine for now.
>You regain your focus, but are instantly met with another poke into your side.
>Fine, two can play at this game.
>You extend your focus to the buffalo as well as your flame, and you see him standing at your side with stick poised.
>At least now there won’t be any surprises.
>Still, he holds it agonizingly close, taunting you like the fillies in kindergarten with their game of ‘I’m not touching you.’
>He begins another barrage of pokes.
>As your eye once again begins to twitch, you realize something.
>You can’t just ignore the pokes, bottle everything up, and stay calm. It’s just not possible.
>You’ll have to make your emotions work for you.
>Trying another tactic, you bite your tongue.
>It hurts, and you can taste copper as your teeth sink in.
>You screw up your muzzle and concentrate all your pain and frustration into the flame, letting everything go.
>To your surprise, the flame grows a large amount, fire leaping from your body to the flame floating a few feet away from you.
>You open your eyes and see a large ball of flame more a couple feet in diameter sitting in front of you.
>Flares leap from the churning surface as if it were a miniature star.
>Well, you’ve got a giant ball of flame at your full disposal, now what will you do with it?

>>25757909
Not drop it

>>25757909
Test Big Bang Attack on nearby rock

>>25757909
Suck some of it back in. We don't need it that big. Treat it like the scorpion. Instead of something separate, let it be a part of a flow.

>>25757486
>poking into your squishy belly
I can see now why tinker wanted to cuddle

>>25757932
>>25757956
>>25757969
>>25758123
>You’re sure as hell not going to drop it.
>Although, you’d quite like to test this new massive fireball.
>But you don’t quite need it this big.
>Remembering what you did with the scorpion, you close your eyes and focus, treating the fireball as part of you.
>It’s your magic anyway, why should this be any harder?
>As you time your breathing, you imagine an ocean sweeping over a beach.
>Each breath out is like a wave crashing on the shore, and each breath in pulls more fire into you, like sand being pulled back to sea with the wave.
>The fire washes into you, and you can feel yourself filling with energy.
>You feel as if you could run a marathon, let alone ten kilometers.
>Looking back to the ball, it has shrunk a considerable amount.
>As it stands, is looks to be a little less than a half meter in diameter.
>Might as well see what this thing can do.
>But you’ve never felt this in control of your flames before.
>Maybe there’s something creative you could try with this much fire?
>Or perhaps you’d like to see just how big of a bang you can make.

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>>25758123
>we got the tummy

>>25758153
Dude
Ring of fire

>>25758153
Split it apart and have the flames orbit.

>>25758182
>>25758190
>Casting a quick glance over to Yansa, you find that he’s backed up a good few feet, well out of harm’s way.
>You grab the flame and split it right down the middle multiple times, making the one large fireball into sixteen smaller balls of flame.
>They float over to you, and you put them in place around your head.
>Slowly at first, they begin to spin.
>The flames pick up speed and soon, your body is completely surrounded by swirling orbs.
>The balls begin to lose their individuality, morphing into a literal ring of flame around your body.
>Your fun had, you again close your eyes, pulling the ring of flame into you.
>The flames disappear underneath your coat and you turn to the bison.
“So how was that?”
>”Well done, Little Hothead. I expected you to fail several times before you figured it out.”
“Really?”
>”Yes, I even had a speech planned about how control and anger cannot be thought of as separate, but it seems that you really do have an admirable level of insight, little pony.”
“Really? It just kind of came naturally.”
>”Indeed. I’m sure that the rest will come naturally to you as well. I only have one more thing to show you before I leave you to your loneliness.”
>The buffalo reaches down and grabs a rounded rock with an indentation.
>He trots over to a cactus and places his hoof on the spiky plant.
>A steady drip falls along his hoof and into the hold in the rock.
>Soon, the rock is filled, and Yansa walks over to a flower.
>He crushes the flower between his hooves and adds the contents to the cactus juice.
>As you watch confused, he trots back over to you and presents the stone.
>”Normally I’d need a bonfire for this, but I think we can do without. Just boil and drink up.”

>>25758721
PRAISE THE CACTUS

IT'S HAPPENING

>>25758721
...okay

>>25758721
Uh, okay. Is this like buffalo tea of something?

>>25758769
>>25758775
>>25758808
“So what, is this buffalo tea or something?”
>”Not quite, when boiled, that flower and the juice from that cactus are known for their ability to allow one to look beyond one’s self.”
“You’re giving me drugs?”
>”Visions are separate from hallucinations, Little Hothead.”
“Whatever, I could use a little bit of relaxation anyway.”
>”I assure you, manufactured chemicals and naturally occurring substances like this are completely separate.”
“So you admit you’re giving me drugs.”
>”Just drink the cactus juice.”
“Yeah, okay.”
>You take the makeshift bowl in your hoof and use your flames to heat it.
>Over the past month, you had gained quite a good deal of skill at heating up bowls, so within a few moments, the water begins frothing.
“Well, bottoms up,” you say as you bring the liquid to your lips.
>The liquid has a sweet, almost fruity tang to it. It’s quite thick and takes some effort to swallow.
>You finish off the liquid and stand there for a moment, blinking.
“So is something gonna happen, or…”
>You trail off as you begin to feel a little bit woozy, and your legs feel like jelly.
“I-is this normal?” You ask, wobbling back and forth on shaky legs.
>”Yes, you’ll be fine.”
>You collapse onto your side and the world goes black.
--
>You find yourself standing in a white expanse devoid of color.
>As you cast your eyes about the room, ponies begin to appear.
>In front of you, you see the power ponies in all their glory, staring angrily at you.
>To your right, Boomerang stands in full uniform, also with an angry scowl on her face.
>On the left, you see Two-bit, Storm, Tinker, and Ice, their hooves outstretched to.
>Behind you, you see yourself, curled up and sobbing on the floor.

>>25759246
Help yourself up. Introduce other you to your friends.

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>>25759246
W-well, what's wrong with the other Easy?

>>25759246
WAKE ME UP

>>25759246
Console yourself

>>25759298
>>25759302
>>25759323
>>25759365
>You turn around and walk over to yourself.
>The other ponies fade from sight, and the world goes dark, only a spotlight shining on you and your doppelganger.
>Putting a hoof on her mane, you begin to stroke, and she flinches as your hoof makes contact.
“Hey there, are you okay?”
>She shakes her head no, saying nothing.
“Well what’s wrong?”
>Once again, she shakes her head and buries her head in her hooves.
“Come on, it’ll all be okay, just get up.”
>You offer a hoof to her and she reluctantly takes it. She rises to her hooves, but still stares at the ground.
>”I’m sorry,” she mutters, tears still pooling around her eyes.
>”I shouldn’t have, I’m just a murderer…” She mutters, turning away from you.
>”I’m so sorry.”

>>25759683
You didn't mean to.

>>25759683
Yeah, well I'm sorry to, but sorry never solved anything. If you don't move past a mistake you can never make up for it.

>>25759683
Shes gonna turn around and scare the hell out of us isnt she?
I bet this is our conscience or something

>>25759709
>>25759738
>>25759744
“I know you didn’t mean to.”
>She gives a somber nod, and you place your hoof under her chin and force her to look at you.
“But sorry isn’t going to solve anything.”
>She looks into your eyes intently.
“I’m sorry too, but if we just keep dwelling on our mistakes, we can’t make up for them.”
>”But how do we make up for that?”
“We have to forgive ourselves before we can get others to forgive us.”
>”And then?”
“I don’t know, but what’s important is that we can make up for it, no matter how bad it is.”
>She sniffs, blinking the tears out of her eyes.
>”So you forgive me?”
“Of course.”
>She smiles and wraps her hooves around you, and you quickly return the hug.
>You enjoy the warmth of your own embrace for a moment, smiling into your own eyes.
>The two of you break apart, and the two of you begin to walk, your steps in perfect time with each other as you walk towards a brilliant light.

And that’s it for this thread. Thank you all so much for playing. Unfortunately, I don’t know when I’ll be able to run again with this being finals week, and going right back home afterwards for Christmas. I’ll make the next thread as soon as I can, thank you for understanding.

For now, be sure to drop any questions you might have about the characters, quest, or anything in general.

>>25758123
That's the best thing about being a pony. A squishy belly and plush flanks are just part of the package.

>>25760066
Im just gonna assume easy is extra squishy and plush

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>>25760066

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>>25760066
>spoiler

>>25760066
Have a happy holiday

>>25745944