A Storm is Coming, Frank Says...

Shala looked between Arpi and Thunder before looking back to Intel, looking only slightly surprised at this point. "...I feel like we are the normal ponies in this town now."

She obliged Intel and tried to assist in getting the now rag doll beaten pony onto Thunder. She looked to him with disgust. "Nice going there. Solve all your problems like that?" She frowned at him. "I was just hanging out with this pony and he was telling me about how much this here pony screwed him over. Guess he just did a little more in hopes to finish the job."

Spring looked back, having not taken a good look at Arpeggio when pulling Thunder off him, what she saw shocked her. Thunder had really done that-- it was-- horrible...

She flew slowly back over slowly as the two unicorns helped get Arpeggio onto Thunders back.

"I don't know what he may have told you," Spring said, trying to compose herself, to Shala, "but he has become so overcome with jealousy that Thunder didnt share his love, I'm not sure how much of what he told you was actually truth..." she explained to him.

"I'm also not sure what he said to convince you to come out here and snog with him," she said rolling her eyes, figuring out that this might be her best way to get back at the female Unicorn for her participation in all this, "but really, you and Arpeggio made a lovely couple," she said towards Shala as she walked past Intel towards Thunder.

"C'mon Thunder... I'll lead you to the hospital..." she sighed and took to the air heading towards the hospital.

(we can assume Spring, Arpe, and Thunder leave the thread en route to the hospital, leaving Shala and Intel to talk)

At the female pegasus' words, Intel's mouth turned into a line so straight that it could have been used for a ruler.

"Normal? Us? Never!" He joked without humour, before turning to Shala. "So...I'll tell you my news if you tell me yours. What exactly happened this evening that led to this? I'm sure that it was pretty interesting, judging by the results."

Looking at the cafe nearby, he continued, "And I'm pretty hungry, actually. You can tell me over supper."

Shala blinked and watched her companion be dragged off. If it weren't for Intel, she might have gone with him to the door at least. Might have... Those were some crazy ponies.

The last bit that Spring had to say made her wince. That was exactly what she did not want to explain to Intel right now. Fortunately, he did not seem to jump on it. Perhaps she could work around it.

"Just ran into a really mad pony at the tavern. Drank a lot. Talked a lot. Thought it would be funny to see him trash this other couple that his Ex was in. You saw what happen. Kinda got mad." She said casually, doing her best to not hint at any discomfort in her explanation to the nature of their pairing.

Intel, smiling, sat down and ordered some hay fries. After his order, he looked at Shala calmly. "...And I suppose you played the, correct me if I'm wrong, 'Drunk floozy making out and getting all over one another just to try to make them jealous'? Shala, I know you weren't just a bystander. Not really. I could probably try and figure some solution from what little I know, but I would really like to hear it from you. Please."

Shala held up a hoof and opened a mouth to protest, but nothing came out. She grinded her teeth, thinking of what to say.

"Well. That's pretty much it...Mostly. Had some fun with the idea of making the others jealous. So we pretended to be lovers and other things." She looked to the ground. Irritation was clearly on her. The subject began to burn a fire in her.

Intel sighed. "Now there's an idea that was fragile to begin with," he said softly, "Did you plan on not telling me this at all? Keep this on the side, for I, Intelligent Design, am simply not enough for Shala Woods, oh, no. Or was this just a perverse experiment, simply designed to cause others grief?" His voice was not angry, just sad. "Did you even think about how I might feel about this? As for the results..." Intel looked towards the hospital. "...Is there anything gained from little incident? A pony has been sent to hospital, a date is probably ruined..."

A plate of hay fries was served. Intel reached into his pocket, and placed a letter next to it.

"They want me back, you know. For the Gala. Though I'm not one for formal occasions, I'll probably go."

It was a sudden change of topic, but all the excitement that Intel had before was gone.

The rage came to her faster than anything else. One moment she was simply looking down at the table, irritated as she would be sometimes when ticking was on the mind, and the next she was terrifying furious like never before.

"Has it EVER occurred to you that maybe, MAYBE I don't want to be the one doing EVERYTHING in this relationship?!" She slammed her hooves on the table, huffing through her nostrils. "You ever stop to think that maybe I want something back?! I take you out on dates! I invite you to my house! I have dinner with you! I even get set on fire for you but you never NEVER have invited ME to anything! You never come to me! Its always me that makes it happen! Are you surprised I look for something in return elsewhere!?

She huffed and beathed heavily. This rage had been building up in her for a while. It didn't help that she was somewhat intoxicated, but that didn't mean it wasn't true. Not to her.

"I...Am TIRED of giving! I just...I want..." She bit her lip and strained hard. Her hoof moved to her flask, fumbling to open it.

Intel looked at Shala as though observing an experiment, and levitated a fry over to him. Slowly, deliberately, he put it into his mouth and started chewing.

"You wanted what, Ms Woods? Love? Caring? Compassion? Doubt you'd find that in the embrace of one whose intent was simple vengeance. Maybe you want to make others feel awful in the misguided attempt of making yourself feel better, that could be it. Or maybe it's the bliss that comes with ignorance? The bliss that comes with hacking down all sensibility so that one cannot feel pain anymore."

Shala moved towards her flask, but Intel was quicker. His own flask skidded across the table to her side.

"Shall I remind you how it goes? Yes, you were the one that usually came to me for dates and such, but that was always the point, wasn't it? You came to me. You needed my presence. I did what you wanted, and it always ends up with you getting smashed, now doesn't it? In the tavern or otherwise. I went along with it because..."

He paused to take a breath. "I like you, I want to help you but I can hardly help myself. My mind's somewhere else half the time, and half my mind's somewhere else all the time. Of course I think what I can give to you, and it is always this. I will be there if you need me, and I will help you if you want me to. But this is the first time you've ever said you wanted more. You could've told me, and not leave it up to me to dig inside your mind, because if I do that, I will go deeper than you want me to."

He looked away. "And as it stands, emotional as it was, that was a pretty poor excuse for going along with some random pony's revenge plot to get back at his gay lover."

"I wanted SOMETHING dammit!" Shala shot back at him. "I didn't care what it was. So long as it wasn't interested in sitting at pouring over pages of blueprints! Yes, i want love! Compassion! Even a hug! Maybe I just wanted you to notice and try harder! And don't you try to make this is a one way street here!" Shala huffed and looked down at the flask. She grunted and took her own flask, drinking from it. There was not much left in it for her though as she tossed it away with frustration.

With a hoof, she wiped her eyes and continued. "I'm calling you out NOW! I don't care about what you think I need. I want more from you. This is a start." She said, taking the flask and popping it open. "...And I'll accept your apologies once you present them." She said before taking a healthy chug of the liquid.

Intel sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the things I didn't do. I'm sorry that I spend most of my time isolated trying to sort out my own demons rather than being with you. I'm not good with feelings, good, bad, or otherwise. I probably can't...I can't give you the love you probably need, nor the compassion. I'm just too crazy to. But more than that Shala..."

He leaned forward giving Shala a good look at his eyes behind the glasses. If one examined them closely they would see tiredness and exhaustion, and a hint of sorrow. All other emotion was killed stone dead.

"I'm sorry for what I will give you. It is the only thing I have in abundance. Not awkwardness, enthusiasm, or even knowledge. What was in that flask, the one you drank out of...was clarity. Clarity, distilled and liquified. The truth, in all it's terrible glory."

"I'm sorry. I am so sorry."

Shala grumbled as Intel talked. She felt like his words were excuses. As he rambled, she drank more of the liquid. It didn't seem to bite like she wanted it to. No burning of the throat or satisfying rush came after it. It felt backwards if anything.

The Intel began to apologize. That was when things started to get weird. Words could not describe it, but things began to look sharper. Like they stood out more, and were so much more interesting to look at. That was hardly on Shala's mind in the next few moments.

Everything began to clear up. It was so quick that it was startling Shala, scarring her even. "What...did you..." She got up from the table, eyes wide and focused more than they should. Gasping for breaths irregularly, she stared straight ahead, reabsorbing her sense and perceptions.

"I...I..." She trembled in place. Tears began to roll down her eyes, unblinking. "I....I'm...I'm...sorry...I'm so sorry....I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry..." She rambled on over and over. Something had snapped.

"Waiter, a strong drink please," Intel said a calm tone, ignoring all the stares the broken Shala was receiving. He took the flask from the trembling mare and placed it back in his pocket. One's first knurd experience was never a pleasant one. The truth was far too painful for anypony, and she only had a few mouthfuls when she was already in an intoxicated state. It made a kind of sense. Sobriety was already painful for her so knurd must be excruciating. He could try talking to her in this state, but it wouldn't yield much.

"Shala. I know you can hear me, and your mind can probably recognise my voice. Focus on it. Let all the other avenues of your consciousness focus on my voice. Your mind is probably trying to think of too many things at once. Focus on my voice. The pitch, the tone, the words and the meaning behind them. When you can, please answer. Why are you sorry?"

Shala winced shut her eyes. As it became more and more unbearable, she fell back on her rump and pulled her mane over her head. The ribbon holding the end of it together slipped off, draping it about most her face. Tears still flowing, but eyes still unblinking. Her visage was an absolute wreck.

Intel's words seemed to have no effect for the longest time. But carefully, she raised her head, peaking through the gap in her mane. For one brief moment, she appeared to focus her eyes, to have a grasp of things, but then...

"Why are you sorry?"

She inhaled sharply and held her breath. Things were slipping away in her mind. The past that came to mind began to feel like the present. Her horn began to glow similarly to the way it did for the brief moment it had when she was on fire.

Then all at once, she twitched. She lay on the ground suddenly, as if she teleported there., her mane shuffled, as well as her fur being rustled, like she had not been taken care of for days. Her eyes were dry, but still stared ahead, exhausted.

With deep slow breaths, she looked up to Intel before wincing. "...I... couldn't save her."

A glass of whiskey was placed on the table.

Intel looked at Shala like he would an equation, factorising and cancelling until he had something like a solution. Wordlessly, he went over and embraced her.

"Shala...I promised to help you be better, but I completely neglected how painful it's going to be. At least, the way I see it, anyway. The truth is a painful thing, but secrecy and denial only holds us back. Truth sets us free."

Letting go of her, he sat back at his place on the table, pushing the whiskey towards her.

"Now, do you feel like talking about 'her' and 'saving'? Here's a glass to help you."

Shala put her hooves up against Intel as he hugged, as if to push him away, but her resistance, weak already, gave up very quickly. Like times before, she fell into his shoulder and began to sob.

It's...over...It's finally over....The loop is over.

Her sobs were quiet and short lived. All her energy had been spent, despite her being well rested moments ago. Her mouth hung open as the hug ended, and her head hung low.

She was a complete mess. Mane frizzled everywhere and eyes half closed. It took her a long time to consider words. The notice of whiskey though, got her attention immediately. With a hoof outstretched, she hesitated a moment, before grasping it and downing it like an eager child and dropping the glass once done. Ponies around would wince as it managed to bounce without breaking.

With a satisfying breath of air, Shala broke the silence. "...What if the truth isn't good enough?....I have been so terrible....I'm not the pony I want to be....And..."She trembled. Her voice was innocent and afraid, sounding like a little young filly. "...I don't know if you will want me anymore if i tell you."

"Shala, to me, the truth is always good enough. As for the fact, of you not being the pony you want to be that is, well. Remember when I said my family motto is 'Always improving'? That's actually only half of it. Our full motto is this: 'Always improving; never perfect'. Shala, I don't want a perfect mare. I want you."

Intel paused, and blushed.

"Well...uh, that is, um. The you wanting to be better, and recognising that she had made some really bad mistakes in the past. That you...."

Shala wanted to tell him. Say everything she was right there, like she had always wanted to, but her open mouth went dry. Instead, something far lesser squeaked by her lips.

"...Maybe...I can tell you later..." Her tired eyes shifted around her, eyeing the public in general. As touching and sensitive the moment was, the place was not exactly appropriate. While Intel's mistake misinterpretation on words was not acknowledged, she smiled a little on the inside.

Intel tilted his head as he quietly stashed the gala tickets inside his pocket. That can be for later as well.

"I believe that my place is closer and you can sleep there. I promise things will at least look better after a good sleep."

In particular, waking up after being knurd was one of the most refreshing feelings one can experience. They didn't say that in the anti-elixir posters. But the warm feeling one experienced waking up?

It wasn't Intel who described the feeling as 'a golden soup of hope' but the ambimancer could find no better way to name it.

Shala nodded, getting onto her tired hooves. She was terribly drained. Without much more than a word, she sluggishly dragged herself away from where they were, wanting to isolate herself as much as she could.

"I could use some rest...My stomach is killing me."

The trip to Intel's began to wear on her. Aside from complete exhaustion, the inevitable reveal had her feeling like her stomach would turn itself inside out. In addition to that, a burning sensation seemed to radiate from her stomach, but it was getting better.

Guiding the tired mare into his home, Intel suddenly felt a large weight had been placed on his shoulders. Shaking the feeling out of his mind, he made sure that Shala fell onto his bed, instead of the floor.

All there was to do now was wait.

https://mlp-fim-oc-rp.rpg-board.net/t842-confirming-a-hypothesis-via-secondary-data#11512