someone left a cake in the rain

[rewritethis]

[BANG. BANG.]

Dash! Dash!! Open up!

[Doorknocking this violent isn't an uncommon occurrence around this particular dorm, especially accompanied by that voice. What might be a bit more notable is that the sound actually seems to be coming from somewhere close to the floor. Yes, closer than usual. In fact, knocking probably isn't the right word...]

Comments

[rewritethis]

[Oh, this again.]

Surprised there's usually more to a human than just one interest their whole life?

[elementofloyalty]

Now you're just being obstinate about not understanding it. Come on, Ed, you spend so much time not being stupid that your willful bouts of it have no credibility.

[rewritethis]

[He pulls a face. If he started taking any of this talk about talents seriously, he'd have to let himself be reminded of Dante, and who'd want that?]

If you somehow got the impression I'm only good for one thing, I'd be happy to prove you wrong.

[...Not that he hasn't been already, just a little - which might be why his posturing now doesn't sound quite as confident as his bragging just a minute ago.]

[elementofloyalty]

I'm starting to get the impression you're only good for being stubborn.

[She glares at him a moment longer, then relaxes.] Come on, don't be dumb about this. You've met Twilight. Her talent is magic, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have, say, a lot of book smarts when it comes to pretty much anything else than can be written down. Or my friend Applejack, her cutie mark is all about her family farm, but that doesn't stop her from being amazing at a bunch of different things. Your talent might be alchemy, but you're also good at science. And fighting. And being a good friend when you can get over your self-hatred every once in a while. And I guess you have a little fashion sense, but I don't know, I'm not Rarity.

[rewritethis]

[Well, as soon as she figures out what the cutie mark for that would look like...

He continues to look as surly as ever, but he does shrink back from her at that last part, and not just because she's grouping him with a bunch of ponies.]

Well - yeah, knowing what someone's good at or does for a living doesn't tell you anything else about them, that's true. But that doesn't mean having it on display like that isn't restrictive. What people expect from you, what they assume from it... you can't claim that's never an issue. I don't buy it.

[elementofloyalty]

[She scrutinizes him, trying to decide if he's just being a jerk or really not getting it.]

...Gimme something to draw with, Ed.

[rewritethis]

To draw with?

[He fishes a stick of chalk out of his left pocket and throws it her way, looking no less sceptical.]

[elementofloyalty]

[Rainbow catches it in her mouth, then quickly scribbles out a scene of three flowers with cute faces on them on the ground. (Hey, he writes on it all the time, she feels no guilt.)]

Okay, tell me what THAT cutie mark represents.

[rewritethis]

[He looks unimpressed - although, no, he doesn't bat an eyelid at her scribbling on his floor.] Okay, point taken, but I know I didn't exactly grow up seeing those things everywhere. So?

[elementofloyalty]

Yeah, but we ponies DO, so we know not to read too much into it. What about that symbol you like to use?

[rewritethis]

...Symbol? [This takes him a moment.] What, you mean [he shrugs his coat off and holds it up by the hood] this?

[elementofloyalty]

Yeah, that thing! What's IT mean?

[rewritethis]

[He tosses the coat over onto his bed.] Nothing much by itself. [Goddamnit, Dante.] It's belonged to a long line of alchemists, though.

[elementofloyalty]

See, that's what I thought. It was something alchemy-related. That's not super-different.

[rewritethis]

It isn't? Then I doubt any of the stuff I said about people making assumptions and trying to hem you in based on them is different either.

[elementofloyalty]

I mean from MY perspective! I know what it means because I know YOU! But if I saw it and didn't know you, I wouldn't know what it meant. I mean come on.

[Ed, you now have a pony hip in your face.]

Aside from cool, what would you think mine meant if you didn't know me?

[rewritethis]

[He recoils slightly again.] I'd wonder what the hell you were doing that for! [Is this something he should be concerned about when she's not in a dress...?]

[elementofloyalty]

What? [Not connecting his protests to her actions, she nevertheless drops back to look at him in confusion.]