Summoner Quest (Celestial Menagerie)

[AntaeusTheGiant]

But.. but.. none of these would make the Pony a perfect match for Vista!!


ahem.

Anyway, I sadly have little to no clue how these marks would translate to a specific power, so imma just guessing here.

[X] Unicorn.
[X] Word 1: Trophy
[X] Word 2: Plain

 

[Doccer]

[X] Pegasus
[X] Word 1: Star
[X] Word 2: Fountain
[X] Earth Pony
[X] Word 1: Moon
[X] Word 2: Black
👆 Space stuff
👇build stuff I hope
[X] Word 1: Dragonfly
[X] Word 2: Hexagon
Fly thru time hope
[X] Word 1: Watch
[X] Word 2: Wings

@zagan
Will we vote on names? If so is it just anything or will you grab a few from a pony name generator? Or will you just pick something you like?
Not opposing you choose the 3rd option just wanna know.

 

[zagan]

@zagan
Will we vote on names? If so is it just anything or will you grab a few from a pony name generator? Or will you just pick something you like?
Not opposing you choose the 3rd option just wanna know.

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Vote no, we're already at the fourth round of voting so that's enough. But I'll be open to suggestions. And the same goes for the interpretation of the meaning of the Cutie Mark.

 

[JumpFail200]

[X] Unicorn.
[X] Word 1: Moon
[X] Word 2: Light

Note: You can also suggest a name for the Pony and your interpretation of what their Cutie-Mark will look like and how it will function.

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Hey @zagan, if this combo of words wins, how about Moonbeam for their name? Granted I got this from the Tails of Equestria rpg, but it works for the words chosen and gives a nice base for how they could look. Since there's no Cutie Mark for the link, as that wouldn't be needed for a tabletop rpg npc, how about a full moon shining down waves of light?

As for how to interpret their Cutie Mark, shining a light for those who are lost in the dark to find their way, whether as a literal light in the dark to guide someone through the night or as a friend to help another through dark times, I think it fits with the themes of the show they come from and our MC's heroic inclination.

I would have gone for Star Light, but... Anyway, I think this will give us an Alicorn who can manipulate day and night (within a few miles). Though they will probably end up as a Luna Expy.

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They don't come as an Alicorn so let's not put the cart before the pony here, they'll likely be able to do the basics for a Unicorn and brighten lightless area's as well as or better than the moon for now, given unicorns tend to have an easier time with magic that matches with their Cutie Marks. Whether their magic will be strong enough to manipulate day and night as they are now, it is part of MLP Canon that it took multiple unicorns sages to do the same as one Alicorn, so maybe with the summon x3 and Boosts they'll be strong enough and could do something similar?

For now, the Unicorn will be like a more PR Friendly Olky (Unicorn Ponies are much cuter than house elves) and we can likely get away with Relaying them onto the Wards. Anyone want to bet Vista will be trying (and failing) to hide her excitement at getting a Unicorn friend?

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Suckers bet.

Edit: forgot the quote.

 

[Doccer]

Fun fact: When the ponies came up in the With This Ring and Mr Zoat, there was a bit of a discussion about naming conventions and ow the super magical aligned Ponies seem to go, so I made a bunch of guess about what sort of names his character should be on the look out for exceptional ponies. Haven't finished the series still but apparently most of them were actual ponies already. He was certain I already knew.
Basically time of day or a light based phenomena plus a descriptor and poof you got a superb magic capable pony.

 

[Feather_Up]

A quick question; how does it benefit Alex to have a summon that can alter (local) day-night cycles? What is it good for? This isn't a rhetorical question, I legitimately can't think of why he would need this.

 

[zagan]

Hey @zagan, if this combo of words wins, how about Moonbeam for their name? Granted I got this from the Tails of Equestria rpg, but it works for the words chosen and gives a nice base for how they could look.

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That could be an excellent name yes.

Since there's no Cutie Mark for the link, as that wouldn't be needed for a tabletop rpg npc, how about a full moon shining down waves of light?

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I've found an app (a game in fact) that allows you to create a Cutie Mark fairly easily, so I'll probably end up doing that. However, as I far as I can tell the moon is always represented as a Crescent. (Certainly, so it's not confused with the sun symbol). Apart from that, yes a moon symbol with a ray of light would work well.

As for how to interpret their Cutie Mark, shining a light for those who are lost in the dark to find their way, whether as a literal light in the dark to guide someone through the night or as a friend to help another through dark times, I think it fits with the themes of the show they come from and our MC's heroic inclination.

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That's a very good interpretation. Not overpowered in any way but still useful.

A quick question; how does it benefit Alex to have a summon that can alter (local) day-night cycles? What is it good for? This isn't a rhetorical question, I legitimately can't think of why he would need this.

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A very good question. I have no idea. (Particularly since if Alex wants light during the night he got Koraidon).

 

[zagan]

Vote closed: Winning vote:
Our Custome Pony is a Unicorn whose Cutie Mark is composed of the symbols Moon and Light.

For the name and meaning, I'm inclined to go with Moonbeam and guiding light interpretation, as proposed by @JumpFail200.
It works well. That said I haven't made any final decision and I'm still writing the next chapter. So things aren't set in stone. I'm open to ideas.

 

[AradiaQ]

[X] Pegasus
[X] Word 1: Moon
[X] Word 2: Light

 

[zagan]

[X] Pegasus
[X] Word 1: Moon
[X] Word 2: Light

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A little late. Sorry.
That said while Unicorn won, your words were the ones that won.

While I'm there.
@sonicyoash As the one that proposed Moon and Light what's your interpretation of that Cutie Mark?

 

[sonicyoash]

@sonicyoash As the one that proposed Moon and Light what's your interpretation of that Cutie Mark?

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There are a few possibilities:
1) Jumpfail's friendship guide interpretation
2) A type of divination similar to Luna's dream walking, since that would enlighten you, particularly during the moonlight hours.
3) A more combative interpretation could be a pony who is good at offensive spells like a moonlight laser or something, though that one is stretching the idea.
4) A more niche idea would be a Pony that can tell what the phase of the moon is at all times even during the day.

Personally, I'd go with one for character interaction or two for actual usefulness (either dream therapy or spying on your enemies dreams).

Actually, dream therapy sounds like a great idea, just have the Unicorn need special preparation to do it (meditation on who she targets or touching them with her horn if she has direct access to them) and only for one person at a time instead of Luna's "I help safeguard the dreams of all ponies" thing since she's not an Alicorn. On patrol, she can still help due to the basic Unicorn abilities of Telekinesis, Teleportation, and general spellcraft, but have her main role being that of a pseudo therapist for the team.

If you give her a backstory like you did Scalpa, then make her an actual licensed Therapist who used dreamwalking as a part of her toolkit. That is what I'd do if I was writing this.

*Note: I don't see why you can't have the friendship guide interpretation, and then have them also use their good understanding of how to help others lead them to becoming a Therapist and learning dreamwalking from Luna or something. No reason for the two ideas to be mutually exclusive.

 

[zagan]

There are a few possibilities:
1) Jumpfail's friendship guide interpretation
2) A type of divination similar to Luna's dream walking, since that would enlighten you, particularly during the moonlight hours.
3) A more combative interpretation could be a pony who is good at offensive spells like a moonlight laser or something, though that one is stretching the idea.
4) A more niche idea would be a Pony that can tell what the phase of the moon is at all times even during the day.

Personally, I'd go with one for character interaction or two for actual usefulness (either dream therapy or spying on your enemies dreams).

Actually, dream therapy sounds like a great idea, just have the Unicorn need special preparation to do it (meditation on who she targets or touching them with her horn if she has direct access to them) and only for one person at a time instead of Luna's "I help safeguard the dreams of all ponies" thing since she's not an Alicorn. On patrol, she can still help due to the basic Unicorn abilities of Telekinesis, Teleportation, and general spellcraft, but have her main role being that of a pseudo therapist for the team.

If you give her a backstory like you did Scalpa, then make her an actual licensed Therapist who used dreamwalking as a part of her toolkit. That is what I'd do if I was writing this.

*Note: I don't see why you can't have the friendship guide interpretation, and then have them also use their good understanding of how to help others lead them to becoming a Therapist and learning dreamwalking from Luna or something. No reason for the two ideas to be mutually exclusive.

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I love it!!!

Yes, dream walking used for Therapy is a very good idea. There's some synergy with Hug too.
So we got the following.
Unicorn Magic (with a silver aura): Mainly telekinesis, minor light generation, and control, and maybe some minor divination to find lost objects or to find a safe path to a location. (something similar to the Skyrim spell Clairvoyance would be appropriate I think)
Cutie Mark: Dreamwalking. (Necessitate touching the target's forehead with her horn)

Moonbeam would be female. (I know that Male unicorns exist but I think it works better with the name.)
Coat Color: Silver would be perfect but I need to see what I can find for an image.

She would count as a Growth creature because she could eventually become an Alicorn. (But it's unlikely we got to see it in the quest unless I end up doing some serious timeskips)

Any problems with that? Am I missing anything?

 

[Doccer]

Not that I can think of. Just bare in mind that if she got that instruction from Luna then she probably has run into the Mane 6 and Celestia at one point or another and Twilight would probably be interested in the dream walking and divination so they might have traded pointers.
It's also possible that the reason that she and Luna met was as Luna's therapist to help her out and they formed a close bond from there. Which lead from doctor and patient to Teacher and Student sort of relationship.
Don't know what you'd do if you'd decide to have Moonbeam and Luna meet before Nightmare Moon became a thing.

 

[zagan]

Not that I can think of. Just bare in mind that if she got that instruction from Luna then she probably has run into the Mane 6 and Celestia at one point or another and Twilight would probably be interested in the dream walking and divination so they might have traded pointers.
It's also possible that the reason that she and Luna met was as Luna's therapist to help her out and they formed a close bond from there. Which lead from doctor and patient to Teacher and Student sort of relationship.
Don't know what you'd do if you'd decide to have Moonbeam and Luna meet before Nightmare Moon became a thing.

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I will avoid any mention of MLP canon characters, simply because I've never even seen an episode of MLP. Moonbeam may have met Princess Celestia one time at an official function or something. In fact, I will probably set Moonbeam as being from a period before the series. Like a century before or something. That way nobody can say that she would have totally met Twilight Sparkle if she was alive during the time of the show.

 

[zagan]

Okay, guys, I did some work on Moonbeam.

First I found an online tool/game for making cutie marks. It is pretty limited but I think it's enough for my purpose. I cobbled something together.

Spoiler: Moonbeam Cutie Mark

If you think you can do better you're welcome to go for it. Until then we'll be using this one.

Then I searched for an image for Moonbeam.
I found four that I think could fit. I have my favorite but I won't tell you which one.
This is not a vote, I just want your opinion.

Spoiler: Moonbeam 1

Spoiler: Moonbeam 2

Spoiler: Moonbeam 3

Ignore the Cutie Mark on this one obviously.

Spoiler: Moonbeam 4

Same for this one.

And here are the details that will end up in the character sheet.

Creatures:
-[200]-[My Little Pony]-Custom Unicorn: Name - Moonbeam (0% to Alicorn)

Spoiler

Cutie mark: Moon and Light
Sex: Mare
Unicorn Magic (with a silver aura): Mainly telekinesis. Minor light generation and control. Minor divination to find lost objects or to find a safe path to a location.
Cutie Mark Talent: Dreamwalking. (Necessitate touching the target's forehead with her horn)

With enough time and training, Moonbeam can become an Alicorn, greatly enhancing her power.

Weapon:
-Custom Unicorn: A spear

Vehicle:
-Custom Unicorn: A bike.

Item:
-Custom Unicorn: Unicorn Horn

Senses:
-Custom Unicorn: Magic Detection

 

[sonicyoash]

I think Moonbeam 1 is pretty good. I just can't imagine her not being some shade of blue or purple, and I like the horseshoe things on her hooves. Also, I find the idea of Moonbeam surprising people with the fact that MLP type Ponies are fully capable of assuming a bipedal stance and punching someone funny, so those could act as the equivalent of brass knuckles.

Though I'm going to assume they can manipulate stuff as if they have hands (there are dozens of shots of them holdings cups with their hooves) to be magic, with Unicorns using telekinesis because it has finer control and further reach.

 

[Doccer]

I will avoid any mention of MLP canon characters, simply because I've never even seen an episode of MLP. Moonbeam may have met Princess Celestia one time at an official function or something. In fact, I will probably set Moonbeam as being from a period before the series. Like a century before or something. That way nobody can say that she would have totally met Twilight Sparkle if she was alive during the time of the show.

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Sorry I was just trying to help set up background character info. Based on sonicyoash's post that you seemed to like so much. Since that first meet and greet will happen. And it will not only establish a canon reason for dream walking but her credentials for helping to start up her practice again on Earth Bet.
I think it's fine to do some name dropping, particularly Luna's, maybe Twilight or that special magic school for helping to establish her magical skills being top notch.
Twilight/Luna/School for Gifted Unicorns in Canterlot. And showing how trusted/respected and skilled she is by saying she was allowed to work on one of the 2 leaders of her county.
As for canon timeline? It's not like you'll ever need to go in depth as all conversations that involve canon characters would most certainly be on Moonbeam's experience with them rather than Moonbeam inserted in their experiences. So canon factoids simply will never come up. If that makes since?

Edit: I like the color of 1 but like the confidence of 2. 4 and the cutiemark isn't showing up for me but I am surprised any of them are considering I am using works WiFi. Have to check again later.

 

[jonasquinn]

I would probably say Moonbeam 1 is the best but 4 is pretty good too.

 

[Doccer]

Ok I see it now. I like the cutie mark and particular meaning of 6 stars?
The 4th looks nice but still a fan of the first's coloring.

 

[AradiaQ]

Between Moonbeam 1 or 2.

 

[Feather_Up]

I am partial to image 1 personally. Also, Alex ought to introduce the unicorn to his magic apprentices. They'll love her.

 

[zagan]

Okay, we have some consensus about Moonbeam 1. Fine with me.
My favorite was 3, which no one seemed to like, the glasses really sold me on the therapist vibe.

Though I'm going to assume they can manipulate stuff as if they have hands (there are dozens of shots of them holdings cups with their hooves) to be magic, with Unicorns using telekinesis because it has finer control and further reach.

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Of course, yes. I'll say that they have some sort of malleable hoof to grab stuff.

Sorry I was just trying to help set up background character info. Based on sonicyoash's post that you seemed to like so much. Since that first meet and greet will happen. And it will not only establish a canon reason for dream walking but her credentials for helping to start up her practice again on Earth Bet.

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I'm confused. Moonbeam's credential is that she's Compendium's partner. That's enough for basically everyone.
I'm not sure where you're going with this.

I think it's fine to do some name dropping, particularly Luna's, maybe Twilight or that special magic school for helping to establish her magical skills being top notch.
Twilight/Luna/School for Gifted Unicorns in Canterlot. And showing how trusted/respected and skilled she is by saying she was allowed to work on one of the 2 leaders of her county.

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But I don't want her to be particularly gifted at magic. I want her to know a few tricks in line with her talent and to be particularly gifted as a Therapist.

Ok I see it now. I like the cutie mark and particular meaning of 6 stars?

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None, it's juts that I didn't have any beam shape among my option in the tool I used. So I made do with a line of star.

I am partial to image 1 personally. Also, Alex ought to introduce the unicorn to his magic apprentices. They'll love her.

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Yes, that's definitively planned. Moonbeam does have some basic education on magic that she'll be able to pass along. But she's not a teacher and it's not her main interest so there's some limit but Taurus and Strega will be grateful for every scrap of knowledge they can pick up. They still won't have any source of magic to draw from but it may help.

 

[Doccer]

I'm confused. Moonbeam's credential is that she's Compendium's partner. That's enough for basically everyone.
I'm not sure where you're going with this.

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...
Point.
I presumed they'd want a resume even if they couldn't exactly prove or disprove her it.
But wouldn't they still need an idea of what sort of issues she can be trusted to heal?
Either way, you don't need to go into detail. But it along with her first patient could both make a nice Omake Bounty?

But I don't want her to be particularly gifted at magic. I want her to know a few tricks in line with her talent and to be particularly gifted as a Therapist.

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Fair. Guess I was just trying to guild the lily.

 

[zagan]

...
Point.
I presumed they'd want a resume even if they couldn't exactly prove or disprove her it.
But wouldn't they still need an idea of what sort of issues she can be trusted to heal?
Either way, you don't need to go into detail. But it along with her first patient could both make a nice Omake Bounty?

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Yes, but they'll want the resume of a therapist not that of a mage. (They wouldn't know how to evaluate that one even if they believe her)

As I said before I know little to nothing about MLP.
You know what why don't you write that Omake prompt yourself? If I like it I'll put it on the bounty board.
Here's the format to use.


Prompt Name: Brief, very brief (one or two phrases max), description of the Prompt.
-Minimum X000 words
-Reward: One creature from the XXX Category worth X00 points or less.

 

[Doccer]

You know what why don't you write that Omake prompt yourself? If I like it I'll put it on the bounty board.

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Sorry man, I got a dozen or so started. Half for this fic. Unfinished because I have little time and then I lose steam...

Yes, but they'll want the resume of a therapist not that of a mage.

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Ah sorry I wasn't thinking her as a mage? But I guess she is in the same way a Martian is a telepath?
But like I said gilding the lily.