Water and Electricity both have Surges [Surge]

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Could you call this a step down in the world?

Dewdrop Dazzle used to be a unicorn of some importance. After all, when your talent was the seeking and moving of water in a place where water was more scarce (and definitely more useful) than gold, you were welcome wherever you went, and everyone was glad to call you friend. Unfortunately, Equestria and especially Canterlot- abounded in fresh water.  So finding a use for her talents was a bit more challenging than simply creating wells and springs. Out of ideas for how to make her skills useful, she had applied to a temporary agency. And this was her first job- being sent to sort out why hot water had stopped circulating properly in several wings of the royal castle.

Well, she could hardly fault the status of her employers, even if the work seemed rather trivial.

Horn glowing faintly with magic of an aquamarine hue, Dewdrop followed the flow of the hot-water main through the hallway of the guards wing. She could feel it, though the pipes were below the floor. And then suddenly, it diverged to her right, into a Sergeant's quarters. She would have to go in, if she wanted to follow it. Blushing at the awkwardness of it all, the unicorn lifted a hoof and tapped ever-so-gently at the door. "Excuse me..." she mumbled, in a barely audible murmur. Naturally, there was no response. She took a deep breath and knocked this time. "Excuse me..." she called, a little louder. "I'm here to sort out the, er... water problem. Anypony home?"

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This was usually the time of the day where Surge took a nice, hot shower. Usually. Today, it seemed that would not be the case. Surge was not even aware that the hot water wasn't working until he tried to take a shower, tested the water, and found it wasn't warm at all. Though he was certainly disappointed and slightly annoyed by this, Surge was a stallion that prided himself on his cleanliness, even if he wouldn't brag about it. So, hot water or no hot water, Surge was taking a shower. A few less than relaxing minutes later, Surge was clean, wet, and freezing. Drying himself with a towel helped a little, but naturally he was slow to warm up after taking a cold shower in the middle of winter. The guard was walking out of his bathroom hoping to himself that he wouldn't catch a cold when he heard a knock on his door. He didn't hear anything at first, but as he approached the door he could hear a feminine voice on the other side explaining that they were here because of the hot water not working. Wish I had known she was coming before I took a shower, Surge thought to himself, annoyed more at himself than at the unknown mare behind the door. "H-Hello?" Surge said as he opened the door, stuttering a little due to him shivering. The mare standing in front of him certainly wasn't what he imagined when he thought of a plumber. "H-hey there! C-come right in. I-I'm glad you're h-here, especially s-since I already experienced the 'w-water problem' you're here for f-first hoof," Surge admitted with an embarrassed chuckle.

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It took Dewdrop a moment to realize that no, the stallion with a stammer wasn't shy. He was sopping wet and, presumably, ice-cold. But he was polite and invited her in with a welcoming smile. Blushing even more, the mare nodded and stepped in, trying not to think about how she was now standing in a handsome stallion's quarters. And the way her heart was pounding. Why was it doing that? She'd walked along a lot of hallways, but she wasn't that out of shape, was she? Dewdrop wished he wouldn't smile like that. Somehow, it made it harder to catch her breath.

"You must be freezing," She muttered, for something, anything, to say. And then fearing that she had come across rather lame, she added, trying to be helpful, "You should make some tea or soup, and wrap up in a blanket or something. I mean, to warm up. Don't... don't mind me... I've just got to, um... find the problem." as if to prove her point, her horn flared up in aquamarine magic and Dewdrop dropped her head, picking up the flow of the hot-water pipe and following it, almost like a bloodhound, across the floor. She offered Surge an awkward apologetic smile as she passed him, headed towards the bathroom.

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Surge certainly did smile at Dewdrop, especially out of appreciation for her concern. "I-I'll be alright, thank you miss." Watching her enter the bathroom, Surge let her go about her business and went over to the kitchenette in his apartment to make some coffee. Though his humble coffee maker couldn't make coffee quite like some of the cafes he frequented, it was good for a warm pick-me-up when Surge needed it. After waiting for it to finish, Surge levitated two mugs out of his cupboard and poured coffee into each of them, before heading into the bathroom. Standing back to make sure he didn't interfere with her work, Surge floated one of the mugs over to her while taking a sip of his own. Though still cold, he was definitely feeling a lot warmer now. "Here you go miss," Surge said as he offered her the mug. "I figured you might appreciate a drink since you've probably had a busy day. I don't know how you take your coffee, but if this is too bitter I have some cream and sugar you can use." Surge was still smiling, eager to return the favor for the mare fixing the hot water.

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Aha!

At long last, Dewdrop had located the problem. In the event that pressure from the hot-water boiler had built up too strongly, there was a point where the hot water pipe connected to the waste-water pipe. Something or someone had, for whatever reasons, triggered this valve under the floor, and all the hot water was pouring away. Carefully concentrating, the mare groped for the valve handle telekinetically and pulled it tightly shut again. THAT should solve a LOT of problems now!

Well, it isn't glamorous, but I guess I can't say there's no practical use for my talents she thought with a sigh. Opening her eyes, she found herself looking at a mug of fresh coffee. She looked quizzically from it to Surge. "I figured you might appreciate a drink since you've probably had a busy day. I don't know how you take your coffee, but if this is too bitter I have some cream and sugar you can use." he said, gently.

This kindness almost unnerved Dewdrop, and she bit her lower lip with sudden tears in her eyes. "This is... I like my coffee black, thank you." she murmured softly. Then, for absolutely no reason she could explain, she blushed brilliantly and hurried to sip from the mug, if for no other reason than to hide her burning face!

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Surge was almost a little worried about Dewdrop's reaction to him offering her coffee. Was she simply not used to acts of kindness like that? The guard would have figured the simple act of giving somepony coffee was not too big of a deal, but he supposed that wasn't necessarily the case for everypony. "Um...you alright miss?" He peeked into the bathroom to see if she had handled the water problem she had came here for. It then occurred to Surge that he had allowed this mare into his private quarters and yet he had not even introduced himself. "Oh geez, where are my manners? I haven't introduced myself yet;" Surge held out a hoof to offer a hoof shake. "I'm Sergeant Surge, but you can call me Surge or Sarge. You know, you don't seem like a normal plumber to me, though I guess I don't know that many plumbers," Surge admitted with a chuckle. There was something about this mare that told Surge that there was something different about this mare, something abnormal. Perhaps it was just guard's intuition.

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Was she all right? Well, sort of. Dewdrop chanced a risky peek up at Surge, violet eyes wide and just a little shimmery. It wasn't that ponies were unkind... well, okay, she hadn't met very many kind ponies yet. But that wasn't the reason she felt so strange, was it? It was hard for Dewdrop Dazzle not to notice that the owner of this room... well, he was a very good-looking stallion. She took another sip of the coffee, to steady herself, and didn't answer his question. He spoke, introducing himself as Sergeant Surge, and even invited her to use his first name casually. Surge. Suuuuuuurge. She liked it. It was a watery sounding name. Was that some kind of sign? Oh, that would be... Wait. She had better introduce herself. "I'm Dewdrop Dazzle" she replied, a little breathlessly. "And you're right- I'm not really an ordinary plumber. I'm... well, I'm kind of an expert at water magic." The embarrassment of calling herself an 'expert' put the blush back on Dewdrop's face. "I... I used to find water in the desert and such," she mumbled "Outside Equestria. I've only just returned home." She glanced back towards the bathroom and added, a little wryly "This is not exactly the kind of use I expected to find, for my talents."

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Surge canted his head just a little as Dewdrop looked up at him. Considering her trouble at making eye contact he could tell she was nervous. Of what, he wasn't fully sure; for all he knew she had a habit of getting in trouble with the law so she was apprehensive about being in a guard's quarters. He had other suspicions as well...but it was too soon to assume anything yet. A different suspicion of his however was confirmed: Dewdrop wasn't an ordinary plumber. "Wow, really? That's really interesting," Surge said, genuinely impressed. Providing water to those who needed it the most was undeniably a noble cause, and he had a new found respect for the mare standing before him. "It's funny you mention that, since I'm actually an...ah, 'expert' on magic involving electricity." Now it was Surge's turn to blush; he wasn't used to calling himself an expert on anything really, but it was the word Dewdrop used so he figured it was appropriate. "I doubt anything I do with my magic is as noble as finding water for ponies deprived of it though. Or saving guards from the horror of cold showers." Surge gave her a cheeky grin as if to let her know he wasn't being serious with his last sentence.

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The approbation in Surge’s tone was genuine, and it warmed her heart. Though she tried to be modest about it, Dewdrop couldn’t help knowing that her water-finding gift had been applied to a very noble cause when she was traveling with her parents. She wanted a little praise, all the more because it seemed like here in Equestria, her talent could only be put to mundane uses. She brightened considerably, and felt more at her ease. Even if all he had said was that it was interesting, she felt encouraged. ”Oh, it was” the aqua unicorn insisted, a cheerful smile appearing. ”I got to meet all sorts of intelligent creatures, Zebra, Griffons, the Saddle Arabian horses- and whenever we left a place, I got to feel like I had done them all some lasting good, you know? Like, even if all the other good we tried to do- establishing schools and hospitals- somehow came undone, at least they had access to a well, or a spring, a lake, or a pond, and were able to find good clean water to drink.” Dewdrop was surprised to find that Surge was an expert at electrical magic. That seemed far more dangerous and exciting than her talent…though she had to admit, as he had, that she couldn’t think of a noble use for his talent. ”Well…” she began, thoughtfully. ”Its still a pretty noble profession, being a Sergeant of the guard!” She pointed out. ”Protecting the Princesses and fellow ponies, it can’t be easy. And…. its more useful than my talent.” she finished, with a little laugh.

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Surge felt a boost in confidence as Dewdrop seemed to be more at ease as time went on. The way she lit up when she talked about her adventures abroad brought a smile to his face. "That is amazing, isn't it? I don't think there's a more rewarding feeling in the world than knowing that you're making a difference; and saving lives." He knew the feeling himself, so he felt like he could empathize with her on her fondness of her time spent helping the needy. Though he still thought water manipulation was probably a more helpful magic than his own overall (and Dewdrop's lack of objection seemed to indicate she agreed), he felt it was worth clarifying that there were positives to such a talent. "I guess it isn't easy, but my lightning magic plays a big part. I can use it to paralyze criminals if I need to, for example. And, I can turn my horn into a magic lightning rod that absorbs electricity harmlessly. I mean, not that there are many ponies flinging lightning around willy nilly, but it has its upsides, you know?" Surge considered Dewdrop's dismissal of the usefulness of her own talent, and shook his head. "I wouldn't say that. With all the great things you did with your magic, how could you say it isn't useful? I know ponies in Equestria aren't exactly dying of thirst, but that doesn't mean you're useless. Every pony does their own part to make the world a better place, even you and I." Well, most ponies made the world a better place, anyway. "Don't sell yourself short because you're finding leaky pipes instead of aquifers."

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"I guess it isn't easy, but my lightning magic plays a big part. I can use it to paralyze criminals if I need to, for example. And, I can turn my horn into a magic lightning rod that absorbs electricity harmlessly. I mean, not that there are many ponies flinging lightning around willy nilly, but it has its upsides, you know?" Although Dewdrop Dazzle firmly believed, (Or at least wanted to, very badly) that such a power was only used in the pursuit of order and justice, she couldn't help giving a little shiver at the thought of a fleeing miscreant and a paralyzing, painful shock. It wasn't something she wished to experience for herself, that was for sure! She took a long drink of her coffee, as much as to gain a few moments to collect her thoughts as because it was actually quite good. That wasn't a fair point of view. She'd been in places where many worse things happened. Places where 'justice' wasn't 'just' at all. He didn't shock ponies out of malice, he did it to stop them from fleeing, or hurting somepony else. "I understand," the aqua unicorn replied a moment later, with a smile. " Just magical lightning? What about natural lightning, you know, from a storm? Have you ever tried to channel that? I mean, don't start now if you haven't- its not worth risking your life just to find out... I just wondered if you ever had."

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Surge knew the idea of shocking criminals wasn't exactly a pleasant one, and Surge himself was rather unsure about it when he first learned it was a part of his talents. But, Surge was confident that he only used such spells for good, and as a last resort. He tried his best to make such uses of lightning painless; making the pony numb so that they don't feel the pain of electricity flowing through them. Sometimes he feared he would fail doing that, but he would comfort himself by admitting it was a lot better than attacking them with a weapon. When an assailant aims to harm, it can be hard to take them in without harming them yourself. Focusing back on the topic, Surge's head canted slightly thinking about Dewdrop's question. "Well, I can control lightning in general I suppose. It doesn't have to come through me, but it's the easiest way to go about using it. I can't make storms happen though, if that's what you're wondering. If the lightning's already there, I can control it. Other than absorbing lightning bolts though, I've never tried using natural lightning for anything. Real dangerous, y'know?" Not for Surge, but for anypony he'd try to use it on at least. Surge had magic to protect him from the damage of the bolts...other ponies, not so much. "There's actually a rare and difficult spell I know that allows me to convert natural electricity into magic energy and vice versa. No way I'd be able to use it without it being related to my talent, that's for sure,"Surge admitted with small chuckle.

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"Like a magical recharge?" Dewdrop asked, suddenly very interested. She was also a little jealous! She had a reasonable amount of power and she was working on expanding it all the time, but how awesome it would be if a bolt of lighting could recharge your proverbial magical batteries in an instant! So much faster than resting and sleeping! "Well, that's a spell I'll never master, I guess. Water can be used for a lot of things, but it doesn't convert to energy easily!" she replied with a rueful laugh. She sipped the last of her coffee, and set the mug down. "When it comes to rare and difficult spells, the only one I know is one I learned that lets me teleport between any two bodies of water." Considering a moment, the tropical-colored unicorn asked, suddenly, "Have you ever used the spell to recharge in an emergency? It seems like it would be handy, but to have a storm handy seems like a rare chance."