.001

[spaceracist]

[Well, this has been a hell of a day...couple of days? Emile's not entirely sure, since his mission clock isn't synching with anything. He's completely out of his element here, especially after the little white fuzzy bastards put him in some kind of stasis a couple times. The idea of those things controlling everything here--which they clearly do--isn't comforting in the least to him. He's also not entirely sure what to make of this little snake...thing that he supposedly "made" from those weird pieces.

At least there was something to fight here, and a few battles with Nightmares had done a lot to calm him down. So now he was poking around with the communicator, and wonder of wonders there do in fact seem to be other people here. Might as well see what kind of afterlife he's landed in.

The video clicks on to show armor that might be familiar to anyone who's been paying attention to the Freelancers, but there's a very distinctive skull pattern carved into the domes gold surface of his smooth EVA helmet.]

This is Noble-Four requesting contact from any UNSC-friendly forces in the area. This don't make any goddamn sense.

--And are those little white bastards shitting me or is it really called "munny"?

Comments

[allfunandgamesuntil]

Welcome to the neighborhood. Agent New York, formerly of Project Freelancer, an UNSC sanctioned research operation. Other than the nightmares, there are currently no enemy combatants present.

[This was going to get really interesting. He hadn't had any contact with the SPARTAN program - considering that they were ostensibly rival programs, that made sense - but this guy definitely is going to shake things up.]

[spaceracist]

[Emile's posture seems to relax a little, though it probably wouldn't be noticeable to anyone not used to reading armor. At least there are some friendlies here.]

Copy that, Agent. We got an official explanation for all this trippy shit?

[allfunandgamesuntil]

You mean one that doesn't sound crazy? No.

[York has learned from experience that you just kind of ease people into this world. Unless a pony shows up, and then you let them ease people into this world.]

[brodakota]

Yeah, it's really called munny.

[And you get it by destroying technicolor animals.]

Agent North Dakota, also of Project Freelancer reporting.

[spaceracist]

Damn. Was hoping that part was a joke.

[This place is weird.]

Noble-Four. You all have a team here or something?

[brodakota]

There are days when I wish it was.

[Unfortunately it became something akin to normal for him.]

Something like that. A bunch of us are here, for some reason.

[raisethemoon]

[Luna has no idea what UNSC is, but it seems Project Freelancer might be a part of it. Not the most glowing recommendation. But the Freelancers here are her friends mostly, so that's what matters.]

Equestria hath no quarrel with thy people. Also, questioning the Moogle's parentage on a public channel shall likely result in a sudden price spike. For thee.

[spaceracist]

[What in the hell.

...

Emile glances down at his little Hebby Repp, but this...horse...thing is a solid color. All the Dream Eaters he's seen have that weird color variation going on. No, he's seen something like this before, and then it hits him. Unicorn. Just like on some squad decorations.

...It's talking in Shakespearean. What in the actual hell.]

Never heard of Equestria. [But he knows what "equestrian" means, and damn if she isn't a horse. And unicorns are at least fictional creatures he's heard of.] You some kind of AI?

[raisethemoon]

[Sigh] Neigh, I suppose not.

I am Princess Luna, and Equestria is my kingdom. 'Tis a diarchy - my sister, Celestia, and I rule together. She is...well, she is somewhere about town, I suppose.

We are both alicorns. Two of our subjects are here also, a unicorn and an earth pony. Would I not be a projection of light, if I were an AI?

[sailorgenerous]

[Have a pony, trying not to look too...affronted at his rather coarse language.]

I'm afraid it doesn't make much sense when you first get here, but things do settle down a bit. You wouldn't happen to be friends with any of the Agents, would you?

The, ah, white things are called Moogles, the currency here is called Munny, and it does help if you are polite to the Moogles when you talk about them. They can be very helpful if you are. [That is the politest pointed look you will ever see.]

[spaceracist]

[Another unicorn? Emile watches her little rant with a bit of fascinated curiosity.]

Never met them before now, but we work for the same people. Don't get a lot of other people in armor here?

What, they spyin' on us too? This some kind of goddamned conspiracy? What do they want with us?

[Believe it or not, this is him being polite. He hasn't shot anything in like, minutes.]

[sailorgenerous]

Not usually, no.

[Rarity pauses and blinks a few times. My, he is twitchy, isn't he.]

...they're merchants, dear. They tend to help everypony who arrives here. And this is a public network, so they can see what you're saying about them. And it never hurts to be polite.

[Does she have to teach Emile his manners? Because she will.]

[fearmylaserface]

UNSC Project Freelancer AI Epsilon reporting. You're really a Spartan? Awesome.

And don't hurt the moogles. They sell ammo.

[spaceracist]

[Emile nods sharply and his tone is a little relaxed. AIs he's familiar with.] Sierra-239, Noble-Four.

[Although he snorts at that.] Can you even hurt them? They put me in some kind of stasis shit when we met.

[...Yeah he already tried attacking the moogles and got Stopped. A couple times.]

[fearmylaserface]

Nice to meet you. Never met a real Spartan before.

[Have a Pricklemane pushing onto camera.] This is Allison, one of my two Dream Eaters.

And yes, they can be injured, I think. They probably learned from previous issues.

[revenancenpcs]

[There's no video to accompany this particular comment. That, or the communicator is simply pointing at something that isn't particularly interesting. What there is, however, is a lot of general grumbling and flapping of wings before one voice rises up out of it.]

You don't hear us commenting on your parents, kupo!

[spaceracist]

[Ha! He knows that speech impediment pattern!]

I don't got no parents. What the hell was I supposed to think, seein' some weird-ass alien coming toward me anyway?

[Emile. Emile, no.]

Damn little magic buggers.

[sailorgenerous]

[Oh. No. He. Didn't.]

You do not speak to anypony in that manner, especially somepony who's trying to help! You should be ashamed of yourself, treating them in such a manner. Now apologize!

[revenancenpcs]

You could have listened, kupo!

[unrecovered]

Agent Washington, formerly of Project Freelancer. It really is called munny. Save it when you get it - you'll need it to buy bullets.

[spaceracist]

Agent. [He nods; there really are quite a few of these Freelancers around. Some time he's going to have to check out the specs on their armor.]

They really got bullets, huh? Be a hell of a lot more useful than goin' hand-to-hand.

Video;

[guerriera]

Agent Carolina. Formerly of UNSC-sponsered Project Freelancer. Unfortunately, you'll find very little here makes sense. But the same lack of logic affects everyone.

[There's a faint hint of reluctance in her voice.] The Moogles here are natives, but they are not the enemy. If anything, we are the aliens here, not them.

[spaceracist]

Agent. [He nods in acknowledgement. Do they have the entire country here represented in states?]

Lucky they got to me when I was already in trouble. [Because okay, yes, he had attacked him, but he wasn't anywhere near the top of his game so they'd managed to keep him under control until explaining the place and then, finally, healing him up.] Still don't mean I like them.

[colorbymemory]

[Oh dear. New arrival who does not look happy and Namine's not sure if he's nice.

...Still, he doesn't seem mean, just annoyed, so maybe offering help will work.]

I'm not sure what the UNSC is, but most everyone here is friendly.

[spaceracist]

[Nice is...not a word anyone who isn't completely delusional would use on Emile. Nice is a social construct, and he's horrible at those.

He's not cruel, though. At least to people who aren't his enemies.]

United Nations Space Command. [He shows off the cool UNSC eagle symbol engraved on his armor.] Guessin' you must be from one of those other worlds I heard about, then, if you ain't heard of us.