Message 10: Catching Up

[unrecovered]

[Somebody's human, which rules out Ponyville as the location for this one.]

Three things. One, if you haven't figured out how to walk as a pony yet, do it soon. There's a pattern to the way this dream works - when something happens, it'll probably happen in Ponyville, and if you want to get involved you need to be able to walk.

Two. [He pulls out the dead AI chip that came from the Mother of Invention and holds it up to the camera, keeping a very straight face.] Have any of these changed hands? We should be keeping track of them. [And by that he means "he's keeping track of them whether you all like it or not."]

Three, has anyone tried putting the talking items together yet?

Comments

video.

[sylvan]

I wasn't here for that. Could you catch me up to speed...? [ She looks a little out of sorts, but eager to help. ]

[unrecovered]

[Normally he wouldn't have much patience for cluelessness, but she's new and actually seems interested. Two points. Now to see if she can keep up.]

There have been three different items, one found on each world, that talk when someone's holding them. We haven't been able to make out what any of them are saying yet - the voice is too faint - but we haven't really tried putting them together yet either. It's probably some sort of clue - we just don't know what.

[sylvan]

[ She'll do her best to keep up, though there's no promise in that. ]

I see. Unfortunately a lot of the technology here is beyond my world's and not... exactly my forte. I don't think I could be much help, personally. However, if the subject of magic comes into play, I would be more than happy to lend a hand.

[ A pause. ]

I would... try to put them together from a distance, if possible. Just in case it has some unexpected effect on the ones holding it. That's something that has happened before where I come from.

[unrecovered]

[Better than being yelled at or dismissed out of hand.]

I don't think technology has much to do with it; I'm just not sure if it's magic or something that only works in the dream world.

[Well, that sounds really bad.]

I don't think that'll work. The items don't talk aloud - you can hear the voice in your head when you're holding them. The second you drop them, it goes silent. [And then, because his sanity is forever in question, if only by him:] It's not as crazy as it sounds. It's happened to everyone who's held one of the objects.

Do I want to know what happened?

[sylvan]

I see. If it's magic then I might be of some assistance, assuming you need elementals or some status work. [ Toad, anyone? ]

I suppose you only have one option, then. ...and it doesn't sound crazy. Not to me, anyway. Magical artifacts -- technological ones, too -- can have that sort of power, can't they? Hold visible memories and feelings and words, amongst other things.

[ It's easy for her. High fantasy and all that jazz. ]

Well, it just triggered a trap mechanism. However, if it's already giving you messages then it's likely to want or need on some level to be brought back together. Of course, things seem to work very differently here from the way they did back home. Just please be careful. [ She sounds achingly sincere. ]

[unrecovered]

...right. [What the fuck was she talking about.]

Unless you have some sort of magic that can amplify that voice. If not, then yeah, there's not much choice involved here.

That's...one way to put it. [Boy, Delta is going to blow her mind if she ever meets him.]

Oh, just a trap. Okay. [His tone makes it perfectly clear that he knows just how badly "just a trap" can fuck you over.] I don't think I can be careful with this, since I'm right in the middle of it, but thanks for the sentiment.

[sylvan]

[ Who knows? It's JRPG mechanics. That crap don't make sense ever. ]

Sorry, I'm afraid I can't use any sort of status magic that could be useful with that.

[ She almost laughs at the nonchalance. Hey, confidence is confidence. She assumes that he knows what he's talking about the same way she does, particularly since he's clearly been here longer. ] Understood. I wasn't sure of the details, obviously. [ She laughs, a little nervous. Still worried, despite the fact that he's a stranger. At least lie and say you'll try to be careful. She doesn't want anyone to die. ] I appreciate you that you took the time to explain this to me, by the way. I'm only sorry that I can't be any help.

[unrecovered]

[Well, that makes him feel better. Kind of.]

[He shrugs off the apology.] Shot in the dark.

[Oh, he doesn't have a clue what he's talking about when it comes to the talking objects. He's just discovered that faking it until you make it beats most of the alternatives.] I don't think anyone's sure of the details right now.

You're welcome. And just because you can't help me doesn't mean you can't help. You know what your abilities are; find a way to apply them here.

[sylvan]

I see. Um, I hope you'll let everyone know if you do find something out? However useless or useful it may seem.

[ Then again, maybe it's something just for those people to hear? Hard to know until something happens. ]

I'm still trying to figure out how they work here. I'm worried about using them in an enclosed space. Some can be a little destructive -- if they still work. I can't seem to summon, though. I can feel it build up around me then fizzle and crackle and dissipate into the air.

[unrecovered]

That's the plan.

There's a forest and a sandlot in Twilight Town. Both are pretty wide open, as long as you make sure nobody else is there before you start.

...summon what?

[sylvan]

Of course. I would never hurt someone due to carelessness.

Eidolons. I can only call Whyt, as far as I'm aware.

[unrecovered]

And what are those. [Start from the very beginning - otherwise, he'll be completely lost.]

[sylvan]

Oh, um. Sorry! I forget how... how different things are here. Eidolons are powerful beings that I can summon to aid me in battle. They only grant their powers to those they respect, often if you can defeat them in a fight. They will only aid a Summoner if they like them, however.

[ A pause. She realizes that it sounds like she is special (which she indeed is), but that makes her uncomfortable. ]

...are you some kind of knight? Because of your armor, I mean.

[unrecovered]

I take it they like you. Do they dream?

[There's a reason he's asking that question. He doesn't particularly care if she's special in her world; he puts up with enough self-centered assholes that talking to someone who doesn't brag about it is a relief.]

[The communicator turns off for a minute or two, then turns back on. He didn't particularly want to see her laughing his ass off at that question. Him being a knight is patently ridiculous, and it's easier to laugh about it than to think about what he could have been - what he wanted to be - before Freelancer ruined everything. Still. No need to laugh in her face. He may still be fighting to keep a straight face, but you'd never know it under that helmet.]

No. I'm a soldier.

[sylvan]

Most of them don't sleep. I've never really asked because it wasn't important to me. I'm just glad to know them.

[ She suspects he's asking because dreaming is what's required to be present in this place. It seems to make sense to her, at least. ]

Oh. I see. That's sort of the same thing, though, isn't it?

[ And she is none the wiser to his laughter having occurred. (That was cold, man.) She was hoping there was someone else here she had something in common with; the dark armor being the first thing she noticed long before the voice or the words. It was less intimidating than a Dark Knight, but it reminded her enough of one. ]

[unrecovered]

They may not be able to show up here, then. [Because of the whole dream world thing.]

[He's not laughing at her; he's laughing at the absurdity of the question. You kind of have to know him to get why it's funny.]

Not...really.

[And because he's seen enough movies to know his fantasy tropes, if only vaguely:]

More like a heavily armed ranger, in my case.