Let the Light Shine

[letteropener]

[Ever just had one of those days where nothing makes sense any more?]

[Princess Celestia is having one of those days. Lost and patently confused, the pony princess wanders the streets of Freesia as completely befuddled as can be. Everything needs a second look, be it the buildings, the streets, the sidewalks, or the sun.]

[The sun. Not the sun she knows. Not one she is familiar with. And not even one she can reach with magic -- because every time she tries, her horn glows with light, but nothing comes of it at all.]

[And if you're wondering if the pony is just some random animal, well -- she has a little earbud clipped to one ear, the sort you'd expect to see on a normal person with a communicator. So there's that.]

...Where am I?

Comments

[whitescientist]

[ Eridan began shadowing her a couple of blocks back (though "shadowing" is maybe a bit much considering he stands out in a crowd almost as much as she does).

Big white animals are familiar to him, but when she opens her mouth and words come out, the similarities end, and he's now sure she's not someone's Alternian horse-mom. But she's wearing gold stuff and a crown, which still counts as a point of interest...

He finally crosses the street and approaches her. ]

Hey, you! [ he's real polite. ]

[letteropener]

[Celestia hasn't been so addressed in centuries, so it takes her a moment to register that it is aimed at her.]

[...it's honestly downright refreshing, even if she has no idea what is addressing her. Is it a baby dragon? It looks midway between a baby dragon and a Diamond Dog...]

Ah -- yes?

[She's still polite, if not as properly calm as she ought to be.]

[whitescientist]

[ He stops short and puts his hands on his hips. RESPECT THE CHILD ]

You look new. An' confused. That right?

[ It's ok, Celestia. He doesn't have any idea what you are either. At least it's mutual... ]

[letteropener]

[Suddenly this is a social interaction, which snaps Celestia's diplomatic habits back into place like a taut rubber band. She spreads her wings to their usual half-mantled position and and gracefully lowers her head in acknowledgment.]

I am both, I admit. This place is unlike any I have ever seen before. Even the tall towers of Manehatten look fundamentally different than here.

[Her voice and attitude are now all serenity and calm.]

[whitescientist]

[ eyeroll ] Tell me about it. They ain't even got a basic hiveblock structure right!

But anyway, not the point. We're both aliens here, an' whatever you are, I know a crown when I see one. So, look. I ain't above greetin' other highblooded entities properly even if they do look like someone's lusus.

...You are royal, ain't you?

[ He's practically her polar opposite, that much is clear - in that he is, you know, a terrible-mannered little nerd. But there's maybe some kind of far-fetched effort being made here, which is a start. ]

[letteropener]

[Well... she can respect the effort? Even if it was mixed together with nonsense words and classism. Diplomacy is a long habit of hers, stretching back many years indeed, so she falls straight back on it regardless of her own private thoughts.]

I am Princess Celestia, a ruler of the land of Equestria. [She spreads her wings a little more and bows, a polite smile on her face.] If you truly have not seen a pony before, then you are indeed insightful to have gathered that from just a quick look.

[whitescientist]

[ Oh, right. He does sort of know how to handle this kind of thing. Eridan takes a very quick bow, like he doesn't quite want anyone else to see him do it. ]

Eridan Ampora. Highblooded seadweller from the, uh - er, Alternian aristocracy. [ okay maybe he's a little out of practice. ] Yeah. An' I guess I used to be a Prince of somethin', but that's... I dunno if that still matters.

So. You got the thing. [ He gestures to her earbud. ] Which means you're one of us. Which means you got to fight off a bunch of monsters or somethin'. You gettin' me so far?

[unriddling]

[Riddler is actually just stepping outside the apartment building he's set up as home base when he spots her.]

[He has the distinct feeling he shouldn't be surprised by the sight of a...pegasus? Unicorn? He hasn't looked into mythical creatures enough to really know what she is.]

[His ignorance actually bothers him more than the fact she's there at all, and he just sort of stands and stares, trying to remember. He can't just ask, that would be admitting it.]

[letteropener]

[She spots him in turn, and this does nothing for he confusion. That is clearly a living being, and it is even wearing clothes, which is a sign of intelligence and civilization if she ever saw one. But what it is, she has no idea.]

[Well, she'll be more embarrassed if she isn't polite when she should be than if she is when it isn't necessary. So the alicorn spreads her wings slightly, shifts her posture into composure and diplomatic grace, and calls out.]

Excuse me?

[unriddling]

[He actually twitches back slightly at the wings' movement, sort of expecting her to launch at him in an attack. Then he's irritated with himself for showing that and thinking that.]

...You're new.

[Obviously, Riddler.]

[letteropener]

[It talks.]

[HE talks. That is definitely a male voice.]

[This just gets weirder.]

To this city, yes. [Specificity matters, since by no means can the ancient princess pony be considered 'new' in any other way.] And very confused, I must admit.

[unriddling]

The rest of the abducted so far have been human. [What are you. His smug obnoxiousness is set a little lower than usual. She hasn't done anything to make him angry and it feels strange to start making biting comments to a...giant mythical horse.]

...How long have you been here?

[letteropener]

Minutes, or perhaps hours. It is difficult for me to tell without the sun.

[By which she means her own connection to the sun, which she does not possess here. That itself bothers her greatly and makes this all very difficult.] Others have been brought here as well?

[batdweeb]

[It doesn't take the world's greatest detective to spot that the pony's more than just some random animal- even if there wasn't the earbud, there would also be the wings... and the horn... and the rainbow mane... and...]

[Point is, Celestia immediately stands out as strange, but she also looks very lost. And either way, Bruce thinks it might be worth investigating.]

[So Celestia will see one of the hairless monkey people crossing the street towards her, his arms laden down with plastic bags.]

[As he approaches, Bruce starts talking in the calm manner you're supposed to use around horses.]

Hey, easy there, you need to stay out of the streets.

[letteropener]

[what is this thing]

[why is it talking]

[Celestia's overt shock lasts only a second before she processes that whatever this creature is, it is clearly intelligent and verbal, and that she is apparently violating some law or guideline. Her entire demeanor snaps into diplomatic Princesslyness, as she offers an apologetic (and very recognizable) smile.]

I am very sorry. Where should I be walking instead?

[batdweeb]

[Aaaaand the horse talks.]

[He probably should have expected that, but Celestia will be receiving a quick blink.]

You talk?

[He then shakes his head.]

Sorry, I'm stating the obvious. If you're just walking, you're supposed to stick to the sidewalks.

[Bruce gestures- as much as he can with his arms full- to the nearby sidewalk, and moves to stand there. As he does, he keeps his curious gaze on Celestia.]

...What are you?

[letteropener]

[With a flap of her wings, Celestia half-jumps, half-flies onto the sidewalk ahead of him, the better to stop being a scofflaw. As soon as her hooves touch, she settles her wings back to half-mantled.]

I am a pony. May I ask the same of you?

[There is no way to ask these questions politely, but she is trying her best.]

[batdweeb]

[And Bruce takes a quick step back from Celestia as she does- those wings are impressively big.]

...I'm a human.

[Celestia isn't like any pony he's ever seen, that's for sure.]

I'm going to assume you're not from around here. Do you remember anything about how you got here?

[letteropener]

[Well. Now she knows the name of these creatures, even if that tells her nothing else.]

I remember.... light. I do not know if that is unusual or not...

[unrecovered]

[With nobody willing to answer his questions - seriously, the people around here were standoffish at best - Wash had taken to making a mental map. This place was laid out relatively intuitively, which made it a hell of a lot easier to navigate than Traverse Town had initially been. Still, it helped to know where he was going and figure out places to hole up in an emergency. He didn't like thinking like that, but he didn't have a support system here. Might as well prepare for the worst.]

[What he wasn't prepared for was seeing someone he knew, walking the street, looking every bit as lost as he was.]

Celestia?

[letteropener]

[The last thing she expected, in this strange and unrecognizable land, is somepony to call her name. The pony spins and backs up in a clattering dance of hooves, putting a few extra feet between her and whatever the heck she is looking at.]

I -- excuse me?!

[There it is, the least diplomatic thing she has ever said.]

[unrecovered]

[She doesn't remember him.]

[There's a moment where his world slides sideways. He'd hoped, he'd fucking dared to hope, and now that's in pieces all over the ground and he-]

[He needs to pull himself together before he winds up in pieces too. Damage control.]

[The world snaps back into place. She doesn't remember him, probably doesn't remember the Realm of Dreams, probably doesn't even remember what humans are- yeah, he's got his work cut out for him.]

This is going to sound really weird, but...well, my name is Agent Washington and I've met you before. You just...don't remember it.

[letteropener]

Met me before and I do not remember it?

[That is impossible on any number of levels, not the least of which that she cannot imagine a force or power that could conceivably make her forget knowing such a creature.]

[But instinct and empathy keep her from challenging such a statement. The being she faces already seems to be struggling with this knowledge.]

...I am sorry.

[unrecovered]

It's not your fault.

[It's an immediate response, and the truth, and it sucks. Nothing for it but the truth, at this point.]

Look, this isn't the first time I've been pulled into another dimension to fight someone else's battles. In the- [He chokes on Realm of Dreams and goes for another tactic] -the other one, people would disappear and return without their memories of the place, and timelines were screwed up to begin with. I'm not surprised you don't remember.

[It came as a nasty shock, yeah, but now that he's thinking about it...well, life likes kicking him in the face whenever he starts to get something resembling stability, so yeah, this turn of events makes sense.]

[letteropener]

[That is, to Celestia's mind, absolutely and completely impossible. But she is forced to admit that before today, she would have called being transported to a different world where her magic does not function properly and she is surrounded by humans to also be impossible. So... writing off what this strange creature says is not as easy as she would like.]

You are correct that I do not have any memories of you or another place. But I am happy to start again.

[She smiles and bows her head in proper greeting. Nothing for it but to trust in friendship and openness.]