The Moon Also Rises

[raisethemoon]

[Ever just had one of those days where everything is really irritating?]

[It isn't that Luna is unaccustomed to this kind of treatment. The last time she was drawn into another world to fight a war that wasn't hers, the culprit hadn't even had the decency to show their face. On the other hoof, her indignance had faded much faster when she couldn't aim it at anyone specific. Couldn't that Lux have allowed her to retain her magic - or at least her Dream Eaters - if she's meant to be fighting monsters here? What, would he prefer she kick them to death?]

[And these humans! Rude!]

[This pony can be found walking with head held deliberately high and wings tense at her side, meeting the eyes of passerby with unspoken challenge. She doesn't expect them to fling themselves at her feet, but a little common courtesy to a newcomer is not that great a thing to ask. All she wanted was to find a place of residence, honestly.]

[No matter. There must be others like her here, if patterns hold true - she'll find them.]

Comments

[raisethemoon]

I have been in this city for approximately half an hour.

[That seems like answer enough. Most humans wouldn't say she looked familiar though.]

Are you also a stranger to this place?

[mechanacet]

Ah, I see... Then you don't know where I can find a mechanic. [Daniel hangs his head a little with a sigh] It's gonna take forever at this rate...

Yeah, I've been here for a few months. I'd offer to show you around, but I've never been to this part of town before. That and, well... You could probably cover more ground than Cam and I. [Daniel gestures to his foot, which is bound up in a fairly obvious cast.]

[raisethemoon]

Doubtless.

[She peers down at the foot.]

Were you fighting these "monsters" I hear tell of?

[mechanacet]

[Now Daniel looks a little awkward. It's kinda obvious that that isn't how He managed to injure himself] No... I, uhhh... I dropped something on it. I normally fight the Nox from a distance anyway, but I was building something and a big piece of sheet metal sort of got away from me.

[raisethemoon]

And the doctors here could not give you a walking aid?

[r u d e]

Do you require assistance?

[mechanacet]

The most they would give me was this: [Daniel gestures to his walking stick, which he is currently using as a crutch.]

The people in this city aren't exactly the nicest bunch though, now that I think about it. Buuuut, I haven't had any actual run ins with them, which sorta makes Freesia nicer than my hometown at the very least. [Daniel chuckles lightly at this.]

But yeah, I don't need any help getting about, it's just I'm doing it somewhat slower than usual. Thanks for the offer though.

[raisethemoon]

But this still requires you to put weight upon the foot.

[Maybe something with wheels on? She isn't sure what humans would generally use. Luna flicks her wings irritably.]

I suppose 'tis not surprising. The people of this city are most inhospitable - I had thought perhaps it was due to my species, but if you have experienced the same...

[mechanacet]

I think their surliness might be due to the magic that the guy who brought us here has given us. Either that, or the sheer amount of disturbances those of us who have been here for a while seem to get into has given us a bad reputation. [Daniel shrugs, as long as they don't get violent towards him, he's fine with the townsfolk being surly. It's not like he lives in the main part of the city anyway.]

I can manage, and even if they did give me something that would allow me to take the weight off my foot, a lot of my work at the moment can only really be done while standing, so I can't really see the point behind getting myself a wheelchair or anything.

[raisethemoon]

We were brought here on their behalf. They might show us a bit more respect.

But pray, have you a moment to explain these Nox? I fear Lux was less than explanatory. [Also? She sees the naming theme here and as the princess of night, she does not appreciate it.]

[mechanacet]

I think they might, if we didn't have as much of a habit of breaking stuff and being general nuisances. But honestly, I fear that the majority of people Lux brought here are too rowdy for the general populace's attitude towards us to change anytime soon. That said, I'd probably best get moving while it's still light out, I need to find a mechanic before the shops close.

If you want to tag along, I'd be happy to share what I've learned about the Nox so far. Though a portion of it is more speculation than anything. [Daniel makes a small gesture in the way he had originally been traveling, indicating the direction they would be heading if Luna decided to join him.]

[raisethemoon]

Of course. I do not intend to waylay you - besides, I was given no true direction.

[She's been wandering around the city aimlessly, in other words. Couldn't hurt to wander to the mechanic's instead, though she doubts she'll ever need it.]

Are these creatures of shadow, as they sound?

[mechanacet]

They seem to be, but the seem to be more oily than regular darkness, only way you can easily tell if one's hiding nearby is the eyes. They have these blank white eyes, isn't half disturbing, but at least it differentiates them from The Filth back home. I nearly had a heart attack the first time I saw a Nox here.

[They are moving at a slow, but steady pace down the street now, Daniel's limp slows him down quite a lot.]

[raisethemoon]

They sound unlike any creatures I have encountered before...

[Not really Nightmares, nothing from Equestria. Ah well, that's to be expected.]

How dangerous would you say they are?

[mechanacet]

It depends. If they catch you off guard, and they have numbers, the smaller ones can be extremely dangerous. They're the only ones you'll see away from large groups and only really reach the size of large cats.

The larger ones? Well, a few weeks back, Something went down at the carnival. something happened and a lot of them got through. I didn't see much of the action, but the larger ones are definitely dangerous, even individually.

If you're going to go and fight them, I'd either recommend taking back up and fighting from a position of strength. The only thing they're actually weak against seems to be the magic Lux has given us. Everything else just seems to bounce right off them. [Daniel seems to be gathering steam, Luna might want to direct the line of questioning before he properly starts rambling.]

[raisethemoon]

[She doesn't totally mind the rambling; it's informative. Most anything would be, given how little she knows now.]

What kind of magic have you been given?

[mechanacet]

It's largely based on the skills and personality you have before you get brought here. Back home, I'm an inventor and scientist, so Lux gave me technokinesis.

[Daniel reaches into a pocket and pulls out what appears to be a miniaturized greatsword. It has a bit of a technological look to it, while still looking somewhat organic, as if the circuitry and wiring that it's made of had almost grown that way.

Handing the small sword to Cam, whom the weapon seems to be made for, Daniel concentrates for a moment, and the blade begins to buzz and flicker with electricity as a powerful current starts flowing though it.

Cam doesn't flinch and Daniel doesn't react to the current, so it's safe to say that it's not going through them. After a moment, Daniel frowns in concentration again and the current stops, apparently commanded mentally by Daniel.]

I apparently made this just after I got here. But I don't know how, and I can't remember doing so. I had a headache at the time.

Like I said, The power you get seems to be tied to your skills or abilities before you came her, so it's probably a good idea to test a bunch of things.

[raisethemoon]

[Luna leans in to peer at the sword appreciatively.]

I see. I had a good number of abilities before I arrived, but my primary duty was to raise the moon and bring night.

[Dryly:] I do not suppose that is an option in this case.

[mechanacet]

[Cam is being a right little show off. If it weren't undignified for the little robot to preen under the attention, there is every chance they would have. That said, they do carry themself and the sword they wield with a bit more self-conscious dignity. The sword is held in a manner that makes inspection easy as well, so Luna can inspect it as much as she wishes.]

Probably not stuff to do with the night, no. [Daniel is silent for a moment, pondering.] Though maybe it has something to do with the moon. From what I've heard, sometimes the connections between previous abilities and your powers here can be somewhat tenuous.

[raisethemoon]

It is exceedingly rude to assume that the night is evil simply because there is the occasional shadow monster.

[mechanacet]

[Daniel looks a bit startled. Obviously, he did not mean to offend Luna] I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause offense! I don't think that the night is evil though. It's just that Lux, the guy who brought us here and whom gave us these powers, seems to be tied to this world's light magic while the Nox, the ones I assume we've been brought here to fight, seem to be tied to his opposite, aka, the dark. [There is barely a pause for breath, this seems to have escalated from an apology to some sort of sting of reasoning.] It stands to reason that Lux would give everyone he brings here a power of some sort, but is restricted from giving powers over the darkness because that is his literal opposite. The sheer act of giving us powers suggests that either the magics of our respective homes are insufficient for the task he has set us, or he was incapable of bringing them along with us when he brought us here. This means that to be useful in his war, we need some sort of effective, or replacement power, meaning that he needs to give us powers to make sure that we're actually capable of fighting the Nox in the first place. Conversations I've had with others who've lost their old magical abilities with the onset of the new ones suggests, that if he is, for lack of a better term, overwriting our old abilities with these new ones... [Daniel goes pale, partially from lack of oxygen because he did not breath during that last string of words, and partially due to a realization that quite frankly scares the living daylights out of him.

Cam's head swivels towards the suddenly horrified looking scientist as he now speaks in a very small voice, barely audible by Luna.] I should be dead right now...

[raisethemoon]

[She was...meaning to call Lux rude, because she's still angry at him for all of this. But, uh.

Wow.]

...I...beg thy pardon?

[mechanacet]

[Daniel thought he was the one being rude to Luna, albeit unintentionally. He therefore apologised.

Daniel blinks at the sound of Luna's voice, coming back to reality with a shake of his head. He's still very pale, but he seems to be thinking faster and faster, likely from adrenaline.] On my home world, everyone can access magic, all it takes is the right motivation and circumstances. Some are more gifted then others and some have magics that were passed down the family line.

[Daniel's starting to speak faster and faster now.] But one thing that's consistent in all the magic back home is the source. Anima is the source of both magic, and the fuel behind life on my world. If... If what I've just reasoned is true, if the anima has been stripped from me. I should be dead. If it is gone and I still live. Lux has done something to me. Something inhumane. Something I have only read of in the most horrible of texts.

[Daniel's eyes harden slightly, as if he is steeling himself for what is to come.] Whatever has happened, I need answers. And I fear there may be only a few ways of getting them.

[raisethemoon]

[This is not what Luna was prepared to deal with today. But she's the one here, so...alright, let's take a shot at this.]

What do you propose?

[mechanacet]

Nothing right now, though I might need some help in the near future. ?Ultimately, I'm going to have a nice long chat with the powers-that-be on this world. Whether they want to talk or not. [There is something in Daniel's eyes now, a steel that wasn't there a scant few minutes ago.

As an active field operative for The Dragon, Daniel is trained to withstand attacks on the mind, from both startling revelations in the field, and mental attacks from various aggressors. He is using this training now, controlling himself as he needs to in order to get what he needs to do, done.] First thing I need to do is get Cam's larger chassis up and running, and that means I need the right parts, which means that today's errand is still relevant.

[raisethemoon]

...Indeed.

[Luna can't help but feel she jumped in over her head with this human.] Let us be on our way, then?