🎂 001 The Saga Begins

[preformthisneigh]

Who: Cheese Sandwich and YOU
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: Marsiva
When: Right now!

[It takes a lot to worry an Equestrian. Given the fact their country faces some sort of horrendous attack once every few months, they've become rather used to the unexpected dropping upon them from great heights. As such, when the little tan pony hops out of bed, he doesn't look worried, but he does look a tad confused.

The last thing he remembers is seeing the magical rainbow all the way across the sky (it was so intense) and now, suddenly, there is space. He pulls a rubber chicken out of seemingly nowhere, plopping it on his back, before starting to walk over to the window, his hooves clip-clopping against the metal floor as he glances around his surroundings.]

Okaaaay. This is new. Where the hay are we?

[He rests a forehoof against the window once he arrives at it, peering out into the vast nothingness. He remembers another place, that wasn't Equestria, and was prone to fits of magical strangeness. He puts two and two together to make five. When he speaks again, it's a little louder, as if addressing an invisible audience, which he thinks he is.]

Hey, everypony. Did the castle turn into space while I was away?

[He wanders away from the window, seeking out his journal. He pays the communicator no mind for now, the thing he's looking for is distinctly more book-shaped.]

Comments

Video

[pain_train]

Oh my god! A magical horse! Are you friends with Vanyel's magical horse?

Does that mean someone here has magic too and you're here to be their friend?

This is so cool!

[Planet Wrath: where everything is made up and the points don't matter.]

[coppermarigolds]

[Mouth opens. Mouth closes. Mouth opens again.]

Is this a joke?

Video

[preformthisneigh]

[THERE'S A VOICE. Where the heck is his journal? ]

Yfandes? Yeah, I know I her. I mean, sure, there's a communication barrier there, but we get along okay.

Uh. But I'm not magical. I'm an Earth Pony. And I'm here to make everypony happy, not just somepony with magic.

[Even if it's not necessarily to be their friend. That takes more work, and hell if he knows how to do that. ]

[preformthisneigh]

[He eventually stumbles across his communicator, and ooooooh the journals got an upgrade! He can see faces in them now!. He grins a stupid horsey grin at her.]

No, but I got a billion, if you want one.

[He sits, tapping a hoof on his chin, before picking one. She brought this on herself.]

I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.

[He taps his hooves into the air and a 'ba-dum-tsh' sound comes from seemingly nowhere. ]

video

[stickupherforehead]

[well, that's new. Then again, she's a sentient, polymorphic rock who just happens to blend in a bit better.]

Do castles typically turn into space where you come from?

[coppermarigolds]

You're a talking horse.

[Way to state the obvious, there.]

[preformthisneigh]

[Wow, he so did not miss this. Humans. Humans. Still, he keeps his cheery smile on. ]

Talking, singing, dancing, and everything in-between. I've even been known to yodel.

video

[preformthisneigh]

[It's a neat trick, he would bet it keeps dumb questions to a minimum. ]

Not where I come from home wise, but Paradisa can do just about anything.

[Frysquinting around. ]

...This is Paradisa, right? I didn't take a wrong turn at Albuquerque?

[hellofist]

[Well, talking animals are new for the fleet, as far as Cass knows. He's very little for a horse, too. Interesting.]

There's no castle. It's just space.

[coppermarigolds]

... No, please. There's no need for yodelling.

[Meanwhile, her eyebrows are somewhere in the permanent vicinity of her hairline. What. The. Heck.]

I'm guessing this is... normal for you.

[preformthisneigh]

[He recognises that voice, and he beams down on his newly found communicator. It IS her! Finally a familiar face. He bounces around the communicator on the ground, ecstatic. ]

Cass!! I was starting to wonder if anypony I knew was gonna show up. It was like you all vanished. It's great to see you again!

[And it really, genuinely is. Wow. Pinkie was right, friendship is pretty awesome. Who knew?]

I know there's no castle now, but it'll turn back once it's done being space, right?

[ino]

[ ... Pinching the bridge of her nose. ]

No, this isn't Paradisa.

[preformthisneigh]

Okaaaay, but you're missing out on something special.

[That would perforate eardrums. He sits, making a show of looking at his hooves pointedly. ]

Is it normal? Could it really be? A talking pony? Could I truly exist? Could I be... normal, somewhere, somehow?

[He drops his voice to a stage whisper. ]

Spoilers but the answer is 'yes'.

[preformthisneigh]

[Ino, you fool. At least she knows where they're supposed to be. Were supposed to be? ]

Are you sure? Because I remember Paradisa, and clearly you remember it, and it does cause shenanigans like this.

[He waves a hoof around himself to take in the general SPACENESS of everything. ]

[hellofist]

[Oh... She'd heard that people could come here with memories that other people didn't have, but it hadn't really happened to her before. She's certainly never met this pony, but his body language makes it impossible to deny he knows her. That he'd liked some version of her she doesn't remember being.

It feels odd, but when she smiles at him she means it. It's better to be happy she had friends than sad she doesn't remember them, right?]

Happy to see you, too. [She is, because he seems very sweet. It's not a lie.] But, uh... I don't remember you. I'm sorry...

[ino]

Yeah, there's a small group of people here who remember it too, but this isn't Paradisa. We're in a whole different -- but similar -- situation now.

[ It's mean of her, but she's really just wondering why Atroma can't pick someone she wants to see from Para instead ... ]

Instead of being mad at the castle, now we get to be mad at Atroma.

[preformthisneigh]

[This is fine. It's just a blip. It's fine.

It's fiiiiiine.

His smile falters a little, but he still manages to keep a semblance of one. ]

Oh. Well, I was gone for a few months. Things got kind of crazy back home. And I can't remember how good human memories are.

[But how could she forget him? Nopony forgets him. Not since he got his cutie mark anyway. ]

I'm Cheese Sandwich! All fun-loving, party pony, ready for a shindig any time it's needed.

[He holds his rubber chicken up to the screen, somewhat desperately. ]

And this is Boneless Two! My trusty party companion.

[preformthisneigh]

[Sorry, Ino, no one you like, only talking pony. He tilts his head to the side, considering. ]

Sooooo a whole other magical force has kidnapped us this time? What does this place want? Because Paradisa was already pretty darn creepy with the soul eating and everything. I'm not sure how you can top that.

[He thinks briefly of Tirek, and shudders. Oh. Right. That. ]

[stickupherforehead]

[bliiink.]

I don't believe so. [sadistic magical castles aren't exactly a dime a dozen] From the sounds of it, these have always been spaceships.

[ino]

Now we're on TV, and we're getting paid according to how entertaining and dramatic we are. Supposedly if our ratings are good enough we'll be allowed to leave.

[ A pause ]

I don't know if you know what a TV is. Basically we're being watched by an audience.

[preformthisneigh]

Well that's...pretty weird. It was definitely a magical castle the last time. Why would somewhere else want to kidnap me too?

Unless everypony really needs parties here?

[Yeah. That's probably it.]

[preformthisneigh]

Isn't a TV like the littler moooovie theatres? I remember the moooovie theatre.

[He considers this. ]

Well, I always get good ratings for my parties, so this should be a synch. I'm a professional entertainer.

[stickupherforehead]

[she had been thinking that Atroma was an entity of some sort, not a location. She's still inclined to go with her first idea, but then again...

...Wait.] Are you referring to birthday parties?

[hellofist]

[She feels guilty for it, honestly. It's out of her control completely whether or not she remembers him but that doesn't make it feel any less terrible. There's a whole lot there to take in, the strange name and the fact that party ponies even exist, the rubber chicken with a name, but there is one part that sticks out to her as important.]

What happened at home? Is everything okay?

[ino]

Yeah, it's ... like that.

[ You know what? She's not even going to ask why it has to be "moooooooovie" and not "movie". Look at her, being mature. ]

It's up to you what you do with it, I guess. But you've got a job on the ship you're assigned to, so that's at least part of what you're supposed to be doing.