//------------------------------// // Ch. 7: "Sigma: Noisy Sacred Ringing Ears” // Story: .hack//Secrets of Equestria // by Hallowedsoul //------------------------------// Chapter Seven “Sigma: Noisy Sacred Ringing Ears” “Alright, now we shut this clasp here and… we’re done!” Sarah said, rising to her feet and stamping her boots a bit to make sure they were secure “Looks good, feels good, we did a good job, AB, thanks for your help!” “No problem, Sarah, Ah was happy ta help!” The little yellow filly chirped happily and Sarah stretched a bit, getting used to the weight of armor which actually felt strangely comfortable “What’re we gonna do now?” “Now?” Sarah replied, turning towards the door “We go out and join my friends. That pink pony from earlier also said something about a party and personally, I’d love a good party right about now.” “That’s great, ‘cause Pinkie always throws the best parties ya ever did see!” Applebloom replied, trotting up next to Sarah, also facing the door. “Good to hear. But I don’t think we should keep my friends waiting, do you?” “Nope!” “Well alright then.” Sarah said and approached the door, her arms outstretched. Rose hung upside down from the limb of a nearby tree she’d climbed rather effortlessly. However, this was just the beginning of the test of her abilities as she grabbed a hold of the branch, planted her feet on its side and pushed off, landing on her hands and pushing off of the ground before landing gracefully on her feet some distance away. “This is amazing!” She exclaimed, staring at her hands “I mean, I do gymnastics in school, but what I can do in this body is unreal! I’ve never been so… light before. And I could probably also outrun any track athlete with my new foot-speed!” “That’s great, Rose, but don’t let it go to your head.” MuSeiryu replied, sitting in the shade of another tree “I wouldn’t count on any of this to stick once we get back to our world.” “What’s the hurry, Sugarcube? Don’t ya like it here in Ponyville?” A familiar voice with a thick country accent spoke, which Rose and Mu both recognized as the orange pony from earlier. “Hello there, ma’am.” Mu replied with a smile, standing and walking over to greet her “It’s a good thing you came around, I don’t think we’ve thanked you yet for saving us from the wolves.” “Aw, shucks, it wasn’t anythin’ special. Jus’ doin’ what anypony woulda done and besides, Ah oughta be thankin’ you for savin’ my flank at the end there.” The orange pony said with a blush and then held out a hoof “Dunno if Twi told ya already, but mah name’s Applejack.” “Jack Harvey, although I’m known to my companions as ‘MuSeiryu’.” He replied, shaking Applejack’s hoof “Don’t worry, you can just call me ‘Jack’ if you want and about saving you, it was no problem, really.” “Now don’ be lyin’ ta me, Jack, Ah saw yer face there after ya cast yer magic. It took everythin’ ya had jus’ ta do that much.” The cowpony said with a smug expression on her face “Anyhoo, it’s good ta see ya both on yer feet again, though it seems like one a’ ya is enjoyin’ it a little more than the other.” Rose realized Applejack was talking to her now and so she hurried over and gave the cowpony an embarrassed smile, while rubbing the back of her head. “Sorry, ma’am, I was just getting a feel for my new body.” She said, her voice becoming slightly quieter since she was a little shy in social situations “My name’s Rose Levins, or ‘Rosemary’ to my friends.” “Ain’t no reason ta be all formal ‘round me, Sugracube, Ah ain’t no fancy Canterlot noble.” Applejack replied with a small blush of her own “Ah’d prefer it if ya just called me ‘Applejack’ or AJ. Anyway, it’s good ta meet ya both properly.” “And you too, AJ.” Mu said, then tilted his head slightly in curiosity “So what brings you back here? I thought you had lots of work to do.” The cowpony blinked and then blushed “Right, nearly forgot, y’all seen mah sister ‘round here? She supposed ta be helpin’ with clean-up but she up and disappeared on me.” “Is she the little yellow filly with a red mane and large pink bow?” Rose asked curiously and Applejack nodded enthusiastically. “Eeyup, tha’d be her alright. Have ya seen ‘er?” She asked but Rose shook her head. “Not since a few hours ago when we first got here.” Rose replied and the cowpony sighed irritably. Applejack was about to say something when the barn door opened, with the wayward filly skipping out happily, at least until she saw the stern expression on her sister’s face. Following her out was Haruka, who was wearing her armor and that playful expression again as though what she’d done earlier hadn’t happened. Applejack broke out into a big smile as soon as she saw her. “Well, look who it is!” The cowpony exclaimed “Ya had us worried there fer a moment, partner. Ah ain’t seen somepony have such a bad reaction ta timberwolf poison before and wasn’t sure if our medicine would work.” “It’s all good, gonna take a lot more than some stupid stick wolves to keep me down.” Haruka replied with her trademark bravado and then saw her companions “Hey there, you two, sorry about earlier. This is all just so new, so much to take in. But I’m good now, there won’t be any more issues, and it’s thanks to my new friend here.” She gestured to the small yellow filly, who adopted this smile that Rose felt could qualify as a weapon of mass destruction. However the filly’s smile vanished when Applejack glared at her again. “Well, that explains where she ran off to.” The cowpony said, trotting over to the two “Did ya think ya could get out a’ helpin’ yer family with clean-up by hidin’ in the barn?” “Actually.” Haruka interjected before the filly could speak “I saw several baskets full of apples in there. Unless I’m mistaken, they looked like they needed to be sorted and upon closer inspection, I saw that several of them were. So my guess is, Applebloom had been in there sorting apples during my whole dramatic episode.” Applejack blanched at Haruka and then face-hoofed. “Sweet Celestia, Ah’d fergotten about that…” The cowpony muttered and then looked at her sister apologetically “Ah’m sorry, Applebloom, Ah really need ta keep better track a' what everypony’s doin’ ‘round here.” Haruka nodded at Applejack and shot a wink towards Applebloom, who gave her a radiant smile as thanks for getting her out of trouble. Haruka, then, turned to Rose and Mu. “Alright, to begin with, where’s the purple one? She was just here a moment ago.” “Twilight Sparkle left half an hour ago not long after you kicked us out of the barn.” Rose replied “She said something about sending a letter to a princess.” “She does this every time; somethin’ big happens in Ponyville and first thing she always does is send a letter ta Princess Celestia.” Applejack quipped, shaking her head with a small smile “A’ course, Princess Celestia might know how ta get y’all back ta yer homes. Ah bet yer families are missin’ ya right about now.” Applebloom’s ears drooped and she looked at the three players dejectedly “What? Y’all are leavin’ already? But ya jus’ got here, ya ain’t even met mah friends yet!” The three players looked at each other a moment before MuSeiryu walked over to Applebloom and knelt down to be more to her level. “It’s not that we don’t want to meet your friends, we just want to make sure we have a way home.” He said, ruffling her mane “And Twilight said it could be a little while before everything’s ready anyway, so there’s plenty of time to meet everyone -er, everypony.” “Yeah, and there’s still that party the pink pony promised us.” Haruka added, crossing her arms over her chest. “And I’d love to know a little more about this world before we leave.” Rose chimed and the filly beamed at all of them. “Hey, Applejack!” A raspy voice called out from somewhere and almost immediately a pegasus with a cyan coat of fur and a rainbow-colored mane and tail appeared in front of the cowpony, much to the surprise of the three players “Glad I found you, Pinkie says to bring the new guys over to Sugarcube Corner but not to tell them why. I think she wants to surprise them or – uh, hi, why are you waving your hoof at me? It’s not like I wasn’t just here helpin’ with clean-up and… they’re standing right behind me, aren’t they?” “Yep.” Was the unanimous response. “Ponyfeathers… Pinkie’s not gonna be happy.” The cyan pegasus said, face-hoofing before composing herself and striking a confidant pose “Hey there, I’m Rainbow Dash, the fastest flier in Equestria!” “Jack Harvey. Pleasure to meet you.” “Sup, Dash, I’m Sarah Irving.” “My name is Rose Levins, but you can call me Rose.” “Great to meetcha!” Rainbow Dash said, shaking each of their hands though she was nearly pulled out of the air by Haruka “Whoa, you’re pretty strong! I think only Applejack might be stronger.” “Huh, how ‘bout that?” Haruka murmured as she examined her hand while flexing her fingers. “Anyway, since you’re all here and I’ve ruined the surprise, we might as well head over to the bakery. C’mon, it’s this way!” The cyan pegasus said and then shot off like a rocket, leaving a rainbow trail behind her. Applejack, Applebloom, MuSeiryu, Haruka and Rose all stared after Rainbow Dash a moment before Applejack sighed and turned to the players. “Sorry ‘bout that, she often fergets that not everypony can fly like she does.” Applejack said and turned to leave “C’mon, y’all, Ah’ll show ya the way then it’s back ta work fer me.” The three players nodded and began to follow her when Haruka stopped suddenly. “Hey Jack, what did you do with my sword?” “I put it next to the barn door, you should’ve seen it when you walked out.” He replied and then cocked an eyebrow at her as she hurried over to retrieve it “You’re not seriously going to carry that thing into town, are you?” “Why not?” Haruka replied, sliding it into a sheath on her back “You’re bringing your staff and Rosie’s got her daggers. Why should I be the only one that walks into town defenseless?” “She’s got ya there, partner.” Applejack quipped and then turned away again as the three followed once more, although what they didn’t see was Haruka pause a moment after grabbing her sword and sniffing at the air before looking around, suspicion clear in her eyes. But she shrugged and hurried to catch up. As they walked into town with Applejack, many of the ponies that were out on the streets paused to stare at the strangers. Rose felt slightly uncomfortable with the attention, especially considering the outfit she was wearing; she’d never worn something so form-fitting and revealing. Her mother would have a conniption if she knew! Applejack explained to them the different parts of town they travelled through, though they arrived at the town’s bakery and café, which was called Sugarcube Corner, within a few minutes. The cowpony stopped by the door and gestured to it. “Well, this here’s where Ah take mah leave.” She said and smiled at them “If ya need a place ta stay, y’all are welcome back down at the farm; we can set ya up with some mighty comfy quilts that’ll make sleepin’ on hay bales much more tolerable. Ah’d offer ya a room in the house, but Ah don’ think our beds would be terribly comfortable to ya, considerin’ how tall y’all are.” “Thank you for the offer, Applejack, we’ll consider it.” Mu replied and stepped into the bakery, with Rose and Haruka following close behind. It was dark inside, seeing as the lights were out. Rose wondered if maybe it was closed when suddenly the lights flashed on and several ponies yelled “Surprise” at the top of their voices, causing Rose to scream and leap away. “Sorry Rosie, didn’t mean to scare you!” Pinkie Pie said, rushing over to hug the Twin Blade “Good to know you were surprised though, considering Dashie nearly ruined it in an earlier paragraph!” Silence reigned and crickets began to chirp as everyone in the building stared at Pinkie in confusion, with a pony in the back giving out a low “What?” as Pinkie let Rose go and giggled, completely unaware of the random comment she’d said. Eventually someone cleared their throat and the ponies trotted forward, all eager to meet the new arrivals, especially a mint-green mare who’d rushed over to Rose and was going on and on about finally meeting humans and about how useful hands would be in pony society. It was during all of this that Rose got a good look at the room and saw that it was completely decked out, with a buffet table set up on one side that was loaded with all kinds of sugary treats that made her mouth water just to look at them and a whole bunch of games set up in a corner. “This shindig looks like the bomb-diggity.” Mu said approvingly and both Rose and Haruka cringed, with the latter smacking him across the head. In Canterlot, Princess Celestia had invited the strange alicorn filly to her office, where they sat across from each other drinking tea while Aura’s macabre guardian took up a silent vigil in a dark corner of the room. “So these… humans, as you call them… you believe they are here in Equestria?” She asked and the filly looked at Celestia with those startling blue eyes. “Yes, and it is important that I find them as soon as possible.” Aura replied, using her magic to levitate the cup to her mouth and drank daintily from it “You see, their character data has disappeared from The World and their bodies have fallen into comas. We won’t have much time before their lives will be imperiled.” “I see…” Celestia said, also taking a sip from her tea “So why do you not send your guardian to find them? Surely he’d be able to in short order.” “Because his programming is… imperfect.” Aura replied sheepishly, a touch of red on her pure white cheeks “It’s not to say that he can’t, he will follow my instruction to the letter, but he may hurt anything that attempts to interfere with his task. I’m not going to send him anywhere until I know for certain where they are, that way I can be specific with the parameters of my request. In that regard, I was hoping you would lend the use of your Royal Guard.” Celestia sighed and placed her cup back onto the table before staring morosely at the AI-turned-alicorn. “As much as I would like to help you with your search, I’m afraid I have my own problems that take precedence.” She said calmly “The unusual circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Grim Tutor and the most heinous murder of my subjects requires the full attention of my Guard and until such time as they complete their investigation, I cannot spare any of them. I’m truly sorry, Aura.” “I understand, Your Majesty.” Aura sighed and then looked back at her “In that case, I must cut our conversation short, as I have much ground to cover. If you could at the very least loan us a map of Equestria, I would greatly appreciate.” “Of course, I shall lend you whatever aid I can.” Celestia replied and levitated her tea again as a piece of parchment and a quill levitated in from somewhere, with the quill dipping itself in ink and beginning to write “Although if you don't mind waiting a few hours, I can arrange to have one of the Wonderbolts provide an escort for you.” “Thank you, but that won't be necessary.” Aura said, also levitating her tea and gesturing with her head towards her guardian “Azure Kite should be more than sufficient to handle whatever tries to assault me.” There was a pop and a flash of green fire and a scroll landed on Celestia’s desk, right next to the letter she had finished writing. Celestia unraveled the scroll with her magic and read the contents silently for a moment before a smile graced her muzzle. “It appears you need not search for long.” The Sun Princess said and Aura looked at her in confusion “My student in Ponyville has just informed me that three strange beings referring to themselves as ‘humans’ have appeared in the forest near there. She wants me to meet with them and see if there is a way to send them home." Aura stood up in her chair, an urgent expression on her face. “We mustn’t waste any time, how soon can we get out there?!” The filly asked and Celestia gestured with a hoof to try and calm her down. "Remain calm, Aura. I have one question for you before you go galloping off." She said, causing Aura to look at her curiously "Have you given any thought to how you're going to return the humans to their bodies?" "I... no, I haven't." Aura replied, rubbing at her head in frustration. Then she blinked and looked at Celestia, her eyes glittering "The Chaos Gate!" "I'm sorry?" "The Chaos Gate; the large ring Azure Kite and I arrived here through!" Aura exclaimed "Chaos Gates are used in The World to travel between Root Towns and fields. If we can get the Chaos Gate working again, I should be able to return the players to their homes!" "Very well, then I do not believe there's any reason to retrieve your humans just yet." Celestia said, much to Aura's confusion. "I do not understand, Princess." "Aura, with your Chaos Gate as it is currently you would not be able to send them home whether they were present or not." She explained carefully. "What would you have me do?" Aura asked. "Let my student and her friends watch over the humans for you while we find a way to activate the gate. We can send for them when we are ready." Celestia replied but Aura shook her head. "No, I can't take that risk." She said "I do not know anything about this world and if something should happen to the players while they are trapped in their avatars, there will be dire consequences for their actual bodies." Celestia smiled and gestured calmly with a hoof "Be at peace, my little pony, they are in good hooves. You see my student, Twilight Sparkle, is both a Princess of Equestria and a bearer of an Element of Harmony. There is no place safer in Equestria than with Twilight and her friends." "I..." Aura began hesitantly while Celestia merely smiled confidently at her. She eventually sighed and nodded "Very well, I shall trust in your judgment." "Wonderful!" Celestia replied, her smile widening "I shall have somepony show you and your guardian to a guest room if you wish. Or if you prefer, you can return to the crime scene with me and examine the ring." "Actually." Aura said, a thought coming to her "If it is at all possible, may I see the deceased please?" "I... suppose that can be arranged." Celestia replied, struck dumb by Aura's request "I will send for Miss Bella Donna; she will show you to the mortuary." "Thank you, Princess. I will try not to inconvenience you any further than I have." In truth, Celestia had been more amused than inconvenienced by the little filly's arrival. The looks on her subjects faces when she trotted out into the street with Aura had been well worth any trouble the AI might have caused her. But despite her levity, she shared Aura's concerns for the humans. She planned to dedicate every available resource toward investigating the Chaos Gate and to making it work again so that Aura and her humans could go back where they belong. And while she had supreme faith in Twilight, she also hoped that her student would be able to handle these new and mysterious beings.