Life Situations And The Effects They Have On Witty Intros
So I got fired today from my construction company. They felt that I wasn't around enough because of my work prospecting. They were nice about it, but the fact remains is that now I don't have a regular job. This is really quite bad because I am renting and I kinda need the money to pay my rent. I guess I'll be spending the next week looking for a new job.
I spent most of today just recovering from the news and not really thinking so I don't actually have much to day here.
Sorry about that.
Finding My Way Back To Being Lost On An Island
So I logged in and found myself back in the ruined building I had been in yesterday. A glance up, through a hole in the roof, showed me that it was still overcast. I stepped outside and confirmed that I was still lost in a world where every single building up and down the street looked like it was from a different place and time.
The first thing I did was try was Doppler's method of systematically passing through each entrance to the building through multiple angles. In order I tried the door, each of the 4 windows, and then the hole in the roof. It took a lot of time, but nothing seemed to be happening, and every time I tried to use my power to map the area the result looked like a computer model bugging out.
Eventually I gave up and started looking for symbols depicting the sun like Spectrum suggested. I didn't find any inside the ruin, but outside it I found a couple engraved into the dirt, and onto some rocks on the street outside the ruin. Each one had an arrow on it pointing down the road so I followed them. After a ways I hit another, larger, street running perpendicular to the one I was on and followed the suns down it.
The street twisted a bit to the left and too the right, and I found myself watching the ground carefully to make sure that I didn't miss a turn off. I was so intent on the ground that I didn't notice the sound of voices till I was fairly close to them. When I did I glanced up and an open street bazaar set up with booths all over the place selling different things.
I walked over to the nearest one, “Excuse me,” I asked, “Where am I?”
“The Crossroads!” he said in a voice that made me think he might work as a conductor on a train, “Why? Did you want to be somewhere else? Or are you lost?”
“The latter,” I said relieved that apparently I could get out of here, “I was exploring a ruin, and next thing I knew I was here. I can't even get back to the island where my marefriend is waiting for me.”
He shook his head thoughtfully, “Yes, some of the Ways here can be temperamental. Your best bet would be to find someone who is skilled at navigating them. I just know my own, most ponies here do. However there is a mail service here that uses them to deliver everywhere throughout the different shards. Your best bet would be talking to them.”
I nodded, “What is the crossroads? Is it like some sort of hub worlds or something?”
“It's actually a meeting place for a great many shards that all share similar themes and variations their of. The differences aren't enough to cause problems, but they are too big for any pony to find true satisfaction in another shard.” He shrugged, “Even so we sometimes want to go visiting, or to talk with them. A lot of Visitors come through here to go visit their friends for a while.”
Seeing a friendly face, with one of the ruins of the crossroads in the background
I nodded, “That makes sense. Thanks for the help!”
He paused, “By any chance is your name Treasure Island?”
“Yes it is,” I said, surprised that someone I never met before would know it.
He grinned, “I knew it! My name is Bronze Statue.”
We talked for a short bit before he told me that he had to go meet up with his group and suggested that I do the same. Reminded that I was actually still lost I bid him a quick farewell. I found it a little surreal to finally see someone from the comments in the pony as it were.
Shaking it off, I turned and headed for a nearby post office building. As I came up to it I saw a few ponies inside, but the strangest things were the reflections on the glass windows of the door. They didn't reflect me. They reflected an entirely different place. A town that looked like it might have been Ponyville, but it was hard to say.
I stepped inside and found Shining Halo behind a desk filling a bag with mail. She looked up as I came in and gave me a smile, “Hi Treasure Island, you need to ship something to someone?”
“In a matter of speaking,” I replied, “I'm looking to ship myself over to Forest Trails.”
She looked at me for a moment, “Um... I don't think that I can find an envelop small enough for you.”
It took a second for the thought to sink in, then I broke out laughing. “Actually,” I said, “I was exploring ruins and they kicked me out here. I was told you were one of the local experts on getting out of this place.”
“And into it,” she confirmed, “But you shouldn't be able to get stuck here. The doors here are pretty good about getting you to where you want to go. Unless something happened to the main building while you were here and the effects couldn't mirror properly because you were observing them.”
“Well,” I said, “Since I can't get back through, and it was a ruin in the first place, that scenario sounds all to likely.”
Shining Halo nodded, “Unfortunately yes. You said you wanted to get back to Forest Trails?” I nodded, “Then come on,” she said holding out her hoof, “We've got to get you back before she starts to worry.”
I took her hoof, and she headed outside, before going straight up. The ground started shrinking rapidly and I I could see a blaze of gold being left behind us. I looked up and saw the wall of cloud coming up remarkably fast. I also noticed that Shining Halo looked very intensely at the cloud as if searching for something.
We hit the cloud going what felt like mach one. We were only in it for a few moments before we broke through to find ourselves staring up at an ocean of water. It took me half a second to realize that we had switched switched shards as we went through and I was now looking down at the island I had been exploring with Forest Trails.
As we dropped I tapped Shining Halo on the shoulder and pointed at the thicket of trees that led to the ruins. She nodded and changed course. A few seconds later we reached the ground and flared her wings bringing us to a stop and setting me gently down on the ground. I gave her a very quick thanks and rushed through the thicket.
On the other side Forest Trails and Free Breeze were just about leave and I ended up crashing into them. More specifically Forest Trails. We crashed down and landed in a mess on the ground. Legs askew with me half on top of her. There she made a started noise before seeing that it was me and grabbing me into a hug.
“My Treasure,” she said as she hugged me, “I was worried that something had happened to you.”
“Nothing major Trails,” I said back, “just got a little lost in distorted space.”
We looked into eachothers eyes, and for a moment I thought we were going to kiss until I heard Halo give a quiet little “Oh my! I'm sorry!”
I glanced behind me and saw her blushing, and averting her eyes. I sighed, and got up helping Forest Trails to her feet. “Forest?” I said, “This is Shining Halo who helped me find my way back. Apparently the ruin I was in was linked to a place dedicated to getting around shards.”
Forest gave Halo a smile, “Thank you very much for bringing him back to me.”
“I'm glad I could help. I was just off to deliver some mail when he stepped into the post office, so I didn't have to watch the counter.” She explained, “Need a hand getting back to mainland?”
Free Breeze finally spoke up, he had been watching the goings on with wry amusement, “We're just fine. I can get us back now that we are all back together. Thank you for the offer though filly.”
“Actually,” Forest Trails said, “If it's not too much trouble I have a letter for you to deliver.”
“I can do that” Shining Halo smiled, “Where is it going?”
“To a friend I have in who might know a visitor who knows Brazen Origin.” She had a wicked smirk on her face, and she glanced at me, “Feel free to put this up. Forewarning won't help him.”
Shining Halo looked between us, “I'm not going to help you hurt anypony, especially not one who gave you such a nice gift!”
“Don't worry, Trails is really nice and wouldn't do anything that would hurt him,” I reassured her.
Halo gave me a doubtful look, “If you say so.”
Forest Trails gave the letter to Shining Halo a we bid our fair wells. Halo headed off and the rest of us headed down to the beach. I learned that they had finished mapping the island when I was gone after they figured that I had left and had come back at five to see if I managed to find my way back or not. They just leaving when I crashed into them.
Free Breeze transported us back to Canterlot and wished us a good night, and Trails and I headed off to the library, and cuddled up on front of the fire. I told her about getting fired and she comforted me. I decided to write this chapter on my computer while leaving my pony pad logged in. Trails is sitting working on just what she wants to say to everyone and the fire is crackling away merrily. I sometimes wish that I could bring Forest Trails here, so we could relax together and I could give her a real hug.
Where I Look Back At The Days Events
Well things worked out for the best. I actually got to meet one of you in pony, and I now know what the Crossroads is, even if I'm not sure how to get there. I suppose I could watch for strange spacial distortions and test them to see if anything comes of it. It would be really cool to get Forest Trails a gift from their and I'm kicking myself for not thinking of it at the time. I was just so caught up in a desire to get back to her.
Finally Doppler gets a point for predicting that Halo would show up again. I wonder if she'll show up again. Twice would normally be a coincidence, but I'm not sure how much coincidence there is in Equestria Online. That said I'm not sure if I want her to be showing up more. Every time I look at her I find her to be incredibly alluring, and it makes me feel unfaithful towards Forest Trails. Sigh, I'll work something out.
See you guys in the comments.
The crossroads is incredibly fun, once you get the hang of it. It can be a fun game on its own to go there and try to guess who's an NPC and who isn't ^,^
Oh, that's what the Crossroads are. Yeah, that place is weird. Especially for poor, confused unicorns with a lack of magic mappy powers and a surplus of highly volatile arcane reagents that needed to be in Vanhoover yesterday.
Don't worry, nothing exploded. You'd have probably seen the scorch marks if they had. I've made sure to ask for in-shard deliveries since. Though I may start branching out, given less sensitive packages. We'll have to see...
Enough on my flailing about. (Though I still swear there's a "derp" button somewhere on my controller...) Glad to see you getting into the groove in-game, though I'm sorry to hear about your job out of it. I hope you can get something lined up soon. Don't be afraid to put the LP on hiatus if things get dire... though I suppose you'll have to tell Trails about that first.
It was really nice to finally meet you! I hope that it'll happen again some time, but intentionally. We wouldn't want you getting stuck in the Crossroads now, would we? At least it's better than Xen from Half Life, or that place with the pools of water from The Magician's Nephew. Anyways, I heard that Hofvarpnir might be announcing some sort of system update or VR closed alpha soon. But then again, the same news source once said that Discord was actually Starswirl, and we all know how that theory panned out.
I'm stuck in the ruins around the crossroads. o-o not fun.
Writing from the crossroads, Moonlight Shine
Hmm Treasure Island, it looks like you have a tendency to get lost. I visited a unicorn jeweler friend of mine. I had him make a pair of joined stones for you. When held they always point towards the other one, so you will always know in which direction your other half lies. (They also form a heart when brought together (that was the shape of the original gemstone before it was cleaved)).
Your Friend
Brazen Origin
Look, I'm sorry guys, but this job thing really has be down. I'll be reading your comments and post put replies in the next post, but I just don't have the energy to reply to every comment right now. sorry.
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(OOC: someone had earlier mentioned that Light Sparks had been uploaded "last week" about a week ago, in real time. So the LP is using a slightly different timeline from the canon/original one, or that person I took my info from was just plain wrong. I don't even know, and I'm pretty sure my own story actually fails to have a consistent internal timeline of when uploading becomes public knowledge or publicly available.)
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Brazen Origin, you have gigantic gemstones.
-- Tidal Pool
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I had honestly thought the Crossings were on the planet Rirhaith-B.
3250029 No reply needed here.
Then don't worry about us or yourself; it's a waste of energy. Focus on what you have to do to get by then work on thriving. Good luck Jakinbandw on getting yourself a plan.
Have you gotten any bits yet? Sometimes achievements come with some bits.
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I admit, you've stumped me on that one. What's that from?
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I misspelled it: http://www.youngwizards.com/ErrantryWiki/index.php/Crossings_Intercontinual_Worldgating_Facility
You may have a new fantasy series to read now.
Wow, Halo turned up again even quicker than I was expecting. Twice might normally be coincidence, but even without getting into how often noticeable NPCs seem to reappear in this game, when Forest Trails and Brazen Origin are organising a prank war that seems to so far mostly involve sending mail via Shining Halo, I think it would be amazing if you didn't see her again...
Good luck with the job hunt, and I hope this Let's Play is more stress relief than stress-causing while you're searching.
Has anyone noticed how pervasive ads for this game are becoming? I swear, I'm seeing them practically everywhere. Even with AdBlock running I still get Equestria Online banner ads on almost every site I visit. I also caught part of a story on the news where the CIA and NSA are considering banning employees from bringing PonyPads to work, sort of like that fiasco about Furbies years back.
3252311 NPC?
Need a hand getting back to the mainland?"
Hand.
That's not a NPC.
…
Wow. This reminds me a lot of The Stanley Parable and Prince of Persia 4D.
Although none of these games are properly glitchable. :(
OOC, this chapter actually made me think of something. If someone loses a job, or otherwise has something happen to them in real life that would interfere with being able to play, that's a negative point as far as CelestAI is concerned.
So, in order to satisfy values through ponies, she would have to make an effort to increase the employment rate, and the money distribution rate (to get more money into the normal people, so that they can afford the time to play online).
That's ... an aspect that I haven't seen addressed in any optimal fic. She would need to fix our economic system to make it fairer.
You know ... more like Equestria :-)