Elementary, my dear ponies

[notquitedracula]

Who: Soma and very, very open - preferably everyone who wants to help search for the elements.
What: The game is afoot, but it's not a foot, it's jewelry.
Where: Equestria, round and about (Library first)
When: A day or two after this and this
Warnings: Probable violence, possible language, and all the general character-specific warnings. May as well go ahead and say this one's party style, no posting order, since the idea is for everyone to split up.

Soma was finally used to the new world. He could hover, he could soar, he could even do a barrel roll, and weather manipulation was much easier than he had first thought now that he had an actual idea how it worked. And he'd even regained a couple of his normal abilities - namely, the ones that had worked with his Giant Bat form before, plus Black Panther. They were a little different, admittedly - most had been scaled to fit his new form, for example, and Bat had given him something like a sonar sense - but they were familiar all the same, and that made him feel much more at ease.

In the same vein, he'd acquired a new weapon from the Moogles; a nondescript katana, well made but entirely devoid of enchantment, much like the ones he'd found in the castle and subsequently sold to Hammer. He could live with that; it was short enough he could use it in this form, and that was what really mattered to him. It gave him something he could use without relying on his souls or the poorly understood magic of this world. And he had Yoko now, too; the Peepsta Hoo was a welcome addition to his team.

He'd asked for everyone to gather outside of the library tree, since that was where the Elements had been taken from. He had confidence in this group's capabilities, but there were far too few of them likely to be able to use the Elements present. If it came down to a big fight, well... they were going to need all the firepower they could get.

Comments

[seasaltkeys]

[OOC: To avoid clutter, please state Choice A or Choice B in the subject heading.]

[Choice A: Gathering]

While Roxas hadn't responded to any of the inquiries on the network about the Elements of Harmony, he had read them and it made sense that they should be looking for whatever exactly the elements were. He'd already been planning to on his own but working on his skatepark had taken precedence.

This was something of a break.

So there he was in front of the library, waiting for the others so that they could get started.

[Choice B: The Search Begins, or Roxas Makes a Mess.]

Once they'd spilt up, Roxas had entered the nearest building to begin his search. It looked like a store of some kind but no one was using it and there were no moogles about. The ghost town effect of the worlds always seemed somewhat unnerving.

After doing a quick glance over, Roxas began a more thorough search, opening drawers and cupboards and taking out the contents. Although, despite the telekinetic powers, Roxas was not the most coordinated of ponies, and was leaving a trail of odds and ends in his wake.

B

[lessabrasive]

Roxas was not the only one to think a closer investigation of the emptied homes and shops was worth doing. However, the mess left behind by the younger unicorn earned pursed lips and a faintly aggravated sigh as her own telekinesis went to work.

"At least put things out of the way so other ponies don't trip over them," she scolded. Sure, the owners weren't likely to turn up any time soon, but tripping over strewn objects when fighting nightmares would be inconvenient on 4 legs - even if nightmares didn't come in doors.

[seasaltkeys]

Roxas looked up from a box that he was currently examining, and spilling on the floor.

"Sorry. I was gonna do it when I was done," he replied, slightly peevishly. He didn't really like being scolded, if anyone did. Although now that he'd been caught he really would clean things up. He was making a bigger mess than he'd thought.

[lessabrasive]

Uh huh. Sure you were.

So sayeth the look Lin gave Roxas from down her pony nose, before she closed her eyes and concentrated a little. She didn't deal with any spillages, but anything solid was lifted (a little wobbily at times) back into position. Metal items moved much more quickly than others.

"I'm guessing you've not had any success so far either?" She'd been upstairs but hadn't uncovered anything remotely royal-looking.

[seasaltkeys]

Roxas shrugged.

"No," he replied, an unintended whine in his voice. "But, this is only the first place I've really searched."

He watched as his mess was cleaned up, somewhat impressed. He hadn't really been honing his magic.

[lessabrasive]

Well, don't expect her to always clean up after you, kid!

"And plenty more still to go," she grimaced. Lin had made a point to practice with the magic this world had given her. It was strange to manipulate things that didn't align with her traditional element, but the Princess had assured her it was quite normal for unicorns. "I do think cupboards may be the wrong places to search, though. Unless there's any heart shaped objects in the building?"

She hadn't found any upstairs.

[seasaltkeys]

"I'm just checking everywhere. Even if I can't find the elements of harmony, the keyhole could also be around."

Roxas has never really encountered a keyhole in person, but he has enough of Sora's memories telling him that it could show up pretty much anywhere. At least, that's what it looked like to him.

"I think if we find it first, we might not have to go through the nightmares again."

[lessabrasive]

"But the dream keyholes so far have required something to be done first before they appear," pointed out Lin with a frown - thoughtful, not dismissive. "Which brings us back to finding these elements."

Still, she did shudder. "Hopefully we won't have to deal with that. But it'll depend on how soon we find them - we've multiple ones to find, and I doubt they've been hidden together."

[whoseesbynight]

Nepeta, as it turns out, makes a somewhat odd looking pony. The shade of green she's turned - exactly the same as her blood color - isn't too out of the ordinary, but she's kept the horns that mark her as being a troll too, and those look very distinctly out of place on what would otherwise be an earth pony. Not that she minds. It would have been more than a little strange to not have them, after all.

So she waits to see what will come of this particular expedition. She might now a little more about Heart than most people, sure, but even that isn't any real guarantee that she'll have any more ideas than other people. But she's willing to make the effort, at the very least, and that has to count for something.

[notquitedracula]

Well, technicolor seemed to be the theme of the day, so at least she wasn't alone in that. For his part, Soma was almost entirely white; his eyes were the only thing on him that wasn't at least gray, and they were the usual albino red. For now, at least.

"I get the feeling some people decided to skip the meeting and get straight to the searching," he said with a wry little half-smile. "Not that I can blame them. Bureaucracy is boring stuff, there's a whole world to explore, and we're all ponies. Kind of doubt most of them are thrilled about that lsst part."

He made his way over to the oddly-colored pony, curious as to the provenance of her horns. Multiple. Decidedly not a unicorn. No wings, so not a pegasus either. And not a combination of the two, so she wasn't whatever the princesses were, either (he hadn't bothered to ask, but he was pretty sure there was a specific term for their subgroup). For his part? Bat wings. Not common among the outsiders or, he gathered, even the original residents of this world.

[Since everyone else seems to be cutting straight to the chase, general meeting stuff here?]

[whoseesbynight]

Not a unicorn, no. Just an alien that has been somewhat haphazardly shoved into the system that already exists. Still, since it's normal to her, she doesn't think much of it. Certainly not enough to comment about them, and so she simply nods at Soma's comment.

"I don't think anyone could really blame them," she answers with a grin. "Expurrloring is meowre fun anyway than sitting and talking anyway."

It does, of course, mean they have something less of an idea about what they'll actually find or how to find it, but that is perhaps less important in the long run.

[Open~]

[guerriera]

While she hadn't joined in much of the discussion involving the missing items, Carolina had followed it from a distance. When Soma's gathering by the library had split up into groups for searching, she'd taken herself directly over to Sweet Apple Acres, fire lizard and frootz cat at her heels. The red maned pony hadn't bothered to wait on anyone to join her, but help wouldn't likely be turned away.

At least the farm was somewhat familiar - she'd been making use of one empty meadows for combat practice, and three large barrels had been rolled into a spaced out triangle formation for reasons known only to the aqua freelancer - but there were buildings and barns a-plenty to check. And this place had been home to one of the holders of the six Elements: surely there was a clue around here somewhere?

[yabigfurball]

Ammy obviously couldn't contribute much to the discussion of the missing objects, but she knew they were important to this world, and she knew she was good at finding things. If she put her nose to it, she could probably help out everyone, right?

She'd stayed away just a tad from the actual meeting at the library tree, since she wasn't sure if all the people here yet would be okay with a weird wood-wolf showing up...she wasn't keen to repeat her first experience here. But after a bit of wandering, she spotted Carolina close by the apple farm, and hey, she should remember her!

Ammy trotted up, tail wagging. She was accompanied by Konohana and Lucky, since they would probably be the biggest help in searching high places...and weren't likely to fly off the handle like Chu sometimes did. She cocked her head at the red-haired pony...could she use the help?

[guerriera]

The red maned mare turned at the sound of Ammy's approach. Lela immediately recognised the approaching wolf, leaping off her Person's back to trot up, while Dax squinted thoughtfully. ...Nah, too much effort to move.

"You again." Not unfriendly, just surprised. The Wolf had been staying on the downlow after Rarity's reaction (and subsequent apology). Carolina gave a nod in greeting, and eyed the two spirits that came with Amaterasu thoughtfully, before taking in the head tilt. Funny how reading helmets and bodylanguage might actually come in handy here with a creature that couldn't speak. "If you're offering help, I won't say no."

She turned and carefully lifted one forefoot, pointing it towards the abandoned apple farm buildings. "I'm not sure if these Elements would be buried out in the fields, but we should start with ruling out the barns first."

[yabigfurball]

Of course, Ammy had to offer treats to any Spirits that weren't hers (since her own got plenty on their own time, thank you very much.) She pulled out a confetti candy and a block-it chocolate, offering one to Lela and the other to Dax.

Ammy nodded back. Yes, she would like to help. She followed Carolina's hoof towards the farm buildings. That seemed like a good enough place as any to start. If the elements were buried somewhere, she certainly was good at digging things up, but it would be better to check the more obvious places first.

She also knew that at least one of her Spirits would find a lot of interest in this activity. She turned to Lucky and barked: If you see anything looking valuable and shiny, show it to me right away! The Necho Cat turned in excited circles, and began sauntering off to the barn...oh boy, they were going to find some valuables!

[guerriera]

There's a blink from Carolina, then a rather resigned look as Dax all but leapt for the tossed treat, burping it down in one gulp while Lela politely accepted hers and nibbled delicately. "He's going to be impossible now," she informed the wolf, before shaking her head at her first spirit.

That Ammy understood where Carolina wanted to start was a relief - the creature WAS as smart as she remembered. With that in mind, she trotted off towards the barn that seemed to have space for other animals (ponies, keeping other animals? seemed weirdly meta to her), while Dax and Lela followed after Lucky. Spirits had to stick together!

Lela in particular sprinted after the other cat. Had she met Melody yet? Melody would no doubt be thrilled to hear there was another cat around!! Especially once who seemed to know what she was doing. What's the best place to look for valuables?

[yabigfurball]

Wow, that got wolfed down rather fast. Ammy just cocked her head at Dax, and then gave a sheepish look to Carolina. Oh well, she'd given out her treats for now!

Ammy started with sniffing the ground on their way there. She didn't know what this 'Element' would smell like, but figured it would be pretty different from anything in a barn or a farm in general. Mostly, there were very strong apple scents. Yoichi would probably really like it here.

Lucky was fine with socializing, while Konohana hung back closer to Ammy. No, she hadn't seen Melody yet, although she might have seen one of Wash's other Spirits. She purred...she at least liked to think she was being helpful. Valuables are many places! Usually the Nightmares and demons leave them behind. But otherwise you can find them in small closed containers...boxes, chests, pots, drawers and barrels! We should check every box and every barrel in the barn.

[guerriera]

Oh well. It wasn't as though Carolina had been any better at discouraging Dax from gluttony. He seemed to come with that as part of his dream piece puzzle creation.

As a pony, her sense of smell was definitely heightened, but Carolina didn't concentrate on it. She'd only distract herself from the task at hand, and the timber wolf was far more likely to have success than she would. At least the entrance to this area wasn't sticky, like one of the other buildings: positioning herself, a good solid shove of her forefeet pushed the doors aside, leaving plenty of space for Ammy and Carolina to enter.

The stalls were empty, save for water buckets and heaps of hay, and barrels of apples and stored vegetables at the other end. "Doesn't get any weirder to find a place like this without anyone in it," she mentioned off handedly to Ammy, even though she knew the wolf could not reply.

SO MANY BOXES but I bet we can do it, Lela said, looking about their surroundings and radiating enthusiasm. There was a less pleased look from Dax, however, his tail already drooping at the possibility of work. Ugh. The Persons are going Inside so we should search Outside first! the pink cat continued, heedless of her spirit-brother's dismay.

[yabigfurball]

Ammy entered the barn alongside Carolina, looking up and about at the empty space. She gave Carolina a sympathetic look...she agreed; places like farms should be teeming with people, animals and activity. Even something like a dream shouldn't be so empty.

She gave her another look, and then nodded to the left side of the barn. Maybe she could check one side, and Carolina the other? Then they could meet in the middle.

Lucky was full of enthusiasm, too, and eager to be the first to find the valuables. Yes, let's race to see who can uncover the most boxes first! With that, she already bounded over to tip over the nearest box, trusting Lela to follow. If Dax just wanted to wait outside, well, more valuables for them!

[spaceracist]

Emile had been wandering around by himself, but truth be told he probably wasn't going to find anything that required the power of the heart, unless bloodlust was one of the Elements of Harmony. Still, it couldn't hurt to look, and eventually he made his way over to the orchard. Who did Spikes find but that familiar little frootz cat? Clearly Jorgie the Kab Kannon had to meet Lela too, so while his Spirits chased after the scent of their friends, Emile called out.

"Anythin' promising?"

[guerriera]

"Not outdoors anyway," replied Carolina with a shake of her mane, turning to meet Emile as the burlier Spartan-Pony approached. "A few nightmares spawned, but nothing that might be responsible for missing jewels."

There was a MEOW from a haystack close by, and Lela's head popped out from beneath a curtain of straw to greet Spikes. She beamed at him. You brought a friend! DAX, DAX, come meet new friends!

"I'm thinking of trying some of the larger barns. The doors are surprisingly stiff, could use a hand getting them open." Hand, hoof, same difference really. Carolina could likely do it by herself, but it'd be faster with two.

[spaceracist]

"You got it." He wasn't really sure what the Elements of Harmony would be doing in a barn, but then, he wasn't really sure what the Elements of Harmony would be doing anywhere. And the Spirits could help them look, if they'd be done messing around with each other.

In the meantime, the overenthusiastic Spikes was introducing Jorgie to the other spirits. The big Kab Kannon was a little shy but waved to Dax and Lela. Spikes continued to chatter. Our Person says we have to look for sparkling jewels! Are you looking for them, too?

Emile stamped his hoof and his two Spirits jumped a little, scrambling over to follow him. "This way, you two."

[guerriera]

Home is where the heart is'. And given the mentions of hearts in that useless clue, it was as good a starting point as any. Hiding them in locations close to where their present time Equestrian bearers reside made sense to Carolina, and she doubted they were being stored together. That seemed far too straightforward.

"This way," she said, nodding her thanks rather than voicing it. While Carolina knew Emile's name now thanks to the network and certain chatty unicorns, the SPARTAN hadn't given her permission to use it. As it was, Carolina had to rein in (heh) the instinct to bark orders to Noble-Four; he wasn't part of her team (not that she had one anymore) and she was uncertain how her former UNSC rank matched up against his old unit. (She hadn't had much of a chance to talk with Kat anyway, beyond getting her to back off from harassing Church.)

She strode towards the first of the larger buildings; it wasn't clear if it was for cattle or merely hay and apple storage, but the doors barring the entrance were strong and sturdy. Rearing with care onto her hind legs, the blue mare set her hooves against the door and pushed.

Dax slithered out from under one of the carts to catch up to her, merely waving his tail at his opposite number; Lela was more than happy to be the welcoming committee, rubbing against Spikes briefly before trotting up to the kab kannon and snuggling against its stomach in greeting. It's great to meet you! Our person's looking for that too, but we haven't found anything yet. But with all of us, I'm sure we'll be find something!

[spaceracist]

Emile really wasn't sure why everyone seemed so obsessed with one vital organ and not another, but then, he probably wasn't one of the good candidates for finding an Element of Harmony or unlocking the keyhole of a world. Didn't stop him from looking, though. Acting together with Carolina, he pushed open the door to the barn, though at the moment it was still dark inside. What might there be inside?

Jorgie shied away a little from Lela, but the little kitty was insistent and he hesitantly reached out one pawlike limb to pat her on the head (while Spikes squaked encouragement; like Lela, he approved of making new friends). But oh! They had better catch up with their Persons. What if there are Nightmares there?

[guerriera]

All about the metaphors, man. Not that Carolina was particularly interested in the magical side of matters - she doubted she'd have anything to do with the items themselves either once they were finally found, but she wasn't about to let anyone say she hadn't done her part in searching for them.

The doors seemed to jam at the half way marker, leaving the sunlight to fill part of the barn and stretch their own shadows out before them. Not at all ominous, really. What she wouldn't give for a working suit right now - at least her regular helm could have switched modes to determine if anything was hidden in the dark. "Be prepared for anything," she said offhandedly to Emile as she squinted into the dark.

I am sure our Persons can handle any nightmares, Lela said loyally, before smiling up at Jorgie. It was okay to be shy! Still, catching up to the PonyPersons was a good idea! She trotted into the lead, meowing at Dax to wait for them to catch up.

Carolina, meanwhile, had bent her head down to pass on orders. "Stay out here. No fire in the barn," she instructed her hebby repp, who nodded his understanding before plunking down outside. Guard duty was important too, after all. Also, required the least amount of effort. Awwwyis.