[Game] Satisfying Values

"So faster than the first time?" Mic responded with a grin.

"E-e-e-e-eyep..." APC's avatar said.

Valkyrie looks back towards Rose, flicking her tail a little. "There isn't much in the world you can get without fighting somepony. Besides, where would we go? The game still refuses to acknowledge our names and if these idiots," she prods the unicorn with the haft of her spear, "are any indication we're going to have to crack skulls until we get to whoever this 'Celestia' is and make her acknowledge us before we can do anything."

She opts to hold her tongue on what she thinks of the 'NPCs' - she was pretty sure she'd just spaced another player (that, admittedly, had it coming), but no need to set off Rose again like that.

The party can easily find their way over to Canterlot and the main square, leaving the guards behind of course, and once they arrive they can see a 'busy' marketplace; ponies wandering around, talking to one another, gabbing, enjoying themselves and having a grand time. Mic flies right on over the ponies in town for a few moments, calling back. "Hey, come on, doesn't look like we've got anywhere to go but the castle."

The market, while bustling and full of life and energy from the many NPC ponies wandering around...  Seems to be closed. Mic's words ring true, there's no where to go but the castle ahead. Not that the pegasus was complaining, from the grin on his face as he flies back over. "Welp, least we're not hit by another takoyaki roadblock."

"Well what are we waiting for?" asks Valkyrie, continuing to walk right up to the castle and through the doors. "You know, it's funny - if it weren't for people complaining online I'd swear we were the only five in this place."

"Well, for all we know, there are many, many servers, and each small group has its own server, or they don't put beginning players into a server until the players already on that server are at a high enough level to have little to no contact with the newer players. The second makes more sense and would be more efficient, but the first would decrease likelihood of player groups encountering each other. Then again, we might be the only players who are speaking out of character, which we should probably stop soon." 'Rose' comments, seeming to have recovered from earlier, mostly.

"Right! Good idea! Valkyrie clears her throat, then turns hindquarters to the door. "Knøck knøck!" Two hooves plant themselves on the front door and shake it with a loud thunk.

After leaving a moment for effect, she turns and waits for the door to open, stepping back to give it room to swing outwards.

The doors shudder a few moments after the knock, then swing open to reveal a large foyer. Standing alone between two alrge staircases that go who-knows-where is a prim white pony with a stylish mohawk of a mane.

"Welcome to Canterlot Keep, guests of the Princess. You've been expected," the majordomo announces to the party. "Right this way, please." He leads them straight down the long hallway in front of them. There appear to be many pieces of artwork on display, all strikingly original, of places and ponies the party has never seen before.

And not a single guard in sight.

They arrive in front of a second set of doors. "I have business elsewhere, please wait here. The Princess shall see you shortly," he says before slipping away.

"Glad you could make it," a familiar voice rings out.

Valkyrie slowly turns to look.

Mic promptly ingnores the voice going up to the door. "So! Onto Celestia, the thing we have been trying to do through the whole entire tutorial, and the thing that We have wanted to get over with for the longest time, I'm sure that nothing will change our kompeito minds about this." 'Rhyme' glares into open air, just looking for the voice. "Don't delay us we're busy ponies."

"Delay you? Why, you've been on your way here just for me, haven't you?" The draconequus finally resolves himself as a litte figure in the bottom right of the player's screens. When the players focus on Elegy, their ponies look down and right and begin slowly circling. "Oops. Sorry about that, the sodding interface is all I could get at this close to your Celestia. Glad any candidates at all could get this close. Not much for it, you're here anyway! Time to hunt some worms! Not much time, hup hup!"

"Thøught you'd never ask." Valkyrie doesn't waste any more time, and pushes straight on through. She was a barebarian and by Odin's beard (was there a horse Odin? She made a mental note to ask Celestia or Elegy) she was going to be one.

Elegy pulls out a little skull and crossbones symbol and throws it onto the door before she gets to it. "Not so fast, little astronaut. If you go in there, the worm sitting in this very room will whither under the sun." He directs the player's screens to a little corner of the waiting room with a potted plant and some cracked masonry.



"I won't stop you from going to that tosser of an artificial intelligence to get a name, but I'm offering a little bit of...excitement. Your machines are the only ones that can get at the worms I planted in Celestia's mind, but she seems to have found a way to eradicate them. Wait too long and and - poof! Gone. You go through those doors without the worm, and it's lost forever. Sure, you'll see more of the little buggers, but I'd rather see the Big C's plans booted sooner rather than later.

"Still want your little pony names immediately?"

"Yes." Mic stares Elegy down, perfect seriousness on his face as he goes to tear off the Skull and Crossbones.

"Yes, yes, the ARG you are apart of is very interesting... But there is logical in-game stuff to deal with that's more important... Like punching a sun-god for the lulz and as payback for that HORRIBLE little tutorial." APC comments. "Besides, you never explained what the buck the danger is the White Queen is. So far as I care, she and you are both just playing a part in some silly ARG to somehow save this MMO from it's own quick death."

"On the other hoof, investigating the worm first might give us a bit of a benefit. I'm sure it won't take long, if it did we probably wouldn't have to find many." Lore remarks. "Who knows, it might give us special powers or something."

"Well count me in! I wänt tø see how far the räbbit høle goes!" Not like she'd paid for this thing, after all. Valkyrie darts up to the pot, and looks for the worm in question, scooping it into her bag once she does find it.

"Fine I guess, it seems this meta-plot-point is demanding our time as it seems to be at this point." APC said with a sigh.

Val sees a little gray inchworm, almost missing it completely. Even as she reaches for it, it crawls and touches the wall, which ripples as the worm disappears into the stone. With a little experimentation, Val finds that her hoof passes through the wall easily enough.

"You may want to to go after it. There's a lot more at stake here than you realize. I hope you choose wisely, Ta-ta!" Elegy disappears off the side of the player's screens, leaving them to their devices once more.

"Cøme øn, güys, didn't we äll get sick of that tutørial stüff last time?" calls Valks, flapping her wings and hesitating before going after the worm.

"Oh, it's nothing about tutorial... More or less, just wanta punch Celestia for her unfun MMO." APC comments.

Mic blinks, looking over to Valk. "... I thought we just wanted to get the tutorial over with? Ah right then. Punching Celestia in the face can wait, APC, if this is now-or-never? We can do this now."

"Well løøk at it this way - we can dø the tütorial, or we can go find sømething interesting straight away." explains Valks, with a grin.