IC CONTACT

[preformthisneigh]

FROM: SUBJECT: PINKIE Saw the roster changes, Cheesy PINKIE Hey, Cheesy. How's it going? PINKIE How much do you know about that Diamond lady? PINKIE Happy Summer Sun Celebration, Cheesy! PINKIE Hey, Cheese, Hiro from the Bishop is back PINKIE Hey, Cheese. Hope you're not too busy. PINKIE Got some more treats for you~! PINKIE Dear Cheese Sandwich...

TO: SUBJECT: CHARACTER NAME THREAD SUBJECT CHARACTER NAME THREAD SUBJECT PINKIE Hey, Pinks. You okay? PINKIE Pinkie!!! I need you on the Bishop ASAP! SORA HEY SORA ARE YOU AWAKE?!!!

inboxcode by cawaii

Comments

[spontaneouscombustion]

Yeah, apparently those devices we've been finding in the comm systems were blocking them from talking to us. What is she like?

"Calibrations?" What are those?

[preformthisneigh]

Huh. That's different. And she's...

It's hard to say what she's like. She's putting on an act every time we see her. It's all fake smiles and "gosh we're so happy to see you".

[He may be less sociable than Pinkie, but like any party pony worth their salt, he can spot a fake smile a mile off.

There's a pause before his answer, because he hated the calibrations a whole lot. He's coped well with what Atroma have thrown at them, largely because it's nothing compared to what Paradisa threw at them. But this...this was just plain rude. ]

We were all on the Marsiva. And when we slept, we walked into each other's dreams and memories.

[spontaneouscombustion]

Yyyyeeeeah THAT sounds kind of familiar. Gave me the heebie jeebies. [Starlight Glimmer-flavored heebie jeebies.] Not to mention she's fibbing about not interfering; I was on the team that explored the terraformers and I KNOW my ratings and credits went up a little bit once we got back.

[As for the Calibrations, that'd sound REALLY cool to her, especially since they had a similar adventure with Luna not too long ago... but that pause...]

I'm... guessing it wasn't as fun as it sounds?

[preformthisneigh]

Yeah, they always say that. Don't meddle. Don't pull parts of your ship apart to find things that don't belong there, and so on. I don't think anypony every listens to them.

No.

[He realises he should...add to that. And as it's Pinkie, she's just about the only living being in the universe he'll have this conversation with. ]

It showed my past to everypony who dropped by. All of my past. Oh! And there was a younger version of me in there talking to them. As in. Before I met you younger version of me. Just sitting there, showing them all the lovely issues I had back then like it was some kinda happy funtime trip down misery lane.

[Okay he might have been holding in a lot of bitterness about this for a while because he couldn't talk to anyone about it. ]

[spontaneouscombustion]

[It takes a while for this next text to come in, mostly because Pinkie's sputtering out loud and typing and erasing to try and convey the shock that's slowly turning into OUTRAGE.]

They did WHAT?! Why?! Why would they do that to you?!

[preformthisneigh]

Because they like playing with us? Diamond said it was all part of the repair process to get our ships working? But it felt more like a threat. People found some hinydink things and started meddling, and Atroma didn't like it.

So. Surprise. In our heads they go.

[spontaneouscombustion]

Cheesy...

Did they do that to everybody?

[preformthisneigh]

Yep.

Every single one of us.

[spontaneouscombustion]

That's... that really awful. Not just to you, but there's a LOT of people here that have even WORSE stuff in their past. And you being so lonely... you shouldn't have had to deal with that all over again, Cheesy...

[preformthisneigh]

Some folks here had really, really terrible stuff on show.

But Atroma don't care. They'll do anything they can for ratings. It doesn't matter if we're upset or happy or anything. We're just a quick bit to them. That's when most of us really learned that lesson.

Best we can do is just keep going forward.

[spontaneouscombustion]

That's HORRIBLE! And I thought that stupid castle was bad! Now I feel really stupid for taking the device out.

[preformthisneigh]

I doubt it would have made much difference in the long run. They probably have control of everything here anyway, and are just pretending it's otherwise.

Text -> Video

[spontaneouscombustion]

[After a pause she's going to... switch to video for a bit, just so she can see his face and hear his voice.]

... Everything?

Video

[preformthisneigh]

[Oh no she looks sad! ]

Well, not what we do. We still have free will, mostly. But I think they control where we go in the Fleet. What we encounter.

Buuuuut that might be the old Paradisa paranoia working against me. That place did this kinda thing all the time- created whole worlds for us to be stuck in, so. Yeah.

[spontaneouscombustion]

[That first bit takes a lot of her worry away already, leaving her with a relieved smile.]

Yeah, I get that. I'm glad the free will part's true, though. I'm glad THIS is real... REALLY glad...

[preformthisneigh]

[The thought that she might think THIS isn't really never crossed his mind until now. Wow. No wonder she looked so worried. His smile softens a little. ]

This is absolutely and positively real, I promise. It actually makes me happy, if it wasn't real, it would. See? Can't fault that logic. And given it makes me super duper happy, then it's the realest thing ever.

[spontaneouscombustion]

It makes me really happy too, Cheesy. I... I love you...

[preformthisneigh]

[He wasn't expecting that. He's always felt the same about her, of course. He's always loved her, but been afraid to vocalise it. And now she's done it for him.]

I love you too, Pinkie.

[spontaneouscombustion]

[She moves in to kiss... the screen, because stupid not-being-in-the-same-room-ness.]

Kinda wish we were talking face-to-face now...

[preformthisneigh]

[That gets a nerdy,besotted laugh out of him. ]

Me too.

Oh. I err. Mean. We probably could.

[spontaneouscombustion]

That's true. Doooo you want me to visit you, oooor the other way around?

[Getting a bit twitterpated herself because OH MY GOSH, POSSIBILITY OF FIRST KISS?! WHAT DO?! HOW DO?!]

[preformthisneigh]

[He'll not-so-subtlety lean back to look behind him to see how busy the Bishop is. Doesn't look that bad, all things considered... ]

You can come to the Bishop if you like. I probably shouldn't go far while we're in space because...asteroids...and stuff.

[Hiro wouldn't really like it if he let the ship drift into space debris. Probably. ]

Video -> Action

[spontaneouscombustion]

Yeah, that works. Soooo see ya soon~

[And with that she heads for the shuttle... after spending a minute squeeing and/or screaming into a pillow and jumping around her teeny little room.]

Action 4 eva!!!

[preformthisneigh]

[He'll be on the bridge of the Bishop, waiting for her. He's still flying the ship, but he figures he can put it into aupilot when she shows up. So long as he's still on the bridge keeping half an eye on where the ship is going it'll be fine, right, right?

For good measures, he's put Boneless 2 onto the dashboard. There. He'll make sure everything stays hunkey dorey. ]

[spontaneouscombustion]

Heeey, Cheesy~! Hi, Boneless 2!

[She still springs forward to meet him but good gravy, she's never been THIS nervicited about anything in her life.]