mylittlejamjar | [Visual] -5th Shadow-

Hey Equestria...I got a question for you, mostly this is for the other outlanders like myself, but...anyone is free to weigh in here. I'd like the input.

How many of you use friendship, or similar bonds, as a source of strength for yourselves back home?

Some pretense to that...where I come from there are creatures called Digimon. I myself am half-digimon. Long story to that, but I won't bore you with the details right now. A digimon is a creature born of digital data, they are however highly receptive to emotions and can grow stronger as they grow closer to others, becoming stronger and stronger as those bonds mature and grow.

Emotions from those that we make friend with rub off on us, we can become stronger, or weaker because of it, or we can become too strong that we can't control ourselves.

[He rubs at his cheek with a hoof and sighs deeply.]

Not only digimon have exhibited this trait, though. There is another being called a Net Navi where I'm from, another digital life-form, this one artificially created by humans. There's an entire battle tournament surrounding them even. A Navi and their NetOp, when they have a strong enough bond, can create powerful combinations with battle chips. They can even fuse together, share the core of their beings with another, the NetNavi’s can even form friendships of their own that unlock hidden potentials...

[ He holds a hoof over his chest reflexively, almost like he was reassuring himself about something...]

The core of my question is how many of you have something similar back home? An undertone to that is how many of us have forgotten about that? That we've taken it for granted or just forgotten our own basics? This place works on its own rules. Just like those of NetNavis, or Digimon...working together, believing in one another...we’ve heard it a lot lately, and seen that here, it’s its own force to be reckoned with. Friendship. We’re all in this together, and if we're going to-

[He stops short and scoffs softly to himself.]

Sorry. Getting off track...Anyways...just something I’ve been thinking about lately. If anyone would rather speak with me in person or private, you’re always welcome to call on me at the commune or approach me while I’m on duty in the Night Market.

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[A switch in the pony's demeanor, show's he looks far more tired than he may have been letting on.]

Hey, Dante...Vergil...I may I need your guys help with something. I dunno if you can, but I'd rather it be the two of you than others. I'd uh...rather speak somewhere off scroll, about it though. If you can, meet me at the Decanter.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

What? We who?

Ahrah and I! You just mentioned us -- except I have no idea who you are.

I did? [He goes back over his words in his mind.] Noooo, I don't think I did. The only one I mentioned was Fluttershy and her two little partners.

You did. You said we had special powers. It's -- I suppose it's true, but I don't know how you know us.

Special powers? The only things I said had special powers were Aura and Dust. [Beat.] Although I guess "Aura" sounds kinda similar to that name you said a minute ago...

Yes. Ahrah and Dust. That's us. Ahrah is a Blade of Elysium and I'm the Sen-Mithrarin, so... special powers.

I have. No idea what you just said.

[But there was one thing at least.]

Wait- So your name is Dust?

Yes. I'm Dust. And I'm not normally a pony, which -- now that I think about it, might explain some things.

[Though the hat really ought to be distinct across any incarnation, in his opinion.]

Oh! Ahh sorry, there's been kind of a mix-up. I wasn't talking about you, I was talking about Aura and Dust. [Wait, clarify, that's not helpful.] Things back home, where I'm from.

Aura's a... [How would Pyrrha describe this?] Manifestation of our soul. It protects us, gives us special abilities. And Dust is energy mined from the planet, that lets people use different attacks, elements, that kinda thing.

That's what I meant.

...Oh.

[Well, now he feels foolish.]

That's... quite a naming coincidence.

Yeah no kidding. I didn't even know those could be names.

[Brief, uncomfortable laugh.] No offense.

It's because 'Sen-Mithrarin' means 'He Who Is Born From the Dust'.

Don't ask me to explain Ahrah, though. He's a magic sword. Who knows what the standards are?

Y'know, I think that's kinda why they named Dust- er, my Dust -that. "Born from the dust and the ashes", and all that.

Yeahh, I think relics and things like that all have their own rules.

That's a little too close for comfort. The last thing I need is to find out that my spirit got recycled into a power source somehow...

I don't think so? It's been like that since, well, the beginning. Dust is really old, like as old as life itself, and humanity's always been using it to fight monsters and keep the kingdoms safe.

Besides, wouldn't we have to be from the same world?

I would have thought the same thing. Then I ended up here. As a pony. My definitions of 'possible' have opened up a lot since then.

You have got a point.

Though... I don't see how rocks mined out of the ground could be anyone's spirit, powerful or otherwise.

A powerful existence, still clinging to the remnants of its body? Even thought that body has been broken and scattered?

But... they're rocks. Crystals really, I guess. There's nothing "body" about them? [He paused a moment.] Unless you take the ground version and sew it into your clothing, which I've heard of people doing sometimes. I'm not exactly sure howww, but there ya go...

I was worried for a moment you were going to say 'eat it'. I'm glad that was a much more normal action than I expected.

Eat it? [A short snort of a snicker.] I'd hate to see what'd happen if anyone actually ate Dust.

I'm... becoming less comfortable with that term the more we use it.

Oh riight, the name thing. Uh- I don't know what else to call it, though.

Yes, this is kind of awkward. But getting past that, what kind of powers does it give?

What doesn't it do? Du- Uhhh, the crystals are used in all kinds of technology around the world. Not just for fighting either, it's like a power source. I don't think the big airships would even be able to run on anything else.

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[Visual] Ahahah this was inevitable

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