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SILVER: Tales from the Fringes of Reality. Episode 29 – A Visitor in the Valley.

SILVER: You don’t have to watch me like a hawk, you know. (tapping) ‘The last time I didn’t watch you, you didn’t sleep for several days in a row’ That’s– Fair, I suppose. I did do that, but it was for good reason! Don’t look at me like that, Whim… Fine, yes, it wasn’t for good reason but I just… You know why I had to, right? (tapping) ‘I know why you felt like you had to’ You didn’t have to editorialize that.

(knocking)

MARIGOLD: Silver? You got a minute?

SILVER: Coming, Mari! (door) Is everything alright?

MARIGOLD: We have a… Situation. That could use your assistance if you don’t mind.

SILVER: What happened?

MARIGOLD: Someone fell into the Valley of Stars. 

SILVER: Well, we know where that is–

MARIGOLD: And something’s blocking them from being able to leave.

SILVER: Fuck.

MARIGOLD: Our sentiments exactly. Opal is talking with Sapphire currently. And with Dylan.

SILVER: Is Dylan the one who fell into the Valley?

MARIGOLD: Yeah. He’s taking it well, all things considered. It’s not every day you fall into another reality, meet someone who tells you that her girlfriend can send you home, only for said girlfriend’s magic to be blocked by a bitch of an AI.

SILVER: Mari–

MARIGOLD: I’ve made my opinion on her very clear. You don’t have to agree with me, but I will be insulting her every chance I get. Because she sucks. 

SILVER: (fondly) Fine, fine. We should go talk to Opal then, see if we can figure this out. Where’s my dad, though? I feel like he’s better suited for this.

MARIGOLD: He’s with Luna. She said something’s been trying to get at the moon, they’re trying to firm up security there. Not that you’re not just as good at all of this as your dad is, but I wouldn’t have bothered about it if me and Op could fix it ourselves.

(footsteps)

OPAL: Thank you for remaining so calm about this, Dylan. I know it can be… Disorientating to fall from reality like that. 

DYLAN: It’s no trouble at all, Mx. Opal. I’m just happy that I landed in good company.

SAPPHIRE: I’m taking good care of him, darlin’, I promise.

OPAL: I expect nothing less from you my love, don’t worry. Oh, Silver! I’m not sure you’ve spoken with Sapphire before, have you?

SAPPHIRE: It’s a pleasure to formally meet you, Silver! Though I feel like I’ve known you for quite some time now given how much Opal talks about you. How are you feelin’ now that you’re back from your magical mishap with Minerva?

SILVER: It’s nice to meet you too, Sapphire. I’m… I’m doing as well as I can, all things considered. I’m going to take a look and see if I can figure out what’s blocking Dylan in the Valley of Stars.

DYLAN: Thank you kindly! I will say, I wasn’t expecting other universes to be real, my partner is going to have a field day with this for sure. 

SILVER: I’m not sure that you’ll remember all of this when you go home unfortunately. 

DYLAN: Even if I don’t remember the specifics, I’m sure I’ll remember being right and I’ll lovingly make their life hell over it. 

OPAL: We’ve taken a look at everything we could think to check. It’s like he’s locked in the folder somehow. Even Saph trying to say she didn’t want him there wasn’t enough to dispel him from the Valley and it usually is.

SAPPHIRE: Maybe the universe knows my heart ain’t in it. Under other circumstances, Dylan, I’d be happy to have you in the Valley.

SILVER: Hmm… Did you get a blip on where he fell from?

MARIGOLD: OBV-13. We thought maybe he was from the same reality as the Valley and just wandered into the Valley entrance but it’s fully separate.

SILVER: And the Valley for sure only cuts through this one reality?

OPAL: Yes, we checked that too. Since Saph is the Valley, she can kinda… Feel the space, I guess. It’s only ever felt like two places once and that’s because we were testing a theory. Removed the second reality shortly after, and this was dozens of years ago now. 

SAPPHIRE: That was the weirdest feeling I’ve ever experienced, I’ll tell you that much. It was like my mind was split down the middle and I was seeing my Valley out of one eye and a totally different valley out of the other.

DYLAN: That’s not gonna happen to me, right?

SAPPHIRE: Nah, sweetheart, don’t you worry. You’re fully in one spot right now, if you were in two you woulda felt it. Opal are you sure I can’t keep this one, he’s adorable!

OPAL: I’m sure Dylan would like to go home to his own reality, Sapphire.

DYLAN: As lovely as this place is, I don’t think my partner would like it very much if I never came home. They’re gonna be worried as it is.

SILVER: Mari, what about a heartline? 

MARIGOLD: There is one, but I’m not able to move him along it. It’s not shattered like yours and Whim’s was, but it’s not as fluid as it should be. It’s like Minerva froze him in here.

OPAL: We don’t know for sure that it was Minerva’s doing.

MARIGOLD: Opal you know everything in the multiverse. You should know better than to try and pull that shit with me.

OPAL: …The fact that I can’t determine a source of the issue does point to it most likely being Minerva. But there’s a slim chance it’s something else!

SILVER: It’s fine, Opal. I was already assuming it was Min anyway. Stars, is she ever going to stop?

DYLAN: Pardon me for askin’, but who’s this Minerva you’ve mentioned?

SILVER: She’s… She was my friend. And then she kinda kidnapped me, it’s a whole story, but she’s been doing stuff like this for a while now. I’m really sorry you got caught in the middle of it, you were just trying to live your life. I’m trying to figure out how to stop her. It just hasn’t gone as planned so far. Again, really sorry you got caught up in all of this.

DYLAN: You don’t have to apologize, it seems like it was out of your hands. 

SILVER: Well–

MARIGOLD: It was out of your hands. And Minerva may not have physical hands, but this was all her doing. Do you have any ideas what could be keeping him locked in the Valley?

SILVER: I have a few theories. I’ll need to grab some stuff from my dad’s work station; Whim are you coming with me or do you wanna stay here? (tapping) ‘I’ll stay’ Alright, I’ll be back in a little bit.

(footsteps)

OPAL: I’m worried about them.

MARIGOLD: I think we all are.

OPAL: Did you hear Alasdair’s plan?

MARIGOLD: I did. I’m not sure how I feel about it, but given that Minerva was able to do this… I don’t think we have another option.

SAPPHIRE: Is it the plan you mentioned to me, darlin?

OPAL: It is.

SAPPHIRE: From everything you’ve told me about Silver, I don’t think there’d be any stopping her if she wanted to go. And knowing everythin’ I know, she’s gonna want to go. So it might be best just to let her.

DYLAN: Is it worth asking for context for this?

SAPPHIRE: (laughing) Sorry, sweetheart, some things gotta stay secret from outsiders. And while you’re stuck in the Valley for the time bein’, you’re still an outsider to this issue.

DYLAN: I suppose that’s fair enough. If I do end up stuck here forever, though, I’d like to help. If I can, of course.

SAPPHIRE: That’s mighty kind of you, but this is something too big for me to help with. I doubt it’s something that you would help with, even if you do stay. There’s a vast world out there, Dylan, and my lovely girlfriend and their family help keep things in line. Outside of them, I’m not sure there’s really anyone who can handle this task.

OPAL: Don’t discount yourself, my love, you help in plenty of ways.

SAPPHIRE: (teasing) Outside of cuddling with you, what help am I providing?

OPAL: I personally find your cuddles to be the most important help.

DYLAN: Y’all are cute. 

OPAL: (sheepish) Anyway.

MARIGOLD: You said you have a partner, Dylan?

DYLAN: Indeed I do! They’re the light of my life and they’d love this place. All the stars in the sky and the way the whole place seems to sing with magic… they’d never believe it, but they’d adore it all the same. 

SAPPHIRE: The Valley tends to have that kind of effect on people. 

OPAL: By which my lovely girlfriend means she has that effect on people. She’s the Valley and the Valley gets all of her charms. 

SAPPHIRE: Flatterer.

DYLAN: What about you, Ms. Marigold? Do you have someone romantically in your life?

MARIGOLD: I… No. Not currently. Xander, he– It’s a long story, Dylan. One that you likely don’t want to hear. 

DYLAN: I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry–

MARIGOLD: No, no, it’s fine it’s just… complicated. Or maybe it’s not: I loved someone dearly and I lost him. He… died, for lack of a better term. And I never once thought to find someone else because I wasn’t even supposed to find him in the first place. 

SAPPHIRE: You’re allowed to find happiness again, Mari.

MARIGOLD: It’s not about finding happiness, it’s about– He could be out there still. Even if I don’t fully believe it, I have to have hope that I’m wrong. That he’s there and that this wait is worth it and that one day– That one day he’ll come home. 

OPAL: Your heartline is still there, you know. He pulled himself to you with it once, he could do it again. I know we’ve had this conversation before, Mari, and I know you don’t want to hear it again but it’s true. There’s always a reason to hope. Always.

(footsteps)

SILVER: Alright, I’m back and– tia why are you crying?

MARIGOLD: It’s nothing, Silver. Nothing for you to worry about at least. Did you get a lead on what’s going on? 

SILVER: Mari–

MARIGOLD: We can talk about this later, Silver. Promise.

SILVER: Okay… Well, the good news is I think I’ve figured out why Dylan is stuck. It looks like some sort of warding spell gone wrong– Alasdair would know better, but that can wait until later. I think I’d be able to break it from the ground–

OPAL: You’re not going down there, Silver. That’s exactly what Minerva wants, and you would be in a very obvious location if you went. 

SILVER: I just think–

SAPPHIRE: I happen to be pretty handy with magic, Silver. Maybe I can break it for you. If you describe to me what I need to do, or have Opal drop some written instructions into the Valley for me, we should be able to get this done without putting you at risk.

MARIGOLD: Or someone else can go– Me, Opal, Alasdair, none of us are being targeted the way you are. 

SILVER: (snapping) So what, now I’m just trapped here on the Fringes like I was trapped there with Minerva? (pause) Oh stars, I’m so sorry, I– That wasn’t– I should go.

(footsteps)

MARIGOLD AND OPAL: Silver–

MARIGOLD: (sigh) That… Could’ve gone better. 

OPAL: She left the instructions on breaking the ward before going, at least. I’ll finish up here, you should head after her. We can’t just let her stew in her own emotions.

MARIGOLD: Are you sure? I can get the ward broken–

SAPPHIRE: If I can interject: I’d love for Opal to come down, break the ward, and then spend the night here. Your night, of course, not my night. If Opal spent my night, she’d never be allowed to leave.

OPAL: See? This works out for everyone. Go after them. Alright, Dylan, give me a second to get down there and we’ll get you home, okay? 

DYLAN: Thank you all for your help.

(footsteps)

MARIGOLD: You’re sticking with me then, Whimsy? Not that I’m surprised but… Yeah. Let’s see if he’ll even open the door. (knocking) Silver?

SILVER: I’m sorry.

MARIGOLD: Can I come in? Please? (door opening) Come here, Silver.

SILVER: I shouldn’t have yelled at you two like that. I’m sorry.

MARIGOLD: We should’ve realized how this would feel for you, though. I mean, you’re right; you’ve basically just traded one cage for another because we’re too afraid of you getting taken again.

SILVER: You’re just trying to keep me safe.

MARIGOLD: Is that what she told you too? (pause) Do you… We obviously wanted to get you back, but–

SILVER: I didn’t want to stay with her. If that’s what you’re going to ask. Minerva… Once I remembered, really, truly remembered, it was like a physical ache in my chest trying to get back here. I have never once regretted coming home. I didn’t even know I was missing all of you until I did, it never felt right being there with Minerva. I shouldn’t have said what I said, I’m not trapped, I’m just… A little smothered right now, I think.

MARIGOLD: (laughing) Yeah, that would make sense. We have a tendency to hover, don’t we? But you also have a tendency to take on everything by yourself. 

SILVER: I feel bad–

MARIGOLD: I know, Silver. Really, I do. Which is why we’re going to be here for you, okay? No matter what happens. But we’re also going to back off some so you feel less smothered and more at home. In fact… Alasdair has this absolutely crazy idea that I think will suit your needs right now perfectly. We trust you, Silver. I trust you. I’m sorry our mistrust of Minerva made you feel otherwise.

SILVER: Thank you, Mari. For actually stopping and listening to me about this.

MARIGOLD: That’s what I’m here for. Now, I believe I owe you a story, don’t I?

SILVER: But Opal–

MARIGOLD: Went down to the Valley to handle it. Which means it’s time for you to take a break. You’re not too cool for storytime with your aunt, now, are you?

SILVER: (laughing) No, never too cool for that.

MARIGOLD: Good. So it all starts with Xander…