Dear reader! Whether you are new here, archive-reading and whatnot, or you are already someone who has been with us for quite a while, I would like to say a few words that I believe are best kept close to mind.
-This is an MLP quest. And more importantly, none of us are gratuitously cruel. So good things will happen on this quest, and I hope that enough good things have already happened to prove that.
-This is also a horror quest, so bad things will happen. Bad things might happen to good characters if you are not able to protect them, and you most certainly will not be able to intervene if you lack the tools to do so.
-And finally, this is a quest in which you jostle with powers greater than yourself, with all that it entails.
Please, do keep those things in mind as you go forward. But ultimately, this is also a quest in which it is hoped we all have fun! So if any of the above points is not exactly your cup of tea, or somehow make the experience as a whole "not worth it", then this quest might not be for you. Which is fine! Individual tastes are a thing, so don't think any more about it if you don't want to read anymore. And regardless, I hope you have a lovely day!
Readers should take their own mental health into consideration when voting and not subject themselves to triggering narrative elements like rape or constant mental torture of a friend just for the Greatest Good of a world that doesn't exist.
If those are fine for you or Regrettable is even more triggering, then GREAT! More power to you. But you aren't a bad or selfish person for picking the option that keeps the characters you've emotionally connected with safe. [REDACTED for spoiler warning]
This is a high intensity quest that doesn't hold back when it comes to horror and negative consequences. Take care of yourself.
Might I ask that @Pittauro and @DawnOfBoom lay off on snakeposting (i.e. posting a lot of separate quotes and responses to each individual quote in a single post) a bit and try to formulate their thoughts in a somewhat more laconic manner? I find these conversations absolutely impossible to follow, and I think posting like this is generally frowned upon in these forums overall.
So you know what's a really scary thought I had a while ago? Our Knowledge bonus is usually described as the raw power of a Lore around us, right? How heavily it hangs? And Level Five give us a plus fifty bonus. That's equal to an Alicorn's magic bonus. And the Master presumably has Level Five in everything, except Moth which is even higher. Hell, toss an Attention of the Laws out and Level Five even gives you Plus Fifty to Application.
Basically, the Master is probably tough enough to go toe to toe with Alicorns given preparation. We, uh, we might want to consider that when the summoning comes up.
... I don't know why, but considering how everyone keeps saying the Master loves surprises, I just want to see what would happen when Pinkie Pie tries to throw a surprise party for her arrival.
Might I ask that @Pittauro and @DawnOfBoom lay off on snakeposting (i.e. posting a lot of separate quotes and responses to each individual quote in a single post) a bit and try to formulate their thoughts in a somewhat more laconic manner? I find these conversations absolutely impossible to follow, and I think posting like this is generally frowned upon in these forums overall.
Basically, the Master is probably tough enough to go toe to toe with Alicorns given preparation. We, uh, we might want to consider that when the summoning comes up.
So we have a few options. Play along and let the master come into the world. This could be bad if he makes Luna top priority and uses his massive stats to find her in the waking world given he can now personally search for her. The other things which are so so is using his mass of stats to reliably bring super spirits under his control and power level the lore of our cult through expeditions and now physical lessons. Master will definitely start being more involved in our lives and progress reports. It will definitely increase our cult's powers and presence.
We could defect without us and Jade to push the cult knowledge it would throw the cult's ability to summon master back many months. On the other hand, the cult will be coming for us hard, so we would really need to either have an amazing safe house warded to hell to hide in, or run under Celestia's banner. I am under the impression that most of the other cultists have not even ran past the blank door for rituals.
We could play dumb and delay the summoning ritual. I don't think this has any long term viability, but more time could give more information for our decision. We might be able to push it back a month or two given it is a fairly hard task, but any further and it would be a challenge. At some point, we would have to just let master come in or defect. I don't think we could delay the summoning to after we resurrect Luna. This is a pretty hard task, so just saying we are stuck on a riddle wouldn't be too bad to push it back a couple months. Like I think windy was stuck on getting a base for a couple months, so there are unlikely to be major repercussions just some favor loss.
We could sabotage the ritual. This is like the scenario which I am putting more for completeness than wanting to do. The two ways we could sabotage would be to let it fail a couple times which is a delaying tactic just like playing dumb only good for like a month. Another option is high risk high reward. A summoning ritual has 2 parts a binding to get the spirit to listen to you and a summoning to bring it in. The summoning ritual that the Master wants probably comes without the binding to the summoner. Putting back a binding is possible but too risky. there really isn't any other way. I can't think of any other way to mess with the ritual.
We could do all three - "It is right, because Selene is a child now and it's wrong to hurt children; it is pragmatic, because it's easier (or, in some cases, possible at all) to get things done with the willing aid of the Crown than without and a solid emotional bond with a sane Princess Luna is best for acquiring that; and, most of all, it is what I wanted to do - when I found Selene, the wish that filled my heart was to hold her close and nurture her and keep her safe and happy. I couldn't bring myself to do otherwise."
It is the way of MOTH to flutter between multiple paths, after all.
We could do all three - "It is right, because Selene is a child now and it's wrong to hurt children; it is pragmatic, because it's easier (or, in some cases, possible at all) to get things done with the willing aid of the Crown than without and a solid emotional bond with a sane Princess Luna is best for acquiring that; and, most of all, it is what I wanted to do - when I found Selene, the wish that filled my heart was to hold her close and nurture her and keep her safe and happy. I couldn't bring myself to do otherwise."
It is the way of MOTH to flutter between multiple paths, after all.
I don't think putting them all together will be any more effective than individually, but you're right about it being thematic!
From the Master's perspective, I think the most palatable option would be to be pushed into a certain path (e.g. Harmony), but not really 'forced' into it (which would likely invite retaliation and successful escape attempts from the Moth entity). No idea how to implement that while knowing so little about her, though.
We could do all three - "It is right, because Selene is a child now and it's wrong to hurt children; it is pragmatic, because it's easier (or, in some cases, possible at all) to get things done with the willing aid of the Crown than without and a solid emotional bond with a sane Princess Luna is best for acquiring that; and, most of all, it is what I wanted to do - when I found Selene, the wish that filled my heart was to hold her close and nurture her and keep her safe and happy. I couldn't bring myself to do otherwise."
It is the way of MOTH to flutter between multiple paths, after all.
That actually is a good idea, through I would play something along the lines of "it's was practical, for it helps us establish ties with the Princesses, and ethical, and a thing I wanted to do. Besides, she's not really princess Luna at the moment, so bringing her won't even satisfy the letter of the task. Why should have I already reported it rather than actually completing the task, again?" rather than making an excuse. That way, it will mark us a (potentially) unreliable asset, but not as a disloyal follower, which I believe may be safer for us.
if she was a friend by then, I'd definitely want to talk to her first and hear her opinion. She's pretty insightful about Discord, so she could probably tell us if it's a good idea.
I really think it's a good idea, though. Discord will discord anyway, trying to limit it to the fun kind of chaos would help, and, for all that he'd probably deny it, Discord WANTS to be liked (and to be the center of attention). Comics show it more than the show, but it's in it too.
Eh, I mostly remember it because of the song coming immediately after she said that.
@tapkomet I kinda share DawnOfBoom's feeling on this.
When I answer that way, I'm basically answering in the way that feels the most natural to a series of separate points. I honestly feel that trying to condense an answer would make it worse.
I try to avoid it if it's not necessary, but sometime I feel it's the best way to answer.
That actually is a good idea, through I would play something along the lines of "it's was practical, for it helps us establish ties with the Princesses, and ethical, and a thing I wanted to do. Besides, she's not really princess Luna at the moment, so bringing her won't even satisfy the letter of the task. Why should have I already reported it rather than actually completing the task, again?" rather than making an excuse. That way, it will mark us a (potentially) unreliable asset, but not as a disloyal follower, which I believe may be safer for us.
The master is a monster. He doesn't think like a pony.
But she still thinks and feel, if in a different way.
I don't think he considers any of us an equal, but I think he probably considers Velvet at least a very capable and useful follower, with all we've done thus far. And his opinion of us is likely to grow even more if we bring him the ritual this turn.
So, He appreciates our abilities, and probably likes us a bit, in the way a king appreciates a capable servant and/or like a person likes his own pet.
With all that said, it's not unreasonable to think that he might value our work, and like us enough, to do us this one favour, and let us pursue the Luna/Selene path we honestly expect to work.
He wouldn't share our reasons relating to morality, but he should be able to understand how it IS a good plan, that likely brings the Alicorns on our side (or at least not against us) and open the possibily of diplomacy with Harmony, without actually removing our ability to pursue the glory/reverse mansus paths as well.
All that it's needed to continue following all three paths, with MASSIVE progress on the harmony path, and at most a small delay to the other two (because we'd likely have to avoid the more.. distasteful means to gather power, like human sacrifices and assassinations, simply to maintain good will with the alicorns).
In short, what I'm saying is:
1)we proved, and are continuing to prove, our worth. Though our mansus climb, our learning the lores, the bright library, and the way we helped other advisors (like Starry Sky and Jade) with their jobs.
2)We have a plan for the alicorns, that even the master should acknowledge is a decent plan, though maybe not the best in terms of the immediate results he'd prefer.
3)Whenever he talked to us he seemed to like us/respect us a bit.
with all this added together, he might be willing to give these 8-9 more months we need for the Selene plan, and let us be his... ambassador, to the alicorns. Partly because it's a decent plan to get what he wants, partly because if he didn't he risks losing us, and we ARE a valuable asset to him.
What do you think?
Also
@BirdBodhisattva If I proposed something like this to Jade, what's her opinion about it? She seems to understand the Master better than us, so her insight would be valuable.
@BirdBodhisattva If I proposed something like this to Jade, what's her opinion about it? She seems to understand the Master better than us, so her insight would be valuable.
1)we proved, and are continuing to prove, our worth. Though our mansus climb, our learning the lores, the bright library, and the way we helped other advisors (like Starry Sky and Jade) with their jobs.
2)We have a plan for the alicorns, that even the master should acknowledge is a decent plan, though maybe not the best in terms of the immediate results he'd prefer.
3)Whenever he talked to us he seemed to like us/respect us a bit.
with all this added together, he might be willing to give these 8-9 more months we need for the Selene plan, and let us be his... ambassador, to the alicorns. Partly because it's a decent plan to get what he wants, partly because if he didn't he risks losing us, and we ARE a valuable asset to him.
See I agree with this being the best general course of action.
I Disagree that we should come out and talk about it with the master, at least directly.
Because to get the best outcome we have to not open the box.
The trick is we need to think less logical and more Moth.
I would postulate that the best course of action is not to lay our cards on the table but keep playing it close.
Keep making the steps, but don't look. Waltz while blindfolded. It's risky and scary, but just might be crazy enough to work. It might be Moth enough to work.
not really? I'm asking for JADE's opinion. she's very much capable of being wrong. I just expect her to understand the master slightly better than us, or at least to have seen different facets of her personality
See I agree with this being the best general course of action.
I Disagree that we should come out and talk about it with the master, at least directly.
Because to get the best outcome we have to not open the box.
The trick is we need to think less logical and more Moth.
I would postulate that the best course of action is not to lay our cards on the table but keep playing it close.
Keep making the steps, but don't look. Waltz while blindfolded. It's risky and scary, but just might be crazy enough to work. It might be Moth enough to work.
Starlight repented. If she would end up in the same situation, she would not repeat her attempt to destroy the world.
The one who sits in the Knight's Lodge is not proud of what she did. But would she do it again, if she were in the same situation? She is a creature of radiance. She might look like a human — old habits, old habits — but she's not: she is a part of the Watchman. She lost her childhood, her burdens, her illusions, her pride, her reputation, her shadow (along with the thing that used to have its place in there) and her heart.
Thar is to say, I'm not saying it's a bad thing! Just wanted to remind you that though she's the most human of Names, it doesn't mean she has much humanity left. After all, the closest star is still very, very far away.
That is the Apostle route where you need to ascend your last character from Long to Name.
The Exile route is having your asshole dad hunting for you who is still mostly human. He would kind of be like Velvet Hills learned about the occult, and decided to eschew the path of Glory for immense physical strength, money, and semi-eternal lifespan. Basically, he is like a vampire. Unaging as long as he continues to eat the lifeforce of others. Invincible to anything except sacred or above weapons, and triple the durability of a normal mortal. An edge score of like 14 or something would make him superhumanly fast and strong with a heavy blessing of the Colonel. Unreasonably wealthy from selling life force and with large numbers of minions with lesser copies of his abilities to hunt his enemies.
The Exile had enough of his dad doing some incredibly terrible things and stole a bunch of life and ran. Dad is super pissed and is coming with all his minions. The Exile is funnily enough kind of like a eugenics project from his dad which gives the Exile's betrayal some extra weight and extra rage to the foe for his own flesh and blood betraying him.
You know, looking at how the Lore scraps that we have are laid out, I say that we should try focusing on Grail next (since we have 1 scrap of level 3 Lore for that, which is more than we can say for the others), then follow that up with studying Edge, Forge and Heart in any order. I'm willing to let you lot decide on that one.
You know, looking at how the Lore scraps that we have are laid out, I say that we should try focusing on Grail next (since we have 1 scrap of level 3 Lore for that, which is more than we can say for the others), then follow that up with studying Edge, Forge and Heart in any order. I'm willing to let you lot decide on that one.
I disagree for a simple reason: right now there's still a decent chance of us being able to get Heart 3 next turn.
IF winter doesn't cause another mental breakdown or gives us reason to worry, AND if we get one more heart book, I think getting another heart 3 skill would be better.
Obviously it all depends on what books we find, really. IF we find an exploration sites' book, that would probably be my first priority.
wait, did you mean as "what books to search for? My bad. In that case though we'd probably want to focus on Edge, as we need it to 3 for the lessons to Selene (and if we get it to 3 soon enough we avoid a roll)
I agree that, if not for that, Grail would likely be the best choice though, and an argument could be made that we simply NEED Grail that much more because of how often we have diplo-based rolls.
by the way, right now these are the books we have that give Velvet scraps
BOOK, HEART Level 2. "A novel about a mare who fell in love with a drummer, the romantic parts all written in rhyming poetry".
BOOK, HEART Level 3. "A study about yak culture. The part about their history and folklore is of little use. The chapters about their songs, however…".
BOOK EDGE Level 3. "A posthumous, and rather contentious, biography of the legendary pegasus called Flash Magnus".
and these are the ones only good for the Bright Library.
BOOK, HEART Level 1. "A small book that covers a particular kind of elegant dancing".
BOOK, FORGE Level 1. "A small handbook on camping, explaining the basics of how to build a tent and start a small fire".
BOOK KNOCK Level 2. "A fairly recent, and short, book about dream interpretation. You know it is recent because it was dedicated to Princess Luna's return".
I agree that, if not for that, Grail would likely be the best choice though, and an argument could be made that we simply NEED Grail that much more because of how often we have diplo-based rolls.
I will note that Grail isn't necessarily good for actually-important diplomacy, considering that a lot of it will be with our Confidants/near-Confidants/cult-members, all of whom would either already know of our Grail level or feel the Grail around us just as we could feel it around Copper.
Nearly every Lore has its own way of resisting such effects, and most of them don't render the user amenable to whatever suggestions the other is giving.
Jade in particular may start making Master comparisons if we go down that path.
I will note that Grail isn't necessarily good for actually-important diplomacy, considering that a lot of it will be with our Confidants/near-Confidants/cult-members, all of whom would either already know of our Grail level or feel the Grail around us just as we could feel it around Copper.
Nearly every Lore has its own way of resisting such effects, and most of them don't render the user amenable to whatever suggestions the other is giving.
Jade in particular may start making Master comparisons if we go down that path.
I disagree. You're talking about changing a mechanical benefits to a malus/non-factor.
You can know someone is giving you compliments or doing a favour to you to put you in their debt, and it would STILL have some effect on most people.
Grail lore should be the same.
To put it another way, It's kinda like Vegeta said!
In other words: yeah, she's probably using Grail to convince me... that doesn't make her any less right though.
Or in OTHER other words: being known for having high Grail is similar to being known for being a pretty convincing person. That might make them more cautious, but... well, you ARE a pretty convincing person in the first place!
Of course there are people on which this would be more or less effective, as there are people more easily moved by emotions instead of reason, or that are easier to convince with words than with facts (Comet, for example, is likely pretty resistant to words. It's just who he is).
Now, an INFLUENCE would be a different thing, especially when used on people that KNOW about it. They'd still find you more convincing... but once you leave them, if you ACTUALLY didn't convince them completely, they'd likely rethink things, IF they can go back on their word/agreement.
Also... Did the QM state if Velvet could explore the gateway for other realms that link into Mansus (similar to the dream realm) as that may be handy to learn about...
A funny fact: in order to summon a Raw Prophet, you need Knock 2, Moth 2 and Grail 6. Raw Prophet has Moth 8 and Grail 8, and can be an assistant in rituals. Which means that just with smallest possible scrap of knock lore, once you summon one, you can summon them indefinitely by asking Prophet to bring his friends!
I think Velvet has a sort of Schrodinger's loyalty situation going on. She is simultaneously betraying and not betraying both the Master and the crown, and so long as the box is not opened it can stay that way.
I actually even a bit sad that we can't bring thread's confusions as an argument to the Master, this just so mothy that it might convince even a worst of mothters.
@BirdBodhisattva If I proposed something like this to Jade, what's her opinion about it? She seems to understand the Master better than us, so her insight would be valuable.
I'm not entirely sure of what exactly you are asking about, as in what exactly you are proposing seeing that you stated three arguments up ahead.
But I can confidently say that Jade's answer would be in the lines of "we don't know how the Master would react to finding out about Selene to begin with, so there is no way to tell if this is a good or a bad idea."
Thank you kindly for worrying! But this much doesn't really feel like asking for GM approval.
After all, I do say my piece when it comes to vetoing/commenting on write-ins, for starters. And I have no problems with heavily filtering my answers so it only reflects Jade's point of view. Her being a pony that is a Confidant and that you currently have free access to makes it alright.
Although, of course, if it becomes a chore to answer every single "what would Jade do?" question I'll just say so.
I will note that Grail isn't necessarily good for actually-important diplomacy, considering that a lot of it will be with our Confidants/near-Confidants/cult-members, all of whom would either already know of our Grail level or feel the Grail around us just as we could feel it around Copper.
Nearly every Lore has its own way of resisting such effects, and most of them don't render the user amenable to whatever suggestions the other is giving.
Jade in particular may start making Master comparisons if we go down that path.
In other words: yeah, she's probably using Grail to convince me... that doesn't make her any less right though.
Or in OTHER other words: being known for having high Grail is similar to being known for being a pretty convincing person. That might make them more cautious, but... well, you ARE a pretty convincing person in the first place!
@jason1stlegion I understand your point, and I will say that Pittauro is almost totally correct about it.
I say "almost" because, being late, I might be missing something from his argument that I might want to correct if I were more alert.
That said, Grail being a Lore is more of a "fact" than something inherently good or bad. Like Pittauro said, if you are naturally beautiful or convincing people might dislike you if you use said abilities or natural characteristics for certain ends, and people might even resent (be jealous) of you because you have said skills/characteristics. But the characteristics themselves are not inherently good or bad.
You are just really good at buttering people up. You are just really Grail.
Remember that Copper Secateur had a circle of ponies fawning around her, and most of them probably were aware that she is strong in Grail, much like how club-goers are aware that they are interested in someone because said person is beautiful.
[X] Plan Cooling Down plus family and rituals, SH artifact edition
-[X] The Attention of the Laws [Secret Histories] for the Mansus Ascension
-[X] Number of actions
--[X] 5+1 -[X] Buy Books
--[X] EDGE 3
--[X] KNOCK 2
--[X] WINTER 2
-[X] Rarity
--[X] Act as your emissary. ---[X]Ask for specific Lore artifact. (Secret History 3)
-[X] Jade Whistle
--[X] As per orders. (Perform her cult assignment)
-[X] Selene
--[X] Knock.
-[X] A fleeting opportunity
--[X] Tutoring Twilight
--[X] Deliver Comet Feet's letter
--[X] "Those damn Needles!"
---[X] Ask your uncle
-[X] Personal life
--[X] Family
---[X] Invite and introduce Uncle Steppes to everyone, have a nice family gathering. -[X] On furthering your knowledge
--[X] Read book (write in which)
---[X] Winter 2, Heart 2, Moth 1
-[X] Mission
--[X] Go higher in the Mansus
--[X] If next Door is not reached, attempt again, if full success has been achieved explore past it else explore past the Blank Door
-[X] Shopping
--[X] Books
---[X] In Ponyville. (servant action)
- - -
You double check your saddle purse, making sure you have everything you need, and quite a few things you might not need at all. But just like five minutes ago, everything you had set aside is neatly organized in the (rather expensive looking) leather-bound container.
Copies of all the manuscripts you have written to date, a few other books for reference in case they were needed, and tea.
Tea is important. You do expect, after all, that your "student" will still be rather… distressed.
Today is the day you have promised to meet Twilight Sparkle in order to start giving her the "lessons" you promised her. You still recall her expression when you told her you would return in a few days, as it was clear that she hoped you would start helping her make sense of the things she learned… rather immediately, so to speak. But unfortunately, that just would not have been possible.
The most important reason for that was, basically, because Twilight was not in the right mind for pretty much anything. It took you quite a while just to calm her down enough so you could talk to her, so you knew that even with all the academic skill she has Twilight wasn't really in a state where she would be able to learn anything.
Another reason that was almost as important was, simply put, because you also had to prepare. You realized as soon as you returned home that day that you… are not really quite sure how you are supposed to teach the Lores to other ponies. Speaking from experience it took you years to learn from the Master, taking in tidbits of information over the course of months during the countless cult meetings you went to.
Part of it, you suppose, was due to the Master's elusive nature. But you can't help but think in retrospect that she was in fact gently "easing" you and the other cult members into properly accepting what she was trying to teach.
After all, several things that you now know to be facts can be quite… confusing to the mind of an unprepared pony. Twilight's most recent state can only attest to that.
So, you asked Twilight for a few days, just a few days, so you could return with a lesson that had been properly planned out.
A small part of you wants to think that it has been too long, that even those few days might have been too much for the young mare. Part of you wants to think that you should have checked on her sooner, or given her more attention, or brought her back to your house just so you could keep an eye on her. But you forcefully reel in that part of you, taking a deep breath in order to calm down.
Yes, you do just that.
Besides, you…
Well, it might feel a tiny little bit like cheating, but you checked.
And since you had no flashes of, say, a certain library treehouse up in flames or blown up by a magical explosion, you are confident that nothing extremely bad must have happened.
With those thoughts in mind, you make your way through the streets of Ponyville.
And you are quite thankful when you reach her library and find it unchanged, the sole exception being that the hole on its side is completely repaired now. You think you remember Rarity telling you that one of her friends had fixed it… her name was something Jack…?
Regardless, you make your way to the front door of the library, knocking on it as soon as you reach it.
Much to your surprise, however, somepony opens the door almost immediately.
Or rather, a dragon opens it.
"Oh, hello Spike," you look down at the purple dragon curiously, raising an eyebrow as you think about how little time it took for him to get the door, "this was… rather quick."
The door is barely open though, to the point where you can only see a sliver of the inside of the library, and only part of Spike's face.
But when you take a better look at the small dragon…
A shiver runs down your spine.
"Is it her, SPIKE? Is. It. HER?!"
You hear a shout, a strained and honestly frightening shout, coming from inside the library moments later. Your entire body stiffens at that, your whole mind going blank as all your idle thoughts grind to a halt and evaporate. That shout didn't just surprise you, it actually made you feel something very close to honest fear. Some primal and deep part of you telling you that whatever let out that shout is… very close to insanity.
And Spike also is… you finally notice that spike is trembling. In fact, he looks like he has been trembling for a while now.
"S-… Spike? What is…?" you say, or rather you try to say, in a low tone. But your words fail you as you realize you don't even know exactly what you want to ask him.
For his part, however, he only looks up to you.
And you see something genuine in his eyes.
You can tell that it is not exactly fear that you see in them. It is fear, in a way, but not for himself. And as you look into his eyes you remember in an instant about everything Rarity has ever told you about the small dragon. You remember how she, in her doting way and with her doting words, described to you how he was essentially like a small foal. Spike, you know, is probably no older than your own daughter or than Rarity's sister.
To put it simply then: Spike is a child.
But what you are seeing in his eyes right now is… is a deep sort of fear. It is a mixture of fear, worry and dread that has no right to be in the eyes of one so young, be them dragon or otherwise.
And the cause of that, you can tell in an instant, is obviously…
"Y-you're that miss from the other day, right…?" he whispers, voice so low that you can barely hear him. "Please… can you help Twil-?"
"OH Spike, what are you DOING with that door CLOSED? I can't SEE her like THAT!"
That same shout, that same voice, interrupts the small dragon, and shakes you out of the small shock you were in. But before you can properly think about anything else the door is grabbed by a purple gleam of telekinesis and is practically flung open.
And you…
"She's HERE Spike. See?! JUST like I told you!"
You stiffen up slightly at what you see.
The interior of the library, the main hall that is usually lined with cabinets filled with books, now looks like a… There is no other way to describe it. It looks like the interior of a classroom.
One straight out of a horror book, that is.
Truth be told, there is no one thing in particular that stands out, no single detail that immediately makes you balk or hesitate. But the whole atmosphere of the place just feels… wrong.
For starters, the place is really set up like a classroom. Blackboards, several of them, are placed around the area, most of them outright blocking the bookcases that are behind them. All of them, without exception, have an orderly collection of chalks next to them, of almost every color you can think of.
And then there is the… the "teacher's" desk? There is a large desk a few hoofsteps away from the door, one that could not be more stereotypical if it tried. You see a small collection of books by its side, a map of Equestria placed over it and even a… disturbingly shining apple waiting for you at said desk.
Something tells you that somepony has actually polished that apple, seeing how shiny it is. And it does not escape you that the desk is suspiciously aligned to the front door, to the point that the "teacher" would literally be in position to begin the class as soon as she so much entered the room.
A small chill runs down your spine. You think you have figured out why the place is so disturbing. Everything you see, everywhere you look, is organized… excessively organized. To the point where you can imagine a certain pony spending hours on end making sure that everything is in place, down to the smallest detail.
It doesn't help that your mental image of said preparations also includes Spike being forced to stand by the door during the whole morning, ready to open the door as soon as anypony knocked on it.
And of course, the mare herself is…
Right in the middle of the hall is Twilight Sparkle, sitting on a wooden chair and behind a wooden desk like a filly on her first day at school. A small saddle bag is hanging neatly behind her chair, filled to the brim with school supplies, that looks all the more unsettling because… well, because this is her house, and she could simply go up a flight of stairs and fetch any materials that she required should the need arise.
She also has a smile on her face that is all too wide to be either honest or healthy.
And you…
You swallow something dry as you take all of that in, your eyes making a full round through the hall before finally settling back on her.
"Hello Twi… light…?" you hesitate, not really sure of what in the heavens you are supposed to do.
"Good afternoon TEACHER!" is all she answers, her eyes expectantly glued on you to the point that you are sure you will be able to feel her stare should you turn your back to her.
Which only causes you to freeze even further. This is definitely not what you thought would be waiting for you.
You glance at Spike with a worried expression, but much to your dismay he only answers your gaze with one of downright fear of his own.
And at that, you can't help but…
[A Mentor must be always calm, breakpoints 30/70/100]
[You know what to do, and more importantly you know what to prioritize]
But return her stare with one of your own.
However, you don't return her stare with the same intensity. Quite on the contrary, even.
You return her bright and maddened stare with one of cold calm, and pity.
You can see it clearly, that light coming from behind her eyes, that smudged taint of obsession and… well, not of delirium. Not yet at least. You can see it in there, and you can see how that light is distorting the way she sees the world, and how in return she is distorting the world around her so as to conform with her view.
But… you can also see that this problem is much greater than Twilight Sparkle herself. You had a vague idea of just how much she was out of it, last time you met her. You even made sure to stay with her for a good while after you had promised her to give her lessons, just to make sure that she was better.
You had honestly, truthfully thought that she would be fine during the few days you were away. You knew that the ugly light behind her eyes was still there when you left, but you had no idea that waiting for you would have made her be like this.
Your eyes wander around the twisted classroom once again, and you let out a sigh as you analyze all of it with a more clinical gaze.
You wonder how it was like.
You wonder how it was like for her, the mare who is too smart for her own good, as she was trapped in the shiny confines of her own mind.
And also, you wonder how it was like for…
"Spike," you say. He almost jumps up as you suddenly talk to him, but he stands his ground and looks up at you regardless.
You wonder how it was like for him. A small twinge of guilt adds itself to what you are already feeling inside your chest, as you think about that.
After all, Rarity did tell you that he and Twilight have a very deep bond. He was also there when you visited Twilight a few months back, during that study session.
But you also remember that he was not here a few days ago, when you visited Twilight again. Or at least you didn't see him. You wonder for a moment where he might have been then...
Maybe he was hiding somewhere in the house, terrified of the way Twilight was acting? Maybe he was out, trying to call one of her friends to talk to her one more time?
You don't know. But you do know he has probably been with her during the entire thing… while she was like this. This whole ordeal must have been far more frightening to him that it is being disturbing to you.
So, you realize you owe fixing this mess to Spike as much as you owe it to Twilight.
"I'm sorry," you say to the small purple dragon. "And I promise I'll help Twilight," you finish.
And then you turn your attention back to the mare sitting at the center of the library.
- - -
The two of you look at Twilight Sparkle. You have no idea of what must be going through her mind, but at least her expression looks calm as she lays on her bed.
You can hear Spike fidgeting by your side. You can tell that he is a bit calmer now, although only slightly. But you don't blame him for that. He has probably seen her sleep too many times by now, hoping that she would wake up better only to be disappointed.
"I've already seen her like this…" Spike says hesitantly, "back when she studied at the castle. Well, not nearly this bad to be honest. But whenever Celestia gave her a special project, or when she was close to her exams, or when she had to… well, she'd also lose sleep and be less… normal."
He looks towards the ground as he talks, not really sure of what to say next. He nervously raises a clawed hand a few moments later, scratching against the scales of his cheeks more out of agitation than anything else.
"But never like this…" you hear him mumble.
The two of you have been like this for a while now, sitting on Twilight's room and watching her sleep.
Getting here wasn't exactly hard. You realized in an instant that you would not be able to talk reason into her. That, and well… you took your time to talk to her the last time you were here, and you left her thinking that she would be alright.
But it seems that she regressed back to her initial state, or got worse, not long after. So talking while she is in that state probably would not help.
Instead, you put on your best "teacher" voice, and asked her to "demonstrate" if she could perform a sleeping spell on herself. Moments later you were following Spike towards her room, and away from that twisted classroom, while you carried her with your magic.
Seeing that she is sleeping now, you are taking your time to talk to Spike himself.
In all honesty, he nearly frightened you the first time you saw him. After all he is still a dragon, no matter how small. Talking to Rarity did help you to at least think of him as "harmless", but you had not really stopped seeing him as a dragon.
But right now… you can only look at him as a frightened and lost colt.
"You have been with her for a long time now, haven't you?" you ask him.
And he gives you a despondent nod for an answer.
"She uh… she actually hatched me, miss…"
"Just call me Velvet, dear."
"Okay… well, I was told I was just an egg back at the School for Gifted Unicorns, and she hatched me during her entrance exam… must have been ten years ago, I think, but Twilight and her family are…"
You nod at that. They basically adopted the dragon, you can tell.
"Well, Twilight is like a sister to me."
"I think I understand…"
You wave your horn, making it glow for a few moments. Your saddle purse glows with the same light shortly after, and you gently bring out the tea you have brought with you.
You had originally brought the tea for Twilight, but she is sleeping right now. And you really think Spike needs a bit of calming down more than she does as things stand.
After all, comparing pains is not something you really think is possible… But Twilight is currently not herself, as she goes through all of this. Spike, on the other hoof, was forced to live through this whole experience while perfectly sane and lucid.
And that is, again, without mentioning how young he is.
"You care for her very much, don't you?" you ask, pouring the hot tea out of the magical container and offering him a cup.
"Yeah…" he says, accepting the tea but still looking downwards.
From his tone, you can very clearly tell that he left a big "she is everything I have" unsaid.
"And I'm sure she cares for you too," you say, seeing him give a small nod at that.
The two of you stay for a while like that.
- - -
You and Spike talked a little more, and you slowly tried to calm his nerves down.
He asked you why Twilight Sparkle was like that, and you answered him that this was just one of the dangers of studying magic.
You asked him to tell you a bit about Twilight, and you were treated to a heartwarming, even if weighted down by the current circumstances, description of the mare by one who sees himself as her little brother.
The two of you talked, and you think you did a good job at calming down his young heart.
But you know that you won't be able to help him by just talking. Nothing short of making Twilight better will be enough to actually fix this situation and you know that.
So, you asked him to wait outside while you set to work. You thought he would be a little more resistant to that, considering how much he cares for Twilight Sparkle. But it seems that he is already used to "unicorn magic stuff" as he put it, and you did tell him you would use a bit of magic. That, or perhaps he is just the kind of pony… the kind of dragon that can't stand still for long, seeing how he said he would go downstairs and start cleaning up the "classroom" while you worked.
Regardless, you take this as a sign of trust from him, if nothing else.
And that does makes you feel slightly conflicted, considering your involvement in Twilight Sparkle's situation…
Maybe he doesn't know that you are… partly to blame for Twilight's current predicament? You start piecing together the past events as you think about that. Maybe he was too young and naïve to connect the dots, being too innocent to think that you could possibly be to blame for this, seeing that you are here to help.
Or maybe it is because you told him you are close to Rarity.
Regardless, you must take care of Twilight now, for her own sake and for his.
And you do have a plan… unpleasant as it might be.
The thing that strikes you the most is the fact that… that you can feel, that you can see that Twilight has a problem. Not as a subjective malady that is affecting her mannerism and reason, but as something that you can truly see when you look into her eyes.
What disturbs you the most is that her affliction is a very real taint that is inside of her, slick with Glory and its allure. Perhaps it might even be said that this is an Influence, twisted and misused.
After all, you know that the Lores are as much knowledge as they are reality. You know they change your mind as you learn them, much like how they change the world when they are properly applied.
So, you think, Twilight's ailment is related to the Lores and caused by the Lores, and befell her by sheer virtue of the mare… studying in the incorrect manner, of all things. Perhaps there is a comparison to be made between her and a botanist that was poisoned while studying a new species of plant, but you have no time to entertain such thoughts.
No… you have work to do.
A grim work, at that.
For if her problem is the excess of light inside her mind… you will work to douse that light.
You will try to make this as painless as possible to her. But you also know that, by sheer principle, this will not be pleasant.
With steady hoofsteps you walk towards Twilight Sparkle, sitting next to her bed when you are close enough.
And with that, you start whispering the words into Twilight's sleeping ears.
You start whispering to her the same words, heavy with Moth and the long shadows that trees cast at night, that you would whisper while weaving a nightmare. Not exactly the same words that your Master whispered months ago, while hunting for a demigoddess, but they share the same principle. After all, at this range you have no need for Knock or a Ritual Circle.
You start whispering to her how her life might turn out if she continues to foster that opaque light behind her eyes. You whisper to her how her life will be like if Spike were to leave her, because of that.
You start whispering to her how things would be… if he were to die by her fault, by virtue of a twisted accident or otherwise, should she allow herself to be drawn deeper and deeper into the fascinating light of her derangement.
When she wakes up, she doesn't scream or fumble about. She doesn't even move.
When Twilight Sparkle wakes up, she only opens her eyes.
Moments later, you see tears falling down through her cheeks, soaking the pillow under her head. But still, she doesn't move an inch.
And you patiently wait.
"Wh…" she tries to say something, but fails, her voice too heavy with emotion to convey anything.
So you patiently wait, as she tries to speak, again, and again, and again.
Until she finally manages to form something that is more than a syllable.
"What… happened to me…?" is all she asks.
And you finally allow yourself to move, gently bringing a hoof to her cheeks so as to dry her tears.
"Twilight, first of all I am sorry," you say, your voice calm but utterly honest. "I… can't promise that I will be able to shield you from everything, but I promise I will do everything I can."
She slowly turns to face you, and you can see in her expression that she is…
Sad.
Confused.
Shocked.
But to your absolute surprise… she is not scared.
That baffles you for a few moments, although you don't let it show on your face. But for some reason you... you think you know why that is.
Although you will have to check, you think, as you formulate your next words.
"Let me ask you something Twilight… do you know what the dangers of studying magic are?"
You know she does, you are sure of it. You are asking that partly to check how much she is really conscious and out of her shock… and to check if your suspicions are correct, as to why she is not… scared.
"Y-yeah…" she says, still chocking back tears, but slowly getting her bearings back. "Wounds… permanent transfigurations… irreparable damages… blown up horns…"
You nod towards her. Yes, the list of dangers is long, and that is one of the chief concerns to anypony who is teaching young unicorns: to hammer into them that magic is not a plaything. All sorts of terrible things can happen and sometimes, if a foal is especially talented or has a great predisposition to magic, it can happen when they are still incredibly young.
That sort of thing is also a great cause of fear to non-unicorn ponies who have unicorn foals… but that is beside the point.
No. What matters is that you think you know why Twilight seems so…
You dare not say that she is encouraged after this whole ordeal, but she does seem… less intimidated?
"That's right," you continue, "and much like how learning unicorn magic has its dangers, all of them centered around your horn… learning what I am going to teach you will also have its own sets of dangers. Some of them centered around your body, some of them affecting the very world around you… but many of them centered around your mind."
You see her nod at that, her expression a mixture of concentration at your words, and utter grief for very obvious reasons, considering what she just woke up from.
"And we just pulled you out from one of those dangers, Twilight… Again, I am very sorry that this happened to begin with, but if nothing else… well, I want you to promise me that you will not study or experiment on anything that I teach you on your own, alright?" you say, summoning up your most teacher-like voice with all the gentleness you can muster.
Thankfully, Twilight simply nods at that… and considering how much it seems that the mare likes to research on her own, you can't help but think that something good might have come out from all of this.
If nothing else, at least this fright will ensure that she won't go too deep into the Lores while away from your supervision…
But you will worry about that later. In all honesty, you think this was more than enough for today's "lesson". You are just glad that Twilight Sparkle is fine now, as you can't see even the slightest hint of that light in her eyes.
Actual learning can come much, much later.
"Well then," you say, finally letting a smile appear on your lips, "I think we have had quite enough for today. I'll see myself out."
Without another word you get up and head towards the door. As soon as you turn your back to her though, you hear the mare finally let out the repressed sobs she had been holding back, each growing louder than the last as you walk away from her.
But still, you keep walking. Partly to afford her a little dignity, as it seems she tried her best to hide from you just how frightened she was, but also because...
Because you feel… wrong. Perhaps the correct word would be "stained" or "dirty", but you definitely don't feel well.
You know what you did to Twilight Sparkle. You know exactly what you did to bring her to this point, and you know precisely what you whispered in her ears and into her dreams in order to pull her out of it.
You very much want to go back and hug her, you want to be there for her as she finishes waking up and the entirety of her memories come crashing down on her.
But you can't.
You can't do that because you are not Spike, and you know that the one she very dearly needs right is her little brother…
And you can't because you know how deep your hoofs are in all of this mess.
You don't have the right to console her. Not like this. Not after everything you have done.
Spike might never connect the dots of how exactly things played out. Twilight, on the other hoof, might be able to piece everything together, but you can already tell that ultimately she "understands" why things turned out like this, seeing how she immediately understood that learning about this is as dangerous as learning about unicorn magic.
She might understand this, and brush this whole experience off as she might a particularly bad attempt with a rather explosive spell. It can be that she has already forgiven you.
But you… you don't forgive yourself.
It might just be that you never will.
...
Well, you are just glad, from the bottom of your heart, that you managed to fix this whole mess without any sort of permanent damage.
Spike is too young for his bond to be tracked as anything other than an Acquaintance, but you can confidently tell that you are closer to him now.
Twilight Sparkle has been healed of her Fascination.
You tried to be as gentle as possible, but you still had to hurt her a little in order to save her from something far worse. She has already forgiven you, and immediately learned the lesson that these things you will teach her will be as dangerous as learning unicorn magic. It can also be said that this whole ordeal has been taken care of very well. But personally, you still…
Is this what being a mentor is supposed to feel like?
