New Moon Rises (MLP Quest)
- Thread starter Dragontrapper
- Start date
Dragontrapper
Homeless Draconis
- Location
- A Tower in the middle of nowhere
What sort of spy would you be if you can't do a stealth take down? (Be glad this isn't dice-based or you'd have to roll for it.)
serra2
Himouto! Sylvanas-chan
One that gets caught on her first stakeout by the target?
DB_Explorer
Purveyor of alternate realities.
- Location
- San Diego, California
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Is Chromia's father the Pony version of Sam Fischer? : P
Dragontrapper
Homeless Draconis
- Location
- A Tower in the middle of nowhere
Nah - Chromia's dad is an astronomer; Her mother on the other hand...
Edit: Tally!
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Back of the Back Pt.4
Dragontrapper
Homeless Draconis
- Location
- A Tower in the middle of nowhere
So… another spy poking around in the same files as you, probably with about as much authorization as you, and given your luck these days probably a cultist.
Who were you to turn down such a prime target?
You carefully, silently climb atop the filing cabinets before climbing into the rafters. You hook your hind legs over the beam, watching the other figure pass below you. You grin as you swing down, hanging upside down. You've always wanted to try this.
The stallion glances around nervously as you watch the back of his head. You give him another moment before saying anything, "'Sup."
The stallion spins around with a gasp as you drop down, twisting mid-air as you wrap your wings around him. Leathery membranes muffle the crashing of bodies into the floor into a nearly inaudible thud. You wrap your legs around him, pinning his limbs to his side as one hoof pins his jaw closed, "Shhh," you whisper in his ear as he struggles, "Just let it happen."
Apparently leaning in to taunt him was a bad idea though, since he proceeds to rear his head back and slam into your nose. You bite back a curse as he manages to finally wiggle free, scrambling away a few paces before turning to turning to stare at you with a mix of terror and surprise, "What the buck are-"
You rush forward, one hoof forcing his mouth shut as you pin him again, "Just a shadow in the dark," you answer softly. You're pretty sure that there's just enough light in the room to give your eyes a nice glow, "Now, time for bed," You don't get the chance to hit his pressure point as something under his robe glows for a moment before detonating in a blinding flash, "Motherfuck-" you swear as you reel back.
"False messenger!" the cultist hisses as he gets back to his hooves, "Unworthy child of Darkness; I shall not falter in my sacred duties!"
"Yeah, that's great," you reply as you blink out the last of the stars from your vision, "But I'm going to have to disagree."
"You shall not stop me, traitor," the cultist said back with a glare, "I will not allow it."
"But I already did," you say with a smirk as you tap at the side of your neck. Confused, the cultist reached up to his own neck – and felt the small dart stuck there, "Yeah – like I said, just let it happen."
The cultist stared at you for another moment, "Motherbu-" he was cut off as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he slumped to the floor. You darted forward to catch him, quietly lowering him the the ground before beginning to search him. You find a burned-out jewel that had probably held the flash-grenade spell, a few more jewels that still had the faint glow of magic inside them and, finally, the files you were looking for.
"Lets see what you were after..." you begin to flip through the files, and after only a few seconds you frown. They were personnel files on yourself, Sunburst, Twilight Sparkle - and Miss Lulamoon. From the looks of it, they were some sort of 'Pony of Interest' files put together by the Royal Guard. Employment history, known contacts and relations, psychological evaluations, behavior profiles… the works. They had what looked like a copy of the Captain's service record as well. You glance between the files and the stallion, "What are you up to…?"
musings on cultist shenanigans are cut short as you hear somepony outside the door and are reminded that this is the middle of a royal guard garrison. With a sigh, you tuck the files away and grab the cultist by the hem of his cloak, "The things I do for my job..."
The next fifteen minutes are spent figuring out a way to drag a comatose stallion through an air vent without alerting the entire building of your presence. You end of resorting to using his cloak to haul him up and through. After that, stuffing him inside the waste bin of your cleaning cart and sneaking back out was easy.
You're still disguised as a janitor as you roll back up to Miss Lulamoon's door and knock, "Turn down service!"
"Trixie is not interested at the moment," a muffled shout replies from the other side of the door, followed by lower voices you can't quite make out. Sounds like Sunburst is back. Twilight is probably still working in the library, if you had to guess.
"I really must insist ma'am," you shout back through the door, and after a moment you can make out heavy stomping just before the door is yanked open.
"Trixie said-" she stops as she notices who you are, "...Trixie assumes things went well?" she asks as she gestures for you to come in.
"Well enough," you say with a shrug as you push the cart past her and into the room, "Got the files and-" you pat the cart, "-another guest."
"A cultist?" Sunburst asks as he walks over. Behind him, Silver is sitting on the bed, her book forgotten as she watches the three of you.
"Yup – wasn't sure what to do with him though." you explain.
"So you brought him here!?" he exclaims, recoiling from the cart.
"If I left him there the guards would have known somepony had dropped by!" you shoot back before turning to Miss Lulamoon, "Anyhow, I got the case files and the files he was looking for. Personnel files on all of us, plus the Captain. No idea why they wanted them though."
"Blackmail perhaps?" Sunburst suggests as you lay both files down on a nearby table.
"Or leverage," Miss Lulamoon suggests as she walks over to the table, "They just need to find a weak point and squeeze..." she stares down at the files for a moment, "Trixie's problems seem to keep growing – It's about time we sorted them out. Let us begin with..."
(PICK ONE)
[ ] "...More sensitive matters," She says, nodding for you to follow her out as she glances toward Silver.(Start with the case file)
[ ] "...Finding out just what the Guards now about us," She says as she takes the second file and flips it open. (Start with the personnel files)
[ ] "...Working out what to do with our new guest," she says as she turns from the files and heads toward the cart. (Start with the cultist)
Who were you to turn down such a prime target?
You carefully, silently climb atop the filing cabinets before climbing into the rafters. You hook your hind legs over the beam, watching the other figure pass below you. You grin as you swing down, hanging upside down. You've always wanted to try this.
The stallion glances around nervously as you watch the back of his head. You give him another moment before saying anything, "'Sup."
The stallion spins around with a gasp as you drop down, twisting mid-air as you wrap your wings around him. Leathery membranes muffle the crashing of bodies into the floor into a nearly inaudible thud. You wrap your legs around him, pinning his limbs to his side as one hoof pins his jaw closed, "Shhh," you whisper in his ear as he struggles, "Just let it happen."
Apparently leaning in to taunt him was a bad idea though, since he proceeds to rear his head back and slam into your nose. You bite back a curse as he manages to finally wiggle free, scrambling away a few paces before turning to turning to stare at you with a mix of terror and surprise, "What the buck are-"
You rush forward, one hoof forcing his mouth shut as you pin him again, "Just a shadow in the dark," you answer softly. You're pretty sure that there's just enough light in the room to give your eyes a nice glow, "Now, time for bed," You don't get the chance to hit his pressure point as something under his robe glows for a moment before detonating in a blinding flash, "Motherfuck-" you swear as you reel back.
"False messenger!" the cultist hisses as he gets back to his hooves, "Unworthy child of Darkness; I shall not falter in my sacred duties!"
"Yeah, that's great," you reply as you blink out the last of the stars from your vision, "But I'm going to have to disagree."
"You shall not stop me, traitor," the cultist said back with a glare, "I will not allow it."
"But I already did," you say with a smirk as you tap at the side of your neck. Confused, the cultist reached up to his own neck – and felt the small dart stuck there, "Yeah – like I said, just let it happen."
The cultist stared at you for another moment, "Motherbu-" he was cut off as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he slumped to the floor. You darted forward to catch him, quietly lowering him the the ground before beginning to search him. You find a burned-out jewel that had probably held the flash-grenade spell, a few more jewels that still had the faint glow of magic inside them and, finally, the files you were looking for.
"Lets see what you were after..." you begin to flip through the files, and after only a few seconds you frown. They were personnel files on yourself, Sunburst, Twilight Sparkle - and Miss Lulamoon. From the looks of it, they were some sort of 'Pony of Interest' files put together by the Royal Guard. Employment history, known contacts and relations, psychological evaluations, behavior profiles… the works. They had what looked like a copy of the Captain's service record as well. You glance between the files and the stallion, "What are you up to…?"
musings on cultist shenanigans are cut short as you hear somepony outside the door and are reminded that this is the middle of a royal guard garrison. With a sigh, you tuck the files away and grab the cultist by the hem of his cloak, "The things I do for my job..."
The next fifteen minutes are spent figuring out a way to drag a comatose stallion through an air vent without alerting the entire building of your presence. You end of resorting to using his cloak to haul him up and through. After that, stuffing him inside the waste bin of your cleaning cart and sneaking back out was easy.
You're still disguised as a janitor as you roll back up to Miss Lulamoon's door and knock, "Turn down service!"
"Trixie is not interested at the moment," a muffled shout replies from the other side of the door, followed by lower voices you can't quite make out. Sounds like Sunburst is back. Twilight is probably still working in the library, if you had to guess.
"I really must insist ma'am," you shout back through the door, and after a moment you can make out heavy stomping just before the door is yanked open.
"Trixie said-" she stops as she notices who you are, "...Trixie assumes things went well?" she asks as she gestures for you to come in.
"Well enough," you say with a shrug as you push the cart past her and into the room, "Got the files and-" you pat the cart, "-another guest."
"A cultist?" Sunburst asks as he walks over. Behind him, Silver is sitting on the bed, her book forgotten as she watches the three of you.
"Yup – wasn't sure what to do with him though." you explain.
"So you brought him here!?" he exclaims, recoiling from the cart.
"If I left him there the guards would have known somepony had dropped by!" you shoot back before turning to Miss Lulamoon, "Anyhow, I got the case files and the files he was looking for. Personnel files on all of us, plus the Captain. No idea why they wanted them though."
"Blackmail perhaps?" Sunburst suggests as you lay both files down on a nearby table.
"Or leverage," Miss Lulamoon suggests as she walks over to the table, "They just need to find a weak point and squeeze..." she stares down at the files for a moment, "Trixie's problems seem to keep growing – It's about time we sorted them out. Let us begin with..."
(PICK ONE)
[ ] "...More sensitive matters," She says, nodding for you to follow her out as she glances toward Silver.(Start with the case file)
[ ] "...Finding out just what the Guards now about us," She says as she takes the second file and flips it open. (Start with the personnel files)
[ ] "...Working out what to do with our new guest," she says as she turns from the files and heads toward the cart. (Start with the cultist)
DB_Explorer
Purveyor of alternate realities.
- Location
- San Diego, California
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Chromia is best bet pony!
We must have her teach Silver in the art of sneakiness!
ok ok we need a chair and some rope and a tower we can throw them off of while tied to the chair thats tied to the tower.
Trixie: Ok so this is how it's going to work -
Cultist: Just throw me off the tower false prophet.
Trixie: OK!
Cultist: I will tel- wait whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
DB_Explorer
Purveyor of alternate realities.
- Location
- San Diego, California
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] "...Working out what to do with our new guest," she says as she turns from the files and heads toward the cart. (Start with the cultist)
- Location
- New Hampshire
[X] "...Working out what to do with our new guest," she says as she turns from the files and heads toward the cart. (Start with the cultist)
[X] "...Working out what to do with our new guest," she says as she turns from the files and heads toward the cart. (Start with the cultist)
[x] Hide the files first.
the files are not likely going to get up and leave but the cultist might or try and commit suicide. Also can we please hid all the files we have taken somewhere before we do anything else as I don't want the cliche thing to happen where we finish interrogating the cultist and then have guards burst in due to the noise or something causing the files to be taken .
I think Trixie would be Gene-savvy enough to see this happening.
[x] Hide the files first.
the files are not likely going to get up and leave but the cultist might or try and commit suicide. Also can we please hid all the files we have taken somewhere before we do anything else as I don't want the cliche thing to happen where we finish interrogating the cultist and then have guards burst in due to the noise or something causing the files to be taken .
I think Trixie would be Gene-savvy enough to see this happening.
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serra2
Himouto! Sylvanas-chan
[X] "...More sensitive matters," She says, nodding for you to follow her out as she glances toward Silver.(Start with the case file)
Given how resistant most of the cultists have been to this point, unless we want to be dipping into the dark place and alerting Celestia to what's up again, I suggest we focus on the much safer files.
Given how resistant most of the cultists have been to this point, unless we want to be dipping into the dark place and alerting Celestia to what's up again, I suggest we focus on the much safer files.
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Motherfucker vs Motherbucker. Do they say both?
[X] "...Working out what to do with our new guest," she says as she turns from the files and heads toward the cart. (Start with the cultist)
Dragontrapper
Homeless Draconis
- Location
- A Tower in the middle of nowhere
They do now!
DB_Explorer
Purveyor of alternate realities.
- Location
- San Diego, California
- Pronouns
- He/Him
grade A world building right here!
Dragontrapper
Homeless Draconis
- Location
- A Tower in the middle of nowhere
tally! Edit - oh, hey; nearly ten voters.
Back of the Back Pt.5
Dragontrapper
Homeless Draconis
- Location
- A Tower in the middle of nowhere
You consider things for a long moment, glancing between the files and your new… guest, "Trixie's problems seem to keep growing – It's about time we sorted them out. Let us begin with..." you make a decision, "...Working out what to do with our new guest," you say as you turn to the cart.
"Yes!" Chromia does a little hoof-pump as she grabs the cart and starts pushing it toward her room, "This way, ma'am! I've got a few ideas I've always wanted to try!" Well, you think, you didn't want to do this in sight of Silver anyhow.
"By all means, lead the way," you say as you follow behind her, crossing the hall and into her room. As soon as you're inside, the bat pony ditches the car in the middle of the room as she begins dousing every source of light in the room. You watch her run about for a minute before asking, "Chromia, what are you doing?"
"Setting the atmosphere!" she explains as the last magelight lamp dies and she grabs a chair to drag to the middle of the room, "You remove any indicator of where and when you are, get rid of any sort of environmental cues and then they can't get any sort of bearing. They start filling in the missing details with their own worst nightmares."
You feel a small smirk grow on your face, "The scariest monster is the one you never see, is it? Trixie is reminded of her own work."
"All about showing them what you want them to see, right?" Chomia replies as digs into a bag by the bed and pulls out a coil of rope that soon joins the chair. She considers the scene for a moment, tapping at her chin, "Hrm… it's missing something… Oh! Hold on a minute." Without further preamble, she dashes to the door, light briefly flooding inside as she ducked into the hall.
You stare after her for a moment.
Well, she's certainly enthusiastic. Wonder when the last time she got to do this was?
"Probably never, Trixie thinks," you reply as the door swings open again, this time staying open as Chromia rolls in, "...is that a brazier?"
"Yup!" Chromia replies as she rolls the oversized piece of metalwork into place just in front of the chair. She gives it a few nudges before nodding and collecting a few more objects from her bags and tossing them into the brazier, "Perfect! Now just to tie him up."
You watch the bat pony trot over to the cart, tossing aside a bits of garbage to reveal the still comatose stallion before grabbing him and…
…failing to move him despite what looks like considerable effort, "...Problems, Chromia?"
"I'm fine!" she replies quickly as she keeps trying, "Stupid… cart… no… leverage…"
Oh, come on and help her.
With a roll of your eyes you lift the stallion out of the trash bin and settle him into the chair with a burst of levitation. Chromia glances between the stallion and you briefly before she begins tying him up, "I almost had it..."
"Sure you did," you reply as you glance around, "...Trixie is not sure this is dark enough…."
"Super night vision, remember?" Chromia replies as she finishes the knots, "To him this is pitch black..." she stands up from behind the chair with a frown as she adds, "Actually – you never did say how you got that..."
"Cultist shenanigans, Trixie assumes," you reply with a shrug before gesturing at the stallion with a wave of your hoof, "Now, shall we begin…?"
"Yup," Chromia replies with a nod, taking a seat on the floor opposite the brazier from the chair before glancing back at you, "...could you back up a few steps? I don't want you visible until the opportune moment,"
"Very well," you back up a few steps, "And how will Trixie know the opportune moment?"
"I'm sure you'll figure it out," she replies as she turns to your prisoner, "I'm waking him up now," She reaches under her wing and tosses a small vial into the brazier. In the dark, you can just make out a faint curling of what could be smoke before the smell of salt and flowers hits you. It seems to hit the stallion too as he begins to stir.
"...wha?" the stallion slurs as he slowly returns to consiousness, "Wha…? Where am…?"
"You have been a very naughty pony," Chromia says softly, pitching her voice just right, her voice echoing around the room, "Getting into things that are not yours..."
"I do not answer to you, whoever you are!" the stallion shouts back, head swiveling as he tries to find the speaker, "I answer only to my goddess and her disciples!"
"Oh?" At that moment, the brazier bursts into blue flames and illuminates Chromia's fanged grin in stark contrasts, "And what if she has forsaken you?"
"My goddess will not abandon me, False Messenger!" the stallion hisses back, "Your words shall not sway me. I will not stray from Her divine will!"
Oh really?
"And what," you say as you slowly stride forward, the words spilling from your lips before you realize what you're saying, "Makes you think that the will you follow is mine?"
"The Sacrifice," the stallion says as he watches you, the way he stresses the last word making it sound like an insult, "You are but a petty vessel for Her Divine..." his voice trails off as you pace around the brazier, shadows slowly licking around your hooves and up your legs. Your eyes glow as they bore into the stallion, and his jaw drops open as you set your mane billowing for good measure. Stars and Stones, you love illusion magic.
Hey! Some of that is me!
"False messengers seduce my wayward herd to lead them onto fallow ground," you say as you pace around the stallion, "defiling my name with unclean acts. You will answer our questions – or you will learn the true meaning of judgment." The stallion nods weakly, "Good," you glance at Chromia and see that she is staring at you in… a mix of surprise and awe. You smirk a little as you give her a little nod and a wink.
This seems to be enough to snap her out of her daze as she turns back to the prisoner, "What were you planning with the files?"
"M-my master's desired to know the weakness of those who would stand before us," he stammered, "They fear that others may take this interference as proof that we should delay the Grand Retour."
"What others?" Chromia demands, "And what is the Grand Retour?"
"It is the rightful return of our goddess," the stallion explains, "Some believe that our actions to bring this about are… impudent. That the Goddess will signal to us when the time is right. The others – like my masters – believe it is our sacred duty to bring our goddess back to this physical plane so that she might take her rightful place and-"
"yeah, yeah, we get it-" Chromia cuts him off, "So – some of you don't want to wait, and some of you want to ensure she comes back now."
"And where does murdering innocent ponies come into this?" You hiss.
The stallion's head swings around to stare at you in surprise, "W-what?"
"Innocent ponies," you repeat, "Like the Silvers – where does murdering them come into play?"
"My master strictly forbids killings like that!" the stallion stammers, quailing under your gaze. You're stare continues to bore into him, and he realizes that this is a signal to continue, "B-but, others are… less restrained. They think that such mistakes will not matter soon enough."
"Which others?" You ask, one hoof pressing the stallion back in the chair, "Where can I find those who would dare murder innocent souls in My Name? Where are those who dare to pass Judgment in my stead?"
"I don't know!" the stallion nearly wails, "I am but a humble acolyte! The council has forbidden such acts! They decree that we must remain unseen until we finish the Transmigration. Those who act against such order do so in the shadows."
"You will give us something useful, pony," you growl, "Or you will suffer."
"I don't know anything else, I swear!" the stallion blubbers as he is faced with the visage of an angry goddess, "Please don't kill me!"
"Oh for the love of-" you mutter as you nod to Chromia, who nods in reply before dosing the stallion again. After a moment he slumps in the chair, comatose. You groan as you let your illusion drop, "Well, that was useless..."
"Not really," Chromia replies, "I mean – if what he said is true – then we know that the cult has internal fractures. That they're supposed to be subtle. Now – what hasn't been subtle?"
You blink owlishly as the realization hits you, "The attack on the cafe!"
"Exactly," Chromia says with a nod, "The ambushes in the alley and the cellar probably qualify as 'subtle' for them. Attacking a room full of civilians? Not so much."
"Then we have another pony to talk to..." you say, turning and heading for the door before something occurs to you, "Um..." you turn and look back at Chromia, "What do we do with him?"
Chromia looks between you and the stallion, "Um… throw him in a ditch?"
[ ] Throw him in a ditch.
[ ] Bring him to the guards and hope they don't believe half of what he tells them.
[ ] See if you can erase his memories with the Shadow's help.
[ ] To Tartarus with it – ask Twilight.
[ ] Write-in
"Yes!" Chromia does a little hoof-pump as she grabs the cart and starts pushing it toward her room, "This way, ma'am! I've got a few ideas I've always wanted to try!" Well, you think, you didn't want to do this in sight of Silver anyhow.
"By all means, lead the way," you say as you follow behind her, crossing the hall and into her room. As soon as you're inside, the bat pony ditches the car in the middle of the room as she begins dousing every source of light in the room. You watch her run about for a minute before asking, "Chromia, what are you doing?"
"Setting the atmosphere!" she explains as the last magelight lamp dies and she grabs a chair to drag to the middle of the room, "You remove any indicator of where and when you are, get rid of any sort of environmental cues and then they can't get any sort of bearing. They start filling in the missing details with their own worst nightmares."
You feel a small smirk grow on your face, "The scariest monster is the one you never see, is it? Trixie is reminded of her own work."
"All about showing them what you want them to see, right?" Chomia replies as digs into a bag by the bed and pulls out a coil of rope that soon joins the chair. She considers the scene for a moment, tapping at her chin, "Hrm… it's missing something… Oh! Hold on a minute." Without further preamble, she dashes to the door, light briefly flooding inside as she ducked into the hall.
You stare after her for a moment.
Well, she's certainly enthusiastic. Wonder when the last time she got to do this was?
"Probably never, Trixie thinks," you reply as the door swings open again, this time staying open as Chromia rolls in, "...is that a brazier?"
"Yup!" Chromia replies as she rolls the oversized piece of metalwork into place just in front of the chair. She gives it a few nudges before nodding and collecting a few more objects from her bags and tossing them into the brazier, "Perfect! Now just to tie him up."
You watch the bat pony trot over to the cart, tossing aside a bits of garbage to reveal the still comatose stallion before grabbing him and…
…failing to move him despite what looks like considerable effort, "...Problems, Chromia?"
"I'm fine!" she replies quickly as she keeps trying, "Stupid… cart… no… leverage…"
Oh, come on and help her.
With a roll of your eyes you lift the stallion out of the trash bin and settle him into the chair with a burst of levitation. Chromia glances between the stallion and you briefly before she begins tying him up, "I almost had it..."
"Sure you did," you reply as you glance around, "...Trixie is not sure this is dark enough…."
"Super night vision, remember?" Chromia replies as she finishes the knots, "To him this is pitch black..." she stands up from behind the chair with a frown as she adds, "Actually – you never did say how you got that..."
"Cultist shenanigans, Trixie assumes," you reply with a shrug before gesturing at the stallion with a wave of your hoof, "Now, shall we begin…?"
"Yup," Chromia replies with a nod, taking a seat on the floor opposite the brazier from the chair before glancing back at you, "...could you back up a few steps? I don't want you visible until the opportune moment,"
"Very well," you back up a few steps, "And how will Trixie know the opportune moment?"
"I'm sure you'll figure it out," she replies as she turns to your prisoner, "I'm waking him up now," She reaches under her wing and tosses a small vial into the brazier. In the dark, you can just make out a faint curling of what could be smoke before the smell of salt and flowers hits you. It seems to hit the stallion too as he begins to stir.
"...wha?" the stallion slurs as he slowly returns to consiousness, "Wha…? Where am…?"
"You have been a very naughty pony," Chromia says softly, pitching her voice just right, her voice echoing around the room, "Getting into things that are not yours..."
"I do not answer to you, whoever you are!" the stallion shouts back, head swiveling as he tries to find the speaker, "I answer only to my goddess and her disciples!"
"Oh?" At that moment, the brazier bursts into blue flames and illuminates Chromia's fanged grin in stark contrasts, "And what if she has forsaken you?"
"My goddess will not abandon me, False Messenger!" the stallion hisses back, "Your words shall not sway me. I will not stray from Her divine will!"
Oh really?
"And what," you say as you slowly stride forward, the words spilling from your lips before you realize what you're saying, "Makes you think that the will you follow is mine?"
"The Sacrifice," the stallion says as he watches you, the way he stresses the last word making it sound like an insult, "You are but a petty vessel for Her Divine..." his voice trails off as you pace around the brazier, shadows slowly licking around your hooves and up your legs. Your eyes glow as they bore into the stallion, and his jaw drops open as you set your mane billowing for good measure. Stars and Stones, you love illusion magic.
Hey! Some of that is me!
"False messengers seduce my wayward herd to lead them onto fallow ground," you say as you pace around the stallion, "defiling my name with unclean acts. You will answer our questions – or you will learn the true meaning of judgment." The stallion nods weakly, "Good," you glance at Chromia and see that she is staring at you in… a mix of surprise and awe. You smirk a little as you give her a little nod and a wink.
This seems to be enough to snap her out of her daze as she turns back to the prisoner, "What were you planning with the files?"
"M-my master's desired to know the weakness of those who would stand before us," he stammered, "They fear that others may take this interference as proof that we should delay the Grand Retour."
"What others?" Chromia demands, "And what is the Grand Retour?"
"It is the rightful return of our goddess," the stallion explains, "Some believe that our actions to bring this about are… impudent. That the Goddess will signal to us when the time is right. The others – like my masters – believe it is our sacred duty to bring our goddess back to this physical plane so that she might take her rightful place and-"
"yeah, yeah, we get it-" Chromia cuts him off, "So – some of you don't want to wait, and some of you want to ensure she comes back now."
"And where does murdering innocent ponies come into this?" You hiss.
The stallion's head swings around to stare at you in surprise, "W-what?"
"Innocent ponies," you repeat, "Like the Silvers – where does murdering them come into play?"
"My master strictly forbids killings like that!" the stallion stammers, quailing under your gaze. You're stare continues to bore into him, and he realizes that this is a signal to continue, "B-but, others are… less restrained. They think that such mistakes will not matter soon enough."
"Which others?" You ask, one hoof pressing the stallion back in the chair, "Where can I find those who would dare murder innocent souls in My Name? Where are those who dare to pass Judgment in my stead?"
"I don't know!" the stallion nearly wails, "I am but a humble acolyte! The council has forbidden such acts! They decree that we must remain unseen until we finish the Transmigration. Those who act against such order do so in the shadows."
"You will give us something useful, pony," you growl, "Or you will suffer."
"I don't know anything else, I swear!" the stallion blubbers as he is faced with the visage of an angry goddess, "Please don't kill me!"
"Oh for the love of-" you mutter as you nod to Chromia, who nods in reply before dosing the stallion again. After a moment he slumps in the chair, comatose. You groan as you let your illusion drop, "Well, that was useless..."
"Not really," Chromia replies, "I mean – if what he said is true – then we know that the cult has internal fractures. That they're supposed to be subtle. Now – what hasn't been subtle?"
You blink owlishly as the realization hits you, "The attack on the cafe!"
"Exactly," Chromia says with a nod, "The ambushes in the alley and the cellar probably qualify as 'subtle' for them. Attacking a room full of civilians? Not so much."
"Then we have another pony to talk to..." you say, turning and heading for the door before something occurs to you, "Um..." you turn and look back at Chromia, "What do we do with him?"
Chromia looks between you and the stallion, "Um… throw him in a ditch?"
[ ] Throw him in a ditch.
[ ] Bring him to the guards and hope they don't believe half of what he tells them.
[ ] See if you can erase his memories with the Shadow's help.
[ ] To Tartarus with it – ask Twilight.
[ ] Write-in
as there hasn't been enough of her lately
- Location
- New Hampshire
[X] To Tartarus with it – ask Twilight.
- Location
- Detroit, Michigan
[X] Throw him in a ditch.