- Location
- Detroit, Michigan
New Moon Rises (MLP Quest)
- Thread starter Dragontrapper
- Start date
- Location
- New Hampshire
I think you folks know my answer... 
[X] Get everyone together and start seeing what you can find on The Nightmare, Celestia's warning be damned.
[X] Get everyone together and start seeing what you can find on The Nightmare, Celestia's warning be damned.
Dragontrapper
Homeless Draconis
- Location
- A Tower in the middle of nowhere
Oh crap - just realized I forgot to update over the weekend. Um... oops? I'll work on rectifying that after dinner.
edit: Here's the tally. Next post either tonight or tomorrow
Vote Tally : New Moon Rises (MLP Quest) | Page 46 | Sufficient Velocity
##### NetTally 1.7.4
[X] Get everyone together and start seeing what you can find on The Nightmare, Celestia's warning be damned.
No. of Votes: 9
Artemis1992
azereath
Bugaboo
dracklor
MacroDaemon
MagusBlack
Markala
RK_Striker_JK_5
The Fourth Monado
[x] Start working with Shining Armor to hunt down the cultists.
No. of Votes: 6
RexHeller
Enthusiast#117
KChasm
lavanderjasmine
NexysDhyArchen
Somebodynobody10
Total No. of Voters: 15
edit: Here's the tally. Next post either tonight or tomorrow
Vote Tally : New Moon Rises (MLP Quest) | Page 46 | Sufficient Velocity
##### NetTally 1.7.4
[X] Get everyone together and start seeing what you can find on The Nightmare, Celestia's warning be damned.
No. of Votes: 9
Artemis1992
azereath
Bugaboo
dracklor
MacroDaemon
MagusBlack
Markala
RK_Striker_JK_5
The Fourth Monado
[x] Start working with Shining Armor to hunt down the cultists.
No. of Votes: 6
RexHeller
Enthusiast#117
KChasm
lavanderjasmine
NexysDhyArchen
Somebodynobody10
Total No. of Voters: 15
Last edited:
Tradecraft Pt.14
Dragontrapper
Homeless Draconis
- Location
- A Tower in the middle of nowhere
((A/N:Sorry its late - New position at work mean lots of time-consuming fun for me))
You awaken to something warm and wet dripping onto your foreleg and a soft sawing sound from just above your heart. You slowly crack your eyes open to see a bundle of silver and grey pressing herself into your barrel like a particularly clingy, lumpy blanket. Or a particularly insistent pillow.
You slowly extract yourself from Silver Spoon's grasp, slipping a pillow into your place before she takes too much notice. Your ward successfully managed for the moment, you slip out of the room and into the hall - only to run into Chromia just outside your door. Literally, as you and the bat pony go sprawling across the floor. "Okay, ow," Chromia groaned from on top of you, "Note to self - don't do that again. Seriously, what the hay?"
"Chromia," you replied with a groan, "What are you doing outside Trixie's bedroom at-" you glance toward the nearby window, "-the crack of dawn?"
"Bat Pony, duh," Chromia replies, Besides, you wanted the notes on my interogation of the other guy, didn't you?" She reaches around into a pair of saddlebags that you hadn't realized she was wearing to pull out a bundle of notes, "You really should have been there - I did the whole 'mysterious shadow' shtick and then suddenly he was bowing to me! I think he thought I was somepony else - kept calling me 'The Emissary of the Goddess' or something. It was a total hoot! So - how'd your interogation go?"
"Trixie mentally scarred a stallion into near catonia," you reply flatly, "And then she found out they worship a goddess of darkness called the Nightmare."
"Hey, thats what the other guy called his godess!" Chromia said excitedly as she flipped through the notes, "Yeah - see? Right here."
"Thats lovely, Chromia," you reply with a sigh, "But-"
"Yeah?" Chromia asks, blinking.
"Can you please get off of Trixie?" You ask, gesturing at her and yourself with a hoof, "preferably before-"
"What are you two doing?"
"-Anypony shows up," you finish with a sigh before turning toward the new arrival, "Good morning, Sunburst." Could this get any more awkward?
"Oh, Hey Sunburst!" A familar voice carries down the hall as a purple unicorn turns the corner, "Is Trixie up yet? I want to see if I can find on-" the purple unicorn pauses as she notices you and the bat pony on the floor, "...whats going on?"
"Trixie isn't honestly sure at this point," You reply. Other then the spontanous cuddle pile? Could have just stayed in bed with Silver for that. Speaking of which...
The door behind you cracks open as Silver Spoon steps into the hall, one hoof rubbing at an eye as she yawns before she redjusts her glasses, "Why's it so loud..." she blins owlishly as she notices that everypony is standing in the hallway before turning to you, "...are we going to breakfast?"
You sigh again, "You know what? Yes - we're all going to breakfast... as soon as Chromia moves."
You don't bother talking to anypony besides Silver until you've reached the dining hall and consumed a decent amount of coffee, "Trixie has no idea how either of you are so... awake."
"I have a coffee pot in my room!" Twilight replies cheerfully, "Really useful for late-night research projects."
"Mental exercises," Sunburst says with a shrug before adding, "and what she said."
You glare at the two of them as you pour yourself a glass of orange juice, "Now, since we're all awake, Trixie thinks its time we go over the plan for the day."
"Wait, there's a plan?" Sunburst says with a hint of surprise, "I thought we were just making things up as we went."
"The plan," you continue, glaring at Sunburst, "is to leverage Twilight's existing research to find information on this 'Nightmare' as quickly as possible."
"Didn't the Princess say not to look into that?" Sunburst says, frowning.
"She did?" Twilight's excitement dies quickly after that statement, "But I'd already started collating some initial notes based on Miss Chromia's information..."
"So why stop?" you reply with a shrug, "Its not like we're going to hunt down this 'Nightmare'." Not yet, at least.
"I suppose a little reading never hurt anypony," Sunburst says with a shrug, "But just reading, right?"
You shrug, "Trixie imagines Shining Armor will still wish to hunt down the cultists, but that would be happening reguardless," You turn to Twilight, "Are you going to be alright with this?"
Twilight blinks owlishly before her gaze slips toward her hooves, "It's... its just research, right? Nothing else?"
"You'll never even leave the library with it," you reply with a nod. We, on the other hoof...
Twilight hesitates for another moment before nodding, "Alright - a little reading never hurt anypony," Twilight nods again as her confidence builds, "In that case, I've already got a little nook set up with all my notes."
"Sounds like a plan then," you say with a nod before reaching for a muffin, "But first - Trixie needs more breakfast."
Once everyone had gotten their fill of the Castle kitchens (ridiculously good) baked goods, your little party excused itself to the library. Twilight leads the way through the stacks until you reach a table nestled deep inside the maze of bookshelves - two tables, actually, pushed together to support the small sea of modern tomes as well as older scrolls and parchments. Twilight clears a spot around several seats with a burst of magic and practiced ease before claiming one for herself. You claim the second one for yourself, Silver hopping into your lap a moment later. Sunburst settles into the final chair as Twilight pulls a well-decorated tome over to herself, "Now," she begins as she flips the book open and starts rapidly flicking through it, "I'm sure you're all familiar with the story of Nightmare Moon - at least from Nightmare Night and what-have-you - and given the similarity in names, I figured the Tales of Nightmare Moon were the best place to start."
"So," you ask, waving a hoof toward her reading material, "Where does this impressively gaudy piece of literature come in?"
"This," Twilight replies as she fliped through the pages, "Is a compilation of ancient Equestrian myths - one of the oldest, in fact. The versions here are as close as you can get to original while still being written in something ressembling modern Equestrian. And this-" Twilight lays a hoof down on a page, "Is what we're interested in."
You and Silver lean around to look at the page, and you both frown, "I thought you said this was modern Equestrian." Silver says.
"I said it ressembed it," Twilight corrects the filly, "This is Old Equestrian, but at least has the same alphabet."
"Facinating," you reply with a roll of your eyes, "What does it say?"
Twilight shoots you a quick glare before turning back to the tome, clearing her throat before she begins to read, "Once upon a time, in the Magical Land of Equestria..."
What follows is a story you've heard a few times before - what foal hasn't heard the story of the sun and the moon? - but this version is different. Gone with the mare, scheming and plotting before trying to plunge all the world into darkness. In her place is a mare who loses herself to darkness. And the final confrontation also gets more details. "Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony, " Twilight reads as she nears the finale, "Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister, and banished her permanently in the moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon nd harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since," Twilight taps at her chin, "Elements of Harmony... where have I heard of those before?"
"Its like the Mare in the Moon!" Silver chimes in as she leans over, studying the illustration on the page.
You blink at that, "How so?"
"My..." Silver's smile dimms dramatically before she continues more slowly, "...My mother would always tell me about the Mare in the Moon and how she got sent there by the Elements of Harmony."
"Thats it!" Twilight exclaims before diving into the pile of books, sifting through them before pulling out one particular tome, "Aha! 'The Mare in the Moon'. See? Its right here! 'imprisoned in the moon. Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal.' It fits perfectly with what those cultists were saying about their goddess!"
You frown as something occurs to you, "Twilight - You were researching the various references to 'a Thousand Years' across several similar folktales, correct?"
Twilight nods slowly, "I was. Why?"
"Did you by chance happen to work out when those tales would have originated?" you ask, "Trixie only asks because some basic artithmatic combined with such a date might be relevant to our current situation."
"If you must know," Twilight replies with a small huff. She apparently took issue with your tone, "The tales orginate in the 23rd year of the Platinum period, based on the old Unicorn Royal calander, which means..." Twilight blinks, frowning as something seems to occur to her, "If you extrapolate from there, the thousandth year would be..."
"This year," Sunburst finished for her, eyes going wide, "And the longest day would be the Summer Solstice."
"And the Summer Sun Celebration," Twilight says, nodding, "Thats in... less then 6 months."
The room goes deathly silent at that. Okay...we might be a little doomed.
[ ] Panic
[ ] Confirm what you just learned, THEN panic.
[ ] Tell Celestia. Hah-hah... No. bad idea.
[ ] Tell nopony. This conversation NEVER happened. Go find Shining and hunt cultists.
[ ] Tell nopony, then start looking for weaknesses. Its time to kill a goddess.
[ ] Write-in
Nightmare Night=-90. ID=Gold. Shadow=?? Ch.8 = End.
You awaken to something warm and wet dripping onto your foreleg and a soft sawing sound from just above your heart. You slowly crack your eyes open to see a bundle of silver and grey pressing herself into your barrel like a particularly clingy, lumpy blanket. Or a particularly insistent pillow.
You slowly extract yourself from Silver Spoon's grasp, slipping a pillow into your place before she takes too much notice. Your ward successfully managed for the moment, you slip out of the room and into the hall - only to run into Chromia just outside your door. Literally, as you and the bat pony go sprawling across the floor. "Okay, ow," Chromia groaned from on top of you, "Note to self - don't do that again. Seriously, what the hay?"
"Chromia," you replied with a groan, "What are you doing outside Trixie's bedroom at-" you glance toward the nearby window, "-the crack of dawn?"
"Bat Pony, duh," Chromia replies, Besides, you wanted the notes on my interogation of the other guy, didn't you?" She reaches around into a pair of saddlebags that you hadn't realized she was wearing to pull out a bundle of notes, "You really should have been there - I did the whole 'mysterious shadow' shtick and then suddenly he was bowing to me! I think he thought I was somepony else - kept calling me 'The Emissary of the Goddess' or something. It was a total hoot! So - how'd your interogation go?"
"Trixie mentally scarred a stallion into near catonia," you reply flatly, "And then she found out they worship a goddess of darkness called the Nightmare."
"Hey, thats what the other guy called his godess!" Chromia said excitedly as she flipped through the notes, "Yeah - see? Right here."
"Thats lovely, Chromia," you reply with a sigh, "But-"
"Yeah?" Chromia asks, blinking.
"Can you please get off of Trixie?" You ask, gesturing at her and yourself with a hoof, "preferably before-"
"What are you two doing?"
"-Anypony shows up," you finish with a sigh before turning toward the new arrival, "Good morning, Sunburst." Could this get any more awkward?
"Oh, Hey Sunburst!" A familar voice carries down the hall as a purple unicorn turns the corner, "Is Trixie up yet? I want to see if I can find on-" the purple unicorn pauses as she notices you and the bat pony on the floor, "...whats going on?"
"Trixie isn't honestly sure at this point," You reply. Other then the spontanous cuddle pile? Could have just stayed in bed with Silver for that. Speaking of which...
The door behind you cracks open as Silver Spoon steps into the hall, one hoof rubbing at an eye as she yawns before she redjusts her glasses, "Why's it so loud..." she blins owlishly as she notices that everypony is standing in the hallway before turning to you, "...are we going to breakfast?"
You sigh again, "You know what? Yes - we're all going to breakfast... as soon as Chromia moves."
You don't bother talking to anypony besides Silver until you've reached the dining hall and consumed a decent amount of coffee, "Trixie has no idea how either of you are so... awake."
"I have a coffee pot in my room!" Twilight replies cheerfully, "Really useful for late-night research projects."
"Mental exercises," Sunburst says with a shrug before adding, "and what she said."
You glare at the two of them as you pour yourself a glass of orange juice, "Now, since we're all awake, Trixie thinks its time we go over the plan for the day."
"Wait, there's a plan?" Sunburst says with a hint of surprise, "I thought we were just making things up as we went."
"The plan," you continue, glaring at Sunburst, "is to leverage Twilight's existing research to find information on this 'Nightmare' as quickly as possible."
"Didn't the Princess say not to look into that?" Sunburst says, frowning.
"She did?" Twilight's excitement dies quickly after that statement, "But I'd already started collating some initial notes based on Miss Chromia's information..."
"So why stop?" you reply with a shrug, "Its not like we're going to hunt down this 'Nightmare'." Not yet, at least.
"I suppose a little reading never hurt anypony," Sunburst says with a shrug, "But just reading, right?"
You shrug, "Trixie imagines Shining Armor will still wish to hunt down the cultists, but that would be happening reguardless," You turn to Twilight, "Are you going to be alright with this?"
Twilight blinks owlishly before her gaze slips toward her hooves, "It's... its just research, right? Nothing else?"
"You'll never even leave the library with it," you reply with a nod. We, on the other hoof...
Twilight hesitates for another moment before nodding, "Alright - a little reading never hurt anypony," Twilight nods again as her confidence builds, "In that case, I've already got a little nook set up with all my notes."
"Sounds like a plan then," you say with a nod before reaching for a muffin, "But first - Trixie needs more breakfast."
Once everyone had gotten their fill of the Castle kitchens (ridiculously good) baked goods, your little party excused itself to the library. Twilight leads the way through the stacks until you reach a table nestled deep inside the maze of bookshelves - two tables, actually, pushed together to support the small sea of modern tomes as well as older scrolls and parchments. Twilight clears a spot around several seats with a burst of magic and practiced ease before claiming one for herself. You claim the second one for yourself, Silver hopping into your lap a moment later. Sunburst settles into the final chair as Twilight pulls a well-decorated tome over to herself, "Now," she begins as she flips the book open and starts rapidly flicking through it, "I'm sure you're all familiar with the story of Nightmare Moon - at least from Nightmare Night and what-have-you - and given the similarity in names, I figured the Tales of Nightmare Moon were the best place to start."
"So," you ask, waving a hoof toward her reading material, "Where does this impressively gaudy piece of literature come in?"
"This," Twilight replies as she fliped through the pages, "Is a compilation of ancient Equestrian myths - one of the oldest, in fact. The versions here are as close as you can get to original while still being written in something ressembling modern Equestrian. And this-" Twilight lays a hoof down on a page, "Is what we're interested in."
You and Silver lean around to look at the page, and you both frown, "I thought you said this was modern Equestrian." Silver says.
"I said it ressembed it," Twilight corrects the filly, "This is Old Equestrian, but at least has the same alphabet."
"Facinating," you reply with a roll of your eyes, "What does it say?"
Twilight shoots you a quick glare before turning back to the tome, clearing her throat before she begins to read, "Once upon a time, in the Magical Land of Equestria..."
What follows is a story you've heard a few times before - what foal hasn't heard the story of the sun and the moon? - but this version is different. Gone with the mare, scheming and plotting before trying to plunge all the world into darkness. In her place is a mare who loses herself to darkness. And the final confrontation also gets more details. "Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony, " Twilight reads as she nears the finale, "Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister, and banished her permanently in the moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon nd harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since," Twilight taps at her chin, "Elements of Harmony... where have I heard of those before?"
"Its like the Mare in the Moon!" Silver chimes in as she leans over, studying the illustration on the page.
You blink at that, "How so?"
"My..." Silver's smile dimms dramatically before she continues more slowly, "...My mother would always tell me about the Mare in the Moon and how she got sent there by the Elements of Harmony."
"Thats it!" Twilight exclaims before diving into the pile of books, sifting through them before pulling out one particular tome, "Aha! 'The Mare in the Moon'. See? Its right here! 'imprisoned in the moon. Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal.' It fits perfectly with what those cultists were saying about their goddess!"
You frown as something occurs to you, "Twilight - You were researching the various references to 'a Thousand Years' across several similar folktales, correct?"
Twilight nods slowly, "I was. Why?"
"Did you by chance happen to work out when those tales would have originated?" you ask, "Trixie only asks because some basic artithmatic combined with such a date might be relevant to our current situation."
"If you must know," Twilight replies with a small huff. She apparently took issue with your tone, "The tales orginate in the 23rd year of the Platinum period, based on the old Unicorn Royal calander, which means..." Twilight blinks, frowning as something seems to occur to her, "If you extrapolate from there, the thousandth year would be..."
"This year," Sunburst finished for her, eyes going wide, "And the longest day would be the Summer Solstice."
"And the Summer Sun Celebration," Twilight says, nodding, "Thats in... less then 6 months."
The room goes deathly silent at that. Okay...we might be a little doomed.
[ ] Panic
[ ] Confirm what you just learned, THEN panic.
[ ] Tell Celestia. Hah-hah... No. bad idea.
[ ] Tell nopony. This conversation NEVER happened. Go find Shining and hunt cultists.
[ ] Tell nopony, then start looking for weaknesses. Its time to kill a goddess.
[ ] Write-in
Nightmare Night=-90. ID=Gold. Shadow=?? Ch.8 = End.
[X] Write-in: "Celestia must already know this."
The Fourth Monado
S U B A R A S H I I
- Location
- Away
[X] PANIC
-[X] MAXIMUM PANIC
--[X] ALL THE- Wait.
---[X] Celestia isn't that oblivious. She... does she already know about this?
-[X] MAXIMUM PANIC
--[X] ALL THE- Wait.
---[X] Celestia isn't that oblivious. She... does she already know about this?
dracklor
Beyond the Frontier
- Location
- Texas
Really wondering what all the flags hidden at the end of the chapters mean. Any chance you will reveal them at some point in the future @Dragontrapper?
NexysDhyArchen
Throne Breaker
[x]Write-in: Don't Panic.
-[x]Hug Silver. (PAAANIIIICC)
--[x]"Alright. Confirm, but we have a good idea of the Cultist's Timeline Cut off. So if Trixie survives past the Solstice, we stop them. Right?"
-[x]Hug Silver. (PAAANIIIICC)
--[x]"Alright. Confirm, but we have a good idea of the Cultist's Timeline Cut off. So if Trixie survives past the Solstice, we stop them. Right?"
Last edited:
- Location
- Actually pretty lost
[X] Write-in: "Celestia must already know this."
backgroundnoise
Getting Too Old For This...
- Location
- The Shadowlands
[X] PANIC
-[X] MAXIMUM PANIC
--[X] ALL THE- Wait.
---[X] Celestia isn't that oblivious. She... does she already know about this?
Amusing and in character.
-[X] MAXIMUM PANIC
--[X] ALL THE- Wait.
---[X] Celestia isn't that oblivious. She... does she already know about this?
Amusing and in character.
DB_Explorer
Purveyor of alternate realities.
- Location
- San Diego, California
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hi canon! How are you doing? *pulls out sword* stand still we need to kill you and slice you up : D
- Location
- Latvia, Riga
Nightmare
Wait, does that mean we're actually CONDEMNING the World to Destruction? (Have you SEEN what eternal darkness does to one side of the Planet? BAD THINGS that's what!!)
Oh boy when we deal with the cult, let's go to Ponyvill and make sure Twilight and the Main 5 are friends, y'know the elements of Harmony and all that
[x] Tell nopony. This conversation NEVER happened. Go find Shining and hunt cultists.
-[x] Celestia must already know this. AND have some plans that we (Trixie & co) in some manner endanger.... *eye roll* wonderfull
- Location
- New Hampshire
[X] PANIC
-[X] MAXIMUM PANIC
--[X] ALL THE- Wait.
---[X] Celestia isn't that oblivious. She... does she already know about this?
-[X] MAXIMUM PANIC
--[X] ALL THE- Wait.
---[X] Celestia isn't that oblivious. She... does she already know about this?
Eternal darkness fucks over all but the dawn/dusk parts of the world. Plants need light to live, but they also need the darkness to properly utilize the resources gained during the day.
Not to mention the constant, powerful winds that would erupt from the night side.
Dragontrapper
Homeless Draconis
- Location
- A Tower in the middle of nowhere
Vote Tally : New Moon Rises (MLP Quest) | Page 47 | Sufficient Velocity
##### NetTally 1.7.4
[X] PANIC
-[X] MAXIMUM PANIC
--[X] ALL THE- Wait.
---[X] Celestia isn't that oblivious. She... does she already know about this?
No. of Votes: 9
The Fourth Monado
Ashali
azereath
backgroundnoise
Bugaboo
Pyran
RK_Striker_JK_5
Shador
Xomniac
[X] Write-in: "Celestia must already know this."
No. of Votes: 2
Somebodynobody10
Deathbybunnies
[x]Write-in: Don't Panic.
-[x]Hug Silver. (PAAANIIIICC)
--[x]"Alright. Confirm, but we have a good idea of the Cultist's Timeline Cut off. So if Trixie survives past the Solstice, we stop them. Right?"
No. of Votes: 1
NexysDhyArchen
[x] Tell nopony. This conversation NEVER happened. Go find Shining and hunt cultists.
-[x] Celestia must already know this. AND have some plans that we (Trixie & co) in some manner endanger.... *eye roll* wonderfull
No. of Votes: 1
Renars
Total No. of Voters: 13
Hmm.... I'm gonna have to think about this one.
##### NetTally 1.7.4
[X] PANIC
-[X] MAXIMUM PANIC
--[X] ALL THE- Wait.
---[X] Celestia isn't that oblivious. She... does she already know about this?
No. of Votes: 9
The Fourth Monado
Ashali
azereath
backgroundnoise
Bugaboo
Pyran
RK_Striker_JK_5
Shador
Xomniac
[X] Write-in: "Celestia must already know this."
No. of Votes: 2
Somebodynobody10
Deathbybunnies
[x]Write-in: Don't Panic.
-[x]Hug Silver. (PAAANIIIICC)
--[x]"Alright. Confirm, but we have a good idea of the Cultist's Timeline Cut off. So if Trixie survives past the Solstice, we stop them. Right?"
No. of Votes: 1
NexysDhyArchen
[x] Tell nopony. This conversation NEVER happened. Go find Shining and hunt cultists.
-[x] Celestia must already know this. AND have some plans that we (Trixie & co) in some manner endanger.... *eye roll* wonderfull
No. of Votes: 1
Renars
Total No. of Voters: 13
Hmm.... I'm gonna have to think about this one.
- Location
- Tulsa Oklahoma
Have Trixie and Ms Moon ping off of each others panic, resulting in a spiral of panic. Moon because of being discovered, and Trixie for what she discovered. Combine this with Luna's fear about her meeting her sister once more, and you have a recipe for a lot of fear and panic, one who is only going to end with "*sound of Trixie being slapped by one of her compatriots.*"
Light and Darkness Pt.1
Dragontrapper
Homeless Draconis
- Location
- A Tower in the middle of nowhere
Your thoughts spin out of control faster then a flock of breezies in a hurricane as you all stand there in what you're guessing is mute horror.
What in Tartarus did you just find? Can she find this too?
What did those cultists do to you? Will she figure out what they did? What does that mean for me?
You can feel your heart hammering in your chest as the full ramifications of what this all means comes crashing down on you. You were experimented on by a cult. A cult that worshipped Nightmare Moon of all things.
And whatever they did to you, it seemed to work from what the Princess said. But she didn't figure it out then! Why didn't she? How did she miss it!?
Your magic has been tampered with. They... did something to me. They must have. Unless...
...But something's not right. This didn't take you too long to work out. How did Celestia not know?
...Unless she does know. What is she planning then!?
You can feel your breathes getting shorter and shorter as your mind reels. What if she does know? What happens if you tell her all of this? No! We can't! She'd just banish us again - its what she does with all of her problems - buries them and ignores them.
You have to... you must...
There's a sharp crack that echoes in the room as your entire body jerks and you fall onto your rump as the faint smell of ozone fills the room. You turn to Twilight with a glare, "Did you just electrocute Trixie?"
"Technically I just shocked you," Twilight replies, "And you were freaking out! I needed to do something!"
"A bunch of Nightmare cultists messed with Trixie's magic and did who knows what!" You snap back, "Trixie thinks she's allowed to freak out a little!"
"Princess Celestia would know," Twilight replies firmly, "If anypony will know what to do, she will."
"No!" NO!
Sunburst and Twilight stare at you after your sudden outburst, "Uh..." Sunburst says after a moment, "Why not? I'm kinda with Twilight on this one."
"Because what if she already knows?" You reply back, pausing to let it sink in, "Like you said, Twilight - Celestia would know what to do. She is incredibly old and increadibly wise - how could she miss something we found so fast?"
"She doesn't know about the cultists though," Twilight replies, but you shake your head.
"Trixie told her about the Nightmare herself," you reply, "She knows."
"I haven't even finished my research on the Nightmare though!" Twilight points out.
You raise an eyebrow, "Who suggested that topic in the first place?"
Twilight opens her mouth to reply, but stops short of actually saying a name. No matter - you already know the answer.
"Hey, guys!" The cheerful voice of Chromia cuts in, puncuated by a loud slurping as she buries her fangs into a piece of citrus, "Sorry I'm late but you've got to try these oranges! They're..." She pauses as she finally notices the state the three of you are in, "whats up?"
"We figured out who the Nightmare is." Sunburst says after a moment.
"...And...?" Chromia gestures for him to continue after he slips back into silence.
"Its Nightmare Moon," you reply, "The cult Worships Nightmare Moon and they're expecting their goddess back this year and they did something to Trixie's magic and-"
"We have to tell the Princess!" Twilight repeats.
"Absolutely not!" you shoot back, slamming a hoof against the table, "Trixie will not let Celestia lock her up!"
"Why would she do that?" Twilight asks, her voice tinged with honest curiosity.
You reply by tapping a nearby tome with one hoof, "She banished Nightmare Moon once before - if she's willing to do that to her own sister, what do you think she would do to lowly little Trixie?"
Sunburst blinks at that, "...sister?"
"You think Celestia is the Elder Sister?" Twilight adds in, equally confused, "Granted, the Princess is old, but thats..."
"Over a thousand years, yes," you nod, "Trixie has already faced an angry princess," you shudder as you recall your first meetings with Celestia, "She has no wish to repeat such a thing."
"But didn't the Princess already scan you or something?" Chromia asks as she sits down next to you, "Pretty sure she would have noticed if somebody stuffed an entire evil goddess inside you." Hey! Thats... okay, not entirely wrong. She never listened to me after all...
"Then Trixie isn't what she thought she was," you reply, "Trixie still has something inside her from that cult, and she doesn't want to see how the Princess reacts to such things."
"By why all the subterfuge?" Sunburst asks, "Assuming you're little theory is right, why would the Princess bother having Twilight do all of this research, or have us working on this cult thing?"
"Who knows," you reply with a shrug, "Maybe she thinks its better for us this way. Maybe she just enjoys manipulating ponies. Maybe she just doesn't want to do it herself. Maybe she can't."
"Stop it!" Twilight suddenly leaps to her hooves, glaring across the table at you, "You... you can't just assume the Princess is scheming like that! If she already knew some of this, then maybe we were just supposed to confirm it. Thats standard scientific procedure, after all - multiple data points!"
You frown, rising to your own hooves, "Twilight, calm down - Trixie is just-"
"You're just accusing the Princess of being part of some sort of conspiracy!" Twilight retorts, "The Princess! My teacher! The same Princess that has given you and Silver food and shelter! I've gone with you so far, because I didn't see too much harm in it. But not anymore! This is too important!" With that, she turns and starts out of the library.
"Wait, Twilight!" Sunburst calls out as he moves to follow her, "Where are you going?"
Twilight doesn't stop, or even glance back as she replies, "If Trixie won't tell the princess about this, I will."
[ ] Let her go. Are you out of your little blue mind!?
[ ] Stop her
- [ ] By force. Two words: Celestia's. Student.
- [ ] By reason. (write-in)
[ ] Write-in
What in Tartarus did you just find? Can she find this too?
What did those cultists do to you? Will she figure out what they did? What does that mean for me?
You can feel your heart hammering in your chest as the full ramifications of what this all means comes crashing down on you. You were experimented on by a cult. A cult that worshipped Nightmare Moon of all things.
And whatever they did to you, it seemed to work from what the Princess said. But she didn't figure it out then! Why didn't she? How did she miss it!?
Your magic has been tampered with. They... did something to me. They must have. Unless...
...But something's not right. This didn't take you too long to work out. How did Celestia not know?
...Unless she does know. What is she planning then!?
You can feel your breathes getting shorter and shorter as your mind reels. What if she does know? What happens if you tell her all of this? No! We can't! She'd just banish us again - its what she does with all of her problems - buries them and ignores them.
You have to... you must...
There's a sharp crack that echoes in the room as your entire body jerks and you fall onto your rump as the faint smell of ozone fills the room. You turn to Twilight with a glare, "Did you just electrocute Trixie?"
"Technically I just shocked you," Twilight replies, "And you were freaking out! I needed to do something!"
"A bunch of Nightmare cultists messed with Trixie's magic and did who knows what!" You snap back, "Trixie thinks she's allowed to freak out a little!"
"Princess Celestia would know," Twilight replies firmly, "If anypony will know what to do, she will."
"No!" NO!
Sunburst and Twilight stare at you after your sudden outburst, "Uh..." Sunburst says after a moment, "Why not? I'm kinda with Twilight on this one."
"Because what if she already knows?" You reply back, pausing to let it sink in, "Like you said, Twilight - Celestia would know what to do. She is incredibly old and increadibly wise - how could she miss something we found so fast?"
"She doesn't know about the cultists though," Twilight replies, but you shake your head.
"Trixie told her about the Nightmare herself," you reply, "She knows."
"I haven't even finished my research on the Nightmare though!" Twilight points out.
You raise an eyebrow, "Who suggested that topic in the first place?"
Twilight opens her mouth to reply, but stops short of actually saying a name. No matter - you already know the answer.
"Hey, guys!" The cheerful voice of Chromia cuts in, puncuated by a loud slurping as she buries her fangs into a piece of citrus, "Sorry I'm late but you've got to try these oranges! They're..." She pauses as she finally notices the state the three of you are in, "whats up?"
"We figured out who the Nightmare is." Sunburst says after a moment.
"...And...?" Chromia gestures for him to continue after he slips back into silence.
"Its Nightmare Moon," you reply, "The cult Worships Nightmare Moon and they're expecting their goddess back this year and they did something to Trixie's magic and-"
"We have to tell the Princess!" Twilight repeats.
"Absolutely not!" you shoot back, slamming a hoof against the table, "Trixie will not let Celestia lock her up!"
"Why would she do that?" Twilight asks, her voice tinged with honest curiosity.
You reply by tapping a nearby tome with one hoof, "She banished Nightmare Moon once before - if she's willing to do that to her own sister, what do you think she would do to lowly little Trixie?"
Sunburst blinks at that, "...sister?"
"You think Celestia is the Elder Sister?" Twilight adds in, equally confused, "Granted, the Princess is old, but thats..."
"Over a thousand years, yes," you nod, "Trixie has already faced an angry princess," you shudder as you recall your first meetings with Celestia, "She has no wish to repeat such a thing."
"But didn't the Princess already scan you or something?" Chromia asks as she sits down next to you, "Pretty sure she would have noticed if somebody stuffed an entire evil goddess inside you." Hey! Thats... okay, not entirely wrong. She never listened to me after all...
"Then Trixie isn't what she thought she was," you reply, "Trixie still has something inside her from that cult, and she doesn't want to see how the Princess reacts to such things."
"By why all the subterfuge?" Sunburst asks, "Assuming you're little theory is right, why would the Princess bother having Twilight do all of this research, or have us working on this cult thing?"
"Who knows," you reply with a shrug, "Maybe she thinks its better for us this way. Maybe she just enjoys manipulating ponies. Maybe she just doesn't want to do it herself. Maybe she can't."
"Stop it!" Twilight suddenly leaps to her hooves, glaring across the table at you, "You... you can't just assume the Princess is scheming like that! If she already knew some of this, then maybe we were just supposed to confirm it. Thats standard scientific procedure, after all - multiple data points!"
You frown, rising to your own hooves, "Twilight, calm down - Trixie is just-"
"You're just accusing the Princess of being part of some sort of conspiracy!" Twilight retorts, "The Princess! My teacher! The same Princess that has given you and Silver food and shelter! I've gone with you so far, because I didn't see too much harm in it. But not anymore! This is too important!" With that, she turns and starts out of the library.
"Wait, Twilight!" Sunburst calls out as he moves to follow her, "Where are you going?"
Twilight doesn't stop, or even glance back as she replies, "If Trixie won't tell the princess about this, I will."
[ ] Let her go. Are you out of your little blue mind!?
[ ] Stop her
- [ ] By force. Two words: Celestia's. Student.
- [ ] By reason. (write-in)
[ ] Write-in
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DB_Explorer
Purveyor of alternate realities.
- Location
- San Diego, California
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I'm thinking By Reason and point out Celesita may decide that, given what they MIGHT of done the princess might decide to banish Trixie to the moon, or entomb us as a statue or other such thing for the greater good
a statue of Trixie would be fine indeed unless TRIXIE IS THE STATUE.
a statue of Trixie would be fine indeed unless TRIXIE IS THE STATUE.