private Deep Science 1x1 with Blitz Boom

[Illiad Easle 2,968]

@Blitz Boom

The Consul flinched when Void said Silver, and Selena looked over with a worried expression before she turned back to Void with a smile, 

7 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

"S-Sorry. About e-everything...

I'm uhm... V-Void, this is my big s-sister, Null."

She chuckled softly, "There's no need to apologize, you couldn't have known. But it's good to really meet you Void. To clarify, the gem that you found in the Silver-Tower automaton was a project of... the Consul's wife, which involved a bit of mental mapping from me and built on a concept developed by a colt named Euclid to map intelligence into magical crystals, but anyway, because of this I could read the memories of the depleted crystal. It is similar to the process I will try to use on your parents to restore their memories."

8 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

C-Could she fly a-again, with the t-thing you're t-talking about?"

The Consul rose from his desk with a smile, "I thought you'd choose that, you look the part of a caring individual. But yes, it would take a bit longer to develop, but I believe it could be made to function, especially if she was able to fly before. And further, the deer I'm told you ran to the aid of at the base, should be a big help to making it work."

He moved to the door, and gestured for them to follow, placing himself between them and Selena to ensure the minimum distance of their curse wouldn't reach her, though when he passed near Null he paused, an intrigued expression on his face before he shook it off, "If you two are willing... I'd ask a personal favor once this is over." he sounded a bit subdued there, if not relaxed in his tone.

Nonetheless he led them back to the room they had started in, their parents having moved to sit next to each other while the guards that had brought them there had left. Oddly enough there weren't any other guards around that they could see.

Their parents stood as the Consul entered, and their father was the first to speak, "Is... everything alright?"

The Consul nodded with a smile, "It will be, I'm told you two have been having issues with your memory, correct? Any ideas of who might have taken them from you?"

Their father looked unsure, "Well, we were in Celestia's school for a while, but that should be before Null and Void were in our lives."

Their mother continued, "I remember a Dr. Conegher, a deer if I remember correctly, I think we worked with him, at TrUST maybe?"

Their father again, "Our daughters mentioned the Grey too, especially right before we were separated."

The Consul's expression grew more serious with each of the organizations that their parents mentioned, and his lower tone reflected that, "What Celestia took is beyond my power to restore, she is quite thorough when she wants something forgotten, the Grey are similarly ruthless, but not perfect. TrUST however..." he looked around the room, then sighed, "It complicates things, but it won't be impossible. Come,"

He motioned for them all to follow him as he moved to a stairway upward, "Selena will need to concentrate if she is to recover anything from you two, and it is easiest for her if you are unconscious. You needn't worry yourself," he looked over his whither at their mother, "Nothing will happen to the foal you carry, it's perfectly safe."

"I'm a bit more worried about the foals I already carried, but thank you."

They arrived at the top of the stairs to a similarly dark, yet much more comfortable resting area, with long flat couches instead of chairs that could easily be used as beds. Selena motioned for their parents to lie down on adjacent couches where she could sit on the floor between them, extending a hoof to each of them. "This could take some time, so try to enjoy your rest. If you see me in your dreams, just ignore me." 

The Consul turned to the sisters, "Is there some hospitality I can offer you in the mean time?"

[Blitz Boom 4,422]

@Illiad Easle

21 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

"There's no need to apologize, you couldn't have known. But it's good to really meet you Void. To clarify, the gem that you found in the Silver-Tower automaton was a project of... the Consul's wife, which involved a bit of mental mapping from me and built on a concept developed by a colt named Euclid to map intelligence into magical crystals, but anyway, because of this I could read the memories of the depleted crystal. It is similar to the process I will try to use on your parents to restore their memories."

Void didn't really get what Selena were on about, but at least it sounded like she shouldn't feel as guilt.ridden about what happened to Silver as she had been, since that had been a part of Selena, who she had then read up on and absorbed, from what she understood of it? There were some details in this like how it included the consul's wife - the way that had been said made her think that something bad had happened, and that she shouldn't touch that with a forty hoof pole - that seemed somewhat important to remember, but mental mapping? Magic stuff? This were above her pay-grade to really get. Best she could gather, the crystal pony were talking about sort of making a part of herself into it's own sort of being, but she'd rather not try and think of that too hard. It made some... Unpleasant memories about Stablegrad rise up that were best kept in the darkest, dimmest corner of her memory.

21 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

"If you two are willing... I'd ask a personal favor once this is over." he sounded a bit subdued there, if not relaxed in his tone.

This were something she'd much rather focus on. A confirmation that Null might actually be able to fly if the wing were done right, which ignited a hopeful spark and smile on Void's face that might seem almost alien to the consul, considering he had only seen her panicked at first, then nervous and somewhat scared during this meeting. It were nothing she had ever thought would come when dealing with a leader of Troy, but... Null? Able to fly again? If there was one single thing that had always caused her sister the most painful, constant pain, it were that she couldn't ever get back up there. Perhaps if she could actually fly again, they could not only help her now, but actually deal with her most dire problem, from which most of her hatred sparked? For the first time in longer than she could remember, Void actually had some hope that her sister could be saved, and the doubt about the validity of what the consul had said weren't able to cloud her outlook this time. Not yet anyway.

"If it's in our p-power, we'll do it."

Happy thoughts of Null with an actual, genuine smile on her face, fluttering around the skies filled Void's mind and made her feel somewhat happy, until they got to their parents, and the talk started to go on the doctors, Celestia, and the Grey. She were rather stoked right now, but this were too much to not break that down and make her worry about things again. Namely how this would affect her parents, if they could suddenly remember it all again, as well as how safe  the process were. Especially for their mother.

The consul thankfully assured them that her foal would be completely safe - the comment from their mother about the two of them were honestly rather touching, though Void did think she should be more concerned for the unborn one - and lead them to a safe room where the two of them could rest their minds and have Selena work on them in peace. It seemed like a nice, quiet room, where they would unfortunately be in for a while from the sound of it.

Well... Long as they got whatever memories that could be salvaged back, it were a good investment in time, though Void would end up being worried non-stop until she knew what had come back to them more than likely. Their foalhood were good memories, but the incident that crushed their foals limbs? Their dad having to amputate the unconscious pegasi's damaged wing, and comfort her as she woke up to find that she couldn't fly anymore? The escape itself, and what the Grey did? There were a lot of bad things mixed in with what were likely good, and that were just the parts that Void were aware off. There were also the matter of the times before the fillies could remember, that their parents should be, and some things there might be really important.

She uhm... Didn't say anything about it to her parents, or to Null anymore, as it just made her sister furious, but Void had kinda thought sometimes that maybe, possibly... They were adopted?

There were just some weird things that kinda didn't make sense to her sometimes if they were their foals, like how Null were a pegasi when neither of their parents were, or how this curse of theirs had sprung from two ponies without anything like it themselves. It could just be coincidences, but she had wondered about this for a long time, and well, the two of them might end up having to break that to them later, so she needed to keep an open mind about the possibility.

It didn't matter to her honestly. Family weren't about blood, but about who cared for you as only a family would, and because of that, her parents would always be exactly that to her. Their parents. And if you wanted to find a positive, it would mean that their new little brother or sister wouldn't be shackled with the same thing that had plagued them for the entirety of their lives, which were only a good thing if they were to be honest about it.

Null were probably gonna take it harder though, if it were confirmed that they weren't related by blood to their parents. She had some trouble accepting things now and again, and she were no stranger to being in denial over things, so... Yeah. In case their parents actually told them that they were adopted, this was going to be a pretty harsh one to try and break to Null, who when she'd one day come through again, would already have a ton of stuff to deal with.

21 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

The Consul turned to the sisters, "Is there some hospitality I can offer you in the mean time?"

"Well I u-uhm... Do have s-some questions you c-could perhaps answer? S-Somewhere else. They need p-peace here. Take care m-mom and dad, and d-don't worry. We'll b-be safe here. The uhm... C-Consul seems nice."

Void would wave at them and give them as good a smile as she could, then sling Null up across her back again and move out of the room. A longing look would be directed towards the two of them - especially their dad - as she left the room, but hopefully she'd see them again relatively soon, and by then, they might remember them again.

Once they got out of the room and she figured they couldn't hear them anymore, she'd start off with the most important question of all that she had.

"...Who a-are you? The o-others just called you c-consul, but... Who A-Are you? I-If that's okay to a-ask? And... Are you t-the ruler of Troy n-now? Alicorns t-tend to rule in other p-places, like E-Equestria, and Saddle A-Arabia, and I d-don't remember the ruling s-system in Troy anymore."

[Illiad Easle 2,968]

@Blitz Boom

The Consul nodded at their request, and led them to the opposite side of the room from where they had entered, up another staircase to another room. This one was round, with a domed ceiling that commanded an excellent view of the stars above, and the towering buildings around. At the peak of the dome floated a series of concentric metal rings that slowly spun around an orb. the walls of the room were lined with books, desks, and papers, as well as glass doors on opposite sides that led out to the roof of the building. The center of the room was devoted to a circular bed that was clearly meant for two, the Consul laying on the half of it that had clearly been more used.

He teleported in a pair of the couches from below, and brought them as close to the sisters as he could before gesturing for them to sit.

5 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

"...Who a-are you? The o-others just called you c-consul, but... Who A-Are you? I-If that's okay to a-ask? And... Are you t-the ruler of Troy n-now? Alicorns t-tend to rule in other p-places, like E-Equestria, and Saddle A-Arabia, and I d-don't remember the ruling s-system in Troy anymore."

The Consul seemed intrigued by her questions, "Clearly you know little of Troy, especially odd considering the deep vengeance your sister holds for it. But I do appreciate the question." He motioned to himself with a semi formal bow, "I am Illiad Easle, elected Consul of the Trojan Empire, only present remnant of house Rose and thus next in line for the Equestrian throne, were there an Equestria to have a throne." he shrugged, "I am an avatar of karma as the keeper of vengeance, and as such I know how much you two are owed for the suffering you've been caused."

He sighed, "That is likely not what you were looking to know though. While I am the duly appointed leader of the empire, I was a unicorn at the time, and many are not as sure of me now that I have become an alicorn, and with the near total dissolution of the empire after Discord, many have turned to the Leader at Troy, or the chair of the Trojan city council, as their trusted leader, as he in turn looks to me to lead I am, in a way, the leader of Troy, at least until the next election where it may or may not continue to be an official capacity."

He looked tired, "In the absence of the other alicorns, it has fallen to me to maintain, well, everything. You may have noticed that the sun is backwards? I'm working on that, in the two years since I became an Alicorn it hasn't gotten much easier, but it's a bit closer to the way it was before."

He looked unsure before proceeding, "Which brings me to the personal favor I want to ask of you, do you think I could... sit between you two? Be covered by your curse for a bit?"

[Blitz Boom 4,422]

@Illiad Easle

15 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

"Which brings me to the personal favor I want to ask of you, do you think I could... sit between you two? Be covered by your curse for a bit?"

Void looked confused at the consul as he asked her this. He wanted to sit between the sisters? That were honestly something that the two of them had never been asked before, and considering the amount of things they had gone through in the past twenty years before they hit Equestria, that were quite the feat.

"Uuuh... Okay?"

She took her sister down from her back and placed her a little to the side off her, and made sure that Null were seated on on end of the cough, before herself sitting so that there were a small gap between the siblings where Illiad could wander in and find himself covered by the effect of the sisters, though Void weren't exactly sure why. Did he just want to unwind from having a lot of magic built up and figured this were as good a way as any? She could ask, but there were a good deal other things she wanted to go through before that, from what had been said before he made this request.

"So, b-big sis and I n-never got far in T-Troy. We came from a s-small community, and n-never left before m-mom and dad t-tried to escape the country w-with us, after the... I-incident that took my l-leg, and her w-wing. We o-only knew the G-Grey as the law, and h-heard the consul w-were in control. We a-always thought that t-the one having your title, w-were in control of the c-country.

The u-uhm... K-Keeper of vengeance thing... Is t-that the T-Troy version of being a p-princess of something? Like, alicorns r-represent something?"

Void had heard somepony talk kind of like Illiad before, about being a keeper of something. Some weird serpanther guy, who kept spouting off about balancing everything, and other sorta rambling things. He kept talking in riddles and weren't around for long, so she had no idea if he were just crazy, but he too had gone on about something with keepers, she knew that. Though again, she weren't sure exactly what he were going on about. It were probably just a coincidence, or if not, something unrelated. Serpanthers and alicorns were pretty far from one another, so this whole avatar thing were probably about what Illiad said about him being some sort of karmic entity. Another thing which sounded weird, and kinda like he were part of some sort of collective, like the bearers of harmony or something like that.

"I h-hadn't noticed the sun were w-wrong though, j-just for the record, s-sir. But i uhm... I can s-see why it could be h-hard to get it r-right. P-Princess Celestia did this f-for a long time. It c-can't be easy picking t-that up, even if y-you're an alicorn y-yourself. Which uhm... S-Sounds like a t-tough thing to be in T-Troy."

Another thing Void knew little to nothing about really, were the relationship between alicorns and Troy. She knew that they and Celestia did not get along for some sort of reason that she hadn't adequately been told (or had forgotten since then), but why would that stretch to alicorns as a whole? Especially now that there were likely no other ones to keep the sun up, even if it may be on incorrectly. If that rotation weren't kept in check, it could mess up the entire ecosystem, right? No sun, no plant life, no food. Shouldn't they all be thrilled to have him?

[Illiad Easle 2,968]

@Blitz Boom

The Cosul approached hesitantly, much like one does when entering a pool, slowly easing his way into their sphere of influence. Then, almost all at once, he visibly relaxed, giving off an audible sigh as he practically deflated between them. 

When he spoke, it was in a low relaxed tone, "Three years an alicorn, two more as the balance and twenty atop that an emphatic, but for once... I'm free, it can't reach me here."

He sighed contentedly again before he turned back towards Void, "A colony? Given what your parents mentioned likely one of the TrUST scientific communities, it's hard for the guard to protect them all, so the Grey were a necessary evil at that time."

"Before... everything happened, the title of Consul did refer to the one in charge of the country, chosen by the citizens to lead them. It's only not the case now as I have changed much since they chose me, and that the country is effectively only one city now."

"As to vengeance, most ponies who become alicorns do so due to some extreme magic they encounter or are bestowed. Those that can't handle the power die, either physically or mentally. The alicorns Sparkle and Cadenza are prime examples of the 'ascension' without death. I'm unsure whether Karma intended for me to become one as well, but it became necessary when I destroyed Discord. The world must have at least one. "

He smiled at her comments on the sun, "I appreciate your understanding, and it is much like you've said." He chuckled, "It would almost have been easier if I came out of the fight a revealed changeling than an alicorn. They'd at least understand it better."

With that he stood back up, and shuddered as he left their influence, he visibly tensed back up as his magical responsibilities washed back onto him. 

He shook it off, and moved back to his place on the bed, "Now, about your sister, can you tell me about what happened to make her this way? "

[Blitz Boom 4,422]

@Illiad Easle

Being this close to the consul made Void's skin crawl as he neared, as she expected his entrance into their field to cause some sort of horrible calamity, or be a rouse of some sort. Yet it rather quicly ended up being more of a confused situation, as he let out a long sigh, as if he were finally relaxing. Something which were not usually a sentiment around the two of them.

19 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

"Three years an alicorn, two more as the balance and twenty atop that an emphatic, but for once... I'm free, it can't reach me here."

Oh, that would explain things then. Well, most of it more likely, as the part about balance made her question if he had some connection to the other one they had met in Equestria. The rest though, she could understand why he could use a break from. Especially the empath part. They had run into one before who had isolated herself in a hut, far away from the nearest town. Once she figured out what they could do, and that she couldn't read them, they had traded one of Null's feathers for directions in how to get away from the area safely, and she had started to talk about what her life were like, before she fled from town. It had honestly sounded like a living nightmare, and if Illiad were one too, situated among all these beings with their varied suffering... It had to be far worse for him some days. No wonder he wished for a small break like this.

His muzzle didn't stay as relaxed as his body though, as it stood there, more or less pressed up against them on the couch. And the things he said... There were a lot to cover here, with questions, things she didn't wish to think about, and the blow that apparently, Discord had been destroyed too, and not just banished, or exiled in some way. The immortal demigod of chaos, as dead as the world he left behind? It were kind of poetic, but there were things about it that were troubling her a good deal, coming from past experiences with deities.

*sigh* Today had just been full of unpleasant surprises, and she had barely even started trying to face any of them, or get answers that might clear the myriad of questions up that had amassed in her head. Perhaps once Illiad stopped talking for a moment, she could intervene and see if she could get some of those things cleared up, as well as add her opinion on  a few things that were making her feel queasy again. Not as bad as earlier, but it sure did make her stomach churn a little.

19 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

With that he stood back up, and shuddered as he left their influence, he visibly tensed back up as his magical responsibilities washed back onto him. 

Soon as the consul lifted himself, Void would feel a little jolt going through her coat. It really were strange to sit this close to anypony besides her sister. And a stallion especially, considering... Well, not important right now. She had to focus here before he started again.

"I-I don't want to b-believe that we grew u-up in someplace c-controlled by scientists. It m-makes me worry about w-why we were there...

But uhm... Karma, and b-balance. W-We've met someone b-before who kept t-talking about keeping b-balance. A s-serpanther. We d-didn't think there were m-more like that, but... I g-guess we were wrong. Just like we w-were with Discord...

He s-seemed so obnoxious, but n-nice when we m-met him. I never would've thought h-he could... It just s-seems too far for h-him.

A-Anyway, it s-sounds like Karma is y-your boss? M-Maybe? And whoever it is k-keeps the balance with others l-like you, w-where you were vengeance... But wouldn't k-killing Discord r-ruin the balance? If uhm... If he actually did d-die?

W-We've been many p-places with gods and other d-deities before, sir. H-Harrowmark especially were c-clear that the only w-way to kill a god, would be t-to take its p-place, though o-other places had history a-about that too. S-Something about a c-cosmic order I t-think.

I know Discord s-said he were just a demigod, but... He r-ruled over chaos, like a r-real god would. If he d-died, then who took h-his place? If n-no one, then what b-balances out order?"

They hadn't learned much from the serpanther's babbling, but balance were something that sounded sorta easy enough to understand. Everything needed an opposite, like life and death, darkness and light, or chaos and order. If one were gone, then wouldn't things be in disarray? Then again..: The world were kinda messed up right now from what she had gathered. Perhaps it really had gone completely out of wack not only from Discord's actions, but also from removing him without having a new being overtake his role? Urgh, more questions... Did it ever end?

19 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

"Now, about your sister, can you tell me about what happened to make her this way? "

Sadly it didn't, as another question then came, this time from the consul himself, and it were touching on a subject that Void had done hers to not discuss. Sadly, considering everything she had just asked, and what he would be able to do for Null... It felt like she owed him honestly, even though she knew that he still had that major task for them that he hadn't announced yet. Just a small favor that weren't really much in itself, and considering how hospitable he had also been, considering how badly Null and her had really acted around him and his people... Well, she had cooperated with beings who had acted a lot less nice than this.

"...She t-tried to kill h-herself..."

It felt as if she had been lashed as she said this, and she felt tears already starting to fight their way towards her eyes.

"I a-always feared she'd try, a-after everything that h-happened to her, but that she actually c-could... That she'd l-leave me alone in this w-world..."

The first of many tears fell from her real eye, as the brief image of herself trying to slog through just about anywhere on her own had come to mind, and hit her like a dagger in the heart.

"You h-have to understand. She n-never deserved this. She had her w-wing amputated when s-she were just 6, and h-heard what we t-thought were our parents d-death screams. S-She were always in pain, but she n-never addressed it. It f-festered. R-Rotted her from the i-inside... T-The only thing that k-kept her going were h-hate, and some hope that w-we could find a k-kind country to settle down i-in.

When we f-found Equestria, we t-thought that were it. Princess C-Celestia were so kind to u-us, and Ponyville w-welcomed us. We w-weren't chased anymore. G-Guards actually kept us s-safe, like we were n-normal ponies. And then... T-Troy came and p-pulled us away from it."

Tears fell from both her now closed eyes, as she forced herself with a quivering voice to go on, knowing full well that the second she stopped, she wouldn't be able to finish it anymore.

"The o-only hope l-left for her w-were that we could e-escape and r-return to Equestria. But w-when that mare t-told us that it were gone... That w-we'd only have Troy, of a-all places... We both got c-crushed, but it w-were worse for her. She d-didn't have any h-hope left, and she..."

Her hooves went over and pulled her sister in, where she'd plant herself firmly around the much smaller pegasus's neck, and whimper the last words out.

"I-I dunno why she d-didn't do it, but she's just... It's l-like she's c-completely broken now, and I don't k-know how to p-pull her back out a-anymore."

That were all she could manage before she started to sob into the zombie-like Null's backfur, where Void's head would be placed once she had complete embraced her sister.

She looked as if she were getting whipped from the painful expression on her face, and it weren't exactly wrong. This were not something that were easy to have to say out loud, or even think for herself, and now finally having to spill the beans, just bashed at her, and broke her down for a bit.

It'd be about three minutes before Illiad would be able to get through to her again, as the sobbing toned down, and Null would slowly start to get a grip on herself again, and all the while, Null just stared at him with her hollow, lifeless eyes. Empath or not, Illiad would likely have an easy time spotting someone who had spiraled down into their own, internal well of misery, and didn't know how to pull themselves out of it anymore.

[Illiad Easle 2,968]

@Blitz Boom

On 6/16/2019 at 11:41 AM, Blitz Boom said:

But uhm... Karma, and b-balance. W-We've met someone b-before who kept t-talking about keeping b-balance. A s-serpanther. We d-didn't think there were m-more like that, but... I g-guess we were wrong. Just like we w-were with Discord...

He s-seemed so obnoxious, but n-nice when we m-met him. I never would've thought h-he could... It just s-seems too far for h-him.

The Consul looked thoughtful, "A serpanther you say? Not a common creature, but not unusual. The artifacts of Balance have touched many since their bestowal, and only those chosen by them have maintained their sanity in the process."

He looked straight at her when she mentioned Discord, a hint of panic in his eyes. "To be honest, neither did I."

On 6/16/2019 at 11:41 AM, Blitz Boom said:

A-Anyway, it s-sounds like Karma is y-your boss? M-Maybe? And whoever it is k-keeps the balance with others l-like you, w-where you were vengeance... But wouldn't k-killing Discord r-ruin the balance? If uhm... If he actually did d-die?

W-We've been many p-places with gods and other d-deities before, sir. H-Harrowmark especially were c-clear that the only w-way to kill a god, would be t-to take its p-place, though o-other places had history a-about that too. S-Something about a c-cosmic order I t-think.

I know Discord s-said he were just a demigod, but... He r-ruled over chaos, like a r-real god would. If he d-died, then who took h-his place? If n-no one, then what b-balances out order?"

The Consul thought for a moment before responding, "In a way Karma is my boss, but in more specific terms I answer Vengeance on a macro scale as well as the occasional egregious violation on the micro scale. Someone steals your cart, I don't care. Someone ruthlessly tries to take over the cart business and injures hundreds in the process? Then I am forced to act."

"As to Discord and the balance, balance is not maintained in perfection, but more like in a pendulum. It swings from one end to the other in a rotation, always in motion. When Discord... he knocked the pendulum deep into the bad side, nearly to the edge, and as such was punished from above. As you can see outside, chaos rules the world. It will be a long time before Order will need to be checked, but when it does... one will be called to do so."

On 6/16/2019 at 11:41 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"I-I dunno why she d-didn't do it, but she's just... It's l-like she's c-completely broken now, and I don't k-know how to p-pull her back out a-anymore."

The Consul listened intently to Void's story, watching Null as he did so. He sighed when she finished, "If it weren't for your curse, it would be easier to address the problem. but we'll have to make due without these special tools. I can see from the way she looks that she is distanced, not entirely gone. She wants to die, but inwardly refuses to believe that there is no hope."

He looked over at Void, "I think she knows how much it would hurt you if she killed herself, so simply decided to stop fighting, and let the world she's so convinced wants her dead do it for her."

He sighed again, "Honestly, Selena is much better at this than I am, she is quite a master of the mental state. I'll have to have her look into what she can do for your sister. As to your history... while I wish I could say that your experience was unique, I know it wasn't, and I know that while the country isn't wholly to blame that it can't be wholly rid of it either. However, if her despair is truly caused by Troy being inescapable, I'm happy to tell you that it isn't."

He magiced over a map from a nearby table, like the one that Delicate had in Deltrot that showed the world, only this one was unmarked, save for four blue pins. "These are the known bastions of civilization after Discord, there may be more, but these are sure." He pointed to Troy first, it was near the bottom of the map. "Here's where we are, south of former Equestria. The two closest bastions I could get you to are Archback Mountain," he pointed to the west, it was near Las Pegasus, on the other side of Cowpenhagen, "Where the Global Council once met. It is home to the Lunar Order, descendants of freed zebra slaves, and a clan of thestrals."

He then pointed to one to the north, between the Crystal Empire and Equestria, "The Blackwater Protectorate, centered on a quarry, home to a more typical Equestrian lifestyle, and a healthy colony of changelings, as well as a number of griffons."

He them pointed to the last pin, to the east across Eternity's Sea deep in Cervidas. "I'm unsure exactly where they're stationed, but I've been told that the Llamas and Alpacas fur is naturally similar to your curse, in that they are very resistant to magic, while not impervious. They were able to harbor quite a number of zebra, deer, and reindeer."

He passed the map closed to them with his hoof so they could look. "If you don't want to stay in Troy, you have options."

[Blitz Boom 4,422]

@Illiad Easle

Whilst Void did hear the consul, she weren't able to respond for several minutes to anything. As with most times in her life when she felt vulnerable and shaken to her core, she sought out the warm embrace of her sister. Even now when Null didn't hug back and were little more than a doll in her grip, her presence still tended to be what Void needed to find strength again, and in due time, she would from this too.

Illiad would be on to showing off maps as she looked up with tearful eyes. It were easier now to see that she had a false one, as it were not affected by the tears that had streamed from it as her real one, but if one were to look for small details enough to spot that on her wet face, rather than focus on the fact that she had been crying, one could argue that somepony in the room had a lack of empathy towards other creatures. Like TrUST had shown to have, during the sisters *visit* to the facility.

Sniffling, Void slowly uncurled from Null and came over, whilst Null kept on the couch with a wet back, and stared at the two of them as things progressed. Before addressing the consul though, Void would take her necktie and use it to clean the worst mixture of tears, snot, and loose hairs from Null's back. A bit gross, but she'd wash this. Eventually.

"We...*sniff* W-We've been in Archback M-Mountain. S-Something there kept g-giving Null rashes and s-soars. We d-didn't even get to see a z-zebra there before we h-had to turn around. It l-looked kinda nice though. A q-quiet place."

They had met zebras elsewhere with varied results, but that particular place had been a no go. Something about the area had just been reacting too harsh on Null, and considering they had no idea if the zebras could (or even would) help them if they got to where they had heard they'd be, they had been forced to turn around and try elsewhere.

"And... No c-changelings. We know n-not everyone is like the o-ones we met, but it's j-just... Even if they w-would accept us, I'd be c-constantly scared, and big sis w-would attack them on s-sight. We have a l-lot of bad history with them. A hive... D-Desert one, tortured us to s-see if they could s-stop the curse and c-convert us. It... Just no. It's h-hard enough getting u-used to just seeing a f-few.

A-Anyway, it doesn't matter. We're s-staying here. In T-Troy. We n-never wanted to come back b-because it had nothing left, but our p-parents alive... T-There is something to s-stay and fight for now, e-even if it w-won't be easy. F-Family never is."

Long as their parents (and eventual baby sibling) were staying in Troy, it would take something extraordinary to get them out of this country again. A strange thing to think about, wanting to stay in Troy of all places, but Void knew that she couldn't just up and leave over the past, when the beings they had missed the most were here, and neither could Null. She likely had to be forced out to not stay somewhat near them, even if she might get angry at them at first. She wouldn't mean anything harsh with it, it were just how she dealt with large changes like seeing that their parents were alive.

"B-Besides, Null needs help. I can't t-take her into danger b-before she's back from... W-Well, you s-said it yourself.

*sigh* I really hope y-you're right about her s-struggling down there. I d-don't know what I'd do w-without her.

Uhm, and... T-Thanks for clarifying the b-balance situation. It's just c-confusing, I guess. H-Honestly easier to understand g-gods and their role in n-not being killable unless s-someone else takes their p-place. Demigods are w-weird compared t-to that.

...Is it r-really true though? Is E-Equestria just... G-Gone? What e-exactly happened to it?"

This had been a thing that had nagged her for a while, but there had just been more pressing matters than to think on asking someone random about how an entire country seemingly just weren't anymore. She weren't sure if that meant it were pulverized, that everyone had just been killed, it were overrun with these spawns from Tartarus, or if it had just vanished into thin air for that matter. Perhaps even something else than these top of the head ideas.

Whatever had happened, it felt like it were important to know for her. Just as long as the story did not involve prolonged, painful endings to the princesses. She weren't sure if she could stomach that.

[Illiad Easle 2,968]

4 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

*sigh* I really hope y-you're right about her s-struggling down there. I d-don't know what I'd do w-without her.

@Blitz Boom

The Consul gave a slight smile as he put the map back in its place, "In that case, I'll be sure to arrange your housing here in the city. Your parents were due for an increased living space with the new addition on the way anyway. It'll be easy enough to change their upgrade to accommodate the two of you as well."

4 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

...Is it r-really true though? Is E-Equestria just... G-Gone? What e-exactly happened to it?"

The Consul looked a bit sad, "I suppose fallen is the best term for it. Most of those that Discord got to... we've been working on what exactly that spell of his did, but it didn't leave any trace of them, and the spawn took care of the rest. What remains of Equestria are the ruined towns, some populated sparsely by survivors, others overrun with the spawn. But the Equestrian spirit lives on nearly intact in the Blackwater Quarry."

He sighed, looking back over at the map, "We could have stopped it, should have stopped it, before it got so out of hoof. The spawn came first you see, before anyone knew Discord was behind it. He waited until everyone thought we could beat them, then flipped the table. If the council had listened to me, heeded my warning, we could have taken back the gates months before Discord's attack. But they were foalish to think that Equestria would once again take care of their mess, or rather that their inability to contain their own mess would stay in their borders like it usually did."

He turned back to look at them, "Which brings us rather nicely to why I sought you two out in the first place. Your curse may be exactly what we need to save the world. It may seem an odd question, but what do you know of the legend of Hercules?"

(They can respond here.)

The Consul's horn glowed, and he nodded with a slightly sad expression, "Yes I had assumed as much. It matches with the documents I gathered anyway."

He turned to them again, "Your parent's memory is restored, and it contains some... potentially unpleasant surprises."

[Blitz Boom 4,422]

@Illiad Easle

9 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

"Which brings us rather nicely to why I sought you two out in the first place. Your curse may be exactly what we need to save the world. It may seem an odd question, but what do you know of the legend of Hercules?"

"Perhaps... I-I mean, Hercules? It r-rings a bell, but I c-can't place it."

Void had looked thoughtful for a while, as Illiad yold of what had happened with the Equestrians that Discord had gotten hold of, and the country in general.

The ruined towns scarcely populated by survivors were a sad constant in many places it seemed, and it didn't get any less tragic to hear that it were like that in Equestria too. The only silver lining she could find were that this might at least mean that some of the ponies who had been nice to them in Ponyville, might be among these stragglers. Hopefully that Molotov stallion that kept hitting on her were among them.

N-Not because she liked him or anything. More often than not, she had been mortified by his pushy, direct way of attempting courtship, and Null had hit him a few times because of it. No charges from his side though, since as he said *He'd kinda been asking for it.*.

Void's want for him to be among the survivors were more because him and that strange sister of his were very inventive ponies, and in a world like this, the survivors could desperately use both of them, or at least one. Whatever machinery either of them would be able to make could likely make a huge difference, even if only one would remain, and the grief over losing their sibling would be crushing.

But... What if they came back?

Null and her had been many places throighout the world, and rarely had they experienced anything just vanishing. Getting teleported away, turned invisible, or phased to a sort of pocket dimension (she were still hazy of the details on that one) they had encountered before, usually through some sort of ritual or powerful artifact that in some cases, would return those that had been taken once it got destroyed.

Perhaps it were a fools hope to think that it were the sort of thing that could be the case here, but let her be the fool then for having at least a little that perhaps, the few friends and even the princesses might not be dead.

There would've been no such thoughts if she had heard there had been found any bodies of the ones affected by Discord's spell, yet as it stood, Illiad had said they vanished. Vanishing were not necessarily the same as being dead.

Still, she'd keep this to herself for now. No need to spout off things like this when it were nothing more than an unsubstantiated but of hope. Besides, from what the consul had just said, they had far more important things to consider now, in regards to saving the world. And for some reason her and Null were a part of it.

*gulp* No pressure...

"And... Y-Yes, we'll help h-however we can. We m-might not have had the b-best experiences out t-there, but that d-doesn't mean we w-want others to die. Not v-very often at l-least."

She considered addressing the living arrangements, but she figured that were less important for now. Besides, she had to speak with their parents about it first, in case they prefered the two of them to not be there constantly, considering they were about to have a little one soon.

Either way, Void would have to find some spare space to make a makeshift forge, unless there were one she could use part time elsewhere, to begin setting up a place to help with false eyes. From what had been said in the camp, the faster the better, though one thing at a time.

10 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

The Consul's horn glowed, and he nodded with a slightly sad expression, "Yes I had assumed as much. It matches with the documents I gathered anyway."

He turned to them again, "Your parent's memory is restored, and it contains some... potentially unpleasant surprises."

"I h-have some idea what y-you mean with that, c-consul. It's... N-Not going to be e-easy for Null, but our b-baby sibling is p-probably better off."

Void would saddle up and get Null on her back again, before following Illiad on his way. It were about time to go to see their parents, and likely be told they were adopted. A tough one, but Void had kinda expected it, and it wasn't really all that bad. At least they'd remember the good times with their fillies, right?

[Illiad Easle 2,968]

@Blitz Boom

The Consul led them back downstairs, to where their parents were now on the same couch, sharing a tight embrace, while Selena sat nearby, a comforting hoof on their mother's whither. Their mother was crying softly while their father was gently rubbing her back, he was speaking just loud enough that they could all hear as they approached. "It doesn't matter if he is their real father, and not just another lie, he's not coming back. They can't hurt us again." Their father then noticed that the Consul had led them back in, and he motioned for them to sit beside them on the opposite side from Selena.

The Consul took a seat across from them all, and with magic summoned a small stack of papers. "As your parents now remember, and as I gathered from these documents I acquired from the national archives and the facility we found you two in, and as I see you've already surmised... these two aren't your biological parents."

Their parents, or at least their father, would offer a forelimb for an embrace if they were inclined.

Selena continued, "They have, however, more than adequately fulfilled the roles of adoptive parents for the two of you, even to risk their own life."

The Consul, "Unfortunately, they were never officially made your parents, but that is something that can be easily rectified shortly."

Their father then added, "There's... just something the two of you should know first."

He looked like he wanted to continue, but seemed too overwhelmed to do so, so the Consul passed a pair of official looking documents over to them, Trojan birth certificates, Null had apparently been born in Deltrot, and Void in Delphi, but most notable was that their mothers' names were very different, but in both cases their father was listed as unknown. "I found in the records I recovered from the facility I found you in, among other things, a rather detailed summary of how you two came into the care of these two."

He lifted up a paper and read: "In Deltrot, a filly was born with a strange curse, making her immune to magic. Her mother died while giving birth due to complications from the curse. The foal has been sent to TrUST research compound Eponsilon-5 for care and study into the nature of this curse. [Their age difference] later, another filly was born under strikingly similar circumstances in Delphi. The foal bore a striking resemblance to the first, whether this is due to the curse, or if they are related, requires further study. The foal has been sent to TrUST research compound Eponsilon-5, and will be paired with the other in order to study any differences and similarities between the curses. They were placed in the care of Dr. Caligraphy and Researcher Bunsen (spouse) for study and care under the direction of compound director Dr. A.C. Bunsen Burner."

He set the document down, "It goes on to mention, with notes from your parents, how your curse affected you two, the incident with some other members of the compound that were affected by some other anomalous entity, and when your parents broke protocol to take you out of the compound when Director Bunsen was going to have you two relocated."

He turned to look at their parents with a sympathetic expression, "And that's not all... As they related to Selena through their restored, and subsequently blocked memories of when they were overtaken by the Grey, they were brought before their leader, who claims to be your true father."

He turned back to them, "Whether that is the truth or not, I cannot determine. What I do know is that he bears the same curse you two do, as did his mother before him, and her father before her, to the original Grey Mane, son of the Grey Mare also known as the Oracle of Delphi who cursed her son and all her descendants to gain the ability to foresee the end of the world."

He sighed, then rose, as did Selena. "I know this is quite a bit to take in, for all of you. We'll give you the time you need to figure it out, then we can continue with the official adoption... if that is still desired."

With that they would leave the room unless stopped. 

[Blitz Boom 4,422]

@Illiad Easle

Void wouldn't have said a word as this entire thing were laid on her. She had expected them being potentially adopted, so that part hadn't hit hard, but the rest... Null being only her half sister? Their parents being researchers that had been assigned them? The town being a research place that were just there to examine others like them? It had stirred quite a bit inside her to hear these things, and made her question why the prejudice for them had found place. If it were a place of researchers, shouldn't they have encouraged the sisters to be out and mingling? Or did they want to make them afraid of the outside, so that they wouldn't try and leave?

Whatever the reason, it did cast a lot of what they thought about their lives into question, and that were before the part about their apparent real dad were even mentioned.

Descendant of an oracle, leader of the Grey, and cursed with the same affliction that tormented them. A pony who should have understood what they went through and tried to keep them safe, yet the one ultimately responsible for a lot of the pain they had suffered through in their early years. And for what purpose? What possible reason could there be to ensure you got two daughters, just to treat them like dirt?

This were all too much to bear, but through it all, there were some things that Void could still cling on to. Some truth between all the lies, torment and deception, and to her, it were the most important part in all of this.

"...It doesn't change anything."

She spoke up before the Consul left the room, and though there were some quivering in her voice, speaking of how close she were to start bawling her eyes out again, there weren't any judgement towards Calligraphy and Septicity in her gaze as she rose her head and looked at her parents.

"It might have just been work on these papers, but I saw you dad, when you had to amputate big sis's wing, and heard mom when she had to patch up my stump. If you didn't care about us, it wouldn't have hurt you so much to go through that, and you wouldn't have gone as far as you did to try and get us away from it all. 

You always did your best and gave us as good a life as you could, that were full of love and compassion. Doesn't matter if we don't have the same blood, you were, and always will be, our parents."

Void sprung over and embraced both of her parents tightly, just in time for the tears to start rolling down her face again.

"We... We're a family, and that pony who claims to be our father is nothing more than just another monster who tried to hurt it."

Whoever this pony is who claimed to be their father, Void wanted nothing to do with him. He abandoned them before they were even born, and let a research facility take them, before directing his goons to policing them and making their lives miserable.

It used to be that she thought that the cause of all their misery were the leadership of Troy, but now she knew otherwise. Troy hadn't helped, but it was Him who had done all of this to them, and gods be willing, he would have died in the twenty years it had been since their parents met him. If not, she hoped that wherever he were, he were lonely and miserable. Someone like him deserved no better, and she would shed no tears if it turned out that he were indeed suffering somewhere.

Void felt a small bump at her side, as Null had wandered over to them for some reason. She still didn't show much sign of life, but Null scooped her in into this family hug all the same.

For the longest time, they only had one another, but now they had their parents - their Real parents - back, and a little brother or sister on the way, who weren't going to suffer under the same curse the two of them did. They had a family again now, and by the heavens, Void weren't going to give up on any of them.

[Illiad Easle 2,968]

@Blitz Boom

The Consul paused when Void spoke, and did not leave with Selena. He simply watched from the door as she spoke and they embraced.

Their parents returned Void's hug with vigor, especially when Null moved closer to join them. Their father spoke next, "I'd say something, but you've already said it all."

The Consul allowed them to continue in silence until Selena returned with other papers, which he brought over to them with his magic, and a slight smile. "I am then happy to approve of your adoption, if you two will just sign here."

He produced a pen with his magic, then passed the paper and pen by hoof to the family huddle so as to avoid their curse. "Furthermore, your application for expanded living space has been approved, with additional space provided for the new additions to your family. The space will be available by the end of the month, until which time you two," he looked directly at the sisters, "will be provided space to live here at the Consul's estate." 

He then stood to leave, "I have other duties to attend to, you are all free to remain here as long as you need. Dinner will be served in about an hour, and I would be deeply honored if you would join us. Selena will be here to attend to anything you need in the mean time."

With that he gave a respectful Trojan bow and left.

Selena carefully retrieved the documents that their parents had signed, "Once these are entered into the registry you'll receive your copies."

Their parents thanked Selena before turning back to the sisters, tears filling their eyes, "You thought we died, and we thought we would die. They told us we'd never see you two again. Then they discharged us out of Deep Science, out of TrUST for breaking protocol..."

"We'd do it all again for the two of you, everything we lost is nothing compared to finally getting you two back."

[Blitz Boom 4,422]

@Illiad Easle

20 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

He then stood to leave, "I have other duties to attend to, you are all free to remain here as long as you need. Dinner will be served in about an hour, and I would be deeply honored if you would join us. Selena will be here to attend to anything you need in the mean time."

"Wait, consul... T-Thank you."

Void remained in the embrace, but she still turned her head as she spoke to the consul with a tear filled, yet joyful face, and bowed her head towards him. At some point when all of this were over and she got a hold of herself again, perhaps she'd track him down and really try to explain how much it meant what he were doing. Or she'd just wait until they would have to meet up for dinner. It depended on if she felt more stable by then.

"You too, S-Selena."

The crystal creature were a strange one that she still had to try and get used to, but Selena did undeniably help her parents with their memories, so she were owed appreciated too. It were the bare minimum that one could expect in a situation like this, right?

20 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

Their parents thanked Selena before turning back to the sisters, tears filling their eyes, "You thought we died, and we thought we would die. They told us we'd never see you two again. Then they discharged us out of Deep Science, out of TrUST for breaking protocol..."

"We'd do it all again for the two of you, everything we lost is nothing compared to finally getting you two back."

Whatever composure she had held whilst talking to the two officials cracked soon as their parents started to talk, and Void returned to holding them close and sobbing slightly.

"We've all lost so much, but we're here now. The family they thought they'd ruined forever, and I'm not going to let them take this from us again. Not you, not the little one, and not big sis. No more..."

Whilst she ended up sobbing against whilst speaking, A tear would slowly start to fall from Null's right eye, and she slowly raised a hoof to put on the shoulder of whichever one of their parents were standing the closest. Her stare were still vacant and empty, but her actions spoke loudly that all of this were breaking through to her on at least some level. In a good or bad way though, weren't immediately obvious, though it might still be representing an opportunity here if they aimed to get her out of her slump. Perhaps now that she were vaguely surfacing, they could somehow manage to pull her out further, and show her that there were hope left in this ruined world, and something worth fighting for.

[Illiad Easle 2,968]

@Blitz Boom

It wasn't too long until, regretfully, they had to end the embrace, their parents wiping their own tears from their faces as they stood from the couch, "Well," said their father, "As much as we both love you two, we do have some patients to care for. Can't forget the ones we brought in from Deltrot now can we?"

As they were prepping to leave there was a knock at the door to the room, which Selena went to answer. There was a pegasus at the door, he wore a scarf that had the Trojan Laurel leaves stitched in over a long light brown coat. The symbol on his withers seemed to be a rank. "General Forerunner, I wasn't expecting you."

The pegasus gave a sly smile as he bowed, "I wasn't expecting to come, Judge Diamond, but when I heard someone was willing to go after Hercules, I had to see them myself."

Their parents looked impressed at the general's presence, but didn't say anything about it. They simply gave the sisters one last embrace along with their farewells and the assurance that they'd be back by dinner before they courteously moved past the general.

Selena would lead him over to the sisters, "Void, this is General Forerunner, he's in charge of that favor the Consul wanted to ask of you two."

The general looked skeptical of the two, and looked back over at Selena, "The Consul really thinks these two can do it?" He visibly withered at the look that Selena gave him, and turned back to them with a more cautious face, "Ahem,, uh, right then. I don't know how, but if this works you two will be saving the world from the spawn of tartarus, and by extension from the anti magic plague."

[Blitz Boom 4,422]

@Illiad Easle

20 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

"Well," said their father, "As much as we both love you two, we do have some patients to care for. Can't forget the ones we brought in from Deltrot now can we?"

He were right of course. Whilst she wanted him to stay and not leave again so soon, now that he could remember their past again, Void had to agree that there were others with a far more immediate need for help, and she didn't want anyone to die just because she were being selfish. There where far too many corpses in Null's and her wake as it were.

Somepony new walked into the room a little after. A general by the sounds of things, though it weren't the most impressive one by looks alone right now. Maybe it were just the color scheme or something, but when Void at least thought of pony generals, she mostly had in her mind a few pretty big and burly ones with a stone look on their eyes and no time for games, or the three generals of Equestria that one time when they had met up and spotted them as they were speaking with the princesses.

The two handling the Solar and Night guards were somewhat typical, though kind in their own way, and standing out without looking intimidating. The Coastal Guard general though... Now that had been a weird one that really stuck with Void.

She'd been between where the two sisters were in size, and wore official looking clothes with her armor, that seemed to be freshly torn. Some wounds that seemed barely starting to heal were also present on the mare's grinning face and according to her, had been the result of a round of shark wrestling before attending the meeting. Somehow a tradition that every general from the Coastal Guard had to join in on at least occasionally, and were a big tourist attraction where their head quarters were located. Visually a sight to behold that one, and her personality followed troop, with her going over and giving them a bit of a friendly shoulder push and talking to them like you would someone you'd known for years. A very strange sight that she hadn't known how to respond to at the time, and despite Null's hostility, before they knew it, the three generals had moved on, and the sisters stood with an open invitation to show up at any time to join in on some seaweed rolls and watch Tidal Wave in a shark wrestling match. Sadly not something they'd had the time to react on before they had been taken away, though they had been talking about going there the month after. Guess that were far too late now.

Whilst Void were thinking on this, her parents came over and they all said their goodbyes, before leaving them with just the general and Selena in the room. Null started to follow their parents as they were leaving the room, but stopped when Void tugged a little in her tail, and then just stood and starred at the general who seemed none too impressed with the sight of the sisters, which were also expressed in words, a little after that.

21 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

"The Consul really thinks these two can do it?" He visibly withered at the look that Selena gave him, and turned back to them with a more cautious face, "Ahem,, uh, right then. I don't know how, but if this works you two will be saving the world from the spawn of tartarus, and by extension from the anti magic plague."

"I d-don't know how the consul w-wants it to work either. I only h-heard him say the word H-Hercules once, and it sounded l-like a legend. You make it s-sound like it's a real b-being though? Someone r-returned from T-Tartarus? I guess w-wherever though we h-have to kill him? We uhm... P-Please don't tell our parents, but it w-wouldn't be the first. We c-could do it, and I'm s-suspecting that it have to b-be us because we h-have this anti-magic c-curse. It's h-hereditary. Nothing from y-your plague.

Uhm... My n-name's Void by the w-way, and this is m-my big sis Null. She's... Not f-feeling well, so p-please excuse her for not t-talking, or really reacting to a-anything."

It weren't all that comfy to tell anyone that yes, they weren't strangers to killing others, but whoever this Hercules being were, they were unlikely to have to go and just ask him nicely to go away. He'd likely have to die, and this time for good. It wouldn't be an issue long as it were the right thing to do. Void could get over it pretty well if she just clung on to that, whilst if Null returned to her senses, she'd just do it and not outwardly show if it even mattered to her. 

[Illiad Easle 2,968]

@Blitz Boom

Both the general and Selena looked concerned, deeply so on Selena's part, when Void not only volunteered to kill, but admitted previous success in the act.

The general was the first to respond, "Oh, that won't be necessary, Void right? Though part of your guess isn't far off. Hercules is a legend, or was, though I guess IS the strongest earth pony to have ever lived. The Hercules belt of the Trojan TussleFest was named after him nearly a thousand years ago, but anyway. As we've recently learned, since he went to Tartarus at the end of the legend, he's apparently been there until this day guarding the doors along side Cerberus. But when Discord came he bound Hercules with cursed chains that grew stronger the harder he tried to break them."

He shrugged, "I guess with your curse that's how the Consul sees you two doing it. If you two can weaken the curse in the chains, then Hercules can escape and close the doors again, stopping the tarspawn and anything else from getting through."

He looked over at Null, "Your sister though, it's a look I've seen too often around here. Surprised she's still reacting at all."

[Blitz Boom 4,422]

@Illiad Easle

"Oh, so that's... O-Okay."

Void visibly squirmed as she had seen the look the two had given both her and Null when she had revealed that yes, their hooves weren't clean. There were blood on them, and apparently now, they were being judged about it. Selena were even called Judge by the general earlier! Why did she not think on this? *gulp* G-Guess she had to add some context before this got bad.

"Look, you h-have to understand, l-life weren't easy out t-there with t-this curse w-we're saddled w-with. A lot of b-beings wanted to k-kill us, or o-others, and we... We d-did what we had to d-do to s-survive.

We n-never hurt anyone i-innocent. N-Not on purpose a-anyway, and the o-ones we... Y-You know, were t-trying to kill u-us. We had n-no choice. Though u-uhm... Sometimes w-we went after s-someone. O-Only if they w-were really d-dangerous though, like c-cult leaders s-sacrificing others to a r-relic. We'd go in to s-steal the items, k-keep the things s-safe under o-our curse, where the items c-couldn't work a-anymore. M-Mostly the things h-had them driven mad or t-turned into monsters. It... We j-just tried to stop the s-senseless killings. To h-help."

She squirmed more and more the more she spoke of this, and looked nervously and kinda scared towards the two ponies in front of them, with her whole posture bend and looking upwards as if she were fearing a whipping, or some sort of beating.

Unbeknownst to Void, this want to find and take things under safety measures came directly from the very early years of being with their parents and the facility, where the kind of goal they had in mind were ingrained into their subconsciousness. Much like TrUST, they had stolen things, accepted some degree of casualties for the greater good, and kept the worst things away from those it were meant to hurt. If these two were understanding of that remained to be seen though.

"And uhm... N-Null is k-kinda... I dunno. The c-consul says she is t-trying to come out b-but I just.... I j-just don't k-know."

[Illiad Easle 2,968]

@Blitz Boom

As Void was rambling on about the killing she and her sister had done, as justified as it may or may not have been, Selena looked as if, were it possible, she were about to physically restrain her from continuing. But given her hoof began to lose cohesion every time she brought it too close to her, she had to wait, with a pained expression to match the General's, for her to stop.

"Void," she spoke, "For the most part no one with the karma to do so is wishing vengeance on you, or the Consul would have mentioned it when he talked to you earlier. You don't need to worry about that right now. As for the rest we'll sort it out later, once we avert the present apocalypse."

The General then went back to looking at Null, "Has she exhibited any, well, suicidal tendencies before? A self destructive personality? How has she acted recently, or how long has she been like this?"

He looked over at Selena, "Can you do something? Like that dream thing?"

Selena looked unsure, "I doubt it, its magic after all. I'm not sure I could even stay close enough..."

She looked over at Void, "Odd question, were you ever visited in your dreams?"

(She's implying Luna, but you know who I'm hinting at?)

[Blitz Boom 4,422]

@Illiad Easle

14 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

"Void," she spoke, "For the most part no one with the karma to do so is wishing vengeance on you, or the Consul would have mentioned it when he talked to you earlier. You don't need to worry about that right now. As for the rest we'll sort it out later, once we avert the present apocalypse."

Void had little idea what it were the judge spoke of, but it sounded to her at least like they were gonna have trouble, once the big crisis were averted. Hopefully they'd be successful, and that would count in their favor. If not that, then at least she hoped it would be contained to the two of them, and not spill over and hurt their parents. They had already been dragged into too many things because of Null and her. It had to stop.

14 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

"Has she exhibited any, well, suicidal tendencies before? A self destructive personality? How has she acted recently, or how long has she been like this?"

"I-It's been a day, and she h-have sometimes s-shown to be s-self-destructive. Sometimes she s-said that she only s-stayed sane because she h-had to protect me, and I g-got the feeling that she t-thought about e-ending it after that w-wasn't something she t-thought I needed anymore. I just... D-Didn't think she'd a-actually try.

A-Again, you need to u-understand what w-we've been through. We were s-six years old when we f-fled the country, and we j-just heard- I mean, w-we thought we heard our p-parents die. We w-were shattered, and it w-were far worse for N-Null. A pegasus that c-can't fly, it... It's t-torture for them. And she c-couldn't get herself to t-talk about it, b-because she tried to focus on k-keeping us a-alive. It f-festered, and with a-all those h-horrible experiences we t-then faced, it just a-ate away at her. Made her so f-full of h-hatred. Years and y-years of just... B-Boiling in her anger and p-pain. I can b-barely remember what s-she used to be like a-anymore."

There were some glimpses here and there in her head, of Null being small, full of hope and happily fluttering everywhere, until she could finally fly for real. Her face from that day were one of the few memories of a happy big sister Void could still remember, but after over fifteen years of her growing bitter and seething with pent up rage, it became harder and harder to keep hold of that image sometimes. Hopefully one day, if she actually could get a replacement wing and somehow get to fly again, Void might see that smiling, happy sister that she had lost all those years ago.

15 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

"Odd question, were you ever visited in your dreams?"

"And y-yes, something did v-visit us in dreams, the f-first night after the facility s-stole us from Equestria, and t-then after, when they f-froze us. Some s-strange thing that showed us f-fighting, b-bloodshed and a w-war leaving everything in r-ruins. It said that w-we had to stop it. I g-guess we did, but s-something else ruined everything i-instead of a war between Troy and E-Equestria. From how it t-talked, it sounded like t-the lack of whatever b-bombs they were g-going to make from our curse to d-destroy entire cities in Equestria, m-meant more years of f-fighting, but l-less casualties? It's h-hard to explain.

It uhm... I guess a n-name? It d-didn't give us one. It just c-called itself 900."

[Illiad Easle 2,968]

@Blitz Boom

Both the General and Selena seemed a bit worried by Void's revelations, though for different reasons.

Selena spoke first, "Visited in your dreams... I would guess you couldn't move? It must be him then, I knew he couldn't be kept away long." She looked a bit sorrowful at Null. "It seems the two of you picked something up in your travels, a being that Luna had suppressed, taking refuge in the place that her magic couldn't touch him, using your curse to hide itself. If I had to guess, he's whats stopping Null from using any means to do herself in."

She sighed, "He's a tricky one, Karma calls him the blank avatar, servant of any God who calls. I'm not sure I could get him out, but maybe... it might be the only way to drag your sister back out of the pit he's helped her dig all these years." She looked over at Void, "You said he called himself 900? That sounds like a Deep Science designation, I'll have Illiad look into the documents on it before we start."

The General looked more concerned by Selena's talk, but turned back to face the sisters. "It looks like you three, or four, will be dealing with that first then, which is fine. I'll have a team put together to get you two to Hercules so you can work your special magic, and hopefully make the world a better place. Should take a day or two to do it. If that is all then?"

While he phrased it as a question, he didn't wait for an answer before turning to leave, and Selena moved to follow before turning back to the sisters, "I should show you where you'll be staying tonight anyway, if all goes well we can attempt to enter Null's mind tonight, and, if he's not there, get to the root of her plight. If he is there, hopefully he is her plight."

As she turned back to the door to lead them out, both Void, and whatever conscious thought of Null, could see him in the shadow of the doorway, staring at them with the same eyes as before, a sentence, not spoken, burned into their minds:

"DON'T TRUST THEM."

Then he was gone.

[Blitz Boom 4,422]

@Illiad Easle

On 6/25/2019 at 2:47 AM, Illiad Easle said:

"I should show you where you'll be staying tonight anyway, if all goes well we can attempt to enter Null's mind tonight, and, if he's not there, get to the root of her plight. If he is there, hopefully he is her plight."

"Yes p-please. We'll n-need her to get to H-Hercules and s-stop this."

Technically not true, but if Void were to be plunged into the heart of this whole mess, she would need to be pushed and kept focused, and Null had always been the driving force in what they did. She'd make sure that they would get the job done, no matter the cost. Besides, since the effect of their curse lingered in her feathers, they could potentially get some range if it were needed and strap a feather to an arrow, then fire it off at something. Wouldn't be the first time they'd had to do that.

"This *B-Blank avatar* as you call him, he's working for g-gods? I don't k-know if I should worry even m-more about him t-then. The g-gods Null and I have i-interfered with through t-taking out some of their a-altars and r-relics, or m-meddling with their o-offspring, probably w-wouldn't be t-too happy about us. I can o-only think of a few deities t-that might s-still regard us f-favourably. Guess... G-Guess we'll see-"

On 6/25/2019 at 2:47 AM, Illiad Easle said:

As she turned back to the door to lead them out, both Void, and whatever conscious thought of Null, could see him in the shadow of the doorway, staring at them with the same eyes as before, a sentence, not spoken, burned into their minds:

"DON'T TRUST THEM."

Then he was gone.

The words withered on her tongue as she saw 900 stand over there in the doorway, eyes fixated on the siblings. Though no words left his form, the three that were burning through Void's mind were clearly his, and seemed to be meant to cause them to doubt the beings from Troy.

Null too were affected, as she glanced his way and the side of her muzzle rose vaguely in a weak and brief sneer.

As sudden as he had shown, he were suddenly gone again, off to hide somewhere in Null perhaps? If not that, then in whatever weird place he lured when not showing himself.

Last time the two of them had taken him up on his words and warnings, as they had seen the destruction of Equestria and thought they did the right thing, and what had they gotten for their trouble? Sealed away for three years, almost releasing a massive threat in the form of Panic, hurt a lot of creatures, and according to him, had inadvertently caused Troy and Equestria to remain at war for a while more, which just caused more to be hurt. It may also have taken away the advantage that Troy could have used to erradicate Equestria, but as it had turned out, Discord had planned something that took care of that anyway. Plus, she couldn't even say if what he had shown them were truth or just more lies.

In present day Troy however, they had gotten their parents back, a place to live, purpose, and promise of help to Null's wing. Some things were just words now, but so far, they had acted on their words, so it carried some tangible weight.

As it stood now, Void would try and put some faith in Troy over 900, at least until she knew more, though the nagging doubt were assuredly going to pester her for a long time, and make her question things. Perhaps exactly what the creature wanted.

Deep down, Null would tentatively side with 900 though, as even down in her pit, she remembered some of what he had caused, and saw it more as a necessity. Perhaps when she would get out and bite notice in what happened around her, things might change, though for the time being, as she did not have this perspective, she'd be instinctively resilient to trying to trust others. Said resilience may play a part if anyone were to dig around in there, and actually found both her and 900 hiding within. Doubly so as he'd probably have an easy time manipulating Null to try and help him, as she were rather simple to lead along, if you knew which buttons to push.

Suddenly realizing that she'd been standing still with a grimace over her face, Void would avert her face towards Null and scuttle forth to pick up her sister to try and cover for her hesitation. If Selena had paid any sort of attention, she would have to be somewhat blind or overly naive to fall for that, but regardless, Void would follow once she had Null slung over her back again, and then await to see where they'd end up. Honestly, a blanket and some peace would do for them just fine.

[Illiad Easle 2,968]

@Blitz Boom

Selena had a concerned look directed at the sisters when they finally left the room, but didn't say anything about how long it took them to leave. "This way then, try to keep up. You'll be able to set your stuff down and freshen up a bit before dinner. I wasn't going to say anything with the others present, but you two clearly haven't properly showered in a while." There was a slight smile to her face at that.

She led them down the hall, opposite the direction of the office Illiad had spoken to them in, and near the end of it she opened a door and gestured inside. It was a small room, but the bed was large enough for the two of them to share comfortably, they could even fit a few more ponies without any crowding. There was an empty dresser opposite the bed with a large mirror, and on the far side of the room was a door that likely led to a bathroom, which if they entered they'd find the standard compliments of a full bathroom. The only downside of the room was that it was primarily lit with the magical crystals that seemed rather prevalent in Trojan architecture, and Selena noticed this, "I'll have some candles brought in after dinner to brighten this room up a bit, but until then feel free to make yourselves at home. I'll come back for you when dinner is ready."

When Selena left, they would quickly find that they weren't alone in the slightly darkened room, as the shadowy silhouette of a pony seemed to step out of the shadows, it looked around for a bit before it focused on Void, waving in a sort of pantomime, which was accompanied by an odd humming noise. It was a similar noise to what she might have heard when Pen was talking with the thing she called Seen.

[Blitz Boom 4,422]

@Illiad Easle

On 6/27/2019 at 1:54 AM, Illiad Easle said:

"This way then, try to keep up. You'll be able to set your stuff down and freshen up a bit before dinner. I wasn't going to say anything with the others present, but you two clearly haven't properly showered in a while."

"It's b-been about three y-years."

Void got a small, vague smile briefly caressing her face as she said this joke. Of course, Selena would likely not know the truth in this statement, or why it had been so long, so it were probably more of an intern joke, but it were sort of funny to her at least. That had to count for something, r-right?

In any case, even if you did discard those three years, on the day they had been running and sweating, then after they got up, Void had personally been running around a lot too, in a dusty area, and hit Celestia knows what in the varied rooms, including decaying bodies. She had no idea what Null had encountered, but it had likely not been pretty either, and when they got out, it were again sweat, sand, then dried up blood for Null, cooking fumes for Void, and so on and so forth. Fact were, the two of them were likely pretty mangy and covered in a few layers of things best left unspoken.

Following Selena, eventually they'd get to a rather nice room. Small and somewhat barren in it compared to others perhaps, but the two of them were used to small rooms, often with holes in the walls and other issues, and with baths being mostly done through nearby rivers, barrels of water, or leaking pipes. Hay, even the place they'd gotten in Ponyville hadn't been perfect, as it were a damaged house that had been left after a recent attack, and it wasn't repaired fully yet. This place? It weren't much to some, yet to them, it were honestly among the better places they'd been allowed to rest.

On 6/27/2019 at 1:54 AM, Illiad Easle said:

"I'll have some candles brought in after dinner to brighten this room up a bit, but until then feel free to make yourselves at home. I'll come back for you when dinner is ready."

"L-Long as we s-stay away from them, I t-think it's okay, but t-thank you."

The room were small, but if they just thought on where they went, this shouldn't be too much of an issue. Long as Null didn't start to preen her feathers and down would end up everywhere.

...It were probably best that she made sure to fix that before Null started to drop them around actually. Flowing in the winds, those things could end up being menaces, and Null weren't in a state where she took enough care of herself to ensure the needed upkeep. After they'd have a shower, Void would have to find a brush or something and see what she could do about this for the time being instead, and probably hide the feathers in a small cloth bag or something, if she could scrounge anything up. Their effect lasted for a few days, so they were useful to keep around for a bit.

On 6/27/2019 at 1:54 AM, Illiad Easle said:

When Selena left, they would quickly find that they weren't alone in the slightly darkened room, as the shadowy silhouette of a pony seemed to step out of the shadows, it looked around for a bit before it focused on Void, waving in a sort of pantomime, which was accompanied by an odd humming noise. It was a similar noise to what she might have heard when Pen was talking with the thing she called Seen.

The sudden movement that went through the room once Selena had left did not go unnoticed by Void, who looked like a jolt of lightning had gone through her, as she turned to face the attacker. In the same motion as this, she withdrew the spear from her back and stood combat ready to fight, with it held in her front left hoof in an upwards, tilted angle, to easier deflect a hit if it were coming her way.

As it turned out, their visitor were a shadow of some kind. A highly disturbing thing most times, yet this one seemed... Familiar somehow. Like she had seen it somewhere...

Void slowly lowered her weapon, and put it back on her back, as it didn't seem like whatever this were had come here with intent to attack them, considering there hadn't been a physical attack yet. It seemed more like it wanted to get in contact with her actually. If only she could remember where she had seen this creature before... It were just at the tip of her mind, yet it just didn't get close enough to grasp for her right now.

"Uhm... A-Are you trying to s-say you want us t-to follow y-you?"

[Illiad Easle 2,968]

@Blitz Boom

9 minutes ago, Blitz Boom said:

"It's b-been about three y-years."

Selena looked a bit surprised at that, and looked back at them with a skeptical expression, expertly walking forward despite not looking, then shrugged before turning back to face where she was going.

11 minutes ago, Blitz Boom said:

Void would have to find a brush or something

If she were to look in the bathroom, she would find that it had, at least generically, what one would expect to be in a bathroom, including a toothbrush, hairbrush, comb, etc.

11 minutes ago, Blitz Boom said:

"Uhm... A-Are you trying to s-say you want us t-to follow y-you?"

The shadow seemed to ponder Void's response, then shook its head. It did it's best to form the silhouette of a doe, then the shape of a small pony, then the shape of a hospital symbol, then the shape of an ingot, then the shape of a piece of paper, with an x in it, then the shape of the two sisters, before returning to the form it had when it first entered, it cocked its head to the side as if in questioning.