open Ambition for Ascension

[Starlight Glimmer]

@Loud Opinion @Califorum @abrony-mouse

Starlight quietly followed Silver Tongue’s path of petals, looking at each one fondly. She found it a bit strange that Silver warned everypony not to eat them. These petals were far too pretty for eating. When she looked up, they arrived at the doors to their rooms. Silver Tongue explained that a variety of forbidden texts were hidden here and must be utilized very carefully. Thankfully, Starlight had plenty of experience with forbidden texts.

“You don’t have to worry, Silver Tongue. I will be very cautious with these books,” she said.

As the arrived at the red doors of the building, Starlight looked to see if anypony needed help with their luggage. Although she had quite a bit of her own, she would not hesitate to carry a couple more bags. Once everypony was ready, she would step inside. Starlight always liked to be the last one to go inside. She wasn’t sure if it was paranoia or just her way of checking up on ponies.

[Fuchsia]

On 2021-04-14 at 2:27 AM, Loud Opinion said:

"Right," Octavia stated, half assured by Fushsia and half mystified by the parade of impossible as she took the trinket, "Thank you. The sooner this day ends, the better."

With the moth in her bag, Fushsia went to open the door. Before she made it, she heard talking coming from outside. Out the window, she saw a pile of red petals in front of the door to the neighboring house on her right.

Fuchsia gives Octavia a resassuring pat. "I won't leave this place. Cupcake in my eye." she somehow remembers the weird Ponyville mantra she'd read in her guidebook on the way here  She wasn't sure if Octavia would pick up on the reference but she enjoyed her localisms.

Fuchsia rubbed at her neck where the red particles had landed before and her inquisitive lilac eyes grow large at the petals on the neighbouring house. She sat on her tired haunches and gazed at them awhile... before shaking herself out of it with an animalistic growl, angry at herself. This was no coincidence. She turns deliberately away from them and inspects the mark on the door to Octavia's house. Her ears flick behind her head as she inspects the mark, dividing her attention as her large pony eyes take in the mark on the door - her ears try to distinguish between the calm rural sounds of night in the calm village and any eldritch nonsense

Her eyes do keep flicking back to the red petals on the house next door though...

[Loud Opinion 602]

@ExplosionMare @Monotonality

Silver Tongue gave a single bow before trotting down the soft petal path. Said petals liquefied as he left and soaked into the ground without a trace. Who knows what effect it would have on the groundwater.

Each lodging consisted of a small foyer and a single door to the bedroom. The foyer was very lived-in. Glover brand winter clothing on the rack, a few scratches next to the door handle, fading wallpaper, and an eye-offending bald spot on the carpet from repeated scuffing all sung the song of the working pony. The ceiling looked a little tall for such a small room, though.

Beyond the door was like another world. A gold-trimmed, cage chandelier was already alight to show off the extravagance of the room: A queen-sized bed with a thin, silk canopy, a custom rug that leads and encircles said bed in thick, white, comfortable footing, a record player atop a dedicated drawer filled with records, the wall behind the bed is full to bursting with books --only four or five of which displaying their spines--, and the walls were plastered the same white you only see in expensive castles. The windows and door looked very out of place among the rest of the excellence. Not the bathroom door, though. That was as regal as the rest of the bedroom, and who knows how expensive that room looks.

@Monotonality

Magnolia's book was titled 'The Locksmith's Dream: a Light through the Keyhole.' Written by Teresa Glimmer. The text was full of parables. One was of a mare that slept with the lights on and wore all-white pajamas in an all-white room, on an all-white bed, and dreamed of a forest. The mare died in that forest after an encounter with a very aggressive mole. She awoke with a start and a map to a forbidden ruin written on her hoof.

Others were of various lairs burned in by daylight for their falsehoods and virtuous ponies walking into the light and 'ascending' --whatever that means. Peculiarly, on occasion, Teresa Glimmer mistakenly capitalizes the word 'Light.'

Some advice was scribbled on one of the pages. No doubt an anecdote form a previous owner. "The Watchman listens for those that call his name. Their is power in the Light below the skin, but Light can only shine with eyes to see it."

@abrony-mouse

As Fuchsia examines the mark for any significance, it becomes increasingly clear she is out of her depth. She recognizes the circle as the spell matrix for levitation --a spell so prevalent that one would find difficulty finding anypony that didn't know it. The Ponyville pamphlet mentioned that the local librarian was Celestia's sole student and had saved the town with magical feats on two separate occasions... Well, it's a lot more like bragging than mentioning.

The next time she glanced out the window, the petals were gone. Maybe they got swept up by the wind... a wind that is strikingly absent in Fuchsia's ears. With attention on hearing, the room is unnaturally silent. No white noise. Nothing except for Fuchsia's breathing and hoofsteps on the foyer mat.

Edited May 9, 2021 by Loud Opinion

[Starlight Glimmer]

@Loud Opinion @Monotonality

As Starlight entered the lodging foyer, she noticed the scratches etched into the walls, the faded wallpaper, and the rather large hole in the carpet. Even in the more run-down cottages in her village, she had never seen conditions quite like this. If her villagers were here, she would have them fix this mess immediately. However, they were not here, and the matter was not that important anyways. Telling herself to ignore the disorder for now, she stepped into the rooms at the end of the foyer.

The rooms were thousands of times better than the foyer. They were so exquisitely designed that they looked as if they belonged in a castle. Fitting, considering Starlight was about to become royalty in a way. Eagerly, she approached one of the queen-sized beds and lay on it gracefully. She sighed, thinking about how she had never been in a bed so comfortable before. The bed in her village was sufficient, but it was hard and most likely in need of a replacement mattress.

She scanned the titles on the wall and noticed the few that displayed only their spines. Her curiosity kept her from falling asleep. There may be a vast variety of spells in these texts she has never heard of. Spells that could not only protect Cutie Markless ponies, but prevent the earning of Cutie Marks altogether. The prevention of Cutie Marks was a far-reaching goal, but considering all that Starlight has a learned here so far, it was not improbable.

 

[Loud Opinion 602]

@ExplosionMare

The good books all looked to be of delicate condition, as to be expected. Of course, the same could be said of most good books. The older ones tend to be better after all. A discerning eye would recognize the pattern with these books: they all have a stamp on the spine that reads 'SSS' followed by a single digit. Perhaps, once upon a time, these all belonged to the same library in an official capacity.

The books are described as follows:

• In greenish-yellow:

'The Victory of Crowns': Aura's account of a supposed Alicorn hunt.

• In pale blue:

'On The White' by Solemn Husher, a self-defeating painter.

• In pink:

'Apollo and Marsyas' without an author. A grim version of an already gruesome tale.

• In red:

'The Skeleton Songs' by Arabell Dust. A compilation of stanzas and poems written by the author --who laments the images she was not allowed to include.

All are clearly mad ponies... or geniuses. A summary can only tell you so much. In any case, any lessons that Silver intended Starlight to learn would only be given in the form of parables. Perhaps that is the key to this new type of magic. Not crystalline knowledge but in interchangeable wisdoms, or 'personal truth' in simpler terms.

Edited April 28, 2021 by Loud Opinion

[Starlight Glimmer]

@Loud Opinion

Upon closer inspection, Starlight noticed a pattern on the spines. Each book was labeled “SSS” followed by a number. She wasn’t sure what that meant other than the books had all belonged in the same place at one point. That was hardly a concern, however; what mattered was what the titles were. Glancing over them, Starlight read,

‘The Victory of Crowns’

’On The White’

‘Apollo and Marsyas’

and

‘The Skeleton Songs’.

She started with the first book, which was decorated in a greenish-yellow. The story was an account of an Alicorn hunt. Although the concept perplexed Starlight at first, she couldn’t help but feel intrigued the further she read. Aura, the Alicorn hunter, had a fascination for Alicorns as well as a strong desire to reduce their powers. Aura reminded Starlight of how she viewed her villagers.

The next book, decorated in a pale blue, was about a painter who led themselves to their own demise. Unlike the first book, there was no exciting twist. The end left Starlight feeling incomplete, not knowing how the artist could have messed up so horribly. What she didn’t realize was that their mistakes were laid out from the beginning, she just didn’t notice the smaller details.

The third book, decorated in pink, was far less cheery than its color suggested. It was gruesome and quite disturbing. Starlight had to fight through the novel to finish it. She couldn’t imagine what kind of sick pony would want to write such things. Perhaps they were so bitter that they felt they had no other choice. Starlight pondered on that, wondering how bad that particular pony’s life must have been. She let out a sad sigh, wishing she had known them and had been able to help them.

The last book, decorated in red, was a series of dark poems. Starlight had to read quite a few of them to understand their pattern. To her, it sounded like a pony who wanted more; a pony who wanted to be heard. They only needed a proper audience. As a pony skilled in drawing in crowds, Starlight could relate to this pony.

When finished, she placed the books back in their proper locations. She had never read texts like these before, so each concept was foreign to her. At the same time, however, she could not help but feel a familiarity to them, as if the authors were sharing in her thoughts.

What do these texts mean for me? Have ponies always thought the way I have thought, or is their something bigger I’m about to discover? Have I been missing something all this time? she thought.

[Fuchsia]

On 2021-04-27 at 5:13 PM, Loud Opinion said:

As Fuchsia examines the mark for any significance, it becomes increasingly clear she is out of her depth. She recognizes the circle as the spell matrix for levitation --a spell so prevalent that one would find difficulty finding anypony that didn't know it. The Ponyville pamphlet mentioned that the local librarian was Celestia's sole student and had saved the town with magical feats on two separate occasions... Well, it's a lot more like bragging than mentioning.

The next time she glanced out the window, the petals were gone. Maybe they got swept up by the wind... a wind that is strikingly absent in Fuchsia's ears. With attention on hearing, the room is unnaturally silent. No white noise. Nothing except for Fuchsia's breathing and hoofsteps on the foyer mat.

Fuchsia puzzles over the mark, ultimately giving up after making a sketch of it in a little notebook - perhaps she could show that to a pony more in the know. The little town was favoured with Celestia's student, as everypony knew. Whether her concerns would be significant enough for such a pony was another thing... she had heard that this protege of the Princess was a good egg, but any pony so high up could be a haughty unicorn.

She is about to examine the door with the disappearing petals, before her ears prick at the silence. She gallops inside, suspicious of the sudden silence, wanting to check on Octavia.

[Loud Opinion 602]

@abrony-mouse

Fuchsia's hooves hit the floor hard. The thumping reverberating off the walls as the energy of the sound could not escape into the outside world. As Fuchsia opened the door to Octavia's bed, she saw the extravagance of Octavia's lodging. Perhaps this was how all of Canterlot slept. With a high ceiling hosting an expensive-looking chandelier, gold-trimmed furnishing, a personal bathroom, a closet, and a bed that dwarfed the rest of the room with its excess.

Octavia was stirring in her sleep. Upon the dresser, a record was playing that Fuchsia couldn't hear from the other room. To call it a tune would be generous. A simple tambourine shook in time with Fuchsia's heart.

@ExplosionMare @Starforce Glimmer

As sleep overtook Magnolia and Starlight, Mr. Tongue had closed the temple doors behind him, eager to finish his scribing for the day. Before that, though...

"Ready when you are," came Limbo's gentle voice when Silver made it up the tower.

"Does it always have to be chess?"

"Would you prefer checkers, slides and ladders- oh, how about-"

"Point taken."

"I'm getting good at this," Limbo exclaimed and moved her left-most pawn.

"Chess or your rhetoric?" Silver asked with a knight of his own.

"Both."

"Do you think your chosen one will keep up?"

"To me, or you?"

"Both"

"It's not fair to compare most ponies to me. I've got a head start. It doesn't look good, though. Starlight is not nearly as invested as your pick. She'll be with us right up until the moment our goals split."

"Jealousy doesn't look good on anypony."

It took a while for Limbo to comment, "'Cutiemarks are a curse,' what am I supposed to do with a pony like that? How do I break that idea down and still be somepony she can trust?"

"You don't."

Limbo was stunned for a moment before smirking, "You always know just what to say, Mr. Tongue."

"Did you know the happier you are, the more formal you sound? Truth be told, you have the easier job. Magnolia's talents are in shadowmancy, yet she's attuned to Lantern. Where do you even start with such a contradiction."

"Don't shadowmancers specialize in dispelling light? She already has destruction down. How hard could it be?"

"Parden me. I said Magnolia was a shadowmancer. That's not true, though. Shadowmancers are usually photomancers that don't have the talent to bend light. Not Magnolia. She bends shadows as if they were light."

"How would she being more like a photomancer make things harder? We're talking about Lantern after all."

"It means she'll get her wires crossed. It's one thing to teach somepony an entirely new system. Here there are just enough similarities for her to slip back into her old magic, slowing her progress to a crawl."

"You're being pessimistic again. You- where are you going?" Limbo was interrupted when Silver made for the door.

"To finish my scribing. CheckMate, by the way."

"I'll clean this place up," Limbo got up, only to be interrupted yet again.

"Don't worry. The help is on the way."

"Are you sure that's wise? We've been awfully active lately."

"We need to erase her mind anyway. Kill two birds with one stone."

[Starlight Glimmer]

@Loud Opinion @Starforce Glimmer

Starlight awoke with a tense feeling. She wasn’t sure why all of sudden her hairs stood on end and her blood felt cold, but she knew there had to be a reason for it. Perhaps she was anxious about what was to come. She took a moment to think about it.

Those ponies in the books I read were driven, driven just as I am. They were set on accomplishing what they had to and devoted everything to their missions, yet they failed...the theme of those books, they have to be some sort of sign. Why else would they appear in my library? she questioned.

Starlight got up and paced around. She had hoped by getting some more oxygen into her system that she would begin to think more clearly. However, pacing only made her room feel smaller, despite how spacious it actually was. With a frustrated sigh, Starlight headed outside. The cool morning air helped her a little bit but it did not completely calm her down. Something still felt wrong about her situation.

What does this mean for my fate? It would only be natural to think ponies would want true happiness and friendship. It seems, however, that others are more against the cause than I initially assumed. Even Limbo Dreams and Silver Tongue seem hesitant towards the truth. It’s safe to say that nopony has stepped into the light, much less taken a glance at it.

If I am to successfully ascend as Princess of Equality, I cannot allow anypony to slip past me. I must keep an even closer watch on everypony if I am to save them. she declared to herself once she mulled the possibilities over.

As hard as it was for her to accept, she had to make herself understand that some ponies may only be pretending to following her. She had to know for sure if they really agreed with her or if they were just trying to appease her. From now on, she would analyze every word, every movement, and every mannerism until she knew for certain everypony’s intentions.

Starlight was prepared to go back to her room when she noticed Magnolia standing not too far from where she was. Instinctively she wanted to engage but she was not willing to start another fight, especially not out in public. Besides, Magnolia wasn’t one to hide her intentions. For the time being, Starlight quietly went back to her room and reanalyzed her texts. There had to be a deeper meaning in them than what she was given, something that would lead her down the path she was meant to trot on.

[Loud Opinion 602]

@Starforce Glimmer

The sky was silent, and the sun was as indifferent as it had always been. Seconds drew on in the garden, too early even for the birds. Then searing pain rocketed through Magnolia's skull. The world dimmed ever so slightly, and Magnolia's head shown brighter than an angel's halo. Memories of childhood. Memories of realization and betrayal stung worse than the Light. One thing stood out. 'Magnolia.'

The Watchman is unforgiving and shows no favoritism toward the like-minded. Most pressing is his paradigm of identity: Faces, names, authorities: these are given to honest ponies and taken by liars.

When the glow recedes, it recedes from a lesser pony. Something is lost. The Watchman has returned the name to the flower it came from, and Magnolia's subconscious scrambles to fill in the gap. Instinctively, 'Moonlight' leaves her lips, and it hums with righteous power. The word feels so true to her that, for a few moments, she knows no lie could deceive her.

@ExplosionMare

As Starlight flipped through the books, her better-rested mind picked up on some symbolism that she had mistakenly taken literally before. Some references were obvious, but most were obscure. They were representative of broader ideas, but what ideas they represented would not present themselves. 'The Apollo and Marsyas' was the least egregious offender. It starts by recanting Apollo's regrets for having flayed his musician, and that is where the symbolism ends. The rest of the books list the various uses of the skin of Marsyas, the musician. Ingesting shaves years off a pony's age. Fashioning it into an instrument will play forbidden notes. Clothing of the material will attract attention. The most emphasis is on the instruments it can make.

With so many uses and such a unique source, who's to say all the skin hasn't already been used up? Perhaps Starlight will have to make do with the next best thing.

With her attention drawn to music, Starlight noticed that her heart rate was not normal. It seemed to rush three beats, then slow down for the fourth and fifth. Again and again, the rhythm persisted at that rate.

[Starlight Glimmer]

@Loud Opinion

As Starlight reread the texts, she picked up on some hidden symbols she hadn’t discovered the first time. The majority of the texts she read were left to interpretation, but one book, The Apollo and Marsyas, brought about a horrid realization. It started with Apollo’s regret over flaying Marsyas, then it became a gruesome tale of the various ways Marsyas’ skin was used. Every grim utilization of it brought about some forbidden concept. Starlight shuddered as she read over the details.

He ingested it? Why in Equestria would he resort to cannibalism? And he used it for clothing and music, as well? None of this makes any sense...is...is this trying to tell me something? Am...am I...no, this couldn’t relate to Cutie Marks. I’m not consuming them, I’m locking them away for everypony’s safety!

Wait...could the skin already be gone? He used it in so many ways. Is this book trying to tell me my resources are used up, too? That...can’t be possible...I just don’t understand... Starlight thought, expressions of worry and panic drawn on her face.

Suddenly, her heartbeat felt off. It would rush for three beats, then slow down for two, then rush for three again. The process repeated indefinitely. Starlight held a hoof to her heart to stabilize it, but to no avail. She tried deep breathing—in, then out—but the heartbeat persisted. She tried to think about something else, but the heartbeat persisted still. Nothing she did would stop this abnormality.

I need to step outside. she told herself, abandoning her books to head to the balcony once again.

As she waited for her heart to return to a normal pattern, she distracted herself by thinking about her goals and why she was really here.

I am here to save Equestria. As the future Princess of Equality, it is my duty to free everypony from the burden of Cutie Marks and show them a more promising life. she told herself, repeating the words a few times over.

It didn’t matter how much time she had or what resources she had left to use; she was going to reach her goal. No pony, prophecy, or any other factor would prevent her from doing what she needed to do. She had to show ponies that Equality was a necessity, not a choice.

[Fuchsia]

@Starforce Glimmer @ExplosionMare @Loud Opinion

On 2021-05-09 at 6:11 AM, Loud Opinion said:

Fuchsia's hooves hit the floor hard. The thumping reverberating off the walls as the energy of the sound could not escape into the outside world. As Fuchsia opened the door to Octavia's bed, she saw the extravagance of Octavia's lodging. Perhaps this was how all of Canterlot slept. With a high ceiling hosting an expensive-looking chandelier, gold-trimmed furnishing, a personal bathroom, a closet, and a bed that dwarfed the rest of the room with its excess.

Octavia was stirring in her sleep. Upon the dresser, a record was playing that Fuchsia couldn't hear from the other room. To call it a tune would be generous. A simple tambourine shook in time with Fuchsia's heart.

Fuchsia clippity clops into Octavia's room, sighing in relief and roaring in disappointment as she sees Octavia sleeping soundly (internal roaring). She chides herself for her eagerness.

As Octavia breathes softly in the dim light she steeples her hooves over the headboard, gazing lidlessly at the grey furred snout poking out from the covers. She takes in the splendour of the room which Octavia's benefactors had subsidised and pouts that the mare looked at home here among the grandeur. Anger rises within her at the thought that any creature would reduce such a pony to this state and she hopes earnestly that she can find out why.

She resolves to stay up watching Octavia all night, watching the mare as she promised to do, alternately consuming coffee, reading about the Glovers, sneaking more looks at the mark to correct her sketch and - when she is quite sure Octavia is safe - popping on some earphones and quietly dancing.

She will wait till Octavia is awake before leaving her side.

 

 

 

[Loud Opinion 602]

@ExplosionMare

As Starlight reached an internal consensus, she saw the ponies bellow her, milling through their humble lives. Their mundane traversal through the street was disorganized when their path brought them close to the balcony. Each and every pony within a few feet of her would abandon their stride to skip in line with Starlight's heart.

Then, just as suddenly, they would resume their mundane strut just as they left her range. However, it appeared as though not all of each pony would follow, for their color faded ever so slightly. The lost color collected behind Starlight and danced. They were Starlight's backup dancers in her bodily concert.

@Starforce Glimmer

Magnolia was still in the park, alone. What had the Watchman wanted? Would it be wise to continue using the name 'Magnolia'? It felt dangerous on her lips -like she was kissing broken glass and one wrong movement would pierce her flesh. Hopefully, the analogy was an overstatement and not an understatement.

Like it or not, she had an audience now. Opportunity and disaster, both ready to befall her.

@abrony-mouse

A pamphlet rested on Octavia's nightstand. According to it, the Glovers had help from the Silver family in financing this event. Perhaps there is a relation between them and this Silver Tongue from Fuchsia's letter. Low and behold, within the legal officialization, a credit to Senior-CEO: Fitting Glover and one Jr.-CEO: Mr. Tongue. The pamphlet mentions that the new residents would be welcomed into Ponyville by Mr. Tongue and personally take up residents to show his commitment to the exchange.

Perhaps the books on the back wall would hold more, but, oddly, all of the texts were backward, making it impossible to tell a book's title before taking it off the shelf. There were easily hundreds to sort through. That's not to mention the racket it would make to shuffle through so many, right next to Octavia's bed.

There were some exceptions, though. A few were showing their spines, but none of them had a title. One was orange and the other a bright purple.

However, the need to grove was a strong one, and Fuchsia remembered a record player was in the entrance room. If the walls were responsible for the unnatural muting effect, any funkalicious tunes would be safely contained from Octavia's delicate slumber.

[Starlight Glimmer]

@Loud Opinion @Starforce Glimmer @abrony-mouse

When Starlight was able to compose herself, she looked down and watched ponies milling about their lives below her. They seemed so peaceful, so content with their simple day-to-day routines. Starlight could have watched their lives play out for a while. However, that changed when the ponies started behaving rather oddly. They all began synchronously skipping in an odd pattern as they passed by her. She felt her heart quicken each time she saw somepony pass and wasn’t sure if that was just her or something unusual inside of her.

She looked down at the skipping and noticed that it started when her heart beat and paused when it rested. Starlight’s brows furrowed and her ears folded back. She assumed this must be another strange sign. That, or this place was beginning to get to her.

Those ponies are skipping to the beat of my heart. Either they have become one with me, or this place is making me see things. she thought. In spite of what this sensation truly is, these ponies must be connected to me somehow. They must know I’m here and what I’m about to do.

Feeling a sudden sense of authority, Starlight prepared herself to shout to them from the balcony. However, the ponies returned to their normal trotting patterns before she could get a single word out. Frustrated, she backed away from the balcony and began to turn around. As soon as she looked away, she did a double-take and leaned over the balcony once more. Something else was off about the ponies but she couldn’t place it right away. Upon further inspection, she realized their colors were fading!

The colors, through some unknown force, traveled towards her and began dancing to the beat of her heart. Instinctively, Starlight wanted to shoo them away or guard her irregular heart. The logical side of her told her it might be more beneficial if she learned to embrace this strange sensation instead. She should learn how to use it to increase her power and strength if she can. Observantly, she watched the dancing colors, waiting to see if they would do something more or cease their dancing as the skipping ponies did.

Edited May 29, 2021 by ExplosionMare
Did my slight editing make the post clarifying at all?

[Loud Opinion 602]

@Starforce Glimmer

Beyond the perception of its guests, the town of Ponyville was throbbing with bustle. Pegasi thrashed tastelessly placed clouds. Administers administrated. Decorations were hung by those that could.

An impatient mare distracted Magnolia's resolve with an inquiry. "Sorry, but could you please, um," The mare trailed off as she bounced from hoof to hoof. Moonlight's demeanor did not affect the mare's urgency but decisively halted her request. Thinking the wiser option is to find another route, the mare turned around and hoped for better luck on the next road over.

With her back to Moonlight, her saddlebags were made visible. Inside, a banner with the word 'Sparkle' written on it. The banner was rolled up and within the saddlebags, making it impossible for Moonlight to see the banner --let alone what it says. But the word glowed from within the bag. Light of a clearly legible shape begged to be discovered and pierced the mundane bag to reach Moonlight's eyes. To Moonlight's eyes, the bag is transparent, and the banner within is unfurled to show off the conspicuous name.

@ExplosionMare

By the balcony, ponies continued to skip on approach and cease when they pass, like a speed-bump of impulse. Upon the balcony, the colors would dance until Starlight put her attention on them. The moment she wondered if they would stop, there was a flat-line. Starlight's heartbeat halted, the colors disappeared, and a single, unfortunate pony collapsed. It was not Starlight that collapsed, though. Bewilderingly, Starlight was right as rain without her mortal drum. A little chilly, but very much healthy.

The same could not be said for the unfortunate soul that was walking just underneath the balcony. Unconscious, the taffy-yellow earthpony caused a commotion on the road. As if they had awoken from a dream, the ponies abandoned their errands and gathered around the earthpony. They then looked up at Starlight. The crowd murmured in fear and confusion.

[Starlight Glimmer]

@Loud Opinion @Starforce Glimmer @abrony-mouse

As soon as the strange phenomenon with the ponies below stopped, Starlight felt a sense of normality again. With a calm sigh, she lowered herself from the balcony. She immediately placed her hooves back up when she heard a commotion from down below. She heard a loud noise coming from the road but was unable to see what it sourced from. There were too many ponies surrounding whatever had fallen.

Starlight leaned farther out on the balcony, stabilizing herself with her magic so she wouldn’t fall. When she was able to see above the crowd, she realized that a light-yellow pony had fallen. Ponies were frantic, unsure of what to do. In a state of complete helplessness, they looked up to Starlight as if she had the answer.

Are they expecting me to do something? Starlight thought worriedly. I  can certainly check on the pony, but I don’t know how to heal any of their injuries. At least, not without exposing some of my magic.

Hesitantly, she came off the balcony and descended the stairs of her dwelling until she made it towards the road. She trotted cautiously towards the crowd, afraid of startling them. She then remembered that she had the ability to calm a crowd, no matter how distressed they were.

“Please, stand back everypony. A fallen pony may need my assistance.” she announced with a tiny bit of pride in her voice.

[Loud Opinion 602]

@Starforce Glimmer

The mint unicorn was only further off-put by Moonlight's antiquated verbiage. She had expected the mare to be cruel and callous by her demeanor. The quaint verbiage all but confirmed that suspicion. After all, Nightmare Moon had carried herself very similarly.

The mare had somehow known what was in her bag.

Deciding that antagonizing the mare with see-through vision would go very poorly, she turned to face Moonlight and brought the banner out of her saddlebags.

The banner slowly unfurled its message like a hammer winding back to shatter a bone, "Welcome home, Princess Twilight Sparkle! We're all so proud of you!"

Well, maybe Moonlight imagined that last sentence.

Maybe she would have been better off if she had let the skittish mare go. Alas, willful ignorance is frowned upon by the Watchman.

@ExplosionMare

Starlight's static heart had resonated with the crowd. Her inner stillness begets stillness within themselves. With no anger or fear within to fule suspicion, trust fills the void. And so they gave her a wide birth to do as she pleased with the unconscious pony.

The pony in question was horrific. Stiff as a statue, the poor mare's legs stayed locked in position. The yellow mare's chest was puffed back as if she were holding in a breath. Her surprised face remained. A thousand-yard stare through bulging eyes was the best indicator that she was immobile.

The yellow mare didn't seem to be breathing, but the crowd didn't seem to mind. Was it even possible for them to mind anything right now?

[Starlight Glimmer]

@Loud Opinion @Starforce Glimmer @abrony-mouse

The crowd became calm and still once Starlight’s heart stopped skipping. They appeared to trust her immediately, which made the unicorn feel very relieved. She had no doubt that she could successfully control a crowd if she needed to, of course. Feeling more at ease about the situation, she strode over to the pony needing her assistance. The condition of the pony suddenly made her feel a lot less sure of herself.

Staring down at the unconscious mare, she was horrified by what she saw. Her legs were stiff and stayed that way even when Starlight gently tapped one. The pony’s chest was tight and her eyes were bulging out of her head. Starlight was no doctor, so she couldn’t tell what happened to this poor mare. However, she knew she needed immediate assistance when she could sense that she wasn’t breathing. She looked towards the crowd for help, but nopony seemed attentive to the situation.

“She isn’t breathing, what do I do?” Starlight cried.

She hoped ponies would help once they heard her desperate cry for help, but they remained passive as if there wasn’t a nearly dead mare on the ground. Or maybe she was already dead. Regardless, Starlight had to see if there was even a chance at saving her. Since she didn’t have to worry about exposing her magic in this inattentive crowd, she allowed her horn to conjure up a spell. The spell would relieve the tension in the mare’s body if it worked correctly—Starlight hadn’t done a spell like this in a long time, so she wasn’t sure how high the success rate of it was.

As she worked the spell through the mare, she began doing a series of chest compressions. They were irregular and a bit too soft since she wasn’t properly trained on them. Starlight mentally pleaded that her efforts would help this mare or at the very least attract the authorities over.

[Fuchsia]

On 2021-05-21 at 1:48 AM, Loud Opinion said:

 

A pamphlet rested on Octavia's nightstand. According to it, the Glovers had help from the Silver family in financing this event. Perhaps there is a relation between them and this Silver Tongue from Fuchsia's letter. Low and behold, within the legal officialization, a credit to Senior-CEO: Fitting Glover and one Jr.-CEO: Mr. Tongue. The pamphlet mentions that the new residents would be welcomed into Ponyville by Mr. Tongue and personally take up residents to show his commitment to the exchange.

Perhaps the books on the back wall would hold more, but, oddly, all of the texts were backward, making it impossible to tell a book's title before taking it off the shelf. There were easily hundreds to sort through. That's not to mention the racket it would make to shuffle through so many, right next to Octavia's bed.

There were some exceptions, though. A few were showing their spines, but none of them had a title. One was orange and the other a bright purple.

However, the need to grove was a strong one, and Fuchsia remembered a record player was in the entrance room. If the walls were responsible for the unnatural muting effect, any funkalicious tunes would be safely contained from Octavia's delicate slumber.

As Fuchsia sways to the tones of her favourite banjo playing pony artist (Sufjan Stevens  Transfiguration) she reads about the link between the Glovers and the Tongues. She makes a quick copy of the note in her own journal, poking her tongue out which drools a little after a bit - leading her to absent-mindedly brush it away on her sleeve. (She subconsciously reprimands her manticore for the drool  ) She tries to read through the other books but her eyes go cross eyed at allt he backward titles. Ultimately she prizes her charge's sleep over her desire to read and instead makes a note to explore these later. She stifles a yawn and decides to groove.

Once she retreats from Octavia's room she twirls about Octavia's wooden floor, keratin muffledly clopping on pine, to the varied instrumentation of her favourite pony artist (Glaze - Cracks). As a more romantic song comes on she slinks about the floor, imagining herself in the embrace of Mr Phantom, and slinks her tail around her waist, swishing it back and forth and remembering the feel of his coarse black against her pink... Later a more clubbish song comes on (Beyond her Garden) and as she mindlessly nods her pony head up and down, swishing her mane, she muses on her charge's situation. At first light, after a nap, she would head to the Library in the vain hope that the Librarian would be there. The idea of confronting pony royalty worried her, but she felt bound to the fate of this innocent Canterlotian musician. Her own musical soul would not allow her to stand by to see such an exquisite talent destroyed by one of Equestria's mundane evils.

Fuchsia dances back and forth through the night, darting back to keep an eye on Octavia every so often. 

@Loud Opinion @Starforce Glimmer @abrony-mouse@ExplosionMare

[Loud Opinion 602]

@Starforce Glimmer

The mare before Moonlight was similarly lost. Part of her wanted to look for a way out of the situation, yet another felt bad for Moonlight. No, sympathy wasn't what really kept her. She was curious. How could her banner be bad news? Anyone who knew of Twilight would be happy for her, right?

"We're all preparing to celebrate Princess Twilight's afterparty," The mare interjected, "She'll be here any hour. We could really use some help setting up decorations."

It was a shot in the dark, but maybe getting Moonlight on the same job as her would help Moonlight open up.

@ExplosionMare

On a much grimmer note, Starlight was compressing a stiff mare's chest. Her technique was unorthodox: Three quick compressions with two staggered relaxations. Any doctor would have noted that without mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, her chest compressions would be completely pointless. Her spell also missed the mark as her heart was the fault and not her muscles. Her muscles loosened only to go limp. Her eyes reset, only to dilate.

Miraculously, as Starlight continued her futile compressions, the mare's pupils shrank, her heart pounded mightily and in time with Starlight's own. With a great breath of life, the mare rose to her hooves! After nearly knocking over Starlight, the mare gave a spry hop and bowed rapidly toward Starlight.

The crowd erupted into stomping applause that would rival a stampede of the same size.

@abrony-mouse

It did not take long for Fuchsia's tomfoolery to be interrupted. With a defining creak, the door to Octavia's bedroom opened. There the mare in question stood, a placid smile on her face and an unfocused gaze to match. Her eyes were not on Fuchsia but the exit. A mark was upon her neck. The very same one Fuchsia found on the door.

[Starlight Glimmer]

@Loud Opinion @abrony-mouse @Starforce Glimmer

Starlight began to wonder if any of her efforts were working. If anything, they may have been hurting the mare. At some point during the chest compressions, the mare’s muscles went limp. The spell meant to relax the mare ended up relaxing her too much! Her eyes then began to dilate, making them appear as if they were about to burst out of her head. Sweat began to form on Starlight’s head and work her way down towards the rest of her body. Not only was she physically exhausted, but she was terribly afraid of the possibility of accidentally killing this mare.

Thankfully, not too much sooner did the mare begin to spring to life. Starlight could feel the mare’s heart synch with her own beat. She wondered for a moment if their hearts had “connected” somehow. When the mare shot up, Starlight teetered and did all she could to resist picking herself up with her magic. Once she was able to get her bearings, she saw that the mare was bowing to her in gratitude.

“No need to bow, friend. You are my equal, as is everypony else here, so rather then bow before me, you should stand with me!” Starlight told her. She smiled a pitying yet friendly smile.

[Loud Opinion 602]

@ExplosionMare

"Thank you so much," The mare exclaimed, more lively than any other pony Starlight had seen thus far, "I don't know what happened. One moment I was walking down the street, then I'm stiff as a board, and finally, you're standing over me, and I'm all better."

"I'm BonBon, by the way. I've never seen a cutie mark like yours before. In case you're new here, I'll let you know we're having an after-party for Princess Twilight Sparkle."

@Starforce Glimmer

"The name's Lyra in case you were wondering," The green mare introduced to break the silence on the way to the town square.

When they got there, she looked confused. "Where did everypony go?" She asked a'loud. The square was sparsely populated. About what one would expect for a normal day. "We should all be here in case Twilight comes home early." 

"Well, here's some balloons to set up," Lyra pointed to a basket next to them, "I'll talk to Mayor Mare."

[Starlight Glimmer]

@Loud Opinion @Starforce Glimmer @abrony-mouse

“Think nothing of it, that’s what good friends are for.” Starlight told the mare who introduced herself as Bon Bon.

She was about to ask how the mare was doing, but judging by her mannerisms and cheery demeanor, she seemed to be doing just fine. Her grin was almost as wide as the ponies’ in Starlight’s village, resulting in a grin from Starlight herself. Starlight was about to say something about the mare before she caught her observing her Cutie Mark.

“My Cutie Mark is in fact the symbol that comes from a lack of a Cutie Mark,” Starlight explained. “I gave up my mark to sacrifice what makes me special in order to live harmoniously amongst my friends.”

Starlight was about to go into preacher mode for the thousandth time until she heard Bon Bon mention the name “Princess Twilight Sparkle”. Her eyebrows rose immediately and her words cut off quicker than a pegasus with a broken wing could stop flying. She immediately grew fascinated with the idea of running into Princess Twilight.

Just imagine what everypony would say if I could teach a princess about true friendship! If she could understand how important crowning me as the Princess of Equality is, then my goal will be reached so much quicker than I thought! Starlight practically beamed at the idea.

Trying to keep a calm composure in order not to scare her new friend away, she cleared her throat, relaxed her posture, and asked,

“Where do I go for the festivities?”

[Fuchsia]

@Loud Opinion @Starforce Glimmer @ExplosionMare

Fuchsia was mid ear waggle to her favourite song about Sonic Rainbooms by Phillypu when Octavia appeared. Her hoof keratin felt rough from pounding the posh pony floor which was a little marked from her four-legged wiggling. She shook the earphones from her head and was suddenly surrounded by silence, punctuated only by Octavia's shallow breathing, the clop clop of the mare's somnolent gait as she crossed the floor and the tinny music from Fuchsia's disconnected ear buds. 

Her initial blush at being discovered quickly became alarm as she noticed Octavia's glazed expression, mark and insistent trot to the door. Fuchsia had a split second decision to make: wake Octavia up or follow her to find out who was behind this...  

In her sleep-deprived horse-hair-brained state she decides to follow Octavia. She will try to be covert about following her, but being a pink pony could make it hard to be truly stealthy    

 

[Loud Opinion 602]

@Starforce

Lyra thought about Moonlight's dramatic 'is that all I am to you?' comment. The mare wasn't used to helping others, Lyra concluded.

She approached a more jovial Mayor Mare than she had expected. "You sure are putting your all into it." The mayor said, letting her smile crack into a grin, "and you brought our newest resident with you. She looks fun."

"Ya, where is everypony?"

@ExplosionMare

"Oh, looks like they have just made it back now," the mayor pointed behind and to the right of Lyra --toward the crowd approaching from the street into the plaza. At the head of the herd was none other than Starlight Glimmer and BonBon. The former tried her best to blend in while the latter talked as she guided her to the plaza.

"I don't know about that. I think saving my life was pretty special. Besides, I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't make candy."

"Oh," Lyra jumped as she turned to see BonBon, "There you are!"

BonBon waved as her friend approached, "Hey Lyra! You won't believe what just happened!"

"Same here! Theirs this moody pony that I met," They both took on a gossipy tone as they caught up with one another.

"Hold on," BonBon said with a grin and removed Lyra's decorative balloon, "You were saying?"

@abrony-mouse

Under the waxing gibbous, a grey earth-pony skipped and pranced her way across a bright red road. The brown dirt was eclipsed by red petals so soft that it was difficult to tell when a pony's hoof has met the ground. Octavia had no problems traversing the abnormally comfortable track, but Fuchsia would have to take extra care not to trip over herself. So red were the petals that they activated the appetite. How would such an exotic flower taste?

The path leads to the edge of the Everfree Forest. Up a hill, upon the threshold of trees was a large stone building with an attached tower. The stained glass windows glowed with life, and the small stone 'wall' surrounding what had to be the temple's lawn was too short to hold any resistance.