open Ambition for Ascension

[Loud Opinion 602]

@abrony-mouse

The pulpit crashes to the granite with all the force one would expect.

"Well, you don't see this every day." Mr. Tongue rasped monotonously, "An elderly stallion being murdered in a place of worship. I take it you don't want me to alert the others here. To what do I owe the pleasure of my assassination?"

It would appear Silver Tongue's deeds have finally caught up to him. However, there was no fear within him. "Well, at least you'll spare me from the worst. No unfinished business is worth what awaits me."

Truly resigned to his perceived fate, he savored his last breaths. That turned out to be a mistake. With a lurch, Silver hacked up a series of sickly coughs. His breathing was shallow after that. A few clicks from on high interrupted Silver's pity party.

"Well, make it quick. Miss. Dreams doesn't have to see this."

Edited July 9, 2021 by Loud Opinion

[Fuchsia]

At the sudden sound of the pulpit crashing to the ground, Fuchsia flinches and her hoof jumps - the knife she is holding (which she keeps permanently sharp) nicks Silver's Adam's apple. Her ears hum with adrenaline and she is barely able to hear Silver's plaintive appeal. She does, however, hear him indicate that he will call out to others.

She is about to growl in his ear to be quiet 'or else' when she hears the soft hoof-steps descending the tower. Her ears perk up when she hears him say the name "Miss Dreams". 

"Shut up!" Fuchsia hisses, "Or I'll cut you!"

Fuchsia's fight and flight impulse kicks in and - ponyishly - she tries to bolt. She catches herself and barely keeps her grip on her knife. She forces herself to think. In that split second she decides on a plan: she tries to move to the door through the walkway between the pews and tries to force Mr Tongue along with her - facing backwards towards the stranger 'Miss Dreams'.

[Loud Opinion 602]

@abrony-mouse

Octavia perked her ears, not to the crash, but for the creak of the old tower door.

"Too late now," Silver remarked, "I guess I have to look worried now, don't I?"

Fuchsia and Silver were only a few hoofsteps away from freedom when the tower revealed Miss. Dreams to the rest of the temple. Her mane was the most striking: A thick bedhead. It would be comical if it wasn't atop the tallest mare Fuchsia had seen in years. Within it were two sets of ears. No, the lower pair weren't ears but horns. Smooth as ivory and curled like a snail's shell.

More peculiarly, her eyes were closed. Was she sleepwalking? With all the grace of a cloud, she strides into full view. Now that she was at ground level, Miss. Dreams adopted a heavy slouch. 

Without opening her eyes, she calls out with worry upon her face, "Mr. Tongue!"

She then bites her tongue, "What do you want with us, Fuch-?"

"Ahem, I'm sure if you just calm down you'll see that your emotions are getting the better of you. I just don't want you to regret yourself."

[Fuchsia]

@Loud Opinion

Fuchsia looked between Octavia and the doorway to the temple, furiously considering her choices. Before she could determine what to do, however, Miss Dreams, heralded by her hoof-steps, appeared at the end of the room.

Fuchsia's pony eyes grew large on taking in the stranger. She scanned the pouffy mane and the ears - no, horns! - protruding from the pony's head. The silent gait and the unassuming query lowered Fuchsia's guard initially. She flushed with embarrassment, feeling as if she had been caught taking sweeties from behind the counter in the village shop in her hometown - something which had happened all too often when she was a filly. She fought the feeling of calm brought about by the sleepy and disarming demeanor of the sheep-like mare and scowled as angrily as she could at the meek creature.

"Shut up!" she screams -the shriek ringing out in the quiet of the temple. "If you don't let Octavia go right now and stop enchanting ponies then I will kill your friend here." her chest heaves and her eyes stare wildly. In her ears, her Manticore roars defiance, and the knife inches closer to 'Mr Tongue's' neck. (Fuchsia has rarely if ever taken a life, and only in self-defence, but she has hung around ponies who have and is trying to channel their fierceness.)

 

[Loud Opinion 602]

@abrony-mouse

Silver desperately wanted to correct Fuchsia's terminology. Bewitching is such a blunt instrument. He was nothing if not tactful. So he bit his namesake.

Instead, it was Miss. Dreams who responded in an elongated cadence, "Okay, calm down, we'll send Octavia home with you. She'll come back to her senses soon enough. Although, you should know that the mare you met is a facade. Would you believe she used to be a unicorn? Would you deny that pony life to keep the mare you met?"

Miss. Dreams nodded to Octavia who promptly, without looking, turned to the door and made for the exit.

Her slouch only deepened with her follow-up, "If you don't care about the pony behind the bow," she paused to open her eyes, "then you may follow her, and she will never see us again."

Beyond the threshold were pupils so heavily dilated that Fuchsia was only given a hint of the whites beyond her red irises. Her soul was all but bare. Within was compassion only a mother could show. But, when her gaze drifted beyond Fuchsia, her compassion was swiftly replaced by something unrecognizable.

[Fuchsia]

Fuchsia's face twists from anger to scorn at the suggestion that Octavia would be safe once she left the temple. "I saw your fiendish mark upon the door to her home - if you do not release her from the spell right now then your friend dies."

As Miss Dreams reveals her eyes, Fuchsia's own pupils widen. The compassion she sees in them calls to her first and opens channels in her psyche that belie her hostility, but she refuses to let go of her certainties: Miss Dreams and Mr Tongue were the authors of Octavia's suffering and until Octavia was released she would not release her knife.

Nevertheless, she reflects on and is deeply troubled by the notions the strange mare is espousing and in her own large and innocent pony eyes a response forms - what if she offered herself in Octavia's place? Maybe she could spare Octavia's pain, figure out what was going on with these mysterious ponies and even prevent them from hurting others and themselves (she had picked up on the note of suffering in Mr Tongue's voice earlier). Deep down in her soul Fuchsia felt a conflict: she wanted Octavia to be safe but she could not let this mystery, her prey, disappear - as Miss Dreams had threatened. The way out of that conflict seemed to be to place herself in service to these ponies in lieu of Octavia.

Outwardly, this internal conflict is suggested only by the wideness of Fuchsia's pupils which stare into nothing and which only fleetingly flit back to Miss Dreams. It is also apparent from the shiver of excitement that quakes through her pink pony body at the promise of adventure, which is perceptible in particular from the blade that still holds Mr Tongue hostage.

[Loud Opinion 602]

@abrony-mouse

"You really care about her," Limbo said more critically than with any degree of emotional concern. Then the windows to her soul shrunk to a more relatable size.

Her head sunk even further and her horns began to glow a faint purple. Octavia stopped in her stride, her smile dropped, and her stance tensed as if somepony had dumped a bucket of ice upon her.

"So, it's true," Limbo said with a clear quiver in her voice, "I... think I'm going to be ill. If you'll excuse me."

Silver was like a stone, not from lack of interest. Indeed, it was obvious he was holding back. "You'll have to forgive her," Silver interrupted, "She just lost someone dear to her."

By now Octavia had regained her wits, and with them, her horror. Looking around in a panic, she took in the horribly familiar temple. Then she saw Fuchsia's dagger to Silver's neck and relaxed a bit. Her protector was here and the promise was kept.

Seeing the upper hoof in her court, Octavia asks a question of her own, "Why me? Of all the mares in Canterlot, why did you target me?"

"Self-defense," Silver returned plainly, "Not of my person, but in defense of my culture. Vinal Scratch was a menace of a unicorn. Arson, vandalism, and theft. She would destroy herself, but not before taking much of Canterlot with her. So, I killed her," he paused for dramatic effect before qualifying, "with kindness."

"I bound her to a refined life, and, well, the rest is history."

"She deserved better," Limbo interrupted darkly, "Her music was a gift from the stars."

"We had hoped to revert her back with this ritual, but I didn't have the heart to tell Miss. Dreams that it was already too late."

Limbo gave Silver a scornful, 'you knew?', look.

[Fuchsia]

@Loud Opinion

Fuchsia sees Octavia 'wake up' from whatever influence was controlling her, and Fuchsia hears Mr Tongue babbling about a 'Vinyl Scratch' being dead. The only thing Fuchsia can relate to in Mr Tongue's babbling is that Octavia is now freed - that had been her immediate goal throughout this hellish night. Her pony-subconcious appreciates the discord between Silver Tongue and Limbo Dreams and dimly apprehends the dual identity issue but doesn't engage with it in the moment.

She withdraws her knife from Silver Tongue's lying throat and rushes to Octavia and puts an arm round her shoulder. "You're safe now." she says, not believing it, but wanting to reassure the unfortunate pony. Guiding Octavia out of the temple, she declares to Octavia's persecutors: "If you dare to interfere with any of us ponies again, I will tell the Princess and she will turn you all to stone, including your poxy temple."  She pushes Octavia away from the temple and towards her home... but then, at the last second, doubles back and re-enters it. 

"Look, I don't know what you are planning, but I know it's something big and that nopony is safe while you do it. What if I play along with your schemes? If you let Octavia go I could step into her horse-shoes? Whaddaya say?"

 

[Loud Opinion 602]

@abrony-mouse

Limbo's distress melted into a steely determination at the mention of the princess's wrath. A daring challenge.

When Fuchsia offers her service, Silver's eyes gleam like a freshly minted coin. "We'll be in touch, but you can start with the candles. Diligent work is the best screening process, I always say."

Limbo slinks over to the interrupted podium, and her horns once again light up.

Around the pulpit was a magic Fuchsia had never seen before. Ethereal purple threads ensnared the thing and stitched themselves to it. Then with a yank of her head, the pulpit rises proportionately. With a crane of her neck, the pulpit is returned to its place.

"I suppose I can read over our new texts while you watch over her," Limbo says dismissively.

"Indeed, now where did she leave that snuffing tool?"

Octavia waited for a few moments outside. Perhaps she wanted to meet her back at the house. Not wanting to risk either possibility, she huddled down just outside the door and waited patiently for her escort.

[Fuchsia]

@Loud Opinion

Fuchsia heart is in her mouth as the eldritch duo contemplate her offer. Her manticore purrs with pleasure at the thought of investigating these two. Who would have thought that a village in the pony heartlands would contain more adventure than the frigid North or the Stormlands!

When Limbo accepts she practically skitter-hooves with excitement… or dread… Fuchsia is never entirely sure which emotion she feels when she commits herself to adventure. Now she can find out what eldritch schemes they are up to. Also didn’t they talk about Octavia being two ponies or something before? What had that been about? In fact, there were a load of things they had been babbling about that sounded fantastical and important. Hopefully Fuchsia could use her new position to learn how to stop these two before they did any more damage. Lost in thought about the mystery of the temple, she only half hears Mr Tongue mention the snuffer. “Right-o.” Fuchsia agrees absently.

But she has not forgotten about Octavia in her lust for adventure and she can hear the poor mare shuffling about outside the entrance. “I’ll just send Octavia home.” She says and ducks outside without waiting for an answer.

On finding Octavia she whispers into one of her large grey furry-pony ears, “You’re in the clear for now I think. I’m gonna find out what they’re up to and put a stop to it if I can. If anything else happens to you, find this pony.” She scribbles down the address of the curse specialist who has her nail file on a notepad – trying to do so discretely so that Mr Tongue and Limbo Dreams cannot see. “And explain to them that I sent you and let them know what the problem is… they may be able to help. And if you don’t hear from me for over a week then contact this pony.” She adds Mr Phantom’s address. “And tell him Fuchsia needs his help.” She rips off the notepaper and shoves it into Octavia’s hooves.

Then she pats Octavia on the back and then in a louder voice says for the benefit of Silver and Limbo, “So everything is alright now Ms Octavia. You go get some rest.”

If Octavia has the snuffer Fuchsia will take it and duck back inside without waiting for a response from Octavia while if Octavia doesn’t have the snuffer she will duck back inside and look about for it and go about snuffing candles. As she does so, she will mull over what Mr Tongue and Limbo Dreams said earlier and cast about for any clues as to what nefarious schemes they are up to…

[Starlight Glimmer]

@Starforce

“You may be surviving without a support group, but you are not thriving. You are forcing yourself to live in fear, paranoid of the dangers around you. You have nopony to protect you if you were to suddenly drop your guard.” Starlight responded, saying her last sentence in a hintful tone.

Magnolia may think she has it all together, but Starlight knew, especially now, that the mare’s weaknesses could easily get the best of her. Starlight could sense that even though the majority of the unicorn’s emotions were a front, there was a little part of her that was genuinely vulnerable. A part of her that perhaps wanted a true friendship. Starlight needed to take hold of this part of Magnolia and never let it go, for it was the only way to earn her trust.

She was surprised to see Magnolia act rather…normal as they continued to walk. She magically brushed some hair out of her face and surprisingly didn’t get frustrated or annoyed when she did so. She then began to look around for sandwich places and didn’t make any rude remarks in the process. Starlight was almost stunned into silence, but she forced herself to speak regardless. She had to speak before Magnolia decided to revert to her crueler side.

“I can eat wherever you would like. I am not picky about my food, I can eat almost anything. I see food as something to survive on rather than something to think in detail about.” she told Magnolia.

[Magnolia]

@ExplosionMare @Loud Opinion

Moonlight bared her teeth in a predatory grin, her eyes slowly looking back into Starlight's own. "You say you can eat almost anything? So can I." she said with a confident stride. '"I was 19 years old, once. I was somewhere where I forgot, in one of the forests out west. I was attempting to forage off the land for the first time and it was in the winter. I had to hunt to survive. I developed a taste for it." she narrowed her eyes slightly. Moonlight seemed to catch onto the hint from Starlight and her ears would perk up slightly as she proceeded forward.

Moonlight was curious about Starlight's past. What could she eat, really? What did she have to do to survive? Moonlight wondered if there was some commonality there with Starlight. "I don't know about you but I have been near death several times. Gashed by predators when I was asleep. Nearly froze to death, just a few...examples." she winced. Moonlight stopped in her walk for a bit and tilted herself to the side slightly and lifted up her left arm. There was a scar along her belly and the inner side of her front right leg. "When you have to do what you to do survive, you have no time for anyone else. It is survival at all costs. When you survive from things you never thought, you become quite resilient. You also become jaded. To you some things would scare the daylights out of you but to me I wouldn't be phased by it." she smirked in a knowing manner and then her face turned into a slight scowl. "But you are jaded, in a different manner."

"I am quite lucky. One wrong move in certain moments and I would have died. If that is proof of anything it is my survival instincts saved my life." Moonlight droned on as she looked forward. There were many instances in the past where she could have succumb to the elements but yet she forged onward and didn't. Moonlight made it through and to her, that is all that truly mattered. "I don't think you understand something, Starlight. You will not always have others beside you. The only one who will truly watch your back in life is yourself." she wanted Starlight to understand what survival truly was. 

Edited July 15, 2021 by Starforce

[Loud Opinion 602]

@abrony-mouse

Seeing Fuchsia return reinvigorated Octavia. She nodded diligently at Fuchsia's instructions despite the rapidly accumulating fatigue of an interrupted night's rest catching up to her.

With notepad in hoof, Octavia wastes no time and scampers off into the night.

When Fuchsia returns, she is greeted by the very tool she sought. Within Silver's hoof was the snuffer. No words were exchanged. Silver simply smiled and gestured for her to take it.

Once the snuffer was in Fuchsia's hooves though, Silver spoke up, "You're doing a great job pretending to be on board. I'd hate to stop your performance, but it is unnecessary. I understand you have your grievances and hope that someday you'll come to support us in earnest. I just want you to know that your true feelings are safe here."

Before Fuchsia could roll her eyes, Silver continued, "Before you get to work, Limbo had something to say to you."

@Starforce @ExplosionMare

Eventually, the path led to a homely outdoor restaurant. Toadstool chairs surrounded a mushroom table. Other such natural aesthetics complimented the natural function.

The sign read, 'Jabber's Sandwiches.

"May I take your order," announced a tanish mare with a notepad.

[Fuchsia]

@Loud Opinion

Fuchsia hands out her hoof for the snuffer, but pauses and does not take it right away. She did not like the way this much older stallion saw through her – and her sunny flanks shivered a warning at her that misfortune followed this pony like a plague.

 

Trying to ignore her disquiet, Fuchsia raised her eyes to look the older pony levelly in the face – trying to demonstrate, as she tended to have to fairly regularly, that she was a mare to respect. “Sorry about the knife – I hope I didn’t shock you old-timer?” Fuchsia says sweetly, not sorry at all of course. She would never forgive this pony for what he did to Octavia and she was also very glad that she had shocked him – her knife had drawn out a wealth of information. If it hadn’t been for Octavia she would have kept it there a lot longer. An added bonus to the encounter was that she had proved already that she wasn’t a silly wasn’t a silly naïve pink earth pony, contrary to appearances.

 

She continues on in response to his point, “I have seen many things Mr Tongue. Sometimes evil means justify a good outcome. Sometimes what seems evil at first turns out to be good. Regardless, I think what is happening here is important, and I want to be part of it. That’s why I never told the authorities about you and why I followed Octavia here.” She grants the insightful elder-pony the respect of not bothering to fully deceive him and opts instead for a half-truth. It was true that she wanted to be part of the mystery. It was true that she didn’t want some half-flanked slow Royal investigation into what was happening here – this mystery was hers and she wanted to pursue on her terms. (Fuchsia dimly realises that innocent ponies might be hurt that way if she fails, but she’s not a mare to dwell on consequences.) However, she was lying about believing that any good could come of what Mr Tongue and Limbo Dreams was doing and that she wasn’t implacably opposed to allowing Mr Tongue to do what he did to Octavia to anypony else. If she could convince this pony to change his ways then she would… but if he wouldn’t then she would have to coerce him – by any means necessary >:3

 

Finally she takes the snuffer. “I’m ready Miss Dreams.” She calls out in a sing song voice like a school filly, and trots past Mr Tongue with her head held high, giving a little prancy show-trot and a quick cheeky flick of her tail against his flank as she trotted past him. She chides herself for overdoing it – she was meant to be acting like his equal and not a bitchy filly on her prom night – but it had been a long day so she forgave herself for being a little off-colour.

 

She heads over to the strange horned pony trying desperately to keep her bravado up as she faces what she knows is a much more serious and powerful proposition than the elderly stallion. She feels just a little like she was heading to the head-mare’s room for being naughty at school

 

[Loud Opinion 602]

@abrony-mouse

Silver smiled at Fuchsia's actions. In the process of trying to undermine him, she had proved him right. Besides, the stallion had a soft spot for assertive mares.

At Fuchsia's approach, Miss. Dreams looked up from her book and closed her eyes. "Normally, when I look at a pony, their life story is laid bare --except for you. When I look at you, I only see your childhood and some of your adolescence. Have you done anything bizarre since you left for that buffalo tribe?"

"I only ask for your own good. I don't expect you to do me any favors yet. If I can't see your past, then it's entirely possible that the princesses can't either. Such ponies are usually labeled as a threat to Equestria."

She paused to open her unnatural eyes before concluding in a chipper tone, "With that being said, I wanted to ask if you've done anything to help the poor today?"

[Starlight Glimmer]

@Starforce

Starlight looked at Magnolia wide-eyed, not expecting her confess such a thing. If she was suggesting what Starlight thought she was, then Magnolia was even more vicious than she thought. Even if hunting was for survival purposes, what would drive a pony to hunt? It is not in their nature unless they’ve been driven mad.

“You mean to say you have hunted like an animal out in the wild?” she said, her voice trembling slightly. To be honest, Starlight was more scared of Magnolia’s hunting capabilities in terms of what she could do now as opposed to what she did when she was nineteen. She didn’t want Magnolia…reverting back to those ways. Starlight stepped back a couple of paces.

She frowned sympathetically when Magnolia revealed a rather garish scar underneath her belly and right forearm. That must have been a tough battle to fight. Starlight silently wished she could have been there to help and prevent that scar. As much as she feared Magnolia, she did not want to see her get hurt. She did not admit this either. Instead, she said,

“If you had fought with a friend, perhaps that scar could have been avoided or you could have escaped altogether.”

Magnolia went on to talk about survival instincts and how they supposedly saved her. Starlight was beside herself. How could anypony truly live this way? Sure, Magnolia survived, but she did not live. She spent so much time worrying about the basic necessities that she never got a moment to enjoy herself or the company of others. She never got to have a single moment where she wasn’t living in fear. She never had anypony to count on or trust. Starlight almost knew what that felt like, feeling isolated herself for many years. She didn’t want Magnolia to feel isolated any longer.

@Loud Opinion

These things she was about to admit, but before she could, the two mares arrived at the sandwich shop. It was an adorable little place with mushroom seats. Starlight had never seen anything like it, not that she got out a lot anyways.

When the pony with the notepad asked for their orders, Starlight hesitated. She had not had a sandwich in years. She had been on a strict vegetable and wheat diet for so long, she forgot what a normal sandwich was like. Turning towards Magnolia, she whispered,

“Uh, why don’t you go first?”

[Magnolia]

@ExplosionMare @Loud Opinion

Moonlight notices how Starlight steps back while looking on with a neutral expression. Moonlight wanted to appear quite resigned to Starlight's feelings as she would be able to hide how she truly felt. Moonlight notices that Starlight's views focus around friendship,. In almost every conversation it always comes back to that. Moonlight figures that Starlight lost someone important to her and she is so desperately trying to fill that gap. If that was the case, she felt conflicted on how to feel about Starlight. 

Her eyes wander to the scar and then she smiled. Her smile was one that contained the pain that she had felt when she received that. "Even so, I would not change it. I learned an important lesson. Every scar you have is a reminder of your failures. A lesson that you shouldn't repeat those failures again, to come out stronger and more powerful from the pain. You cannot change the past, so it is better to learn from it and become better no matter how painful it may be." she looked into Starlight's eyes. This time the harsh glare was no longer there. Replaced by a sense of serenity contained within her otherwise harsh eyes. 

Moonlight wouldn't answer the question about the hunting. She thought it was obvious that she did, apparently Starlight didn't catch onto that. It would be too far of a gruesome tale and one that she quite honestly didn't want to tell, or think of. She had to do what she had to do, and she wasn't proud of it in the least. Moonlight also notices how Starlight appears to be sympathetic. She considered that a manipulation tactic on Starlight's part and didn't entertain it. It's not like anyone would care for her, right? Starlight is the last one she expected to care about her. Moonlight felt disgusted that Starlight would care about her, but deep down in that she felt a little bit of warmth at the feeling. But still, the fact that Starlight was most likely attempting to pull at her own shortcomings was something Moonlight was well aware of.

Moonlight grins ominously. "I have gone by three names. You may have called me Magnolia previously but from this moment on you will call me by my real name, Moonlight Sparkle. Sometimes you have to back up in order to go forward." she spoke in a bold defiant manner. That name Sparkle made Moonlight hesitate slightly, it was something she didn't take lightly nor did she entirely know how to feel about it. She felt conflicted. Truth be told, she didn't know how to proceed forward. So for now, she will just try her best to enjoy some sandwiches.

It took her a second to realize that Starlight wanted her to go first, she didn't object. "Me first? I see how it is." she said with a slight tone of playfulness and sarcasm. Moonlight looks upon the innocent mare with the notepad. The innocence of this mare was something that Moonlight envied. In all likely hood, she had lived a normal pony life. Moonlight thought for a long period of time about what she wanted. Her stomach rumbled, she was starving. "Two extra large sandwiches with garlic, pepper seasoning. And uhh...hot sauce, and a tall glass of tart cherry juice or water. We are starving." she stated. Truth be told, she didn't entirely know what sandwiches normally contained. Moonlight clearly wasn't from around here, given her highly unusual request.

"She'll be paying for that." Moonlight concluded as she looks to Starlight with a wide coy grin. 

 

Edited July 19, 2021 by Starforce

[Fuchsia]

Fuchsia’s eyes open wide in surprise and gasps out a little “How could you know-“ in fear as Limbo Dreams effortlessly reads her past. She knew that such divining magic was high-level unicorn stuff. Despite her front cracking for a second, she gathers her wits and manages to respond: “Nothing that would prevent a clever temple sheep reading my past like an open book, but – other than encountering your good self today – I did receive a letter two weeks ago from my good friend Mr Phantom about a relative of the Silver family who held my nail file, that was pretty bizarre.”

Fuchsia is even more bemused by the next question. What sort of evil cult-leader asks a question like that? She wonders to herself. This must have to do with the Glovers and Mr Tongue she thinks. “Well, I saved a poor grey mare called Octavia from being brain-washed by an evil cult, but I guess you already knew that.” she says challengingly, hoping vainly to ruffle Limbo a little. “Of course I’m not a rich philanthropist like the Glovers, so I can only do so much.”

 Having responded, in her own way, to Limbo's cryptic queries, Fuchsia offers a few more concrete questions to the mysterious creature: “I have a couple of questions for you, if you don’t mind. What were you doing with Octavia? Are there more ponies being brain-washed like her? Why is a pony like Mr Tongue working for you? What do you hope to achieve?”

[Loud Opinion 602]

@abrony-mouse

"How odd that you would leave something as trivial as a nail file with someone you don't know directly. Did it happen to be cursed?"

Limbo's mood and expression both soured when Fuchsia tried to throw her second question back in her face. "So that's a 'no' on both accounts," Limbo said sternly. Part of her didn't want to engage the catty back and forth. She knew perfectly well she meant impoverished when she said 'poor'. The rest knew Fuchsia was entitled to it after all that's happened.

"You don't need a lot of money to help the poor. This isn't about looking good or even helping others. It's about building your character. You'll see. When you wash the grime off those too unfortunate to afford their own bath, you'll feel your soul uplifted."

"You see I was going to ask tomorrow, but I happen to be reading one of Princess Twilight's letters to Celestia. It talks about how Twilight showed Saint Dash that charity is its own reward. So, I found it fitting to ask now."

At Fuchsia's follow-up inquiries, Limbo sighed. She really didn't trust them after all. "Mr. Tongue already told you we were trying to reverse the personality binding he put on Miss. Scratch. It may be best if you continue to call her Octavia when you're around her, but I won't tolerate you disrespecting her memory in my presence." 

Limbo noticed that she was raising her voice and caught herself, but neglected to quell her indignation, "Her name is Vinal Scratch when I'm in ear-shot. Do I make myself clear?"

The majority of her anger melted away when she changed topics, "Mr. Tongue saved me from my old life in the Crystal Empire. I was cursed and at the end of my rope. Then, he showed up at my door and worked a miracle. We've been traveling ever since." Toward the end of her reminiscence, Limbo's tone was dripping with honey as she fluttered her eyelashes.

When Fuchsia asked about their purpose, Limbo only softened more. "We are The Order of New Equestria, -- or 'Tone' -- and we uplift ponies to the status of alicorn. When all is said and done, we hope everypony will have the chance to watch the sunset a second time from a cloud perch and manipulate the world with magic."

[Fuchsia]

Fuchsia pouts in relation to the nail file. “Ok clever-mane, what’s the curse on it?” she tries to goad her to revealing its nail filey secrets. She had given the nail file to Phantom to help her identify the curse – but what was going on here with Mrs Horns was much more important. Her hooves could do with a file though… and a general work-over. Mom would be so angry at her if she saw the state of her poor filly’s keratin right now. She’d gouged out the occasional fungus and parasite when her pad hurt, but her general hoof care was very poor. Anyway that isn’t important Fuchsia thought to herself. Also I need to sleep so badly she moaned internally. She was so easily distracted when tired

Fuchsia is gladdened, and slightly terrified, that she got to Limbo Dreams over the helping the poor comment. She notes the scary utopian tone of the sheep when she talks about wiping the grime off those too unfortunate. It tallied with comments she’d heard about Octavia and she wondered who that pony really was.

When Fuchsia heard about the personality binding and Octavia she shook her head sceptically. “I will call her whatever you want me to, Miss Dreams, but I have never heard of that kind of magic. Who would do that? And, saying I believe you, what do you do with the Octavia personality? Does she die? Also why do you need her to snuff candles in your lame temple?” Fuchsia kicked herself for the use of ‘lame’ as an insult. For ponies, it was pretty profane.

 Fuchsia was a little startled by the abrupt change of tone, and the seeming reliance of the intimidating Miss Dreams upon Silvertongue – she had assumed he was more of a minion.

As regards the motive Fuchsia exclaimed: “You want to make ponies into alicorns!?" Shortly followed by questions: "Who have you made into an alicorn so far?” and “Do the Princesses know?”

[Starlight Glimmer]

@Starforce

Starlight frowned at Magnolia. She didn’t understand why anypony would want a reminder of their failures plastered onto their body. If Starlight were to have a scar, she would feel sick having to look at it each day. In Starlight’s eyes, failure wasn’t supposed to help you learn, it only held you back. Successes were much more rewarding, like her equal sign Cutie Mark, as it is a reminder of what she has accomplished thus far.

Starlight noticed Magnolia’s expression has gotten softer. This made Starlight’s go soft as well. She felt a strange sense of calm around the unicorn, which almost made her drop her guard. She mentally shook her head, pulling herself together. No, she would not lose her guard around Magnolia! She couldn’t trust her just yet.

“Your real name is Moonlight Sparkle?” Starlight asked with surprise. She was immediately pulled from her worried thoughts and was instead feeling a sense of confusion. Why would Magnolia, or Moonlight, lie about her own name? Starlight put a hoof to her chin in thought. After thinking about it for a moment, she realized the last name sounded…familiar. “That is the same last name as Princess Twilight Sparkle.” She quirked an eyebrow, curious to see if Moonlight knew what she was even talking about.

When Moonlight placed her order, Starlight couldn’t help but feel like the sandwiches sounded unusual, even for somepony who hadn’t had a sandwich in a long time. They smelled funny too, but oh well, this is what she gets for not ordering something herself. Once it comes time to pay, Moonlight makes Starlight use her money for both sandwiches. Starlight looks at her with slight annoyance, but pays anyways in order to not hold up the line. As they exit, Starlight finds a place to eat and picks up her sandwich slowly.

Alright, here it goes… she thought hesitantly as she drew it closer to her mouth.

[Magnolia]

@ExplosionMare @Loud Opinion

Moonlight stayed silent. She wanted to allow her words to reign within Starlight's mind for a bit as they waited for the order were placed. Moonlight was quite pleased that Starlight payed for her sandwiches no matter how odd the request may have been. Moonlight walks forward and takes a seat directly across from Starlight so she would be able to have full access to Starlight's facial expressions, as well as sitting across from her in a more tactical manner so Starlight couldn't hide anything. 

Looking at how Starlight hesitated with her sandwich, Moonlight grins almost manically. To contrast Starlight's hesitation, Moonlight's magical aura envelops her sandwich and the sandwich is drawn close to her mouth and then Moonlight takes a bite out of it. It was a sizeable bite. It wasn't a birdie bite for sure. Oddly enough, Moonlight does not bite into the sandwich itself right away. She eats the crust first, before going in for the juicy center. How strange!

Moonlight slowly chews on the sandwich for maximum flavor combination. The taste of the sandwich was intense, but Moonlight greatly enjoyed the sensations occurring within her mouth. She soon swallows, and takes a few more quick bites. 

After a quick swig of her drink, Moonlight looks Starlight in the eye as she burps loudly. With no manners, either. "I won't tell you about my name just yet. I am confident you will be able to deduce that yourself, as well as my true purpose in being here." Moonlight spoke ominously, her eyes directly looking into Starlight's own as Starlight began to eat her sandwich. "Come on, Starlight. Take a bite. If you manage to eat this entire sandwich, I'll give you a gold star." she added in a sarcastic yet playful manner. 

The two of them were likely receiving weird looks from the other ponies around. 

Edited July 24, 2021 by Starforce

[Loud Opinion 602]

@abrony-mouse

"Oh, my," Limbo's ears lower then flinch slightly when they meet her horns, "We did get a cursed key. I think I see why you would mistake it for a nail file. I suppose nothing's stopping you from using it as a nail file if you want. Just don't open any doors with it, or you'll unlock a cage in Tartarus. Mr. Tongue tried to remove the curse, but it's linked to Elysium, and we haven't figured out how to get there."

Limbo snorts at the 'lame' comment. She hadn't built it, nor was it her property, but she always admired the architecture. "We-" Limbo starts before correcting herself, "I was hoping to undo the binding before Octavia developed as a personality at all. Now that she has been 'born,' so to speak, I can't bring myself to put an end to it. I will miss Vinal and her music, but," She sighs, "her life is better as Octavia. Vinal never had friends, let alone ones that would risk their lives for her. You see, Vinal was troubled. I don't know much about Equestrian schooling, but it didn't resonate with Vinal. She was too alien. She had her strange music, and that was it. No subject gripped her, and no pony, her age or otherwise, could relate to her."

"It didn't take long for her to start lashing out. Vandalism, arson, -she even mugged Mr. Tongue before I had met him. If only I could be there. I could have shown her a better way. I'm sorry for my rude outburst. Her music comforted me at the peak of my misery, and I just..." Limbo cradles the side of her crown in her hoof, "need some time to process this. You may call her whatever you want. You're a better friend to her than I was."

Limbo looks like she's about to dismiss Fuchsia but remembers she hadn't answered one of her questions.

"If we used Celestia's method of ascension, then it would take at least three years per pony. Even then, only one in six would be given a mantel" Limbo said, still cradling her forehead, "We have found an alternative that allows us to uplift everypony at once. It needs time and careful set up though. Have patience, Fuchsia. You will sore through the sky yet."

As Limbo finished, she gestured to some still-lit candles.

[Starlight Glimmer]

@Starforce

Starlight sat in silence with Moonlight as she did not have much to say either. Despite social interactions normally being easy for her, she found herself struggling to enjoy this one like she wanted. She was still convinced that something was off, but to be fair, that was not much of a surprise. What she was really worried about was the fact that she could not get a read on Moonlight. She could not tell if the mare was truly opening up to her or just trying to get something out of this whole interaction. It was a difficult situation, but Starlight convinced herself that no matter what, she would not break. She couldn’t afford to.

The appearance and smell of the sandwiches suddenly made Starlight feel disgusted. Moonlight’s snarky face did nothing to help this. It was like she chose such a repulsive flavor just to mess with Starlight.

Well, Starlight, it can’t be as bad as the muffins back home, right? she asked herself as she slowly picked up the sandwich in her magical aura.

Before she bit into the sandwich herself, she watched as Moonlight ate hers in a rather odd manner. She took her sweet time with it, savoring every bite, but not going so slow that it would take all day for her to eat. Starlight wasn’t sure if Magnolia really liked such a weird sandwich or if she was just being dramatic to tease Starlight further. Grumbling under her breath, she put the sandwich to her mouth and prepared herself for a bite. She wrinkled her nose as it inched closer to her.

Chew.

Starlight’s cheeks grew puffy, then she stuck a hoof over her mouth. The smells were so strong coming from the sandwich that they were beginning to overwhelm her. The taste was so sour on her tongue that it felt like her tastebuds would fall right off. Hurriedly, she grabbed a napkin and spit the chewed up sandwich inside. She did so as quietly as possible. She reached for a drink, then realized she never bought any. With a hoof over her mouth to hide the redness in her face, she sat up quickly and said,

“I am going to find a restroom, if you will excuse me.”

She needed to clean her mouth out as soon as possible!

[Magnolia]

@ExplosionMare @Loud Opinion

Moonlight's smile grows at Starlight's inability to consume the entire sandwich. Then, Moonlight laughs. It was a fairly strange sound to hear from a mare that had been so closed off previously, it was a loud hearty yet sly sounding laugh. Moonlight could see right through Starlight's resolve here, she had attempted to maintain a front when around Moonlight to avoid her true emotions from getting out. It was utterly hilarious to see that resolve come crashing down upon the taste of the sandwich. Moonlight on the other hand? She enjoyed the taste. It was succulent.

"You really can't eat this sandwich, Starlight? Come on, have at another bite! Eat the whole thing in front of me! You can do it! You don't wanna waste something that you paid for, do you? Especially for being so generous for me when you had the chance to speak up against an order. You could have ordered your own sandwich but you chose to go along with mine. So eat up, yum yum!" oddly enough here, Moonlight seemed to be...happy. As if she was truly enjoying herself here. Moonlight was feeling a great deal of glee here for the first time in what felt like ages. 

Moonlight was visibly sweating from the sandwich she was eating. Unlike Starlight, she could easily stomach the sandwich itself. As repulsive as the sandwich smelled and as weird as it tasted there was an almost sick sense of enjoyment at how repulsive the sandwich was. It tasted good, at least for her. Another rude burp later followed by a swallow from her glass she looks back over to Starlight.

"No, you are not running off from this. Here, take a drink from my glass if you need to." she spoke as her blue aura wrapped around the glass and it was levitated over to Starlight. "I enjoy seeing her embarrass herself. But yet, I feel a sense of responsibility for her..." Moonlight pondered within her mind. How was it that she was enjoying herself, with someone so different from her? She didn't understand that, but at the back of her mind she succeeded in distracting Starlight from her delusions. 

She'll keep this up for a long time.