private The Æther Project

Illiad Easle · March 24, 2023

On 3/20/2023 at 3:38 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"I... I see. Hopefully we will be reacquainted soon then. I am Briar Trapjaw, and this over here is my ward, Brittle Buzz."

Briar were worried now, as this seemed rather bad, yet... Hmm... He had thoughts on this, and the reason behind, which were not so much psychological, but more spiritual. He needed a few minutes to gather his thoughts though, and approach this cautiously, patiently, and rationally.

She smiled and nodded at them in turn, "It's nice to meet you, again I suppose."

On 3/20/2023 at 3:38 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"The kitsune didn't react badly. She asked us specifically to get you, then bring you back. But when you woke up, you said your name were Aurum. Didn't seem like you liked when we called you Nexus. Or non-unicorns. Beyond the plant over there, they all seemed to get tossed away.

Can't speak to who made this place. Never cared to learn it myself, but there's creatures of all sorts. Magical and not."

It appeared that while Aurum were timid, this side of her - that being Nexus - were more grounded, and thus, Last would speak more directly and openly to her, as well as share a few details, and see if perhaps that would rattle some memories.

Nexus looked curious, "Well, it sounds like she was a unicorn then, and I suppose I don't blame her for not liking the name, given how many were sacrificed to power it. She probably fought against it, strongly too."

She looked a bit sad, "It might not help her to know about me then... if she comes back, maybe it would be best to keep me a secret. I wouldn't want to distress her."

On 3/20/2023 at 3:38 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"His name was Light, and one of his last acts, before sacrificing himself for the greater good, was enchanting this sword. It's coated with anti-magic, which got through your prison."

She didn't look too sure about that, "Hmm... I could have sworn the third creature was also female, but maybe I was wrong." (She's talking about Ficus, who I think the two of you have forgotten about)

21 hours ago, Spiral Spell said:

"Could very well be. I would say that you could even have another soul inside of you, like Last said. You said you were Aurum after all, and you don't seem to remember anything that happened after we freed you. A lot happened. To sum it up, there was a lot of infighting aboard this vessel. The former leader was more interested in his own personal power rather than the good of those aboard, and we had to remove him from power...forcefully. There was another group lead by a traitor changeling named Red who shapeshifted into an Alicorn and lead another uprising, we had to deal with her as well..." she spoke.

She looked concerned, "I, well, if there is another soul inside me, I'm sorry they weren't able to move on like the others."

In regards to the infighting she nodded, "That sounds familiar, just like before."

22 hours ago, Spiral Spell said:

"You see, Nexus, Aurum, or whatever your name is - Equestrians, Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns were ruled by Alicorns for many millenia, and the desire to worship them comes first and foremost. Our entire society has been lost and destroyed by war, the former alicorn leaders being killed in that war. I was never there to witness any of it, only the aftermath. I was...brought back to life by someone a while back, and inhabited her body for a considerable amount of time until I was able to find this one." Spiral said to Nexus.

She looked confused by the new information, "Alicorns? I've never heard of those. They'd have to be very powerful to get the ponies to stop fighting, albeit temporarily it would seem. And millennia..."

She looked thoughtful before nodding, "That sounds about right, for how long it was quiet after I froze everything."

It seemed that she was aware of just how long she had been sitting there, while Aurum had not.

22 hours ago, Spiral Spell said:

"For your safety, we have to keep you a secret from the populace for now. The populace aboard this construct are still reeling from the infighting we had to deal with a week ago. For your information, this construct is for all intensive purposes, a city-sized airship. I'm not sure how it works, exactly, but it was built by Trojan scientists if I remember correctly." Spiral stated.

She nodded, "Okay, this looks like the sort of thing the Earth Ponies would build, or that the Enigma Machine would produce. Is Trojan another name for Earth Ponies?"

On 3/20/2023 at 3:38 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Perhaps it would be wise if we had a specialist look you over, just in case?"

"I'd argue we got a medium. Call me superstitious, but I ain't sure it's more personalities. With the nexus being what it were, I'm more concerned it's multiple souls."

"...I will admit to briefly think that, though it seems unlikely. That sort of thing would surely be rare, yes?"

"Probably. I ain't an egg head, I'm soldier. Still saying we should try and get her looked at by folks with an open mind.

When you feel like it that is, Nexus. If you feel fine, I won't let you be forced to do something like that, against your will."

22 hours ago, Spiral Spell said:

"More or less that is more evidence for my suspicions that her soul or consciousness is contained inside of you. I don't know for sure, though. We'll make the best of our situation, try to, and perservere through it, just like we have for the years that we've been aboard this vessel." Spiral said, calmly. She gave a small smile back.

She shrugged, "If you think it's best, I'm not opposed, can we do it now? I'd rather not wait to find out."

If they asked the guards outside about it, they'd indicate that the changeling doctor had given them the contact information for a full panel of different specialists considered trusted that they could call on if needed. One of which was mentioned to be both good at soul magic and memories.

Blitz Boom · March 26, 2023

@Illiad Easle @Props ValRoa

On 2023-03-24 at 6:08 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Nexus looked curious, "Well, it sounds like she was a unicorn then, and I suppose I don't blame her for not liking the name, given how many were sacrificed to power it. She probably fought against it, strongly too."

She looked a bit sad, "It might not help her to know about me then... if she comes back, maybe it would be best to keep me a secret. I wouldn't want to distress her."

"That is very considerate of you Nexus. You have my word, that I will not bring this up then, until such a time as you thinking that you two will need to approach one another, as it were."

"I don't see the point in stirring that hive either."

Briar knew that Brittle wouldn't say either. In parts because she were too scared to even try, but still, she were a very considerate young lady, when she were more calm. Just as Nexus seemed to be. Greatly rational and well spoken for her age actually... One could wonder if it were a mater of education, or that the soul that were her, were older, and Aurum the original? Quite hard to say, but might well be worth sparing a thought for. Though considering what he had been told... Maybe this were the real Nexus. Aurum's distaste for flappers and dirt ponies, did mark her as a pure unicorn, and if unicorn horns had been used... Byt he gods, did they do this to foals too? What evil had been leading those poor ponies?

On 2023-03-24 at 6:08 PM, Illiad Easle said:

She didn't look too sure about that, "Hmm... I could have sworn the third creature was also female, but maybe I was wrong." (She's talking about Ficus, who I think the two of you have forgotten about)

A small flicker of recognition flickered in the mind of Last, as she heard that, and she mumbled something to herself briefly. It was best not to listen. It wasn't words meant for younger ears.

"Might've been Ficus. I forgot about the egg heads. I were meant to check in and see if she were still okay, after all that kitsune magic she got hit with. Among other things.

I'll go check up on her later. See if they got out of that fine enough, and ask the general for permission to give an update on your health. She's probably worried too."

See, this is why she did not like pain meds. She had been fed them when chained down to the bed in the sick bay, and it had messed with her head. She had utterly forgotten about Ficus and the others, until just now. Mighty irritating, to forget something like that honestly, but at least she had the option to correct it now.

On 2023-03-23 at 7:54 PM, Spiral Spell said:

"You see, Nexus, Aurum, or whatever your name is - Equestrians, Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns were ruled by Alicorns for many millenia, and the desire to worship them comes first and foremost. Our entire society has been lost and destroyed by war, the former alicorn leaders being killed in that war. I was never there to witness any of it, only the aftermath. I was...brought back to life by someone a while back, and inhabited her body for a considerable amount of time until I was able to find this one." Spiral said to Nexus.

"You're a body snatcher?"

Last rose an eyebrow. She were tempted to just call Spiral a leech, but even for her, that seemed kinda rude. So she just went with body snatcher, which were still descriptive enough. Something to ask about another time maybe, when there weren't more pressing issues. Best they focused on Nexus/Aurum for now.

"Never would've guessed it. I figured you were the most regular one, in this group."

She'd lower her eyebrow again, then move ahead with things, She wanted to know, but at the same time, this did not sound like foal friendly story time, so it would have to wait. Maybe if she exchanged stories of body snatcher she had met before, it would be a fair trade in tales, at some point? Thou8gh hers related more to a cursed forest that controlled others, via a strange fungus, and insects turning the bodies of victims it dragged in there, to living hives, under their control. Rather grizzly stuff honestly, once you got into the details, which she sadly knew all too well.

Now that she thought about it, who were the normal one at this point? The nearly extinct plant guy, the resurrected body snatcher, the changeling who didn't seem to know her own powers, the alicorn filly with potentially multiple souls, or her? It better not be her. Things would have to be rather strange, for her to be the most normal.

On 2023-03-24 at 6:08 PM, Illiad Easle said:

She looked confused by the new information, "Alicorns? I've never heard of those. They'd have to be very powerful to get the ponies to stop fighting, albeit temporarily it would seem. And millennia..."

She looked thoughtful before nodding, "That sounds about right, for how long it was quiet after I froze everything."

It seemed that she was aware of just how long she had been sitting there, while Aurum had not.

"Easier to just think of alicorns, as ageless demi-god ponies. Where I'm from, we followed her royal majesty, Princess Luna's orders, even generations after we last saw her. Most Equestrians weren't as loyal as we, but they still had an alicorn in charge, that set their direction for thousands of years. It is what they know, and have always known.

I erred too. It won't happen again."

She weren't perfect, she admitted it. She had made a mistake, and now it were up to her, to prove that she had learned from it, and act accordingly. Something which she intended to do, to the best of her abilities. And if she erred? Spiral would be there, to see the signs, and pull her back, before it went too far. She'd put some trust in the mare, to help keep her in check like that.

On 2023-03-24 at 6:08 PM, Illiad Easle said:

She nodded, "Okay, this looks like the sort of thing the Earth Ponies would build, or that the Enigma Machine would produce. Is Trojan another name for Earth Ponies?"

"Trojans are creatures that come from Troy, a country near Equestria."

She wasn't gonna go into the differences the two countries had, as it wasn't important, and she honestly didn't care. The two did not like one another, she disagreed with Troy's look on things, and that was it. She didn't care much more about the warring and such between them, beyond a little context. That were in the past, when there still were a great country on both sides of the border. That age was over.

On 2023-03-24 at 6:08 PM, Illiad Easle said:

She shrugged, "If you think it's best, I'm not opposed, can we do it now? I'd rather not wait to find out."

If they asked the guards outside about it, they'd indicate that the changeling doctor had given them the contact information for a full panel of different specialists considered trusted that they could call on if needed. One of which was mentioned to be both good at soul magic and memories.

Last went and handled asking, and would return with the list. However, as she were not all that knowledgeable about science and such, someone would have to explain to her eventually, what most of these actually did. She did see the word soul further down though. That seemed promising.

"Might I please ask that you tell me what the paper says? Unless it is in braille, I cannot read it."

"I'll let the Spiral cover this. Too many words I ain't getting on this paper."

PerlsteinProps · March 27, 2023

@Blitz Boom @Illiad Easle

Quote

She looked concerned, "I, well, if there is another soul inside me, I'm sorry they weren't able to move on like the others."

In regards to the infighting she nodded, "That sounds familiar, just like before."

Spiral would nod to what Nexus said, "I am sure that if there is indeed another soul inside of you, we could have someone who is qualified to detect such things, come take a look and tell us if there is?" Spiral would suggest, though it was clear she would only accept such a thing if Nexus desired it.

Quote

"You're a body snatcher?"

Last rose an eyebrow. She were tempted to just call Spiral a leech, but even for her, that seemed kinda rude. So she just went with body snatcher, which were still descriptive enough. Something to ask about another time maybe, when there weren't more pressing issues. Best they focused on Nexus/Aurum for now.

"Never would've guessed it. I figured you were the most regular one, in this group."

She'd lower her eyebrow again, then move ahead with things, She wanted to know, but at the same time, this did not sound like foal friendly story time, so it would have to wait. Maybe if she exchanged stories of body snatcher she had met before, it would be a fair trade in tales, at some point? Thou8gh hers related more to a cursed forest that controlled others, via a strange fungus, and insects turning the bodies of victims it dragged in there, to living hives, under their control. Rather grizzly stuff honestly, once you got into the details, which she sadly knew all too well.

Now that she thought about it, who were the normal one at this point? The nearly extinct plant guy, the resurrected body snatcher, the changeling who didn't seem to know her own powers, the alicorn filly with potentially multiple souls, or her? It better not be her. Things would have to be rather strange, for her to be the most normal.

Spiral would chuckle to Last's comments, and look over to her, her eyes rolling to gaze into Last's own. "That's a rather colorful way to describe it. Though, I don't blame you for asking. You haven't seen what I actually look like, nobody has. I originally died over 300 years ago in an explosion, and it was only thanks to the one called "Trixie" that I was brought back...though she improperly did the spell, resulting in my soul being brought back into being inside of her, rather than my body being brought back as she intended...I used her body as my own for quite some time, until this one was gifted to me." she said, standing there, and showing her dull orange-grey body to Last, smirking somewhat, hinting that she looked far more impressive originally.

Quote

She looked confused by the new information, "Alicorns? I've never heard of those. They'd have to be very powerful to get the ponies to stop fighting, albeit temporarily it would seem. And millennia..."

She looked thoughtful before nodding, "That sounds about right, for how long it was quiet after I froze everything."

It seemed that she was aware of just how long she had been sitting there, while Aurum had not.

Spiral would allow Last to answer this first, though she would follow up with saying, "Celestia and Luna, our previous rulers had enormous power that allowed them to raise the Sun and Moon themselves and their loyal populace commanded some of the most sophisticated and trained armies to ever walk this world, though, that all collapsed when Discord took over, and overthrew Equestria and destroyed everything that stood in his way...damage that will never be reverted." Spiral said with a distinct frown.

Quote

She nodded, "Okay, this looks like the sort of thing the Earth Ponies would build, or that the Enigma Machine would produce. Is Trojan another name for Earth Ponies?"

"Trojans themselves are multiple creatures, including various ponies. There is a large population of all types of ponies who consider themselves Trojan, there are many of them aboard this vessel. What is the Enigma Machine?" Spiral would ask curiously.

Quote

She shrugged, "If you think it's best, I'm not opposed, can we do it now? I'd rather not wait to find out."

If they asked the guards outside about it, they'd indicate that the changeling doctor had given them the contact information for a full panel of different specialists considered trusted that they could call on if needed. One of which was mentioned to be both good at soul magic and memories.

Quote

Last went and handled asking, and would return with the list. However, as she were not all that knowledgeable about science and such, someone would have to explain to her eventually, what most of these actually did. She did see the word soul further down though. That seemed promising.

"Might I please ask that you tell me what the paper says? Unless it is in braille, I cannot read it."

"I'll let the Spiral cover this. Too many words I ain't getting on this paper."

Spiral would look to Last and Briar, and would nod to them. "It says we can contact various specialists that are on call, that can help us out here. If there are no objections, I'll go ahead and contact them at once." Spiral said, and if there were no objections, she would contact the guards and ask for the one that was good at soul magic and memories to come down to give Nexus an examination.

Illiad Easle · March 27, 2023

@Blitz Boom @Props ValRoa

20 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

"Might've been Ficus. I forgot about the egg heads. I were meant to check in and see if she were still okay, after all that kitsune magic she got hit with. Among other things.

I'll go check up on her later. See if they got out of that fine enough, and ask the general for permission to give an update on your health. She's probably worried too."

Nexus looked a bit sad about that, "Oh, I hope the kitsune didn't test you guys too hard. She was always concerned for my safety. Can you tell me about this Ficus? What is an 'egg head', is that a new kind of pony?"

14 hours ago, Spiral Spell said:

Spiral would nod to what Nexus said, "I am sure that if there is indeed another soul inside of you, we could have someone who is qualified to detect such things, come take a look and tell us if there is?" Spiral would suggest, though it was clear she would only accept such a thing if Nexus desired it.

She nodded at that.

20 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

"You're a body snatcher?"

Last rose an eyebrow. She were tempted to just call Spiral a leech, but even for her, that seemed kinda rude. So she just went with body snatcher, which were still descriptive enough. Something to ask about another time maybe, when there weren't more pressing issues. Best they focused on Nexus/Aurum for now.

"Never would've guessed it. I figured you were the most regular one, in this group."

14 hours ago, Spiral Spell said:

Spiral would chuckle to Last's comments, and look over to her, her eyes rolling to gaze into Last's own. "That's a rather colorful way to describe it. Though, I don't blame you for asking. You haven't seen what I actually look like, nobody has. I originally died over 300 years ago in an explosion, and it was only thanks to the one called "Trixie" that I was brought back...though she improperly did the spell, resulting in my soul being brought back into being inside of her, rather than my body being brought back as she intended...I used her body as my own for quite some time, until this one was gifted to me." she said, standing there, and showing her dull orange-grey body to Last, smirking somewhat, hinting that she looked far more impressive originally.

She was a bit more concerned with this revelation, but it did give her an idea, "If you could move your soul into another body, then maybe if there is an extra soul inside of me, they could be moved to another body too? Or... I could move, then I could meet her?"

20 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

"Easier to just think of alicorns, as ageless demi-god ponies. Where I'm from, we followed her royal majesty, Princess Luna's orders, even generations after we last saw her. Most Equestrians weren't as loyal as we, but they still had an alicorn in charge, that set their direction for thousands of years. It is what they know, and have always known.

I erred too. It won't happen again."

14 hours ago, Spiral Spell said:

Spiral would allow Last to answer this first, though she would follow up with saying, "Celestia and Luna, our previous rulers had enormous power that allowed them to raise the Sun and Moon themselves and their loyal populace commanded some of the most sophisticated and trained armies to ever walk this world, though, that all collapsed when Discord took over, and overthrew Equestria and destroyed everything that stood in his way...damage that will never be reverted." Spiral said with a distinct frown.

She listened intently, nodding to herself, "That sounds like what the Empress wanted to accomplish. Maybe one of her other ventures succeeded when I failed? I used to be the one who moved the sun and moon, back when I was in the Arcane Nexus. Or rather, I moved them when I was asked to, and after I froze everyone, no one asked me to move them anymore, but I noticed that something else did."

She cocked her head to the side, "So now that these alicorns are gone, and I'm not in the Nexus, who is moving the sun and moon now? Did they form a new order of mages to take over?"

14 hours ago, Spiral Spell said:

What is the Enigma Machine?

She looked less sure, "I only heard rumors, from those who had been sacrificed, but the Enigma Machine was something that the Earth Ponies had built to fulfil a similar role to what the Arcane Nexus did for the unicorns. It produced a series of machines far superior to anything the earth ponies had previously developed. It completely stopped the unicorns advances towards Terra Firma, and even pushed them back in places. Had I not frozen everyone, they might have eventually won."

14 hours ago, Spiral Spell said:

Spiral would look to Last and Briar, and would nod to them. "It says we can contact various specialists that are on call, that can help us out here. If there are no objections, I'll go ahead and contact them at once." Spiral said, and if there were no objections, she would contact the guards and ask for the one that was good at soul magic and memories to come down to give Nexus an examination.

It took about fifteen minutes for the specialist to arrive, a larger unicorn stallion that moved with surprising grace despite the developed musculature uncommon for a unicorn. His deep purple coat made the numerous scars easy to see and contrasted with their white mane and tail. His hair wasn't all that well kempt, parts of his mane and tail were braided with beads similar to a zebra style. He wore a few pieces of armor that held magic within them, as well as a few enchanted trinkets. His mark was that of a key in the key hole of a thought bubble.

Despite his rough and imposing appearance, he spoke in a soft, almost timid, manner. "I apologize for my appearance, I hadn't expected to be called on so soon, but it sounded urgent that I come. How can I help?"

If they explained the situation to him he would nod, "That sounds like something I can help with." He would slowly approach Nexus, who wasn't intimidated by him in the slightest, and sat down in front of her, "Hello Nexus, my name is Memory Lane. Why don't you start by telling me the first thing that you remember?"

Nexus nodded, "It was dark... and cold, but hot at the same time, like I was floating in... well, nothing I guess. It was before I discovered how to use my magic to see outside of where I was. I heard a voice, it asked me to do things, to repeat spells that it taught me. The voice called itself the Empress."

Memory nodded, "Okay, do you remember anything before this? Or were you ever told about things that you did before this memory?"

Nexus was contemplative for a bit, but shook her head, "No, I can't remember anything else."

Memory nodded again, "That's fine." He took one of the trinkets off of his foreleg and unraveled it to reveal a pair of necklaces. He passed one over to Nexus as he put on the other. "If it is alright with you, I'd like to look into your memories, maybe I'll be able to find something else. Or, if there's another soul inside you, I might be able to find them. Is that alright?"

Nexus nodded as she put on the other necklace, "Should I do anything?"

He shook his head, "Just relax. You might feel like something is poking or prodding you, try not to fight against it."

Memory then charged up the necklaces, which started to pull towards each other enough to lift off of their chests, but not enough to pull them together. Memory closed his eyes, as did Nexus, and all was quiet for about half an hour before Memory ended the spell. There were some tears in his eyes as he opened them, which Nexus noticed when she reactivated the spell that made her eyes glow and allowed her to see, "Is something wrong? Did I hurt you?"

Memory shook his head, wiping away the tears, "No no, you did wonderfully. You are a very strong pony. I just need to talk with the other ponies for a bit if that's alright?"

Nexus nodded and Memory stood up to move over to speak with Spiral, Last, and Briar. "To the best of my knowledge... there is only one soul inside of this filly. That being said, there is also evidence of several other souls, possibly even hundreds, having been present at one time or another. Her mental landscape is littered with impressions, fragmented memories that are not her own. It is too soon to tell, but it sounds like she is suffering from a form of dissociative identity disorder. If I understood the memories correctly, Aurum suffered an extremely traumatic event, enough to shut down completely. Nexus has no memory of the trauma, nor anything that happened before."

He sighed, "I'll have to do a more thorough examination once I've had some time to refresh myself on the symptoms and treatments, this is a rare outcome after all, but there may be hope for her yet. That said, if/when Aurum makes an appearance, try not to bring up her trauma and let me know. Examining the situation from her side of the mental space should help."

Blitz Boom · March 28, 2023

@Illiad Easle @Props ValRoa

On 2023-03-27 at 5:57 AM, Spiral Spell said:

Spiral would chuckle to Last's comments, and look over to her, her eyes rolling to gaze into Last's own. "That's a rather colorful way to describe it. Though, I don't blame you for asking. You haven't seen what I actually look like, nobody has. I originally died over 300 years ago in an explosion, and it was only thanks to the one called "Trixie" that I was brought back...though she improperly did the spell, resulting in my soul being brought back into being inside of her, rather than my body being brought back as she intended...I used her body as my own for quite some time, until this one was gifted to me." she said, standing there, and showing her dull orange-grey body to Last, smirking somewhat, hinting that she looked far more impressive originally.

"I'd offer a story myself, but I've said everything I got, that's foal friendly. Another time."

She'd look in the direction of Nexus as she said that, albeit briefly. Sure Nexus seemed more hardy, but basically everything she could share from here on out, involved death, mutilation, sacrifice, or tragedy. She could give some speech about loyalty, or belief, but that were not the place for it. In parts because those did still involve death, and they had spoken plenty enough about that for now, far as she were concerned.

Besides, Spiral knew the broad gist of things, as Last had told her that before. A fair few details remaining, but she should know her stance on things well at this point. Seemed like Last still had plenty to learn about Spiral though.

On 2023-03-27 at 8:51 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Nexus looked a bit sad about that, "Oh, I hope the kitsune didn't test you guys too hard. She was always concerned for my safety. Can you tell me about this Ficus? What is an 'egg head', is that a new kind of pony?"

"Minor stuff. Usual trickery stuff, from what I hear about their kind.

And an egg head is someone smart, but not fit for a battlefield. I grew up in a militaristic group, and these sorts who do the technical things, while the rest fights, we called egg heads. Doesn't mean they're not important, but they're not the ones littering the field."

Might be rude to some, that she called them egg heads, but she were used to being where it were a simple divide: There were the leaders, the egg heads, and the brutes. The last two, giving each other that nickname, and sticking with them. Used to be that they went with brains and meat shields, but with all the body parts that ended up going around, it started to sound a bit too macabre. Sides, the other part sounded more right to her.

"Ficus is one of the egg heads. Can't say much about her. Only met her on that one mission, and we didn't talk much. The kitsune put some sorta mojo on her though. Did on us all I think, though I still ain't sure what it actually did. I ain't versed in magic."

Something about it mattering when she needed it... Heck if she knew what that meant. Had felt like she did things well on her own, but eh, might have been something she just didn't notice. Or it were a placebo thing, to make them feel more confident. Whatever the case, she were still alive, and had her limbs intact. That were something.

On 2023-03-27 at 8:51 PM, Illiad Easle said:

She looked less sure, "I only heard rumors, from those who had been sacrificed, but the Enigma Machine was something that the Earth Ponies had built to fulfil a similar role to what the Arcane Nexus did for the unicorns. It produced a series of machines far superior to anything the earth ponies had previously developed. It completely stopped the unicorns advances towards Terra Firma, and even pushed them back in places. Had I not frozen everyone, they might have eventually won."

"Sounds like a bunch of cowards and heretics. If you wanna fight, do it on the battlefield. Sacrificial stuff like that? That's the sort of thing we were sent to end back in the day. Permanently."

There were also some general murder of needed individual. The historical texts they had at the shrine, weren't hiding that, but it still all had a purpose, in her majesty's plan. Something about balance, and the lesser evil. She had other things to think about right now, rather than that. Like how the earth ponies that Nexus spoke about, sounded like no better than the queen. Should've been put to the sword all the same. The ones in charge of it anyway.

On 2023-03-27 at 8:51 PM, Illiad Easle said:

It took about fifteen minutes for the specialist to arrive, a larger unicorn stallion that moved with surprising grace despite the developed musculature uncommon for a unicorn. His deep purple coat made the numerous scars easy to see and contrasted with their white mane and tail. His hair wasn't all that well kempt, parts of his mane and tail were braided with beads similar to a zebra style. He wore a few pieces of armor that held magic within them, as well as a few enchanted trinkets. His mark was that of a key in the key hole of a thought bubble.

Despite his rough and imposing appearance, he spoke in a soft, almost timid, manner. "I apologize for my appearance, I hadn't expected to be called on so soon, but it sounded urgent that I come. How can I help?"

Last would watch the newcomer closely. Last hadn't anything against unicorns per se, but she were dismayed at times, over how little brawn they tended to have. Magic were all fine and good, but what then, if that failed, or ran dry? You needed to be able to pack a punch. And this one surely would. A fine example of a unicorn. Her old captain, would've been fascinated by him. In more ways than one.

Last... Eh, he seemed tough, but she didn't feel it beyond that. He seemed more calm and collected, and as he spoke, his voice did not speak of one with a lot of fire. She figured if ever she would find interest in a stallion, it'd be one who could match her temper.

That aside, they had far more important things, that her odd little side tracked thought, though she wouldn't explain things. She let Briar do it, as he started to talk before her, explaining things briefly, and succinctly. Pretty well spoken, for a flower.

On 2023-03-27 at 8:51 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Memory nodded again, "That's fine." He took one of the trinkets off of his foreleg and unraveled it to reveal a pair of necklaces. He passed one over to Nexus as he put on the other. "If it is alright with you, I'd like to look into your memories, maybe I'll be able to find something else. Or, if there's another soul inside you, I might be able to find them. Is that alright?"

Nexus nodded as she put on the other necklace, "Should I do anything?"

He shook his head, "Just relax. You might feel like something is poking or prodding you, try not to fight against it."

While Last observed, Briar would move in closer to Nexus, for moral support. Might be she did not need it, like Aurum did, but they appeared to share a vessel, and Nexus were still, at the end of the day, a filly. Knowing not how this went, he wanted to show that he were there for her, in case she needed it. What he heard already though, were... Strange. Hopefully there were more to it, because he could not grasp what were happening, from that alone.

On 2023-03-27 at 8:51 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Memory then charged up the necklaces, which started to pull towards each other enough to lift off of their chests, but not enough to pull them together. Memory closed his eyes, as did Nexus, and all was quiet for about half an hour before Memory ended the spell. There were some tears in his eyes as he opened them, which Nexus noticed when she reactivated the spell that made her eyes glow and allowed her to see, "Is something wrong? Did I hurt you?"

Memory shook his head, wiping away the tears, "No no, you did wonderfully. You are a very strong pony. I just need to talk with the other ponies for a bit if that's alright?"

In the half hour that it took, before this process were over, Brittle would have calmed, and come over to hide behind Briar again. The evergrown sitting calmly where he had from the start, anxiously awaiting news about things here.

Last would be doing some rounds in the meantime, and after there were once again no sign of something wrong, she'd pull her sword, and a piece of cloth, and began polishing it. Since there didn't seem to be anything she could do here, beyond waiting and seeing, she might as well maintain her gear. Least it was something she could do.

She'd stop once the two of them *woke up* as it were, and put her blade back in its sheath again. Sounded like there were a need for her to join up too, so she'd come over, remaining silent for now, as she waited to hear what had been found out. As it seemed they were moving away from Nexus right now, Briar would wander with the unicorn, over to where he wanted them to be. Brittle followed him, but that should hardly be a surprise to them, at this point. She did not like his absence.

On 2023-03-27 at 8:51 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Nexus nodded and Memory stood up to move over to speak with Spiral, Last, and Briar. "To the best of my knowledge... there is only one soul inside of this filly. That being said, there is also evidence of several other souls, possibly even hundreds, having been present at one time or another. Her mental landscape is littered with impressions, fragmented memories that are not her own. It is too soon to tell, but it sounds like she is suffering from a form of dissociative identity disorder. If I understood the memories correctly, Aurum suffered an extremely traumatic event, enough to shut down completely. Nexus has no memory of the trauma, nor anything that happened before."

He sighed, "I'll have to do a more thorough examination once I've had some time to refresh myself on the symptoms and treatments, this is a rare outcome after all, but there may be hope for her yet. That said, if/when Aurum makes an appearance, try not to bring up her trauma and let me know. Examining the situation from her side of the mental space should help."

"So she ain't possessed, but still need a specialist? Aight. Assuming the goal is to merge the two or something, in the long run?"

"I wouldn't be so sure. If a lot of souls have been there, and imprinted on her, then it is hard to say what might come of this, or what the plan is... It concerns me greatly, yet still, I thank you for your help thus far, doctor. Earth Mother be willing, we will find a solution to this in the long run, which will help the poor filly.

We already discussed not mentioning to Aurum, about Nexus. I believe this simply confirms that it were a good call, and one we should continue."

He were not personally sure that there were not a second soul to worry about in this. Perhaps there were not yet, but all those memories, and that sheer change in personality? He had wandered far and wide in his days, searching for ways to get sight, and learn of the thriving world, outside of his former jungle home. He heard plenty of things in that time. Enough to believe that a new soul could well be born, from extraordinary circumstances. Would it happen? He could not say, but regardless, he still believed it to be important to keep track of peculiar changes, as time went on now. Who truly knew, what might happen?

"Anything else we should be aware of? I ain't sure how this whole soul conduit thing could end up affecting her, but is there something that'll be a red flag?"

PerlsteinProps · March 30, 2023

@Illiad Easle @Blitz Boom

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She was a bit more concerned with this revelation, but it did give her an idea, "If you could move your soul into another body, then maybe if there is an extra soul inside of me, they could be moved to another body too? Or... I could move, then I could meet her?"

"That is definitely something in the realm of possibility. I will have to ask the others about that, but if it is true if there is an extra soul inside of you, it would do you both better to be separate, so then you could meet her properly." Spiral would say in response to this, hoping that it would be possible to do so.

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She listened intently, nodding to herself, "That sounds like what the Empress wanted to accomplish. Maybe one of her other ventures succeeded when I failed? I used to be the one who moved the sun and moon, back when I was in the Arcane Nexus. Or rather, I moved them when I was asked to, and after I froze everyone, no one asked me to move them anymore, but I noticed that something else did."

She cocked her head to the side, "So now that these alicorns are gone, and I'm not in the Nexus, who is moving the sun and moon now? Did they form a new order of mages to take over?"

Spiral's eyes would widen slightly upon this revelation and she'd walk a bit closer. "You used to raise the Sun and Moon? Can't say I expected that...I don't know who raises the Sun and Moon these days, though. The alicorns who once ruled us are dead as far as I know, and beyond that, is unknown, at least to me. Can you explain to me more about the Empress and her ventures?" Spiral asked, wanting to know more about that.

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She looked less sure, "I only heard rumors, from those who had been sacrificed, but the Enigma Machine was something that the Earth Ponies had built to fulfil a similar role to what the Arcane Nexus did for the unicorns. It produced a series of machines far superior to anything the earth ponies had previously developed. It completely stopped the unicorns advances towards Terra Firma, and even pushed them back in places. Had I not frozen everyone, they might have eventually won."

Spiral would nod to this, "We haven't heard of anything like that in our history as far as I am aware. All of what we are taught, is that the three tribes were once warring against each other then the Windigoes would appear because of the division and discord of the three tribes, then they had to work together, and love each other - and the Windigoes went away, and Equestria was founded on their unity. At least that is what I know, there is a lot more to it, obviously, but the details of it, are most likely lost to our history...now with you, we have a living witness to it all..."

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"I'd offer a story myself, but I've said everything I got, that's foal friendly. Another time."

Spiral would nod to this, "Another time, yes." she said, clearly interested - but wishing to do that at a later time.

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