mylittlejamjar | 11th Nightfall [Visual, Private to Dame Rarity, Iron Liz, and MayTwi]

I know.

I can't be there for the meeting, but I'm here with Pollo. He's calm, now.

["Keep him away from the scroll. Knowing that others are onto him will make him more paranoid and worsen the schism." So many things Luna wants to say but can't out of fear of making it worse...]

I am curious, Twilight. Do you happen to have learned any of my abilities in my absence from this Equestria?

[Please say you know how to dreamwalk, please say you know how to dreamwalk...]

...I haven't tried it myself, but I've learned your dreamwalking spell. I didn't use it for risk of interfering with your work or that of other Lunas.

You are the only one currently in the proximity of Stalliongrad. The other Lunas are present in the Crystal Empire, and I am stationed at the Market.

[Monitor Pollo's dreams. Hopefully you can read between the lines, Twilight.]

(Twilight nods. She seems to understand Luna's worries.)

I'll keep a close watch over him.

(She refrained from using that spell out of respect for the Lunas, but given the urgency and Luna's subtext, that'll have to change.)

Speak nothing. Anxiety will worsen a nightmare.

[She means that both in the waking and dreaming world, Twilight.]

He'll be anxious on his own, but I'll minimize it as much as I can.

(Which might mean calling off the expedition to better treat him, but Pollo's guilt could lead to opposite effects.)

Do not make your actions obvious.

And stay safe.

[He may not be able to be saved. But if he's not, you're the closest to the blast, Twilight. She'd rather you run before it goes off than try to defuse this bomb.]

(Easier said than done. Her affections for him, while ensuring she'll do her best in caring for him, mean she won't be as willing to leave him behind or let him die. Mechakara has that advantage over her.

She reaches for the pocket mirror by her side. After what Discord told her about the stars, she held off on tapping into those darker powers, but she may not have a choice, at this rate.)

I'll do my best.

...If his condition worsens, I'll let you know.

[When Liz comes on, she's in a dark room, her mane's disheveled and she generally looks like Luna's call woke her up. Not that she's too bothered, blinking sleep from her eyes and looking at the princess with concern.]

What is it?

Edited 2014-08-09 07:13 (UTC)

It has been half a decade for me. Remind me of what signs Pollo exhibited prior to convincing you to...

[Luna trails off. She doesn't want to speak about this, but figures Liz should know. Hell, she should know more than Harvey should.]

[Okay that wakes her up. Liz sits up more properly and listens, ears going back a few notches.]

....to kill him?

[Oh no.]

[Luna nods, once, gravely.]

Do not speak to Mister Finevoice of this. There may still be time. It may in fact be in my imagination, or a side-effect of a hostile environment.

[YOU SAW HOW HE ACTED TO LINKSANO. EVERYPONY DID.]

His urge to stop the problem in a fatal manner would be just the catalyst that he would need to break through, however.

[Liz's eyes turn downward, and she licks her lips, thinking in silence a moment.]

I only saw bits and pieces of his behavior when he turned back at Kon Ran...when I found him with the Doctor he was already gone, before that brief moment he took control back and asked me to kill him. But what I saw, he was afraid. Lost.

[She closes her eyes, suddenly going deeper than she'd ever really thought about it before]

...he still had some of Mechakara's temper when I told him the truth, too...he was furious. Maybe it was my own fear of him but it was threatening.

...That temper. It was visible before he reverted?

[Please tell her this is just her imagination, Liz... Tell her she's misremembering things because she was busy making friends with an undead karate bugman and telekinesising motorcycles through windows.]

Edited 2014-08-09 07:49 (UTC)

It...it could have been.

Yes, it must have been. That wasn't all that long before Gang Kwan called us -

[Yup, she's coming to that same conclusion.]

I do not suppose you are in Stalliongrad with him and Twilight.

[That comment should be a lot more clear-cut: As bad as it is, the only thing they can do now is be aware of the situation, and ready for the worst.]

[Liz shakes her head]

I got dragged off to see the Equestrian games.

There is little we can do but be wary.

Sounds familiar.

Even were we to try to get to Stalliongrad, it is two days by train, and three from your current location. We would need other means to get there. We can do little but pray that Twilight can keep the situation under control until they can return to Ponyville.

I am currently in Ponyville if you wish for a discussion over tea. I believe you may know where to find me easily enough.

I shall be over shortly. Prepare for unpleasant conversations.

I shall have the tea ready.

[Rarity does manage a slight smile, something to lighten the mood a little.]

Besides, conversations with Zetta are unpleasant. Ones with you are always informative and interesting.

[When Luna comes to the Carousel Boutique, her expression is not quite as lightened as Rarity might hope. In fact...]

Milady? I... regret that 'informative' is not what this shall be... on thy own end, at least. I require information from you, as opposed to the other way around.

[That was quite the change, and a worrying one at that. Rarity nodded as she let Luna in and leads her to the kitchen where tea is all set out and waiting for them.]

Information from me? Then I shall endeavor to provide anything and everything you need Princess. Anything I can do to help.

[Luna steps in and takes a seat, though she doesn't impose to even pick up a tea cup or meet Rarity's gaze at first.]

You mentioned, briefly, that the Twilight Sparkle of your own world was at one point beset with an... issue. Whereupon she was taken over by a corrupted side of herself.

[She may have just heard about Nihilus and references to Nightmare Moon and made her own conclusions. It's been a while, on her end.]

[Whatever pleasantries she was trying to uphold quickly faded away as she took her own seat and pulled her cup towards her. Rarity didn't move to drink, simply stared into it for a few moments.]

I suppose I did.

[She toyed with the cup using her magic, shifting the cup around so the handle was facing the opposite side that it had been before.]

Twilight was the first casualty of the war. The way she was corrupted was rather... brutal. It was forced upon her with the use of dark magic by General Esteem.

It was undone.

[Spoken as a fact; Rarity did not speak about Twilight in the past-tense except in this very specific case.]

Or managed. Without the use of the Elements of Harmony.

[On account of there only being one proper Element-bearer at a time who can unlock a given element's full potential, and the keystone was in the control of the corrupted.]

Yes, but not.. with out damage.

[Rarity paused in toying with her cup.]

I also would not say it wasn't without the use of the Elements. They were... uniquely responsible for the outcome of that particular fight.

肏你祖宗十八代。

[The small mutter that Luna makes to herself is... well, it's decidedly unladylike and in a language Rarity would not recognize unless her Equestria has an equivalent to modern China. Congratulations, Dame Rarity: You got to hear a ~~former~~ princess curse. Rather explicitly, too.]

...So such a personality schism cannot be undone without the powers of the Elements, then.

Edited 2014-08-09 08:07 (UTC)

[Was that...? Rarity could tell by the tone alone that it was not a pleasant word, regardless of language.]

I did not say that, now did I? Twilight was affected by dark mind magic, the kind that I would not wish upon anypony, even my most hated enemies. It turned her into the exact opposite of what she had been.

Nihilus was a monster.

[Rarity finally picked up her cup for a sip.]

However, once the monster had been washed away, Twilight was not exactly the same anymore. She started becoming withdrawn, obsessive. From what I observed the trauma of her previous... issues left a bit of mental instability.

Dear Twilight avoided us and tried to take all the work of the war upon herself. She refused to fight and the poor dear was working herself to death, even talking to herself and refusing to talk to us.

[She sighed.]

Pinkie once mentioned that there were... two of our dear Twilight. Twilight... and a Sparkle.

So, I suppose the real question that needs to be asked, is what is the cause of this personality schism? Mental stress, or some sort of magical influence.

[Ah. There was the kicker.]

One would consider it magical influence, from an Equestrian viewpoint. The trouble arises... when one considers that the "corrupted" version is what is desired to be kept, and the original is starting to shine through once more.

[There's a long, drawn out pause as Luna considers that, fiddling with her cup as Rarity did not long before, staring at it as if it were to tell her the answers.]

Even the darkest of magics was created for once-noble goals. Often the corruption comes when power is involved, but sometimes it is the goal itself that by some standard remains unforgivable.

A monster was born, and through means similar to what we know as dark magic, a gentle, caring pony was formed from the infinitesimal amount of compassion left within.

What is best for Equestria, and for the worlds that have touched this pony... would be akin to me asking you to destroy Luna and ensure that Nightmare Moon alone remained.

Edited 2014-08-09 08:30 (UTC)

[That was quite a bit to ponder and it highlights a key difference from her worlds and the others in some respects.]

Darling, sometimes corrupted magic is made to corrupt. What forms along side it, that tiny noble pony trapped within gets locked away... And they need to be saved from the monster acting as a cage.

[She's seen that story play out... three times. First with her world's Luna, then with Twilight... and finally with Terra herself.]

Honestly? If you asked me to destroy Luna to save Nightmare Moon, I would refuse and save Luna every single time. Or, if that were not an option, I would attempt to find a way to separate the two. One pony should not have to die for another to live.

But, you need to ask, is the corrupt part truly a pony or a parasite attempting to act as a pony.

[Luna headshakes and stares at her cup for a long moment, before quietly taking a sip.]

Tell me. You have met the unicorn named Pollo before, yes? What do you feel he is? For that matter, what do you believe Twilight feels?

[No sense beating about the bush, if it's so complicated. She doesn't have the luxury of hiding forever behind implication and half-explanation.]

Edited (voice) 2014-08-10 03:08 (UTC)

Pollo?

[Rarity frowns. She's only met the unicorn in passing a few times before and never thought much of him. However, this... makes her wish to examine what has been going on closer.]

Luna, perhaps you should start from the beginning and explain.

[Luna sighs quietly but nods, obliging.]

I first met who Equestria knows as Pollo back when I was in another realm... Kon Ran, if you recall me speaking of it. He hails from...

[Luna trails off. No, that's not right. From the beginning.]

No, that isn't quite true. He was originally not as you have seen him. He was a genocidal robotic entity by the name Mechakara back then. To put it in perspective, he was the sort of type that would be annoyed at the remarkable restraint and compassion your father possessed.

[Again, Luna doesn't know the whole story, but she knows just how deep Rarity's feelings towards Esteem go, and exactly the implication of her words.]

Mechakara was from the same world as Eli-- [Cough. Colliquial names, not everyone is as formal as you are, Luna.] --as Liz, which means he is likely from the same land as Mister Finevoice as well. I had tragically arrived in Kon Ran too late to be of any assistance in stopping him, but I had heard that he had taken a hobby of torturing and imprisoning small children.

[...and Liz.]

For no other reason than that they were organic, and thus did not deserve the right to live, in his eyes.

[Rarity stills, her ears going back at the mentioning of Esteem seeming compassionate and restrained in comparison. Which, put what Pollo is... was right up there with King Titan and Queen Terra. Perhaps more so with Terra once she hears the last part.

And that? It makes Rarity worried.]

From what you are saying, he sounds like Queen Terra. Why begs the question, just how much of a danger is he potentially?

I'm not certain. According to Elizabeth, he had succeeded in nearly eradicating all life in his home reality, and had invaded her own to figure out the way to finish the job.

But that was prior to Kon Ran. He was stopped. He was restrained, and he was... forcibly...

[How does she say this delicately. She thinks it was a necessary evil, Rarity, and she's fairly sure you would disagree. As of such, the unicorn gets vague hoof motions in lieu of proper explanation.]

Which created the Pollo that Equestria knows.

Except Pollo is losing control. Mechakara appears to be potentially reasserting dominance.

[She might just be surprised actually. Rarity was one that voted for killing Terra after all. As for Luna's hoof motion, she can guess safely enough what happened.]

In other words, Pollo is the nice personality, and this.. Mechakara is the sociopathic mass murdering personality and one is becoming stronger than the other.

[Rarity finally picks up her cup and takes a gentle sip.]

Empty Sky. This is rather complicated, isn't it. However, I am in favor of any action that may save Pollo and contain or kill the not so nice Mechakara. I have seen what one mass murderer is capable of, I do not wish to see the work of another.

Mechakara is the original. The nice personality was put there by someone, but is starting to lose control. Signs of reversion are starting to shine through the cracks. The last time such a thing happened, I was told he begged to be put down before he could fully revert. I had... hoped, perhaps, to avoid that a second time.

[The alicorn hangs her head with another quiet sigh, her mane seeming slightly less vibrant than before in the motion. She blames herself, certainly.]

Which is why I thought perhaps you would know of some method that I was yet blinded to. Your world is the only one I am aware of that could even have the potential for such possibilities...

[Rarity stared down at her drink, mulling everything over and simply thinking. This... was a puzzle and admittedly, this was more Twilight's area of expertise than hers. But, Rarity was a rather observant pony and had witnessed Twilight's.. descent into issues after Nihilus.]

Luna, there is always a way. That is something I learned following Twilight as she did the seemingly impossible.

[Her voice grew quiet as she spoke.]

Nihilus was a monster created by dark mind magic meant to specifically make the kindest pony and make them cruel. It turned the afflicted into their opposite and made them do horrible, unspeakable things. The same spell was used on Queen Terra several millennia ago by Titan, and a form of it was used on... you in my world.

Yes, the elements helped fix the issues with my Luna and Twilight, but it also left them to have to heal the scars left behind. Queen Terra... she was not so fortunate. The spell had been on her long enough that she had learned to enjoy the torment and death she caused.

I and most of the others wanted to kill her. Fluttershy was opposed, so Twilight decided that Terra would be Fluttershy's rehabilitation project. I heard that she was making some breakthroughs before... well.

[Rarity took a sip of her tea and swirled it gently around her cup.]

The point is, the elements were simply one factor. The other? My Luna and Twilight had something to motivate them to fight back the darkness. Now, I may not know much about programming nor robots, but, assuming this is similar to what I have witnessed, is it not possible to motivate Pollo to contain his darkness?

As cliche as it may sound. Friendship is rather powerful.

It is...something I have tried and failed to do, many a time.

[It's part of the chip on her shoulder in this Equestria.]

And as powerful as it is, without the Elements, friendship is not a fast-acting process.

[She doesn't like the idea that what she can do is "nothing"...]

I know, but, I am afraid there is no fast acting magic that may be the ultimate solution.

[She set her cup back down.]

The Elements are both a blessing and a curse. However, if Pollo looses his fight, we should prepare for the worst and try to contain the damage.

That is the other reason I endeavored to speak with you.

[Luna hides her face with the cup as she takes one last sip.]

I need somepony skilled at magic. Twilight will be the first defense, but I would rest easier knowing someone would be willing to stop him should things reach the point that they cannot be salvaged.

[Rarity becomes very silent for several moments, her eyes trained on her tea. There was no way to really dress up what Luna was asking of her and Rarity knew it.]

You wish for the use of my sword to deal with him if things go that far south.

[Rarity picked up her tea again and closed her eyes as she took a sip.]

Luna, I have killed dragons, nearly died on more than on occasion, and have seen innocents die by at least two mass murder's hooves. If it means sparing this Equestria from the atrocities I witnessed, then so be it. If I am required to, I shall do my best to stop him with every thing I have.

It is the absolute last resort. I simply know that...

[Luna looks away before taking a sip of her own.]

...I may hesitate. Or worse, I may strike before it is absolutely necessary. I failed in my duties once with Donatello, and the thought of doing such again with Pollo weigh heavily on me, should the worst come to pass.

It is imperative that cooler heads prevail, and I believe you have both the power and the rationale to take command if such things come to pass.

By the sounds of it, you are too close to the situation. But, if the need arises, I shall act as your voice of reason if you will, and take action.

[It was a hefty responsibility, and one Rarity wasn't so keen upon even if she was rationally minded in matters such as this.]

Lets just hope it does not come to the point where drastic measures need to be taken.

11th Nightfall [Visual, Private to Dame Rarity, Iron Liz, and MayTwi]

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