-3- [Visual; backdated to the night of the 12th]

[firstofthefallen]

Hello.

[There is a smiling white, blonde-maned earth pony on the network, looking pleased as punch to be there. Perhaps he simply didn't think he'd get the chance before. Or perhaps he just loves attention.]

At another's behest, I have a story to tell you all. It is a story that will have great meaning to quite a few of you; to others, perhaps it will mean nothing, but I think you'd benefit hearing all the same.

It's a story of light and darkness. Of people. And of Shadows.

To know this story, you need not know of the world that was crushed under the fire and thunder of Thor's Hammer, but know simply that it existed. And know that in some time and place, that very same world was not torn apart, but rather tore itself away from destiny, and away from the gods and monsters that used to watch it. Separated now from those beings of power that used to guide them, man gave power to something else: it's subconscious. And in its subconscious arose two new beings.

The first of these was named Nyarlathotep, the Bloody Tongue, the Crawling Chaos - though he brings great shame to the word. Nyarlathotep was the culmination of what was worst in mankind - every bit of misplaced hate, every self-destructive intent, found its expression in the elder god Nyarlathotep. And because of what it saw mankind as, Nyarlathotep wished to drag man down, to reduce all to nothingness. And so-

{The blonde haired man extends its hooves out in front of it, and a pool of even deeper darkness forms in them. Small tentacles reach from the pool, grasping and coiling out into the air.]

Nyarlathotep created the Shadow, the device he'd use to kill mankind. And more importantly-

[The little writhing mass shudders for a moment, and then several eyes open on it, all of them glowing yellow.]

Nyarlathotep was the Shadow, and all who were Shadows were Nyarlathotep, bending and puppets to its will.

And yet, it makes no sense for Shadow to exist where there is not light, and the light in this story, too, has a name. It's name was Philemon.

[The pool of darkness disappears, and the blonde young man brings his hooves in front of him in the shape of a small X, though even then somehow he manages to make the very clear shape of a butterfly, its wings flapping.]

And if Nyarlathotep was all that was wrong and weak with mankind, Philemon saw what was beautiful and had potential in mankind, and sought to make that grow. The two, then, began a game to see what would become of mankind and, in part, of themselves: Philemon bet that mankind would grow and prosper, and that even the nature of the Shadow could be changed. Nyarlathotep's bet was that mankind would drive itself into destruction, and that such destruction was inevitable.

The games were often very much alike. Nyarlathotep would try and poison man with the Shadow. Philemon, in return, would find mortals worthy to play against Nyarlathotep and who could oppose him. Nyarlathotep would have the Shadow take the forms of these mortals and demonstrate their worst traits to try and beguile them, and each time the worthy mortals would banish their Shadows. Nyarlathotep would have the Shadow take the forms of demons and gods of the previous world to attack the mortals, and Philemon would teach the mortals how to have these gods and demons reforged into forms the mortals might wield, and demonstrate their own potential.

These forms were called Persona, and they were forged for mortals by Philemon's premier assistant, Igor.

The games would go on and on with different levels of intensity until the inevitable end came. Nyarlathotep, having mistaken an act of hope for an act of desperation, allowed himself to be trapped into a road leading to his own destruction. He was slain by a group of Persona wielders, this death ending with the disassociation of his personality and the folding back into the Shadow to try and heal. Since his death, the Shadow has only been able to take abstract forms, somewhat brutish forms, and none able to communicate as the earlier ones did.

For those of you who fought the Shadow recently, know that this is why they are so basic, for their 'mind' is, in general, dead.

But with Nyarlathotep's death also came Philemon's own need to regress and recoup. Having won his game, Philemon faded into the background of the world as an observer, leaving the Velvet Room, and any need for further defense against the Shadow, to his assistant Igor. Alongside his victory in showing the progress humanity could make, Philemon had achieved another condition: those parts of Nyarlathotep that might resurface in the Shadow as thinking beings, Nyarlathotep's 'heirs', one might say, were to be given to Igor to care for and watch over in the hopes of teaching them empathy towards humans in order to further disassociate Nyarlathotep from himself.

So far, the experiment has been a success beyond belief, and of the current 'heirs' I know three: the twins Elizabeth and Theodore, and their older 'sibling', Margaret.

Since Nyarlathotep's death, the Shadow has been a dumb, wandering things, being taken advantage of and used by other gods long since thought gone from the world, and these gods to were defeated by worthy mortals, many of whom are here now. But aside from the three heirs, the Shadow has become a simple weapon.

With one exception.

One piece of the Shadow managed to become self-denying, and in part, earn humanity.

Tell me. What does that say, when that which was to be mankind's worst and its destruction might manage to deny what it was meant to be and be a man itself?

I believe it's worth thinking on, especially in these times.

Comments

[Action] 1/2

[kingofthetvworld]

[Teddie did indeed listen to the story fully, although none of it made much sense to him. Some of the ideas were just too complex for him to put together on the spot and he might need to think about it later in the day.

Even so, he nods to himself like he understood completely.]

[Action] 2/2

[kingofthetvworld]

[And then it dawns on him that this was made public. Purposely.]

GAH!!! WHY DID YOU YOU HAFTA TELL EVERYBODY?!

[kuukai]

[ Kyouko's mostly in awe. She knew Teddie was special. She didn't realize the extent of it.

One wing drapes around him as she stands listening to Lucifer's story. It falls off pretty quick when he shouts, startling her. Oops? ]

The darkest became the light? Sounds like a pretty familiar story.

[Vis/Private]

[stormbroken]

[Flare starts her reply with... well, several moments of silence. Typically a good sign that she's realized something.]

It says that nothing is set in stone, and that which may be viewed as irredeemable may in fact be more benevolent than ever expected, if properly cultivated.

[Oddly, the look on her face is somewhat challenging. Do you think you could cultivate Hikaru, Lucifer?]

[Vis/Private]

[firstofthefallen]

A noble view of the story. I agree with most of that.

After all. What you were is not what you will be or even what you are.

[He understands the unsaid challenge, but will say nothing on it. After all, could one go back and change who they were as an infant?]

[Vis/Private]

[stormbroken]

[She knows it's impossible in that context, but she would so wish otherwise both with Lucifer and with herself.]

This Nyarla guy. Was he a demon?

[ponymechanic]

[Despite how tired Tails is and looks, he is able to listen to what he says. He's heard of the Velvet Room before from Yu, but he didn't know the details other than Yu used to go there during his stay in Inaba.]

That's quite a tale.

Though how can a shadow become a human by becoming "self-denying"? Wouldn't it just split in two, as human and persona?

[Could he be talking about Teddie? But that didn't make sense. Was that pegasus mare right before?]

[firstofthefallen]

Ah.

I do not know fully how it happened, only that it did. That is the way of beautiful absurdities, I suppose.

But, to clear up some of your confusion: mankind, the Shadow, and Persona are not different. They are all the same thing: one creature with different names. It is not that the Persona is no longer the Shadow, but is the Shadow turned inside out, rebranded in its purpose and action.

Nyarlathotep would often gloat that it was humanity. It was not delusional in that claim; it was delusional in how deep a part of humanity it thought it was.

[Visual]

[foolish_seal]

I knew Igor had to be working for someone.

[Yeah that's all he really has to say. The entire story is interesting, but it all makes sense, considering what else he knows.]

Visual]

[firstofthefallen]

He never did do well hiding it, did he?

It matters little now. Igor is the master of the Velvet Room and cares for Philemon's domain, and I doubt that Philemon himself will return, or feel any need to do so.

[Visual]

[foolish_seal]

Still, it feels nice to have some answers, even if they are a few years too late.

What brought all this on?

[Action]

[linefacingforever]

[The story felt familiar.]

[Yu knew he had never heard it before, he was fairly certain of that, but some of the names mentioned, some of the terms used... they felt familiar, like he should know all of this. Did this have something to do with what he needed to remember?]

[He was on the first floor of the Agency the whole time, wanting to run out there and help Teddie and his girlfriend, but he knew he'd just be a sitting duck. Cowering in the house felt so wrong, but what else was he supposed to do when he could hear the battle going absolutely crazy outside?]

[Now, though, now that it was quiet, now that this message was there on the journals, it felt a bit safe. Hesitantly, Yu nosed open the door, looking out to see if things really had settled.

[Action]

[firstofthefallen]

[Back up against a tree, Lucifer looks up at where Yu is. And smiles. Hello there, Izanagi. How many different worlds you've reincarnated in, and how many different forms and ways.

Lucifer waves at Yu.]

Hello, Yu Narukami.

A beautiful night in the apocalypse, isn't it?

[Action]

[linefacingforever]

[...was that the same pony that had been out before? Yu hesitantly came out of the Agency, glancing around at the signs that a battle had taken place, before carefully approaching the white pony.]

...rather it not be the apocalypse, really.

Text

[wizardofharmony]

Lightbringer -

I take it that this is the true creation myth of Minato and Yu's world.

The idea that a thing destined to be a sort of crawling chaos can choose to be something better appeals to me as well, I must admit.

- LB

Text

[firstofthefallen]

Choose?

What makes you believe Nyarlathotep chose that?

Re: Text

[wizardofharmony]

Pray your indulgence for my lack of clarity - I meant the child of shadow of who you spoke, not the father.

For even a shard of that darkness to learn how to shine... well, I find it a heartening thought too.

[visual]

[strengthinkindness]

That sounds like a story about hope to me...

[visual]

[firstofthefallen]

[Well now little creature, who are you? Lucifer can't help but smile at the sight of it.]

It is. Hope, a word with many meanings and possibilities.

It can be quite a tricky thing to truly understand.

[visual]

[strengthinkindness]

[He's a little guy answering his partner's scroll without her knowledge, that's what he is.]

Really? Why's it tricky? I thought hope was just...y'know. Hope.

[Visual]

[poolicide]

...

[What can he even say to that? Give Cameron a moment, he's got something.]

[Visual]

[firstofthefallen]

A bit much to take in for a story, isn't it?

I tried to shorten it as much as I could.

[Visual]

[poolicide]

It's just hard to believe...and creepy...just creepy....

[text][??????? filter]

[bornoflove]

Most intriguing. So, the pawn became a king.

[text][??????? filter]

[firstofthefallen]

It's often the case with such things.

The more one believes themselves to be weak and useless, the greater a champion they tend to be. And the one who believes that they have more control and ground often gives that ground away in their idiot pride and sense of control.