HOOVESWEEK 9

[ponymeisters]

[Morning, Equestrians! It’s that time again, and the newsponies have a new, fresh stock of Equestria's most-read magazine!

Sadly, its back to normal...]




Celestia inexplicably hearing voices for Nightmare Night, an ancient monster stalking the lands on Hearth's Warming...with a friend like Discord, the Element of Kindness will never want for an enemy - and nor will anypony else who is not an off-worlder, thanks to her! Is it time for Celestia to wake up and see the truth?


Other Top Stories Include:

Title: Chaos vs. Kindness
by Timberwolf Blitzer

Title: The Fright Before Hearth's Warming (And the Psychotic Apple Hoarder Who Didn't Help)
by Gelt Buck

Title: Skyfire: Setting the Sky (and a Town) on Fire
by Rosy Hooves


BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE:


-A discussion on the rat infestation in Ponyville. Proerty values are definitely going to go down at this rate!
-Princess Cadence's shipping wall is discussed, and how its been causing friction between established couples.
-Princess Luna has not been immune to the madness, as reports of her trapping ponies in their dreams have been reported from around the world. Is Nightmare Moon not too far away?
-The excavations at Stalliongrad continue, but as our expose reveals, the influx of off-worlders stealing items has become a problem for those fighting to preserve these special ruins.
-A talking toy car? Our science editor discusses whether this strange phenomenon is fact, or fiction.
-An editorial about being held hostage by yogurt zombies. The verdict: not bad, if you're willing to give up dairy.
-In foaleign news, we look at the Hearth's Warming pictures of Duke and Duchess of Cambridle's first born son!

So come one, come all, and read HOOVESWEEK! Only 5 bits a copy - now and forever!










[Oh, you thought it was over? The ponies of Ponyville likely haven't even gotten their muzzles off the ground when, out of warning, a courier is rushing around, handing the off-worlder ponies - and a few of the natives, though not Princess Twilight Sparkle, Cadence, either Luna, or Captain Celestia, notably - an envelope addressed to them.

What is in it is...well...



((OOC: For those three winners of the Writing Contest among the playerbase, they received their copy of Hoovesweek the night before the issue hit stands. They got their invitations at the same time everypony else, though.

Original picture credit is here.))

Comments

[gigglesnortpriestess]

"He didn't tell you? He can switch personae unlike most of us users. Yu-kun has the same power too."

A couple of Fools indeed. Did he hide that little tidbit?

[elementofloyalty]

Rainbow shook her head. "Okay, I gotta admit I'm totally lost when it comes to these 'Persona' thing, start to finish."

[gigglesnortpriestess]

"If you have some time, I can try to explain it to you now?"

Persona talk is strange but she can try to do her best.

[elementofloyalty]

"Sure! Buuuut I make no promises any of it will stick." Nevertheless, Rainbow assumed an attentive listening pose in midair, forelegs folded beneath her chin.

[gigglesnortpriestess]

It would be okay, as long as Rainbow heard what a persona is then her job was done. But to help out, Yukiko pulled out a book that looked homemade and probably a little disheveled. This is what happens when you borrow books from changelings; the little guys gave it to her hoping that she could spread the word about Personas where she went so might as well put it to the test.

"If I were to describe it in one phrase, it would be 'I am Thou, Thou art I...from the Sea of thy Soul I come'. A persona is like an extension of ourselves, a piece of our souls that take shape in the physical world."

And to show an example, she opened the book and turned to two pictures: a pony with question marks around its head and the next one having a huge pony with black coat and mask. Obviously the artist had Yu in mind.

"Personas can be described as either combat or support since they have different skills. It depends on the pony that it comes from."

[elementofloyalty]

"So it's sort of like if your own soul became a GF," she mused to herself, but out loud. "Except that Minato knows how to use... more than one? How does that work?" Did he have a lot of souls? Because that would be weird.

[gigglesnortpriestess]

"There are exceptions like Minato-kun and Yu-kun, who have the ability to use more than one persona. I'm not sure how it works but they call it the Wild Card. It's like putting on a mask and if you don't like it, you can put on different one."

Yukiko tried to give her best thoughts on how that particular power worked but she didn't know much.

"That is probably for them to answer, not me since I don't have that kind of power."

[elementofloyalty]

"Wow. That explains a whole lot."

From Rainbow's tone, it may have told her something much more than Yukiko had actually said. She seemed downright dumbfounded.

[gigglesnortpriestess]

"Was I able to help any?"

She wondered if she did help her understand. And maybe with the book as well. The changelings would be happy if their message got across from there.

[elementofloyalty]

"Yeah. Maybe more than you know. I'm still not sure I get where the ability to use 'em comes from, though." Rainbow unconsciously rubbed at the fetlock where her Blaster Edge rested. All this talk made her think of her time in Garden.

[gigglesnortpriestess]

"I'm not so sure myself. The way I gained mine was to face my Shadow and accept her. I know Minato-kun and a couple others have that Evoker collar to call theirs...wonder why there's different ways to summon them..."

It was boggling but interesting.

[elementofloyalty]

"Facing your Shadows." Not the first time Rainbow had heard that particular phrase.

"Uh, I gotta ask. What's the price of being able to use a Persona? Or... a lot of them?"

[gigglesnortpriestess]

"A price? I haven't heard anything about it or any cost. I guess the only thing I can think of is that I can't use it back in the 'real world' but other dimensions are ok."

Now that she thought about it...what would they lose if they used it long term back home?

[elementofloyalty]

"You had to pay a price, either to get them or to use them. That's the Law of Equivalent Exchange; you can't get something without giving something of equal value up." She tapped her skull. "Like Guardian Forces you actually have to let live in your brain, basically."

[gigglesnortpriestess]

Exchange what now? Just by Yukiko's expression, she never heard of the idea. A persona user does sacrifice a bit in order to use their other selves but the problem is that Yukiko doesn't see it as a problem, just something she does.

"I...honestly don't know. I never saw it as anything bad, just what was right. Other than getting hurt if our personas do, I don't see much of the exchange."

It doesn't mean that there isn't a cost, just that Yukiko didn't see it as one.

[elementofloyalty]

"So if they get hurt, you get hurt. So that must mean you're spending some of your own self to make them." Rainbow nodded brightly, as if that answered everything. Which for her purposes it did, honestly.

[gigglesnortpriestess]

Well they do use their soul for it. And we won't get into the issues using a persona can take such as unable to run from yourself in the end, getting stuck in situations that most would run away from, etc.

"I guess so. I mean I've always knew that I was using my soul when I summoned her. I guess that's why the changelings have been so adamant on trying to gain their own."

[elementofloyalty]

"Okay, now I get it!" Understanding it made everything even easier to accept. "Huh... yeah, Mi must be kind of messed up to not have just one he can use, then."

[gigglesnortpriestess]

"I don't know about that...you may need to ask him."

Yeah, Minato needs to handle that part.

[elementofloyalty]

"Yeah, but... you know how he is." Closed-up. Not good at talking sometimes. "And I don't want to make him talk about stuff he doesn't want to."

[gigglesnortpriestess]

"Then why not listen? It still is helping and being there for him. Even if it's silly things, listening shows that you care."

[elementofloyalty]

"Listening isn't the problem, getting him to talk is the problem! Then again, he can't escape me easily..." She was faster and lived in the same house as him, that really ought to help.