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// Day 56 
// Story: In Pursuit of Chaos 
// by CeresBane 
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Dear Arch-Cleric,

The soap road had led me into a ghost town. Just south of the Canterlot mountains I find a small village under the name given to me by an old worn sign as "Ponyville." An impossibility I know but it is exactly as it was described to me, by you. A stream comes down from the mountains with two bridges from the south and west. The buildings were so beautiful arch-cleric, so full of colour and it seemed to exude an aura of boundless joy, willing an endless smile on my face. For hours in seemed I wondered the empty streets, searching through the buildings for any sign of life. I passed the fabled Sugarcube corner, the grand library tree, saint Rarity's carousel boutique... to think that the demon mare lived here with saint Rarity as her friend, and princess Twilight as well! How times had fallen I thought. Good friends turned on each other, corrupted and warped by violence. Saint Rarity forgive if I was implying your purity be warped or corrupted. But without this war you would not have risen to your station, dare I hazard the thought that the war had birthed a good thing? Nay, I feel I am rambling. In fact I was delaying from something, a certain... revelation.

Coming upon what seemed like the market square in this ghost town, in the distance I saw her, arch-cleric, I saw her! Pinkie Pie was surrounded by blacked robed cultists brandishing knives, fully ready to kill her then and there. She was so different from the stories, her mane was straight and drooped down low across her face. There was sadness in her eyes, and a tiny spark of madness in them, bathed in that was an all encompassing sorrow. I played with the thought of just watching and witnessing my work is done for me, but my heart couldn't bear it. In all the madness and sorrow I saw there was innocence in those eyes. I swear to you sir, I think Pinkie Pie could be saved.

And so I intervened, shooting off shots from my crossbow I had fully intended to fell score upon score of cultists so that Pinkie Pie may yet live and someday be saved. I fully intended to sacrifice myself, so that the one I intended to kill would survive. My apologies if this offends you arch-cleric. I cannot say anything more than that. But of the truth of the matter was, my shots had phased straight through phantoms. I shouted and screamed at Pinkie Pie to run away, for the cultists to leave her alone or die by my bow... they ignored me. Not a one reacted to me. The scene before me played out as it would have, until the earth began to shake, snapping my eyes back to reality. Like mist, the illusion faded before my own eyes and all around me ponies of the day and night were charging and I was on their warpath.

I, I had to pick a side or I would just die. In times like that, I oft wished your number were by my side. Your authority alone has the power to force a truce in these a situation, to investigate chaos. But I guess you sent me out in the world to learn humility and resourcefulness. I do understand that our power is but only a formal courtesy of the nations. Abuse of our power would endanger us.

I fought sir, I fought against innocents bucking and shoving against the throng and somehow had found myself alongside imperial ponies that called me their brother. I don't think I killed anypony, every blow I landed were fully intended to merely leave a pony unconscious or incapacitated. But the way they recounted my encounter after the battle, made me out to be some sort of hero, slaying wave after wave of lunarian ponies, saving numerous imperial guards from certain death.

I can honestly say with a large degree of certainty that I couldn't tell you if any of this were true. I merely fought to survive and I'm certain no pony died by my hoof. But whether I did or not, I ask you to spare a prayer to these foalish ponies that continue to die for this idiotic war.

I now find myself at the border of the Solar empire. Now having run low on supplies and my bag of bits stolen somewhere along the way, I have, to my shame, hired out my skills as a pony of war. I have applied at the local military border patrol and am putting my crossbow into good use slaying stray monsters and beasts. To my fortune, I have not encountered the need to use it on any ponies. However I am fully aware that the eventuality will come. I fully intend to leave before then, if the fates are willing. I would never speak so proudly of committing murder upon the innocents of this land. I know, this is a profession you do not approve of but needs and wants, I have found, are sometimes beyond one's control when you want to survive. However, this occupation does hold the benefit of me seeing much of the surrounding landscape, giving me ample opportunity to find a fresh trail.

As of yet however I fail to find it. I sincerely pray that I do soon. I want no innocent to be behind my sights, if I can avoid it. Mayhaps it was not the best choice to take this path I took. I feel that this is some machination of the demon mare. She has given onto me a prank with a cruel twist of fate for me to suffer, I fear. But I will have faith in my fellow pony to do good by me.

-Piety