//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12: "Enter The Circle." 
// Story: Morning Meir Mysteries: Case 2: A Fright On Nightmare Night 
// by XombieSlayr 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 12: "Enter The Circle."

"Of The Circle, I shall speak not. For their bravery and heroics speak for themselves."
- The Goddess

Nawlans Galleria, Gold Digger's Suite (9:25 am)

We had come back in a rush, and after explaining what had happened at City Hall, we all just sat there, lost in thought. Nopony said anything.

I mean what was there to be said in a situation like this? We couldn't beat them now. The whole city had seen their mayor's heart explode right outside City Hall. The cartel had decided he had outlived his usefulness. They needed him to stay as mayor. And now that he was stepping down, he was no longer useful to them.

I had never seen anything so sickening. Just the thought of it made my stomach lurch. There was no way I would've been able to investigate anything. I didn't need to anyway. 

So what now? Just sit here and give up? 

Let the Cartel have they're way with this city, and just leave? Get out while I could, right? I mean, the city was in a panic now. Now everypony knew the cartel was real. And that THEY ran this city now.

But no. I couldn't leave. I had come too far to give up now. But I didn't know what I could do. I had to think of something.

As I sat there trying to figure out some way out of this, refusing to give up even now...the phone rang.

Everyone in the room turned to look out to the entryway, where the phone was ringing, despite being lost in their own thoughts. It seemed to be that I was meant to answer it. Which I did.

"Um...hello?"

"Miss Meir. I'm glad to hear you're alright." a familiar voice on the other end said, sounding quite sincere.

My eyes widened as I brought the receiver close to my ear. "Nair? Is that you?"

I could somehow feel her smile on the other end, but her tone remained the same. "We've heard about whats been happening in Nawlans. Killing the mayor in front of so many innocent eyes. I can't imagine how you must be feeling. I'm sorry."

I didn't know what to say. I wasn't even sure how I was feeling myself. I just sighed and said "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me. This madness has gone on long enough. It's time for you to learn the ways of The Circle. To join us and our fight against evil."

"I-I...what do you mean?"

"I'll explain everything soon. For now I would like you to come to the Tailor Shop on 35th Street. I'll walk you there."

"Huh?"

As I said that, I suddenly heard a knock at the door beside me. I just turned and stared at it in disbelief. There's....there's no way.

I answered it in a manner where I thought it would explode. Sure enough standing in the doorway was Nair. Still clad in her beige striped suit with a red pocket square, and she wore the same mysterious smile as always. She seemed unphased by my utter disbelief at her standing there, and simply asked "Shall we be going?"

I was stunned to say the least. But I still managed to ask her "How did you do that?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Do what, Miss Meir?"

"You know, the thing with the door!"

"Oh, well it's really quite simple Miss Meir...

"I knocked." Nair said with a clever grin.

I gave her a look, but decided to just leave it at that. "Where are we going?" I asked.

"As I said before, The Tailor Shop on 35th street."

'Yes, bus specifically, WHERE?"

"You will see when we get there."

"Can my friends come with me?"

"I'm afraid this is for you and you alone. Only I am permitted to join you."

Nair then turned around and gestured for me to follow her. "Now, come along! We mustn't dally while the cartel makes its move."

I stopped. "Wait, so that means you'll help us?" I asked, hoping to get a straight answer.

Nair turned her head to look back at me and smiled. "Yes." she said giving a perfectly straightforward answer.

That was a good enough answer to me. I told my friends I was going to get some help, they wished me good luck, and I headed out with Nair. Having no idea where I was going or what I was doing. But I still somehow felt perfectly safe. Especially alongside Nair.

I followed her through the streets of Nawlans at a steady pace. She seemed to know exactly where she was going, and never even stopped to look at any signs. As if she could just somehow sense the way to this Tailor Shop. It was fascinating to watch.

(The Golden Circle Tailor Shop, 35th Street, Downtown Nawlans, 9:46 am)

As we turned the corner, I noticed that every other storefront on 35th street, looked dull and downtrodden as opposed to the warm glow I saw in the window of a lone tailor shop in the middle of the row of stores. Looking in I saw a line of extravagant well pressed pleated suits of several different rich colors. They stood proudly beneath the line of bright gold letters, which read "The Golden Circle Tailor Shop." Behind those letters was a large gold ring that centered over the window like a rising sun. It all looked amazing.

But then it occurred to me."Why am I here? This is just a tailor shop."

A sharp ringing of a small bell made me jump. I turned to see Nair holding the door to the shop open for me. "Looks can be deceiving, Miss Meir." she said cleverly, as she motioned for me to follow her in. More then very curious about all this, I decided to play along for now. At the very least I would get to learn something about Nair and The Circle.

The Golden Circle Shop lobby

The inside of the shop resembled a luxurious cafe in Paris. The walls were a deep forest green, and the whole floor was a lush red carpet. The walls were lined with displays of mare and stallion's accessories, and the most decadent dresses and suits adorned every maniquin that stood proudly around the room. A roaring fireplace and lounge welcomed me with it's soft, impossibly comfortable armchairs. It was absolutely amazing.

Nair brought me out of my stupor by lightly tapping me on the shoulder. "Would you mind going and talking to Gertrude for me? Let her know that were here for an appointment." Nair asked politely. She pointed to a cheerful young earth pony mare with a elegant green mane and an light orange coat who stood behind the counter, smiling at us.

"Uh...okay, sure." I said, not wanting to seem rude.

I smiled as I went up to Gertrude, who smiled and greeted me happily. "Guten Tag! was kann ich heute für Sie tun?" (Good day! What can I do for you?)

My German was a little rusty, but I had studied abroad in Berlin for two years, so I knew a little to get me by. I smiled and greeted her back. "Mein namen ist Morgen Meir. Wir haben einen Termin?" (My name is Morning Meir. We have an appointment?) I asked politely.

Her eyes lit up as she nodded. "Ja fraulein, Meir! Bitte setzen sie sich." (Yes, Miss Meir! Please have a seat.)

She motioned for me to take a seat by the fireplace, which I did happily. As I almost melted into the chair, I noticed Nair had taken the seat in front of me. She looked at me with a gleam in her crimson eyes as she sat there comfortably aware.
"Now before we begin, I'll assume you have some questions for me?" she asked slyly.

"Of course I do! I have no idea what's going on here!" I exclaimed.

Nair chuckled to herself. "Then lets get those out of the way before we proceed. Okay?"

I raised an eyebrow. "So you'll just tell me whatever I want to know? Seems unlikely." I scoffed, knowing of Nair's dislike of speaking straightforward.

Nair smiled. "I will answer whatever I can."

Questioning (Nair, Mysterious Unicorn, Associated with The Circle, 9:57 am)

I asked my first question, eager to finally get some answers. "Who are you really? What is The Circle?" 

"I am what is known as a Sentinel in The Circle. Sort of like a knight, I am sworn to upholding The Goddess's virtues and protecting the world from the forces of evil, alongside my fellow Sentinels, whom you will meet someday. Today though, its all about you. As for your next question, it requires I share a little history. May I?"

"Um, yes. That's fine." I agreed.

Nair sat back in her chair as she began. "The Circle was founded thousands of years before Celestia and Luna were even born, built upon The Goddess's desire to uphold peace and protect all life. She knew that there was evil in the world, and ponies, being the colorful whimsical creatures we are, were no match for such malevolent forces. Thus, a holy order of knights was created to teach and train us in the ways of Dark Magic, Alchemy, Lymricancy, Theology and more to protect our fellow equines from forces too dark and horrible to imagine. Today, we are all over the world, ensuring that not just Equestrians, but all life on this planet can sleep soundly at night, and awaken to a brighter tomorrow."

I sat there a minute, thinking. "So...you guys fight demons and stuff?"

Nair chuckled. "Oh, there are far worse things out there then mere demons. But yes, demons are on our roster of evil to be fought." she explained.

This was a lot to process, so I moved on to my next question while let the new information sink in. "So what do you know about The Cartel? Do you know how we can stop them?"

Nair's smile wavered a bit. "The Cartel is a secretive collaboration of ponies who use what is known as Nadu Voodoo. Completely separate from traditional Zebrican voodoo, it is an unholy practice that provides power over death in exchange for the souls of innocents. It is the darkest of all Voudoun practices. Luckily, it is a very scarce and rare thing in the world, as almost all of their cults have been wiped out by us over the centuries. But it seems we missed one. As for how to stop them, you are already on your way to accomplishing that."

I looked at her in surprise. "I am? But I don't know how to defeat them! There voodoo is too dangerous, how can I possibly defeat a group that can make a heart explode from miles away?"

Nair chuckled. "Because...they can't."

"Huh??"

"Appearances are everything to them. They believe if they look powerful and dangerous, then ponies will be too scared to act against them. But this is not the case. They are not nearly as powerful as they want you to think, Meir."

"But...I've seen what they can do!"

"Every single time that they used that hex to kill or try to kill someone, they have NOT been miles away, but rather much, much closer. They have been right there with you the whole time."

"What!? That's ridiculous, how can it work like that?"

"That hex can only work if you are directly in the vicinity of someone. It cannot work from a distance. And as you also know, it won't work against someone with more then 10 letters in their name."

My mind flashed back to Fairmont's office. I had indeed known that that curse wouldn't work on me. And....wait.

That was the first time we had actually seen the curse be performed! Fairmont was right there, right in front of us when he tried casting it. Could that mean that what Nair said about needing to be close to the subject was right?

I sighed as I finally asked my last question. "Just who is The Goddess? I keep hearing about her, but I still don't know who she is!"

Nair smiled warmly. "Very well. I'll tell you what you most need to know."

She leaned forward, her crimson eyes piercing into mine. "The Goddess is Princess Celestia and Luna's mother."

I nearly fell out of my seat, as my jaw nearly dropped to the floor. I stared at Nair in disbelief. "T-There mother?? I...I didn't know they ever had a mother!"

"Everypony has a mother, Meir!" Nair laughed.

At once, I suddenly needed to know everything I could ask about The Goddess, my curiosity reaching its apex. But Nair only said. "If you want to know more...I would suggest asking her yourself."

".....come again?"

Nair gave me another mysterious look as she reached down and pressed a button on her armchair. I gasped as the room suddenly folded away, and the lounge was pulled into the wall like a revolving door, fireplace and all.

When the lounge reached the other side of the wall, I saw we were now in an absolutely stunning small chapel.

Cathedral Of The Goddess

Perhaps it was an illusion caused by the colored light from the window, but as I stood there in that chapel, I felt a sense of something truly mystical. Something beyond magic. The first thing I noticed was the magnificent stain glass window which depicted an image of an splendidly white alicorn that was clearly not Celestia or Luna. She was tall, breathtaking in visage, and her deep red mane mixed with the light of the sun to create the illusion that she had a mane of fire. As the light shined through it, it illuminated the entire chapel in a warm colorful glow.

The small altar beneath the window was flanked by Candelabra, all lit in a almost divine fashion. The altar itself was fairly plain. A cushioned kneeler at the bottom indicated that this was a place of prayer. Pews lined both sides of the center aisle.

I turned to Nair....except she was no longer with me. I looked around, but I saw I was now alone in this chapel....except strangely, I didn't feel like I was alone. Almost as if somepony-or something else was in the chapel with me. But as I looked around I saw nothing. "Hello? Nair? Anypony? Is there anyone here?" I called out, my voice echoing on the walls of the chapel. But I heard no reply.

I saw a series of tapestries along the wall, each depicting something different. One showed a pair of hooves underneath water. Another showed what looked like a lock of mane, being cut with a blade. Another showed a goblet resting upon a body of water. The second to last one showed a pony kneeling, and the last one depicted an open scroll. 

"What could this all mean?" I asked myself. I walked towards the altar and saw a small dish filled with sparkling water rested atop it. I looked in and my reflection looked back at me. It looked just as confused as I was. I looked over at the first tapestry on the wall, and thinking it was telling me what I needed to do, I washed my hooves in the water. I half expected something to happen. Nothing happened. but now my hooves were wet. Fabulous.

"Hmmm..." I looked at the next tapestry. The one that depicted a mane being cut with a blade. I looked back to the altar and I saw a pair of scissors behind the dish. I picked them up, and they gleamed in my hoof. The thought of having to cut my mane terrified me, mostly because I was sure it was too swirly to be cut, but as I closed my eyes, I managed to clip off a single small lock from my mane. It fell onto the altar, were it simply laid there. It resembled a small teal colored sweet roll, as even cut it swirled around itself.

I laid the scissors down, and looked over at the next tapestry. "A goblet on a body of water? What could that mean?" I looked back and saw a small gold goblet rested next to the altar. Setting it on top of the altar, I saw there was also a small stone bowl of what appeared to be salt. "Salt?" I looked over at the tapestry again. "The ocean must be the body of water, and salt....usually translates as 'to purify.'

"So....ah!"

I took the salt and poured it into the goblet, watching as it spread throughout the bottom. I set the bowl down and waited. But again nothing happened. 

"Hmm...I think were getting somewhere though."

I went back to the next tapestry. The pony it depicted was kneeling, as if before Celestia and Luna. I nodded, and took a spot at the altar and kneeled to the window depicting The Goddess. As I raised my eyes to the window, my eyes grew wide with amazement. "Whoa."

The window had changed, as glowing purple letters now revealed some kind of mantra hidden in the glass. I read them aloud.

"The Holy Goddess of The Light, whom the shadows flee from in the night. 

Upon my oath, I call thee now. Purify me, for I avow.

O set my hooves upon thy road, thy sword I take up for mine own."

I waited. But again, nothing happened. "Huh." I got up from the altar. "Maybe I missed something?"

"Nope. You did it right."

I jumped as I heard Nair's voice behind me. Sure enough as I spun around, I saw Nair standing there smiling happily. "Sorry, did I scare you?"

"A little yeah." I gestured to the window. "So...was this my initiation?"

"Part of it."

"Part of it?? What's the next part?"

"For now, why don't you go with Dr. Pensipony. She's waiting for you in the shop."

"Really!? She's a Sentinel too?"

Heh, not as far as I know. She shops here for her suits."

"Oh. Right. Tailor shop."

Back in the shop, I was greeted by Dr. Pensipony. "Hello again, Miss Meir. Forgive me but, I...didn't take you as somepony with a taste in haberdashery." She said curiously.

"Oh, I'm not...I was just um, visiting a friend." I wasn't really lying.

"Fair enough. Are you...feeling okay? I mean...at City Hall-

"Yeah. I'm fine. Thanks."

Pensipony smiled warmly. "Well then...would you care to join me for lunch? I know a great cafe nearby, and...I thought it would be good to take your mind off all this madness, for once." 

I smiled back. "That sounds perfect. Thank you."

As Pensipony and I left The Golden Circle, I saw Nair in the window, brushing the dust from a suit, as her eyes met mine. A single wink was all I got as an explanation.