Talk of Papyrus spread faster than Faye was expecting, and by the time the sun was properly up, Twilight had convened a meeting to discuss what to do about him.
She sat in the castle's throne room, a huge, cylindrical chamber taking up multiple floors at the center of the building. In the very middle was a crystalline table that looked exactly like the one down in Convergence's chapel, and around it were six thrones, each one decorated with one of the elements' special talents. But since most of those friends hadn't arrived yet, the spare thrones were filled by Faye, Corsica, Starlight and Seigetsu instead, with only Twilight and Rainbow Dash getting proper claim to their chairs.
Faye herself got the Honesty throne. She couldn't call it a good match.
"Right," Twilight said, putting her forehooves and wings on the table and looking like she had skipped both breakfast and her morning shower. "So, apparently, High Prince Gazelle was in my castle this morning, and nobody even thought to prepare me for the possibility he might still be alive?" Her gaze was fixed purely on Starlight.
Starlight still looked weary, but at least now like she was expecting this. "I told you, I caught his and Lyn's cutie marks before finishing him off, remember?"
Twilight frowned.
Rainbow dug around in her ear with a hoof. "That... might ring a bell? There was kind of a lot going on at that point in your story."
"Well, maybe I remember that," Twilight admitted. "But I definitely don't remember you saying what you did with them after that."
Starlight looked away. "I was already worried you were going to drag me back to the north because you didn't think my reason for leaving my friends was good enough. I didn't want to tell you those two might have come back in case it gave you any more reason to go there than you already had. And remember, Gazelle is an Equestrian criminal. As a Princess, it would have been your job to do something about him. And even if you felt like neglecting your duty, Princess Cadence was listening at the time as well."
Spike cleared his throat. "So, as someone who didn't spend twenty hours a day for a whole week listening to every in and out of Starlight's story, and ignoring the fact that you're talking about coming back from the dead like that's just something that happens around here..." He tapped his claws together hesitantly. "Mind filling me in on exactly what this guy did?"
"According to the reports that reached our borders," Seigetsu cut in, "he attacked a school on an island off Equestria's eastern seaboard. The damage included injuries to roughly five students, two of which required hospital stays, as well as the vandalization and near total destruction of a historical archive."
Spike glanced at her. "You sure know a lot about something that happened so far away."
Seigetsu shrugged. "When a world leader is the one committing a crime, it tends to cause quite a stir. Especially since the incident in question was influential on Equestrian border policy, and my people are effectively charged with maintaining a segment of that border. I do not doubt that there were additional details and circumstances I am not privy to. However, my knowledge should be in line with what any member of the public could have, were they old enough or had a mind to know."
"Accurate enough." Starlight nodded.
"I find it hard to believe he'd grow an altruistic spirit overnight," Twilight said. "I'm all for giving second chances, but if he's dangerous to the ponies of Ponyville, I can't just leave him out there and hope nothing goes wrong. At the very least we need to get him back here so we can talk to him and see what he has to say for himself."
"Probably just insults," Corsica added. "Maybe a joke about who you are or aren't dating. I've known him for over a month now. He's pretty rude."
Everyone looked to her.
"Not saying he doesn't deserve to get dragged before the authorities," Corsica went on. "Or that I'll vouch for his behavior. But I tracked him down after he showed up here this morning, and he seemed like he hadn't planned out what to do after this."
"You followed him?" Twilight pressed. "How did you track him down?"
Corsica shrugged. "Watched where he went. Was still there when I caught up."
"Here's an important question, though," Rainbow cut in. "Suppose we do catch him, and he's still evil. What then? We could fight him, and Starlight especially could kick his rear, but she made it sound like he was strong enough that doing so would tear this place up more than the Tirek incident."
Twilight blanched.
"He's not that strong anymore," Starlight said. "He's just a normal pegasus. I'm sure he knows how to fight and could take any of you in a one-on-one, except maybe Twilight. But he won't cause craters doing it, shouldn't have any spiky breath lasers, and can't eat your cutie marks."
Rainbow raised an eye. "Yeah, but you haven't seen him since you squashed him, right? For that matter, I'm assuming you made him into a moon glass foal, right? Have you ever even seen one of those after they're born, at all? I'm just saying, he could have anything up his sleeve."
Starlight hesitated for long enough that it was clear she hadn't considered this. "Fine. If you aren't confident you can handle him and want him brought in, I'll take care of it."
"Moon glass foal?" Faye tilted her head. The stuff Elise had mentioned could be used as a changeling detector? "What-?"
Starlight vanished in a blink of teleportation.
Everyone looked at each other. After barely a minute, just as Rainbow looked ready to break the awkward silence, Starlight appeared again, Papyrus held captive above her in a chunk of floating crystal.
"There you go," Starlight said, levitating the crystal over to Twilight. "Now what?"
Twilight looked like she legitimately hadn't expected this.
"You can just get up, track someone down, and haul them back that fast, huh?" Corsica raised an eyebrow. "Sounds useful."
Starlight looked uncomfortable. "When you've lived through certain circumstances, you know how to hurry. Now if I release him, can you do what you need to? Trapping someone in crystal is not a long-term solution to a problem."
Twilight nodded, still looking slightly unprepared. Rainbow leaned in, ready for a fight.
Starlight released the crystal, and it disappeared in a flash, depositing Papyrus on the table. He glanced around at all the attention.
"Well, this is a little more like it. I guess." He gave a bored yawn. "You there. Purple one, frumpy mane, face that looks like a low-level bureaucrat who's too new to realize how much their job stinks yet. You're the one who gave the order to haul me in?"
Twilight blinked owlishly at him. "I'm lavender, not purple. And my mane only looks like this because I got out of bed to come deal with reports that my palace was broken into by a notorious criminal. And I like my job, thank you very much."
Papyrus pointed a feather at her. "Systematically denying every insult that comes your way? That's going to make you frighteningly easy to play with, you know. Have you considered getting some thicker skin to go with the fake wings?" He grinned, and added in a stage whisper, "Major dedication for wearing those on the job, by the way. Makes you look slightly more imposing. And in your sleep as well! Color me impressed."
Corsica gaped at him. "Do you have no sense of self-preservation?"
Twilight reddened. "Look, I'm a real alicorn. Now are you or aren't you High Prince Gazelle, and if so, what are you doing back in Equestria? Or alive at all?"
Papyrus gave himself a surprised look. "Me? High Prince... Didn't that guy die twenty years ago?" His fake stupefaction continued for a moment longer, and then he perked up. "I mean, yes, that's me! I'm also a half alicorn, and an honorary member of the Holy Cernial Convocation. Would you like to buy a used wagon?"
Twilight fumbled for words. "What? No, I... Look, Starlight said...!"
Papyrus flashed her a toothy grin. "First time interrogating someone who could fight back, eh?"
Twilight glared at him. "If it's a fight you want, I don't have to hear your side of the story. And you are rapidly burning through my willingness to give you a chance."
"Alright, buddy." Rainbow Dash stepped up. "Let's do things this way: you're mouthing off to an Equestrian princess. Convince us to not throw you in a dungeon."
Papyrus raised a lazy eyebrow. "Do you want an earnest explanation, or is this just another invitation for me to toy with someone who's too soft for their own good?"
Rainbow and Twilight both stared levelly at him.
"Well, for one," Papyrus began, "you're horrifically incompetent and clearly need my help and cooperation to become less so. For two, you've caught me at a time when I'm in between major schemes, and actually have no reason to avoid prison. Three, I doubt you have a prison that could hold me anyway, and four, do you even hear yourselves with these charges you're throwing around? Next you'll be telling me I'm friends with a windigo."
Rainbow frowned. "This is kind of putting me in the 'throw him in a dungeon' camp, not gonna lie..."
Twilight groaned and shook her head. "Starlight, do you mind...?"
Starlight sighed, once again locking Papyrus inside a hunk of crystal and shaking her head. Within the crystal, Papyrus smirked.
"That wasn't quite how I was planning for that to go," Twilight griped, rubbing her face with her wingtips. "Is it common for ponies up north to treat each other so rudely?"
"No offense," Corsica said, "but accusing someone of being a long-dead criminal mastermind is pretty out there. Even if it's true. I'm guessing you've never been in a position of power before over a smooth-talker with nothing to lose?"
Twilight sheepishly winced. "Fine. I admit it! I'm new to this. Go ahead and tell me how much of a fool I am for giving him a chance. But I've had enough ponies actually take that chance that it's still worth offering, okay?"
"If it makes you feel better, you're not the only ones he's rude to," Faye said, squinting at Papyrus. "Still, you'd think he'd show at least a little decorum in the face of a nation's leader. Unless he's resigned himself to his fate and is having as much fun as he can on his way out, which would be like him..."
Seigetsu watched the proceedings with the expression of someone who came to watch a historical documentary and was instead treated to a comedy laced with adult fear.
Twilight gingerly glanced at her. "Have you got any ideas how to handle this?"
Seigetsu nodded. "Generally, justice systems don't drag defendants into courthouses immediately following their arrests in order to avoid this precise sort of thing. There is a waiting period involving the serving of an indictment, the gathering of evidence and the building of a case, with trained detectives who know how to keep their cool around a defendant who is uncooperative. And while you did an admirable job of keeping your composure given the circumstances, I trust you can now see why such training is required."
She glanced up at the crystal. "As for your captive, Equestrian law is admittedly murky on the status of criminal offenders who have passed away, but as a princess and given the circumstances I think most of the judiciary would be sympathetic to your decision to impound him. Beyond this, your position as princess affords you broad powers to grant clemency to offenders. Interviewing the accused and affording them a chance to influence your judgement is well within your rights. However, I think this stallion has made his stance on that rather clear, and unless he has a change of heart you have nothing further to do here."
Twilight looked caught between embarrassment and admiration. "I... knew all that."
Rainbow just looked impressed. "How do you know all that?"
Seigetsu gave her a look. "Have you forgotten what my job is?"
Twilight sighed. "As nice as it is to get a first-hoof lesson in how much experience I still need with certain aspects of ruling, and as wonderfully liberating as it was to do it in a room full of people I only met two days ago, we still have to figure out what to do with Gazelle. First off..." She turned to Starlight. "Given how he reacted, I believe it, but are we absolutely, one hundred percent, beyond a doubt certain that this is he?"
Starlight glanced up at the crystal. "Yes. Also, he's politely trying to get out. And these crystals aren't soundproof, so he can hear everything we're saying."
Twilight bit her lip.
Faye glanced around. If Halcyon were here, she'd probably be upset at this distracting from the more important conversation: what to do about the flame, and Ironridge. But out of everyone here... Corsica had no love lost between her and Papyrus. Twilight and Rainbow Dash clearly had no idea how to handle this. Seigetsu had no stake in the proceedings going fast. And who knew what Papyrus was thinking?
This could last all day.
She cleared her throat, realizing it was up to her to intervene on the behalf of Halcyon's goals. "Look, how about this? Corsica and I knew him from back in Ironridge, and Seigetsu's a professional. None of us can afford to waste time sending him to jail or hauling him through a justice system for what he did back then, at least if we can avoid it. Why don't the rest of you step away for a moment, and see if between the three of us we can... I dunno, talk some sense into him?"
Seigetsu eyed her. "To what end?"
Faye had an answer to this. "Me and Corsica know him. He's been at least formally on our side for the entire journey here. You literally hosted us in Snowport, you know this. And if he really is someone who fought Starlight a long time ago, he might have a better understanding than any of us of what makes her tick, and how to motivate her again."
Starlight blanched. "I'm right here, you know."
Twilight, however, looked conflicted. "And you three can handle yourselves if anything goes wrong?"
"I have substantial training in multiple martial styles," Seigetsu promised. "And many contingencies besides that."
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "If you three can school him, I kind of want to watch..."
"No," Starlight said, getting up, "you don't. I'm going to Sugarcube Corner to pretend like my peaceful life here isn't falling to pieces, and if you're smart, you'll come with me. He'll be free as soon as I leave this room, and whoever stays here, he'll be your problem then."
Faye stayed put. So did Corsica. Spike glanced around the room before getting up to leave, and with a dirty sigh Twilight dragged Rainbow along, the door slamming behind them.
Instantly, the crystal around Papyrus broke once again. He looked somewhere between relieved and disappointed.
"You mystify me," Seigetsu told him, motioning for Faye and Corsica to leave this to her.
Papyrus gave a distracted nod. "It's what I do."
Seigetsu wasn't finished. "You remember our dealings in Snowport. You recall that I was aware of your identity for much of this time, but agreed to keep my silence about it in exchange for your cooperation on the Aegis matter. Although I owe fealty to Equestria's monarchy, my duty to Cernial takes precedence in times of conflict. With your cooperation I could have extricated you from almost any situation, or at least given you the chance to flee. And yet you seemed determined to convict yourself independently of all that by mouthing off to a princess. Have you lost all desire to live?"
Papyrus blinked at her. "Oh right, I did have that on you! Silly me for forgetting." He rolled his shoulders, looking downcast. "I just figured my time had come and I might as well get in one last laugh on my way out. Forgive me if I've had a lot to think about."
Corsica raised an eyebrow. "Asking forgiveness? That's not like you. Also, your insults seemed a little lamer than usual today."
Papyrus sighed. "I'm off my game, thank you for noticing." He shot a glance at Seigetsu. "And are you certain you want to be talking plainly about all the things we had going from Snowport? If that puffy princess has this place bugged, you're going to lose a world of trust with her, which unlike me, you actually have."
Seigetsu tapped a claw. "I did not get the impression that she was the kind of pony who would think to do a thing like that. And if she is, perhaps she will learn a valuable lesson from overhearing me. My own lifespan is far shorter than that of an alicorn, and her office is higher than mine, so I think it beneficial to both our nations if she learns at my expense."
"That's a twisted worldview you've got right there," Papyrus said. "Not that I've got room to be talking. So... you think I can goad Starlight into getting back on her hooves and helping out with your plan." His gaze rolled over to Faye. "What's in it for me?"
Faye blinked. "You're making this a transaction? What do you even want? Until this morning, I thought you were just a weirdo who was following us around for secret reasons, but now I'm even less sure what those reasons are."
Papyrus gave her a lazy grin. "Well, I could make demands, but why don't you hit me with an offer instead?"
"That's a trick question," Corsica dryly cut in. "You don't want anything. In fact, you have no idea what to do with yourself now that you've finally tracked down your old nemesis, and the height of her reaction was to go away."
Papyrus rolled his eyes. "Thanks for ruining the joke early. But she's right, you know." He motioned to Corsica, still staring at Faye. "The 'secret reason' I followed you all this way was to scare Starlight silly when I saw her again. Ever since I found out who and what I really was, I've been living for one reason alone: to hunt her down one more time. Partly to see the look on her face. Partly to learn why she brought me back. And now all my worst fears are confirmed: she had no plan whatsoever. And that makes me presently unemployed."
"Which means there's nothing stopping you from helping us," Faye pointed out.
Papyrus raised an eyebrow. "Nothing stopping me from hindering you, either, and messing with people is usually more entertaining. But I'll hear you out. You're trying to sell me something to do, and that's exactly the sort of thing I'm looking for."
Faye bit her tongue. Convince him to help? An earnest, straightforward offer like that?
If only Halcyon was in the lead right now. She was the one who most cared about this mission.
"Well, if the windigoes get their way, they'll overrun the world, or worse," Faye tried. "And you saw what the sky looked like in the north. You've gotta have at least some investment in the continued well-being of the world when you live in it too."
"Eh. Maybe." Papyrus made a show of not caring. "Tip from a professional: don't try appealing on moral grounds to someone with a history like me. I'm directly or indirectly responsible for the slaughter of an entire race. If there exists such a thing as a cosmic scale to weigh your sins and virtues after life, I'll never be back in the green anyway... not that I can even find out when Starlight denies me the release of death."
Faye took a step back. "What do you mean, 'slaughter of an entire race?' Chrysalis-"
"Was bullied into doing what she did by none other than yours truly," Papyrus lazily interrupted. "The school incident everyone likes talking about, that was small time mischief. I'm sure you've heard all about the things Chrysalis did after she snapped, but did you ever bother to learn why she lost her marbles?"
"She's got real power, alright. And she's got blood on her hooves, insomuch as her existence was the catalyst that sent Chrysalis off the deep end... Way ol' Howe's heard it, the thing that finally broke her was seeing that filly for the first time. See, her lover at the time was a griffon noble - friendly fellow, if a little desperate - and so she thought her kid would be a griffon, seeing as batponies always breed true. Guess they didn't realize she'd been made into something not a batpony anymore. He thought she cheated on him. She couldn't explain it. And she'd had a pretty bad life up until that point anyway, and just... snapped. Two leafy ears and two leathery wings, a new baby bat no one knew at the time was a queen herself, and a spark that burned a continent to the ground."
Howe's words from Ironridge echoed through Faye's mind, forcing a shiver. According to him, it had been Chrysalis's daughter - her - that finally lit the fire. She gritted her teeth, pushed back the memory and lifted her eyes to meet Papyrus. "Yeah. What of it?"
Papyrus looked intrigued. "Did you know Chrysalis used to be an ordinary bat? Crystal, they called her, forbidden consort of the Izvaldi province's regent? Did you know that for years, I used her as leverage to keep her star-crossed lover in line as my pawn? He needed that position to be far enough above the law that they could be together. Did you know her evil grandfather experimented on her for years, and I turned a blind eye so I could have him as a card in my pocket in case I needed to remind the other provinces why they hated sarosians? Did you know that when she finally attacked the Empire, it was me she came for?"
Faye took another step back.
"Did you know it was my machinations that allowed her such a military victory in the first place?" Papyrus pressed. "For months before that, I had been scheming, tricking royalty into assassinating one another, manipulating troop formations so they would be in position for me to take command of for my ultimate coup, with the entire half of the Empire's army I deemed least loyal stranded halfway across the world? Did you know that Valey and Starlight and their friends tried to help her escape the pressure and run away, and I kept dragging them, and by extension her, back in?"
He took a step forward, and Faye took a further step back. "Coda's cult said it was Coda who did it," she pushed back, ignoring the fact that it had really been her. "That... when Coda was born, because she was a batpony and batponies always breed true, Crystal's husband thought she had been unfaithful. Because he was a griffon."
"True," Papyrus said, a hungry gleam in his eyes, "all true. But who told Lord Percival sarosians always breed true? Who got dragged along by pure circumstance when Crystal was in labor? Who happened to be there when the foal was born? And who was it who laughed his fool head off during the moment of truth, who put two and two together for the anguished couple when they were coming to terms with what happened?"
Faye felt hollow. Corsica's brow was furrowed with concern and suspicion. Seigetsu had one hand halfway for her weapon.
Papyrus saw their reactions, and nodded to himself, satisfied. "Let you get the wrong idea, it wasn't pure hubris. I had noble intentions from the start, and even had some sense beaten into me eventually, though it was too late to matter. Even before I lost my old body, I was appalled at the things I had done, how far from my path I let myself go astray. But I was never alone. Up until the Empire's fall, one of its most closely guarded secrets was that sphinxes were fundamentally insane. Unstable creatures born from a bad blending of chaos and harmony, we had a tendency to corrupt the ideals closest to our identities. I wanted to conquer the fractious Empire and present it to my sister, clean and shining. And instead I destroyed it from the inside out."
He finally sat back. "Our history was bathed in blood. I was far from the first sphinx to commit atrocities after leading myself astray. Merely the last one to do it. And for all of that history, those few of us who knew about the curse in our bloodline dedicated every effort to breaking it, so that we could live and lead without betraying everything we held dear. And that's what really gets me about all this. Don't you see?"
He showed off his round, un-pawed hooves, his flat teeth, his ordinary ears and tail. "The curse is broken. Two thousand years, and the last of the sphinxes is finally free. No more mania. No more powers. And yet I still remember all of that blood-soaked history, and still feel every drop of the blood on my hooves."
Faye's stomach twisted. Papyrus was completely different from her, and yet their circumstances were far more similar than he knew.
Unless... did he know? He just said he had been there for her own birth. Presumably, he had seen her as an infant. And she looked nothing like Coda.
"You can't drag me into your crusade with talk of atonement or being a good guy," Papyrus finished, ignoring Corsica and Seigetsu and giving her an intense look. "None of that can ever bring back your people, or wash away the memories. They might have happened in a previous life, but it was still me, and I'm still a rude dude who's more at home scheming than making friends. The one thing I want... The only thing I want... is a reason to justify why I came back, why it was me instead of any one of the hundreds of thousands of more-deserving souls in Mistvale."
Seigetsu and Corsica might as well have not been there. This question was for Faye alone.
He had to know. Somehow.
So, she pulled off a boot, and showed him a blood-soaked leg.
"I don't have an answer to that," Faye said, old fears about showing her legs swirling in the distance, like the eye of a storm. "Maybe it's just random. Or maybe some higher power in the universe didn't feel like letting your race's story end like that. But I do know what it's like to search for a reason why you were the only one to survive. And if your sphinx curse played a role in what you did, I also know what it's like to have blood on your hooves, and not really know how much of it is your own fault. So if you come with me, and I do find that reason, I'll be sure to tell you my answer, as well."
Papyrus barked out a laugh. "I like your attitude, Butterfly! Unfortunately, you've been a pretty passive expedition leader thus far, and I'm liable to get bored if I hang out with your group for too much longer. But until that happens, I suppose I could refrain from mouthing off to the purple nerd and give Starlight a few small prods toward helping you. Provided you vouch for me so I don't get arrested or turned to princess paste by an angry alicorn laser."
Faye shook her head. "Whatever you say, pal."
"Well." Seigetsu straightened up. "I suppose that settles that."
"Hey, Papyrus," Corsica cut in. "Never thought I'd see an emotionally vulnerable side from you."
Papyrus flicked his tail in interest. "I can't say I'd call that particularly vulnerable, but I'm curious where you're going with this..."
"You realize," Corsica went on, "that if our positions were swapped and I was where you are right now, you'd be making a romance joke?"
Papyrus grew more interested. "Hankering for a little revenge? I didn't know you shared the sense of humor, but it's certainly a prime-"
Corsica punched him.
"Ow," Papyrus whispered, winded.
"I don't." Corsica winked. "That was for thinking about it."
Papyrus gave her a dirty look. "But you were the one who brought it up-"
Corsica punched him again. "That one was for goading someone into killing Halcyon's entire race." Then she tripped him with a hind leg. "That one was for still being aloof about it." Finally, she clubbed him over the head. "And that one was for good measure. Now: no more whining about who you used to be. You were helpful in Snowport, and you can do it again if you put your mind to it. But being a sphinx is something you can never do again. Your past might be a dumpster fire, but you've got no more curse saying what you can or can't do with your future, and some ponies here would kill to have it be that way around. Now stop wallowing!"
Papyrus stood up, smiling tenderly. "Point taken. But try that in a duel where I'm honor-bound to fight back, and you'll be singing a very different tune by the time we're through."
Corsica flipped her mane and strolled away.
"You have the most fascinating bonding rituals," Seigetsu remarked.
"You're not concerned that we're making friends instead of trying to lock him up like Twilight?" Faye asked her. "He did just confess to some pretty heinous crimes."
Seigetsu shrugged. "None that were committed under the jurisdiction of the Convocation. And I have little to lose in trusting you when my own abilities are sufficient to curb any further misbehavior. Besides, his crimes are much less recent than your own."
Right. Seigetsu was still her probation officer.
Maybe this would be a good time to ask for Halcyon back? Though, catching up the other part of herself after such an eventful two days would take some serious doing...
"But, if you are finished with your inquiries," Seigetsu said, still watching Papyrus. "Might I trouble you as to the exact mechanics of your reincarnation? As Special Inquisitor, I feel it is relevant to my job if others might utilize this method to escape the law."
Papyrus shrugged. "You know about moon glass, right?"
Faye tilted her head. Earlier, Rainbow mentioned something about a moon glass foal, and if it was about to become relevant...
"I'm quite familiar with it," Seigetsu agreed.
Faye cut her off. "Maybe the rest of us would benefit from an explanation?"
"If you don't know, consider yourself lucky," Papyrus said, waving a wing. "And get preemptively mad, because I'm about to tell you anyway. Moon glass is a black space rock that can give brands, or something resembling them, to blank ponies who carry it around."
Corsica nodded, as if she already knew this. But Faye's jaw dropped. "Seriously? I thought it was for killing batponies."
"Oh, it can do that, too," Papyrus explained. "Call it a special talent or a cutie mark or whatever else, but brands are tied somehow to a pony's soul. I don't follow the finer details, but the basic idea is that your kind have weaker links between those and their bodies than the rest of us. So a blank pegasus, earth pony or unicorn can pull a brand out of moon glass and take it as their own... but a piece of empty glass can pull the brand right out of a sarosian. Your mind goes with it. And that's how changelings are made."
Faye's eyes widened as she took this in. "So Chrysalis..."
"Was like a giant vacuum for these things." Papyrus nodded. "And, yes, this means you can bag a bat's brand and then stick it in a normal pony... or anyone else's brand, if you have the power to break a stronger bond. Starlight does. And that's what happened to me."
Faye squinted. "So you were re-bonded to a newborn, then? Or a foal who was still in-"
"To an ordinary, blank mare," Papyrus interrupted. "But that bond is even weaker than a sarosian's, and it's easy for the brand to go somewhere else. All you have to do is knock her up nice and good, wait out a year of partial possession by a demonic prince or whatever else have you, and boom! A newborn clone, soul bonded all nice and proper, sans race and usually memories, though apparently I'm an aberration on that front. Simple as that."
Seigetsu looked mildly disconcerted. "You make it sound awfully simple for something so... unnatural. I suppose that sarosians are rare in many areas of the world, knowledge spreads slowly and moon glass only appeared three decades ago. And I've spent considerably more time trying to confiscate this substance than getting to know ponies who have used it, let alone expectant mares. Yet still..."
Papyrus shrugged. "You declare things taboo when they break the 'natural order,' or fail to conform to your expected worldview. Can't fault someone more desperate than you for coming along, chaining those breaks together, and coming up with something even more outlandish. Need I remind you, Chrysalis herself was a byproduct of an attempt to make a machine that could create new gods."
"Hold up. What do you mean by partial possession?" Corsica asked. "You mean by having a talent that doesn't originally belong to her or came from a weird source, but has a soul attached, that mare essentially is, like... two people sharing the same body?"
A memory rose in Faye's mind of Lalala, with her miscolored eyes, claiming that was the sign of moon glass... and then it quickly faded as she realized the real reason Corsica was asking.
Faye swallowed. She knew what it was like, sharing headspace with others, but at least those others were actual parts of herself, split off by Unnrus-kaeljos' power. A situation like this would be more like her and Corsica sharing a body. Or her and Starlight. Or her and Papyrus...
"Pretty much," Papyrus confirmed. "Can't say I've ever tried moon glass myself... that I can remember. Although I recall my life as a deranged sphinx, I have no memories of sharing the mind of my mother."
Corsica squinted.
"Probably for the best, when you think about it," Papyrus cheerfully told her. "I'll bet the experience of being pregnant with yourself could give pretzel brain to even the most hardened philosopher."
"I really didn't need that mental image," Corsica sighed, shaking her head and walking away. "Either of those images."
"You're welcome!" Papyrus called, happily giving chase.