//------------------------------//
// Act III, Part VII: Influence 
// Story: The False Goddess 
// by Zoura3025 
//------------------------------//

Thankfully for Gustopha, the next foreseeable while went quietly. No major disputes, no large-scale problems… Just business as usual, doing more preparations for the future school of magic. The months seemed to fly by without any major disturbances; autumn, to winter, to spring, to summer, back to autumn, and onto winter and then spring of the following year.
Over the years, the castle town had been building up more, thanks to the population boom that was occurring now that Equestria was healing more than ever. Families of three or four were now exploding into families of five or more on average, it seemed, and many verdant-involved couples found themselves parenting a new generation of plant-pony hybrids.

The presence of verdants was not anomalous to Gustopha; it was expected, really, and would only become moreso as the generations went by and verdants procreated further, as was nature’s way. What was anomalous, however, was a pony with a faint, ghostly aura about them.
Gustopha, from the castle balcony, squinted. Her wings flayed in anticipation. Intrigue demanded she investigate; it was too far to clearly see anything about the pony, anyway. She leapt from the balcony and spread her wings, gliding down to the plaza. Part of her downtime activities had finally been teaching herself to stop properly, though she still landed with some force.

The pony yipped as she landed before them; a pegasus with an aura around them. “H-Hello Princess!” They chirped in surprise as the brown alicorn landed less than a foot from where they were standing. The shock seemed to work out in the princess’ favour, because half a dozen spirits scattered from the panicking pegasus; six small ethereal pegasi, with white bodies and manes and eyes of assorted colours.

“Pardon my abrupt entry,” Gustopha said as her wings tucked back towards her, “But, those spirits…”
The pegasus looked around at their entourage, most of which were lazily hovering around them. “Er… What about them, your highness?” They asked.
Gustopha tried to think of a question that wouldn’t sound accusatory. Eventually, she landed on: “When did they first appear?”

“Well… I don’t remember too much of it,” They admitted, “I live out in one of the farming longhouses not too far from the castle; one of the earth ponies there’s been converting a bunch of us.”
Gustopha’s eyes widened. “Do you remember what their name was?” She asked. She already had a hunch, but…
“Latent Requiem, I think he called himself. Moved in a year ago or so,” The pegasus recounted.
Gustopha felt as though a rock at just settled in her stomach. “I… I see,” She replied softly, “Could you tell me which longhouse he’s in?” She asked.
“Fourteen B,” The pegasus replied, “Far side of the river, on the east side of the road. It’s one of the biggest ones, you can’t miss it.”
Gustopha nodded. “Thank you,” She replied, “I must be going now.”
The pegasus waved as Gustopha took to the sky.

Gustopha flew with a sense of urgency; she didn’t have time to waste. How long had he been making spirit ponies? How was he making them at all? Even if he were a unicorn, he shouldn’tve had the magical potential to perform such a procedure.
She flew lower as she got out to the long houses, reading numbers as she flew past. Ten B, Eleven B, Twelve B, Thirteen B… Then, Fourteen B. It was an impressively sized home; the longhouses were marvels for the era they were built in. Four story houses, with footprints measurable in barn-lengths, designed to house civilians displaced by the war and blight. In a post-war Equestria, they now housed many families as the land and its ponies healed.

Gustopha shivered a bit as she looked out at the field. Almost, if not everypony working the farm was a spirit pony of some kind. Earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns alike seemed affected by Requiem’s supposed alterations.
Gustopha didn’t want to make a large scene out of this ordeal; she hoped in her heart that Requiem had just, say, asked some unicorns for help with sharing his “gift”. 
After a bit of asking around to figure out which room she’d be looking for, Gustopha pressed forward.
She froze as a familiar filly ran up to greet her.

“Hi Princess!” Greeted Reposing Sonet, “Are you looking for daddy?”
Gustopha had to suppress a grimace at the sight before her. Sonet’s body was draped in the familiar ethereal aura of a spirit pony, and two spirit unicorns flanked her on either side.
“I… Yes, I am; could you show me to him?” Gustopha requested, attempting to be gentle despite the sudden sense of urgency pounding in her head. She wasn't here to scare a child; she just needed to know what was going on, and if she could stop it.

“Okay!” Sonet replied, beginning to lead Gustopha down through the basement floor of the longhouse.
Warm pink magical lights contributed a homey feeling to the otherwise cold stone basement; however, they did not ease Gustopha’s growing sense of tension.
She could hear Latent Requiem’s voice through the uninsulated stone walls. Sonet softly explained, “Daddy’s working,” In a whisper.

Gustopha’s eyes widened as she was led to the main room of the basement. It was fairly sizable, occupied by only a pair of columns, a large basin of water, and several standing lamps.
There were, however, ponies inside. Latent Requiem had his hoof over the neck of another stallion, and seemed to be preaching to a small crowd. More curiously, he seemed to have some sort of gray and red amulet clasped to his chest.
“...And thus today, as the recipient of Gustopha’s first gift, I bestow this power unto another brother to join our fold,” Requiem announced, “I pronounce you appraised by the goddess’ command!”
Gustopha could only stand dumbfounded at the sight she was seeing, flinching as the small crowd of followers echoed, “Praise be thy guiding path!”

Requiem plunged the other stallion headfirst into the basin of water, holding them beneath the surface for a couple minutes. A distinct red colour then replaced the normally white hue of Requiem’s aura, as five unicorn spirits with gleaming red eyes spread from him around the basin.
Gustopha only realized what was happening too late. The five unicorn spirits all ignited their horns in a red hue of magic, drawing part of the drowning stallion’s soul forth from his body. It was tied to the remainder of their magic, and then split into six. As much as she wanted to stop this “bestowing”, Gustopha knew better than to interrupt the procedure; it was better to let it complete than to kill the subject.

The stallion gasped for air as they were pulled from the basin, coughing and sputtering.
Requiem had a wide smile on his face. “And thus, we see a new brother enter our fold,” He announced proudly, “Please, my brothers and sisters, welcome him to our ranks with open legs.”
A pair of followers walked forward, guiding the stallion into another room; presumably to recover from being drowned and having their soul ripped into pieces.
It was only once the ritual concluded that Latent Requiem noticed Gustopha’s presence. He gasped and trotted to her. “Princess!” He began.

Gustopha shuddered slightly at the miasma the stallion gave off; it was a sinking, ill feeling, not entirely unlike that of the blight's presence, but there was no blight here. She forced herself to stand firm. “Hello, Latent Requiem,” She bade.
“I’m so honored you’ve come to visit us,” Requiem expressed, bowing his head.
“I… See,” Gustopha replied slowly, looking at the small entourage of spirit-laden ponies that now somewhat crowded her.
“I’ve taken to spreading your gift to the many ponies of this fine house,” Requiem readily explained, beaming up at her, “And a few travelers who’ve happened to pass through.”
Gustopha felt sick. He sounded so proud, so happy to manipulate ponies like this; in her name, no less. “I can see that,” She responded dryly, “By what means are you spreading, er… My ‘gift’?”

Requiem lightly patted the large gray and red amulet clasped to his chest. “This artifact is able to magnify any pony’s magic,” He explained, “And with spirits being freely exchanged, I’ve been able to work on so many of our brothers and sisters!”
Gustopha shuddered a bit. “Requiem, that’s…” She trailed off. What was it, really? She couldn’t keep letting him do this; especially not to young fillies or colts like his daughter. “You need to stop this, right now,” She expressed sternly.
“Whatever for, Princess?” Requiem asked, “We’ve been so much more productive ever since I started converting other ponies, and we’ve even brought families closer together, too!”
The zeal underlining Requiem’s forcibly cheery tone made Gustopha feel even more ill.

“Requiem, you’re experimenting with things beyond your control,” Gustopha tried to reason, “I’m still not sure about what effects such a division could have on a pony; nevermind repeating it so recklessly!” Her voice grew to a shout at the end of the sentence; a frenzied mix of her nerves and her growing frustration with the situation. This scenario had potentially had over a year to grow beyond her control.
Requiem took a hesitant step back. “But, Princess,” He began, “The gift you gave me and Sonata is so very special… Does such a gift not deserve to be shared?”
“Requiem,” Gustopha began, “Your condition was an anomaly. I should have never agreed to repeat it; you should be a healthy verdant, not the oddity you are now.” Only after she finished speaking did she realize how hurtful her statement could have been.

Requiem’s forced smile finally dropped into a scowl. “So you turn your back on us?” He asked, tone abruptly taking on a hostile tinge, “I dedicate myself to sharing a gift, and now you don’t think we should exist at all?”
Gustopha felt tears prick at her eyes. “This never should have happened, Requiem,” She expressed, “None of this should have. It was my mistake.”
Requiem’s frown grew more intense. “You need to go, Princess,” He growled, “I won’t let you deny us this right; this right to exist.”
Gustopha grit her teeth. “That’s not what I’m trying to say,” She attempted, “You’re still my subjects. I need to protect you, and sometimes that includes protecting you from your own curiosity and dark thoughts.”

Requiem shook his head, charging forward and striking the princess with one of his hooves. “No!” He shouted, “I won’t let my kind extinguish itself for your benefit!”
Gustopha grunted, stumbling back from the force of the hit; all this talk about magic had almost made her forget he was an earth pony. A few of the followers shared concerned looks.
“I won’t let you take this special gift away!” Requiem bellowed, striking the princess again.
Gustopha whimpered this time, tumbling to the ground from the blow.

“We can’t strike the Princess!” One of the followers attempted, “She’s the one who gave us our gift.”
There did, however, seem to be disagreement among the crowd. “No! Latent Requiem must be permitted to continue!” Another argued.
The discourse entered a state of a dull roar. Some of the followers attempted to hold Requiem back; others attempted to impede said followers from doing so. Once an opening presented itself, though, Requiem attempted to throw hooves with the Princess again. Gustopha braced herself, holding up a leg to block the attack, seething as the edge of Requiem’s hoof broke the skin of her foreleg. There was a undescribable look of conflict in his eyes. Gustopha could see it plainly: This wasn't Requiem, and he knew that, but something compelled him to do this anyway. Gustopha knew that reason would be her ally here.

“Please,” Gustopha began, heaving a bit, “You don’t need to do this, Requiem. This doesn’t have to go further than it has.”
“No!” Requiem shouted, striking at the princess another time, “I won’t let you take my new family away!”
Gustopha took a hard breath. “I don’t want to do that, Requiem,” She attempted, “I just need you to stop making ponies undergo this treatment; you could kill someone!”
Requiem briefly hesitated. “I-I…” He stammered weakly, now stumbling back, as if he himself had been punched.
Gustopha approached him cautiously. “Requiem, this isn’t you. I know Requiem, and I know he’s a kind, gentle, loving father,” She appealed.

Requiem stumbled back further, ending up back on his haunches, looking at his hooves. “I just… I just want to share the gift,” He attempted, “The gift you gave me, and my wife.”
Gustopha offered a gentle, sympathetic look. “How did it get this way?” She asked, “How did you get here so fast?”
Requiem’s posture shriveled. “...Sonet,” He admitted, “She was so alone. Her mother and I both had these goddess-given powers, and she had none. So, I looked for something that would… Let her be like us.”
Gustopha looked at the amulet. “The amulet. It’s given you enough magical strength to utilize such spells,” She reasoned.

Requiem nodded a bit. “When it went smoothly, I wanted to spread the gift further. First to our neighbors, then to travelers… Now it’s just this compulsion to make more. I want to see our kind spread; I want to be able to share this with everypony I see!” He expressed, voice trembling, despite the conviction.
Gustopha stepped forward and lightly put a hoof on his shoulder. “Requiem, this isn't you; it's the amulet, trying to trick you into thinking it is," She reasoned, "Let me have the amulet, so I can keep it contained, where it won't be able to hurt or manipulate anypony else."

Requiem looked up at her, turmoil flickering in his eyes. “How do I know you won’t use it to destroy us?” He asked.
Gustopha tensed a bit, but called upon her memories. “You remember the trust you had in me on the day of the surgery, don’t you?” She asked, “I know I betrayed that trust, with my failure, but do you think you could put that faith in me again to make things right?”
Requiem stared at Gustopha for a long moment. She could see the silent mental battle in his eyes. He trembled and strained, but slowly, his hoof curled to his chest, and he removed the amulet, the magical clasps unlocking with a small hiss, as if the amulet itself was voicing its denial one last time.

Abruptly, his aura went white again, and he hissed sharply as a strong ache ran up his spine. Gustopha moved to support him, taking the amulet in her magic as she held him up with a hoof.
Latent Requiem blinked a couple times. “P-... Princess?” He asked softly.
Gustopha gently smiled at him. “It’s okay,” She said in a gentle voice, “It’s over now.”
Latent Requiem shook himself off a bit. “I’m not… I’m not in trouble?” He asked.
Gustopha bit her lip. “Well… You did perform countless acts of unsanctioned experimentation,” She expressed, “But, seeing as you were under the influence of an artifact, there’s reason to believe there’s more than that at play.”
Latent Requiem tensed a bit, preparing himself for punishment.

“You will come to the castle with me, pending a proper trial. From there, I’m not entirely certain what will happen,” Gustopha admitted, “I will see to it that you at least receive a fair, unbiased verdict.”
“As for the rest of you, you are free to live your lives as normal,” Gustopha expressed, “I’m not here to punish test subjects.”
A few of the followers nodded, and they began to disperse.
Gustopha led Latent Requiem up the stairs, looking at him. “You may visit your family before we leave.”
Latent Requiem nodded a bit, leading her to one of the rooms. “Thank you,” He replied softly, before pushing open the door.

Restful Sonata was watching over Reposing Sonet as the filly played with some blocks on the floor.
“Requiem? Requiem, what’s wrong?” Sonata asked, getting up with a small huff and approaching Requiem, whose head was hung low. Gustopha noted that Sonata seemed to be in the late stages of a pregnancy.
“I… I messed up,” Requiem admitted, “You were right. I should have stopped with Sonet.”
Sonata pulled him into a hug. “Requiem… You were just doing what you thought was right,” She attempted.
“I was doing what the amulet told me was right,” Requiem corrected, “I didn’t think about how it might affect the others. And now, I’m… Going to be punished for my actions.”

Sonata looked up at Gustopha. “What’s going to happen to him?” Sonata asked.
“He will come with me to the castle, for a proper trial… I’m not sure what verdict awaits him,” Gustopha admitted.
Sonata took a short, sharp breath in. “...Please be merciful to him,” She requested softly.
Gustopha sighed gently. "I can't promise anything; even as a Princess, my ability to decide matters such as that falls solely to breaking a tie vote," She expressed.
Sonata nodded a bit, though she still seemed quite dejected. "...I understand," She remarked with a soft huff.
Sonet had by now noticed the tension in the room, approaching her parents. “What’s wrong, daddy?” Sonet asked.
Requiem let go of his wife, picking up his daughter in a hug. “Daddy’s… Going away for a while,” He explained, “He did some bad things, and needs to atone for them.”

Sonet looked at him with big, discontent eyes. “I won’t be able to see you?” She asked.
Requiem nodded a little. “That’s-” His voice caught in his throat, “That’s right. You be good for mommy and your little brother, okay?” He requested.
Sonet whimpered a bit and buried her snout in Requiem’s shoulder, whining a small, “I will.”
Gustopha found it hard to watch as Requiem attempted to comfort the young filly.
Eventually, however, Requiem lightly hoofed the filly over to Sonata.
“I love you both a lot; you remember that, right?” Requiem bade.
Sonata and Sonet both nodded, offering, “I love you too,” Back in varying levels of coherency.

It was after that that Gustopha and Requiem left the longhouse to begin traveling back to the castle.
Gustopha sighed a bit. It would be a long way on hoof, and Requiem couldn’t fly. Well, unless…
Requiem yipped in surprise as he was lifted into the air by a powerful golden aura.
“You just try not to move too much, okay?” Gustopha requested.
Requiem nodded a bit, looking around what little he could in the powerful magic grasp. A small shiver ran up his spine; the feeling of guilt was now properly beginning to set in.
Gustopha took a run-up, and then, bringing Requiem along with her, began to fly back towards the castle at a considerable pace.

Requiem gave Gustopha a repentant look. “Princess, I…” He hesitated, “I’m sorry.”
Gustopha bit her lip. “How many did you convert?” She asked.
“I lost count a while ago,” Requiem conceded, “At least a hundred… I found that amulet before the turn of the year.”
Gustopha sighed gently and nodded. “I see,” She replied, “I’m not entirely without fault, you know. My curiosity is what provoked me to accept your initial request, which in turn, inspired your own.”
Requiem shook his head. “Don’t accept guilt for the bad things I’ve done, Princess,” He requested, “I need to face the consequences.”
"The situation is more complicated than a single guilty party would allow," Gustopha admitted, "In some ways, it's you who awoke me to that."

Requiem's eyes widened a bit. "I beg your pardon, Princess?" He asked.
"You mentioned how you believe that everything is part of some grand design; the silent movements of something beyond any creature's comprehension," Gustopha expressed, "In a way, this is really just the culmination of dozens of pushes in the right direction."
"May I... May I ask how, Princess?" Requiem asked.
Gustopha bit her lip. This stallion was a criminal, but then again, he also was the sincere type. She decided to be cautiously optimistic. "You do not tell anypony what I am about to say to you, okay?" She insisted.
Latent Requiem nodded. "You have my word, Princess," He replied.

"Celestia and Luna had a personal spat. That spat resulted in a war. That war created the blight. That blight killed me and my best friend. I was created from the bodies of myself and my friend to stop the blight. Stopping the blight involved making the verdants. In the process of making the verdants, I reshaped you to the way you are now. In reshaping you, I opened the door to reshaping your wife. Because I reshaped your wife, you sought the means to reshape your daughter. In reshaping your daughter, you desired to reshape other ponies. In reshaping other ponies, you gave me the means to find and stop you, leading us to the present," Gustopha summarized, before adding, "So, how many of those events were random chance?"

Latent Requiem took a moment to process the veritable daisy chain of events presented before him. "Well, when it's all laid out like that, it seems like it was planned from the start," He supposed.
Gustopha cracked the slightest smile. "But it wasn't, in any measure we understand," She concluded.
"Does this mean you don't blame me for what happened?" Latent Requiem asked.
"It's not that cut and dry," Gustopha declined, "But it complicates where the guilt lies. You don't blame a single farmer for a bad harvest."
Both ponies went quiet in thought as Gustopha continued to fly towards the castle. Gustopha really was thinking about it that hard; where did her guilt end, and Requiem's begin?

When she touched down in the castle, she led the stallion to the front desk of the prison. There weren’t many imprisoned ponies in Equestria, so it was easy enough to find him a spot.
“I’ll try and get you a proper trial as soon as possible,” Gustopha promised.
Requiem nodded a bit. “Thank you,” He replied, watching as the gaoler closed the door behind him.
Gustopha sighed a bit as she left the prison, heading back to the castle. She needed some time alone to clear her head; time to sort through the torrent of thoughts that pounded in her skull. Not to mention, she still had to research just what the amulet was.

A couple of guards approached her as she walked towards the castle. “Princess!” One exclaimed, “Are you alright?”
Gustopha briefly looked at her legs, having forgotten about her injuries. “Er… No, I suppose I’m not,” She admitted.
“Would you like us to escort you to the infirmary?” The guard asked.
Gustopha shook her head. “No, thank you; I know my way there off by heart,” She remarked with a soft chuckle, moving past the guards and into the castle. She wasn’t going to the infirmary right away, though; first, she had an artifact to put in a safe place.

Gustopha walked to her room and hummed for a moment. After some pondering, she hid the amulet behind a few books in her study, and she then walked to her bed to rest. Settling down under the covers, Gustopha let forth a small heave of a sigh and nestled her face into the pillows.
Though Gustopha felt a bit lost, she forced herself to press onward through time. She had a trial for Latent Requiem scheduled for some weeks from the present, thus leaving herself time to leave for Full Cart’s Hollow. It had been too long since she last checked on the Grove family and Halley; closing on two years now.