Twilence took a moment to sort through the Influence's comments. "Give me a moment," she said, holding up a hoof, figuring out her course of action.
As it turns out they didn't really help her figure out how to deal with Vester beyond "not letting him know we know." Great. Probably wasn't the best option there. Well... They did have some ideas for other things... Including a story that she really didn't have time for.
"I suppose introductions are in order," she said, finally. "I'm Princess Twilence, Element of Magic and purveyor of Friendship. I'm from the nation of Equestria, one thousand years in the future, brought here for the sole purpose of wearing this Eye and knowing more about the nature of reality. I've decided I'm going to save you all from this Dark Lord, with the help of Orchid and the other friends around us."
"Well met. I am the Overseer," the Overseer said.
Twilence bowed. "The unicorn next to me is Princess Rarity, from a world set apart from this one. She is an apex healer, well versed in the arts of restorative magic to the point of which she can use it in a combat setting. Rarity, the five individuals on the seats are the Council members of this nation, Peran, and the rest are my friends. Over there we have the good Vriska, Pinkie Pie, Orchid, Aradia, and you already know Fluttershy."
"Indignant!"
"And that voice is the Mite. Hey, Mite, do you... have a gender?"
"No."
"Do you identify as one?"
"Negative."
"...Why?"
"Amusement."
"Ah." Twilence nodded. "Regardless, here is the situation. We have prevented Corot from being summoned at the altar in the catacombs, but Siron is still very much a threat. We don't know how he's going to break out of Tartarus, but he is going to try. The prophecy dictates that Orchid is to take onto herself the last temple spirit - Vester - and then unleash the power overwhelming, which is probably in the Time Tunnels."
Evanescence nodded. "Very well put, although we knew most of this information."
The farmer pony huffed. "I didn't, I think that was very helpful."
Twilence nodded. "If you excuse my ignorance, I don't know much about you, the Council. Care to introduce yourselves?"
The Overseer nodded. "I am the Overseer. I came to this world long ago on a simple journey of recreation. I stayed because I found it beautiful. I have served as a guardian of sorts for millennia. I was once a passive observer but now I sit on this council and take direct action, using my abilities to see everywhere for the use of Peran. I'm spying on Heildor most of the time, but now that crystal seems like a low threat."
Evanescence went next. "I am Evanescence, an accomplished mage. I am... related to Orchid and am aware of her tendency to overreact. I've served for three decades on this council and use my expertise to bring about a calmer, more ordered world."
The farmer coughed. "I'm just called Durian. I owned a small farm off the coast a while back, but I sorta ended up getting into politics and am here to represent the common pony and dragon. Apparently, I do a good job."
The lung went next, letting her voice ring out. "I am Lazuli, and I represent the Dragon Aristocracy. Or at least what remains of it since the chaos... I make sure those of us with importance aren't shafted by the common people."
Durian shot her a look. Gilead went last. "I'm Gilead. I'm the only one here old enough to remember the chaos aside from the Overseer. I favor strong security and strong armies."
Twilence nodded. "Good. Glad to get to know you all." She still had no idea which one was Vester. "We need to discuss how to obtain the spirit Vester so we can defeat Siron."
"Why must we adhere to this prophecy?" Evanescence said. "It has been pointed out that you can cause fate to mean nothing. Why must we lean our fate on one unicorn who has proven not to be reliable?"
Orchid bristled. "I'm trying to save your asses, that's why."
"Why do you do such a thing?"
"Because I see myself doing it, that's why."
"And if that were to change, you would no longer do it?"
"Duh, but that's-"
"I rest my case," Evanescence said. "Why do we not take another course of action besides the prophecy?"
Vriska shrugged. "I can get behind that. Less deus ex machina and more stabby stabby, right?"
Twilence furrowed her brow. "In that case, we'd need to get to figure out how Siron was going to escape his prison or find a way into Tartarus and face him directly. I know of an entrance to Tartarus in Equestria..."
"There's one here as well," the Overseer said. "Bottom of the inverted mountain. It requires significant power to open."
Vriska rolled her eyes. "I think we have that in spades."
Pinkie threw a bunch of spades on the ground. "Yeah!"
Gilead grinned. "Let us charge our armies into Tartarus and face Siron! Kill him with brute force!"
"Tartarus doesn't just seal Siron," Twilence reminded them. "There are a lot of horrid beings down there."
"We can take them all. Forget this catacombs business, no-one has ever gotten through there."
"The other Vriska did," Rarity said.
"She had Vester from another timeline to get her through," Twilence said. "We don't have that. Though... Aradia, sometime in the future you are going to go through the Catacombs and tell the Influence not to freak out."
"Huh. Cool."
"Do you think you can bring Orchid with you?"
Aradia furrowed her brow. "...I'll know as soon as we step outside if I closed a time loop or not. But something tells me that won't work."
Gilead raised a head. "This other Vriska has a version of Vester? Why can't we take hers?"
"That'd require killing her?" Twilence said.
"What's the issue with that?" Gilead asked.
"I agree with Gilead here," Vriska said. "For as much as I don't want to die, sometimes it just needs to happen."
Aradia shot her a look.
"What?"
"...You know what."
Vriska shrugged.
Twilence looked at Aradia again. "Can you use some time shenanigans on Evil Vriska to get her to give us the spirit?"
Orchid shook her head. "The spirits cannot be given up. I suspect I need to have all six. Had you taken one, Twilence, I believe I would have had to kill you. Or you, me."
"Comforting."
Lazuli shook her head. "We need to call for an actual decision. We seem to have two options - attempt to open the time tunnels with the prophecy, or face Siron directly through the gateway before he can be released..."
"Tonight," Aradia offered.
"Yes. Tonight."
The Overseer narrowed his eye. "We could put it to a vote. I'm in favor of seeking the prophecy."
"I'm against it," Evanescence said.
"To war!" Gilead roared.
Durian raised an eyebrow. "I'd rather not organize an army. Prophecy."
Lazuli frowned. "...Ready the troops. We're doing this directly."
Twilence had the sudden pang of realization they were forgetting something very important. But try as she might she had no clue what it was. She grimaced. "If that's your decision."
The Overseer nodded. "It is. You, of course, are free to pursue whatever path you desire. You could even split up to cover more ground, should you wish." He floated into the air. "We have preparations to make. Meeting adjourned. May there be a day tomorrow for us to meet again."
"Wait!" Twilence called. "One last thing. These Eyes - how are they related?"
The Overseer sighed. "...I think it's fate. Things come in threes. They all have different origins - I am from a far-removed alien planet, the Eye you wear is a technological marvel of understanding, and Orchid's is a testament to magic and the desire to know what is coming. They all formed at different times through different methods, but they are related through fate. Like three chosen objects. Symbols." He shook his head. "I must go."
Twilence gulped. She knew that could have gone better. Soon, only her and her allies were in the room.
"...Vester has one of the council members possessed," Twilence said. "Obviously one of the three who voted against following the prophecy, though I have no idea which one."
Aradia frowned. "That's certainly concerning."
Vriska smirked. "Lemme at 'im, I can figure out which one easy..."
"We're not going to let him know we know," Twilence said. "I suppose the Overseer can probably see us talking about this, but we're sure he's not Vester, so... I guess that's okay. I think he's on our side."
"So..." Fluttershy rubbed her neck. "What are we going to do?"
Vriska shrugged. "Either lay a trap for myself or go enter ourselves into an army. Obviously. Or I guess brute-force the Catacombs..." She looked at her dice. "...If I roll straight 8s I could probably waltz on through, dragging you all with me. I'd need to absorb a lot of luck to do that though..."
Twilence frowned. "Whatever it is, our decisions matter. And they matter a lot. I feel like we messed up in that meeting, somehow. I still think we can salvage it. Anyway... I have a few things I need to address the Influence about." She took a breath. "So, GM's talking more then? What does that mean exactly? Does this SBURB session thing have anything to do with me?"
Aradia blinked. "A SBURB session?"
"Apparently GM's next project."
Vriska raised an eyebrow. "There hasn't been a SBURB session for millennia. I think. Horrorterrors shut them down from what I hear."
"...Could take place in the past."
"But nothing can work through meta-time!"
"John," Aradia said.
"Exception that proves the rule!"
Twilence decided this didn't matter. "Creek, if you can hear me, or if someone can talk to Creek, tell her I'd like to hear from her again. I'm getting worried. Sunbro, treat this other Twilight well, okay? I believe in you. So..." She frowned. "We need to decide what to do..."
Then Twilence received the ending import again.
[POSSIBLE ENDINGS]
Bittersweet
Warmonger
Dethroned
Steam
Rebuilder
Forgotten
Adrift
Coward
Earned
Tattletale
Supernova
Predetermined
Insanity
Grimdark
LOST ENDINGS:
Pristine
Twilence gulped. Well, there went the 'best' ending...
Then everything came flooding to her...
first things first twilight, take a deep breath. the night of the moonless sky is what you were forgetting, i think. and if that is the case then that is how he escapes. if he's able to to control af vriska then he must have some form of control over luna as well. it was never specified how long the sisters battled each other before celestia sealed luna away, but i don't think it was a one and done battle.
i think the prophecy is a load of hogwash though, as i think its leaving out key pieces on purpose. think of it like this, if the prophecy said that 'on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid her escape. the separate six shall come together to defeat the nightmare and restore the night.' would you have panicked as bad. i know that my addition to that prophecy makes no sense, but that's only because i don't know how to write a prophecy.
but the point still stands. a prophecy sometimes only focus on the disaster part never the stopping part. and yes i know this isn't very helpful to you, but i couldn't think of anything else.
You could do both at the same time. Going to Tartarus to face Siron directly would lessen the global death tole, and you wouldn't have to chase after him to use the Power Overwhelming on him.
Whether you're going to follow the prophecy or not, Evil Vriska is still dangerous. If you can manage to kill her and find the possessed Council member, you'd then have two Vesters to work with. Pinkie and her eldritch pan would probably make the most use out of him by having a continuous supply of summons.
I don't have any surefire way of finding Vester, but I do have an idea. Not even the Overseer knows much about the Catacombs, which means if you can find someone that does know something, they're probably Vester. Perhaps subtly hint at the lab that repaired your Eye, and see if he takes the bait? And you can't rule out the person who voted with the prophecy; it might be Vester trying to trick you. Perhaps you'd be able to split up and talk to each of the Council members simultaniously, and also be able to warn them about the moonless night. Perhaps the Overseer could help find Vester.
The SBURB session won't relate to you directly. However, one of the 13 players may potentially sort of be Infinity. Here's the image GM provided: cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/363679654239797260/364994329166479361/Screen_Shot_2017-10-03_at_1.17.31_PM.png
Now that you're all back together, Fluttershy could return the Infinite-sided die to Vriska now. Maybe it'll even help find Vester.
And do you still have that Pearlstone marble?
worry not my friend she is safe a bit frightened but she is well.
I thank this new quest will be harder than my last but On my honor as a Adherent of the lord of sunlight she will get home somehow .
-CalmingWaters- is currently idle.
Creek probably won't be avaliable for a while. But she's found a lead on SotS, and is getting the information now.
Pay attention to your instincts, Twilence. It could be the Eye of Rhyme trying to give you important information. If it feels like we messed up the meeting, then we most certainly did. I can only conclude that the Council of Peran going to war is going to have serious negative repercussions. Perhaps it will be them opening Tartarus that allows Siron to escape? That sounds like just the sort of thing thay happens when someone tries to use knowledge of the future to their advantage.
As to what has been forgotten, I think I got it, but it's a bit of a doozy. So, you were supposed to go to something called "The Trials." Aradia, it would seem, was the one who sent you there (by the way, get information about these "Trials" our of her, and ask if any of these shenanigans have moved you around in time at all). However, things did not go as planned, which Vriska mentioned was Aradia being "outfoxed by someone who can't even time travel." Regardless of where the Trials were supposed to be, you wound up in the Catacombs. Lore Thirst was there. Then, the nemesis Vriska entered the catacombs as well.
The other Vriska is one thing, she could manage it with her infinite luck, and she could conceivably have gotten Lore Thirst in there. But you? No. The most likely circumstance, from where I'm standing, is that Vester is colluding with Siron. Which is bad for a multitude of reasons.
Now, the refrain that we have forgotten something important has been going on for a very long time. This could be one important detail, but I can't shake the feeling thast we're missing something far more central than that.
Also, Infinity seems to have gone silent. Please confirm whether or not she is present.
Now, it may be feasible to sort this out by meeting with them one-on-one, but I don't know difficult that would be to do. You could have Aradia travel through time to do the paperwork, of course. As a matter of fact, you could obscure the fact that you were meeting with all of the Councilors by having Aradia shift you around to meet with all the Councilors at once, saving time, and potentially throwing Vester off. I won't tell you that it's the best idea, but it's an idea.
And, since this is likely going to be important, we should try to figure out who is possessed.
The Overseer definitely seems more ally than enemy, but there aare a lot of unanswered quetions surrounding him. Namely, the ship. He said it was his, and that makes enough sense. But, and this is the big question, he mentioned it was currently housing your macroscopic robotic associates, but wasn't it transformed into shrimp by the die? I would suggest asking him about this. Preferably with a number of witnesses—I am uneasy.
Durian seems to be unlikely. He might theoretically be a good cover of Vester was concerned with that, but I don't think that would be worth voting against his apparent interests.
With the others, it's a bit murky. Take Evanescence, for example. She isn't particularly interested in adhering to the prophecy, but this could easily fit in with her already-established antagonism with Orchid, to say nothing of the potential validity of her given arguments.
And Lazuli doesn't give anything to support her position, but prior arguments could be considered support enough.
Then there's Gilead. Gilead's "introduction" didn't seem to have anything to do with his personality, really doing nothing except justifying his vote. That seems a little suspicious to me. At present, I'd say that Gilead is the most likely candidate.
I wish I had something more conclusive. I'm sorry.
i vote having Vriska absorb a lot of luck, and have her lead the way though the Catacombs; there are a lot of ponys / dragons in this city, and no ones going to notice that they are a bit more unlucky here
i dont have anything useful to say today, but here goes. pristine being lost isn't necessarily bad since we don't know what any of them meant, i'm still of the opinion that earned or rebuilder would be good ways to end it, but again we don't really know anything except that we are beginning to narrow down where this is going. but yeah the sburb session doesn't have anything to do with the influence yet, it might farther down the road in a very indirect sense and it will have something to do with the spheres, but our information on it is extremely spotty so with you having former players among your party you probably have access to as much or more info than we do.
twilight, if nothing else comes of this, then i just want you to know, that you'll remember to stop and look at all the information carefully. Sometimes the most likely answers to a complex problem can be found in the most obvious places, sometimes even right under you nose (or in your case, muzzle). don't just go with the most obvious answer, take some time to piece together all the evidence presented to you, because as a great detective once said, " ‘It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts."
another quote he said i this, " when you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth "
this quote is probably best for helping you to clear your mind and organize it to find the information that you need rather then rack you mind wondering if you forgot anything. just so your clear these quotes are from a famous detect known as Sherlock Holmes.
the quote is this,
"‘I consider that a man’s brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands on it. Now the skillful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order. It is a mistake to think that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it – there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.’
also, don't over look the little things.
It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.
[COMPILATINATING]