The Discovery

==>ACT ONE: The Beginning

==>Ponies, and dragon, discover cave

"Around here you say Fluttershy?" Twilight asked as she and the others ventured deep into a certain section of the forest, it was around midday and Fluttershy was taking the lead and showing them the path towards to something she and Zecora found just the day before when they were picking the rare herbs within the area.

"Yeah, it should be around here somewhere. Zecora and I found it yesterday and thought you should check it out, we rarely go to this area of the forest except for the rare herbs we need to restock but while we were picking the herbs we noticed this strange symbol on the boulder and when we got a closer look we got this strange magic-kind of thing feeling, it wasn't bad per say but it was kind of uncomfortable."

It's been a few months since Starlight became Twilight's pupil, she was quite enjoying her new life and concentrated on her studies underneath the Princess of Friendship's tutelage. She had true friends, a nice home, a great teacher, and recently she was reunited to a close childhood friend of hers, Sunburst! Life was going great for Starlight Glimmer.

"Well whatever it is, the map encouraged all all of us to go, even Spike and I!" Starlight exclaimed as they thought back to this morning. It had been a regular morning, the everyone had been within Twilight's castle and just as Fluttershy had mentioned finding something in a section of the Everfree forest the map had instantly reacted as everypony's cutie mark as well as Spike's little symbol appeared on the map right on top on a certain part of the Everfree forest.

Which was where they were now.

Fluttershy trotted faster as she recognized the boulder ahead, "Right there girls! Here it is." She said as they all stopped at the boulder, true to her word, there was something strange about the boulder and it wasn't just because of the symbol on it. Said symbol was something they haven't really seen personally before, but it felt somewhat familiar especially to both Starlight and Twilight.

"Uugh, I see what you mean on the 'strange magic-kind' feeling. It does feel sort of unsettling." Rarity grimaced as she shivered slightly, feeling her own magic prickle slightly. She blinked before taking a closer look to the symbol, "Erm, this symbol reminds me of Sweetie Bell's spirograph toy back home if a bit more... ancient and ominous."

Spike looked at the symbol and nodded, "Yeah you're totally right Rarity. It does remind me of a spirograph... along with it being kind of ominous and obviously ancient." He lets out a nervous laugh before taking a cautious step towards Rarity.

Rainbow deadpanned, "Spiro-what now?"

"Spirograph, you've never had one growing up? Well, it's popularity has taken to a small decline over the decade but it's a toy that uses mathematics to make a drawing or symbol similar to that symbol right there." Rarity explained as both Twilight and Starlight stepped up to take a closer look which made the others back away slightly, they were the two of their most smartest friends, they'd figure it out.

"Oh oh oh! I know that, Maud had one back when we were fillies and showed me how to draw with those things. Are they still making them? Are they? I should buy one, it's beem a long time and it brings back so many great memories!" laughed the ever-energetic Pinkie, bouncing about but was making sure to give both Starlight and Twilight space to look at the boulder properly.

"Hmm, I heard of them but I don't think I ever got or bought one." Fluttershy admitted, "But I'm sure it's a nice toy."

Applejack grunted before shrugging, "Ah had one I reckon' but ah probably chucked it out somewhere in mah old closet or out the trash, who knows? Preferred focusin' on mah chores then play on some doohickey I got for Heart's Warmin' Eve."

The colorful pony above them snorted, "If it involved math then count me out, never heard of this spirograph-thingy and I'm glad I didn't! It probably would've turned me into an egghead like Twilight, no thanks." She said dryly before jolting at the equally dry voice of Twilight.

"Haha, very funny Dash," Twilight said aiming a deadpan at the now sheepish Rainbow before shaking her head, "Anyway, Rarity's right. That symbol does closely resemble as a spirograph and it does seem to be ancient but I can't shake the feeling that it's something more than that, it's really familiar and not just because it resembles to an old toy drawing of shapes I made when I was a filly."

A loud gasp caught their attention as Starlight took a step back and uttered a disbelieving, "No... Could it? Could it really be?" She quickly turned to them with a wide grin on her face, "I think I know what this is!" Starlight exclaimed and everypony stepped closer to the pink unicorn.

"What? What is it?" Twilight asked, a look of interest in her along with everypony.

Starlight shrugged, "I'm not really sure, I'm guessing right now but..." She trailed off before turning to the slightly faded carving of a spirograph symbol, "We're going to confirm and find out soon!" With that she slammed a hoof on the spirograph, hitting it dead on the center of it before anypony could stop her.

For a tense second nothing seemed to happen before the circular spirographic symbol glowed pure white making everypony plus one dragon gasp as the ground shook. They all tensed though Starlight's eyes practically sparkled as something in their surroundings changed right before their eyes.

CRACK!!

The boulder had been near a cliffside wall which was predictably covered in moss and grass while also being at the very edge of a small field that held herbs that both Fluttershy and Zecora would go to to replenish their stock on such herbs. However right before them a second after Starlight slammed her hoof on the symbol, the solid rock wall cracked as if made of fragile glass before crumbling away and revealing a secret entrance to a cave that had been hidden there with magic. Twilight's eyes sparked with realization but before she could say anything, Starlight interrupted with a loud squeal of excitement.

"I KNEW IT!" She exclaimed before running into the cave opening. "STARLIGHT!" Her friends shouted before rushing in to follow her, unaware of the series of events that would follow afterwards with their discovery as in a location far away from the Mane 6...

A pair of flashing yellow and purple eyes opened as its owners twitched before letting out a chuckle, across from them the other frowned in concern.

"What'th wrong?" "I think things are going to be more interesting for us, they've found his cave dear..."

Bi-colored eyes widened in surprise before their owners let out a cackle, "Really? Finally!! Hahahaha! Thith ith going to bee great!" The two of them shared laughter as the Mane 6 reached the main chamber of the cave, gasping at their discovery.

==>Narrate for a bit

Scattered all over Equestria are an unknown number of caves of unknown origin that hold many unknown things that describe an unknown species one by one ranging from carvings to intricate and delicate statues, so far only 6 caves have been discovered though ponies have theorized that there were 12 caves in total. Nopony knows for sure who originally carved these caves and made them into what they were today but a few have made some theories that have yet to be proven.

Over a thousand years only 6 have been found as of yet, the first being discovered by Starswirl the Bearded along with the Princesses themselves, who were very young and were under the powerful unicorn's tutelage. They had been out in search for a special herb for the Princesses studies when they discovered the cave, by accident as Princess Celestia once admitted as a storm had unexpectedly appeared and they were forced to seek refuge from the heavy rainfall.

This refuge turned out to be a cave in the mountain that would in the future be in place of the great City of Canterlot. As they sought refuge they wandered deeper into the mysterious cave and discovered the intricate carvings on the walls that lead even deeper into it. It was something that they've never seen before, the carvings were beautiful and unique if a bit inane, it seems that they were carved for the sole purpose of leading them into the main chamber of the cave and beautiful as they were it was nothing compared to what they found in the cave's main chamber where even more carvings and surprisingly enough carved statues were held in.

They had nearly mistaken the statues as creatures with how realistic they were! But as it was said, these caves were describing a species one by one for it seemed that each cave was carved for a specific seemingly historical figure of said species which were dubbed as 'Alternians' from one of the translated text from the carvings of the wall.

The cave Starswirl, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia discovered was dedicated to a female figure that was named, "The Dolorosa". The meaning of her name was still unknown to this day but she was seen as a figure for maternal ponies as the biggest and most lifelike statue had her cradling what seems to be their species' infant protectively in her arms along with another special factor however her story depicted in the carvings was one that the ponies found as one of the most heartbreaking stories to ever be discovered.

However she was just the first to be discovered.

Over time, historians have managed to find more caves that kept referencing their species as well as each other. The next to be discovered was the "The Disciple's" cave, then "The Summoner's, "The Psiioniic", "Marquise Mindfang Spinneret" and of most recently a decade ago today, ponies discovered "The Handmaid's" cave. Very strange names or perhaps titles? Their true names have yet to be discovered, even The Dolorosa's.

Each cave told a story to the ponies, stories that involved things and concepts that the ponies of today never heard in real life in such a way. Each cave referenced one another in one way or another, The Dolorosa, The Disciple as well as the Psiioniic were closely related, referencing each other as well as the most mysterious and sought out figure known as the "The Signless" whose cave has yet to be discovered.

These four Alternians told the most heartbreaking story known to ponykind, there were still many pieces missing from the whole picture as the cave of the Signless was still hidden but historians have yet to give up hope. However the latest cave, the cave of The Handmaid, have been eating at their curiosity as she as well was mentioned from every cave they've found so far and her cave was different from the others.

Hers was shrouded in mystery as well as non-lethal but still very dangerous traps, adventure ponies have worked together with historians in trying to find out more about The Handmaid and have been steadily succesful over the decade but the full mystery has yet to be solved.

Though, with Mane 6's latest discovery, that and so much more might just change....

==>Enough narration, back to the story!

"OH MY CELESTIA I KNEW IT I JUST KNEW IT AAAAAAH!!!" Starlight practically screeched, her voice echoing after her horn flared and light flooded the cave and revealing whatever was inside it.

The cave was huge, pillars lined the walls that were covered in carvings depicting a different language as well as beautifully carved figures, some rare ones even had some paint! Though what took their attention most was the giant statue that was right in the middle of the cave's main chamber.

It was bipedal, standing on two legs and was most of his figure was hidden by the cloak it wore though it frayed and was torn at the bottom of the cloak that pooled around its feet. Two limbs were out, one against its chest and the other pointed upwards, it looked as if it was singing or preaching and atop of his head that pierced through the hood of the cloak were two dull nubby horns. What was so captivating of the statue however were the brightly colored ruby red eyes the statue had, that was pointed upwards, as if looking towards the sky and somehow they thought a flash of longing appeared but nothing of the sort had happened seeing as this was just a statue.

A very realistic and almost ominous looking statue but a regular statue nonetheless.

Twilight's jaw dropped, and she wasn't the only one, the others followed her briefly as Starlight squealed and bounced around. "T-That's... this, this is!" stammered the Princess of Friendship before a burst of excitement coursed through her just like her student.

"DEAR CELESTIA STARLIGHT DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS AND WHO THAT IS?!?" Starlight halted and smiled so widely at her mentor Twilight was almost worried her face would split in half, "THAT'S THE THE SIGNLESS!!!!" Twilight screamed with Starlight screaming with her, both magic-prodigies squealed so loud together the cave itself shook but a moment.

"The what?!?!!" the remaining five ponies plus one baby dragon yelled as their eyes grew wide at the revelation.

The two turned to the others and grinned, "It's the Signless! The Signless Sufferer? Don't you recognize his cloak?! Those red eyes?! You guys gotta know the Signless right? I mean, who doesn't?! He's been mentioned in every Alternian cave found in Equestria, especially in the caves of the Dolorosa, the Psiioniic, and the Disciple, not to mention the Summoner!" Starlight asked with speculative brow.

That certainly snapped the others out of their stunned states and confirmed to Starlight's questions. Of course they knew of the Signless! Who wouldn't?

Meanwhile, hidden in the shadows of the cave, two certain beings quietly snickered to each other as they listened in on the conversation.

"I thtill can't believe we both managed to do thith, dear gog PH. I mean like, wow, it'th been fun though even with the... you know, thtuff."
"Yeah I know dork, neither can I sometimes. Also, eloquent as ever TB, 'stuff', the perfect word to describe our long years together as immortal moirails of an originally fictional species in a world of technicolor and originally fictional mythical ponies. Nice to know that you're still you even after all these years old man."
"You huthh your mouth and thoothh, tone done the tthatth I want to hear more of the ponieth fangirling over Thignletth."
"Yes momfriend, whatever you say momfriend."

==>Go to the beginning as ???

(*** YEARS IN THE PAST, AND I DO MEAN YEARS LIKE A VERY VERY LONG TIME AGO KIND OF YEARS ***)

{V. ??? PoV .V}

I groaned as I sat up, feeling the soft ground underneath me and a headache spearing my skull. "Did I make the mistake of getting piss ass drunk?" I muttered to myself groaning as opening my eyes made them hurt, really bad. Closing my eyes isn't enough, I use my hands to block more of the light.

I hear a groan beside me, distinctively male in tone, I dread for the results of whatever this was if I did get piss ass drunk. Last time was not fun, especially when my best friend found out, so I kept my eyes closed and behind my hands and prayed that something else happened.

"Did, thweetth trick me into drinking again? Dammit, thweetth, I thwear to g... Wait... do I... when the fuck did I a lithp?!" The male voice cried out and I pause, my headache recedes a bit, sweets? Sweets?? Only one person dared to call me that with such casualness and familiarity.

"TB...?" I hesitantly called out, opening my eyes after getting my palms off them, light shining at me from the bright as hell but I trudge through it and my eyes adjusted to it in no time. What I see is...

Excuse me as my brain short-circuits and needs time to reboot, PH.exe has crashed and is rebooting please wait a minute.

The, erm, Psiioniic, TB? stares back at me with probably the same expression I have as I look at him, her, they. TB???

"PH???" Psii-uh, TB, exclaims, pointing at me hesitantly before noticing his own arm and almost missing my own subconscious nod that answered his question. Though with him looking all over his body made me blink and make me look at my.... hands...

Which were pitch black, like the Psiioniic's, TB, whateverthefuck something'shappened and I'mhellapanickingrightnow. Then I notice the familiar dark red and green dress... Feeling suspicion as well as dread, I reach to the top of my head to feel... horns...

Hahaha, PH.exe has crashed again.

"OH THHIT PH!"

Yeah, I fainted into the darkness. Not really cool but, what can you do about it? Now leave me alone, I'm unconscious.

PH==>Be TB, or is it Psiioniic? Who cares! Just be the other guy!

To Troll or Not to Troll?

View Online

==> Be the other guy

{II. TB's PoV.II}

Waking up fuck knows where with your best friend with a killer headache was a rare occurence for me, usually it was because I was strictly being the voice of reason and sanity compared to PH's craziness and blatant disregard for her own being. I thought she tricked me into drinking, again...

But apparently this was not the case when I open my eyes to see a very realistic Handmaid in front of me calling me, asking me, 'TB'. Only one person calls me TB anymore and it clicked, it clicked again the moment I saw my hand black as night and nails yellow claws.

Remembering hurts but I try to anyway as I frantically check myself over, confirming that yes the skin was mine despite being pitch black and these were my hands, limbs, dear god what did PH do this time, was the main question in my head as I processed the fact of this situation.

Then PH goes to look at herself and faint.

In all honesty, I wanted to do the same but the sight of her, Handmaid or not, fainting and falling back unto the ground kept me from doing the same because my idiot of a best friend fainted in the middle of nowhere and that was not a good thing. Standing up was a problem because the moment I tried to scrambled to help PH or maybe even catch her, I end up back on my ass because, woah my limbs are bigger and longer.

I am not the tallest person, nor am I a shortstack. Between the two of us, PH is a couple of inches shorter than me to my delight and her displeasure. And she was 25 years old where I was 23, it was the same when we were teens. Anyway, point was, I was taller.

I never realized how much taller the Psiioniic would be, but I'd have to think and realize about that later because dammit my best friend fainted and we didn't know where the fuck we were, we were out in the middle of nowhere somehow as trolls and NOT just as ANY trolls either but we'd get to that another time because right now, I had to help PH and find somewhere safe.

Standing up slowly, I look around and see nothing but flora around us. We were at the very edge of a forest and we awoke on a soft patch of grass, which was lucky with our headaches and weirdly aching limbs. Speaking of headaches, being taller messes with your sense of gravity and balance and getting to used to the added height was like wearing heels with extra inches more than your comfortable with! Especially if you were once a 5'6 human who is now a 6 something troll...

Later on I found out I was 6'6 and wow trolls were tall.

But anyway, with that put into light I began to stumble towards my unconscious best friend who was slumped against the grass who was laying on her back, I carefully move towards her making sure I wouldn't stumble over or on her. Looks like PH got taller as well, her limbs were definitely longer and bigger than before so she's going to like that but I know I'm still taller than her, hahahaha that'll piss her off that I'm still taller than her.

I stood over her unconcious figure, trying to figure out on what to do. As I do though, I finally notice that PH is wearing a different dress, it wasn't the canon chinese-esque Handmaid dress that was in the comic. It wasn't green, not totally anyway, and on the side of her dress right over her heart, or the area where the human heart is supposed to be? Was the symbol of the Time Aspect, a bright red gear.

My head nagged and I looked down to my own outfit, finally realizing I was wearing a cloak and that my outfit was different from the Psiioniic's original outfit, for one the originally black lines on my outfit was more of a very dark green now looking closer but the yellow was still a bright yellow. But in the middle of my chest was the symbol of the Doom Aspect, a pure black spiked ball that almost looked like a cartoony skull.

Didn't... Didn't we wear... this during the... convention?

I winced as my headache grows even more at the thought for a painful second before settling and I blinked, yeah. We, we wore these to the convention! We.... were at the convention, we were cosplaying as the Handmaid and the Psiioniic this con and...

I groaned as my head pulsed irritably, no use trying to remember anything else currently besides I still needed to get PH and I to a safe place or like try to make sure we don't die this day. So I set to do that, lifting PH from the ground, she was heavy but it wasn't much of a problem surprisingly but I paid that no mind as I steadied myself along with her beside me, hanging on to her as I slung her arm around my neck for support.

And luckily for us, I managed to drag us to a nearby small cave that was empty. It looked big enough for the both of us to rest as comfortably as we could so it'll be our camp for now, I had to crouch a bit to get in but the inside was a bit bigger than it let on in fact there was a natural lake hidden deeper in the cave when I went to check it out later! All the better for me so I wouldn't have to crouch all the time or bang my head against the ceiling and with the lake I guess water problems won't be much of a problem. I gently laid PH against the cave wall before noticing it was a bit chilly inside the cave, PH getting sick was the last thing I needed with all this craziness.

Did trolls even get colds? Or at least, their versions of colds? I didn't want to know nor risk finding out so I took off the cloak... Dear sweet jesus and jesus, this was Signless' cloak. Or a very realistically made replica of Signless' cloak!

As much as I wanted to go crazy over this, I needed to make sure PH didn't get sick so tearing my thoughts from that train I quickly covered PH with the cloak as a makeshift blanket. After that, well I didn't know what else to do after that besides check out the cave and discover the natural lake hidden inside it.

Something tells me that our lives might become so much more complicated than it already was before.

==>TB: Return to the present and check on ponies

We try to get back to the present but instead we go a bit into the future where the mane 6 are accompanied by the Princesses.

"This is wonderful! After all these years, the cave of the Signless has finally been found!" Celestia exclaimed, excitement coloring her tone as she and Luna looked around. It wasn't just the Princesses though, they both brought a few historian ponies, archaeologists, a few scientists and a couple of the Royal Guard who were all marvelling at carvings and the statue! One pony even nearly fainted in excitement! And he was a Royal Guard who was a fan of the Alternian caves.

"Eeeee! We know!" Both Twilight and Starlight squealed as they and the others watched the historians, archaeologists and scientists roam around, taking it all in and trying to find anything else interesting. The royal guard that almost fainted, a pegasi by the name of Rock Wall who underneath the custom royal guard illusion had an orange coat and dusty brown hair with dark brown eyes, looked twitchy and looked positively ecstatic as well as a bit embarrassed when Princess Celestia chuckled and told him he could take a closer look as well.

His partner and the other royal guard, a female unicorn by the name of Metal Rush and underneath the illusion had a bright blue coat, magenta eyes and short purple hair, politely declined Princess' Celestia's offer and was content to stick by her side while her partner looked around. He had always been excited by things like these, if he hadn't made the Royal Guard he would've been either a historian or an archaeologist.

"This reminds me of the time sister and I found the Dolorosa's cave," Luna said with a grin, examining the preaching statue of the Signless with a close eye, "We had mistaken her for a true living creature and almost nearly destroyed her in our panic." she admitted as she and Celestia blushed at the memory.

"Wait, why? I mean the statues are realistic yeah but they're made of stone! How could you mistake a statue for a living creature?" Rainbow asked confusedly.

Celestia chuckled, "Well we were little fillies back then and the cave was very dark, we only saw the statue because of its unique glowing and thought it was alive with her statue's unique white glowing skin and yellow and jade eyes. And technically Starswirl was the one who nearly destroyed Dolorosa's statue though he had the thought of protecting us in mind so it was a natural instinct." She smiled as she gazed at the statue with a look of nostalgia, "We found out it was a statue when I casted a spell to give light to the cave which revealed all its glory to us."

Fluttershy gasped, "That's right, the Dolorosa's statue does glow in the dark! I completely forgot about that! I don't blame you for being scared Princess Celestia, t used to scare me a little back when I was a filly on our field trip to her cave, when they turned off the lights to show the Dolorosa's giant statue glowing brightly. I thought the statue would come to life when I first saw it!" she said with a small blush, looking down as she remembered her embarrassing memory of her shrieking at the sight of the statue's realistic glowing in the darkness of the cave but at least she hadn't been the only one scared back then!

Rarity nodded, recalling it as well, "Yes, her statue is quite beautiful and I loved how they made her dress. I've been trying to replicate it and modify it to fit ponies for my latest work!" she said happily, thinking back to the dress that the statue had been wearing, it was so unique and inspiring! She oh so wanted to make a replica and equine version of it, and she currently was!

Then she frowned as she recalled the ending of the Dolorosa's story within the cave, "It's a shame that she recieved such an ending... She was an amazing mother and didn't deserve that! Poor Dolorosa..." the others nodded solemnly as they too recalled the end of her story.

It was one of the most heartbreaking stories known to ponykind, the story of a mother raising her child who became so important in life only to lose her child, her freedom, her very life to a horribly sad ending all because of some stupid system that was so important in Alternian culture.

The cave told stories of how she came to be, of how she worked in a cavern with other 'jades' and how she found the Signless as a baby. She ran away with him and began to raise her on her own which somehow was not a concept that the Alternians were familiar with, apparently they were raised by special and specific animals called 'lusii' that raised the young instead of the adults which baffled the ponies at first before accepting but still, no adult raised their young? Not even the offpsrings they produced?

It was weird and no one knew why yet but someday they would figure it out. There was a popular theory a long time ago when they found out that Alternians were insect-based, that only the Queen or ruler of the Alternians could provide an offspring thus continuing their species but it was shot-down when they found holes in that theory within the caves.

Anyway, as the story told in apparently the Dolorosa's point of view, showing them all how she raised the Signless. Dodging 'highbloods' and violent Alternians and keeping the Signless safe in fear someone would find out the mutation that Signless held that apparently if someone found out, he would have been killed which was exactly what happened at the end of her story of which where she was taken and then sold of to become a slave to a highblood. Another thing to know was that the Alternians were a violent, cruel and hostile race, and that apparently specific mutations to their species were either accepted or rejected to the point of death which once again baffled ponies because of such a thing, they didn't believe in peace either.

The ponies were mostly a pacifist race and the thought of somepony getting enslaved or getting killed because of a silly genetic mutation seemed overkill! But apparently the Signless' mutation was so threatening or so appalling that the 'highblooded' Alternians killed him for it and not only that but because Signless was preaching for peace for their violent race and equality for 'all bloods whether highblooded or lowblooded'.

Historians have been wondering about blood for years because of this, of how important it was to the Alternians that there was a hierarchy based on it! From lowbloods to midbloods to highbloods! Were they referring to their ancestral blood legacy? On their noble-ship?

Another question's answers that they were looking for within the caves for years but maybe, just maybe, the cave of the Signless would hold answers to so many of the questions that plagued the minds of ponies everywhere whenever the Alternian caves came to it.

"Your majesties!" All three princess along with the rest of them turned to the incoming ponies that ran towards them.

It was Rock Wall without his helmet which rendered the illusion null without it, with an archaeologist pony beside him, an earth pony with a dark blue coat and messy black hair and bright blue eyes who's name was Dust Mark. Both skidded to a stop before the three princesses of Equestria.

"We've found another room connected to the cave!" panted Dust Mark as he and Rock Wall looked a bit uncomfortable, "I think, you should come see. It's... well." Dust looked away, a sad and grim look on his face with Rock Wall mirroring him.

The looks on their faces made them nervous but they'd go see what was all the commotion.

"Take us to the room." Princess Luna ordered before following both stallions with everyone else behind her.

There was a sinking feeling in their stomachs, what they were going to see was not going to be nice. And it really wasn't

In a location unknown...

"... They've opened the room, the one containing 'The Suffering." She informed the other, a grim look on her face. The Handmaid, or PH, looked at The Psiioniic, or TB, who paused from his book.

Psiioniic silently closed the book, breathing through his nose, after a moment he said, "Really now? Welp, let'th thee their reactionth." He said with a strained smile. Handmaid frowned and narrowed her eyes.

"Are you sure? I know you don't like that statue, hate it even, we can always wait and I can record their reactions for you later." She told him softly which had him shaking his head.

"I'm thure, thideth I want to thee. Ponieth reacting to the tthit we made ith alwayth great. Err, well you made thith on your own... I couldn't..." he trailed off with a pained look on his face.

She shook her head and gently rubbed his cheek, "Shoosh, I know. You couldn't, not with all those painful memories in your head and before you argue with me about this let's watch the ponies okay? We can argue after." Psiioniic nodded his head and they both smiled before the Handmaid's eyes began to glow as she took a glowing stick into hand and pointed at the air.

It wasn't nice, it was no way nice except for maybe the artistic and very realistic way it was made but that just added to the not-niceness.

Within the room was a giant statue, it was more than statue however, it was a combination of a wall carving and a statue and it depicted one of the most saddest and heartbreaking moments within recorded and translated Alternian history in frighteningly realistic and artistic form.

It was of the of the Signless' execution.

Everyone gasped at the sight and everyone had tears in their eyes at the sight of it, Fluttershy began whimpering loudly and beggining to sob, Rainbow was angrily wiping her tears away, Applejack silently taking of her stetson and just as silently crying, Rarity was ruining her mascara but that didn't matter as she cried, Pinkie lost her bright smile and was crying just as silent as Applejack and Starlight was covering her mouth in horror.

Twilight looked on with wide eyes as tears fathered, Luna looked on with both anger and sadness and finally Celestia looked at somberly with a tear sliding off her face. Around them the gathered archaeologists, historians and both royal guards were in similar states as the they all stared at the statue slash carving.

It showed the execution, it showed a mysterious Alternian called Darkleer who's cave has yet to be found adn was stoicly pulling back his bow and arrow aimed at the Signless who looked so angry shouting out his last words into the air all the while struggling against the shackles that kept him chained and burnt his wrists as was mentioned in one of the caves. It showed him angry yet sad as whoever made this showed how beaten, injured and emotional he was on the execution alter as they even carved his angry tears, hanging slightly in the air because of the chains above him forged in a way that held his hands firmly in their grasps.

It showed the realistic expressions of all three Alternians who were the closest to the Signless, the Psiioniic contained and powerlessly struggling against the ones holding him down with strange goggles that were said to drain his psychicly telekinetic ability and forecefully kept him powerless as he tried to rage free, to try and free his best friend. The Disciple, who looked desperate and fierce, trying to fight off her captors and reach the Signless and how injured she was in her efforts in trying to get to her lover. And finally the Dolorosa who looked devastated glowing weakly in her struggle with an arm outstretched to her son, her child whom she raised from the beginning only to be held back by seemingly hundreds or arms and thick bodies of Alternians.

A middle aged archaeologist pony stepped up, a mare unicorn named Rune Word who had a pale grey coat, long black hair and dark green eyes. Rune Word stepped forward and wiped away her tears, gaining their attention. "It's called 'The Suffering'." She said quietly as she pointed to a plaque with strange lettering on it right below the the heartbreaking statue, "It... It obviously depicts the Signless' execution or at least, moments before his execution." She continued before pausing and shaking her head, "There's more ancient letterings behind the Signless on the stone pillar that's holding him up and there's even more beside the... carving. That's all we can find so far without magic your majesties, who knows what else there is in here." She reported, bowing her head.

Celestia sniffed and wiped the tear and nodded, "Thank you Rune Word, I and the others will leave translation to you and your colleagues capable hooves. I believe... that the rest of us shall leave you to your work." She said, glancing at the her pupil and her student along with the rest of the mane 6 who were sniffling, Luna as well thought she did her best to hide it.

Rune Word bowed and nodded towards the others and they slowly got to work, wincing as they kept glancing at the terribly magnificent work of sad art.

"Come my little ponies, I think we all require some fresh air." Celestia gently prompted, leading them out of the room and away from the sad sight. Wordlessly they followed her suggestion and were back in the main cave chamber where the giant statue of the preaching Signless stood, standing proud and tall and unharmed unlike his counterpart in the other room.

Despondedly, they could only stare at it as they thought of how wrong it was for him to die at the end like that. Someone as great as the Signless didn't deserve to die, he was only trying to spread peace and equality to his species...

"... Heh, I guetth we made them like the Atthetthtor'th thtory too much." TB said with a strained and forced chuckle, "I--" he was cut off by PH who hugged him tightly.

"Shut up, it's not just the 'Ancestor's story anymore and you know that. It was never just that the moment we came here, it became our story or at least we became apart of it and it doesn't matter how long it's been or if it's even our original story. You and I both know that." PH said bitterly, smiling a bittersweet smile that Psiioniic mirrored as he nodded.

"Yeah yeah I know... Thankth Maid." The Psiioniic said hoarsely, bi-colored eyes tearing transparent yellow tears, "No matter how many timeth or how long or even the fact it'th not thuppothed to be mine... it thtill hurtth even after all thith time." he whispered as he hugged her tightly.

The Handmaid shooshed him, letting him break ever so slightly from his normally controlled self unto her shoulder. "I know honeybee, I know..." she murmured, rubbing his back while taking a glance at the glowing white circle that showed the mane 6, Starlight and the two sun and moon Princesses.

"I know..."

==>Go years in the past and be PH

(***YEARS IN THE PAST BUT NOT THAT FAR INTO THE PAST AS IN THE BEGINNING BUT STILL PRETTY FAR INTO THE PAST***)
{V. PH's PoV .V}

I sighed as I looked at my wooden carving.

It's been a couple of years since we got into Equestria, which we confirmed when we spied and found a few ponies wearing old clothing moving around though we were flung far before Equestria even started. The three pony tribes distrusted each other and there were a lot of fights between the three pony races, Equestria wasn't even founded yet. And who knows how long till that was!

Currently I was looking down on a wooden carved figure of myself, or well, the Handmaid anyway. I've been carving a lot lately, there wasn't much to do in the far past where technology was non-existent and getting bored as so easy now if we weren't doing our best to survive and not die. TB was out hunting, it was his turn to hunt and I had nothing to do.

Our cave changed over the time we stayed, it's been personalized as animal fur and pelt laid on a comfortable pile in the warmest part of the cave and I figured out how to make paint from the plants and other things around us so I was painting a lot and I carved wooden figures and sometime even stone if I was really bored in my sparetime.

I was quite artist before we were sent here, well I did art as a hobby really and I learned sculpting and carving a few years ago and now I tend to carve stuff when I'm bored and I don't have a book and I have all the right tools.

I now had a complete set of the Homestuck Troll Alternian Ancestors in my disposal, though I would have to paint the Handmaid figurine and finish painting the Grand Highblood's wooden figurine. I turn to the wooden table I made a year ago that's standing strong in our cave and looked at the 12 wooden figurines that I carved from scratch.

I cringe at the word 'scratch' as I winced, head spiking in pain as Doc Scratch came to mind. May the floppy bastard burn in hell with all the fuckers. Anyway, with that aside I closely look at the figurines before looking around at our cave that became our home and looked back to the figurines and my eyes sparkled as an idea came to mind. And instantly a make-shift handmade chisel appears from my sylladex and into my hand.

I wonder....

Boredom can lead to interesting ideas, but before we can get to that I guess you want to know how we got here in Equestria and what's happened during the years you've skipped and what the hell a sylladex was right? I gotta tell you, it wasn't pretty those years and what we've found out kind of disturbed us, still disturbs us and we're slowly coming to terms to it right now!

Alright then, let's go back to the very beginning where both my best and I made the mistake of spending money on shady as hell stall...

==>PH: Remember

Remember [ S ]

View Online

==> PH: Remember [ S ]
{V. PH PoV .V}

I couldn't help but laugh as TB pouted at me, crossing painted blackish grey arms as we strolled through the convention. She gives me the stink-eye as I continue to laugh at her for the silliest of reasons.

She was mad at me because we were late for the con, I just wanted to make sure the wing structure and designs were okay from the trip coming towards here and that she was comfortable wearing them. Hey, this was one of the rare times we cosplayed in a convention; might as well look hella good while we're at it.

It was one of the reasons why I actually cared to wear a dress and heels for goodness sake! Any other day or event I would despise the thought of wearing those two things together, I was actually a little jealous of TB for being able to wear boots and not heels as well as pants and not a dress but I did want to dress up as the Handmaid this time and TB was adamant on dressing up as the Psiioniic.

The things you do to appreciate a thing you like.

If you haven't gotten the not-so-subtle hint, we're both Homestuck trash. Like, really trash for the web comic.

It's been a couple of months since Hiveswap was released and it pretty much reawakened Homestucks everywhere, us not really included since we both never really got over the webcomic. Content on being trash for it for a long time even after it ended because really, Homestuck was an interesting if a bit confusing of a webcomic with it's shenanigans and storyline.

Anyway, after the game was released we found out that a convention was being held near where we were and on the hype of the game agreed to cosplay for the con. As much as we wanted to cosplay as any character fro Hiveswap we already did that at the last con we went to months ago at the beginning of the year as Dammek and Xefros, I went as Dammek while TB went as Xefros. Going as the same characters twice in a row didn't really sit well with us so we decided to go as one of the Alternian Ancestors of Homestuck.

With a twist.

We were going as a combination of God Tiered Handmaid and Psiioniic, going with the alpha troll's god tiers as the Witch of Time and Heir of Doom. It was an idea we fiddled with since a bit before the final act, TB came up with the idea and stitched up outfits in her spare time when she wasn't busy with her classes and work and I helped out when I wasn't busy with the same thing though I also made the wing structure as well as the horns making sure that the ram-like horns weren't too big and heavy for my head. We were lucky we managed to finish it before the con started.

The outcome were two well-made outfits made by my best friend who was really proud of it, horns that fitted us perfectly that I was proud of and two pairs of well-made wings that both TB and I were proud of with our combined efforts. In a bias base of opinion, we both looked great.

And we probably were with the amount of other Homestuck fans congratulating us for our costumes, though some were against it but hey you can't please everyone.

TB fussed over her hair which she dyed pitch black and styled her short hair to her liking while I quietly grinned at amusement, my hair was just as short as TB's so I had to buy and customize a long black wig for the Handmaid's hair but I didn't mind.

"You look fine, Psii. Stop fussing so we can grab some sweet loot before we go." I said as I fingered the small red bag I brought along with my wallet, "We're going to spend a lot of our savings remember?" I laughed as she sent me a look and got out her own small but yellow bag.

"I know that, Maid" She snarked back at me, "But wearing two headbands on my head doesn't feel all too good. That and I still think I shouldn't have dyed my hair and just went for a wig like you." She grumbled as we moved on from our resting place all the while fiddling with the yellow headband slash headwear of the Psiioniic as well as the double horns headband I made for her.

"Oh shoosh, your hair's length was perfect for Psiioniic's hair. Mine however was too short and you know it, sides wearing a wig with the horns isn't paradise either." Yeah, it was kind of itchy and I think later on I would have to step out into the bathroom and take both off to scratch at my head later on.

TB sighs and just nods at me, "Fair enough, anyway come on! You said something about sweet loot?" She and I shared a grin and we both head back straight into the center of it all, buying things from stalls like what everyone does at a convention.

Though... one stall kept catching my eye as we walked around, it didn't seem much at first glance so we went right pass by it the first time but the next few times? It began to look even more interesting everytime we passed over it or another stall. Then finally we went over to it and were amazed at the items it held.

Looking back, it was really suspicious on how there were so many cool stuff in the stall but no one else seemed to have noticed or where there to buy anything.

"PH look! That cloak looks exactly like the Signless' cloak! The stitching on the replica is amazing, just look at the convincing tatters at the end." TB exclaimed excitedly as the familiar cloak instantly caught her eye, TB always had an eye for fashion and costumes, why and how else would she have make our own costumes? "And hey look! It's Karkat's Clawsickles!" She continued as she pointed out the two objects that laid underneath the cloak.

I didn't really notice anything else yet because I was too busy looking at the guy that was manning the stall. It was a weird guy in a black robe with the hood up, I don't know what character he was cosplaying as but I had a feeling I wouldn't like the answer, he hasn't said anything since we both approached his stall, just, silently standing there.

But then something caught my eye and I instantly disregarded the weird black robe guy, "That's Ahab's Crosshairs!" I declared as I leaned over to look at the legendary rifle, or at least, a convincing replica of it. It was well made, very well made, better than the old one I tried to make a couple of years ago that was very shitty and broke easily when I cosplayed as Eridan and carried it around.

Though to be fair, back then I was an ameteur in making props like that and I've come a long way but honestly in the next con I had the sudden urge to cosplay as the classic Orphaner Dualscar or Marquise Mindfang Spinneret because holy shit this guy also had an amazing replica of the Serket Fluorite Octet dices!

"Psst! PH look! Jade's 3 in the morning dress!" TB exclaimed as she pointed out the other outfit and wow this guy had good stuff, I wanted to ask where he got all these amazing things and who made them but I was too busy filled with want that, need that in my head.

Simultaneously both TB and I got out our wallets and bought things because that's what people do in convention like these and seeing something they like in a stall right?

We should've went home, we really should have.

==> Be TB of the future

(IN THE FUTURE BUT NOT MANY YEARS IN THE FUTURE IN FACT ITS MORE IN THE BEGINNING WHERE PH FAINTED)
{II. TB's PoV .II}

PH woke up, freaked out, and now we're just sitting in the cave as night fell with a fire keeping us warm.

"Hey TB." I look away from the coloring and darkening sky to PH, who was absentmindedly picking at her now very real strands of hair that reached her now longer feet. "You okay?" She asks, finally looking at me in the eyes with her flashing purple and yellow eyes. It should have freaked me out to be honest but the knowledge that it was my best friend looking at me with concern might have helped.

"I honethtly don't know. I mean, I guetth I'm biologically a guy now? It feelth kind of thtrange but, you know gender doethn't mean much to me PH." She nods in understanding, I was genderfluid back then, a girl on most days like yesterday even though I was dressed as a male Psiioniic but really, a boy on some and non-gendered on the rest.

But now? The gender change, doesn't really seem to affect me that much. If it were PH in my shoes, she'd have freaked the fuck out, she was comfortable being a girl even when she cosplayed as males she always liked being a biological girl even if she didn't act like it. Unladylike a lot of old women used to call her when she was a teen picking fights and being herself.

A badass both I and her father retorted, PH was being PH and that was all we wanted for her. Speaking of the old man, well actually I don't know what to think about Dad HP, but knowing him he was going to nuts over PH and I's disappearance soon. PH was supposed to visit him this weekend...

"...that guy..."

I look up to PH who's furrowing her eyes and pursing her lips into a scowl. I raised a brow, "What guy?"

She looks at me with a dawn of realization on her face, "The guy at the stall, we," She gulped drily as she thought back, "We were at the convention, right? Dressed as, well, these guys (motions to our new bodies) and then we went to that stall. The one with the items that were, suspiciously realistic and blindingly awesome.

Where we bought cool stuff, stuff I don't know where they are but... The one with... Lil' Cal on the shelf beside the pendants."

I nodded slowly and looked at said pendants before I remembered.

Oh that son of a bitch.

==> TB: Remember [ S ]

"Okay this stall is amazing, look at all the things we bought!" I said enthusiastically as I marvelled at the 3 in the morning dress in my hands, the fabric was so soft and the stars really looked like stars from afar. As of now I didn't hesitate to wear the newly bought Signless cloak because it really looked comfy and yes, it really was.

I bought Jade's 3 in the morning dress, the Signless cloak, Karkat's Clawsickles, the Fear no Anvil Hammer, and the Condesce's 2x3dent. As much as I disliked the sea fish empress herself, her weapon was admittedly awesome but I would save this for another convention since the next one I would go as either the Signless himself or Karkat.

PH on the other hand bought Dave's suit 4 Aces, the Fluorite Octet dices, Ahab's Crosshairs and the other hammer which was the Pop o matic Vrillyhoo Hammer. She admitted that she'll probably cosplay as either Mindfang or Dualscar.

The items costed us a lot of the money we had but it was totally worth it, besides, we had more saved at home and in PH's bank account with the ridiculous amount of money her dad gaver her.

PH gains my attention by tugging on my new cloak, "Hey, hey TB look." She points and I look only to instantly cringe away.

It was Lil' Cal. Sitting on a shelf right behind the weird black robes wearing stall guy. The demonic puppet of Homestuck, or at least a very convincing and realistic replica. I hated the damned puppet, still do in fact.

PH snickers at my response as I turned to her, "Oh no, you're not buying that abomination." I told her sternly, like hell I was letting that thing into our place. Not unless we both made it from fucking scratch, call me paranoid but nope, did not want the chance of a possessed puppet doll in our abode in the terrifying form that was Lil Cal.

"Aw c'mon TB, don't diss on the C-man," PH laughed and the guy behind the counter shifted uneasily but I was too focused on PH to care, "Lil Cal's the shit, he's a rad dude." She continued, I could never understand how PH got over how the creepy and evil the puppet was but I just put that on how Strider-like PH was in general when she was calm and collected.

She always liked the Striders, getting over how evil Lil Cal literally was in the canon comic. What with him being the soul containing juju of ARquiussprite, half of Gamzee and Lord Motherfucking English himself. The most evilest villian in the comic.

The damned thing caused more harm than good.

PH shakes her head, getting over her amusement, "Anyway, that wasn't what I was originally pointing to dork. Look besides him." I huffed but followed her instructions and pointedly ignored the creepy doll, that I would swear to Paradox Space and Horrorterrors everywhere was watching me and PH, and looked besides it and I see what PH was originally pointing at.

It was a pair of pendants, well actually four pairs. Two of the Signless' necklaces, the grey cancer zodiac symbols, and two red diamond pendants that were obviously for the troll moirallegiance quadrant stuff.

I grinned as we both shared a glance, oh we were sooo getting those pendants.

And we did, we both now had matching necklaces. One of the Signless and one pale diamond quadrant for the both of us, yeah we were really satisfied.

It costed us almost the rest of our money, PH still had emergency money though like her dad taught her to hoard. Always have some back up he told us, I usually rely on PH for the back up stuff since she was more inclined to do so.

It was then we realized on what and how much we bought, with the additional things we just bought along with the other things we bought before we came to the stall, we were carrying a lot of things.

"Well then, I guess this is a two way trip to the car." PH chuckled, neatly folding the 4 Aces suit and trying to find space in her plastic bag to put it in along with trying to figure out on how to carry Ahab's Crosshairs and the Vrillyhoo hammer, the Octet dices she could easily put in her small red bag along with her wallet and the two white wands she carried as Handmaid. I was doing the same, folding the 3 in the morning dress and managing to find a bit of room to store the dress in, it would hopefully not wrinkle as much but I'd fix that. I could easily carry one sickle and the Fear no Anvil hammer, I'll stick the other sickle in the plastic bag.

I'd wear the cloak for the whole day though, it was really comfy and kind of comforting for some reason. Also a bit saddening as I looked at the tattered cloth, it was a damn good replica of the Signless' cloak really. His death was really sad, and I was dressed as the Psiioniic, his best friend, and now I'm wearing his cloak. That's a sad thought.

"Perhaps I could help you with that?"

The guy's voice broke my train of thought, man I almost forgot on how raspy and the creepy factor the robed guy's voice was. He didn't talk much as we looked over the items, just short answers for the price of each item and he didn't move at all during the whole thing. Just letting us get the item we wanted from where it was on the stall and or hanger, the only time he did move was to get the pendants and even his movement was creepy.

I didn't like this guy, not one bit.

And a look to PH told me that she didn't like him either but we were polite, and PH was being even more polite today good for her.

"Really?" She asked with a politefully cheerful smile but she was absentmindedly twirling one of the two white wands slash needles that counted as the Handmaid's main weapon, she usually kept both in hand but put them away in her small red bag but the dices took a lot of space along with the small knick knack inside so she had to take one wand out and was idly twirling it.

The creep nodded, bowing slightly as he shuffled in place to look for something underneath his counter.

I had a bad feeling all of a sudden, but PH was very intrigued as she stopped twirling the white hand and glanced at the fake rifle and hammer laying on against the counter with her plastic bag. I knew we were forgetting something when we left, we forgot to bring our own bags to carry the things we bought!

I shifted uneasily as the robed guy seemed to nod and bring out two separate stacks of...

Were those sylladex cards? They looked like it, and on top of the cards were two wallets, one rust red and the other murky yellow.

"Try these, they're modified but they should work with the both of you. Free of charge of course, you have bought many things from my stall, think of it as a thank you gift for you purchase. But then again, looking at your selves I will think you might not need them for too long." He rasped, a possible unseen smile on his face underneath the hoodie. His head was constantly bowed with the hoodie covering and hiding his face completely.

PH and I shared a look, was this guy pulling our strings? This had to be a joke, sylladexes were too impossible to be real.

In retrospect, we should have declined and went our ways but then again I think that wouldn't have worked anyways.

PH grins and thinks it was a joke, she thanks the guy and grabs at the wallet probably about to make a joke about it all when the wallet and the many various cards underneath it vanish and PH is stumbling back with a strained gasp. "H-Holy fuck!" She cried out and I'm instantly by her side, demanding what's wrong.

I'm a second away from snapping and possibly hitting Creeps McBlackRobes in the face but PH is grabbing at my arm frantically with eyes wide. "T-TB, I, holy fuck I think these things are real. I, I think I can!" She stammers and I look at her like she's gone insane but then she steps away from me and turns to her things laying against the counter floor.

She gulps and reaches out and grabs Ahab's Crosshairs and then pushes it to, somewhere, and just like that.

Gone.

It was gone from her hands and she's staring at her hands in disbelief like me. Then she picks up the rest of her things and does the same thing and like that, they're gone too. She's babbling about sylladexes and I'm staring at the stack on the counter and before I know it, my hand is out to grab it.

Holy Mother Maryam and The Disciple.

My vision blurs a bit and I can see and feel something. At the bottom of my vision there's a small line that has cards on it and I'm thinking 'No way', then I grab my plastic bag and focus on a card and push-- It's gone and out of my hands and I can see the picture on the card.

PH laughs hysterically besides me briefly as I do the same with Fear no Anvil and the rest of my things. I want to laugh as well, but I'm too busy wondering what in all level's of hell was going on.

"We, we still have all our stuff." PH chimed, looking straight into the fire but not focusing on it. She bit her lip and reached a hand out and seeminly plucked nothing out of thin air when, Ahab's Crosshairs is dumped into her lap causing her to wheeze in surprise, "Fuck" she says ever so eloquently. It, It looked all too real. The spear end was actually glowing and PH was looking at it with trepidation as she shifted it in her arms to hold it properly.

I took a deep breath and concentrated, the line with the cards appeared underneath my vision and I reached out, taking Fear no Anvil from it and having it appear in my hands.

"Well thith maketh thingth all the better," I snarked, gripping the handle of the glowing and subtly ticking hammer, it was warm and it ticked and tocked like a clock.

PH looked like she was about to shoot something with that weapon in her hands but suddenly she pushed back and it went back into her sylladex, her face morphs into another face of realization and raw disbelief with a hint of fear.

"PH? PH, thweetth, are you okay?" I asked in concern as she abruptly stood, clutching the shoulder of the cloak that was around her shoulders and keeping her warm.

She takes a breath and looks outside, "I think... I know where we are... and who the guy was. Maybe on when we are but, we'll have to find out ourselves."

I look at her in confusion, "What?"

She looks at me with anger and distress in her eyes, "He was The Merchant."

"How in the hell." PH questions him with a baffled look, dark grey hands slammed against the counter as she leaned in towards him, "How?! Sylladexes aren't real!" She cried out as he stood still and quiet as always.

I'm right beside her of course, just in case he tried anything. Even though sweets was a tough woman she still needed help and back-up from time and again, and I had a feeling I had to stay by her side more than ever now.

"You'd be surprised at what you find young missy. You and your friend would be surprised." He responds so vaguely that I was tempted to punch his lights out, but I couldn't do that. Not yet at least.

PH makes a strange sound, "I don't, fuck, why haven't you showed this to I don't know, the Government or something?! Scientists, engineers, smart people that could make sense of this! This is basically a hammerspace made real!" She had a point, sylladexes were essentially hammerspaces in Homestuck, storage units that were unique and varied along the comic. This kind of thing coming out in real life?

Well, it would not be a calm event.

"HOO HOO HOO! HAA HAA HAA!"

PH and I screamed as the damned puppet behind him began to, cackle. Honest to god, cackle! It was cackling and it was horribly terrifying as a cacophony of pure and vile harsh laughter spilled from its somehow moving mouth. The robed being, no way this was a normal guy after all, twitched violently before settling just as the thing stopped.

PH and I were clutching each other now, I looked around frantically wondering why no one else was screaming before I finally noticed, no one was there besides us.

It was as if everyone disappeared in the building, all the stalls were as they were but no one was there. An uncomfortable and tensely terrifying blanket of silence was on us as both PH and I were staring at the being and the damned puppet in fear.

The being chuckled hoarsely, "Apologies for the scare, he seems to be quite active today."

Quite active?! He?!

PH was gripping my arm so intensely it started to hurt, she whimpers, PH never whimpers not since we were both teens, and she's practically hiding behind my and underneath my cloak. "TB. He's staring at me." She's whispering and I check and, yes, it was staring at her creepily.

It's blue eyes were focused on PH, staring at her with fascination and possibly something else but it's blue eyes snapped to me when I stepped and blocked its view of PH by covering her with my arm and cloak. It was unnerving and terrifying, being under the damned thing's stare but PH was scared for once in a long time by this damned puppet she deemed 'okay' and 'cool'.

Suddenly there was a powerful wind inside the convention hall, a vortex of some kind and PH is screaming behind me and pulling my cloak as I look back.

A swirling, colorful portal said hello to my eyes as green electricity sparked along the impossible portal, a portal that was sucking PH and I in.

"Help!!" She screamed as she was forcibly tugged towards the portal keeping a tight grip on the cloak, I struggled to keep balance but then, something hits the back of my head and I hear faint insane laughter.

I blacked out after that, right after something hits PH in the face as well.

And then we woke up, as Psiioniic and Handmaid from Homestuck.

PH is taking deep breaths as she's cuddled to my side, explaining what she knew about whatever this 'The Merchant' was.

And I was not liking the description at all.

"Tho let me get thith thtraight, that guy wath a thing called 'The Merchant', he thellth itemth that turn out to be real and then thendth them thomewhere?! Where are we even anyway?!" I asked as I kept a steady grip on her, distress in my system as well.

PH mutters something and I deadpan at her, "Thweetth, couldn't really hear that now."

She says it louder and I, I look at her in disbelief.

"We're in the magical land of Equestria from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic."

Oh hell.

==>Be The Merchant

You try to be The Merchant but fail to do so, nobody can be The Merchant except The Merchant. You CAN however watch The Merchant as both PH and TB fall into the portal.

The Merchant watched the two unfortunate cosplayers fall into the portal after a good whack to the heads courtesy by the puppet that was no longer on the shelf behind it. The Merchant eyed the thing warily and wonders what it was thinking picking it up from the void, it was creepier than it itself. The puppet threw two boxes after the two cosplayers, well chests really with one being red and the other bright green, and The Merchant honestly thought it was over with two new victims underneath its belt and two new playthings for Equestria.

Lil' Cal gazed at him and The Merchant felt its prodding within its mind and the being shivers.

"What is it?"

"HAHAHAHAHA! HOOO HOO HOO, HAA HAA HAA HAA! AHAHAHAHA!"

The Merchant winced and bowed its head, mind flaring in pain before slowly and warily took the puppet into its arms. It looked at the puppet which gazed at the portal and grinned wickedly underneath its hood.

"AND GOOD RIDDANCE!" The Merchant declared, punting the puppet through the portal.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, HEHEHEHEHE HEEE HEEE HEE HEHEHAHAHAHA!"

The Merchant watched the thing get sucked into the portal and faintly felt a silver of sympathy and wished both the cosplayers as well as Equestria good luck as the portal finally closed.

And just like that, humans appeared back in place as if nothing ever happened and The Merchant felt satisfied to be rid of the thing, "Good riddance indeed, that thing was mucking with my customers and keeping them away. Now business can finally get back to normal." The Merchant hummed as it began to arrange its stall and replace the newly bought items with other products.

Equestria never knew what hit it indeed...

==> Come back to the present

The Caves

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The Alternian Caves are scattered throughout Equestria, one cave, The Summoner's Cave, was found in Griffonstone. The Proud Kingdom of Griffons who hail The Summoner for his warriors strength and leadership as well as his tenacity for raising a strong rebellion against the 'highbloods' of his race and continuing the fabled Signless' rebellion, though this time with more action and seemingly with much needed violence. The griffon who discovered the cave was Prince Gil, first son of King Guto.

The Disciple's Cave was found in a capital of Abyssinia Panthera, the bipedal felines adore The Discple for her loyalty, ferociousness and her love for The Signless which was said to 'transcend all forms of labelled romantic quadrants' and being the co-leader of the original rebellion. The feline who discovered it was Princess Leonor the Second, daughter to Queen Leonor the First.

The Psiioniic's Cave was found near the village of Somnambula, just miles away and the villagers have taken to Psiioniic just as they had to Somnambula the brave pegasus who was the namesake of the town and saved a prince from the sphinx thousands of years ago. The young pharoah Bast, grandson to Pharoah Hisan from Somnambula's legendary tale, was the one to discover it.

The Dolorosa's Cave was of course, found in the mountain place that would become modern day Canterlot City where it is one of the crown jewels of the city's tourist sites and the Canterlot ponies absolutely love her. As was said, Starswirl the Beard along with both Princesses Celestia and Luna discovered the cave.

Marquise Spinneret Mindfang's Cave was found a few miles away from the beaches of Puerto Caballo, sailors and pirates of both land, sea and sky see her in respect seeing as she was a figure of piracy and more, sure she was rough around the edges at first but her love for The Summoner and her help in the rebellion made up for it. The firstmate of a griffon pirate ship discovered the cave together with one of the local ponies from Puerto Caballo's villages.

The Handmaid's Cave, the most recent find besides the newly discovered Signless Cave, was found in Neighpon near the city of Haysaka and is regarded as the most mysterious cave out of them all so far even with The Signless' Cave's discovery, it's littered with nearly lethal traps and the information was scattered and veiled in many secrets. The ones to discover the cave was a group of scholars that had figured out the clue of The Handmaid's whereabouts from the Dolorosa's cave where it seems that the Handmaid convinced Dolorosa to adopt The Signless as her own.

And lastly, the newly discovered cave of the Signless lies deep within the Everfree forest near Ponyville which was filled to the brim with clues and mystery and was discovered by Starlight Glimmer, Spike the Dragon and the Elements of Harmony.

The world went crazy at this fact as within weeks time, ponies and creatures everywhere were dying to have a look at the fabled and legendary figure of The Signless.

==> Come back to the present
Again, we try to come to the present but instead end up right now instead.

"I can't believe it!" Twilight squealed as she and the others gathered within the cave, it was just the Mane 6 today in the cave besides the numerous Royal Guards and a group of Archaeologists who were scattered around the cave today.

The Royal Guards prevented those without special permission to enter the cave out of the cave since the revelation nearly a week ago. Ponies, griffons and more ventured from their homelands to visit the cave, Ponyville was packed with creatures and ponies from all over and beyond Equestria! Twilight even had to let some of them rent a few rooms of her castle as hotels, inns and motels were full!

They were impatiently awaiting the day the new path towards the cave was finished from being constructed, Princess Celestia and Luna had been worried about the ponies and other visitors getting lost within the Everfree in their attempt to find the cave itself and so issued a path to be made, and even with magic and more, the Everfree's wild and dangerous nature made it hard to do it succesfully so it would take a full two weeks to have a safe path from Ponyville to The Signless' Cave.

"There's so many wonderful information in this cave alone! One of the archaeologists told me that there were more clearer clues to other undiscovered caves in here than anywhere else!" Twilight said enthusiatically as she flew up to a carving, carefully tracing the beautiful work with a delicate hoof, "We may be able to find all twelve of the caves soon!"

"Are there really tweleve caves out there?" Fluttershy asked curiously, only having been gone to The Dolorosa's cave as well as Mindfang's cave for a brief time when she and her family went to Puerto Caballo. She would've loved to go to either The Summoner's or The Disciple's cave to be honest, she heard on how The Summoner was well versed in animals and that The Disciple had been The Signless' lover who transcribed many things about him and the rebellion they started.

But unfortunately, those two caves were beyond Equestria and as a filly she had been too shy and scared to leave and visit Griffonstone or Panthera, not to mention both of her parents were a little tight on money to be going beyond Equestria for a vacation.

Twilight landed beside her with a thoughtful but excited look on her face, "We think so at least! There are important names in every cave that gives us clues. Remember, we only know about The Signless in the first place when he was vastly mentioned by all of the caves themselves! Ponies theorize on each name and their whereabouts and we think that the remaining names are, Neophyte Redglare mentioned by Spinneret Mindfang, Orphaner Dualscar also mentioned by Mindfang, Darkleer or The Expatriate mentioned by The Summoner, Disciple and Mindfang, The Grand Highblood and finally The Condescension which were mentioned in all of the caves especially in The Signless' Cave as well as what we've found so far in The Handmaid's Cave."

"Well ah'll be, them's a lot of names. Ah don't think I like the sound of them to be honest." Applejack said, frowning along with her friends at the sound of the names.

Twilight shook her head, "You probably shouldn't. These Alternians are probably the antagonists to the protagonists we've found so far. I think these were the 'highbloods' that The Summoner and the others were rebelling against, actually, I'm sure of it!"

"Hey, what is a 'highblood' anyway? I mean, we've heard of them a lot throughout the story and stuff but what exactly do they mean? Sounds like a bunch of snobbish aristrocrats to be honest." Rainbow stated, hovering over the group like usual but also looking at a depiction of The Signless preaching to a bunch of Alternians.

"Well their terminology was a bit iffy and difficult to understand, like 'perigee', 'sweeps' and other words but we think that 'highblood' literally means or relates to blood, 'lowblood' too. I think the Alternians were on a hierarchy system based on blood somehow. A lot of ponies seem to think that somehow, somehow that every Alternian or at least a group of them had various different blood colors."

"After all this time they've finally theorized about the hemospectrum, I'm a little disappointed."
"Well you thhould've jutht outright told them or left the clueth clearer in tranthlation then."
"And where would be the fun in that? Still, I thought they would've figured it out faster."
"They're ponieth HM, peatheful fucking ponieth, what would you expect?"

Pinkie gasped, "Different blood color? You mean like they have rainbow colored blood?!" The party pony was about to continue when Twilight interrupted her before she could do anything.

"Not necessarily!" She said with haste, "I mean sure, somehow their blood colors are different but it's just a theory that sounds utterly ridiculous! I mean, different colored blood? That's a genetic impossibility! How would they even be the same species? It's highly unlikely." Twilight stated as a-matter-of-fact, "But that doesn't mean the blood theory isn't an impossibility, maybe they were just born from a wide family that were considered either 'high' to 'lowbloods'. Their status in the world depends from which familyline they came from, like an Alternian born a highblood because of their highblood parents, it's obviously a nobility of some sorts so that must be it."

"Mmm, good theory but wrong."
"Thoerieth on uth are really amuthing to hear, I think the dragonth thtill think I came to life from a drop from the thun or thomething. It changeth every generation."
"You spur them on in every generation of hatchlings, they're frustrated really but know you won't answer them clearly."
"Pretty much, fucking with the entirety and hithtory of thith world wath fun, if a bit fruthtrating at how thlow everything wath getting to thith point. Though I don't regret it becauthe thith wath better then getting turned into thtone to be honetht."
"Yep, turning into stone did not sound fun. Especially if your consciousness was still active and your just sitting there watching everything go by... I would have honestly one insane, even with you around."
"Thame."
"Though technically we did do that in a doomed timeline, poor alternate timeline us'. May they rest in peace."
"May they retht in peathe, the unlucky bathtardth. At leatht they warned uth before we went on that path though."

"At any rate I think we'll find out in either this cave or one of the other caves!"

Twilight and her friends continued to chat as they moved through the cave, observing again each carving and statue. Even at some point entering the sad room that made them tear up every time they went in, the one with the statue carving of The Signless' execution and demise.

"I wonder if Signless would have liked Equestria." Fluttershy suddenly spoke, sniffling as they left the room.

Pinkie grinned at her, "I'm sure old Signy would have loved Equestria! It's practically the place he's been preaching about." She told her, bringing a smile on the yellow pegasus' face. The others nodded in agreement, they've all at some point read one of Signless' preachings and they felt a bit proud that their home was something that the Signless would have enjoyed if he had been alive and in the present.

And they'd be right, though they wouldn't know that until later.

Suddenly Twilight blinked as something caught her eye and abruptly stopped walking, gaining the attention of her friends as she turned to a certain part of the wall carving, they were in the main room where the biggest statue of The Signless stood tall and preaching to a non-existent audience.

Twilight narrowed her eyes as she trotted closer to the wall, "Um, Twilight?" Rarity questioned as the purple alicorn stayed silent and looked at something on the wall. "Twilight? Is something wrong?" She asks with worry as she and the others go to her side with obvious worry.

Twilight shook her head, "No, it's just," she pauses before gesturing to the wall. The others followed her hoof to see a familiar six pointed starburst symbol with five little stars around it carved right on the wall underneath a slashed symbol with three droplets escaping the slashed line. "I... I'm pretty sure that's my cutie mark." She says stunned , shock on her face and in her tone of voice.

"How?! These caves are like thousands of years old, how in tarnation and why is your cutie mark here?!" Applejack asked, just as shocked and stunned as the rest and Twilight were.

"Don't ask me that because I don't know!" The princess of friendship cried out, mind racing for a possible and logical explanation.

Pinkie gasped all of a sudden, "What if you went back in time?! Twilight, what if you went back in time and helped carve the caves?!" She thoerized excitedly, "I mean, you and Starlight went back in time right? What if you used the spell and helped carve the caves or was the one to carve them?! That would be so awesome!"

Twilight shook her head frantically in disagreement, "No, that's impossible!" She said, shooting the theory down quickly and causing Pinkie to deflate slightly in her excitement.

Rainbow looked at her confusion, "Why not? You and Starlight went back in time right?"

"Yes, we did but that still took a lot of magic for both Starlight and I. We were lucky our magical stamina were much more than way above average! Or well, alicorn stamina for me I guess but when I first used the original Starswirl spell as a unicorn it still drained a lot out of me even when my magic stamina was as big as Starlight a couple of years ago. A normal unicorn would have instantly felt drained the moment they casted the spell and only manage to travel a day into the past!" Twilight explained, an apprehensive frown on her face.

"For me to travel that far back into the past? A thousand years into the past? I would have needed Cadences' as well as Princess Celestia's and Luna's combined magic inside me again to get that far!"

"Oh..." was the collective reply of her friends.

"But then, what do you think this means?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight paused before narrowing her eyes in determination, "Only one way to find out. I think if I..." she trailed off as her horn lights up with magic and lifting a hoof to touch the carving of her cutiemark on the wall.

A beat passes and Twilight tilts her head in confusion and putting her hoof down again, "Huh, maybe I was wro--gah!!!" She yelped as she jumped back, her friends exclaiming their surprise as suddenly the carving glows white and suddenly the ground trembles slightly as an outline of a hall appears.

Guards and archaeologists exclaim their surprise as they come running to see what was causing the slight tremor, only to see a section of the wall lined with white in the shape of an entrance and the carvings splitting in half and sliding into secret sections of a hollowed wall to reveal a hidden hallway.

"Princess Twilight, what happened? Are you alright?" A guard asks as the trembling stops, Twilight snaps out of her awe and gives the royal guard a firm nod.

"Yes, I'm okay. Sorry for that everypony, but it seems we've found a hidden hallway." The ponies whispered to each other in excitement for the new hallway only to stop as Twilight continues, "I as well as my friends will explore the hallway first, just to make sure it's safe for everypony. Two royal guards will accompany us but I suggest that the rest of you resume what you were doing until I or the others return okay?"

A few protested but agreed reluctantly and followed Twilight's words, returning to what they were doing but keeping in mind of the newly found hallway. Twilight sighed before choosing two royal guards to come with her and her friends.

"Ready girls?" Twilight asks with a small grin, the rest of the mane 6 cheers and whoops, "Yeah!!" and together with two royal guards, they venture into the hallway.

The hallway was lit with torches just like the rest of the cave, on the walls were vague carvings that seemed... different, compared to the carvings outside the hall. It felt a little ominous for the ponies as they travelled through the it, but they continued onwards as they were determined and stubborn little things.

It didn't take long for them to reach the end of the hall, at the end was a solid stone door with the Signless' symbol, the horizontal 69 but instead of grey as it usually was seen in, the symbol had been painted bright eye-catching red.

Twilight had a feeling something was going to happen the moment they entered the room, she shared a look with her company and they all nodded seriously and firmly. Taking a deep breath, she used her magic to open the heavy stone door and trotted into the room, the rest closely following her.

Only to stop and freeze, shock and disbelief stunning everypony as they looked at the one thing that stood out the most at the room, in fact the rest of the room was looked over as their eyes immediately strayed to one figure right there in the center of the room.

The figure was tall, taller than even Princess Celestia as they stood on two legs. They smiled at the ponies, amused at their reactions.

The reason why they were shock though, was because this figure that stood in a secret room of the Signless' Cave.

"The Handmaid," breathed one of the guards, and he was correct. There, in the middle of the room stood a legendary figure that was mentioned throughout history of the Alternian Caves and whose cave was found a couple of decades ago. And she was the real deal, not a realistic statue, not a carving or anything, she was real; given the fact Handmaid was floating inches above the ground encased with some kind of magic or energy while her eyes flashed various colors.

She further proved that she was real as her smile widens and her hand reaches to cover her mouth, giggling soundly before making an obvious wink, curstied and then twirled in place.

A strange sound filled the air as she disappeared from sight, the sound of a gong and the tick tocks of a clock and she disappeared, leaving the room to the ponies.

"Somepony please tell me I wasn't the only one who saw that. I wasn't hallucinating was I? Because I clearly saw The friggin Handmaid." Rainbow begged, panic coloring her voice and the others shook their heads.

"If you were hallucinatin' then we all were, because yeah, we saw her too." Applejack mutters, before taking notice to Twilight, "Uh... Twi? You alright there sugarcube?" She questioned worriedly as the purple alicorn looked completely frozen. "Twilight?"

The Princess of Friendship let out a garble of noise before flopping over.

"Twilight!"

"You were alwayth tho dramatic, before becoming HM or even more tho now."
"Oh hush, like you could do any different. Besides, you love their reactions."
"I do, look at the purple printhetth jutht hyperventilating there! Hahaha!"
"Mmm, perhaps the curtsy was a bit much."
"Nah, it wath perfect, actually you thhould have done more, Twilight'th reaction might've been more entertaining if you did more."
"You were just saying I was being 'so dramatic'. Also, I think Twilight nearly having a heart attack is a good of reaction enough. You never did like her and Starlight, especially after what they did, did you?"
"Of fucking courthe, their actionth hurt you."
"It needed to happen, you know that."
"I don't care, they hurt you tho they can take a nithe thtroll through Tartaruth for all I care."
"TB!"
"Hehe, at any rate dethpite that I thtill can't wait to meet the ponieth like thith after like, forever. I mean like, finally!"
"True, I can tell this is going to be fun."

Both shared a smile as they watched the ponies flounder and freak out in the room they made.

It had been getting a bit boring for them.

The Twelve Caves from Displacement

by TrashTyping

The Discovery

To Troll or Not to Troll?

Remember [ S ]

The Caves