Chapter 1: The Curiosity that Guides Us
Confetti version
"This is incredible!" Twilight was immediately enraptured by the books on the temple's history. She found a library, where Fluttershy and Dash decided to help her examine the books in order to see if there was anything interesting while their friends examined the rest of the ruins. "These stories. These powers. These are things we can only dream of!"
Dash was immersed in a book on their history (A rare sight to behold). "But they acted like it was all nothing."
"And they were so savage and cruel."
Twilight looked up at her pegasi friends. "But they always acted kind to each other in the end."
Dash looked up from the book she held. "But why cards? Of all things, why cards?"
"I'm not sure, Dash." Twilight looked to the doorway, hoping Applejack, Rarity, or Pinkie found something more worthwhile. "I think it's just due to how small and convenient they are."
Fluttershy looked up in thought. "Small, lightweight, easy to carry and hide." She looked down at Twilight. "Perfect for anyone to use. Solders, guards, overprotective big brothers."
"Assassins."
"Mages."
"What did I just walk in on?" Rarity had apparently walked in on their discussion.
"What was the first thing you heard"
"Overprotective big brothers." Rarity was clearly bothered. "Anyway, if you girls have a chance, Pinkie may have found what we're looking for."
"How in tarnation did you find this, Pinkie?"
"It was under E!"
"... That ain't funny, Pinkie."
"No, really!" Pinkie leaped out of the room, and slapped just above the doorway. "See? E!"
"YA JUST PUT THAT UP THERE PINKIE!"
A dry laugh came from behind them. "Haha. Very funny, Pinkie."
"It at least was creative, I'll give her that."
Applejack and Pinkie looked over to their four friends. "It's over here, girls!" Pinkie went into the room that she just left for her joke.
Inside said room was an odd obelisk against the far wall, decorated in odd runes. Along the sides of the room were six pedestals, three on each wall, each with a lever sticking out of the side and a different rune on top. Upon closer inspection, each of the pedestal's runes were different from any on the obelisk.
Twilight took a closer look at the obelisk. "What's with the magic on this thing? It's unlike any I've ever felt before in my life!" She put her hand up to the obelisk, which she later was thankful didn't activate it. "But even then, it feels familiar."
Rarity finished her thought. "As if it belongs with us. I think anyone that sees it will think that way."
Fluttershy, still holding a book, looked at the runes on one of the pedestals. "And these runes. It feels like they mean something, but what?"
Dash felt the surface of one of the pedestals. "They aren't even engraved into these. How are they still here?"
Applejack had something to add. "If that isn't strange enough for you, then get this; we haven't touched those levers yet. How did they get clean?"
"I say we pull them!"
"Agreed."
"WHAT?" Twilight couldn't believe her ears. She snapped around to her friends. "Pinkie! Are you nuts? And Dash! Why did you agree with her?" At that point, Fluttershy seemed to realize something, and started flipping through the book she held.
Applejack moved to Dash's side. "Well, how else are we gonna figure out what these do?"
Rarity, however, had a different idea. "Let's see if the library here has something on this."
Her friends, save Fluttershy, looked at her. Applejack was the first to respond. "That's a safer idea."
"Alright. Let's go."
The five of them moved towards the door, only for Dash to turn around before exiting. "Fluttershy, are you coming?"
Fluttershy stood still for a moment then turned towards them. "I figured it out!"
"WHAT?" The five of them flooded back into the room and around Fluttershy.
"These runes. They say something. See how it's made up of several rings, and how each ring is divided? Each ring part is a separate word. The center of each circle is the same incantation, but I can't read them. What I can read is what's in the seven parts of the outer circles."
Twilight looked from the rune to the book, then back to the rune. "Enochian."
"Yes. I can't outright read it, but there's a translation guide to it here. In this book. But first, see how this looks more faded than the others? Like it's been drained?"
Rarity covered her mouth. "Like a star that's given so much, they have nothing left for themselves."
"Exactly. But here's what it says; 'Bearer of a giving heart, release us.'" All of Fluttershy's friends looked at her in shock. She moved to the pedestal closer to the door. "This one says; 'Bearer of a trusted heart, release us.'"
Dash looked at it sympathetically. "It looks like it's taken a lot of abuse. Like it's taken blows meant for others."
Fluttershy moved to the one opposite of it. "This one is harder to read, since it's smaller than the others. And why not? 'Bearer of an empathic heart, release us."
Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Empathic?"
Twilight responded. "It means 'one who can feel someone else's emotions.'"
Fluttershy moved to the next pedestal, with the most "average" rune on it. "This one says; 'Bearer of a unifying heart, release us.'" She moved to the next one, right next to the obelisk, with a worn rune, as if over worked. "This says; 'Bearer of a truthful heart.'" She then moved to the opposite one, which seemed the most out of place, not ideal yet not flawed. "And this one says; 'Joyous heart.'"
The six of them stood in silence for a moment, trying to process the information.
Dash broke the silence. "Is it just me, or does it sound like they're talking about us?"
"Why can't you read the centers?"
"They're too small. I've been trying to read them, but I can't."
"Let's pull them."
Twilight's friends swiftly turned their attention to her. "What was that about me being nuts?"
"They're clearly talking to us!" Twilight created a magic board, and started to write on it.
"A giving heart is a generous one. A trusted heart means they are loyal. An empathic heart feels another's emotions, and is able to show kindness. A truthful heart means they are honest. A joyous heart means that they are cheerful, like Pinkie. And the Element of Magic is the unifying element."
She gave a simple chart;
Giving=Generosity=Rarity
Trusted=Loyal=Rainbow Dash
Empathic=Kind=Fluttershy
Truthful=Honest=Applejack
Joyous=Laughter=Pinkie Pie
Unifying=Magic/Friendship=Twilight Sparkle
Congartulations. You've found the most useless text I've ever written.
"It's been waiting for us. I don't see a reason to disappoint it."
As the board vanished, they all shared a knowing look, then moved to their respective pedestals, and held the levers tightly.
"Okay, on three."
"THREE!" Dash promptly yanked her lever, prompting the others to do the same.
"Dash! What the- KYAAAHH!" Twilight was cut off by a sudden, harsh blast of wind from the obelisk, nearly blasting them all off their hooves.
"I can't let go!" Rarity spoke for all of them. Try as they might, their hands seemed sealed to the levers, forcing them into finishing the ritual they didn't realize they started.
There was another blast, and the wind became loud enough to drown all other noises out.
Several lights came out of the runes on the obelisk, causing the runes to fade.
There! She will do!
She is perfect!
She will be our vessel.
Suddenly, the lights streamed into Pinkie, causing her to scream in agony. Applejack screamed her name, as more lights flooded out of the obelisk and into her, causing the runes to vanish. All of them were screaming to hear each other, but the sounds the winds and lights were making drowned them out. Pinkie slowly turned her head towards Applejack, causing Applejack to make a face that her friends rarely saw on her before; pure terror. Just then, there was a demonic scream that overwhelmed all other sounds, and Pinkie started to glow as the last of the lights flew into her. And in an instant, she was gone.
The wind quickly faded, and the other five were finally able to let go of their levers. Applejack promptly slumped down on the ground. Rarity and Rainbow dashed to Applejack's side, Twilight to Pinkie's pedestal, and Fluttershy approached the obelisk.
"Applejack!"
"Are you alright, dear?"
Applejack refused to acknowledge either of them. She was shaking, and looked as if she was about to cry at any moment.
"Pinkie's rune." Twilight's voice got Rarity and Rainbow's attention. "It's... ruined... It looks evil now."
Rarity got up and looked at it herself. Sure enough, it's edges were suddenly jagged and dark, and the writing looked like blood.
"That's how she looked." Applejack was once more the center of attention. "She gave me a look. An evil look. Like she..." She closed her eyes and let a few tears fall. "Like she wanted me dead... No. Worse. Like she wanted me to suffer until I wanted to be dead..."
"Applejack..."
"It was you."
At that moment, they remembered that Fluttershy was right there. The obelisk had only one rune, but it was glowing brightly. She lifted her hand up to it.
"You made me take that book... You told me to examine the runes... You..."
She touched the obelisk. The rune on the obelisk glowed brighter, then an odd light shot out of it. Right into Fluttershy, knocking her back. "KYAHH!"
"Fluttershy!"
"NO!"
Fluttershy began to fall, but Twilight caught her before she hit the ground and led her to her knees. Everypony else was down by her side in a moment.
"Fluttershy! Are you alright?" Their friends were by their side in a moment. Twilight stroked Fluttershy's cheek. "Fluttershy?"
"... Is that her name?" Fluttershy's voice had turned icy, but somehow still comforting. "It's beautiful. Definitely fitting for her."
Rarity gasped. Twilight's hand went from Fluttershy's cheek to her own mouth. Applejack just stared.
"Get out of her." Dash was stern. She had just lost one friend, she wasn't about to lose another.
"Fluttershy" suddenly glared at Dash coldly. "And do what? Let the five of you bumble about looking for someone who has been possessed and is trying to kill everyone?" She let out a deep breath and looked down. "Besides, I have nowhere to go aside from one of you. My own body won't be ready for a while." She looked at the obelisk. "I don't know if you can hear me, or if you'll even remember this. But if you can and do, I'm sorry Fluttershy."
Applejack finally got to her hooves. "I'm sure she won't mind."
In a moment, Rarity was concerned... "Applejack?"
"And if one of us was going to be useless, it would be her."
... and switched to appalled. "Applejack!"
"And I thought what you said to Rarity back in Manehatten was bad!"
Twilight tried to get things back on track. "So first thing's first; if you aren't Fluttershy, what do we call you?"
The strange spirit opened Fluttershy's mouth, then closed Fluttershy's mouth, then turned Fluttershy's head away, then thought for a moment, then turned Fluttershy's head- I think you get the point. Anyway, he/she/it turned back to Twilight. "I don't feel comfortable giving you my true name, but I've been considering a name change anyway. Just call me Hakugami."
"Hakugami?" (Hah-coo-gah-me)
"Yes."
"So, Hah-ka-ka-bee..." Hakugami face-palmed. They were already getting her name wrong! Unless Dash was messing with her, a possibility that she couldn't ignore. "How do we get Pinkie back?"
"Well, first we have to find her."
"NAW! REALLY? I thought we could save her without knowing where she was!"
Rarity sighed in response to Dash's sarcasm. "Can't we have that happen at least once?"
"Then... I wish I knew."
Everyone fell silent.
Twilight was the first to speak up. "You mean you have no idea?"
"I can track her easily. Saving her from them is something entirely different."
Dash responded. "How long will it take to get to her?"
"Really, it depends on where she's going, and when she gets there."
"Sounds to me..." Twilight stood up. "... like you have plenty of time to think of something. So let's get going!"
The rest of them shared a glance followed by a determined look of agreement before standing up. They ran out, Hakugami leading the way.
