My last journal has ran out of space.

Year 35. May 17th. Sunday.

A shipment of outside supplies that was supposed to arrive never came. It was supposed to be Germanian resources. Currency, rare items, anything that could help to gather more members for our church. Those imbeciles are likely drinking away, Germane is like that after all.

May 20th. Wednesday.

When we tried to contact the Germane branch through our crystals, no response came. After several attempts such as draconic fire, we still received no replies. I'm afraid they have joined the stars after being discovered. Other methods are to be tried soon. We will have to slow down the recruiting process due to lack of supplies.

July 19th. Thursday

It's confirmed. After a meeting with the bishops, I personally went on to check with a group of thirty. The Germanian branch is gone. Burnt down to nothing but ashes. A scout figured it was an ordinary fire, no oils and such, but that doesn't make much sense. Archbishop Tidal Wave is a genius of the water element, it's why he was able to ascend to such a high rank. So him not being able to put out a simple fire is simply preposterous.

After finding no bodies, we forced ourselves into the underground bunker. Although it was against the rules to barge into the bunkers of other churches, I feel that there is more than enough reason to do so. The bunker itself was ransacked. All the emergency food and water were gone, as well as a few medical items that were recorded. The artifacts were destroyed and the arsenal was crushed to bits. Theories suggest it was blown up with the missing barrels of alcohol.

Will report back to the main church as soon as possible.

July 20th. Friday.

After a thorough investigation after a day's rest, we secured the locked journal of Archbishop Tidal Wave. It seems the Germanian branch went through the same problems as us. All contact from the Neighpanese and Roassian branches were cut off. The writing is frantic, and hard to read as if the writer was trembling whilst recording it. It seems the Archbishop was conserving as much magic as possible if he wrote with either his mouth or hoof.

The contents are strange though. It says that they sent out distress signals and messengers after a week of no replies from the aforementioned branches. Yet, we never got anything. I will copy the next passage in his journal.

"We've had no contact. Our food is running out and we were forced to start foraging as a result. With no farms due to fear of being discovered, we could only rely on outside supplies. And without the repellant from Roassia, we've been attacked nonstop by wild beasts. We've already sent out messengers and letters to the other branches, but there's no replies and those went to personally deliver the news never returned. And the situation has been weird lately.

Somepony left the door to the chicken coop open last night, now our source of eggs are gone. Just the day before that, the pig coops were also left open. It's been going like this for five whole months. Random occurrences, accidents were happening all around the place. The roof of several houses collapsed, our hunting wolves were missing, and chickens were found in some of our wells, having drowned in there, making the water undrinkable. It's a mess. Although our herbivore forces could continue to survive by fruits and even the grass if it came to it, our carnivorous recruits no longer have anything to eat, weakening our forces. I've already replaced and reprimanded those who were responsible for them, but they all denied, saying that nothing was wrong. They may be lying, but if these things keep happening without stop, I suspect that there's a traitor in the branch."

It was confirmed, and the evidence of those events were found easily enough. We will be heading back to Ponygal today.

August 3rd. Friday.

As our group headed back, we decided to rest at the Prench branch for a few days. Tensions were at an all time high. The Prench branch wasn't doing too well, as they welcomed us with relief and hope in their faces. But that was quickly crushed.

When we delivered the news, they were shocked to find out. They had also been sending messengers and such for about a month now. The carnivorous forces were famished, forcing themselves to continue eating fruits and berries to stay alive whilst their tamed beasts were already served as food.

Without even a minute of rest, another attack happened. It was ridiculous, four different packs of beasts attacked from four sides. Rock lions, iron tigers, timberwolves and lightning dogs. They were all starved, and injured. Still, it ended up being a fierce fight, thankfully no casualties. But, we are fatigued, and our tools are close to breaking. At this rate, the Prench branch will fall soon enough.

.

Another incident has happened. A barrel of mead from the stock was reported as missing. Not even a minute after hearing it, one of the farm houses burnt down. Four dead. The last one came running out with an intoxicated face, blabbering about something going wrong. Half his organs were already burnt by the time we doused him. Imbeciles. They were judged to be drunk whilst cooking.

August 15th.

It's bad. Much worse than we first assumed. Following the fire, several different incidents occurred. I can no longer deny it. This secret that had been hidden for 35 years has finally been discovered. Yet, the Sun ruler seems to not be the cause. Considering her past ways of warfare, she likes a more direct approach of attacking with a full scale army and making the opponent either surrender, or dethrone them from their life.

The food storage was burned down, but there were no more signs of an accident. Nothing to pin the blame on somepony. The aggressor has realized that we've found out. Still, they keep this relentless attack. Our members aren't in any condition to make a move, and we can only increase our defenses to make sure we don't lose any more resources. Considering a plan to form an elite squad and have them deliver the news to the main church in Saddle Arabia. No matter how strong or intelligent our opponent is, a squad of our best units should still be able to deliver it to one of the many small branches across Saddle Arabia, and then send the news via contact crystals or dragon fire to the main church.

aug August 17th.

A crop field has burned down. Seventeen casualties from the fire.

Nine found dead under one of the unused storage houses. Three of them held the key to the inner parts of the church.

Discussions are over, we're leaving in thirty minutes after packing up.

September 1st.

We've arrived in the Ponygal branch.

Our opponent chased us until we crossed over a bridge. Right then, a priest of our group blew it up, allowing us to flee without worry. Emerald Light, I've heavily thought about him. Quite a decent strength, and a quick mind. NOTE: Consider promotion to Bishop

Still, despite our efforts, we managed to lose four more priests from the chase. Our opponent, there's definitely more than one. Our best guess is eight. During the chase, arrows and spears were shot from the shadows. Traps were planted like seeds in a land. They used the tress as cover as they remained undetected. Without even being able to see them, we could only flee without a fight.

Archbishop Grahm lost a wing in the process. She says she still has talons, so she could fight if need be. Though, her condition still cost us six more days than needed.

.

The situation at our branch was slightly better than the others. There were no attacks, but the already low resources were being quickly depleted. It was no surprise. The low resources were exactly the reason we set up a branch in Ponygal. To help those who starved.

Still, it's disheartening. The slight hope that we'd be greeted by a feast and a party was crushed without mercy. If anything, it just brought despair to both those who stayed behind, and those who just came here. At least the contact crystals finally went through. We still have no idea how they managed to intercept our messages.

September 26th.

It's finally happened here. An incident.

None of us could've truly predicted this. We had already stationed members to protect our wells and farms, not a single member was spared from guard duty. It was useless. Random locations were attacked, houses and even storage shacks.

Where the hell is the reinforcement from the main church?!!

27th

We caught him! We couldn't believe it! Crimson Glade, that bastard. We gave him everything he could ever need. We took care of him when he first came here. We gave him warm food for the cold. Medicine for his sickness. A roof over his head for his heart. All that kindness, all those memories. Yet he used us. That fucking stallion. I raised him. He was basically my own blood, yet he still betrayed us. The fool was caught stealing flint and steel without permission, as well as enough oil to cover the whole damn church. I'm more than shocked that one that is as idiotic as he is, managed to cause so much trouble alone.

I will personally watch his punishment, and the Pope has messaged that he will observe as well.

.

Archbishop Grahm has fallen from poison.

She was a great friend. We had joined the religion on the same day. After spending twelve loyal years, we both rose to Archbishop position. I can still vividly remember the days we spent as two simple friends. Both having lost everything except our names, we were as close as a pair of pony and griffin could be. I will make sure that Crimson Glade receives the proper punishment for this.

October 25th. Thursday.

It's time. After imprisoning Crimson Glade, we've started to recover our damages. He had burned enough food to feed the Ponygal branch for two whole years if we rationed correctly.

On another note, Emerald Light. I've been spending quite a decent amount of time with him. Although some may perceive him as a moron, it couldn't be farther from the truth. He was simply uneducated. He frequently requested books and research materials. He already made great success in brewing the smoke bombs, and he now suggests letting it have some kind of small paralyzing effect. It's impressive. He also suggests having the members get used to the paralyzing effect after he finishes his research, so they wouldn't be affected as much as the others.

I've assigned him together with our smartest members to work with him. I'm sure he'll achieve great success.

October 29th. Monday.

As promised, the Pope has traveled from Saddle Arabia to Ponygal. Today is the day that Crimson Glade will answer for his treachery against our great belief. His punishment will be heavy. I'm truly sorry that I had taken him in. But, I'm even more sorry that he could not see the brightness of our belief.

.

It is done.

Crimson Glade has denied everything, yet the evidence was clear.

.

After a talk with the Pope, I've decided. Emerald Light will ascend to not just Bishop, but an Archbishop as well. The Pope has given his permission, and his ceremony will start at the 7th of November. I'm honestly feeling quite proud. After having spent most of my days after the incidents, I can comfortably call myself his friend. Emerald is a kind soul. Empathetic to others, always understanding their pain. Along with his ambitious and brilliant mind, he will make a great companion.

The east field has been fully restored. Thankfully, we were able to prepare enough for a feast for the Pope's visit.

November 1st. Thursday.

The Pope has invited us to the main church. The last time I was there was eight years ago. I will be going there first to help prepare for Emerald's promotion. Even without my presence, the Ponygal branch should be able to lead themselves with no issue. Even if they couldn't, Emerald is there to lead. I believe that he could do it easily enough. He has already shown himself to be quite capable.

November 6th. Tuesday.

Time has passed by in the blink of an eye. Although the preparations themselves didn't take much time, I was ordered to give a full report to both the Pope and the Cardinals. After recounting the details, I was informed that the other branches were cut off from contact as well. The Archbishops were likely dead.

The Neighpanese branch, I could understand. Neighpan is a relatively small country, not able to house many branches. But, the Roassian branch. It can't exactly be called just a branch. It's a big country after all. It's basically an army, dozens of small branches connect themselves with one big church acting as the main base. Yet, they were all cut off. It could only mean that they're destroyed.

The Cardinals were furious, demanding Crimson Glade to be executed. But the Pope judged that he will be forced to live in the dungeons for the rest of his life aa thorough questioning. It's a worse punishment, but one that was deserved. Still, we all already realized by then. It wasn't just Crimson Glade, there were others. I was foolish to think it was over.

Alas, I can't let this affect my mood. Emerald is one of the very few beings I could depend on, and he's going to be my partner towmorrow, and with his brilliance, I'm sure that we will come out victorious.

November 7th Wednesday.

I seemed to be in a particularly good mood today. A few members have noticed my joy. Emerald has arrived exactly as I instructed him to come, except for one thing. Although he came with the glamour and positivity I had expected, he came alone. Friend of mine, he truly made me worry. What if he had been ambushed on the way?

.

The celebration was grand. His ascension was taken positively by all the members. His thoughtfulness and kindness was greatly appreciated by the Cardinals and the Pope. With gifts pouring in, I gave him something I had thought about for almost a month by now. For one as scholarly as him, a quill made from the tail feather of an adult Phoenix. It was the perfect gift, and he loved it.

Right after the event, a great feast followed. Promoting to an Archbishop is quite a grand feat. To be so dedicated to the role, and to be so helpful to our members. This was truly, only a matter of time before he got the position. I believe, that he will be promoted to a Cardinal soon enough.

November 28th. Wednesday.

Time has passed by quickly. I am now heading back towards the Ponygal branch. Emerald has been placed in one of the bigger branches in Saddle Arabia. Although our distance is great, we will still be able to stay in contact through the crystals, as well as meetings that we could call negotiations. The Pope already knows, but being somepony as merciful as he is, he sees this as a good thing. To raise our morale, and build a good friendship amongst the ranks. I agree with him.

Though this is joyful, a thought has been nagging me. We have not heard anything from the Ponygal branch. Although none of the members have access to either the dragon fire or the contact crystals, I at least expected a messenger to send a report. Well, maybe they were too busy tending to the land.

After a night camping, I will reach the church, along with a group of forty. These many members should suffice. Of course, that would be a vain hope, had Cardinal Breeze not come along. She wanted to see the branch himself, and would interfere if anything serious were to happen.

29th.

It's happened again. When we arrived at the church, it was gone. The bodies were burnt to crisp. The buildings were basically flattened to ash. The church, the main body of a branch. It was covered in blood and scorches. This is a sin. It was as if the place had been pillaged, but I already knew that nothing of true value was taken. Only destroyed.

The contact crystal was missing. The Cardinal has ordered us to return back to Saddle Arabia. We'll sacrifice some sleep, and get over to the main church as fast as possible.

December 5th.

Our group has arrived in one of the small branches in Saddle Arabia. The members, they were poisoned. What was it? It was one of the many branches that couldn't either produce or acquire supplies without the help of the main church.

The Cardinal is furious.

December 14th.

Something has gone very wrong. On our way to the main church, we passed by a dozen branches. They were all poisoned. Like some sickness that traveled through the air, every member we found had died to some kind of it.

Tension has reached an all time high as we double timed it to the main church. Although the Pope is very powerful, if our opponents manage to tire him out as they did me, he may eventually fall. We can NOT, under any circumstances, let harm reach the Pope. He is the hope. Our saviour. The one who had extended a helping hoof when our lives were at rock bottom.

December 20th.

The situation looks grim. We've safely arrived at the main church. After delivering the news of the branches in our way, we settled down. Our food was no longer safe to eat, with having only the emergency food from the Pope's personal supply keeping the higher ups conscious. Despite it's lack of taste, at the very least, it's filling. Physically.

Although I couldn't voice my concerns over the shouting of the Cardinals, I was suspicious of the water. We sampled and even sent a few ponies down to check, we couldn't find anything that would've tampered with it.

And, no. It's not certain. I'm not willing to fully finish this thought. I might finally break if I do.

25th.

Despite investigations and severe questioning, Crimson Glade hasn't broken. And no witnesses were found. And despi

.

Another incident has occurred. An explosion erupted at one of our farms. Emerald and I rushed over to oversee the investigation, and found nothing to note. A spontaneous combustion, with nothing to actually cause it. Though, the lack of evidence suggests it might have been done with either oil or alcohol.

Though, I'm suspicious of one of the Cardinals. They're the only ones capable of obtaining both without permissions or witnesses.

January.

Cardinal Somber Field has been caught with barrels of missing oil and mead. It's ridiculous. I accepted that Crimson Glade was a traitor, only because he was. No, I don't know why I accepted it.

It doesn't matter now. Crimson Glade has died to poison. Nopony knows who gave him the food, nor the water.

The Pope has decided to launch a full investigation. Only the most trusted members are in on the plan. Cardinal Ashen Falls, and Cardinal Fever Dreams. Of course, I'm also in on account of being a direct victim of these attacks. The Pope seems to trust my words more than the Cardinals, as he has easily allowed Emerald to be part of the plan.

.

After a thorough investigation, a total of nineteen members had stolen items, hidden away in their loving quarters. We snuck in during the night, searched through their houses silently. We no longer asked for permission during a time like this.

5 Cardinals, 7 Bishops and 7 Priests. It was wise to only trust a few.

Those traitors have been apprehended. And with the Pope supporting us in battle, the Cardinals were defeated easy enough.

Emerald was a great fighter I found. Although he was a bit sloppy, he definitely has the talent to become a knight of sorts. I do wonder what happened for him to come to our religion. With his talent, he could've gone to any knight school he pleased, and joined the Royal Guards.

Alas, I may never know. I would never wish to force an answer out of him. His circumstances are his to share.

January, 15?

Keeping track of time has been hard. After imprisoning the traitors, only a few high rangers have remained. The Pope, Cardinal Winter Breeze, Cardinal Heavy Heart, me, and Emerald. Apart from just us, no more high ranking members of the church is alive.

Severely lacking in leaders, we're now forced to work more than we eved did. At the very least, a silver lining, the tiniest of lines, of having our branches destroyed. We could just focus on developing and curing the main church.

Feb.

Tired. Just, tired. Nothing else could truly be said. Nothing of noteworthy has commenced during the time I couldn't write.

Late Feb.

Month's almost over. And I've just gotten news that I will be promoted to a Cardinal. Evidence says Emerald will likely be promoted alongside me. Despite it being, not exactly good to promote to such a high rank with another at the same time, I'm fine with it. In fact, I couldn't be happier to ascend with my friend.

Year 36. After Banishment. Or was Equestria using CE? It's March. 15th. Friday.

Ha. I was a fool. A failure.

Four times, Emerald has saved my life. Once, when we first met. Once, from a stray arrow. Once during an attack from a lion. And once more when we captured the Cardinals.

And exactly four cuts, he gave me. I don't know what he values anymore. Emerald, was my friend. Sadly, he was not a pony that existed.

This is my final entry. I'm bleeding out in the dungeons, sitting against the wall, next to Glade.

The situation fitted me perfectly. For the last, nine months, I believe, I've been grasping onto a string made of light from a fire. As soon as that blaze gets doused, my only hope disappears. And that fire was Emerald. Emerald Light. I've always suspected him, deep in my heart I just knew he was the traitor. Yet, I ignored it, hoping I was wrong. Because, if I wasn't, then I'm not sure I would have been alive until now.

I'm seeing dark spots in my vision.

Right now, I'm surprisingly not scared. I feel, empty. With the same quill I had gotten him, I'm using my blood to write this. I suppose I should be happy he has spared me my last moment to leave a mark, evidence that I existed.

I just have one last question left. What was I to do? Even before I joined, what was my purpose? Answer me, dear Harmony, Nightmare Moon, OR EVEN THAT DAMNED CELESTIA. JUST WHY WAS I BORN? WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF ME? JUST TO HOPE THEN DIE? HAS THAT TRULY BEEN PROPHECISED FROM MY BIRTH?!

Ah, well. I'm losing feelings in my body. I hope to join the stars, but I fear even that is an unachievable dream.

-Vain Hope

March 17th.

I see, this was the journal of the deceased Vain Hope. I had been thinking of promoting him to Cardinal for quite some time by now. Well, it doesn't matter.

A monster has appeared. Not a mimicry, ruling over wild and idiotic beasts. But a TRUE monster. He wears a green fur, with eyes that seemed to pierce straight through your soul. With a ghostly white mane and tail, he's managed to topple this elusive Empire that Canis Major has built. I should be ashamed that I had let this happen, by a single, mere mortal without magic no less. But, there's nothing mere about that one.

I had a vision. A merciless beast, something that became hard to even call sentient. A being of pure anger and spite. With it, a twisted horn, deeply embedded on his head. A pair of wings made from leaves, impossible to function. Yet it simply makes him deadlier. He comes for me, but for now, I'm safe. The place that I store this journal will be my own storage. A place that a magicless being can't enter.

I pray to the Moon that I will live to see the end of this day, but I have not received a reply. Not once.

I had lost everything when Canis first came to me, so I will leave the only thing I've gained in life. Goodbye.

-The Pope of the Church of The Night.

"Luna."

*Zap*

Luna jolted slightly as she felt a small tinge of pain on her back. "Ah, right. We are to order a black coffee." She said from reflex.

"What?" Lord Torch asked with a perplexed face from inside a magic mirror.

"I must ask. Iz your head, up in zhe clouds?!" The Prench dignitary asked in slight anger.

"Uh, maybe we should take five." Cadence suggested with an apologetic smile.

"Yak agree! Five hour for meeting! Yaks require lunch!" Prince Rutherford was positive on the idea.

With sounds of agreement from the table, they got up one by one and started to leave the room. Lord Torch having just turned the mirror the other way.

"Are you alright, Luna?" Celestia asked softly.

"I'm fine, dear sister. I'm just reading something I found quite enjoyable." She replied and went ahead, leaving a confused Celestia behind her.

Author's Note

And there you have it. A, somewhat detailed explanation of how Floral managed to destroy the cult.

Thought I should write this at some point. So, what better time to do it if not now. The journal was just mentioned two chapters ago.

Anyways. Thanks for reading!