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Steady Gaze said:
Honestly? We haven’t learned anything new that could help him. And I don’t know what else he could want to tell us. Let’s just hit the ground running tomorrow morning. (Which may involve reviewing the voyage document 😇.)
You tell Moonflower to save her energy; you likely won’t be making any progress with Empyrius until you find a way to properly communicate with him.
Moonflower: “Got’cha! Maybe I can train with Princess Luna tonight. I wanna learn how to share dreams for longer, and with more ponies too.”
You nod, and settle comfortably into bed together. Before going to sleep, however, you decide to take a moment to organize your thoughts. You pull out your guild documents, and review your objectives.
First is the disappearance of pop star Dirt Flaxen: according to your voyage scroll, the stallion was sent on an experimental tour around the Kirin Empire by the Manehattan Music Management company about a moon ago.
Performances were held in a dozen cities along the coast of the Shi-Wan Sea over the course of two weeks. Attendances are described to have been middling at best; and the revenue, barely covering travelling expenses.
As for the order of events, it is written that Dirt Flaxen was present during the cart ride back to the port town of Shui-Ti. Yet, when the time came to board the ship back to Equestria, he was nowhere to be found.
The locals refused to disclose any information as to the whereabouts of the talent, and the company had no choice but to leave without him.
A note from the guildmaster adds that before signing up with Manehattan Music Management, Dirt Flaxen was part of a lesser-known band from Fillydelphia called Halfpipe Avenue.
Moonflower: “Honourshine said there’s lots’a monsters on that island. You think he’s okay?”
You tell Moonflower that if the Kirin know where he is, then there’s a good chance he might be safe. Why they are hiding him in the first place is an entirely different question, and one you intend to find the answer to.
Then, you move on to the next scroll: Honourshine’s quest to discover the origin of the bell you found as fillies. This document is brief, and simply calls for any information related to an unknown race of creatures called Elves.
Seeing as what little knowledge she currently has came from a Dwarf — and how deviant those creatures can be —, you figure that you might need a new source of information altogether.
Moonflower: “You don’t wanna visit the Dwarf kingdom? Maybe we can check out the new Yggdrasil tree shops while we’re there!”
You remind Moonflower that she didn’t offer to pay the dwarf for his knowledge earlier. And from what he’s told you, she wouldn’t have had much of a choice if you were in their kingdom.
Moonflower: “I jus’ don’t think it would’a fit! Maybe they got smaller dwarves down there.”
Perhaps, though you admit that the size was the least of your concerns. Either way, you put your scrolls away, and direct your thoughts beyond Honourshine’s bell and to your personal quests.
Your mysterious origin, for one: several years past, both of you awoke in an orphanage together with no memories other than each other’s names. Yet what could first be dispelled as a simple tragic backstory only seems to grow stranger the more you look into it.
You’ve since learned that you did not merely lose your memories, but rather, that they were taken away from you. Everything points to the grizzled unicorn who is said to have brought you in, and the only pony to have met him is Matron Kindleheart.
Moonflower: “Ooh! Maybe we can go see her when we get back.”
You nod; it has been a while since you’ve seen the matron, and you believe you have grown into somepony she will be proud to meet again.
Finally, your thoughts circle back to the soul of Empyrius trapped in a dream. There is no mistaking it; it is your own cutie mark that is emblazoned on the door to his prison. And yet, you are unsure how his fate relates to your own.
But given your alicorn magic, you have the opportunity to find a way to communicate with him — one you believe Kirinese monks may be able to help you achieve. You can only hope that you are not being misled by who was once called a king of deceit.
Moonflower: “I dunno about him, but that dream is super weird.”
You can’t help but agree. All things considered, you’ll be glad to have nicer dreams tonight, somewhere far from the red glow of the frozen ruins.
And with that in mind, you turn the lights out… but before you can turn to hug your bat pony friend, you begin to feel her trying to pitch a tent under the covers. You playfully ask what she is up to.
Moonflower: “Heehee… I’m gonna need practice if we ever go to the Dwarf kingdom!”
As terrible an excuse as any, you figure, but you decide to play along nonetheless: while your peckish bedmate is preoccupied, you sneakily pull your ring of clone out of your sidereal bag, and…
Moonflower: “Mmph—?!”
You watch the oracle’s luminescent eyes go wide in surprise, then roll back in delight. And when they finally manage to focus onto yours again — some few minutes later —, they are about as full of love as she is.
After climbing on top of you for a long goodnight kiss, your younger friend nuzzles into your neck, and holds you close until the soft embrace of sleep claims you both…
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