Title:           [SB] Conniving Cultists [Chapter 4]
Author:          Thy_Carpenter
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/e9Qk8Rzj
First Edit:      Sunday 29th of January 2017 07:51:02 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Sunday 29th of January 2017 07:51:02 PM CDT

CHAPTER 4: THE PONYVILLE PREDICAMENT
>The town is about a mile away.
>Through the journey, the pain in your shoulder has progressively subsided, and you’re walking like normal again.
>You slip the bandana off, revealing a cleanly sealed wound.
>Either ponies have amazing constitution, or this must be another demonic perk.
>A sign reading “Welcome to Ponyville!” greets you at the border of town.
>This is the place, that’s for certain. Now, where to start investigating this cult? You don’t have much time until dusk...
>A rumbling from your belly cuts that thought short.
>Deciding you can ponder it over a meal, you head into town.
>Soon enough you find yourself in the center of a stall market.
>A brightly colored stand has a variety of good looking fruits for sale.
>You approach and begin combing the wares with your eyes for what would make for a tasty meal.
>”Hiya there, I’m Fruit Tree, what can I getcha?”
“I’ve got a bit of a sweet tooth right now, what can you recommend?”
>”Mangos are high in sugar, and have been rather popular recently.”
>”Psst, nothing’s sweeter than an apple, sugarcube.”
>You turn to your side and see an orange pony with a rancher’s hat.
“Err, can I help you?”
>”Hm? Oh, no don’t mind me. I was just returning to my stall to sell some sweet, delectable apples.”
>”Applejack, we’ve talked about this before, leave my customers alone or I’ll have to call the guard again.”
>”That won’t be necessary, this pony here just told me she was going to buy some apples, didn’tya sweetie?”
“I’m afraid I haven’t said anything like that.”
>”See, there you go again! You’re trying to steal my customers and you aren’t even trying to hide it anymore!”
>”Am not!”
>”Grrr! That’s it, I’m calling the guard and filing a complaint to Mayor Mare!”
>”You’d best rethink that, sugarcube, this here is a free economy!”
>Feeling the air between them heat, you elect to slowly slip away while they’re distracted.
>Looking around, Sugar Cube Corner sounds like a good enough place.
>Slipping inside and closing the door behind you the bickering can no longer be heard.
>Turning, you find yourself in a candy themed bakery.
>You approach the counter and begin eying the various confections on display.
>That cupcake made out of doughnuts sure looks good.
>A disinterested looking pink mare sits behind the counter, seemingly lost in thought.
“Hello there, I’d like to order please.”
>The mare slowly looks to you, with a hint of confusion.
“I’d like that doughnut cupcake there, plea-”
>”You’re…”
>You raise an eyebrow, allowing her to continue.
>”Nevermind, my mind has been clouded lately. That will be 3 bits please.”
>Reaching into your saddlebag, you retrieve 3 coins and place them on the counter, where a wrapped parcel waits.
“Thanks.”
>You spot a small table and you sit down to eat.
>Your map is laid on the table, and it zooms and centers over the town of Ponyville
>A few points of interest catch your attention.
>Sugar Cube Corner, where you are now, Twilight’s Castle to the North, Sweet Apple Acres on the Western outskirts of town, and the Everfree Forest to the South East.
>You make a note to check in with this Twilight; maybe she could provide you with a room for tonight.
>A bite out of your treat makes your eyes widen and a smile form.
>Man, whatever’s in this is great, you feel energetic!
>A couple of rundowns of the map gives your mind a layout of the town and a few places to investigate next.
>Looking out the window at the sunset, you decide it’d be best to make those investigations in the morning.
>The map is put into your saddlebag and you happily eat the last bite of your meal before heading towards the door.
>”Wait… You’re…”
>Your attention is turned to the mare behind the counter, who seems to be struggling to remember something.
“I’m… what?” you ask with a slight cock of your head
>”You’re” Her eyes gleam and an ecstatic look covers her face “NEW IN TOWN!”
“Wha… Why yes, yes I am-”
>The mare bounds over the counter and before you can blink her sparkling eyes are mere inches from yours.
>”OhMyGoshIHaven’tSeenAnyoneNewInTownInForever!”
“Woah woah, hey now, slow it down, use your words.”
>”We haven’t had anypony new come to town in forever! Well, not forever but in a few weeks which seems like forever to me! The only thing ponies have been doing around here lately is leaving!”
“Leaving? Why’s that?”
>”Well, no-one knows, but it all happened around the time that… Twilight… left.”
>Her stance slumps and that spark in her eyes has disappeared.
>”I… I’m sorry. Twilight has been gone for such a long time, and nopony knows why.”
“The same Twilight that owns that castle to the North?”
>”Yeah… She left without a trace, and soon others did the same. Most ponies seem to believe that she’s left us here to fend for ourselves, but that can’t be right… it just can’t be… can it?”
“I-I’m sure she’s just fine. She’s probably just missed a train on the way back is all; they aren’t all too reliable in my experience.”
>”Missed a train… yeah, that’s all, she’s just missed a train.” her eyes trail off into deep thought and she sits down.
“Don’t you worry, I’ll find her, I promise you that.”
>She doesn’t look up, and begins murmuring something unintelligible.
>Believing it to be for the best, you quietly make your way outside, where the sun is just starting to dip below the horizon.
>The market is quiet as the salesponies pack their goods up for the night and begin to head home.
>Glancing to Fruit Tree’s stall, it’s completely empty and she’s nowhere to be seen.
>Looking to the north, you see a large crystalline castle with some rather abstract architecture.
>You begin heading over, taking the streets you saw on the map.
>Soon enough, you’re at two enormous gold doors.
>How the surrounding gem could hold those heavy doors without immediately shattering is beyond anything you could think of.
>Your hoof makes three echoing knocks… which go unanswered.
>A few hefts against the door on the right leads to it opening slowly, letting what sunlight remains cut into a large entrance room.
>Gazing in, the corridor-
>Oh shit, the door’s still swinging on its hinge!
>You cringe in anticipation of the door hitting the crystal wall, which it does so with a loud CRACK
>Hoping it didn’t leave a mark, you pull the door back, causing small shards of crystal to fall from their places in the wall as spiderweb cracks cover the impact zone.
>That was like that when you got here.
>Hiding the damage from any outside passersby, you close the door.
>Turning, the foyer before you is made up almost entirely of crystal, with golden accents and royal looking banners.
>A grand looking staircase is the centerpiece of the room, with light filtering through the walls and gently lighting it.
>Ascending them, they circle around the trunk of the tree and lead into the canopy.
>You stand at the end of a corridor adorned with numerous doors that remind you of a certain door portaling trope.
>At the end appears to be a meeting room of sorts.
“Hello? Anybody home?”
>Your voice echoes, resonating slightly as it bounces.
>Slowly trotting onwards, you notice a few doors are open.
>Despite how large the castle is, and that there should at least be staff around, the only one here seems to be you.
>Finally arriving at the end of the corridor, the room has six ornate thrones gathered around a large round table.
>There’s something odd about that table, akin to a gut feeling of sorts, but more tangible.
>You cautiously approach it.
>A low hum is heard, and the table lights up as something takes form atop of it.
>It appears to be some kind of geometric pattern that slowly grows in size.
>After enough of it forms, you can tell clearly now that it’s a honeycomb.
>Several colored dots appear in various cores, and lines flash and dart from core to core between them.
>The air around you seems to be… charging?
>The crystal in the center of the table glows brightly and hums erratically before discharging arcs of energy violently in dozens of different directions around the room
>Instinctively you duck and cover as the room takes on a static taste and the echo from the commotion suddenly dies.
>Slowly you rise and try to piece together what the hell just happened.
>The crystal sits physically undamaged, though it’s now a darker color and that odd feeling from before is gone.
>A few daring prods with your hoof confirms that the crystal fried itself.
>At least you presume, you’re not a crystologist.
>It seems like all you’ve done in this castle is break things so far.
>Maybe you should just call it a day and find a bed for the night.
>At the thought of a bed your body slackens, tired from all it’s been through today.
>After peeking into some more rooms in the corridor, you find a small guest room and shut the door behind you.
>A yawn escapes your lips as you lay your saddlebag on a nearby chair and snuggle into bed.
>Before drifting off to sleep, you think about what that table could have meant.
>Hopefully it didn’t mean that the nearby cult was made of bees.