"[SB] Conniving Cultists [Chapter 9]"
By Thy_Carpenter (https://pastebin.com/u/Thy_Carpenter)

URL: https://pastebin.com/0ErGu9Jw
Created on: Sunday 26th of March 2017 09:03:53 PM CDT
Retrieved on: Friday 30 of October 2020 12:58:01 PM UTC


Chapter 9: That Little Voice
>You’re pulled as if suspended from a string and there’s a prodding on your shoulder as you blink awake.
>Myst lightly shakes you as Twilight watches from beside her.
>Myst lets out a sigh of relief, “Good, you’re awake. You were starting to worry me when Twilight woke before you.”
“We decided we could hit the snooze button.”
>”We? Oh, please tell me you and Twilight didn’t merge minds.”
[This is… I don’t feel good.]
>In your mind, you talk,
{What are you doing? We’re talking in third person now.}
[You… We? I’m. I’m not sure. Our minds are conflicting, but we can feel our minds adapting.]
“We’re just recovering from our minds intertwining. Our mind will soon be back to normal.”
>”Anon, what are you talking about? Our minds were only in contact with one another for a short time, not anywhere long enough to have any identity conflictions.”
“Our mind is more susceptible to such an occurrence than yours.”
>A purple field envelops you, holding you still.
>”Then how come you were able to identify my mind from yours right there? Something’s not right.”
”We have told you, our mind was not prepared for such an occurrence, our mind was not strong enough.”
>”Anon, you’re not making any sense here,” Myst adds in, “the minds of demons are highly developed, that’s why the hivemind wanted you specifically as a new host.”
[Can you feel it, Anon? Our minds are adapting to one another quickly.]
{Not quickly enough, they know something is wrong and I can’t bluff it from here.}
>”Hold still, I’m going to scan you to find out what’s wrong.”
>There’s a tingling from your rear, and a look reveals a magical wall moving slowly up your body.
“I-I’m fine! S-see? I’m back to talking normally now, that demon mind of mine recovered quick as lightning!”
>In an attempt to avoid it, you try to move your head, only to have it moved back into place gently, yet firmly by magic.
>Your head is filled with a swirling sensation as the magic passes through it, which turns red in response.
>”I-I don’t believe it! The hivemind has managed to not only survive, but plant itself into Anon’s head!”
[Bluff, claim I have contaminated her magic.]
{I can’t do that. Although it might get me out of this, I’m not having you hide in the back of my head for all eternity.}
“That’s because I allowed it asylum in my head.”
>The two of them gasp in shock, and your restraints pull you flat to the ground.
>”Myst, we need to prepare a greater banishing rite. I’ll need you to draw up a circle, then I’ll imbue raw magic into it.”
>Myst pauses for a second and looks into your eyes before grabbing out some chalk.
“Listen, I’m still in a sane state of mind; I’ve only let the hivemind share my brain, not control it!”
>”And why would Anon ever agree to that?” asks Myst, having completed a basic circle around you.
“I’ll let the hivemind tell you the same thing that it told me.”
{Go ahead, I’ll let you talk now.}
“/You never let me finish my explanation from earlier. I was given one goal, survive, and no constraints when I was thrown into this world. In order to learn your morals, I had to move on from pure instinct and obtain a host./”
>”So why didn’t you stop with just me?”
“/Because you were a single sample. Your minds were confusing to navigate at first, and every mind is unique. With just a few, I could not know that the standards each individual held themselves to were the normal standards. I noticed trends, but a few times I obtained someone with morals that were radically different from the rest. I had to take these into account./”
>”So why didn’t you stop when you had enough to create a baseline?”
>At this point the circle has more intricate details and is nearly finished.
“/Because I had no reason to. Philosophy was something I never had, and when introduced, made survival more difficult. You ponies were able to survive without harming one another, but in order for me to survive, I needed minds… that is, until I met Anonymous./”
>Myst produces a bag of salt and lines the base circle with it.
>”How does Anon fit into this? You wanted to take her over as your new host.”
“/Anon’s mind is incredibly powerful, owing to her being a demon. I wanted to have her as my new host, as it was the next logical choice in my survival. However, you, Twilight, were able to momentarily displace my control over you in order to free Anon by using something I had disregarded this entire time: emotion. As Anon escaped and proceeded to combat me, I looked into what was powerful enough to override me./”
>”So you tried to find a way to weaponize emotion?”
>The circle is complete at this point and a silver nugget is procured from a nearby shelf by Myst.
“/At first, yes. I experimented with emotion, at first slowly, methodically, but as Anon came closer and closer to separating me from you, I couldn’t control it. Fear overcame me and other emotions soon followed. As the emotions flowed over me, I realised they were yours, Twilight. I felt everything. The horror of the situation... the stress you felt when fighting me the entire way knowing one slip up could be your last beared down like the Earth; the depression when you began to weaken and noticed just how small the area was in your mind you still had control of, and words cannot properly explain the feelings of violation, sacrilege, as I invaded the most intimate part of you, your mind, and twisted it and defiled it for my own purpose. Even now I feel sick./”
>A wave of emotions washes through you and they flow freely.
“/For what it’s worth, Twilight, I’m truly, truly sorry. Anon has offered to try and teach me about emotion, about morals, dogmas, and has freely allowed me to share her mind to do so. If you wish to banish me…. I cannot say I blame you./”
>Twilight is completely still, though her eyes make miniscule movements, scanning you, looking to see if this is genuine.
>A tear falls from her eye.
>And another.
>Her magical grip on you ceases, and she rushes toward you, kicking the salt circle and smearing chalk as she does so.
>She grabs onto you and hugs you, her tears streaming down her face and onto your back as she holds you tight.
>“I-I… I forgive you,” she whispers, hardly audible.
“/Thank you./”
>Time could not be measured for as long as she held you in her embrace.
>Myst stood patiently, and you’re certain you saw tears fall from her honey cheeks.
>Twilight loosens her grip and backs up, tears still in her eyes and smiles as she offers you her hoof.
[It’s back to you, Anon.]
>Taking the hoof, she helps you up onto all fours.
>”Let’s get out of here. I think we’ve learned something today.”
>The three of you head for the exit when you stop with a strange itch in the back of your mind.
“Wait a minute. The princesses gave me a contract,” with a thought it materialises before the three of you, and you point to it, “Anonymous shall, within reason, preserve as much of the aforementioned cult's writings as reasonably possible, and deliver them to the Royal Esoteric Containment Archives.”
>”Cult? But there’s no cult.”
“The princesses thought that the hivemind’s conversion behavior was a cult, we’re the only ones that know differently.”
>Twilight thinks for a second before speaking.
>”They’re all preserved, and there’s never any detail on when they have to be delivered. We’ll have a guard unit come by later to pick them up.”
“Sounds good to me.”
>The three of you walk out of the room and exit the ruins.
>As you march on, the Everfree is dead silent, and not a creature is to be seen as you soon find yourselves at the edge of the forest bordering Ponyville.
>The brightness causes you to blink as your eyes adjust to the daylight.
>On the horizon a train is seen approaching the town.
>Looking down on your companions, you soon realise that you’re undisguised.
>Cracking of bones startle the two of them who look over to see you in your previous disguise.
>Twilight looks on, curious before shaking her head and refocusing.
>”That’s the Canterlot express in the distance, we can make it if we hurry.”
>A quick run through the streets of Ponyville results in several strange looks from passersby, but you pay them no mind as you make it to the station with only a minute to spare.
>”Tickets please,” the ticketmaster asks of you.
>”Official princess business, we need to get to Canterlot.”
>The ticketmaster looks at Twilight in surprise before bowing his head.
>”Go right ahead, Princess.”
>”ALL ABOARD!” calls the conductor.
>Boarding the train, a bell clangs several times before the train takes off toward the Mountains.
>During the ride Myst and yourself share with Twilight the story of how the two of you met and saved her.
>Every now and again the hivemind cuts into the story and apologises.
>Twilight is about to share with you two how she became the host when a whistle signals you’ve arrived in Canterlot.
>Your trio disembark and you end up retracing the steps you used to get out of the city.
>Arriving at the castle and passing through the portcullis, the guards ahead of you bow and open the grand doors.
>Twilight takes the lead at this point and it’s not long before you reach two large doors, which a noble pony exits from.
>He passes the three of you and raises his head that much more at the sight of you.
>The two guards open the door and you pass through, coming to a stop before the Princesses on their throne.
>Twilight bows, and you do so also.
>Myst follows in suit, though you can tell she does it reluctantly.
>Celestia nods to the guards and they exit the room.
>The doors close and a golden aura surrounds them for a second.
>”Twilight Sparkle, Anonymous, and… Runic Shield, if memory serves me right. You’ve managed to disrupt the cult in a matter of two days. It seems as though we did get the best of the best,” speaks Celestia.
>You cock an eyebrow at Myst before speaking.
“It would seem as though your intelligence was off about it being a cult.”
>“Praytell thee, what was it?” inquires Luna
“A hivemind that took Twilight as a host and tried to take my mind as the new one.”
>”You were able to banish a hivemind on your own?”
>”She had some help,” adds in Myst.
“It also helped that we settled on sharing my mind.”
>The princesses seem to do a double take on that, meanwhile you feel a shiver go through your body as a familiar ghostly form manifests beside you.
>”Hark! Tellest the reasoning behind your deception!”
[Using information I gained from Twilight, I’ve figured out how to use your magic to project an avatar of myself; I hope you don’t mind.]
>There’s a quick flash from Celestia’s horn and her demeanor softens as she reaches a hoof onto her sister’s shoulder to calm her.
>”Please, do explain.”
>The Hivemind starts, “It all started with my initial manifestation…”
…
…
…
>”... And that’s when the four of us left for here.”
>The two sisters sit for a moment, analyzing the tale they’ve just been told.
>”Dear Sister, do you believe they tellest the truth?”
>”I believe it’s the truth, that I have no doubt of. What we must think of is what will become of them.”
>”We’ve already agreed what we would do at the terminance of their contract, we--”
>”That was before we made the contract,” with a glimmer of her horn the contract appears, “We cannot back out of this.”
>”Anonymous,” Celestia continues, “Although you did not take care of a cult, as was detailed in the contract, there was never one to begin with. As such, your terms were always completed, and you could have left without contractual repercussion as soon as you had realised this was the case. Seeing as you did not, contrary to what any other demon would have done, we will honor the contract on another level by declaring that all terms have been completed.”
>The scroll’s terms gain a crossout through the terms you were to complete, while the terms regarding your success remain untouched, after which the scroll rolls up and dematerialises.
>”So that’s it? After all I have done to your subjects, you brush it off like that?/”
>”We never said we were turning a completely blind eye,” replies Celestia, “for now we’re trusting you to the care of Anonymous, though we’ll be keeping an eye on you. We’ll invite you back to the castle from time to time to check up on your progress; for now you’re free to go about as you please. You’ll be awarded funds to help you in your endeavors upon leaving the castle.”
“Thank you, your majesties,” you say with a bow.
>The doors open and the four of you leave.
>The group stops at the grand foyer.
>Twilight speaks first.
>”It’s been one heck of an adventure, but all adventures must come to an end,” a yawn escapes her muzzle, “I’m going to rest here for the remainder of the evening and head to Ponyville in the morning. Should you ever pass through Ponyville in your travels, you’re always welcome to visit.”
>She gives each one of you a hug before disappearing into the castle.
>You meet eyes with Myst.
>”Anonymous, we would have never made it out of this ordeal like we did without each other. I’ve never really had a partner, but there’s a first for everything; that is, if you’re up for it.”
“A demon joining forces with one of, if not the best, hunters to keep Equestria safe from all things evil? There’s nothing I’d love more. How about it, Hivemind?”
>”I’ve got the same mindset as you one this one, literally and metaphorically.”
>The three of you smile.
>And so the hunter, the demon, and the hivemind left Canterlot Castle, becoming the best hunting squadron that Equestria had ever seen.