>Instead of waking up somewhere in the middle row of pews, you found you were standing next to Nightmare Moon as she addressed the new faithful.
>As the last one to fall asleep, you only caught the tail end of her opening words.
 
>"... praise unto me, who shall deliver you from the uncertainties of the future."
 
>She stopped and turned toward you with a calm look of neutrality.
 
>"I was just explaining to them who I was, Anonymous. Now that you are here, will you aide me in inducting these novitiates to the order of things?"
 
>While you knew that it was pretty much an order to help her, the fact she cared enough to phrase it like that made you giddy.
>Bowing before her glorious form, you responded without hesitation.
 
"Of course, your holiness."
 
>The church was no longer as empty as it felt before.
>Looking over the rows of pews, you could see the new initiates were scattered throughout the familiar faceless mob of illusions.
>They were clearly defined, and easy to pick out against the backdrop of blur as the few things with detail.
>You could spot Crossed Crenellations in a back row, but not her compatriot.
 
>It was apparent they were all disturbed by their surroundings, but not in a horrified way.
>Much like your first visit here, they must feel right at home, but simply can't explain why.
>Some looked around trying to come to an understanding, while others jut kept their attention on you and Nightmare Moon.
 
>To be standing up here with your Goddess was a pleasure you had never known would taste so sweet.
>You were jumping for joy and screaming praise from the tops of mountains in your mind.
>It truly was a dream come true right now.
>Doing a very lazy headcount as you pranced about in your thoughts, it seemed to come out correct.
>Esoteric Architecture was probably somewhere in the crowd.
>They were all asleep anyways when you used the book, no sense doubting the reach of Nightmare's magic.
 
>What were you doing again?
 
>Oh, right, you needed to collect donations.
>The box sort of materialized in your hands as you thought about it.
>Giving the wood a light squeeze, you stepped down from the dais and presented it to one of the illusions.
>She took it gracefully from your hands, muttering a garbled mess of words that was probably a 'thank you', and dropped some bits into it.
 
>Eager to return to Nightmare Moon's side, you power walked back up the steps and turned on your heel.
>Sparing a glance at her as the box started to get passed around, you could see she was somewhat spaced out.
>Her normally intense glare replaced with a sort of wandering look as she stared into the distance.
 
>Leaning toward her, you attempted to reached out and poke her.
>She herself told you to stop being so afraid of doing anything, but you couldn't help but think you didn't have any right to lay a finger on divinity.
>Quickly retracting your hand, you settled for a hushed whisper.
 
"Your grace, is everything alright?"
 
>Her eyes widened a bit as she turned toward you.
 
>"It's nothing. I am just not used to seeing such an actual crowd of ponies here before."
 
>Your heart melted a little bit at that revelation.
>Such a kind and merciful soul was denied the proper adulation she deserved for so long.
>Smiling brightly at her, you put a hand across your heart.
 
"No matter how many or little we may number, your holiness, know that I shall always stand at your side. I am but your humble servant, now and forever."
 
>Nightmare Moon said nothing as she stared at you with an unreadable expression.
>You made sure that there wasn't a single trace of doubt or deception in your words, truly wishing only the best for your Goddess.
>As you kept smiling on, you could see a faint shadow of her own smile as she turned her head away from you.
>She kept her voice low as she looked over the crowd, addressing it only to you.
 
>"We shouldn't keep the congregation waiting much longer. Why don't you introduce them to the first chapter?"
 
>Everything seemed to be getting better and better today, your beaming grin already stretched as far as it could go.
>Grasping your copy of the holy scriptures from thin air, you opened to the first page.
>Holding it open in your left hand, you cleared your throat to get their attention.
 
"I would like you all to please take a book from the seat in front of you, or from the pocket underneath you for the first row."
 
>Again, just like your first visit, they went along with everything as if it were the most natural thing to them.
>After doing a few cursory scans to see if everybody had a book, you prepared to launch into the beginning of the scriptures.
 
"If you would please turn to the first page of the holy text, I will begin reading."
 
>Waiting for the sound of turning pages to subside, you began.
 
"In the beginning, there was the Moon, and the Moon was with the Goddess, and the Moon was the Goddess..."
 
>Come to think of it, this was your first time actually reading through the book.
>While your recollection was hazy of your earlier time spent here, you could remember the knowledge was gifted to you instead of taught.
>Dividing your attentions between reading and watching the novitiates, you could see they were all completely hypnotized by your words.
 
>Stepping forward, you stated to walk around the church.
>If they took any notice of the shifting of your voice as you moved, they hid it very well.
>Passing right by one pony on the end of a row, you quickly waved a hand in front of her face.
 
>There was no visible reaction, her unblinking eyes utterly fixated on the book in front of her.
>You made sure to pass by Crossed to see if she would take notice of you.
>Just like the other pony however, she too was completely lost in the words.
 
>Taking large, exaggerated steps, you circled around the pews like shark as you read.
>You should have plenty of time to get a modest portion of scriptures in their head.
>Looking back up to Nightmare Moon, you caught her eye for a few moments.
>She gave you a little nod to continue before going back to calmly observing.
 
>Time was meaningless as you continued your endless rotation.
>The church had such an odd tranquilizing effect that only seemed to grow the longer you were exposed to it.
>As the hours rolled by you gradually started slowed down.
>Your earlier enthusiasm had broken down into a strong contentment, leaving you wishing to just melt into a puddle and do nothing as you stared aimlessly off into space.
 
>You let the sounds of clanging bells and the gospel choir fill the empty air as you leaned against a column.
 
>The arm that held the holy book so steady started to droop as you fought the intense desire to lay down.
>Unlike you, the novitiates were still energetically going at the text even after you stopped reading.
>Nightmare Moon was busy watching over her new flock of disciples, examining their progress from her pulpit and occasionally reading a passage or two out loud.
 
>As far as everything was concerned, you had done your job of kicking off the service well enough.
>You too wanted to help them come to the proper understanding of your Goddess' splendor, but you just didn't want to move.
>Slumping down further against the column, you chastised yourself.
 
>Where was the fire you were supposed to be showing?
>Was this the extent you were willing to push yourself for Her?
 
>Gnashing your teeth, you fought against the feelings of tranquility that had been seeping into your body.
>Pushing away from your support, you stumbled forward a few steps.
>You had to continue on with the great work, and help to build up the clergy.
 
>There was a familiar sensation of being caught in magic as you were lifted off the ground.
>Trying to fight against it, you were floated over to Nightmare Moon.
>Despite your struggles, you were laid down on the steps leading up to her.
>Trying to get up just had you gently shoved back down again with more magic.
 
>"Shhh, let me handle the rest of this. You will take charge of their training outside of the dream."
 
>You wanted to protest, but her sweet words drained all the fight out of you.
>Vowing to make up for your weakness when the dream ended, you relax and let the tension slough off you.
>Looking at her upside down, she gave you that tiny smile again as you turned toward the ceiling.
>Letting yourself be lulled by the choir, you stared aimlessly into the distance as time continued to fly by, utterly lost in peace.
 
>You were eventually broken from your trance by being hauled to your feet with magic.
 
>"I believe they have gleaned enough to be called faithful. Their time of formal initiation is here."
 
>Flailing your arms a bit to maintain balance after Nightmare Moon set you down, you stood at her side as she called the first of the recruits up to the altar.
>To keep things moving quickly, the illusionary crowd had been dispersed.
>It was then that the troublesome tranquility had started to rot into dread.
 
>You counted the number of ponies left again and again, disbelieving.
>It was a difficult prospect to swallow, but no matter how many times you tried it always came out to thirteen ponies.
>There was a sinking feeling in your gut, and you could feel yourself pale.
>Suddenly you didn't want to stand so close to your Goddess anymore.
 
>This was a grievous oversight by you.
 
>There was one missing from the flock.
>One pony who you neglected to feed the poisoned drink.
>Was it coincidence, or a clever ploy from Esoteric to try and avoid the same fate as Crossed?
>No matter what it was, the implications of her escaping were bad.
 
>As much as you wished to try and solve the problem without informing Nightmare Moon, you knew that hiding it would only serve to damn you further.
>It was with great trepidation you leaned over to her as the first initiate stepped forward.
 
"Y-your holiness, th-there's a problem."
 
>Damnation, you couldn't keep the nervousness out of your voice.
>Her placid look quickly shifted into one of constrained anger.
>She quickly whispered back to you as the pony kneeled in front of her.
 
>"You will explain this problem, now."
 
>Nightmare Moon touched the tip of her horn against the mare's head, a small flash of light sparking from the point of impact.
>There was a sharp inhalation from the pony before she stood back up in awe at her divinity.
>Nightmare Moon was not in a mood for wide-eyed wonder however, and quickly pushed her away with magic to keep the line moving.
 
>In the moments between blessings, you tried to explain as much as you could.
 
"One of the two you cornered is not here. I think they had feigned passing out to escape notice."
 
>You winced as she fought a losing battle to not bare her fangs in fury.
>After quickly bestowing her blessing on the next initiate, she turned toward you.
 
>"This is your failure, Anonymous. I will expect you to rectify this immediately once we are done here."
 
>It looked like she had a lot more to say about the situation, but kept herself restrained.
>Whether it was because of your previous service or a desire to not lose her temper in front of the rest of the ponies, you could not say.
>All you knew was that you were thankful for her consideration.
 
>It was a tense few minutes as she quickly went through the rest of the blessings.
>Her with a deep scowl, and you with your head hung in shame.
>You had grown complacent with her words of praise earlier, which only made your failure cut so much deeper.
>Ruining what should have been a moment of triumph rubbed extra salt into the wound.
 
>Part of you wanted to beg for forgiveness, and pray that she would absolve you.
>Yet in your heart, you knew that the only way to clean yourself of this black mark was to recapture the lost pony.
>Only then could you throw yourself to your knees and beg.
 
>Once the last novitiate passed through, they were all shunted from the dream.
>With their disappearance, Nightmare Moon was free to direct her wrath upon you.
>Her magic seized you by the collar, throwing you to the ground as she dragged you toward her.
>You could only accept whatever punishment she deemed to mete out for your failures, resigning yourself to your fate.
 
>Her hesitation was almost palpable as she saw you yield completely.
 
>Nightmare Moon made a few motions as if to slam you against something, but always stopped short of following through with anything.
>Eventually she just shoved you on your back and released her grip.
>She looked even more frustrated than before as you stared up at her.
 
>"As unworthy as you are of the title, I still must ordain it upon you for this quest."
 
>She jerked her head to signal you to come before her.
>With unwavering obedience, you followed her orders and kneeled down.
>Not so gently, she placed her horn against your forehead.
>Keeping silent as the sharp tip pressed against your flesh, you kept your eyes low.
 
>"You are to lead my disciples, and use them to further my cause by any means necessary."
 
>Your face was solemn, but inside you were relieved.
>This was your chance for redemption, and prove yourself once again to her.
>You will allow nothing to further tarnish your name or her glory.
>Resolutely meeting her angry gaze, you showed her your determination.
 
>Nightmare Moon lifted her horn from your head and took a few steps back, her scowl fading slightly.
 
>"Now rise, Reverend, and repent for your sins."
 
>Your despair had hardened into purpose and steel.
>Standing up straight and tall, you accepted your new title and responsibilities.
>After giving her a quick bow, you were forcefully shunted from her dream.
 
>Blinking away the bleariness as you woke, you found yourself feeling sore.
>Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to fall asleep sitting like you were, but there wasn't anything you could do about that now.
>The scattered bodies of your new charges were silent and still.
>Their only sign of life was the rise and fall of their chests.
 
>Gripping the stage to haul yourself upward, you walked over to the closest one and nudged her with your foot.
>After a few seconds, you crouched down and shook her a few times.
>You got a response from that, a few groaning sounds as she started to move her limbs.
 
>Moving on, you repeated the process with all the others around you.
>One by one they stirred from their deep slumber, and pushed themselves off the ground.
>Looking at the sky, you could see the sun had made already made quite a descent.
>Briskly walking to the edge of the barrier, you confirmed your suspicions.
>Both Crossed and Esoteric were nowhere to be seen.
 
>Examining the edges of where the force field once was, you could see it had run out of magic at some point.
>At least, that's what you could extrapolate with your limited knowledge of the arcane.
>It seemed far more likely it would fail after a couple of hours than the earth pony Esoteric somehow dispelling or breaking it.
 
>Taking a sharp breath of air, you rested your hands on top of your head.
 
>You had intended to elevate Crossed to be your lieutenant in valor and wickedness, but who knows where Esoteric dragged her off too?
>At the sound of hoofsteps, you looked behind you.
>They had all organized themselves neatly, standing with rapt attention toward you.
 
>You could recall that once you had been freed from the first dream, you continued to act normal for a while.
>Only after time and a repeat visit had you had been properly awaken to your purpose in Nightmare Moon's scheme.
>Here, the ponies all stood in obedience to you, as if they all knew of your recent promotion.
 
>Perhaps without Nightmare Moon around, they naturally thought of you as their leader.
>You were the one to approach and gather them, after all.
>Whatever the reason was, it seemed like they would obey your commands.
 
>One, two, three, four...
 
>Twelve.
 
>You couldn't help but smirk.
 
>The voice of the Goddess, attended to by twelve disciples.
 
>Chuckling to yourself, you waved them over to your side.
>They crowded all crowded in front you as they arranged themselves in a semicircle.
>Curiosity got the better of you, and you couldn't help but test their responsiveness.
 
"Be seated."
 
>Almost in unison, they sat down.
>Fighting against your growing grin, you issued another command.
 
"Stand."
 
>Just as before, they were nearly coordinated in getting up.
 
"Jump."
 
>This time there was a brief hesitation, some of them turning toward each other before hopping.
>Covering your smile with a hand, you took notice of their delayed response.
>It seemed their obedience wasn't as strong as you thought.
>Nevertheless, it was sufficient enough for now.
>There was probably some doubt that lingered in their minds that kept them from being fully committed to serving the Lady.
 
>It was your task was to lead them down the path of devotion, and drive away the fog of their uncertainty.
>Right now though, you had a more pressing task.
 
"Do any of you know the residences of our dearest sisters Crossed and Esoteric?"
 
>There was a brief buzz of chatter between the twelve as they quickly consolidated their knowledge.
>Once they finished deliberating, one spoke up at random.
 
>"I believe they both lived near the bakery."
 
>That was... helpful, you supposed.
>It was at least a starting point for the search.
 
"Anybody have a more specific location?"
 
>Another voice quickly spoke up.
 
>"I don't know the exact address, but I've talked with Esoteric a few times before. I should know her house when I see it."
 
>Nodding toward the general direction of the voice, you turned sharply on your heel and moved out of the cover of the trees.
>The twelve fell in line behind you, filling the empty air with a low hum of idle chatter.
>Trying to listen in, you could pick up a few bits and pieces of different conversations.
 
>"I hope they're alright."
 
>"What do you think all that was for?"
 
>"Did you get that letter from your parents?"
 
>Looking back up at the sun, you could see you still had plenty of daylight to burn.
>Pushing the noise of the conversations out of your head, you let yourself slip away into the dream.
>As you floated around the ether of the void, you held out hope Nightmare Moon would come to visit you.
 
>Despite your best wishes, you were left cold and alone all the way to the entrance of town.
>Unwilling to bear it any longer, you shamefully let go of the dream.
>You would have to live without her magnificent presence until you corrected your mistake.
>Clenching your hand into a fist, you grew ever more scornful of the pony who made a fool of you.
 
>Picking up the pace, you went up and down the streets until one of your novices finally spoke up.
 
"This one!"
 
>Following the direction of her outstretched hoof, you walked up to the door and tried to open it.
>Surprisingly enough, it was unlocked.
>You motioned for the rest of your followers to accompany you inside.
 
>It was a mess inside.
>Some chairs had been knocked over and there were a few shards of ceramic from where a plate fell.
>Pillows from the sofa against the wall were strewn haphazardly around.
>The rest of the furniture looked like it was pushed out of the way by somebody in great haste.
>Confident it was just you and your initiates here, you started picking through the clutter.
 
"Someone watch the door."
 
>You jerked a thumb toward the entrance as the ponies spread out across the room.
>Heading down a random hallway, you kept your eyes open.
>Eventually you came across a staircase.
>After making your way upstairs, you started looking through each room.
>Soon you found what you believed to be Esoteric's bedroom, if the bed was any indication.
>Some drawers had been opened and sloppily emptied, and there was paper strewn everywhere.
 
>Picking up a sheet of paper, you idly looked over it.
>It was just a rough sketch of building plans.
>Going to the desk where the paper trail lead to, you could see a puddle of ink dripping off the side of the table.
>Kicking away the fallen ink well, you started going through the rest of the scattered papers.
 
>It was all nothing more than blueprints for various structures, most of which seemed to make no sense.
>Some of them were even optical illusions, making you immediately toss them away.
>The only thing of interest underneath the mass of papers were a few bits lying around.
 
>You were about to start going through the rest of her stuff before one of your initiates walked through the door.
 
>"We've found something."
 
>He motioned for you to follow him.
>Making the short trip back to the living room, you were presented with a torn sheet of paper by one of the other initiates.
>Taking it from her mouth, you saw a hastily scrawled note on it.
>There was just a single word written.
>Baltimare.
 
>You smirked and tossed the note to the side.
>It seemed that Crossed knew where her loyalty should be.
 
"Come on, lets get out before anyone sees us."
 
>As the last of your novices left the building and shut the door, you made your way for home.
 
>"What did it say, Reverend?"
 
>Huh, looks like they did know of your promotion.
>Undoubtedly they had been informed by Nightmare Moon.
>It seems she would still keep in contact with them while you were left in the dark.
>Shoving your hands in your pockets, you let your frustrations ferment into a drive to act.
 
"We're taking a trip to the coast. It would be too suspicious for us all of us to suddenly leave, so I'm only taking four of you."
 
>You pointed a finger at the closest four and beckoned them to walk next to you.
 
"The rest of you, continue to act as normal and meditate on the knowledge our Lady has graced you with. We will return here shortly with our lost sisters in tow."
 
>The other eight split off to different directions at your instructions.
>Making sure the ones you chose were keeping pace, you started walking faster.
 
"Go to your homes and get whatever money you think you'll need for the trip to Baltimare, we'll rendezvous at the train station."
 
>They all gave a short bow before splitting off as well.
 
>Alone again, you couldn't help but return to your thoughts.
>Why would your lost little pony choose to go there?
>Did she have relatives she wanted to flee to?
>Did Crossed manage to convince her to avoid Canterlot?
 
>Whatever her reasoning, it didn't matter.
>So long as she kept her 'friend' close to her, you would be able to track her down through the connection Crossed had with Nightmare Moon.
>It pained you to have to rely on your initiates to speak to her, but this was all just a test to make you prove yourself.
>It struck you as strange, though, how they could communicate with Nightmare Moon without knowing how to dream.
 
>It must work differently between ponies.
>Perhaps their minds were not as much their own as you had thought.
>It made sense though.
>They have yet to prove how devoted they are, and as such should be kept on a very short leash of freedoms.
>Your Lady was truly astounding in her powers of foresight and control.
 
>That was enough introspection for the day, you had arrived home.
>Once you had some cash in hand, you would be able to continue along your path of redemption.
 
>None were allowed to escape the grace of your Goddess.