There will be no turning to fight; the true battle is right in front of you. The glowing crystal tree, versus all the magical power and strength of will you have in reserve. A task under a literal deadline, marked by the ever-louder approach of six voices and six sets of hooves. Setting you jaw and flattening your ears to remove distractions, you focus all your attention and dark energy onto the final crystal starburst standing in your way. One last roll of the dice stands between you, and y

Under the shadow of a broken arch, brain still buzzing and stomach still gurgling, you come to a resolution. *If I flee, I may survive. But I will never again come so close to being King.* It's not like you could live with the regrets of passing up an opportunity like this, the frustration and despair would eventually overwhelm your ability to reform. It's either conquer, or go down fighting!
Nerves steeled with this new determination, you get to your hooves, closing your eyes once more, not

While a top-up meal would be nice, if you're ever going to get anywhere as a king you've eventually got to learn how to keep actual servants and subjects around as more than breathing pantry-fillers. This wouldn't be easy without a corrupted major artifact backing your power, but surely a young mare already lust-addled and licking your cock should be no difficulty, right?
“Mmm, yes, very good there... now little mare, look up, look into my eyeessss...” Your voice is a low sibilant

Physical confrontation hasn't had the best track record for you so far. It's time to show the world once again why you were known as a sorcerer-king!
Taking a deep breath and closing your eyes, you let your mind calm from a roiling state of hunger, egotism, and ambition into a meditative state. Thoughts stilling, your awareness expands to fill your entire headspace. For the first time in a while, you are consciously perceiving the way your long black mane falls against your neck, the stone

The signs don't give you a lot to go on, in terms of the danger and opportunities in each path, so you fall back on to what's more likely to serve your ultimate aim. After all, if you mean to carve out a Kingdom, then it only makes sense that you will want a castle!
Taking the right branch of the path further into the Everfree, you keep your eyes peeled for any sign of guards. If the castle is actively occupied, it stands to reason that it would be secured. Of course, given that its in the mi

Wherever the Light of Harmony falls, there shall be cast a Shadow. And in that Darkness gyrates a pair of purple asscheeks...
*Wait, no... that's not right.... this isn't who I am!*
With the difficulty of a dreamer awakening from a drugged slumber, you drag your consciousness back into its true form. The soreness in each limb as it comes back into your awareness is enough to make you wonder, just for a second, if the effort of reconstitution was worth it. It had never come so difficultly to y

It's a hard choice at first, until you see the footpath down the mountain has stairs carved in it. That decides it; stairs are a quite unappreciated little feat of architecture in your opinion, and the fact that ponies here actually went to the trouble of carving them into the stone here increased your respect for the locals. Maybe you won't eat everyone in this town; they'd make good subjects if one could assure their loyalty...
Being able to approach the town at your leisure also gives you e

There's enough bulk on the mare that could be a problem if she started throwing her weight around. Plus, with that pickaxe, she's technically armed as well, so outright aggression was risky. No, this situation clearly called for charm, tact... and a little hypnosis...
Readying what little magical reserves you had available to you, you stick to the shadows, your umbral form escaping the mare's peripheral vision until you're ready to emerge fully into the halo of illumination from the crystals i

A deep breath serves to clear your head. Nothing is to be gained by pursuing anything other than power. With a kingdom restored to you, all else can follow... or be done without, honestly. If you've a throne of your own that will be left to you, and loyal subjects over which to lord, and from which to feast, you'll be content.
Grubliblgrr...
First things first, though. Get out of these caves, slake your appetite, then find somewhere to start building a power base. You're almost all tapped o

Wherever the Light of Harmony falls, there shall be cast a Shadow. And from that Darkness the Umbrae have sent their king...
Which would probably be more ominous, if this wasn't the third time you'd had to coalesce from being literally blasted into smithereens.
Oh yes, the Mighty Sombra, the dark king of legends, the studliest black stallion to ever grace the surface of this undeserving world, that's you; and you are not happy. You've been able to do little else other than ruminate over your f

Smiling sadly, you shake your head to refuse Star's offer. “Tell Blueblood thanks for me, but my place is here. I've got to catch up on all the work Nocta's not going to be able to do anymore, and... well, as seen, things can go off the rails if there's not somepony like me around to keep the agendas of alicorns on track, you know?”
Star Crusader nods, understandingly. “Of course. Duty must come first in times like these. It was good to meet you, and I hope we can at least

In the time it takes to spread jam across a split biscuit, you're resolved in your mind over which way to argue. Justice must be done, but not untempered by mercy. All told, though, this is more from your concern over what harshness may do to the judge rather than the defendant.
Speaking of the judges, they came into the room from different doors, nuzzled each other in greeting, before sitting down to their repast. You can't help but notice that, compared to the last meal the two Sisters sh

While the passing panorama of emotion-centered dreamscapes appear to offer an escape route, each could just as easily prove to be dead ends, primed to signal and summon the Mistress of Dreams when entered. You have better instincts than to fall for that, but this castle chase is probably not sustainable either, not without throwing a little diversion. As you pass by one of the windows, you kick off it with your hind hoof, in an attempt to hopefully trigger a signal for Luna to warp away...
[Sh

“Catch me if you can!”
With a sudden snap of your wings you nose into a dive, air resistance practically negated as you build up momentum on your fall, kicking against a low cloud to springboard into horizontal movement. The thrill of the chase is once again upon you, but for the first time from the perspective of the pursued. You've never been in this position before; your whole life from being raised in the Thestral Colony to practicing and training in Luna's Enforcers was orient

“You know? I really could use a dream like that right now.” Luna smiles at your assent, opening a wing for you to walk underneath, as a mother to her little filly. Few indeed are those to whom the Night Mother has offered this privilege, and you take advantage of it as wholeheartedly and innocently as if she were your birth mother.
“I'll be heading back to bed myself.” Blueblood waves you goodbye with a yawn. “Expect I'll be sleeping late. Good luck, and remem

“Forgive me if I sound cynical, but... in this world, can you really be certain that the good hunters will triumph over the unscrupulous?” That seemed to be the most important question for you to resolve.
“Certain? No. But I have to trust my little ponies with this power, same as I do with Magic. Once a ruler stops trusting their people to make the right decision, they become tyrants.” Celestia's answer was sure and eloquent, coming from a place of genuine self-refle

“Nothing to be gained by delaying.” Your voice is decisive, braced by the strength of your conviction. “If we can't persuade both the sisters of what's going on and to moderate their plans... well, we'll have done all we can.”
“Digestion before dishonor, hm?” Star rhetorically questions as her wing comes around to rub at her belly. “That's a rare position for a Hunter to take. A rare and noble one. It's a pity you're not part of the Platinum Honor

You hadn't gotten this far with Prince Blueblood by not taking the bold option; social caution was clearly not called for in this house. Otherwise, why would they initiate a belly rub in front of you? You step forward, the lack of rebuke from Star or Blueblood giving you confidence as you place your hooves beside the stallions, and join in the massage.
It's actually been a while before your rubbings soothed the gut of your fellow predator, but Star seems forgiving of your amateurishness. You'

Heading out of the cafe, you trot to a takeoff from the street and bank towards the ritzier district of town. You don't rate your own influence with Luna very highly, given that tonight was the first time you two had ever met or spoken face to face, while Nocta had landed her civilian advisor position some time ago. You needed somepony with an inside track to the Night Mother, and there was only one of those who seemed inclined to give you the time of day...
That said, just because you and the

You find yourself hesitating at the threshold of the Veiled Garden, unable to take the step that would endorse the rather predatory-centric, not to say supremacist, philosophy Nocta just outlined. It wasn't hard to see where it came from, but as a guard who had taken an oath to protect Equestria and its ponies, this seemed just a step too far. On the other hoof, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to openly antagonize a fellow-thestral so close to the Night Mother, not until you got a better s

You wave Blueblood off with a wing and a wink, snickering to yourself at his sudden flustered retreat. He could be saved for later, you were sure. For now, best to go along with your fellow-thestral; it would have been a pain to babysit a unicorn on a hunt anyway.
“You thinking about going out hunting tonight?” You ask in a low tone as you sidle up to Nocta. “Free to be your wingmare if you don't mind the tagalong.”
The silver-coated batpony eyes you curiously, befo

“Gonna have to throw my vote behind Nocta on this one.” You say, without too much hesitation. “We'd be used as your party bouncers, yeah? The Enforcers are better at that sort of thing than standing as ornamental guards at fancy soirees. Besides, I can't tell you how many times I've seen the nobs slumming it at the club, we'll catch a few in the net for sure. Casting broad will get us most of what we want with less chance of messing things up.”
“Hmmm....”

There are some mares back at the barracks who would probably not respect you for this decision, but Faust-damnit, you know how good you look. If Prince Blueblood's going to think with his dick around you, why not do a little mareish mind-control? It would definitely make the prospect of working with him alongside the Night Mother a much smoother process; he may be a family-first kind of stallion, but that didn't meant he couldn't be a royal pain to you if he wanted to. Best to head that off a

After some consideration, you turn down the hallway towards the Solar Tower; that's where you'd be most likely to find Princess Celestia at this hour, and if you're right in your character assessment, Prince Blueblood as well. You're fairly confident in your judgment, though; the Prince has no living blood relatives, and his parents both disappeared in an airship accident over the southern continent when he was fairly young. For a while, 'Auntie' Celestia was the only family he had.
*Would go

It doesn't take long for you to decide that testing the Night Mother's patience would be unwise. As soon as she looks at you, you salute. “I'll go fetch him, Night Mother. Where's he likely to be?”
Princess Luna smiles at your alacrity, but it is a brief one. “That I cannot say; his schedule was not fixed for today, and his active hours usually span from late in the morning to late at night, to accommodate for my sister and me both. You will have to make inquiries at all t

“Lieutenant Darkpine?”
You look up from your cup of barracks room coffee, not exactly pleased to have your quiet moment of reflection interrupted. Your patrol shift didn't start until after sunset, but this was one of the few nights you'd managed to get up and alert before 5pm, so you decided to report in early. Contrary to most nights, the break room was quiet this Friday; neither the Solar guard getting off their shift nor the Lunar enforcers coming onto theirs seemed inclined fo

It's time to open up, you conclude after taking a deep breath. Vinyl seems to have seen right through you anyway, and the strain of keeping your dreams and desires secret while investigating a scene seemingly celebrating and reveling in what they were about would break you sooner or later.
“Up until recently, you know, I wouldn't have thought what I dreamed of was even possible. Physically, I mean. Between two ponies.” You gesture with your hooves, your hesitations still stalling

After that intense of an interview, you think it best to take your leave of Nocta while you've still managed to keep on reasonably good terms... and not made yourself look too vulnerable. There's still one more angle you can attack here, after all.
“Well, thank you for your time, Miss Nocta. Would you mind if I stayed to interview Vinyl Scratch when she is between sets? The bouncer said she would be free to see me.”
She seems to consider this, then nods as you get to your hooves,

You decide to take the 'Equine Interest' angle; celebrity talk was a bit of a cheap reader bait, but it would be a good way to make sure a story this important (and your name in the byline) got in front of as many ponies' eyes as possible. “Well, to begin with Miss Nocta, how did you manage to secure top-of-the-line talent so quickly into your tenure? Vinyl Scratch has to be one of the most recognizable DJ's working the scene today, and word on the street is you've secured an exclusive c

[Persuasive Level 7 Succeeded in a Challenge! Persuasive has increased to Level 8!]
The key to pulling off any bluff is to look like you have every right to be where you are, doing what you are doing, all the while showing no visible sign of strain or effort. Marching right up to the entrance, bypassing the line, you have your card at the ready for the bouncer to inspect. “Earth Writer, Canterlot Chronicle. I'm here to talk to your boss for a feature in the Style section.” It's

You spend a little time deliberating over the drink you will order to fortify yourself for the rest of the day's work. Both relaxation and alertness would be of help here, but which would be most useful? The decision is a tough one, but the smell of coffee and Bale Hay's from the next booth over remind you that there's a third option!
“I'll take a Neighrish coffee; it's going to be a long hunt for this latest story.” The barkeep nods at your order, fixing it up with an elegant cre

[Dangerous Level 4 Succeeded in a Challenge! Dangerous has increased to 5]
Just before the wide open set of jaws close the light away from your eyes forever, you regain control of you magic. Taking up your pencil in a panic-fueled surge of energy, you jam it in a random direction at her, landing a point-first jab in the sensitive flesh of your assaulter's inner thigh! The roar of pain from the kirin temporarily deafens you, but your chief concern right now is the freedom of your body rather t

[Dangerous Level 3 Failed in a Challenge! Taking on this challenge has increased your Dangerous to Level 4]
There's an art to looking like you're the sort that is best not to mess with. The way you carry your head, the calm contempt in your eye for any threat, the confident strut of your walk... which is unfortunately broken when you stumble on a loose cobblestone right in front of the alleyway. Quicker than you can blink, a pair of cloven hooves reach out of the darkness, seize you by your sh

It wasn't a very hard decision to pick which lead to follow. As much help to your future career as upper-class connections could be, if you actually want to find these artists, it is probably best to seek them out in an area more familiar to you. Filing away the previous notes, you take up your notebook into your pocked and tuck your press card into your hat. There's a lot of folks who just can't help but talk to an empty notebook, and keeping track of things should aid in investigation.
[New

[A Twist in your Tale! You are now Seeking a Secretive Style]
“I'll take the Style and Art Beat, chief. Bohemian quarter's not too far from here, after all.” You reply, after a little consideration to the career implications. Between the resignations and no-shows, it was just possible that the Chronicle starting on a downward spiral, and you wanted a chance to jump ship.
Lead Type, being an earth pony himself, couldn't read your mind, but there was something in his look that told