Midnight Park

Locales found within the main city centers; primarily Inside, Riverside, and Skyside.
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Fenric
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Midnight Park

Post by Fenric »

Once upon a time, this grove of mystical darkwood trees was well outside the limits of Town in the darkest depths of the primeval forest. But as Town grew to become Inside, the once mighty forest was cut down and the grove became simply a park within the sprawling metroplex. A novelty and a curiousity for the wealthy and powerful.

And once upon a time at the very heart of this place, the mightiest of the trees was hollowed out by a dreadful lich and made into a fabulous stronghold of darkness and despair. Dreadful acts and despicable evil were perpetrated here but in the end, he suffered the usual fate of discardable antagonists, and the Darkwood Manor fell into long disuse.

Until, of all things, a Pony came to live there. And the nature of the grove was forever changed.

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Re: Midnight Park

Post by Fenric »

Tall and cloaked in ornamented robes and glossy boots with silver trim and a sigil unlikly to be recognized by much of anyone, a visitor appears at the border. He is humanoid in overall shape, of heroic build and impressive height but surrounded in swirling shadows and bearing the burning red eyes of the shadow-folk.

He waits politely for the guards to respond.
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Re: Midnight Park

Post by Rebonack »

Guards?

This place hasn't really needed guards for quite some time.

Trails lead through the park toward the Darkwood Manor at its heart, pristine little walkways lined with ghostly luminous flowers transplanted from the Gloom with loving hooves. Lanterns dot the path, along with the occasional sign warning hikers of the dangers wild shadows.

So it isn't a guard the imposing figure finds.

It's a gardener.

That's basically the same, right?

An earthy coated mare with an image of a moon-glow flower on her haunches is carefully tending to one of the flower beds at the edge of the trail, using her teeth to pull up the old dead perennials here in the waning days of autumn. She offers a friendly smile at the figure. "Oh, hello! Welcome to Midnight Park!"

This is definitely a far cry from the soulless minions of an evil lich.
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Re: Midnight Park

Post by Fenric »

The greater shadow wight bows.

My greetings. I am a servant of Lady Keiko no Mae, and I have an important matter to discuss with your esteemed leader: young girls are being tricked into vile contracts by an unscrupulous extraplanar entity.
A friend of ours has requested assistance in putting an end to this, and it is my understanding that opposing such things are her particular specialty.
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Re: Midnight Park

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The pony listens.

And the pony looks sad.

"Oh, that sounds terrible! Children shouldn't even be able to MAKE contracts they're so young and naive! What sort of terrible thing would do something like that?"

The small, white, and cute sort of terrible thing.

"The Princess might be able to help. Is your lady looking a way to break these chains that bind?"

She's already standing up and gathering her tools. Clearly this is more important than gardening!
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Re: Midnight Park

Post by Fenric »

The wraith nods

We have scant information on the perpetrator, but we do have a lead through one of his victims who was freed through substantial invovlement of a local magical school.

My Lady wishes not only to break them on those unforunate enough to have been tricked, but to put an end to this odious practice.
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Re: Midnight Park

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"Alright! Umm... I'm sure the Princess would be happy to help but she's also very busy, I think. Court will be happening soon, that's when people bring their petitions to the Princess. That would probably be a good way to ask her about it?"

That's...

A pretty nice mixture of formal and informal.

Will the wraith follow the equestrian back to the absurdly large tree the gloom ponies have made into their home and base of operations?
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Re: Midnight Park

Post by Fenric »

But of course he will! That's why he came, after all.

Away they go, to wait his turn and repeat all that stuff over again, yay!
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Re: Midnight Park

Post by Rebonack »

Nah repeating that stuff all over again isn't any fun.

We'll just handwave our way through the waiting and the presenting of the petition and skip straight to-

"This is a terrible crime you have brought to our ears," Princess Sunder says from atop her throne of stark white ivory. "We were aware of a nightshade hunting children that a creature matching that description was speaking with. One of my little ponies destroyed it and banished its corrupt spirit back to the Gloom. I'm not sure why such a foul creature would want to prevent the creation of these contracts, but I find myself agreeing that they can't be allowed."

Just...

Not via stabbing small girls a whole bunch.

The nightshade had the right idea but its methodology left a lot to be desired.

"If one of the shackled children is brought to me I can try my hoof at freeing her. In the mean time I will inform my patrols to keep an eye out for this contract-maker. This information will be passed to Intersection. I believe we must put our hoof down on this matter,"
she says, stomping one hoof on the floor in front of her. "We can't allow the children of our fair City to be preyed upon in this way."
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Re: Midnight Park

Post by Fenric »

The wight bows

Thank you, my Lady. We are in complete agreement.

It is actually in finding one of the children that we have our greatest difficulty. The nature of the contract being a ruse, they believe themselves to be heroes and champions. Unfortunately, they tend to react ... poorly ... to the creatures of the Shadows, regardless of our actual nature or intentions.

We are at a loss on how to proceed in that effort. Would you have any suggestions along those lines?
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Re: Midnight Park

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Ah.

The old clobber first ask questions never problem.

That IS an issue when you're an undead creature of darkness with scary glowing red eyes.

Thankfully there is an easy solution to that problem!

"I will see to it that some of my little ponies accompany you in your endeavor. The young humanoids tend to find our kind endearing. It is my hope that will provide you with the room to speak you require."

Nothing like A PONY! to convince a little girl to do some petting rather than IN THE NAME OF THE MOON I WILL PUNISH YOU!ing.
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Re: Midnight Park

Post by Fenric »

The waith nods

Truly: young girls can never resist a pony. With luck, though should give us the time we need to try to actually talk to them. By my understanding, we need to find an older victim who is close to suffering the penalty of the vile contract.

For that, our lesser shadows are already unobtrusively searching for such an one: we have a great advantage of being able to observe without being observed as long as we do not venture out. Hopefully that search will not take overlong.
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Re: Midnight Park

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Sounds like they've got a plan!

The little shadows find a girl on the edge of despair.

Then they send for the big shadow with a pony as backup, since colorful tiny horses are far less intimidating that dark wraiths with burning red eyes.

"Very well. I have flying patrols spread over the city lending their eyes and ears to the law enforcement of Inside. When your agents find a girl drawing near to her doom send word to them and they will join you as your lay your case before the child."

Okay!

Sounds like they're ready to go!
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Re: Midnight Park

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[Changeling Needs]

After taking the riftline to Inside Bobbie will find herself to a street dominated by people with hooves rather than feet. Which finally her guide seems to consider requires an explanation. "I work here. Well, it's one of my jobs at least. Haven't really been called lately but I still get a lot of benefits. Like an actual apartment of my own."
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Re: Midnight Park

Post by Earl of Purple »

Changeling Needs

Bobbi follows, a little nervously. She's never been to Inside before, and it's showing quite drastically with how much she's staring. She's apparently human, tall and slender, with pale skin and tawny brown hair, large brown eyes. She's wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a beat-up leather jacket, worn trainers on her feet. Or, at least, that's what she looks like to mundane senses.
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Re: Midnight Park

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[Changeling Needs]

The walk into Midnight Park is always an interesting one, though it becomes clear in a hurry that something has changed. Most obvious is the fact that the perpetual gloom of midnight park reaches further than the shadowy forest itself, shrouding the surrounding neighborhoods in perpetual twilight. There was a time when this meant that the area was a rundown slum populated with the desperate, destitute, and diabolical. It was a place where creatures of the night lurked and where most sane folk wouldn't want to spend much time. But after the Princess took over the area and began expanding her influence things changed rather dramatically.

The neighborhood is still shrouded in perpetual twilight, but now all the rundown buildings have been repaired and painted in bright, cheerful colors. Where before the streets were mostly deserted save for predatory eyes watching from dark alleys now they bustle with colorful equestrians and visitors to the neighborhood. Where before parks were overgrown with weeds and malevolent, dark fae now there are only happy gardens full of flowers and playground equipment for children.

It's a place sufficed with laughter and song and cheer and industriousness.

Also ponies.

Just so many ponies.

"Hello Jaahlyn! Beautiful day isn't it?"
"Oh it's Jaahlyn! Have you composed any new songs for the court? I loved the last one!"
"Hiya welcome to Midnight Park! Are you Jaahlyn's friend?"

Plenty of friendly pony greetings. They'll exchange pleasantries, but they won't hound the satyr and her companion unless they engage in small-talk. The equestrians are, as always, intensely friendly and curious.
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Re: Midnight Park

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Changeling Needs

Jaahlyn exchanges greetings with the ponies as she passes them, some words, little respectful nods.
But she did have a question for the passersby's. "Is the Princess at court today? My new friend here could use some help." She gestures to Bobbie.
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Re: Midnight Park

Post by Earl of Purple »

Changeling Needs

Bobbi jumps when the first pony talks, not having met one before, but quickly gets used to it and adapting to the oddity. She'll let Jaahlyn do all the talking, for now at least.
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Re: Midnight Park

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[Changeling Needs]

"Oh."
"Umm..."

The small group of equestrians begin exchanging looks. And a few questions back and forth. Does anypony know whether the Princess is in today or not? Or is she busy elsewhere? She's not always around, after all.

"I think she's in the Gloom today?" pipes up a thestral with a pleasant muted dark blue shade of fur. "We just took the Necropolis of Nurgal and she's probably going to give a speech there."

That gets some murmurs of excitement out of the ponies. Both because speeches are fun and because the Necropolis has been holding out against them for a while now. Team Nightmare has been steadily expanding its hold on the Gloom. It's the aim of the Princess to liberate that whole realm of undeath after all.

Not that the gods of undeath are being particularly cooperative in that regard.
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Re: Midnight Park

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[Changeling Needs]

"Ah." A beat as she throws a quick glance at Bobbie. "Remind me, how does one get to the gloom again? I've never actually visited it and I can't recall what was said in the, er, orientation." She was pretty sure she had one of those. The gloom kinda sounded like the underworld in a way yet was probably almost the opposite of it.
The underworld was a place of death and the gloom symbolized undeath. An unnatural life beyond death.
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Re: Midnight Park

Post by Earl of Purple »

Changeling Needs

The Gloom? That somehow doesn't sound too pleasant, but Bobbi doesn't know much about it. So she's going to stand there and just follow along. Hopefully, if it's not a pleasant place, she'd still be able to escape into the Hedge.
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Re: Midnight Park

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[Changeling Needs]

"The most pleasant way is following the road there in the roots of Hometree," a pretty pink unicorn pipes up. "That's how most everypony goes to and from the towns and villages and fortresses we have there."

That gets murmurs of agreement.

"But it can be dangerous there, too. It's innervating to the living, unless they're protected. They keep some pretty amulets at the checkpoint down in the roots for regular living visitors to wear," says and earth pony with a coat the color of warm sand. He glances at Bobbi when he mentions that. She seems like a regular living visitor to him. "If you're really wanting to go to the Necropolis, you would probably want to find a unit heading that way. We try to keep the roads down there safe but the Gloom is way more dangerous than anywhere in the Nexus. There are things down there that were never mortals."

Sounds spooky.
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Re: Midnight Park

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[Changeling Needs]

Jaahlyn looks to Bobbie as well. It did sound pretty concerning. While she had no doubts that she could make it through unscathed she didn't want to put the person she had just helped out in danger.
She turns back to the ponies. "And do you know how long it might be until the Princess returns to midnight park?"
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Re: Midnight Park

Post by Earl of Purple »

Changeling Needs

"I just escaped somewhere really unpleasant. I don't want to go somewhere else that is also unpleasant, even if it's a different kind of unpleasant." And Bobbi genuinely has no idea if the Hedge can be accessed from the afterlife, not that any Hedge adjacent to the Gloom is likely to be safer and more pleasant.
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Re: Midnight Park

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[Changeling Needs]

"I don't think the Princess really has a schedule like that. Oh! But she should be back for court! The next open court is day after tomorrow ," the thestral replies.

"Um... if you really need to talk to somepony quickly you might want to talk to Myrrh Balm?" the pink unicorn suggests. "She's in charge of things when the Princess is busy."

Ah yes, the seneschal of the Princess. While Jaahlyn hasn't met her she's probably heard OF her. Apparently she used to be a mummy lord of considerable power (and evil) before she was freed from undeath by the Princess herself. It seems like Balm can't escape the position of grand vizier. That title just isn't used OFFICIALLY due to the regularity with which grand viziers betray their ruler catastrophically.
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Re: Midnight Park

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[Changeling Needs]

"Myrrh Balm..." Right, she vaguely recalled who that was now. "That works, where could we meet her?"
She didn't address Bobbie right now but she agreed with her concerns nonetheless.
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Re: Midnight Park

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Changeling Needs

Bobbi nods and doesn't say anything, willing to meet Myrrh Balm if the Princess isn't available.
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Re: Midnight Park

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[Changeling Needs]

"She has an office at Hometree," the unicorn informs our heroes. "If you ask the receptionist or the guards they can point you the right way. She might be busy... but you're an important performer! I'm sure she'll be able to make time for you."

Well!

There you go.

Our heroes have a solution.

Or...

A possible solution.

And one that doesn't require traveling through a realm of undeath!

That's positive, right?
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Re: Midnight Park

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[Changeling Needs]

"Er, we won't take up too much of her time hopefully. As valuable as it is. So thank you, I will go and see her right away." She flourish with a bow and an elegant hand gesture before taking her leave and heading to the Hometree.

"Are you feeling alright, Bobbie? Since I figured that we should probably examine your soul too. Just so that no one has done anything to it." When the ponies had mentioned the realm of undeath she had suddenly recalled how the fey she formerly served had removed aspects of people's souls to create slaugh's. This had been a blessing in disguise for her as it was considered abhorrent enough to break their contract once she had found out.

Not that it had helped the poor mortals that they had already captured.
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Re: Midnight Park

Post by Earl of Purple »

Changeling Needs

"That... does seem like a good idea." Bobbi glances at the nearest gloompony, unsure if they've seen her Mien past the Mask disguising it. She still opts to be careful, though. "It might've changed as much as the rest of me." Or more, though Bobbi's terrified by the idea.
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