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Out of curiosity, you ask the sanguimancer about the clans you may be related to.
Crux Claret: "Of course. I was able to identify three matches, each appearing several generations old. One of them is the Hoof Clan, which is commonly known for producing travelling merchants, couriers and drivers. Naturally, this is one of the farthest-reaching Earth Pony bloodlines in Equestria, and I wouldn't be surprised to find it in other kingdoms as well.
Another match I believe is the Tree Clan, notably the second largest greater clan after the Field Clan. It includes anything from loggers to arborists, and is the parent to all Earth Pony fruit tree clans such as Apple, Orange, Lemon, and so on.
Last but not least is a match with the Sand Clan, a perhaps lesser-known lineage that is mostly found in southern Equestria. Descendants of this bloodline are responsible for most of the kingdom's brickwork, cobwork, and glassmaking, and count a number of renowned Earth Pony archeologists and historians."
You remark that your cutie marks both fit within these clans.
Honourshine: "I suppose so. And you're saying we both match these three greater clans, and none other?"
Crux Claret: "Yes, though I am hesitant to draw any conclusions concerning your origin; the patterns of your magic signatures suggest that part of them could be altered, obfuscated, or even missing.
Under normal circumstances, a biomagical structure like yours would indicate that you were pure-blooded Earth Ponies with ties to the greater clans alone. Were that the case, we could hypothesize that you were both born from a clan which branched off to a different part of the world sometime before or during the early years of Equestria's foundation."
Honourshine: "That certainly would explain some things..."
Crux Claret: "But again, this is little more than conjecture based on the incomplete information we currently have. If you manage to resolve your magical predicament, then we may be able to review that theory."
You nod, your curiosity somewhat satisfied, and thank Crux Claret for his time.
Crux Claret: "If that is all, then I wish you all the best in the search for your family trees."
After a free snack of fresh spinach and a tall glass of water, you leave the clinic with a few answers yet no fewer questions than before. Your hooves meet the green stone of Canterlot's city streets as you chat among yourselves.
Honourshine: "Well, that was about as enlightening as the flip of a coin."
You grin, and tell your foalhood friend that nothing worth it is ever easy. After all, you ask, would it truly be a mystery if it were but a needle's sting away?
Honourshine: "Perhaps not, but I could have done without."
You all share a chuckle, then Honourshine turns to the younger bat pony.
Honourshine: "Say, you mentioned before that your parents live far away. Do you ever visit each other?"
Moonflower: "Nuh uh. The Crimsonsand Clan lives super, super far away, in a desert somewhere with no trains or carts. Oh! But since I got my dream powers, I got to visit 'em in their dreams! Does that count?"
Honourshine: "I don't see why not. It must be nice."
Moonflower: "Yuh uh! I wanna go visit once my oracle trainin' is done. I told 'em all 'bout what's been goin' on, and they're super happy I finally made some friends. Ooh, maybe next time I'll tell 'em about you, too!"
Honourshine: "... What about me?"
Moonflower: "Heehee... I dunno yet! I guess we gotta go on adventures together first."
You nod in agreement, and on that matter, you ponder whether there is anything else you should do here before leaving for Fillydelphia.
Enter a comment
Also, I say Honourshine's callout was for not putting in the work ourselves first. We could definitely do our own research on the history of pony clans, but for the other topics, there isn't really a way to tell the Princess about things without telling her. I guess we could write a letter instead of actually seeing the Princess, and I think I'll edit that into my command as a contingency if she's unavailable.
But you should put in a command to leave for Fillydelphia or something to represent the other side.
I thought about it but decided against it. If people want to talk to Celestia, why not give it a try? If we don't get an audience the only negative consequences are a “wasted” turn and maybe Honourshine getting a bit annoyed with us. If we get an audience we may learn something useful.
- "I wasn't sure how to feel at first about unexpectedly being made a prince. But… I've had time to adjust, and to know my friends have my flank. So now, if there should ever be need of me… I'll answer the call. For Equestria… (flirtingly) and its princesses." (Tell Celestia our feelings on royal duties have evolved.)
- "We're setting out on a voyage that will hopefully not cause any diplomatic issues: …" (Give a heads up on our voyage. Put in a good word for Twilight too.)
- "Let me brief you on what I've learned about myself, in the hope that it may help us better understand alicornhood: …" (Tell her about our unusual magic signatures, mysterious origins, etc. She might have a thoughts on our ancestry too.)
- "Princess Luna should know what we've learned about what we believe is Empyrius's soul: …" (Update Luna by proxy. Celestia may have insights too.)
I feel like this is potentially a setup for a really emotional moment similar to what Twilight was feeling when she was singing "You'll Play Your Part", albeit customized to our particular situation.
Cut content:
When discussing Empyrius, I wonder if Celestia will have anything to say about alicorn magic.
I can basically see the QM winking at us 🙃.
I don't know why it's green, but it's probably a reference to something I don't remember.
Moonflower basically has a telephone in a world where none exist. Well, there is Fluttershy's animal network, but still.
If the Princess is unavailable, we can drop off a letter instead.
It was implied that "alicorn magic" won't be found in Equestria, but Celestia might at least know something.
It would be good to update Celestia on our mysterious origins, since we might not be an ordinary pony that became an alicorn per se.
...and you know, we may have skipped the whole adventuring outfit when, uh, outfitting back at the guild... but Moony has been wearing her hat for a while now. And looking good in it. Maybe we should get a hat of our own? Plus, the right one might hide our horn, if we need to lay low, but also fly.
See if you spot a good hat store on the way to the castle.